Renovating a bird table with woodstain, and using spray on paints, bookends

Della Galton showed a picture in Facebook of her renovated bird table before and after. Most impressive, to us humans. (I'm wondering whether the birds would have been equally happy when it was rustic.)

I asked how she did it. She said sandpaper and woodstain.

I replied. Thanks. Well done. The trick is to wear protective clothing and gloves and not stain your clothes and hands. Same goes for varnish.

I like to renovate bookends. As a writer I'm very fond of bookends. I had the misfortune to succomb to a house containing the once stylish open ended bookshelves. Have any other book lovers had this problem?

Open ended bookshelves are fine for displaying ornaments; but open ends are a disaster for piling up vertical books. Heavy books, worse-still lightweight books, quickly, or slowly slide off. It's as if you had a household of clumsy book-loving poltergeists which throw books on the floor.

I eventually persuaded somebody to nail metal book ends to both ends of the shelf. It didn't look purpose built. But it was better than before.

Re-using old diaries and address books

Uses for empty diaries:

Ribbons
1 Save the ribbon marker and notes such as conversion tables for use in a new diary or a Filofax.
2 Save the ribbon(s) in a see-thru empty jam jar (which you have washed and recycled and relabelled ribbons) for your collection of small pieces of ribbon to decorate home made greeting cards, tie up muslin on sweets for Xmas stocking. Or sew on clothes over torn seams or cuffs. Or to attach pendants to necklaces.

Conversion Charts and tables
1 Save for pasting on a kitchen notice board.
2 Stick inside new diary.
3 Keep in travel bag or suitcase.

Blank Endpapers and papers headed notes
1 Cut out for use in Filofax.
2 Or staple for notepad by phone.
3 Or cut to size to fit in notepad container by phone. A free notepad.
4 Or cut small as extra blank address cards for yourself or people you meet at conferences.
5 Use as sketchpads for artwork and doodles.

Blank Diary -
1 Use again as a diary - write on cover years for which the days match the date - roughly every seven years, except for leap years.
2 Carry for tear-out jotting paper when you need paper or somebody asks you for a piece of paper.

Used Diary
1 Save for tax return.
2 Save for names of hotels and restaurants.
3 Save for family history.
4 Save for sentimental reasons after your family or friend has died.
5 Save to check handwriting on old documents - who wrote this - was it really your grandfather's signature on a will - can you prove it.

Address Section - Blank
1 Cut out blank address and phone pages for your new diary which does not have enough pages for all your addresses and tels.
2 Keep as spare address pages for your purse or bag.
3 Put by your main phone, or stick on wall by phone.
4 Fill in names of your local restaurants to phone and keep in your pocket. Even if you have these numbers in your phone it's quick, especially when giving recommendations, or when your mobile is down and you need to use somebody else's phone.

Address Section - Filled
1 Useful after sudden death of relative to quickly find names of spouses and phone numbers of people to invite to funeral.
2 Useful to check addresses of trades people when household appliances go wrong and need repair.
3 Helps track down people who send Xmas cards using only first names.  I used an old address book to find people who sent Xmas cards to my late Uncle 'Ronald'.

Saving For Sentimental Reasons
I became a diary detective.  I could also check whether old books belonged to 'my' ancestors, or in-laws. This is useful for sentimental reasons, splitting up goods when moving house, divorcing, giving items to grandchildren - 'this belonged to your great-grandad'.


Also see my travel posts in blogs; and my books on lulu.com

Removing Mould / Mold from books

Suggestions from myself and others:

PRINTED BOOKS
1 Wear disposable gloves and wipe-clean apron to protect your clothes and hands.
2 Fold mouldy / moldy book inside paper towel (kitchen roll) or in zip-lock bag for transporting in car or house.
3 Wipe outside of book and edge with baby wipes.
4 Leave book in sun.
5 Consider removing blank endpapers and covers (modern book of no value just to save expense of replacing book).
6 Photocopy book in case another member of your family who is a cleanliness freak throws it out.
7 Photocopy cover in colour on high quality matt or gloss paper (to match original or front or back or spine) on your printer and glue or Sellotape new cover instead of or on top of old cover.

Check book publication date. Find out if book is still sold on amazon and at what price. Consider selling book on ebay, noting condition and any repairs. Ask charity shop for advice and if they will accept book. Offer it free on the free sites.

If book is of no use and no value but some end pages are blank, cut them out and reuse in receycling to save trees or as notepaper by the phone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bleKjhIPz4w

Several more videos on you tube include one on preparing books for selling on Amazon which demonstrates using an eraser. (In the UK we say rubber - which in the USA means condom so I've avoided that word because my tally shows I have lots of readers in the USA).

The same video about preparing books on Amaazon also demonstrates using rubbing alcohol.

I also have posts on travel and books on quotations and travel on lulu.com
Angela Lansbury (author)

Co-ordinating Clothes - cut a hem, then add a matching fabric belt

A belt in your trousers or skirt to match the blouse? How neat. I'll tell you about the catalogue which inspired the thought, then how you could cut or adapt your clothes so they co-ordinate.

I was just looking at the JDWilliams.co.uk catalogue and noticed that a stone colour trousers with trouser tabs had a pretty coral pink and white belt, with curbed ends, £12, for the trousers, 'great value' they say, on page 10 of the bargains leaflet inside their solid bound catalogue.
I thought of ordering it - here's the details in case you or I decide to buy:
tel: 0871 231 2000 order DS 462 UK, sizes 12-32 in navy; and 14,18, 20,22, 24, 28, 30, 32 in stone, alongside the same coral print blouse in machine washable cotton, coral print, sizes 16,20,22,24,26, 28,30, for £10. However the text does not say belt included. So the total for the matching outfit would be £22 - plus postage. It the belt included or isn't it? The belt is not mentioned in the text? Was this a two piece outfit now divided into two so that if you already have separates and just want one half you can buy it - and might be tempted to come back and buy the other half of the outfit later? Or maybe you have a figure which is larger above the waist than below, or vice versa, and would like to order the two halves separately?

They phoned and said the belt is included.

Digression on catalogues - for idea on making belts go to next paragraph
   Usually if the matching item such as a belt or a bag is sold separately, catalogues refer you to another page, or the designer doesn't yet know the page, I'm guessing, so they try to make a game of it, as if you are clever to find the item, and text irritatingly says 'find this belt/bag'. So you have to find it and go back and mark the page number. I cut out the pages and staple them together, then junk the bulky catalogue and keep just the item I want. Unfortunately I'm often left with the picture and the text and vital ordering numbers!

Making a matching belt from a blouse
If you are wearing a long blouse outside other people won't see the belt except when you are undressing. A light fabric belt holds the trousers up and in, and won't show through like a heave belt with a big, bulky metal buckle.  If you tuck the blouse in, you display the matching belt. When the blouse is worn tucked in, extra fabric might keep you warm and give you another option, but often its simply extra bulk. So you might like to cut the hem off the blouse, and re-sew the blouse hem. A straight line of hand sewing is easy and can be done anytime, anywhere - even if you are stuck in a hotel waiting for other people or a shuttle bus.

Then the seam of the belt material is easy. Lots of options. Start with the belt inside out. Sew one line of stitching, or two parallel along both the long sides. Sew one short End. Then pull inside out. Finish the second short end sewn neatly, or cover the hand-sewn outside short edge with satin ribbon or lace or even an iron-on patch to hide your stitching. Or tie a bow so the neater short edge hidden by having the sewing on the inside is on top.

You might also enjoy my other blogs, especially posts on travel, plus my books on quotations on lulu.com