2015.4.21.
[Tamron AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 SP Di II LD Aspherical (IF)]
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Happy Fun Time with Small Ikea Projects.
Even though our closest Ikea is only about 14 miles away it takes an hour to drive there if traffic is moving well. Our first visit was on a Friday afternoon late last summer shortly after we moved here and it was packed. When I decided return this past Wednesday I chose to go by myself and arrived just after their 10 am opening, carefully backing in to my parking space.
Previously we had parked front end first as we are used to in the US. We were the only vehicle there parked like that. Most drivers in Japan seem to back-in park. I assume it is due to the population density and the number of people always walking and riding bikes. It is safer to back in to a parking space where people are unlikely to be than to back out of that space where people are guaranteed to be. Then when you leave, facing outward, you can easily see anyone moving. I am grateful for our small car because backing in a right-side drive vehicle takes some a lot of practice after operating as a left-side driver for twenty years.
The number of shoppers this time seemed similar to what I am familiar with in the States so I was able to take my time following the path around the store. I worked comfortably off my prepared list and found most of what I was looking for.
Top priority on my list was the Bekvam step stool for our bathroom; I looked for it on our previous trip but it was sold out. Various hygiene tasks are simpler to perform while sitting, such as clipping your nails. The toilet lid is generally the default location to sit in a bathroom. The plastic lid on our industrial/commercial commode, however, is too flexible and bends inward with any weight. This leaves the bathtub edge to sit on which is not comfortable in the least.
Hence, the step stool. Not only is it versatile enough for use an almost any room, at ¥1533 (~$15) it was one of the most inexpensive options.
I chose the natural wood and stained the pieces outside a couple days ago with two coats of the Behandla glazing paint. I put it together yesterday and am impressed with its solidity, not a creak or wobble at all, and it fits perfectly under the sink.
The shelves pictured here on the left are a future project. I picked up the set for $5 but one of them must be cured of it's unfortunate white sponge paint. I am considering whether to paint both or just the one, and what type of paint to use over the laminate surface.
The black Kassett magazine files are new also. I have other pieces in the series and these were on my list.
Using the same Ikea glaze I stained these two small unfinished cigar boxes I picked up at our local thrift store for 75¢ each. They had some cutesy decoration things glued on the tops that I gently, but easily, pried off. Then I sanded off the glue residue.
You can also see here some of the Kassett series boxes bought previously that are no longer available. I use them for storing medium sized photo prints and albums.
The remaining Ikea items I bought are photo frames. I carefully measured the sizes I needed and researched the metric equivalent to find the appropriate sizes for my needs.
We have a window at the top of our stairs with blank walls on either side demanding art. Because the light is usually dim in this hallway I wanted some large but simple photographs to hang there. I waited (and waited) until Mpix ran a sale and ordered 20 inch square prints of two macro photos I took this past spring. The Nyttja frames are 50 cm square, about half an inch off, but since they are upstairs I can alter the framing just a bit and it won't be as noticeable. We shall see how it works out when the prints arrive.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
DIY: Hanging Produce Baskets.
No matter how much kitchen counter space you have it is never enough. You begin with beautiful, clean, flat surfaces and before you know it you are shuffling and shoving objects around for more work space. This is how our kitchen began:
And this is what it looks like now, for real. I just walked in and took this photo without touching anything. It's on the cleaner side but I can guarantee that whenever you see a photo of mine taken in the kitchen I have most certainly moved things around for a less cluttered frame. Notice how you do not see the top of the cupboards.
I have wanted hanging produce baskets for a while now and keep my eyes open for them at second hand stores. Yes, I know they are not expensive, Amazon sells them for about $10. But I love projects, especially ones that are easy and save a little money, and my do-it-yourself hanging basket is exactly that.
Daiso is a large Japanese chain of ¥100 stores (they even have a few along the west coast of the United States) that I have mentioned in previous posts. It's equivalent to the Dollar Tree stores but with a much better selection in my opinion. I bought the 4 items needed for this project there, hence costing approximately $4.25 and an hour of my ample spare time.
I purchased three wire mesh baskets and a chain designed to hang a flower pot, the latter of which I already have but it's in storage somewhere in Texas. To keep the integrity of the chain I used links from a jack chain to form small hooks to attach the baskets, thus making them easily adjustable as well. I found them in my miscellaneous hardware boxes that I proudly love and care for meticulously; I've had them, and some of the contents, for over ten years.
With a pair of needle-nose pliers I attached three hooks around the outer rim of each wire basket approximately equal distance apart but didn't bend them closed in case adjustments were needed. I began with the smallest basket, looping the hooks through the chain as high as I could while still being able to put my hand in to retrieve an item, which ended up between links 6 and 7. Then I found the middle of the remaining chain length and looped the second basket at that location, between links 14 and 15. The last and largest basket was then hooked on the last links, obviously.
