tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966879188883342652024-03-13T05:50:46.141-05:00The FABULOUS Blog of Miss Ginger Grant!NOW with 100% more Domestic Fabulosity!Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.comBlogger974125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-85155090998531711652017-12-06T10:04:00.001-06:002017-12-06T10:04:47.087-06:00Snow, Snow, Snow, SNOW! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's snowing here at La Riata! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Texas snow, aka styrofoam snow! Miss Ginger has been a busy beaver cutting snowflakes for La Riata's Holiday Extravaganza, and she thought you might like to see a bit of the process before the final reveal! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Miss Ginger first honed the craft of styrofoam during her Mardi Gras days, where its strong, lightweight properties allowed the construction of intricate wearables. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today, she's going to use it for a similar project to use for Holiday decor, that consists of over a hundred snowflakes of various sizes. Here are a couple of (unedited) videos of the process. (Footnote: if anyone out there wants to serve as this blog's video editor, Miss G is taking applications!!!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are links to the 2 products used in the video!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/GOCHANGE-Electric-Styrofoam-Electronic-Transformer/dp/B01HEJECYE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1512576006&sr=8-3&keywords=styrofoam+cutter" target="_blank">Stiff Rod Cutter</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Uchida-America-Foam-Cutter-Plug/dp/B004BSKTRG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1512576006&sr=8-5&keywords=styrofoam+cutter" target="_blank">Tabletop Hot Wire Cutter</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Did you like this post? Was it helpful? Let me know in the comments below, and be sure to ask questions about anything that was unclear! </span></div>
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Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-4164612904060456252017-11-11T20:08:00.001-06:002017-11-11T20:08:27.268-06:00Fall Crafts for Free! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger made these fall holiday wreaths for the entrance to La Riata, and she's so proud of them she wanted to share them with you! They were easy to make, and best of all, they were FREE! Not one single trip to the craft store! It's all made from crap she had around the house! You can do it, too, with a little resourcefulness and creativity! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She started by making her wreath bases from some styrofoam sheets that came as packing material from a piece of furniture. Styro wreaths at the craft store are SO expensive, but with a an inexpensive <a href="https://www.amazon.com/GOCHANGE-Electric-Styrofoam-Electronic-Transformer/dp/B01HEJECYE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1510450092&sr=8-3&keywords=styrofoam+cutter&dpID=51TAUou9gUL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch" target="_blank">styrofoam cutter</a> you can make them yourself from garbage! Miss G taped 2 pieces together to make a wreath large enough for her door.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For the next step Miss Ginger used brown craft paper, which she had in the garage in a perfect 9" width designed to fit a paint masking device that she can no longer find, but you could cut regular craft paper into strips... This would be a great use for all of that brown paper <a href="http://amazon.com/">Amazon.com</a> uses to pack all that stuff you buy from them, since you're going to crumple it up anyway! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Begin by creating a double ring of crumpled paper on top of the styrofoam, using tape as needed to keep it in place. Then, begin wrapping the styrofoam and paper together with more crumpled paper to create the base of the wreath. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When you're done it will look sort of like a paper coffee cake, as observed here by Miss Ginger's assistant, LittleRed Corvette, himself an expert in fall colorations! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger didn't have any fall-hued ribbon to use as garland, but she did have miles of orange glitter-dot fabric left over from some ancient costume, so she sliced it into strips with a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Piece-Rotary-Cutting-Set/dp/B000B7K9UI/ref=sr_1_7?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1510450987&sr=1-7&keywords=rotary+cutter" target="_blank">rotary cutter</a> and put it to use! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To make the bow she used more glitter dot in a different color, and wrapped it around a 5x10 piece of interfacing to give it body... you could use a sheet of paper if you don't have interfacing laying around. She wrapped 4 pieces in total: one for each loop of the 2 bows. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To shape the loops, she folded them wrong sides together, then gathered and stapled each loop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Next, the 2 loops are stapled together... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">... a loop is created and wrapped around the connection to simulate a "knot"...</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d9zWgBxmWDE/Wgemr2oJjQI/AAAAAAAAIhs/aBTGh9x7B54dU44aAsK7S0lA1Ez9BWyAgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1181" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d9zWgBxmWDE/Wgemr2oJjQI/AAAAAAAAIhs/aBTGh9x7B54dU44aAsK7S0lA1Ez9BWyAgCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_4851.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">... and 2 more lengths of ribbon are added to create the tails.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now the fun part: decorating your wreaths! Here's a little tip: if you are making a pair of wreaths that will be shown together (like these double doors) then work on them together to make sure they balance. You won't make them match completely, but you want to make sure they have the same density of elements so the will go together. Miss Ginger likes to lay out all of her gee-gaw for both wreaths before she attaches anything,so she can make sure she's happy with the balance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger used 3 elements on this wreath: dried magnolia leaves from the yard that she sprayed with fall-colored spray paints, some glitter branch thingies left from an old christmas tree theme, and some gold plastic balls left over probably from the same tree. Use whatever you have, and if it's not the right color, spray it! Pine cones, dried branches, old scratched ornaments... almost anything can be dolled up with some spray paint and some glitter! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once the layout was finalized, it took no time to hot-glue everything in place! Miss G added <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pound-Greening-Pins-Approximately-325/dp/B00JAPKFW4/ref=sr_1_6?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1510452087&sr=1-6&keywords=greening+pins" target="_blank">greening pins</a> to connect the heavier items directly to the styrofoam, but you could cut some paper clips into "u's" if you don't have greening pins. Glue another pin or clip onto the back of each wreath for a hanger and you're ready to deck your halls with a gorgeous wreath made of trash! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger promised you some Consumer Product Reviews on things she has used in her latest quest to a healthier life, so here's the first! The <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/">MyFitnessPal </a>app is a free download to any smartphone or computer, and is a great place to keep your fitness game on track! It has some great features that make it easy to use, and it's web-based, so you can enter information into your smartphone, tablet, or computer, and it all syncs seamlessly! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After you enter a little personal information about your physical dimensions, the app will give you a calorie goal appropriate for your gender and age. Throughout the day, you enter the foods you consume, and the exercise you accomplish, and the app let's you know where you stand. It's really quite easy! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Entering foods is easier than it sounds because the app does so much of the work for you! Once you've clicked the "add food" button, the meal chart pops up, and you click "add food" again under the appropriate meal. Type the name of the food in the box and the app will search through thousands of foods to find a match, including brand-named products and restaurant foods! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From your smartphone it's even easier to add grocery store products, because you can simply scan the barcode on the product with the camera and it will automatically add that food for you! Foods are always being added to the app, and in the odd case that you come across a food that isn't there, you can enter the item from the product labelling to add it to the app. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can also add your own recipes, so the things you cook often are always there in the app. This works great for "make and freeze" meals, so you can fill your freezer with healthy, home-cooked meals and enter them as you eat them, as easily as you can enter packaged foods. The app also remembers what you've eaten in the past, and give you those in a drop-down for fast entry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The app will also track your activity, and you add exercise in much the same way you add food. You can select from a list of hundreds of different activities, then tell the app how long you did them, and it will give you those calories back, in effect allowing you to eat more when you are more active! It even syncs with some of the most popular fitness apps and devices, entering those activities automatically as it is tracked! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This was the "second" step in Miss G's journey, a fast, easy way to hold herself accountable and keep track of what went down her gullet! Several friends use the app as well, and by linking up with your friends, you can keep each other accountable as well! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Check it out, <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/">download for free</a> (the app shows you some relatively unobtrusive ads to cover its cost,) and add Miss Ginger if you decide to join up! MyFitnessPal definitely gets Miss Ginger's highest rating: </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">FIVE LIPSTICKS!!!!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-47953439248623761752015-01-04T13:00:00.000-06:002015-01-04T13:00:47.429-06:00Miss Ginger is Back! Again! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger apologizes for her long hiatus, but this girl had to spend some time taking care of herself. After her <a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/2009/05/its-like-crack-for-ocd-drag-queen.html">last attempt at weightloss</a> got waylaid by boredom and monotony, she had about all but given up! As you can see by the pic at the left, her rosy cheeks were getting a little too plump, and quite frankly, she grew tired of the limited selection in the <a href="http://www1.macys.com/shop/plus-size-clothing?id=32147&edge=hybrid&cm_sp=us_hdr-_-women-_-32147_plus-sizes">big girls' section</a>! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rather than looking for a "diet," she started with a couple of simple shopping tips, and before you know it, she's working out 2x's a week and and feeling better than ever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger is certainly no expert on weight loss (perhaps the opposite!) and she's not recommending this program for anyone but herself, but she has had so many people ask "what are you doing" that she thought she would share her experience. Trust, she still has a long way to go, but so far this has been working! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">#1: Start SOMEWHERE! Find one thing you can commit to changing, and change it. For Miss Ginger, it started at the grocery store. She looked into her cart and saw beef, sausage, more beef, frozen foods, and carbs. Salt, fat, and carbs: her three favorite food groups! She decided the buck stops here with one simple rule: no more beef. It had become her default protein, and that's not healthy. So she put it all back, and got turkey instead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">#2: Be TRUTHFUL and REASONABLE with yourself. Miss Ginger knew that if she said "I will never eat beef again" she would be lying. And she certainly knew that to say "no more salt, fat, beef, or processed food" would not only be a lie, it would be unreasonable! So she refined her commitment to say what she really meant: "I will no longer buy beef as my default protein when shopping, and I will eliminate fast food hamburgers from my diet." So there. No more cooking a steak 2 nights a week "cuz it's too nice not to grill" or "I'm gonna swing through McD's cuz I don't feel like cooking." So, when she's in a restaurant and she's in the mood for a steak, she'll make the decision to indulge. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">#3: MASTER #1 before moving on. Whatever commitment you made, get it solidified before you start making more demands on your already scarce self-discipline! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">#4: USE CRUTCHES! (Even a hottie like this needs a little help now and then!) In future posts Miss Ginger will tell you more about some of the tools she used to keep on track, but whether it's a Fitbit, a food diary, or a cheat day, make crutches part of your plan so you can control how frequently you use them, rather than grabbing them all the time! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">#5: ASK FOR HELP! This was the hardest part for Miss Ginger: she's an independent soul who likes to do things alone! Her history with exercise and weight loss has been to take on the world, and then quit due to boredom, injury, or lack of results. This time, she enlisted the help of a <a href="http://bodyevolutiontexas.com/">personal trainer,</a> whom she sees twice a week, to help her keep moving forward without hurting herself or giving up. This was not an easy decision, but one she doesn't regret! </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GwnYRZAYeb4/VKmMPVFnYPI/AAAAAAAAIZU/M_WP4STMJo4/s1600/IMG_0744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GwnYRZAYeb4/VKmMPVFnYPI/AAAAAAAAIZU/M_WP4STMJo4/s1600/IMG_0744.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So now Miss G is moving more, eating less, and changing her body. She's less focused on losing pounds and more focused on losing inches at the waist. She's feeling better, sleeping better, and has more energy and more stamina.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She also has lots of Consumer Product Reviews® coming your way to help you benefit from her experience and shopping prowess!!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How's everybody doing? We have a lot of catching up to do! Drop me a line in the comments below and let me know what you've been up to! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-26891019765750561182014-01-21T17:30:00.005-06:002014-01-21T17:32:33.715-06:00Isis and Osiris Ball I Was a Major Success! