LET'S GET READY FOR OUR GARDEN with a RAISED BED

  – Knot So Perfect Designs – BLOG

Explanation: Knot = wood knot, crochet knot etc. So = so let's get started, Sew = I sew just enough to get by; sow- seeds for gardening either flower or veggie. Perfect = absolutely exquisitely done but KNOT by me (sometimes). What I do sometimes I have never done before so the results are Knot Perfect!   Design = Could be most anything. A crocheted rug, a kitchen makeover, a patio, garden, a new recipe or decorating something - maybe even some awesome pictures. 


You don't have to know HOW - you just need the DESIRE to TRY. bh

Let's get ready for our garden with a RAISED BED.

Of course my idea of a raised bed is about 3 feet OFF the ground.  I hate bending over to get the weeds or the cucumbers or whatever it is that will be laying on the ground.  Okay - so I'm lazy. HEY - keep in mind I'm an "ol' gal" and if I can make things easier you can bet it will happen.

First you need some lumber, Or cement blocks, or stone or hay bales.You can use 2x6" or even a 2x12". I believe the best depth is 12".  There are many kinds of wood that are best for this, like the ones that will not rot in a few years but I managed to find another BARGAIN of 2x6" lumber (on bottom of pile), along with other sizes.  Look at this - I got all this for $13.00.  Am I good at this or what?

It will be perfect.  I am using 8 pcs 4 ft long .  That's good for starters.  Remember, we are trying to get out of this CHEAP and we still have to FILL with dirt, leaves, compost, manure - something so the plants will grow. You will be surprised how much dirt it will take to fill a 5'x4'x12" deep area. Here is a link: how to figure cubic feet.  http://www.todayshomeowner.com/cubic-yard-calculator/  It says I will need .74 cubic yards.  What does that LOOK  like?? 

**picture from www.rockndirtyard.com  

Ok - that's a little more than what I need but if you make 2 beds then one yard of dirt, compost, manure will be more than enough.  Here's a little chart for us that need better visuals! I like this.

***chart is from:  www.soltygardencentre.com

This is starting to sound like a LOT of work - like heavy physical labor. What the...get the grand kids over or round up some neighborhood kids to help you.  Bribe them if you have to!  Or better yet - get that cute guy or gal down the street to lend a hand.  Make them dinner afterwards or give them a glass of wine or a beer (AFTER).

If you have to buy lumber you will need to cut it to the length you want...4'x4'x6" square (8 pcs). So you will only need 4 - 8 ft 2x6"...cheap enough. Mine are already cut. Because my tomatoes grow like crazy and will add the corner posts for the "support system".  I am using 2"x2"x4' boards that were also pre-cut.  Darn - no power tools yet. You will want a corner board inside to screw or nail your boards to.  I figure by putting the tall posts in I can also put chicken wire around it to help keep some of the critters out.  I'm rural with wildlife all around - even gators have been on my road. W H A T ?  No kidding.  It was dead but none the less it was there.  

Now that you have your bed together, now comes the hard work - the DIRT. But FIRST, let's lay down some weed control material stuff.Anything to help keep the weeds out. 

You can also add hardware cloth to the bottom to keep out moles and whatever other critters bore in the ground to eat your stuff.  Short on $$, use newspapers in layers.  They will let the water through but keep the weeds out if YOU don't tear it!!! 

 This is what I am doing:  leaves I mulched and bagged with the lawnmower a few weekends ago;

BUY, compost, manure, potting soil and top soil.  Mix this all together and fill in the bed.  plants.  How I did this:  layer of leaves, 5 bgs dirt, 1/3 bg peat moss, 2 bgs of manure, 4 bgs dirt and some more peat moss mixing together as I went along. I opted to save a bag of dirt for outside the bed - for cucumbers or squash and will lean a pallet up against the posts for them to grow up.  We'll see about that...not sure what I'm planting.Isn't that beautiful?  Now all we need are some veggie 

 I always over-plant an area. Maybe this chart will help us all!! Hey - they give you all these seeds in the little pack so you have to plant them all just in case only a few actually grow, right? Actually if you plant seed every couple weeks you won't have ALL your veggies, etc all at once.


***chart found on Pintrist


 Now, another big dilemma - WHAT to plant.  What do you like?  Here in NC we can grow "something" year round!!  How sweet is that?  Timing is everything, especially here.  It gets hot and stuff just stops growing.  I should have planted a few things a few MONTHS ago.  Now I have a good garden bed with much better soil -   and even better next year. I can start plants earlier next year because I can make this into a little greenhouse with plastic around it....put a light bulb in there and wa-la, greenhouse. I will probably make at least one more bed.