However, when I lifted the entire unit it was a bit uneven, for two reasons I discovered. First, there was one less link on one of the three hanging chains, 20 instead of 21. To solve this I simply added an extra link from the jack chain I was re-purposing. Secondly, my spacing of the three hooks around the baskets' perimeters was a bit skewed. Since they had not been tightened closed it was easy to re-position them and level the baskets. Once I was satisfied with the positioning I tightened the hooks. Done.
To hang it from the ceiling I drilled a hole, screwed in an eye hook, and used some extra chain and a clip to hook it up (all from my hardware stash). This makes it fully adjustable if I change its location around our current house and where ever we move in the future.
And this is what it looks like now, for real. I just walked in and took this photo without touching anything. It's on the cleaner side but I can guarantee that whenever you see a photo of mine taken in the kitchen I have most certainly moved things around for a less cluttered frame. Notice how you do not see the top of the cupboards.
I have wanted hanging produce baskets for a while now and keep my eyes open for them at second hand stores. Yes, I know they are not expensive, Amazon sells them for about $10. But I love projects, especially ones that are easy and save a little money, and my do-it-yourself hanging basket is exactly that.
Daiso is a large Japanese chain of ¥100 stores (they even have a few along the west coast of the United States) that I have mentioned in previous posts. It's equivalent to the Dollar Tree stores but with a much better selection in my opinion. I bought the 4 items needed for this project there, hence costing approximately $4.25 and an hour of my ample spare time.
I purchased three wire mesh baskets and a chain designed to hang a flower pot, the latter of which I already have but it's in storage somewhere in Texas. To keep the integrity of the chain I used links from a jack chain to form small hooks to attach the baskets, thus making them easily adjustable as well. I found them in my miscellaneous hardware boxes that I proudly love and care for meticulously; I've had them, and some of the contents, for over ten years.
With a pair of needle-nose pliers I attached three hooks around the outer rim of each wire basket approximately equal distance apart but didn't bend them closed in case adjustments were needed. I began with the smallest basket, looping the hooks through the chain as high as I could while still being able to put my hand in to retrieve an item, which ended up between links 6 and 7. Then I found the middle of the remaining chain length and looped the second basket at that location, between links 14 and 15. The last and largest basket was then hooked on the last links, obviously.
However, when I lifted the entire unit it was a bit uneven, for two reasons I discovered. First, there was one less link on one of the three hanging chains, 20 instead of 21. To solve this I simply added an extra link from the jack chain I was re-purposing. Secondly, my spacing of the three hooks around the baskets' perimeters was a bit skewed. Since they had not been tightened closed it was easy to re-position them and level the baskets. Once I was satisfied with the positioning I tightened the hooks. Done.
To hang it from the ceiling I drilled a hole, screwed in an eye hook, and used some extra chain and a clip to hook it up (all from my hardware stash). This makes it fully adjustable if I change its location around our current house and where ever we move in the future.
Here are some detail photos of how I hooked the baskets on. Some of the "S" hooks are scratched up a little but they sort of nest in the other links and I don't notice it much.
The photo above shows the extra link I attached to make up for the chain that was one link short. In all I am very happy with the results and imagine that similar baskets would make corners useful in multiple areas like the office or bathroom.
While typing this out I had company with me, making sure I stay near and remember his dinner.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Thrifty Cleaning Tip: Savings on Spray.
Before I even share this nugget of creative frugality I feel the need to first justify my use of the product.
My use of disposable cleansing wipes started slowly because I find them expensive and environmentally unsound. When my siblings began having children I began to understand the obvious hygienic diapering needs of parents and caregivers and loosened my rules to accept bathroom wipes. Then I discovered that window cleaning wipes left far less lint and foggy residue than a spray with towels (whether cloth or paper) and began using those, especially on photo frame glass. Now I live in a house with white tile floors and white, rubbery caulking sealing every imaginable edge that shows every little fuzz, hair, or who-knows-what that touches it. Add to that a cat who throws up and leaves trails of little kitty paw prints through the house and you get a woman who uses cleaning wipes.
The selection of cleansing wipes is minuscule here, we can choose between Clorox and Lysol brands. I choose the type of Clorox wipe that cleans up grease also, making it perfect for the entire house because, as I forgot to mention, our kitchen has ultra-white counter tops and all white appliances. When we moved in I bought a two-pack to keep under the kitchen sink containing a total of 150 wet wipes. I noticed a fair amount of liquid left in the bottom once the first container was empty so I dumped it into the second container; it seemed wrong to discard it.