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now that the <span id="goog_1346804528"></span><a href="http://www.ask.com/wiki/Mystic_society">Mystic Society</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1346804529"></span></a> of <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mysticsocietyisisosiris/home">Isis and Osiris</a> has completed their first ball, Miss Ginger can share the festivities with you and show you some of the magic that was produced!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First, look at the room when we first walked into it: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Plenty of space, but not exactly an elegant environment for a black tie affair! No worries, however, as the professionals from <a href="http://townsleydesigns.com/wordpress/">Townsley Designs </a>of Austin arrived with 4 truckloads of glitz and glam, and in no time flat had transformed the room into this swanky environment:</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_xsCoNIFe8/Ut74GX0KI6I/AAAAAAAAIVE/pX0gUkoxewg/s1600/1520695_10152147654159060_1021252755_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_xsCoNIFe8/Ut74GX0KI6I/AAAAAAAAIVE/pX0gUkoxewg/s1600/1520695_10152147654159060_1021252755_n.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now THAT'S a room for a Mardi Gras celebration like no one's ever seen in Houston, TX! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once the space was set, the costumes were loaded in, and the Ball was ready to roll! And roll it did, with a never-stopping soundtrack provided by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dj-dylanbarnes">DJ Dylan Barnes</a> that kept guests dancing and mingling! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first costumes out were Ball Captain I, followed by Isis I and Osiris I, dressed to the theme as "Venetian Red." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After a couple more costumes, some dancing, and lots of beads flying, Miss Ginger appeared as "Murano Glass Chandelier:"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The chandelier's arms were made of 1 1/2" clear tubing, reinforced with a length of metal shelf strapping to provide stiffness without extra weight. The globes of the chandelier were made from gallon-sized plastic water bottles, melted into shape with a heat gun. Of course, a chandelier has to light up, so the power was provided by 7 led puck lights. It was a very fun costume, easy to make and wear, and the audience seemed to love it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Next on Miss Ginger's Mardi Gras social calendar is Houston's "Mystery and Fantasy Mardi Gras Party," another black tie/fancy dress event, which this year falls on Miss Ginger's birthday, February 22nd. The theme is 'The Mystery and Fantasy of Sci Fi," so Miss G is thinking she may get a little more use out of that gold morph suit! Miss G is not much of a Sci-Fi buff, so she's looking forward to some great suggestions from all of her 'snaps! leave your ideas in the comments…. who knows, she may just bring it to life! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-25208750061243627142014-01-05T21:54:00.001-06:002014-01-05T21:55:13.458-06:00Mardi Gras is Coming! <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, folks, there WILL be <a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/search?q=mardi+gras">Mardi Gras</a> at Chez Ginger this year! Since<a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/this-is-moment.html"> leaving </a>her former Mardi Gras <a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/search?q=krewe">group</a>, there hasn't been a lot of revelry and costuming around here. But that wrong is being righted!!! </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mysticsocietyisisosiris/home">The Mystic Society of Isis and Osiris!</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger has been a member of this group since it's inception, as it is made up of people she loves and wants to be around. She has not been the most active member, since time and personal distractions have kept her from many of the activities, but wild horses could not drag her away from the inaugural ball:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unlike her previous Mardi Gras group, which kept their event private, The Mystic Society's ball is open to the public… in fact, tickets are available through <a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=H4beaklY03ojgKwChLsCqReCtS5Xx-sWl7ofoV4v3vk7sDKrsgeFcNAychK&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d529b525e0b7e69bf0224adecfb0124e9b61f737ba21b081986471f9b93cfa01e00b63629be0164db1">PayPal!</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's a formal affair, but masking is encouraged, and Captain I has promised that instead of a long, drawn out presentation, this ball is going to be a non-stop party, with dancing, drinking, and the requisite debauchery! All you folks along the Gulf Coast need to follow that link and snap up a ticket to this shin-dig, and if you're farther away… plan a road trip! It will be worth it!! Hope to see you all there! </span></div>
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Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-24576871932748900252014-01-04T00:21:00.000-06:002014-01-04T00:23:09.742-06:00SPATCHCOCK! <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There! She finally did it! Miss Ginger has been dying to say SPATCHCOCK on her blog since she learned the word… and still wanted to do it even after she learned what it meant!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not nearly as dirty as it sounds, "spatchcock" is actually a verb: to "spatchcock" means "to prepare a bird for roasting by removing it's backbone and flattening the carcass." I know, "carcass" doesn't sound very appetizing, unless you are a vulture, but I promise you the results are delish! Oh, and by the way… if you are squeamish about raw meat, you will find the following pics repulsive. But for those of you who are still with me, let's sally forth, shall we? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger spatchcocked the turkey she cooked for Christmas dinner, and actually remembered to photograph most of the process! So, here is Henrietta, cowering before her surgery….</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Using poultry shears, Miss Ginger cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it completely. It's not a total waste, however; it goes into the pot with the neck and the giblets to make stock for the gravy and other dishes! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's our spineless girl lying supine, with her voluptuous breasts to world. She's not completely spatchcocked yet, though! To finish the surgery, Miss G used the heel of her hand to thrust downward (really hard!) to break the breastbone and flatten the bird completely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finally, we tuck the bird's wing tips behind the thighs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>It's just a jump to the left…</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>and then a step to the right….</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>with your wings on your thighs….</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>you pull your knees in tight! </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>But it's the pelvic thrust</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>that really drives you in-say-ay-ay-ay-ay-ayne! </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Let's do the SPATCHCOCK again!!! </i> Sorry, got carried away there! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This might be a good time to answer the question: why spatchcock at all, aside from the fun of saying it? Miss Ginger can come up with 3 good reasons:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1: Spatchcocking allows you to brine a turkey in a much smaller vessel than would be required for an intact turkey. Not sure about you, but there is not enough room in Miss G's fridge for a 5 gallon bucket.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2: Spatchcocked birds cook much faster than intact birds. You can roast a large turkey in less than 2 hours, freeing up your oven for other dishes,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3: Spatchcocking sort of spreads the skin more evenly, providing a larger expanse of that crispy, golden-brown turkey skin that everyone like to pick at! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you choose to brine your bird, use a large, <a href="http://www.samsclub.com/sams/rubbermaid-food-box-with-lid-1-pk/prod5020256.ip?navAction=push">rectangular polycarbonate refrigerator container</a>, available from Sam's Club or your local restaurant supply store. Don't use a random plastic container not designated as food-safe, because, well, it's not safe for food. Duh. And don't use metal, because it will react with the brine. Sorry to be so stringent here, but I don't wanna get sued, so follow the rules! Start with a layer of sliced onions in the bottom of the container….</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">…and then place your bird in her spatchock pose. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's Miss Ginger's special Cajun twist… instead of salt, she made her brining liquid with <a href="http://www.zatarains.com/Products/Seafood-Boils/Crawfish-Shrimp-and-Crab-Boil-Complete.aspx">Zatarain's Complete Crab Boil</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups Complete Crab Boil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 bottle cheap sweet white wine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup cider vinegar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">enough water to cover… about 6 cups</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let the bird brine in the fridge for at least 24 hours… no more than about 72 hours. Then take her out, dry her off, and lay her on a baking sheet for the best suntan of her life! Add a sprinkle of poultry seasoning and pop her into the oven until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F. Don't count on the pop-up timer that comes with the bird- they are not reliable and generally cause overcooking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger actually roasted her Christmas turkey on the grill, since the oven was full, and used a <a href="http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/25313-maverick-dual-sensor-digital-meat-and-oven-thermometer-et-85.aspx">dual-temp thermometer</a> to monitor the oven heat as well as the meat temp to deliver a moist, juicy bird to her FABULOUS holidays guests! Unfortunately, they gobbled it up so quickly she didn't get a photo of the finished product, but she promises, it was delish! So, when are YOU going to spatchcock?! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-50058382433339940032013-12-17T21:13:00.001-06:002013-12-17T21:13:16.218-06:00Happy Holidays from Miss Ginger and the Kitties! <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This might just be the cutest Holiday commercial ever recorded! Sorta makes Miss Ginger wish the stuff at Chico's would fit her <i>largesse</i> frame! </span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pGwATo1zx6o" width="480"></iframe>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-7546658327045687972013-12-08T13:13:00.002-06:002013-12-08T13:17:15.344-06:00Craftroom QuickTip®: Glitter and Be Gay! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Who doesn't love glitter?! It adds sparkle and shine to just about anything you can imagine, and come to think of it, a few things you can't imagine. Contained, as it is here in the glass shakers from the restaurant supply store, it's a sight to behold. When it runs amok, however, it can quickly tarnish our moods! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why can't someone invent a way to keep glitter in place, so it doesn't flake off of our projects and stick in every crack in our homes? What if Miss Ginger told you there IS such a product, and you may even have some in your broom closet right now! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.pledge.com/en-US/Products/Pages/floor-care-multi-surface-finish.aspx">Pledge Floor Care Multi-Surface Finish.</a> Back in the 70's, this stuff was called "Future Acrylic Floor Finish" and came in a futuristic clear bottle. Since then, the folks at Johnson Wax have rolled it into the "Pledge" nameplate, and have changed the package since Miss G last bought it! It no longer says "Future" anywhere on the bottle, nor does it say "acrylic." But it does use the word "finish," which is what you want to look for. If it says "cleaner" it's not the right product! It will come in a clear bottle, and the liquid is crystal clear. Get the one for multi-surfaces, not the one for wood floors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This stuff will seal glitter onto your project with a death grip, and unlike that hodgepodge stuff that the craft store sells, it won't dull the sparkle of your glitter- if anything, it enhances it. And once you seal it with this stuff, it's not going anywhere! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After the glue under your glitter has dried completely, just brush it on and let it dry. It's that easy! It goes on so crystal clear that it's hard to tell where you've brushed it, so brush it on methodically so you cover every square inch. It's really runny, like water, so it goes a long way! Just flow it on generously with a brush, and when it dries, that glitter won't go anywhere! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What about the glitter that got loose before you sealed it down? You've swept, you;ve vacuumed, you've mopped… and still, it has a death grip on your floor! How do you get it up? This guy:</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5T5KaxGZXgY/UqTDs0RtPBI/AAAAAAAAIS8/BenEVXLUlfE/s1600/bastis-lint-roller__66902_PE180389_S4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5T5KaxGZXgY/UqTDs0RtPBI/AAAAAAAAIS8/BenEVXLUlfE/s320/bastis-lint-roller__66902_PE180389_S4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The same lint roller that you use to get cat hair off your suit will get those last stubborn flakes of glitter up from just about any surface! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Try these tips next time you need to make something sparkle, and let us know how they work for you!!! </span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-13894164019209637702013-12-08T12:41:00.002-06:002013-12-08T12:41:23.136-06:00Lighted Star Tree Topper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whether you deck your halls with a Christmas Tree, a Chanukah Bush, a Kwanzaa Shrub or a Festivus Pole, you're going to need something to finish off the top and make it look festive! Problem is, so many of the tree toppers you see in stores are flimsy plastic things covered in tacky tinsel- certainly not in fitting with Miss Ginger's fabulous themes! So, our girl set out to make her own tree topper, and though it was a bumpy road, she is pretty pleased with the results! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It started off easily enough, with a vinyl <a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/2013/11/basic-skills-stencils.html">stencil</a> to cut the star shape out of corrugated board. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She used a stacked star design to give dimension and stability, and held the layers in place with spray adhesive.