If you make numerous beds be sure to buy yourself a freezer or canner - you will need it.  Or, you can get a table at the farmer's market.  I love to visit them.  Everyone is so nice and have many stories.

*** Smelly shoes?  Put dry tea bags in overnight. They will absorb the odors.

LET'S MAKE A FLOWER PALLET

 Knot Sew Perfect Designs – BLOG 

Explanation: Knot = wood knot, crochet knot etc. Sew = I sew just enough to get by; Sow- seeds for gardening either flower or veggie.Perfect = absolutely exquisitely done but KNOT by me (sometimes). What I do sometimes I have never done before so the results are Knot Perfect!  Design = Could be most anything. A crocheted rug, a kitchen makeover, a patio, a garden, a new recipe , decorating something or something basic. 

I know - this is a re-post from last year but it is that time of year to get things like this started....maybe in the southern states for right now but if you live up north then get it together so it's ready when the weather decides to be nice. 

"you don't have to know how, you just need the desire to try" bh

LET'S MAKE A FLOWER PALLET

YOU CAN DO THIS - First off you will need a pallet - a long skinny pallet.  So where do you get one?  I work for a trucking company (ask there) so I have the pick of the "litter" so to speak but I got this one at the hardware store. I was there getting lumber for something and saw this and asked if I could have it - sure, why not.  Let me help you load it. DONE - got a pallet. This was heavy as all get out.  Some kind of hardwood I'm sure and was 
6 feet long.  You do not have to have one that long as some I've seen are 3-4-5 feet.

Next you will need flower boxes or I happened to have wrought iron ones I bought off CraigsList (of course) when I first bought my house.  See, I have a huge deck remember ( the sun shade project?) and thought they would look awesome all along my deck - filled with flowers.  WRONG - too hot.  They dried out too fast and most everything died.  Bummer.  So I saved the flower boxes and wa-la, I found something else to do with them a year later.  But, you can get the cheap plastic flower boxes from any store to use.

Next I screwed them to the pallet.  Be sure to leave enough spacing to allow your flowers to grow and/or drape down.  Before you load up with potting soil, move to where you want to display this. It is heavy as it is and certainly heavier with dirt.  Keep in mind if it is in full sun all day your flowers may die unless you can water them 3-4 times a day.  So, try to keep them in semi-shade or under your Sun Shade you already put up, where they are out of direct sunlight 80% of the day.

First, before adding dirt, I lined with plastic because of the coco basket liner just let the water drip - heck, it ran right through.  This helped to keep the water in a little longer.  If you have the plastic boxes be sure to drill at least a couple holes to let some water out.  You don't want to drown them. Next, fill with potting soil then pick & plant your flowers.  I chose ones that usually go in hanging baskets as I wanted them to drape over the edge. I also planted herbs in the top baskets as this was just outside my door and easy to get to when I needed. I did have this on my deck under my sun shade and leaned it against the house at a slight angle but you can always screw it to the house.

This year they do not have flowers in them (yet).  I recently planted acorn squash (seeds) and they are growing nicely.  Not sure how I will "support" the squash but I'm sure I will figure it out.  I think some kind of mesh or something.  
Time to plant something different in them this year (2015).  A trip to Home Depot, Lowes will help me decide.  I want them all (plants and flowers) .



***Hate chemicals but Got BUGs - on your flowers?  Aphids, etc? I try it on anything with bugs.  Take 1 part dish soap to 2 parts water.  Mix in a spray bottle and spray your plants, flowers, leaves.  It won't hurt your plants and will get rid of the bugs.  Not positive it works on all bugs but I've been lucky so far by using this.  Even used it on my tomato plants last year and worked fine.

NEED SHADE?? Let's Get Some!

NEED SHADE?? 
                 Let's get some! 

Explanation: Knot = wood knot, crochet knot etc. Sew = I sew just enough to get by; Sow- seeds for gardening either flower or veggie. Perfect = absolutely exquisitely done but KNOT by me (sometimes). What I do sometimes I have never done before so the results are Knot Perfect!

Design = Could be most anything. A crocheted rug, a kitchen makeover, a patio, garden, a new recipe , decorating something or something basic.

This is a REPOST for those of you who wanted to do this last year but didn't get around to it.  Ok - here it is again...early in the season so you have time to get it done before it's hotter than Hatties !

