Muji Tape Dispenser

Good design is often uncomplicated. My tape dispenser is just that. Made by MUJI in Japan, it is simple and understated, while exuding style.

MUJI focuses on providing essential items without flourish via the creative use of existing materials. They keep prices low by eliminating unnecessary packaging.

The MUJI tape dispenser is exclusive to the MOMA store at momastore.org for the simple price of $2.00.

Textured Ceiling Removal

I've never liked the textured ceilings in my 1950's house. But scraping and removing the popcorn always seemed like such a daunting task. In August 2007, I began what became the initial step in renovating my bathroom, and I started with the ceiling. Because this room is so small (the ceiling is probably 35 ft²) I thought I could knock this out quickly, and it went quite well at first.

I used a scraper to chip and peel, and had the occasional large section come down. But mostly it was quite tedious and messy, with only small pieces removed at a time. Plus it is tough to work overhead. Standing and balancing on a step ladder, you get very little leverage. Holding your arms over your head for any length of time is exhausting. This is just tough work, and it took several more hours than I expected.

The picture below shows the early stages of removal. The drywall beneath the texture was in good shape, and the builder had even covered and sanded the nails, which made for a nice, smooth surface.

And the finished product...

After all the texture was removed, I patched some areas with joint compound, sanded, primed, then painted the ceiling in a white semi-gloss. One of the advantages to the smooth finish is how light reflects much better than with the textured finish. In Europe, for example, they've painted ceilings for years with a high-gloss finish to better reflect light. This works quite well in my bathroom because the main source of lighting is a wall sconce that points upward. This fixture has a 200 watt halogen bulb and is extremely bright. The circuit is on a dimmer to save energy, but I can flood this small room with light if needed, which I did for the above photograph.

If and when I repeat this procedure for other rooms, I'm going to mist the ceiling with a spray bottle of water first. This is supposed to loosen the texture from the drywall and ease the process.

Mi Albahaca

Earlier this spring, I potted some basil that I picked up from the produce section at my grocer. It took no time at all to bloom into a full blown herb bush. Several times it has gotten a little weak in the hot afternoons from all the sun, but I douse it with water and it comes back to life by the morning.

Fresh basil is quite versatile. I add it to pizza, pasta, eggs, salsa, sandwiches and just about anything else that I make in the kitchen. It just makes things taste fresh. Plus, having this just steps from my kitchen makes it super convenient to add to anything I'm cooking.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

I stopped at my sister's house yesterday after an out-of-town job interview, and we picked mucho tomatoes from her garden, as well as cucumber, onion and pepper. She grows a variety of tomato breeds, including roma, tiger striped, and yellow ones with peach fuzz on them.

So this morning I prepared a fresh tomato salsa. This recipe is for a smooth, wet salsa. The type a server would bring to you at a Mexican restaurant.

3-4 small to medium fresh tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped

2 cloves garlic (or 2 tsp minced garlic)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup water

slice of lime

Puree tomato, onion, jalapeno, garlic and salt in food processor or blender. Heat oil in skillet. Add tomato puree. Squeeze juice from lime and add water. Stir and bring just to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool and serve with tortilla chips.

Baby Table Seat

This baby seat is cool. Unlike so much of the brightly colored, polypropylene products of today, this vintage seat from the Welsh Co. of St. Louis has style.

Emmabo Deck Chair

I've had two Ikea Emmabo Rocking Chairs on my deck for a couple of years, but earlier this spring the weathering finally took it's toll. A small rip in one chair forced me to only use the other, which eventually led to a huge rip in it as well. The fabric is durable, and I put them in the garage for the winters, but they're just not suitable for outdoor use. Perhaps they'd be fine if I had a covered deck, but they cannot withstand exposure to the sun and rain.

After failing to find replacement covers, I decided to forgo using fabric altogether and use wooden slats instead. For less than $40US for each chair, I recycled the metal frame and transformed these Emmabo chairs into a far more rugged version that will last for years.

This is where I ripped it a new one

The frame was still in great shape

The lumber is 1x2 pressure-treated for outdoor use. They are sold in 8'-0" lengths for $1.78 each at Home Depot. Cheap! I purchased 8 and had them cut at the store to 24" lengths. The palm sander was used to smooth the edges and tops.

I used 3/4" cable clamps, which are for electrical use but fit the rod of the Emmabo frame perfectly. The screws are brass, which won't rust and can be used with this type of wood.

Only one coat of black-brown ebony stain was needed

The stain dried outside for 24 hours

To attach the fasteners, I laid one slat across the frame, placed a cable clamp to the frame beneath each end of the slat, then marked and pre-drilled a small hole for the screw locations. With one slat pre-drilled, I used it as a template to mark and pre-drill the remaining slats. This made assembly much faster.

Assembling the fasteners

One slat required a special method for it's fastener. To accommodate a bulge in the frame, I had to overstretch the plastic cable clamp. Instead of one screw it required two.

Assembling the slats with the chair on it's side made it easier

Complete!

Ready for the KS weather

DIY Television Stand

As a software developer, I "get" open source code. As a DIYer, I love Peter Nidzgorski's Open Source Storage projects. I based my TV stand on his brilliant idea.

More steps and descriptions at my flickr.