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CuMvNqf6N3k/UqSwmlYdRvI/AAAAAAAAIQI/5NfqASHw954/s1600/IMG_4154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CuMvNqf6N3k/UqSwmlYdRvI/AAAAAAAAIQI/5NfqASHw954/s320/IMG_4154.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Next, she used brown kraft tape and water in a process she calls "taper mache." For this, you will need old-fashioned brown paper tape with water activated adhesive. It used to be the industry standard in shipping departments, but now it's kind of hard to find, but worth the hunt. You need the kind without any reinforcement fibers or other modern additives to make it stronger… you want the kind that is just brown paper with slick, dry adhesive on one side that becomes slimy-wet in water.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a7uGzRlVDzU/UqSxiu03OTI/AAAAAAAAIQU/yh5HK67VkSY/s1600/IMG_4155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a7uGzRlVDzU/UqSxiu03OTI/AAAAAAAAIQU/yh5HK67VkSY/s320/IMG_4155.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Using small pieces of tape dipped in water, Miss Ginger began covering the skeletons with tape. Because the tape is already in strips, the process is so much easier than regular paper mache, and much less messy since you don't need wallpaper paste!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another advantage to using tape vs. wallpaper past and newsprint is that the tape will not attract bugs over the years, whereas some wallpaper pastes contain wheat, which bugs like to eat! It just takes a few minutes for Miss Ginger to cover both stars. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Ay55Osu2dw/UqSy5q8bvzI/AAAAAAAAIQo/fQM_8CQldaw/s1600/IMG_4159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Ay55Osu2dw/UqSy5q8bvzI/AAAAAAAAIQo/fQM_8CQldaw/s320/IMG_4159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can let them dry overnight, or put them in a warm oven (about 180 degrees) for about 30 minutes to dry them completely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At this point, things are going about as Miss Ginger expected, and she still has great hope for the project! </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QB3IWweuhRo/UqSzcGUptyI/AAAAAAAAIQw/dND9NSrd-sQ/s1600/IMG_4161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QB3IWweuhRo/UqSzcGUptyI/AAAAAAAAIQw/dND9NSrd-sQ/s320/IMG_4161.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After spraying each star with gold paint and letting that dry, she marked, and then drilled, 30 holes in each star, to accommodate the 60 LED light string she bought for the project. She used LED lights to ensure there would be no problems with the heat of incandescent lights against the paper stars.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5f68Z0v88Po/UqS0IHKqZ4I/AAAAAAAAIQ8/7OctGXdpyDc/s1600/IMG_4162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5f68Z0v88Po/UqS0IHKqZ4I/AAAAAAAAIQ8/7OctGXdpyDc/s320/IMG_4162.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now is when the concerns started popping up! Miss G was thinking that the holes would be snug enough to hold the bulbs in place as she popped them in from the backside, but with the stiffness of the electrical wires working against her, she realized she was going to need something to hold them in place. Hot glue to the rescue! </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lFJlOBIDfeM/UqS0xY3CQrI/AAAAAAAAIRE/cCeDJR2nMpI/s1600/IMG_4163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lFJlOBIDfeM/UqS0xY3CQrI/AAAAAAAAIRE/cCeDJR2nMpI/s320/IMG_4163.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From the front, things were starting to look like a hot mess! She realized she should have measured the spacing of the holes better, and was concerned because the bulbs did not all stay as perpendicular to the surface as she would have liked, but there was no going back at this point! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The wires turned out to be much more problematic than expected, so Miss G glued them down as much as she could to try and keep them out of her way. With the wire mess rearing its ugly head, Miss Ginger was beginning to think this whole project was going to be an epic failure! She originally planned to hold the 2 sides together with more paper tape, but she quickly realized that there was no way that paper tape was going to corral all of this mess and hold the 2 sides together! </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_2W18weyZ1c/UqS3YH46vOI/AAAAAAAAIRY/GQFS6petYjw/s1600/IMG_4166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_2W18weyZ1c/UqS3YH46vOI/AAAAAAAAIRY/GQFS6petYjw/s320/IMG_4166.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As Miss G steeled herself for the challenge with a glass of vino, the answer became apparent! She needed something lightweight and solid to connect the 2 sides, and wine corks turned out to be the perfect answer! After hunting down 5 that were the same size, she screwed one into each "armpit" of the first star, adding a blob of hot glue between the cork and the star for extra stability. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With confidence bolstered, Miss G eased the other star into place and connected it to the corks in the same manner. The star was turning out way thicker than she originally visualized, because there was no way to smush the wires down any more than they were. Miss Ginger found that this turned out to be a happy accident as she soldiered on. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hbke-pUs_JA/UqS5ZAXWA_I/AAAAAAAAIRo/nTqeN_9JqMA/s1600/IMG_4169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hbke-pUs_JA/UqS5ZAXWA_I/AAAAAAAAIRo/nTqeN_9JqMA/s320/IMG_4169.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As luck would have it, the corks were as tall as her tape was wide, so it was easy to seal the sides up using more tape! She needed a more structural adhesive than what was on the tape, so instead of wetting it, she used hot glue to attach it all around the edge. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pqpyjtenvDQ/UqS6TFZVjrI/AAAAAAAAIRw/jOaecZAiqaM/s1600/IMG_4170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pqpyjtenvDQ/UqS6TFZVjrI/AAAAAAAAIRw/jOaecZAiqaM/s320/IMG_4170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the bottom, she drilled a small hole in the cork crosspiece to hold a stiff wire that will hold the star in place, and routed the cord here, as well. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-STOX1d__HwA/UqS6z2-JKeI/AAAAAAAAIR8/gTj3nBTE3Zc/s1600/IMG_4171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-STOX1d__HwA/UqS6z2-JKeI/AAAAAAAAIR8/gTj3nBTE3Zc/s320/IMG_4171.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, here is her big, fat, star, looking sad and ugly. But she had gone this far, so Miss Ginger sallied forth and began her favorite process: glittering! </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9uPRwbuUqNI/UqS7dL3OZ-I/AAAAAAAAISE/NoSlFnf__hE/s1600/IMG_4175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9uPRwbuUqNI/UqS7dL3OZ-I/AAAAAAAAISE/NoSlFnf__hE/s320/IMG_4175.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After glittering the edges in gold, Miss G glittered the front and back with a few different shades of gold, to give a radiating effect. Because the star rests in the bulbs, she was able to flip it over and do the other side immediately. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So there it shines in all it's glory, looking festive, shiny, and not too bad, if Miss Ginger does say so herself! </span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-14349515772384563632013-11-24T15:06:00.001-06:002013-11-24T15:06:43.772-06:00Wintertime QuickCraft®: Fire Starters! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It looks like those GingerSnaps lucky enough to have a wood-burning fireplace will get a lot of use from it this year, if the beginning of winter is any indication of its intensity! Miss Ginger's indoor fireplace is push-button gas, which is convenient and cozy, but it doesn't really satisfy her pyromania like a real wood-burner, so she keeps an outdoor <i><a href="http://www.ask.com/wiki/Chimenea">chimenea</a> </i>stoked on the patio for the times she can't resist the firebug! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whether your fireplace is indoors or out, and whether you are at home or out camping around an open fire, here is a little craft idea that will make starting a fire (on purpose!) a cinch! Just follow her steps carefully, so you don't start a fire before you want one! If you don't have a fireplace, you could still make these as a thoughtful gift for someone who does! It's a total up cycle, so the cost is virtually nil! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You'll need some coarse sawdust, a paper egg carton (foam won't work) and some wax. Miss Ginger saves the ends and crumbs of candles throughout the year, and adds them to any "strangely scented" candles she may have acquired. If you don't have enough "candle leavings" you can buy a box of wax in the canning section at your grocery store, but that kind of defeats the purpose of an up cycle, no? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Melt your wax in a double boiler, or an old, clean can floating in a pot of boiling water. An old metal coffee pot from a garage sale is a great pot for melting wax because it has a handle and spout to facilitate pouring! </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yIwmEjxL3Ww/UpJm59ldD2I/AAAAAAAAIOo/YcWhOhOqa8g/s1600/IMG_4070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yIwmEjxL3Ww/UpJm59ldD2I/AAAAAAAAIOo/YcWhOhOqa8g/s320/IMG_4070.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While your wax is melting, begin packing the sawdust into the individual cells of the egg carton. Miss G tears the top off and use it as a little tray under the bottom to help catch the overflow, but you want to make sure you protect your work surface with several layers of paper to catch spills and soak-through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once the wax is melted, carefully pour it over the sawdust, filling each cell with wax. It will take a lot, because the paper carton will also soak up a lot of wax! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When the wax is completely cooled and hardened, break apart the cells to create individual starters. You can make simple gifts by tying them up in a cello bag with some festive ribbon, or fancy ones by nestling them into a bed of sawdust in a small crate or box.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These cute little fire starters light quickly and reliably with a match or lighter, and because they are coated in wax, they will work rain or shine! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-64338591653093447032013-11-11T21:34:00.000-06:002013-11-11T21:34:22.095-06:00Gold Leaf Canisters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These beautiful treasure jars feature real metallic leaf, and are the perfect vessel for corralling beauty supplies in the bathroom, or craft supplies in the studio! They would also be beautiful with a hand-made or store bought candle, or just filled with seasonal materials for festive decor. They are a great project to practice the art of gold leaf, and can be made from cut bottles with wooden lids, or discarded glass jars with a screw-on lid. Here are the steps Miss Ginger used to make this classic fleur-de-lis design:</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y8FPUUxFAkM/UoGV-m9gs5I/AAAAAAAAIMU/i5y3YVRu9JY/s1600/IMG_4034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y8FPUUxFAkM/UoGV-m9gs5I/AAAAAAAAIMU/i5y3YVRu9JY/s320/IMG_4034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After cutting her bottles, Boy G made the lids on the lathe, and she gathered the rest of her tools and materials. <a href="http://www.michaels.com/Mona-Lisa-Gold-Leaf-Kit/cp0394,default,pd.html?cgid=products-craftpainting-leafing">"Gold" leaf </a>comes in sheets from the <a href="http://www.michaels.com/">craft store</a>, and while it IS metal leaf, it's no longer all gold! You will also need adhesive, undercoat, and sealer- all available online or at the craft store- and and assortment of brushes, depending upon the complexity of your design.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger made<a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/2013/11/basic-skills-stencils.html"> stencils </a>to create the fleur-de-lis pattern on the glass. The stencil will control the placement of the adhesive, so the gold leaf will stick to the glass only where the adhesive is applied.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1q9TOrptafs/UoGXweYFp5I/AAAAAAAAIMs/FBmMgf-rP9Q/s1600/IMG_4041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1q9TOrptafs/UoGXweYFp5I/AAAAAAAAIMs/FBmMgf-rP9Q/s320/IMG_4041.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She prepared the lids by painting them with red basecoat, the traditional <a href="http://www.speedballart.com/our-products.php?cat=18#Undercoatings">undercoat for gold leaf</a>. She used the brownish-red base coat specifically sold for gold leaf, but she has found you can use just about any paint underneath. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9UPLMZQ2Bm8/UoGWlAQavrI/AAAAAAAAIMc/bzx_b0dMcNU/s1600/IMG_4037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9UPLMZQ2Bm8/UoGWlAQavrI/AAAAAAAAIMc/bzx_b0dMcNU/s320/IMG_4037.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The options for the <a href="http://www.speedballart.com/our-products.php?cat=18#Adhesives">adhesive</a> are not so generous- you really need to use "Adhesive Size" specifically made for gold leaf. It is thin and clear, dries with the right amount of tack, and stays sticky until covered with leaf. It does come in a spray form and a pen form... sort of a "glue marker" that would be great if you have pretty penmanship! Miss Ginger has the handwriting of a serial killer, hence the stencils! </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BGJq517vUV4/UoGa7MEUXsI/AAAAAAAAINI/RckZriPNlvA/s1600/IMG_4042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BGJq517vUV4/UoGa7MEUXsI/AAAAAAAAINI/RckZriPNlvA/s320/IMG_4042.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After placing the stencils, she applied the sizing with a small artist's brush, allowed it to dry a bit, and then removed the stencil, leaving an almost invisible film of adhesive on the surface of the glass in the shape of her fleur de lis design. You can't see it in the photo, but the adhesive is there on the 2 glasses on the left- I promise! Once the base coat was dry on the lids, she covered them with adhesive, as well.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lsEi6r_Yorc/UoGaH5pjWqI/AAAAAAAAINA/5NX2i5EFax4/s1600/IMG_4043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lsEi6r_Yorc/UoGaH5pjWqI/AAAAAAAAINA/5NX2i5EFax4/s320/IMG_4043.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now comes the fun part! <a href="http://www.speedballart.com/our-products.php?cat=18#Metal%20Leafing"> Gold leaf </a>comes in a little "book" with a clear plastic cover and tissue interleaves to keep each delicate leaf pristine until you are ready to place it. Static makes it cling to the clear cover, which allows you to handle the leaf without tearing it. After you've place a leaf, you can tear away the tissue, close the cover, and the next leaf will cling to plastic. Pretty neat, huh?</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rI4WDp-bvpc/UoGbRo15MrI/AAAAAAAAINQ/RKJ9gedIwj4/s1600/IMG_4051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rI4WDp-bvpc/UoGbRo15MrI/AAAAAAAAINQ/RKJ9gedIwj4/s320/IMG_4051.