Like I've said before, I have not been able to win the lottery so I do things on the “cheap”...or inexpensive, etc.

I have a 12'x34' deck which I love. I used to have a screened in porch on my previous house of 25 yrs and I loved it. I am a morning person and would take my coffee and watch the world – really only my neighborhood – wake up. It was so peaceful and serene. Come late fall I would put plastic over the screen so I could sit out there longer; even into December. (my house was in Vermont); I went as far as putting a Kerosun Heater out there – that's how much I loved my porch. Here, in NC it isn't as bad but...I still need the shade as the summer sun can be brutal at times. And, it does have a way of warming your house up thus making your AC run more. Yuk $$.

So, here is what I did without having to spend $1000.00 + on a roof etc.

Materials: adjust for whatever size you use

Sun Sail 11'9”x11'9”  = $100.00 +
 OR - check out Amazon - they have them
          from $25.00 & up
  OR - painter's canvas drop cloth
         ($10-20.00 at Walmart)

Grommet kit = $8.95

24 + carbine clips = $ .99 ea

2 - 2”x2”x8' lumber = $2.47 each

2-3 pcs 2”x4”x8' lumber =$3.47

2 pcs 1 1/2” pipe or another 2x4 will work as well

pipe clips to hold pipe to 2x4's = $ .89 each

3” wood screws = $8.98 bx

drill

rope or bungie cords - $4.98

paint if you want lumber to match your house/porch

I used a Sun Sail

http://www.amazon.com/Square-Shade-Sail-Feet-Inches/dp/B00548UBMU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1401980974&sr=8-3&keywords=sun+sail

The Sun Sail comes in many sizes but are odd-sized....not a basic size. The link above is from Amazon. There are other sites that vary in prices. I was lucky enough to get mine on CraigsList. (I'm a CL junkie !!) What I had to do is buy a grommet kit – usually about $4-8.00. You can purchase these most anywhere. I got mine at Harbor Freight Tools for $3.97 on sale.

(http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.608003524871653955&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0

You can attach to house or secure each corner to posts. Rope comes with it. OR, you can attach to your house, etc as I did.  I think it doesn't "flop in the breeze" as much.

I put grommets on 2 opposite ends, one foot apart. I also bought carbine clips (Walmart has the cheapest ones so far). Doing this allows you to take down in a hurry should high winds from a tropical storm or hurricane be in the forecast.

I used 2 - 2”x2”x8' pieces of lumber to screw to the house (pic #1) - unless you just want to rope each corner to a post or hook attached to house.

Pre-drill holes in 2x2s to make it easier to attach to house and not to split the wood. (OH  & paint first to match house – much easier than afterwards!) Attach sail to house side first then use rope to pull tight on opposite side (pic #2). You will have to adjust rope for a while as it tends to stretch.

I did have to ask for assistance from my neighbor to help put the 2x4's on the outside of the deck (8 ft off the ground) and he volunteered to attached the 2x2's to the house.  He was just being a gentlemen and helping a lady out!!   Besides, he was bored and had no projects of his own going on!!  I think he wishes I had lots more money so he could help me with more projects!  I told him that we could do all sorts of stuff but he'd have to pay for materials....that didn't fly!!  Darn, can't blame a girl for trying.

Keep in mind the Sun Sail DOES NOT BLOCK THE RAIN only filters the sun. It still allows bright light which is good for plants and if it rains, it can still water the plants. It has helped keep the hot afternoon sun off my slider and help keep the heat from that area. I also put one at the front of my house this year to block the southern sun on 3 big windows....what a difference it has made.

The nice thing about the Sun Sail is you can take it down in late fall to get the warmth of the winter sun.

                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                              

Shade for under $200.00 (full retail) and a nice place to sit. The plants love it and flourish. The only problem there was having enough room IN the house once fall/winter arrives to put the plants back inside!!

DIY's  has just posted 20 ideas for shade with many of them using a sun shade of sorts.  It's cheaper and I think looks better than a solid roof. 

 Can't afford full price for a sun shade?  Try a painter's canvas drop cloth 
- $12.95 at Walmart. Buy a grommet kit and Wa-La, shade.  I am planning on using that in another project I have planned - of course that will be another blog!

I see many ideas that I know I can do myself and even the ones that may be a little more challenging but I “go for it” anyways! I will figure out how to get it done. So – DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY  - you are MORE TALENTED than you might think & you just may surprise yourself.