A couple weeks ago that second tub of wipes was running low and there was a considerable amount of liquid left. I tried pouring some on paper towels but it didn't seem to have adequate cleansing ability and I concluded that a spray bottle was my best solution. Today I stopped by a decent ¥100 store and bought one then filled it up with excess liquid and now I have over 300 ml of perfectly good cleaning spray.
What a Thrifty Cleaning Tip! Pour excess cleaning solution remaining in a disposable wet wipe container into a spray bottle to reuse. For safety, please label the spray bottle with the contents, especially the chemical components. Simply cut the paper label and tape it to the spray bottle.
My use of disposable cleansing wipes started slowly because I find them expensive and environmentally unsound. When my siblings began having children I began to understand the obvious hygienic diapering needs of parents and caregivers and loosened my rules to accept bathroom wipes. Then I discovered that window cleaning wipes left far less lint and foggy residue than a spray with towels (whether cloth or paper) and began using those, especially on photo frame glass. Now I live in a house with white tile floors and white, rubbery caulking sealing every imaginable edge that shows every little fuzz, hair, or who-knows-what that touches it. Add to that a cat who throws up and leaves trails of little kitty paw prints through the house and you get a woman who uses cleaning wipes.
The selection of cleansing wipes is minuscule here, we can choose between Clorox and Lysol brands. I choose the type of Clorox wipe that cleans up grease also, making it perfect for the entire house because, as I forgot to mention, our kitchen has ultra-white counter tops and all white appliances. When we moved in I bought a two-pack to keep under the kitchen sink containing a total of 150 wet wipes. I noticed a fair amount of liquid left in the bottom once the first container was empty so I dumped it into the second container; it seemed wrong to discard it.
A couple weeks ago that second tub of wipes was running low and there was a considerable amount of liquid left. I tried pouring some on paper towels but it didn't seem to have adequate cleansing ability and I concluded that a spray bottle was my best solution. Today I stopped by a decent ¥100 store and bought one then filled it up with excess liquid and now I have over 300 ml of perfectly good cleaning spray.
What a Thrifty Cleaning Tip! Pour excess cleaning solution remaining in a disposable wet wipe container into a spray bottle to reuse. For safety, please label the spray bottle with the contents, especially the chemical components. Simply cut the paper label and tape it to the spray bottle.
 |
| Please, be safe and label and bottle. |
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Finally, My Chair.
One rainy evening in Washington State my husband and I went out together for dinner and a movie. The restaurant was adjacent to the theater on one end and a furniture store was at the other. On a whim we decided to visit the Recliner Land and look at their selection of sofas. Having only been married a couple years we still had his old futon in the living room as our primary seating. We basically knew the style we wanted, a mutually acceptable black leather sofa with three seats and nap-worthy without being obnoxiously over-stuffed. We found it, rather easily, and within a half hour we purchased it and scheduled delivery.
We still use and dearly love our sofa, with its dual recliners and soft leather, and it has survived two moves with minimal damage (the thing is beastly heavy and awkward). Yet often when I sit back on that sofa and rest my head I think about the chair that got away. Yes, the ladies'-size, straight-back reclining chair tautly covered in a smooth, rich, red leather that I fell in love with at the Recliner Land. (Similar to this.) At the time, our apartment was too small for any additional furniture so I had to walk away. But I have not forgotten.
Finally now we have a living room large enough for a television viewing area with the sofa and a sitting area for armchairs, so I made sure to request a chair when selecting our temporary furniture. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered the armchair was incredibly uncomfortable and unsuitable for curling up with a book. So shortly after we settled in I began a low-level search for an armchair, not actively looking but paying attention.
Last week, while planning some free or cheap local activities, I decided to go back to the Yamato station area and browse a craft store I had come across last summer. When Google mapping my route I saw a little star on the map, without a description, that I did not remember placing. I figured it was some place I read about and wanted to check out, so I added it to my itinerary. Boy, was I ever happy I did.
It turned out that little gold star was Smile Company, a three-story recycle shop, the largest second-hand store I have found here so far. I slowly looked around the first floor, with clothing and accessories; then the second floor, with housewares and electronics; and finally the third floor, with furniture. At the far end of the large room, among tightly-packed rows of chairs, I found my armchair.
Everything about this chair was perfect, the (surprisingly neutral) versatile teal leather, the low arm rests, deep seat, and a style resembling mid-century modern but with softer lines. It is almost timeless and can safely be placed the styles of many past decades without strictly adhering to one. On top of all this the price was unbeatable, ¥4800 less 10% because of a sale. That works out to be about $42. Wow! I had to have it.