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger laid the gold leaf across the adhesive on the jar and carefully slipped the plastic sheet away, leaving the leaf in place. You can see the outline of the FDL in the photo; the gold leaf is adhered smoothly in the places where there was adhesive. The leaf is loose in the voids of the design. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With an artist's brush, Miss G smoothed the leaf onto the entire image, to make sure it was adhered everywhere. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7d7gcfoU6kI/UoGcaDriXpI/AAAAAAAAINg/Vp5-ou3Rt9U/s1600/IMG_4048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7d7gcfoU6kI/UoGcaDriXpI/AAAAAAAAINg/Vp5-ou3Rt9U/s320/IMG_4048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then, with a stiffer brush and a somewhat more aggressive stroke, she began brushing away the excess leaf, in some cases using the brush a sort of a "spatula" to lift large pieces of leaf away that can be reused on the lids. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is very little waste with this process, as the pieces that surrounded the image on the glass could be used to cover the lids. Part of the charm of real gold leaf is that a bit of the undercoating shows between the pieces of leaf, so this is a perfect place to use the "scraps". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As the leaf is applied to the lids, it is brushed smooth, and the "crumbs" are brushed away and can be saved for even smaller projects! After all the leaf was placed, Miss Ginger brushed sealer across the lids, and used a smaller brush to cover just the gold design on the glass. The sealer protects the leaf from abrasion, but if the glass ever needs washing it should be done very carefully by hand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's it! Wouldn't they be beautiful filled with woodsy fall potpourri? Leave a comment and tell Miss G what YOU would put in them! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-88232361384219256342013-11-07T21:30:00.001-06:002013-11-07T21:30:39.337-06:00Craftroom QuickTip®! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y75GiQxX5vc/UnxYuVuRWkI/AAAAAAAAILY/SbFJnv69cxI/s1600/IMG_2841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y75GiQxX5vc/UnxYuVuRWkI/AAAAAAAAILY/SbFJnv69cxI/s320/IMG_2841.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger always keeps a big roll of butcher paper at the end of her craft table... you can buy one that's about a mile and a half long at the club store or restaurant supply, and it will last for years and years! And it is SO handy! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hers is mounted on a little dispenser made from scrap lumber and piece of metal conduit, but you can also buy one at the restaurant supply. It gives her an endless supply of clean paper to use for everything from sketching out patterns to scratching out shopping lists. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here's the best thing... whenever she's working with something messy like glue or paint, she just gives the roll a tug and pulls a sheet out to cover then entire table! Then, no worries about spills and stains! Ones she's finished, she cuts it at the roll on throws her spatters and spill in the garbage! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-69764996689746527702013-11-04T11:30:00.000-06:002013-11-04T11:30:01.833-06:00Basic Skills: Stencils<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6XRVDWtUK3k/Unbz91Hg8HI/AAAAAAAAIHs/qfYPOUTcKfg/s1600/plastic+stencils+ABC-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6XRVDWtUK3k/Unbz91Hg8HI/AAAAAAAAIHs/qfYPOUTcKfg/s320/plastic+stencils+ABC-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stencils are what allow Miss Ginger to be an artist.... trust, honey, this bitch can't draw a straight line, much less a shape that looks like anything other than a blob! Those of you as "advanced in age" as Miss G may remember the manila stencils we used to buy at the dime store whenever we had to make posters for school. You held them against the poster board, and traced within them with a pencil or crayon, and it made all of your lettering look like it was cargo from overseas! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While you can now find plastic stencils at many craft stores, you are limited to the designs that are available, and these stencils still have the basic problem that has plagued reusable stencils since the beginning of time: "floating" negative space has to be connected with a void, causing that "stencilly" look that says "8th grade poster from the 70's!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every modern craft room today has some sort of "die cutter" to make hearts and flowers out of all sorts of sheet goods making scrapbooks pop and cards extra-special. If you don't have one, flip over to <a href="http://amazon.com/">amazon.com</a> and order one right now! I'll wait....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Seriously, if you don't have one, follow <a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/2013/11/miss-gingers-consumer-product-review.html">this link</a> to <a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/2013/11/miss-gingers-consumer-product-review.html">Miss Ginger's Consumer Product Review</a>. You need one, so you might as well know what you are shopping for! Once you get it, you will want to know how to use it to make stencils.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ra2pix9xoxc/UncgaKSfm3I/AAAAAAAAIJ0/l7hfbIvGThE/s1600/IMG_3205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ra2pix9xoxc/UncgaKSfm3I/AAAAAAAAIJ0/l7hfbIvGThE/s320/IMG_3205.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Using the software included with the machine, Miss Ginger selects the design she wants to stencil, and downloads it over the internet. Once she has the file, she can resize it, flip it, rotate it, duplicate it, stretch it, etc.... until she has exactly what she wants.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BxNb0AR6fD4/UncgonSUiGI/AAAAAAAAIJ8/HZXEdzg4v3M/s1600/IMG_3206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BxNb0AR6fD4/UncgonSUiGI/AAAAAAAAIJ8/HZXEdzg4v3M/s320/IMG_3206.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With the design manipulated to her liking, Miss G loads the vinyl into the machine and cuts the stencil.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1_AeLF7d-Bo/UncgHLkn5bI/AAAAAAAAIJs/hGQvbC-u3I8/s1600/IMG_3209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1_AeLF7d-Bo/UncgHLkn5bI/AAAAAAAAIJs/hGQvbC-u3I8/s320/IMG_3209.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once the stencil is cut, she removes the part of the design she doesn't want; a process we call "weeding." By weeding away the actual design, she leaves a stencil to create a "positive" image on her material. She could, conversely, weed away the surrounding material, leaving the shape as a "mask" to create a "negative" image on her final work. If you're confused (I am!) it will make more sense in a minute! </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vZpKsnyC5jA/UncjGWbT0LI/AAAAAAAAIKI/qdBv772mQcw/s1600/IMG_3210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vZpKsnyC5jA/UncjGWbT0LI/AAAAAAAAIKI/qdBv772mQcw/s320/IMG_3210.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once the stencil is weeded, Miss Ginger applies transfer paper on top of the stencil. Sometimes called "flypaper," the transfer paper comes in a roll like a huge roll of masking tape, and it is designed to stick best to the vinyl material without damaging it. It also sticks veraciously to itself, so be careful! Once the flypaper is in place, use a brayer or the edge of a credit card to smooth out wrinkles and activate the adhesive.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rh_HYu5g2b8/UnckXudIbXI/AAAAAAAAIKQ/vgvPPoOF68A/s1600/IMG_3212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rh_HYu5g2b8/UnckXudIbXI/AAAAAAAAIKQ/vgvPPoOF68A/s320/IMG_3212.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now you can flip the stencil over and peel the backing paper away from the vinyl, because the transfer paper will keep all of the vinyl in place. With the adhesive exposed, the stencil can be applied to the object you are decorating. What can one stencil with this technique?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm so glad you asked! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here, Miss Ginger stenciled the fleur-de-lis onto a glass bottle to create her <a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/2013/04/fleur-de-lis-wind-chime.html">wind chime</a>. With the stencil in place, she used a rotary tool with a diamond bit to abrade the design. Because the stencil is completely waterproof, you can also use it with <a href="http://www.armourproducts.com/ecom-prodshow/15-0150.html">etching cream </a>to create more delicate designs on glass. </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7f1Vhydu57g/UncmCtNvTsI/AAAAAAAAIKk/Ydmlmi498XA/s1600/IMG_3359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7f1Vhydu57g/UncmCtNvTsI/AAAAAAAAIKk/Ydmlmi498XA/s320/IMG_3359.jpg" width="153" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can use glass paint to create a stained-glass effect....</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aHvbsaK0ynM/UncmWdrlYtI/AAAAAAAAIKs/ttF69G5hw4s/s1600/IMG_1047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aHvbsaK0ynM/UncmWdrlYtI/AAAAAAAAIKs/ttF69G5hw4s/s320/IMG_1047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> ....or stencil with paint onto wood, metal, or other materials to create signs or other decor. You can even stencil directly onto walls, mirrors, and windows to give your home a custom look! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once your image is complete, just peel away then stencil and your done! Here are a couple of hints from Miss Ginger to help you along:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1. Test the adhesive on an inconspicuous piece of your material before applying your stencil. The adhesive on the vinyl may be too aggressive for some painted surfaces, and my remove the paint when you pull it away. If your surface fails the adhesive test, try cutting your stencil out of stiff paper, and spray it with <a href="http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/EMDCI/Home/Products/Catalog/~/3M-Repositionable-75-Spray-Adhesive-Net-Wt-10-25-oz-12-per-case?N=4294932363+5427538&Nr=AND(hrcy_id%3AGS3X12Q8VGgs_Q0JXR2NPW0_N2RL3FHWVK_GPD0K8BC31gv)&rt=d">repositionable adhesive</a> on the back. This extra step should allow you to apply and remove the stencil without damaging the surface. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2. When stenciling with paint, remove the stencil while the paint is still wet. This will prevent the stencil from lifting the paint film, creating a jagged edge. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. On glass, you may need to use a razor blade to scrape the vinyl away from detailed images. The vinyl sticks pretty aggressively to glass. If this won't work with your application, use paper and spray adhesive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Have fun, and please leave a comment with links to your most creative endeavors! </span><br />
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<br />Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-37578071531513705432013-11-03T22:15:00.000-06:002013-11-03T22:15:58.841-06:00Miss Ginger's Consumer Product Review®: Silhouette Cameo Cutting Machine<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-her-9MRyYK4/Unb7CO9sWKI/AAAAAAAAIIE/wkVuGs9ftsI/s1600/4176601198_1072c659c9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-her-9MRyYK4/Unb7CO9sWKI/AAAAAAAAIIE/wkVuGs9ftsI/s320/4176601198_1072c659c9_o.jpg" width="268" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shortly after man discovered fire, he invented the personal computer, which he found rather worthless until he invented a machine to make it print. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gMklJYu988k/Unb7Lrcnz1I/AAAAAAAAIIM/zlKdb28xJVo/s1600/Univac-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gMklJYu988k/Unb7Lrcnz1I/AAAAAAAAIIM/zlKdb28xJVo/s320/Univac-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From that point forward, history advanced rapidly as the computer-attached-to-a-typewriter was replaced by dot matrices, lasers, and all sorts of ink-spraying contraptions that we now call "printers". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once the typewriter had been obliterated from the desks of happy secretaries everywhere, mankind took aim at the venerable "scissors", and created the "knife plotter" to slice paper, vinyl, and just about anything else that comes on a roll with digital accuracy. Of course, like all new computer technology, these things were huge and expensive. (Cue cheesy infomercial music:) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Until now!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/shop/silhouette-cameo">Silhouette Cameo</a> is a small-scale vinyl cutter designed for hobbyists, scrapbookers, and crafters. Miss Ginger has been using the Silhouette Cameo cutter for several years now, and finds it to be versatile, well-made, and, most importantly, fun! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First, a little background on hobby "cutters". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first hobby cutters were "punches", not unlike the old one-hole punch we all used a kids to put our homework into binders. Clever hobby marketers created punches in thousands of shapes, sending many a scrapbooking hausfrau into the poorhouse as she spent the butter and egg money on the latest, newest shapes. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But punches were limited in size and intricacy, so the crafting industry needed to come up with a new idea, since they had run out of simple shapes! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Next came the "die cutters", which use a sort of high tech "cookie cutter" to punch shapes out of paper and other flat materials. Die cutters had, and still have, the distinct advantage of being able to emboss paper without cutting it, making textured cards as easy as turning a crank. This machine allowed the craft marketers to rake in millions as they created a seemingly endless array of shapes and textures that led us all to scream "Buy ALL the dies!" At $10- $20 bucks a pop, husbands across the nation where declaring Michael's "off-limits" and canceling internet service to prevent unauthorized ordering. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yet still, we wanted more....</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3mJEOfcTNbk/UncCBoNknLI/AAAAAAAAII0/rmEWnbgOS-Y/s1600/cricut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3mJEOfcTNbk/UncCBoNknLI/AAAAAAAAII0/rmEWnbgOS-Y/s320/cricut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Crafting engineers figured out how to make a <a href="http://www.cricut.com/home/?wm_crID=16417734&wm_lpID=71887124&wm_ctID=466&wm_kwID=48766615&wm_mtID=3&wm_content=0&wm_g_crID=36628932449&wm_g_kw=cricut&wm_g_pcmt=&wm_g_cnt=0&wm_g_device=c&gclid=COPc09ihyroCFU9o7AodaRQAvA&wm_kw=cricut&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=cricut&utm_campaign=brand+%2D+cricut&wm_sd=1">small-scale electronic cutter</a> for hobby use, but their marketing people screamed "WAIT! Don't screw up our market for shapes! We need consumables!" and the "cartridge" was born. In an astounding feat of retro technology, this almost "cutting edge" machine was relegated to the video games of the 1980's by requiring the user to obtain the cutting files on proprietary cartridges that contained the files needed to make this hunk of plastic slice a frog out of green paper.