***Don't leave your wet laundry in a ball when you put in the dryer.  They will dry quicker and more wrinkle free if you shake them out first.  I don''t know about you but I HATE to IRON!!  

Time for a Little Southwest - Cactus style

  – Knot So Perfect Designs – BLOG

Explanation: Knot = wood knot, crochet knot etc. So = so let's get started, Sew = I sew just enough to get by; sow- seeds for gardening either flower or veggie. Perfect = absolutely exquisitely done but KNOT by me (sometimes). What I do sometimes I have never done before so the results are Knot Perfect!   Design = Could be most anything. A crocheted rug, a kitchen makeover, a patio, garden, a new recipe or decorating something - maybe even some awesome pictures. 


Time for a Little Southwest - Let's make a CACTUS from recycled pallet wood.  

Of course you will need a pallet or just a few pieces.  This is a good starter project because it's easy to fit on the pallet board and is easy to hook together.  You will also need a picture or clip art of a cactus.

 As mentioned before when we were doing the owl,   Staples has a blueprint copier and can make copies as big as  3 ft x 2 ft.  That will get you a nice sized cactus.
The next step is to make a pattern and transfer to the pallet wood. Once again, unless you are going to paint or stain this, the hardest part is choosing the wood.  If you are lucky enough to have a piece

wide enough for the main part of the cactus that certainly helps. I did and just had to add the "arms". 

Once I got this all laid out and cut, I found the wood of one "arm" was totally the wrong color

and didn't look good at all.  Had I known I was going to paint this in the end (few days after I completed), I wouldn't have worried about the difference - but I did.  I cut another "arm" that looked similar to the wood of the main part of the cactus.

After this, I hooked it altogether.  That was easy as it only required attaching the two "arms".  Once again, I used my nail gun, pow, pow, and it was done. 

I sanded the front and edges some more to make sure it wouldn't "bite" as cactus always do.  

This was pretty easy and took little time to complete.  

This is for my sister.  She likes southwestern decor.  I hope she likes it.  She will however see it here before she gets it as she is unable to be here at the same time as my brother.  That was my intention and her birthday was early February. Well Sis, what do you think??

After looking at this for a few days I decided it should be

green - at least a little.  I painted it - let it dry and sanded some of it off.  I then sealed with Thompson's water seal just in case it ended up outside.

It's Project Time Again - a Workbench

 – Knot Sew Perfect Designs – BLOG

Explanation: Knot = wood knot, crochet knot etc. Sew = I sew just enough to get by; Sow- seeds for gardening either flower or veggie.Perfect = absolutely exquisitely done but KNOT by me (sometimes). What I do sometimes I have never done before so the results are Knot Perfect!Design = Could be most anything. A crocheted rug, a kitchen makeover, a patio, garden, a new recipe , decorating something - or maybe even some awesome pictures.   

Holy moley - it's been sooooo long since the last blog...August 2014 wasn't it?  Phew.  Can ya'll forgive me? 

 What I did before were projects of sorts and it being my first attempt at a blog - well, when I ran out of projects I ran out of blog material.  

Hmmmm, let me think, was I suppose to make stuff up?  I could certainly do that cuz' any of you that have known me a while certainly know I do have ideas, opinions and comments on just about everything!!  ha ha ha

This is what is in the mix - PALLET CREATIONS...all sorts of stuff made from pallet wood.

 Did I tell you I got a table saw for Christmas - how sweet is that?  

Wait to you see what WE can make. I'm so excited to share this with ya'll.  The ideas are endless but I have a few ideas - but that kids, will come in a little while.

Wait ? what the... sorry because FIRST, I had to clean/organize (at least a little) my workshop.  What a mess.  Of course I didn't take a picture of the before mess but here is a partial clean/organizing.  And, that is a LOT cleaner!!!  I need to get the lawnmower it's own house!!

I also have to  re-do my work bench as the sides on the current one were starting to look like the letter "C" and that's NOT good when you have a chop/miter saw on the bench.

I had an idea of how I was going to make this bench better and easy to do but HEY - GUESS WHAT?  I am NOT as strong (physically) as I used to be.  Damn. I COULD NOT lift/flip 3/4" plywood sides and a solid core door that is the top to the bench...and of course my neighbor is at his mountain house.  What the hail....??  So, I made the base the proper way...with 2x4's.   I picked up 8 or so 2x4's so as to have them for the weekend.

