Stamp Wall Art

After digging and digging and digging through the shoe box lids I stored my stamps in I decided I needed to upgrade. The show boxes served their purpose however I got to the point where I spent more time digging and looking then I did actually stamping. I am a sucker for the $1 stamps at Michaels so I have accumulated a lot over the past few years.

So for this project I turned to the husband (he is handy to have around). We brainstormed a bit and I explained to him what my thoughts were and the process began.

What you will need:

Materials
2"x1" Pine or Poplar (typically comes in 8ft lengths at Home Depot)
Finish Nails (small nails)
Wood Glue
Wood Putty
Paint
12"x12" scrapbook paper

Tools
Miter Saw (hand miter saws cost about $20 at Home Depot)
Tape Measure
Router
Hammer

What you do:
First you want to decide on outside dimensions (I chose 12"x12"), cut the outside pieces of the box so that they meet at 45 degree angles (using a miter saw). Next you want to decide where you want your shelves in the box. If you can, cut approximately 1/8 inch deep slots into the sides to receive the shelves using a router, miter saw, or table saw if you have one. Cut your shelves to lengths so they fit in the slots between the sides or simply between the sides.

Using wood glue at all the contact points, put 2 finish nails at each joint and use a punch to sink the heads just below the surface. You may need to pre-dill if your wood splits. After your glue has dried you are ready to route the edges. I used a 1/8 inch radius rounding bit and just did the inside edges. You do not have to route the edges if you don't want to of don't have a router. Use the wood putty to fill and cracks in the joints and nail holes (simply apply with your finger tip). After the putty has dried sand it smooth and add more if needed.

Now all you have to do is paint and the shelves are complete! I added a 12"x12" piece of scrapbook paper as the background with the thought that they can be changes or replaced if it gets inked up. To add the paper I simply ran two-sided take down the back of the shelf and applied the paper.

Hanging your shelves:
There are several options for hanging your shelves since they won't be holding much weight. Most picture hanging systems should work. I chose to route a key hole pocket into the top of each side. After that it is as simple as hanging the shelves.

Sammy Gene

Seeds Stored Right

Now that all our seeds have been planted and we have decided that we have way more starter plants than our tiny garden can support we are finally ready to put the seed to rest for awhile (or until we decide to go for a second round of some summer crops). I have looked into seed storage and wanted to share a few tip with everyone on how to store seeds. What I found was that there are no exact answers, seeds are living things, so eventually the will no longer be viable. There is no-drop dead point for the seeds, the percentage of them germinating just lessens with time.

 There are three enemies of seeds; moisture, heat, and fluctuating temperatures. So to keep those seeds super dry place the packets into an air tight container, to keep the seeds away from heat and at a constant temperature stick the container in the refrigerator or a cool dark location that will not be impacted by fluctuating temperatures. Leaving your seeds in the shed is the worst place to store them simply because that allows moisture and temperature fluctuations to impact the tiny little guys.

 After a bit of research these are the holding times that seem reasonable for seeds as long as they are properly stored in a dark and dry location that has a consistent temperature.

• 1 year - Sweet corn, onion, parsnip, okra, parsley
• 2 years - Beet, pepper, leek
• 3 years - Asparagus, bean, carrot, celery, lettuce, pea, spinach, tomato
• 4 years - Cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, kale, squash, pumpkin, radish, turnip, rutabaga
• 5 years - Cucumber, endive, watermelon

Happy Seeding!
 
Sammy Gene

File All Your Paperwork Here

I am not MIA however I did leave my camera cable in PA so that should explain no posts in over a week. Well the husband and I have been looking for quite some time for the perfect filing cabinet. Guess what? They are all U-G-L-Y or cost $200. As luck would have it my MIL was purging her house of all her sons (my husbands) belongings and she said take that filing cabinet its ugly… and that is how we ended up with an ugly filing cabinet (free, which makes it kinda ok). Then came the challenge of how to make it not so ugly. It all started in the paint isle and the monster grew from there… So here is how I went from drab to fab…

Step 1
Remove the hardware and the lock bar (at least that is what I am calling for the purpose of this blog).

Step 2
Tape off any area that you do not want painted.

Step 3
Use a very fine sand paper and scuff up the existing paint and sand chips in the paint or miscellaneous bumps.

Step 4
Wipe down the cabinet with a micro-fiber cloth to pick up all the paint dust and small particles.

Step 5
Apply a thin coat of the paint of your choice. I used a foam roller and got a perfect smooth texture if you want paint with more texture check out the different options of rollers.

Step 6
Let dry for 6-8 hours then apply a second coat. Repeat this step until you reach your desired color.

Step 7
Once you have the cabinet painted you are almost done, all you have left is replacing the hardware. First measure up the old hardware with the new and see if the holes will match if not you may have to re-drill holes to fit your new handle. If you need to re-drill the holes, make a template to get the position right.

Step 8
Apply handles and file away!

Sammy Gene