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kc3w3jeiTYk/UncDuwSaTqI/AAAAAAAAIJA/_hoFhV1qQ1E/s1600/silhouette-cameo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kc3w3jeiTYk/UncDuwSaTqI/AAAAAAAAIJA/_hoFhV1qQ1E/s400/silhouette-cameo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then came the <a href="http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/shop/silhouette-cameo">Silhouette Cameo</a>, and crafters the world over were freed from the tyranny of craft marketers forever! The Silhouette, as modern as it is beautiful, allows the user to download design files from the internet, and store them on just about any memory device they see fit. The machine works with memory cards, USB sticks, or even your computer's hard drive. Once you've downloaded a file, it's yours forever! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The file type is proprietary, so the marketers haven't completely lost their minds; you can only use files you download from the "<a href="http://www.silhouetteonlinestore.com/">Silhouette Store</a>", a sort of iTunes for shapes. But there are still huge advantages over cartridges: they download immediately over the internet, you can resize and manipulate them with the Silhouette software, you can store hundreds (maybe thousands?) on one tiny SD card, and most importantly, they are really cheap! You can also create your own designs with the software, which is included with the machine! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another huge advantage for Miss Ginger is that this machine, in addition to cutting paper, can cut self-adhesive vinyl, making it useful for lettering and stenciling without having to use adhesive spray or tape. It can also cut fabric, and can be used as a pen plotter with accessory ink pens. This photo, with cover raised, shows the relatively simple inner workings. The white plastic rollers are adjustable to different widths of material. The knife fits into the black cutting head, which you can see to the left of the machine, just above the sheet of vinyl. When you download a design file, you will use the silhouette software to let the machine know what type of material you are using. Sending the design to the machine is just like send a print job to a printer, and the machine whirs into action, moving the blade side to side, and the material up and down, to cut the lines and curves of your design... so easy! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What can you make with the Silhouette? Check out <a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/p/craft-index.html">Miss Ginger's craft pages-</a> most of her designs use the machine in some way or another! In addition to vinyl, paper, and fabric, the machine can cut heat transfer material, so you can iron-on to fabric to create custom garments, pillows, etc. There is a rhinestone transfer material that Miss Ginger has yet to try, but it allows one to use heat-set rhinestones to create intricate designs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The machine is not cheap, but it's not super-expensive, either... it costs about the same as a mid-range sewing machine. The real value, however, comes in the price of the designs... most cost about 99 cents! You download only the ones you need, when you need them, and once you've bought them, you can use them again and again. The vinyl material is kind of expensive when you buy it in the little rolls they sell at retail, but you can order a commercial-sized roll from<a href="http://www.uscutter.com/Intermediate-Vinyl#product_listing=%3Fcurrent_page%3D1%26results_per_page%3D16%26order_by%3Dcategory_product_position%26search_params%3DCategory_DELIMITER_id%3A11%3A%3AProduct_DELIMITER_manufacturer_id%3A95"> US Cutter</a> and use it forever! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For versatility and usefulness: 5 lipsticks!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For value in the long term: 5 lipsticks!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For quality and durability: 5 lipsticks!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's unanimous! The Silhouette Cameo earns Miss Ginger's coveted:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, what do YOU want to see Miss Ginger make with it? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-12020352992391629082013-09-21T01:01:00.000-05:002013-09-21T01:01:06.075-05:00le Bon Ton Nouveau! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Since the beginning of modern civilization, the tastefulness of wedding ceremonies has been avidly discussed. "Is her dress too short?" "Is the Hummer Limo tacky?" "Were the canapes from Sam's Club?" and most importantly" "Why wasn't there an open bar?" are all frequent morning-after questions that modern matrimonial guests discuss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As "gay marriage" becomes the norm in more and more countries, states, and municipalities around the world, many more questions may be discussed. "What WAS she wearing?" "I wonder which is the bride?"and "Why did the open bar run out of liquor?!" are all questions likely to be discussed after gay matrimonial events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For years, <a href="http://www.emilypost.com/">Emily Post</a>, and later, <a href="http://www.missmanners.com/">Miss Manners Judith Martin</a>, were the "go-to gals" for all things wedding... the tastemakers, the trend spotters, the problem solvers. However, the all-new world of gay marriage comes with its own set of predicaments, and our own Miss Ginger Grant is all too happy to step in and guide the uncouth masses in the tasteful and gracious way to consummate gay matrimony.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Case in point: Houston personal trainer and bod-about-town <a href="http://thehotbodsquad.com/category/look-hotter/">Eric Turner</a> is soon to be wed to his beloved uber hunk, some foreign guy Miss Ginger has yet to meet. Anyho, Eric and Hunky have chosen to be married in South Africa, since it is legal there, and hunky's parents live there, and it is more exotic than, say, Delaware.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So far, the story is straightforward (gayforward?!) but it quickly goes awry. Internet checkpoint <a href="http://gawker.com/">Gawker</a> picked up a <a href="http://gawker.com/help-this-needy-couples-parents-attend-one-of-their-th-1350721195@johncook">story </a>that Eric had started a "<a href="http://gofundme.com/">gofundme.com</a>" account to raise funds to fly his parents to South Africa for the nuptials. The boys realize that all of their friends can't make it to South Africa, so they have planned 3 additional events "around the globe for friends and family to celebrate" their union. This was all stated on the "gofundme.come" page, along with the plea to help Eric's parents attend "their favorite son's" wedding.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, Miss Ginger doesn't know Eric other than facebook friendship, though she must admit he did catch her eye at her recent appearance at the <a href="http://missgingergrant.blogspot.com/2013/07/mint-julep-2013.html">Mint Julep shindig </a>in August. You may recognize his <strike>biceps</strike> smile on the far left. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The question brought up by gawker, in a nutshell, is "is it tacky to ask for specific gifts from your wedding guests?" And should one expect and anticipate gifts at all? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Traditionally, department stores and better gift stores have offered registries for a bride's selection of china, crystal, and silver, both to ensure the bride received a usable assortment of the above, and to help the store ensure the correct patterns were in stock at the time of her wedding. Later, the bride was encouraged to register for all sorts of things to help her make a gracious new home, and registry helped to prevent duplicated gifts and to enable easier exchanges. More recently, the groom has been involved, and registries have expanded from department stores and gift emporiums to places as common as the<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/"> Home Depot</a> and <a href="http://www.target.com/">Target</a>. Why not give a young couple, just starting out, the items they will need to make a new house into their home. For most, it is sensible and expected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.macys.com/">The world's largest store</a>, recognizing that brides exchange a large portion of the gifts they receive, has started offering a <a href="http://www1.macys.com/registry/wedding/m/dream-fund">"dream fund"</a>, which is essentially an open-ended gift card, the value of which is increased by generous wedding guests who don't want to make a decision about which item they want to give. This eliminates the need for exchanges altogether, and makes things easier for the guest and the bride. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, the idea of a "gofundme" site for an engaged couple is not far from the same concept. There are, however, a couple of subtle nuances that can make the idea seem much more gracious. Here are a few ideas Miss Ginger would like to foster.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First, it should never be assumed that the couple will receive gifts from any specific person. A registry is okay, because it lists, in general terms, a brides preferences for things she made need or want, but puts no specific expectation on who will buy them. In small towns with only one or 2 stores, there is no need to for a bride to publicize that she is registered, as guests can usually figure it out. In larger cities, with so many options available, a bride often includes a card in her announcement or invitation that reveals where she has registered. As long as it is worded and viewed as a convenience to the recipient of the invitation, and not an expectation on the part of the bride, this practice is usually appreciated by all parties.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the flip side, registries should never be publicized to people who aren't invited to the wedding. To send a registry card, or in modern times, email or other online posts, to people who aren't invited to the wedding is just plain tacky. If they think enough of you to give you a gift, you should think enough of them to invite them to the wedding. Non-negotiable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the case of multiple celebrations, which happen frequently in this age of "destination" weddings, people invited to one celebration should not be expected to enhance the experience of guests at another event. Case in point: Eric's guests at a "reception" in Houston should not be expected to provide funding for his parent to attend an event in South Africa. If a card or email were sent to only the South Africa guests explaining the "gofundme" post, it is probably just as tasteful as any other registry announcement. If the request went to anyone else: tacky. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For the record, the gofundme site mentioned in this article has been closed and deleted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What say ye, GingerSnaps?! Tasteful or tacky? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-6610872943138556752013-09-15T23:18:00.000-05:002013-09-15T23:19:15.380-05:00Like Sands Through the Hourglass.... ! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Would you believe this beautiful tchochke is made entirely of trash?! With a little scrap wood, a couple of empty bottles, and a lot of imagination you can make a beautiful hourglass as a gift to remember a special time with someone, or for yourself, to time your eggs in the morning! Miss Ginger has spent some time perfecting this technique, and this example is her latest creation. This one is pretty large, with the glass elements coming from 2 large magnum wine bottles. Boy G created all of the pieces for her on his new lathe, but you could also adapt this technique to use precut discs from the craft store and some rescued spindles from a thrift store chair. Miss Ginger left this one plain, but you could also personalize it with nifty paint job or some etching on the glass. Her one regret on this design is that she used white sand from the craft store, and added blue and silver glitter to make it sparkly, and it kind of looks like she is counting the minutes with powdered laundry detergent! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's glued in there now, so there's no going back! Here's another one she made, with step-by-step instructions:</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cz3vmYAL4w8/UjZ6WB1hjuI/AAAAAAAAH_E/OxRG6KrP3Wo/s1600/IMG_3920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cz3vmYAL4w8/UjZ6WB1hjuI/AAAAAAAAH_E/OxRG6KrP3Wo/s320/IMG_3920.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first step is to find 2 matching bottles and cut the bottoms off. Depending on the shape of your bottles, you may need to cut the neck back, as well. These Zing-Zang bottles have served Miss G well, and now, they will be with her for eternity! </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YBLEc2s7RBg/UjZ7aI7RklI/AAAAAAAAH_Q/dAoCMg1GbFY/s1600/hourglass+connector.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YBLEc2s7RBg/UjZ7aI7RklI/AAAAAAAAH_Q/dAoCMg1GbFY/s320/hourglass+connector.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To connect the bottles, Boy G made this little wooden piece by using a hole saw to cut a disc, and then used a forstner bit in the drill to make the indentations. Miss Ginger thinks you could probably find a napkin ring that would work if this is beyond your skills. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are all of her parts, ready for assembly. In addition to the 2 bottles and the connector, she has 3 spindles and 2 discs that Boy G made on the lathe. The discs have a channel cut that the bottle fits into. You can cut out the discs with a large hole saw, and cut the channel with a smaller one. There are also holes drilled for the spindles, which required Miss Ginger to recall her high school geometry! <a href="http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/QQ/database/QQ.09.09/h/brian6.html">Click here to learn how to find 3 equidistant points on the circumference of a circle! </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Beginning at the bottom, glue the glass element to the base by filling the channel with<a href="http://www.eclecticproducts.com/e6000_retail.htm"> E6000 Adhesive</a>, and then placing the glass. You'll need to let this dry before you move on. E6000 is the perfect adhesive for this because it bonds well to both glass and wood, levels itself and fills the void between the glass and the wood, and dries rock hard and crystal clear. And, it's made in the great state of Louisiana! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The connector goes on next. Once that's dry, you can add the other bottle on top. Be sure that you don't get adhesive in the hole of your connector or your hourglass will be frozen in time! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Use wood glue to set the spindles into holes on the base piece. Let everything get good and dry at this point</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once all of the glue has dried, it's time to fill and calibrate your hourglass. Miss Ginger used regular garden sand in this one, which she had sifted several times to get all the pebbles out of it. You can also use colored sand from the craft store or an aquarium supply store. (Now that she has perfected the assembly technique, Miss Ginger is going to experiment with different types of filler and different size holes to see if she gets different run times!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Start a stopwatch and begin pouring sand into the upper chamber. As the sand runs through, keep adding sand until you get close to your desired time. Miss G filled this one for 3 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once you have filled it, flip the whole thing over into a bowl and let the sand run out, to double check your timing. This also gives you the opportunity to remove some sand if you overpoured the first time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once you have the correct amount of sand, pour it back in and let it run to the bottom. Fill the channel in the upper disc with adhesive, and apply wood glue to the holes for the spindles. Working quickly, place the top onto the glass, guiding the spindles into their holes. Once the top is in place, flip the hourglass over to let the adhesive level out and harden. (If you don't flip it over, the glue will slowly run down the glass and ruin your work.) Let it dry completely, and your heirloom is ready for giving or using! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">BTW, if your skills with wood and glass are limited, you can get a similar effect using plastic bottles and foam board. </span><br />