A little chilly this AM - 28 degrees when I got up so I did laundry and grocery shopping first; made a huge pot of veggie soup and let it simmer all day.  By noon the sun was shining into the workshop. The breeze was from the north (back of shop) so it was pleasant in the shop.  I did buy a little propane heater (dirt cheap - started at $45.00 and I ended up getting it for $20.00)  I'm so good at that!  I amaze myself sometimes.   Anyways, I haven't bought the regulator yet, nor have I swapped propane tanks out.

First I cut the 2x4's to fit the door/bench top and screwed them altogether. Next came the legs and more support.  Oh and look who was helping me - yup, this is my Dad's hammer.

One of many I inherited along with many of his hand tools.  My Dad "helps me" with most of my projects.  I talk to him all the time while creating something with his tools or I "ask" what the heck do I do next??  

 For those of you that do not know, my father was a cabinet maker and made most of the furniture in my house. When I was real young, I would be in his shop making something from the scraps he left behind.  Oh how I went through jigsaw blades...ping, there goes another one but he always had more in a drawer somewhere.  So yes, I learned some from my father.  Next would be my husband who was a contractor and yes, I learned from him as well but I think I learned a lot on my own.  Not being able to afford a carpenter (remember- I haven't won the lottery yet) so I would try doing stuff myself.  There were lots of "what the hell is that ?

Remember in my FIRST blog I mentioned this is not just for woman, but for everyone.  So, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW, no matter what it is.  You might fail at perfection - this time, so what?  Next time you WILL do better.  At least you tried and for that:  GOOD FOR YOU. You should be proud of yourself.  YOU did it even if it looks hideous!!

Okay - so the base is done and I might be able to flip the base myself but still can't get the top on.  I would rather have help as I need to attach top to the base before I flip it and most certainly I cannot do that (flip) by myself.  YES we all need to ASK FOR HELP every now and then.  As you can see I built it on saw horses on top of the top so it is upside down.  Still no one to help flip it....grrrr !  That's okay.  Done for the day. Time for some soup that's been simmering all day.  A meal in a bow....how easy is that?

So - I Will get my big girl panties on tomorrow and do a "cross fit" workout by gettin' this bad boy in order (flipped) so I can start with the Pallet Creations. I can't wait.  Some of the patterns I've chosen are just to dang cute and hopefully easy to make.  

Here we go - I got my big girl panties on and out to the workshop I go.  I WILL get this bad boy flipped and setup

myself.  Everyone is on the way to Super Bowl parties or something.  Cross Fit workout in progress.  TA - DA done.  Take that. 

I also have a few other ideas once I get a few other things done.  Nicer weather, more time for projects.  

By all means, please share my blogs. Go back to the first one and read them all again or if you haven't seen them, start at the beginning to know about me a little bit.

I'd like to think of them as :

"ENCOURAGEMENT IN A TOOL BOX" !!  You do not have to know how - you just need the desire to TRY.

***Don't leave your wet laundry in a ball when you put in the dryer.  They will dry quicker and more wrinkle free if you shake them out first.  I don''t know about you but I HATE to IRON!!  

GOT SHADE? WINDOW DRESSING

 – Knot Sew Perfect Designs – BLOG 

Explanation: Knot = wood knot, crochet knot etc. Sew = I sew just enough to get by; Sow- seeds for gardening either flower or veggie.Perfect = absolutely exquisitely done but KNOT by me (sometimes). What I do sometimes I have never done before so the results are Knot Perfect!

Design = Could be most anything. A crocheted rug, a kitchen makeover, a patio, garden, a new recipe , decorating something or something basic.


GOT SHADE ??  Let's get some - more.  Window dressing.

Remember my 2nd blog on making SHADE ?  Check it out again just in case.  Well, I had a window...so to speak and it was just "there". (Look close, it's there - straight ahead) Well, I have finally dressed it up finally.

See - I had this problem.  I bought 3 panels of curtains off CraigsList for only $5.00.  They were beautifully lined curtains.  I even asked the guy if he brought the wrong ones.  I have toyed and thought long and hard about putting holes in these to hang outside!!  Mind you I do not have curtains in my house, only valances and I was thinking where could I use these beautiful curtains.

Finally today - 99 degrees on my deck even at 6pm and I decide I'm going to dress the window - phew.  Hot.  What was I thinking?  I was thinking it was too darn HOT out there to be doing this that's what.

So I measured how long I needed them as the curtains were 84 inches long.  I simply folded over the extra, pinned it and marked six spots where I was going to put a grommet.  Here we go - tools - hammer - Wham - done.  I had bought shower curtain hooks from the Dollar store, hooked them through the grommet and put them on the pole that was already there for the sunshade (we all put up earlier this summer - right??)  I used mill end fabric about 1 1/2" wide as tiebacks.  Done.  Half hour.  Ta Da.

