Posts for category ‘DIY’

Buahahaha!
Okay, it’s true. I’m starting to come back to who I am. I know at least a few of you wondered, and some of you might even have known, (We won’t mention any names, BILLIE!! Hee hee) that sooner or later Thorne would, if not “heal”, then at least “heal over”, and it would only be a matter of time before I was up to my old mischief and mayhem around the blogosphere.

It’s true, I do indeed feel a snark coming on.  Well, I may have already started a bit of shit (just a bit of the old Thornieshness coming out), but I’m not sure.  The thing is, it’s still Only the Good Friday, and I am committed to keeping to its precepts of optimism and snarklessness. (And besides, my comments are still in moderation, which makes it difficult to share with you all).

Sometimes it’s lonely being a night-owlish blogger.  Just when I’m feeling feisty and like getting into a lil dialogue ya’ll are… I dunno.  Sleeping?  Fucking?  Watching TV? Prolly.

Muahahaha.

So I decided to divert myself with a bit of fun and I grabbed my camera and ran around the house taking pics of a few things that make me happy to share with you all, (In keeping with the OtGF concept).

Getting Desperate Healthy Parrot Soak

Okay.  This is a pretty high one on the Makes Thorne Happy List

Reasonably healthy food for my parrots when I am desperately broke.  Some people might say I spoil my parrots because I cook for them.  They are not spoiled; they are taken care of and provided for to the very best of my ability.  A parrot’s nutritional needs far exceed a seed diet.

They get some variation of “Birdy Bread” (original recipe from Bobbi Brinker, but mine is so far from that as to be nearly unrecognizable) for breakfast alternating with scrambled “cousin” (yep.  eggses), and hot cereal (usually a mixture of oatmeal with a bit of dried or fresh fruit).  They are allowed a few seeds throughout the day- a handful or so each, various fresh raw fruits and veggies that the garden, friends and the supermarket (if I must) provides, the occasional organic dog biscuit, quinoa pasta or large nuts (almonds, filberts, walnuts, etc.) and for dinner they usually get a sampling of what we are having if it’s healthy enough, (and doesn’t include any ingredients they can’t have such as onions and avacados) or in the least a mixture of steamed veggies and grains.

Right now we are pretty broke.  We are eating some less than optimum foods, (for our own health as well as birdy health). So, I was really happy to find the popcorn, hemp and safflower seeds in the freezer.  I added some roasted soy beans and some macaroni (just plain old mac.-  I’m out of vegetable pasta, and they love their pasta so much, I decided a lil of the cheap processed crap wouldn’t kill um)  I soaked it overnight, boiled it a bit today and then I’ll freeze some of this, but it makes for healthy birdy dinners which makes my heart VERY happy!

Home Grown Garlic

This is the end of our last year garlic harvest.  It’s all heirloom stuff.  No gene spliced, pesticide injected crap.  It’s starting to go over, get a lil yellow and a bit of mold here n there, so I’m really glad that we’ve managed to use most of it up.  Home grown garlic makes me happy. (So does the shape and form of this basket!)

Coffee Cups That Make Me Happy

Truth be told, Thorni is a woman of simple pleasures.  Really cool coffee cups make me super happy.  I have quite a few from which I will allow no one else to drink, simply because I know that if they broke them I might do murder.  I also have a number, like these two, that make me want to see them in someone’s hand.  I will serve them to my family and friends and guests (if they are clean) just for the simple joy of seeing them.  That they come as a gift from the lovely e., only adds to my happiness.

Kitchen Counter Tile Work Section

Kitchen Counter- Detail 1

Pool Tile and Cup Handle in the Kitchen

And in closing, (Grrr… still 3 hours away from Saturday Snark); my kitchen tile.  The first images show a small section that I gave a quick wipe (the kitchen is currently a disaster area) to.  It’s about 3 years old and the grout is ready for another serious cleaning.  Not all of this tile is recycled tile.  I bought some of the more colorful tiles on sale.  (Like the Gold that I use to kinda unify the whole design)

The second image is a detail section.  I cut a few of those flower shapes to add a bit of interest, and placed them in places where it’s not critical to have a perfectly level surface.

(When I clean the counter I’ll show you some of my other favorite sections)

The 3rd image shows an embellishment above the window.  The previous tenant who took care of the property before I moved back to the desert decided that the level drop celiling was too low, so removed it.  In order to add a bit of interest to the canted ceiling I used this triangle motif.  It steps up in size above each window.  It’s made of pool/jacuzzi tile.  The deep windows are also tiled.  The broken cup handle makes a great place to hang herbs.

Happy pics from Thornesworld!

Peace out!

Okay, I couldn’t wait.  I really shoulda waited ’til the grout was fully dry and the cloudy leftovers are buffed out.  But check this out!  I freaking love it!

Temporary Studio Tile Work

So here’s the deal.  I love ceramic tile, but I’m not so hot on the usual grid pattern.  Ya’ll might remember that I do broken tile mosaic, and I’ve done my kitchen counters (kitchen’s a mess- I’ll post those pics another time) but I lovew this staggered look.  It’s pretty easy if you have a selection of tiles the measurements of which are divisable (like 24, 12, 8, and 4) But this was a lil more difficult.  I had 20′s, 12′s, 8′s, 17′s (WTF??) and a few random small tiles to work with.  As an aside, I want you guys to know that not only did I make this floor for the cost of the thinset and grout, I saved all these beautiful tiles from the landfill.

Just FYI: Once clay/ceramic materials is fired, its molecular composition is permanently changed.  Think of all the pottery found at archeological digs.  It’s lasts forever!  All of this lovely tile was headed for the landfills for future archeologists to find and discover what a wasteful society we were.  I saved it!

Muahahahaha…..

*edit:
I thought I should clarify. Although I do indeed employ used tile in my broken tile mosaic and objet d’art, this tile is brand new and was headed for the landfill anyway. In our lovely consumer society, home decor fashion changes about as often as most of us change our underwear. Well, not quite that often, but you get the idea.
Tile outlets, stores, whatever throw this stuff out. Whether it’s demo tile for display leftover from last season, leftover stock that didn’t sell, or custom order extras; it all goes into the landfill. Unless we rescue it. I simply go to the tile places and ask if I can have it. I take whatever they are throwing away. I dig sample cards out of their dumpsters. I really lucked out with this selection, because it all is somewhat stone looking and made for a nice layout, but I take whatever I can get because I will find some use for it sooner or later.

Did I really say in Friday Fillins that my plans for Sunday included having some “some screaming scratching, biting monkey sex!”??

Scratch that, okay?  I mean, let’s just forget that I even said it.  What was I thinking?  I’ll tell you what I was thinking.  I was thinking that I’m not a 47 year old woman with FMS.  Or perhaps I wasn’t thinking at all.  I sure wasn’t thinking that I would be so sore, in so many muscles; muscles I didn’t even know (or remember?) that i had, that I can hardly freaking move.

Bwahahahaha….

The joke’s on Thorni!  Perhaps when I was 27… or hell; even 37- I could have crawled around the floor laying 20″ ceramic tiles that weigh a freaking ton for 3 days and then still feel like a romp in the hay, but at 47 all I want today is a hot bath and a day lounging in bed with my laptop and maybe a good book.  A nap may be in order later, too.

Got my coffee in bed.  The GirlyBoi has graciously handled my morning chores.  I ain’t movin’!  (A massage might be nice later.  Hehehe.  I’ll have to hit the GirlyBoi up!)