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Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-27879158681768442132013-09-15T21:59:00.001-05:002013-09-15T21:59:47.905-05:00Trading Spaces! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger has spent a lot of time showing you her beautiful craft space inside the house, so she decided it's long overdue to show you the space Boy G made for himself in the extra bay of the garage! He's been spending a lot of time out there lately, and that's why he hasn't been keeping this blog updated like he should! Now's the time to "write that wrong!" (Did you see what he just did there?! Try the veal, folks- he's here all week! )</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-elIyQNCC-S8/UjZpHqeNcpI/AAAAAAAAH9k/eWN-ggrCB7M/s1600/Workbench.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-elIyQNCC-S8/UjZpHqeNcpI/AAAAAAAAH9k/eWN-ggrCB7M/s320/Workbench.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Boy G built this sturdy workbench to give himself plenty of space for working up top, plus lots of room down below for storage. The big tools are all arranged in an "L" shape along the wall behind it, and across the opening of the bay door. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All of those tools generate lots of sawdust, but most dust collectors are large and would waste way too much space, but Boy G didn't want to have to drag a shop vac from tool to tool, either.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xp_PecKA7zM/UjZrTk0FhdI/AAAAAAAAH9w/bi296dRNM3o/s1600/7d8a7451-91b5-41b4-ad61-63dc0de0ac56_300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xp_PecKA7zM/UjZrTk0FhdI/AAAAAAAAH9w/bi296dRNM3o/s1600/7d8a7451-91b5-41b4-ad61-63dc0de0ac56_300.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">His solution was to use a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-5-gal-Stor-N-Go-Wet-Dry-Vac-WD5500/100377372#.UjZq6BaDS-8">wall-mounted shop vac</a> like this one, and to use 1- 1/2 inch PVC pipe to permanently route the suction to each tool. He knew PVC would work, since that what is used in the house's <a href="http://www.beamvac.com/">central vacuum</a> system, but he needed to be able to control the flow of air at each tool, since the shop vac can only create enough suction to clear one tool at a time. Another dilemma: the blast gates designed to go on regular shop equipment are too large for this PVC jury rig.</span><br />
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Miss Ginger to the rescue! That girl loves to shop, and she found these PVC valves at the home center, and they work perfectly! Boy G opens just the one on the tool he is using, and the full suction of the shop vac pulls the dust away! </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The other problem Boy G quickly </span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">discovered is that the filters on shop vacs clog very quickly with that much sawdust moving across them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The answer is this little gem, attached to the top of a 5 gallon bucket! The <a href="http://www.oneida-air.com/inventoryD.asp?item_no=AXD001004&CatId={6EE79B16-EB63-43E7-8F30-1E06240A24A4}">Dust Deputy </a>is fitted between the shop vac and the PVC running to the tools, and it uses the principles of a cyclone to to remove the sawdust from the airstream before the air reaches the filters. Maximum suction all the time and no clogged filters- ingenious! The Dust Deputy definitely earns Miss Ginger's coveted: </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 LIPSTICKS AWARD!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Boy G also added this little treasure to his collection- the <a href="http://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/jml-1014i-10-x14-indexing-mini-lathe/708375">Jet 10141 Mini Lathe</a>. It's just a little fella compared to a normal woodworking lathe, but it's perfect for spinning wood into all sorts of FABULOUS pieces for Miss Ginger's projects. It is solid as a rock, and really fun to use! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stay tuned to see what kind of "trash to treasure" trinkets the G's have teamed up to create! </span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-52349407421892143362013-09-04T23:00:00.000-05:002013-09-04T23:00:49.197-05:00Stemming From Disaster...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Does this happen at your house as often as it does at Chez Ginger? It seems to happen a lot around here- not sure if that is due to Miss G's exquisitely delicate stemware her her stupendously clumsy nature, but rarely a week goes by that we don't end up with a fallen soldier! Luckily, in her never-ending quest to transform all trash to treasure, Miss Ginger has found a way to rescue some of these casualties! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For her first makeover, Miss Ginger is going to attempt a "full restoration", and for that, she is going to need a stem donor. Luckily, there are plenty of those around, as well. Before she can attempt the reattachment, however, she has to get rid of the lifeless stump left from the severed bowl...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">so, using her rotary tool with surgical precision, she amputates the dead bowl, leaving a perfect stem in place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of course, a "makeover" has to leave the subject better than before, so a little bit of embellishment is in order. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QR4JbA2EoqQ/Uif65FhDxVI/AAAAAAAAH78/H7T5-IrgObc/s1600/IMG_3956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QR4JbA2EoqQ/Uif65FhDxVI/AAAAAAAAH78/H7T5-IrgObc/s320/IMG_3956.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger chose an understated wooden accent for this makeover (because she had a big ole box of wooden beads handy!) but you could use any type of decorative bead to make your rescued stem as glitzy and bejeweled as you like! Just make sure that the hole in the bead accommodates the stem snuggly. A wooden bead is easy because you can ream out the hole with your Dremel to get the proper fit. This glass with a wooden bead will need to be hand washed, but if you use a ceramic, glass, or plastic bead with epoxy adhesive, your glass should be dishwasher safe! After her next rowdy dinner party, Miss Ginger will have enough raw materials on hand to make a beaded service for 12! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's another use for a bowl that has outlived it's stem... a clever keepsake cloche to display your favorite tiny treasures! Just trim the stem, glue on a bead for a "knob", and cap the hole with wooden finial or another bead.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RWxVxP7tbgQ/Uif9gd0ajfI/AAAAAAAAH8Q/TqJkzNW4C6U/s1600/IMG_3958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RWxVxP7tbgQ/Uif9gd0ajfI/AAAAAAAAH8Q/TqJkzNW4C6U/s320/IMG_3958.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In this version, Miss G used a champagne cork as the knob, by drilling a hole in the cork and gluing it on. What could be easier? This one's her favorite, and it highlights one of her favorite keepsakes, so now that the crafts are finished, she's going to bore you with that story! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First, you must know, is is not a tiny wineglass- those dice are much larger than standard. When Boy G was a wee lad, he and his older brothers loved to visit Aunt Nen and Uncle George's house- the photo in the background was taken in 1927, around the time of their marriage. Uncle George passed away before Baby G was born, but he was an honorable namesake, and there were many stories told about his exciting life! Aunt Nen and Uncle George lived all over the world, and collected all kinds of neat treasures, like the ivory elephant and these oversized dice. None of us are sure where the dice were acquired, but they are nonetheless significant to our childhood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The dice always sat on a little shelving unit that Uncle George had built, right inside Aunt Nen's backdoor, in the library. Yes, she had an actual library in her house, that Uncle George built out with cypress bookcases and a neat little nook for the phone. Along the edges of all the shelves, in front of the books, were hundreds of tiny knick knacks and bricabracs they had collected over the years. So, the dice sat there on a shelf by the back door, unnoticed by most, but there was a "special code" for us! Whenever we went to visit Aunt Nen, we always checked to make sure the dice were set to rest on "7" or "11", and we always switched the numbers on our way out the door when we left. That way, we knew if anybody else had been there and messed with her stuff! Kind of dumb, really, but to this day, they sit on my shelf at "7" or "11". Unless Celia has dusted... then I have to fix it! </span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-11398725862887258462013-07-21T20:30:00.000-05:002013-07-21T20:30:12.531-05:00Mint Julep 2013!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's kinda hard to believe it's only been 6 years since Miss Ginger was crowned Miss Mint Julep way back in 2007! It seems like it's been ages, and the friends she has made in her quest to support <a href="http://www.legacycommunityhealth.org/">Legacy Community Health Services </a>have given her a lifelong family that she adores! Today was the 13th Annual Mint Julep show, and Miss Ginger was proud as a peacock to serve as co-chair for the event with Houston's <a href="http://queervoices.org/home/index.php">most noted radio host, Bryan Hlavinka. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year was a record breaker, with the generous crowd pledging over $45,000 to support Houston's underserved with comprehensive healthcare! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, there's no video of Miss G's rousing performance, but there's a little clip at the end that will at least give you a feel for her inspiration! </span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LLkwXVTg91M" width="560"></iframe>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-70226422883382157152013-07-14T20:07:00.001-05:002013-07-14T20:08:29.260-05:00Transitional Lamps for Any Decor!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8HbJLoKch8/UeM_WGHRPiI/AAAAAAAAH1o/8WeWmZfMpO4/s1600/IMG_3806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8HbJLoKch8/UeM_WGHRPiI/AAAAAAAAH1o/8WeWmZfMpO4/s400/IMG_3806.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger is appalled by the price stores are getting for good table lamps these days! The cheap ones available at Target look cheap, and the decent ones found at Ikea are decidedly modern, which is great if that's your decor. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: left;">Momma G gave Ginger some pretty good advice about lamps. "Always buy them in pairs," she said, "even if you don't use them in the same room. Someday you will move or redecorate, and you'll wish you had two of something you can never match! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After a long search for a decent pair to no avail, Miss Ginger decided to make her own. Literally, this pair of lamps (above) was made from scraps of lumber! The lamp kits cost about 10 bucks at Lowe's, and the shades came from Target, for 14.99 each! Miss Ginger chose a gold-leaf finish for her rather traditional decor, but you can finish them any way you'd like, from rustic to formal! Here's how she made them, with Boy G's help on the power tools! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She started with scraps of 1x2 poplar, and cut them with mitered corners to 8" on the long side. This measurement can be adjusted to make any size square or rectangle you desire, to create a short lamp like these, a tall buffet lamp, or even a floor lamp from a very long rectangle. She also cut 2 scraps of 1x4 for each base.Again, you can adjust the size of your base to make a taller lamp more stable. Here are all of her parts, along with a lamp kit for each lamp. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To make the "tunnel" for the wire, Boy G ran each piece through the router table to cut a 1/2 channel, about 1/4 inch deep, in each piece.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A straight fence and a feather board make sure that each piece is cut in exactly the same way, so they will mate up later. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To begin the assembly, Miss Ginger used corner clamps to glue 2 pieces into an "L" shape. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She continued gluing, until she had created 8 "L"s. Once the glue dried on the last "L"s, she paired them into 4 squares.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vfb-vdAASFw/UeNDcAor1hI/AAAAAAAAH2Y/j6r1O-3iLpk/s1600/IMG_3544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vfb-vdAASFw/UeNDcAor1hI/AAAAAAAAH2Y/j6r1O-3iLpk/s320/IMG_3544.JPG" width="320" /></a>While the glue was drying on her "L's" she created her bases by gluing 2 lengths of 1x4 together, and finishing them with black satin spray paint. She distressed the corners with sandpaper, and topped them off with a coat of polyurethane. A hole in the center accommodates the wire. When the squares were dry, she paired them up and drilled a hole at the top and the bottom to create notches for the cord and the socket.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are the parts for one lamp.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Assembly is easy. Miss G ran the cut end of the cord from the lamp kit up through the bottom of the base. She pulled enough wire through the base to follow the channel, leaving about 3-4 inches at the top. The rest of the cord, and the plug, stays below the base.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Your lamp kit will come with a short threaded tube that holds the socket, but it may be too short to hold what you need. You can buy a small kit with an assortment of threaded rods if you need a longer one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The kit also comes with a solid spacer that threads onto the tube. Miss Ginger screwed the spacer onto the tube, allowing it to sit flush with the top of the lamp, and holding the cord in place against the bottom of the channel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She covered the pre-finished base with paper to protect it from glue, and used wood glue to join the 2 squares together, sandwiching the threaded tube at the top, and clamping for a secure bond.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After the glue dried, she marked, drilled, and countersunk screws from the bottom, through the base and into the square, making sure she kept the screws away from the channel containing the cord. A felt pad glued over the bottom covers the unfinished side of the base, holds the cord in place, and protects the surface below the lamp from scratches. All that's left is attaching the sockets at the top, following the instructions from the kit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They they are, ready for paint, stain, or any other finish your artistic imagination can create! Stay tuned for a future post, when Miss Ginger will show you how she used metal leafing to give her lamps an old world look! </span></div>