Now I can let them fall open if the afternoon sun is too hot...yes, it really does shine on the deck over the trees.  The reason I have the sun shade.  Let's see how the NC breezes play with these.  

Another  question?  Do I leave them up over the winter to block the neighbor and the leaves will be gone.  With the right angle from their kitchen table, I can see all the way through my house when the leaves are gone!! 

Some day I may have a roof but for now - this works and is certainly a LOT cheaper than a roof.  With the sunshade, I take that down over the winter months to let the sun shine IN.  My plants in the house love it.  

Kitchen Makeover - tile back splash

Knot Sew Perfect Designs – BLOG

Explanation: Knot = wood knot, crochet knot etc. Sew = I sew just enough to get by; Sow- seeds for gardening either flower or veggie.Perfect = absolutely exquisitely done but KNOT by me (sometimes). What I do sometimes I have never done before so the results are Knot Perfect!  Design = Could be most anything. A crocheted rug, a kitchen makeover, a patio, garden, a new recipe , decorating something or something basic.

KITCHEN MAKEOVER - tile back splash -  phase 3


And CHALLENGE MYSELF I did on this one.  I have never done tile work using a tile saw, etc.  I have laid a slate floor entryway with grout and all, many, many years ago and it came out great.  (sorry, no pics).  PS - Home Depot has a wet tile saw and said if I laid out the cut on the tiles, they would do it for me - how is that? So you don't have to buy a tile saw but make sure of where your cuts are!   Luckily my friend had just moved to Greenville, SC and left me with her tile saw!!  What the  heck - if she can use it so could I.

So this is the area I wanted to cover...under the cabinets and behind the stove.  Okay - not a big area.  I can do this.  I bought a couple different single squares of tile patterns to see which one I liked best and luckily that one was on sale.  How I do like saving money.

My bursitis in my shoulder was really acting up after doing all the cabinet work and hurt like hell if you must know. So - just for the heck of it I asked (through CraigsList) a couple tile contractors for a very rough estimate on how much it would cost for THEM to do.    I gave them the dimensions and both came back with: Minimum charge of $250.00 and up to $500.00.  ARE YOU KIDDING?  Bursitis or not, I am NOT paying that much and get this - this ol' gal put the tile up with cutouts for the outlets and light switch in just under 6 hours.  That also included time out for lunch (actually sitting down to eat)  and visiting with the neighbor who was painting something that day.  So let's say about 5 hours. YES, I did use a level and it didn't come out too bad.  No, it is KNOT PERFECT but it still looks good I think.  Would I charge someone to do this?  Probably not.  It's my first time and I look at it every day so I do see some flaws. (surprise)  The "stuff" has been put back on the counter to help with distraction!!

OH - and look at the hardware I used...isn't that gorgeous?  Brushed copper knobs and half cup pulls.  Remember I got them off Amazon for HALF the price of Home Depot or Lowes.  Against the white cabinet they really POP.

So even though I had never done tile work I wasn't going to to let that stop me or, pay THAT kind of money for someone else to do.  See - I still haven't won the lottery - not even a dollar!!  So CHALLENGE YOURSELF.  Like I said - the first time may Knot be Perfect but should I do more tiling then I know it would come out better. 

 Because I didn't really know what I was doing it probably took me a little longer than a professional but I TRIED & I DID IT.  You never know until you try.  AND YOU CAN TOO....give IT a try and see what happens.  Start small and go from there.

The only thing left to do is clean the kitchen - again.  What's with that?  I cleaned it last week!!

CHALLENGE YOURSELF. I hope I have given you some ENCOURAGEMENT and IDEAS so you can have and do what you'd like in your kitchen - or any room.  It's amazing what a can of paint can do.

IF YOU DON'T TRY you'll never know.  You may be the next expert in the making. Doing things yourself gives you a lot of pride.  You can say, "Oh, I did that!" The praise that follows is certainly good for the ego.

***FIRE ANTS - 'tis that time of year - they are everywhere.  I stepped in a mound last week - Dag-nabbit. Ow. Wash area with soap and water.  To help with burning feeling, make a paste of vinegar and baking soda then apply to area.  This really helps.  Keep the little blisters popped and apply ammonia or alcohol to help dry out. Yes, it will burn/sting for a moment but it will help.  WATCH WHERE YOU STEP.