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Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-57807645754462276532013-07-13T23:10:00.000-05:002013-07-13T23:10:15.241-05:00An Occasional Table for All Occasions! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.ask.com/fr?q=occasional+tables&desturi=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furnitureny.com%2FOccasionaltables%2F2602_Table_Set.asp&initialURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ask.com%2Fpictures%3Fo%3D0%26l%3Ddir%26qsrc%3D167%26q%3Doccasional%2Btables&fm=i&ac=978&fsel=2&ftURI=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.ask.com%2Ffr%3Fq%3Doccasional%2Btables%26desturi%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.furnitureny.com%252FOccasionaltables%252F2602_Table_Set.asp%26imagesrc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.furnitureny.com%252Fpictures%252F2602_large.jpg%26thumbsrc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fmedia4.picsearch.com%252Fis%253F04CIHQWTSqlxvy-qyiUn19ib6IheV0vw4R-7HylAbwk%26o%3D0%26l%3Ddir%26thumbuselocalisedstatic%3Dfalse%26thumbwidth%3D128%26thumbheight%3D125%26fn%3D2602_large.jpg%26imagewidth%3D503%26imageheight%3D489%26fs%3D75%26f%3D2%26fm%3Di%26fsel%3D2%26ftbURI%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ask.com%252Fpictures%253Fq%253Doccasional%252Btables%2526page%253D1%2526o%253D0%2526l%253Ddir%2526pstart%253D0&qt=" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UNYMnoL2AMQ/UeIHAJsRudI/AAAAAAAAHxQ/uzxoJu7g3MM/s320/2602_large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger has often wondered why the furniture industry calls them "occasional" tables. Do they think we only use them "occasionally?" Or only on "special" occasions? These do-it-all tables are usually the most-used tables in our homes, serving as a place to set your morning coffee, your evening cocktail, and many other important sundries one may wish to keep at hand! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They range from very cheap to very, very, expensive and range in size from a tiny end table to an enormous oversized cocktail table. Whatever size, they are usually the wrong size! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Miss Ginger ran into this problem when looking for a sofa table to go behind a large sectional set in her family room... not really a piece she would have chosen, but it works in the room, is well-made, and paid-for: three important factors in Miss G's decision process. Since she couldn't find a sofa table to suit her, she had Boy G make one for her. She also needed a table for the embroidery machine in her craft room, and she was so intrigued by the process that she thought she would share it with you! These tables are made with dimensional lumber, available at <a href="http://www.lowes.com/">Lowe's</a> or <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/">Home Depot</a>. The embroidery table is made of poplar, and the sofa table is pine, with edge glued shelving boards for the top.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, she didn't do as well as she intended at photographing the process, but she is going to piece it together so you get the drift. The photos are actually from both of the different tables, and are not sequential, so please bear with me! </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRkJZ6GukX8/UeIJsYMSthI/AAAAAAAAHxg/esQDcnS5WAw/s1600/IMG_3488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRkJZ6GukX8/UeIJsYMSthI/AAAAAAAAHxg/esQDcnS5WAw/s320/IMG_3488.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This little workhorse is the tool that makes the process so easy. Called a <a href="http://woodworking.about.com/od/toolsequipment/p/plateJoiner.htm">"plate joiner" </a>or "biscuit joiner", the machine cuts little slots into the edge of wood, creating a pocket for a manufactured "biscuit" of wood that multiplies the surface for glue to hold. This allows one to create solid furniture with butt joints, eliminating mortises and tenons and other anatomical nightmares that "ain't nobody got time for!" And the best news? They are not expensive! This one is a cheapy from <a href="http://www.harborfreight.com/">Harbor Freight Tools</a> that Boy G bought as an experiment to see how much he would use it. It works okay, but the the guide fence is plastic and flexes, causing some alignment problems. Plus, the motor is cheap and gets very hot, and the dust pickup is poorly designed.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LN3xj3a7qJw/UeILYnymLHI/AAAAAAAAHxw/zHuVQOxwvd4/s1600/JM82K_2_Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LN3xj3a7qJw/UeILYnymLHI/AAAAAAAAHxw/zHuVQOxwvd4/s320/JM82K_2_Final.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As a treat, Miss Ginger is going to replace it for him with <a href="http://www.ryobitools.com/catalog/power_tools/corded/JM82K">this one</a> from <a href="http://www.ryobitools.com/">Ryobi</a>, that has a metal fence, an upright design, and a much larger dust outlet that can connect to a shop vac. Best of all? It's only $99! That's less than the cost of an end table at Ikea! </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bg2_VzhbcsE/UeIMLHpU22I/AAAAAAAAHyA/3bZFNygveXU/s1600/IMG_3495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bg2_VzhbcsE/UeIMLHpU22I/AAAAAAAAHyA/3bZFNygveXU/s320/IMG_3495.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Using the biscuit joiner is a breeze. First, Boy G cut the 1x6 boards for the tabletop to the same length, and laid them side-by-side to make the dimensions of the table. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once he was satisfied with the layout, he marked the boards to make the joints.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tYpdQAgK_iE/UeIOO7FB5uI/AAAAAAAAHyQ/4Z7P5DH7Uvg/s1600/IMG_3497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tYpdQAgK_iE/UeIOO7FB5uI/AAAAAAAAHyQ/4Z7P5DH7Uvg/s320/IMG_3497.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There is not a lot of fuss to marking the boards... just a straight line across the joint does the trick. They are spaced "eyeball even" along the length of the joint; the measurements don't have to be exact because everything is invisible when finished.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MDmfAP_xMqo/UeIOzs-eUtI/AAAAAAAAHyY/QXW1dU2Q2ac/s1600/IMG_3498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MDmfAP_xMqo/UeIOzs-eUtI/AAAAAAAAHyY/QXW1dU2Q2ac/s320/IMG_3498.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Each slot is cut by aligning the center mark on the fence of the tool with the mark on the board. Then start the motor, push the tool along it's track, and.....</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MVd7BuvBFjI/UeIPKsq5SUI/AAAAAAAAHyg/GXX65lCNTuI/s1600/IMG_3499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MVd7BuvBFjI/UeIPKsq5SUI/AAAAAAAAHyg/GXX65lCNTuI/s320/IMG_3499.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">voila! A straight slot, perfectly sized for your biscuit. The biscuits come in three standard sizes, and the machines have a simple dial to set the depth of the cut for the size biscuit you are using. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nxzt5yRmhos/UeIPztWe8GI/AAAAAAAAHys/CTUR9wgtRUo/s1600/IMG_3500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nxzt5yRmhos/UeIPztWe8GI/AAAAAAAAHys/CTUR9wgtRUo/s320/IMG_3500.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The biscuits are an engineering marvel in themselves. They are pressed from multiple plies of wood with a die that cuts them to shape, stamps them with an allover pattern of X's, and compresses the wood. The X's create more surface to catch more glue, and the plies are turned with their grain running opposite directions, making an extremely strong connector. Water-based wood glues make the wood swell, creating an even stronger bond. Truly, genius! </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gf_bkny-JY4/UeIQtv6QGJI/AAAAAAAAHy4/c_kk9RvksZY/s1600/IMG_3502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gf_bkny-JY4/UeIQtv6QGJI/AAAAAAAAHy4/c_kk9RvksZY/s320/IMG_3502.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here is the layout of the boards for the embroidery table, with the biscuits, ready for gluing.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yN69xl3W7ZQ/UeIRMiIR-xI/AAAAAAAAHzE/kvJ7tdlUxZU/s1600/IMG_3503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yN69xl3W7ZQ/UeIRMiIR-xI/AAAAAAAAHzE/kvJ7tdlUxZU/s320/IMG_3503.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You'll need bar clamps for edge gluing. They are relatively cheap, and their use is pretty straightforward. The bottom face slides up and down the track in little notched increments to the approximate width of the piece, and the the screw-handle tightens it the rest of the way. Use a scrap of wood between the clamp faces and your project to prevent dents, especially with soft woods.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YMvaNX29row/UeISE-bAtEI/AAAAAAAAHzQ/UiA4IxnO72c/s1600/IMG_3505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YMvaNX29row/UeISE-bAtEI/AAAAAAAAHzQ/UiA4IxnO72c/s320/IMG_3505.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Using <a href="http://www.titebond.com/product.aspx?id=e8d40b45-0ab3-49f7-8a9c-b53970f736af">carpenter's glue </a>and a small brush, Boy G applied glue to the inside of each slot, and then to one half of each biscuit. Once all the biscuits were in place, he added glue to the other half of the biscuit, as well as all along the edge of the board, and into the slots of the board on the other side of the joint. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8WtF9tWXtzo/UeISvcQxVXI/AAAAAAAAHzc/Prq3-AQk8VM/s1600/IMG_3506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8WtF9tWXtzo/UeISvcQxVXI/AAAAAAAAHzc/Prq3-AQk8VM/s320/IMG_3506.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">With all the glue in place, he used 4 bar clamps to pull it all tight- 2 clamps on the bottom, and 2 on top, to prevent curling. Using a damp paper towel, he wiped up the glue that seeped out, to minimize sanding later. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWjn6NT8O1U/UeITcvrezGI/AAAAAAAAHzk/2l0rFmJpSBI/s1600/IMG_3507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWjn6NT8O1U/UeITcvrezGI/AAAAAAAAHzk/2l0rFmJpSBI/s320/IMG_3507.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While the top was drying, Boy G cut the legs from 1x4 stock to the height he wanted, less the thickness of the top. He wanted a 35" tall table, and his top was 3/4" thick, so the legs are 34-1/4" long. Using a table saw set at 45 degrees, he bevelled the edges of the 8 pieces to make 4 legs.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fpm_OvpSdfI/UeIU2EkwKMI/AAAAAAAAHz0/1jNqCPKeZx8/s1600/IMG_3510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fpm_OvpSdfI/UeIU2EkwKMI/AAAAAAAAHz0/1jNqCPKeZx8/s320/IMG_3510.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The bevelled edges are glued together, and Boy G used painters tape to hold them tight while they dried, because we couldn't figure out a way to clamp them, and they won't bear any lateral force.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are the "bones" of the sofa table, showing how the apron is built. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-71trZjHFlac/UeIW2RS9ODI/AAAAAAAAH0M/oj6HK41mv8g/s1600/IMG_3799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-71trZjHFlac/UeIW2RS9ODI/AAAAAAAAH0M/oj6HK41mv8g/s320/IMG_3799.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Using the biscuit joiner, he created the 2 end pieces, using 2 of the glued-up legs and 2 short pieces 1x4. Once the glue on the end pieces dried, he used 2 long pieces to connect them, forming the front and back of the </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">apron. Finally, he used four pieces of 1x4 at the ends, and again in the middle, to add stability and create a surface for connecting the top. For simplicity, he finished the top and the leg structure separately and joined them after they dried by driving a screw up from the bottom of the cross pieces into the bottom of the top. <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_78072-255-4603695N_4294711124__?productId=3043916&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=">Store bought levelers</a> protect the floor underneath and make it easy to correct any wobbles tiny cutting inaccuracies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Because Miss G wanted the sofa table to look as old as the house, Boy G created a distressed finish by using 2 colors of stain and a couple of coats of polyurethane.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/stains/minwax-wood-finish">Minwax Wood Finish</a> is Miss G's go-to product for all things wood. Boy G started the finish with a coat of Wood Finish in English Walnut. After that dried, he applied a coat of satin finish <a href="http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/interior-clear-protective-finishes/minwax-fastdrying-polyurethane">Fast-Drying Polyurethane</a> with a foam brush. After the poly has dried, he used a chain and an old saw blade to distress the wood, effectively breaking the poly seal in various places on the surface. Next, he wiped on a coat of Wood Finish in Ebony, and immediately wiped it off with a clean cloth, leaving color only in the indentions created by distressing. Once the stain dried, he finished with a coat a poly, a fine grit sand, and a final coat of poly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The finish looks ancient, even though this wood was on the racks a Lowe's just a few days earlier! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Looks pretty awesome, no? </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WAwO9aEeiP0/UeIa_H0sOJI/AAAAAAAAH08/t__VzrkiWLo/s1600/IMG_3797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WAwO9aEeiP0/UeIa_H0sOJI/AAAAAAAAH08/t__VzrkiWLo/s640/IMG_3797.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here is the embroidery table, which Boy G built to surround a rolling storage cart that can be pulled out for more work surface. It has a satin poly finish applied directly to the bare wood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can make this parson's style table to any size or shape you wish, and finish it however you want, for way less than $100 worth of materials in most cases! </span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-51353301785019990352013-06-26T22:58:00.000-05:002013-06-26T22:58:07.876-05:00Paula Deen and More....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TlgsAXcadNQ/UcuniLsc4sI/AAAAAAAAHwQ/QV-TdfTtuN4/s1600/1011832_410916262360846_141559588_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TlgsAXcadNQ/UcuniLsc4sI/AAAAAAAAHwQ/QV-TdfTtuN4/s320/1011832_410916262360846_141559588_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So much in the news lately that Miss Ginger has to take a break from the craft room and the kitchen to catch up and opine! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First- the Paula Deen drama. Here are a few things Miss G has to put out there. First, she hates the "n" word. It makes her wince. When she was younger, Miss G heard Daddy G use it often... she'd like to think he didn't use it specifically to express hate... she'd like to think he didn't mean any hate at all. She heard Momma say it occasionally, but not very often. And if any of us said it, we were corrected to use the word "negro", just as if we had used the word "ain't" instead of "isn't". As Miss G grew older, and learned what the word meant, how hateful it was, and how powerfully it expressed that hate, she realized it was a totally inappropriate word, and never used it again. So, like Paula Deen, Miss Ginger would be lying if she said that word had never in her life crossed her lips. But, as Paula said: "It's been a very long time."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Is Paula a racist? Miss Ginger has no idea. She don't know Paula personally. She has watched and enjoyed her show on many occasions, and she's never seen her make a racist comment, or even any racist insinuations. Does that mean she's not a racist? I can't say that, either. Miss Ginger can only say that she has never witnessed Paula demonstrating racist behavior. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Did Paula treat the employee who is suing her with disrespect and injustice? Again, I have no idea, and even if I did, it wouldn't matter. Miss Ginger is not a judge, and won't be asked to serve on a jury in Paula's jurisdiction, so the point it moot. Only the judge and jury can determine if she mistreated anybody, and then, it is only their opinion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, Miss Ginger's opinion? Karma is a bitch and will take care of the rest. How far Karma takes it is yet to be seen!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Next up: <a href="http://www.chron.com/news/local_news/article/Who-is-Wendy-Davis-4623247.php#photo-4837224">Senator Wendy Davis, D- Fort Worth</a>. If you've been anywhere near twitter in the last 24 hours you know who she is... but her story is worth retelling, in case you missed it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Texas Asshole Governor Prick Perry called a special legislative session to try to push through a bill that would severely limit the rights of women's clinics in the state to perform abortions. It would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks completely, and prior to that, only ambulatory surgery centers within 30 miles of a hospital could perform the procedure. Effectively, this would reduce the number of family planning clinics in the state from 37 to 5, and since there would be 2 in Houston, only women in the 4 largest cities in Texas would have access to care. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, Senator Davis decided to filibuster, to keep the dialogue open until it was too late to vote. She was required to talk non-stop for the entire time she held the floor, with no breaks for water, food, or the potty, and was not allowed to sit, lean, or stray from the topic. She started a little after 11am, and needed to keep it going until midnight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She talked all day and into the night on Tuesday, until the repugnants realize they'd better stop her PDQ if they wanted to vote on their little bill. They called foul when another Senator approach her from behind to place a back brace around her waist, saying she was not allowed to have ANY assistance. When they tried to call the bill to a vote, all hell broke loose! The pro-choice crowd had filled the observation chamber, the rotunda of the capitol, the lawn, and just about every other square inch of Austin. And they went BERZERK when the Lt. Governor tried to bring the bill to a vote! They screamed and hollered so loudly that he could not maintain order in the chambers. It was classic! Miss Ginger watched the live video feed in amazement as the various members of the legislature posed "parliamentary inquiries" for two hours, trying to sort out whether Davis had indeed, violated the rules. Bedlam ensued in the chamber, and as the clock ticked toward midnight, the Lt. Governor screams over the crowd trying to regain order and force a vote. He did manage to begin a roll call vote, but it was not completed prior to midnight. At first he claimed it didn't matter since it was begun during the session, but after allegations of document changes, sexism, and other unsavory issues in behind-close-doors meetings, he emerged to announce that even though (according to him) the vote was completed and the bill had a majority "yes" vote, it was not done in adequate time for him to sign it into law, so it failed. Victory bedlam from the pro-choice crowd. First thing today, Governor Asshat called another special session to try to get it through again. Jeez... the man will just not give up: he want's into the vagina of every woman in Texas! </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D5Jb9kP1XZ4/Ucuykl9vv-I/AAAAAAAAHww/SHIVui3l6bU/s1600/Nancy_Pelosi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D5Jb9kP1XZ4/Ucuykl9vv-I/AAAAAAAAHww/SHIVui3l6bU/s320/Nancy_Pelosi.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And finally, the SCOTUS today rendered the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, effectively saying that states cannot refuse to recognize same-sex marriages from other states where it is legal, and that same-sex couples are entitled to federal benefits. Shortly after the ruling, Michelle Backwoman <a href="http://www.projects-for-kids.com/science-projects/string-phone.php">talked into her Dixie cup </a>to tell the world that fire and brimstone were headed their way. Later, when asked what she thought of Backwoman's diatribe, Nancy Pelosi answered with 2 of the most quoted words of the day: "who cares?!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, after all this excitement, Miss Ginger is ready to strap on her sling backs and pound the pavement to help get Wendy Davis elected to be Texas' next governor. And as for Miss G's aspirations for the eloquent Pelosi?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-29173372537232731442013-06-05T21:17:00.000-05:002013-06-05T21:17:01.027-05:00Healthy and Delicious! <div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0DBrOi7CxSc/Ua_sD0UflNI/AAAAAAAAHvQ/mBjukRa3ot0/s1600/IMG_3479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0DBrOi7CxSc/Ua_sD0UflNI/AAAAAAAAHvQ/mBjukRa3ot0/s320/IMG_3479.JPG" width="281" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's a recipe that's quick, easy, and healthy- and unexpectedly delicious! Miss Ginger has been seeing a lot of different avocado/pasta recipes on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a>, so she decided to <strike>copy</strike> <strike>steal</strike> concoct one of her own! It's avocado season, and she has read that they are good for lowering her cholesterol, so, hey- a delicious food with good PR that's not real expensive? What's not to love?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This dish has just a few simple ingredients, and comes together in a snap!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 bag of Trader Joe's pasta- any shape (they only have one size! Love that place for it's simplicity!!) Of course, any pasta will work- but you gotta figure out how much!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">9 Campari tomatoes, or an equivalent amount of another kind of tomato (if you use big tomatoes you will want to peel them and dice them. Camparis are too small to peel, so Miss Ginger just kinda sliced them. You could also you cherry or grape tomatoes.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 can Artichoke hearts, packed in water (not the kind packed in oil)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 lb Louisiana Gulf Shrimp- the only shrimp worth eating! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">garlic, old bay seasoning- to taste</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Boil the pasta. While it's boiling:</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aLLoZlXFWtI/Ua_vhY4Jq4I/AAAAAAAAHvg/9iQ_ZD6fxwY/s1600/IMG_3476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aLLoZlXFWtI/Ua_vhY4Jq4I/AAAAAAAAHvg/9iQ_ZD6fxwY/s320/IMG_3476.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Heat a large saute pan over medium heat; add olive oil to cover the bottom. (Lesson from Momma G: "Hot pan, cold oil- food won't stick. Always heat your pan first!") Add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and seasoning, and cook until the tomatoes release their water and it boils down by about half. Add the avocado slices and stir them in well; they will begin to break up and make the sauce creamy. Add the shrimp and cook until done, about 5 minutes. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lIUZ04S7s_U/Ua_vsHOkvkI/AAAAAAAAHvo/X3ckPQvFuuU/s1600/IMG_3477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lIUZ04S7s_U/Ua_vsHOkvkI/AAAAAAAAHvo/X3ckPQvFuuU/s320/IMG_3477.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Drain the pasta and combine with the sauce. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's it! You just cooked dinner in about 15 minutes! It makes about 6 servings!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96687918888334265.post-63807845628381429312013-05-30T18:00:00.000-05:002013-05-30T18:00:04.606-05:00Here's Another Organizing QuickTip®!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do you have one of those "fear for your life" cabinets in your kitchen or utility room? You know, the one you are scared to open, because you are afraid something will fall on your head and kill you? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's a quick and easy way to get it under control, adhering to Miss G priorities in life: quick, cheap and easy! And the answer is right in front of your face! Use the back of your cabinet doors!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Your local home center sells wire racks that screw right onto the back of the door, holding your most used items right up front, ready to grab and go. Here, Miss Ginger has added racks for her bottles of oils and vinegars she uses most while cooking, easy to grab at the left of her cooktop. <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_36581-46882-45268EHLLG_4294702504__?productId=4136440&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=">These racks</a> came from <a href="http://www.lowes.com/">Lowe's </a>, cost less than 8 bucks each, and install in minutes with just 2 screws. They work great on the back of a 12" door, but what if your door is wider or narrower than that? Or what if you have odd-sized bottles and cans you need to stash?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's easy to make a wooden rack from 5 pieces of wood, and you can create them to fit any door, as well as any size jar or product you need to store! Here, Miss Ginger wrangled all of her most used spices into racks that are a perfect fit for their little bottles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It really is easy to do! All you need are 1x3 and 1/4 x 2 craft boards, which come in 2' and 4' lengths at Lowe's, so they are very lightweight and easy to handle. The only tools you will need are a hammer and a saw, plus a few small finishing nails and a couple of screws for mounting. A battery operated drill makes installation easier, but isn't essential- a screwdriver will do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Begin by measuring the back of your cabinet door. If you have paneled doors like these, with a thin wood panel in the center, be sure to measure from the thick part on the left to the thick part on the right. This door measures 12 1/2", so that will be the length of the back slat. Cut this piece from the thin craft board, and cut 2 more pieces 1/2 inch shorter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Due to Miss Ginger's poor planning of the photograph, you can't see that the board in the back is actually 1/2" longer than the 2 in front. To cut the 2 side pieces from the thicker board, measure the diameter of the cans or bottles you are planning to store, and cut the sides to that length. That's it, you're done cutting! 5 easy pieces! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To assemble the rack, use small finishing nails or brads to nail one of the shorter pieces to the sides, on the edge that doesn't match your jar measurement. Nail it flush to the top, as shown here, to form the front of your rack. Miss Ginger usually puts a dab of white glue between the boards before she nails, just to make sure it's nice and solid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rotate the rack forward, and nail the other short strip across the bottom, on the side that matches your jar measurement. Nail it in the center; just eyeball it- no need to be anal!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finally, rotate one more time, and nail the longer piece across the back, centered. On each side, drill a small mounting hole through the "overhang".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There it is, ready to mount and round up your junk! You can paint or stain it to match your cabinets, or just leave it plain. Miss G left these in the craft room plain, to save time, but the ones in the kitchen are stained and sealed because that seemed more kitcheny.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Installing is easy, too- just screw it! Seriously, just 2 screws into the holes you drilled! Just one little caveat about installation- watch your clearance!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Be sure to install your rack high enough to clear the shelf beneath it, and low enough for the tallest can you will store to clear the shelf above it. Here, you can see the top rack clears the shelf, and the lower rack is low enough for the can to clear the shelf, as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So remember that nasty cabinet at the beginning of the post? Here it is, all cleaned up, with the spray products Miss Ginger uses most within handy reach of her work area, and all the little bits and pieces that were all over the place corralled into storage jars on the top racks! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the other end of the workbench, she has her glass paints, in a rack custom-made to the size of the tubes! These would rattle around and fall out of a wire rack because they are so little, but here, they are held snuggly by a rack perfectly matched to their size!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And really, folks, it has taken her longer to write this blog post than it took to make those racks! Even someone who is awkward with tools could pull this off, so Miss G is sure you can do it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Leave a note in the comments and let Miss Ginger know what you are having problems trying to store! Who knows, she may have just the answer for you! </span>Miss Ginger Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03494225040016735718noreply@blogger.com2