Since I was travelling on foot that Monday I planned on returning the following morning with our car hoping the chair would fit. I had not measured it at the store so I prepared best I could and measured the hatch opening at the back of the car. At one meter wide inside I had hopes of it fitting but realistically knew it was doubtful because the opening itself was not that wide and or tall.
The drive to Smile Company on Tuesday morning was a bit stressful -- I do not drive on local Japanese roads very often and especially not very far. The transit system here is incredible and I love it, why drive? Using Google navigation I arrived successfully in about 40 minutes and as soon as the doors opened at 10:30 I was skipping up those steps, yen in hand, for my chair. It was still there! I found a store employee nearby to help me. He spoke very little English, matching my extremely limited Japanese, but with photos on my phone and metric measurements written down we concluded that the chair would not fit. I was sad but still hopeful that I could find someone with a bigger vehicle to help me. So I left the store with a few small items I had seen the previous day and crossed my fingers on the ride home.
By evening it was obvious that I, alone, would have to accomplish the mission and I was motivated. I scheduled a rental van for the following morning for two hours at $10 an hour with no fuel charge. The timing was tight, no doubt. I arrived on Wednesday morning to pick up the van a little ahead of my scheduled time so I could take advantage of every minute. First off, I measured and took a photo of the rear opening of the van.
Oh, it was going to fit all right but was I ever nervous about driving a van on the tiny roads in Japan. I have driven large vehicles before, full-size vans and moving trucks included, but on wide roads in the States. Local roads here are entirely different and don't forget that in Japan the driver's seat is on the right and we use the left side of the road. But I figured if other people could do it, I certainly could too, and I did. In order to not totally freak out I divided the mission into manageable parts. First was to drive there, which I did successfully and safely with lots of deep breathing. Then I had to purchase the chair, which included showing photos and measurements, and asking for help getting it to the van. This was all accomplished with some flipping through an English-Japanese translation book and many smiles and arrigatos. Step two done, the chair was mine!
At this point I had only an hour remaining and time was more nerve-wracking than driving. After making it though many traffic slow-downs (local "Utility Repair Day"?) I finally made it to the house. Step three done. I backed the van right up to the front porch, which required jumping the curb and driving over a lot of grass, and hefted the chair onto the porch. Step four done. Then I got back in the van, and drove to return it. Step five done!
At this point I relaxed a little, knowing the hard part was over. Once I drove back home in our car I struggled a bit getting the big chair to angle through the doorway, at one point thinking it wasn't going to fit. But I did it, all by myself. You should have seen my happy dance after I shut the front door.
Since it was barely after noon I had plenty of time to enjoy the set-up process. Aided by some loud music, I cleared the living room, cleaned the floors, and put it all back together, making some adjustments for the new chair, which I also cleaned and conditioned. By the time I was done, pleased with the results, it was time to leave for a meeting.
It wasn't until Thursday morning that I first got to really use the chair and it was fabulous! I am so lucky that I found it and so happy that I overcame every obstacle to get it. I will use it every day I live in this house and I will be thankful that this wasn't another chair that got away.
We still use and dearly love our sofa, with its dual recliners and soft leather, and it has survived two moves with minimal damage (the thing is beastly heavy and awkward). Yet often when I sit back on that sofa and rest my head I think about the chair that got away. Yes, the ladies'-size, straight-back reclining chair tautly covered in a smooth, rich, red leather that I fell in love with at the Recliner Land. (Similar to this.) At the time, our apartment was too small for any additional furniture so I had to walk away. But I have not forgotten.
Finally now we have a living room large enough for a television viewing area with the sofa and a sitting area for armchairs, so I made sure to request a chair when selecting our temporary furniture. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered the armchair was incredibly uncomfortable and unsuitable for curling up with a book. So shortly after we settled in I began a low-level search for an armchair, not actively looking but paying attention.
Last week, while planning some free or cheap local activities, I decided to go back to the Yamato station area and browse a craft store I had come across last summer. When Google mapping my route I saw a little star on the map, without a description, that I did not remember placing. I figured it was some place I read about and wanted to check out, so I added it to my itinerary. Boy, was I ever happy I did.
It turned out that little gold star was Smile Company, a three-story recycle shop, the largest second-hand store I have found here so far. I slowly looked around the first floor, with clothing and accessories; then the second floor, with housewares and electronics; and finally the third floor, with furniture. At the far end of the large room, among tightly-packed rows of chairs, I found my armchair.
Everything about this chair was perfect, the (surprisingly neutral) versatile teal leather, the low arm rests, deep seat, and a style resembling mid-century modern but with softer lines. It is almost timeless and can safely be placed the styles of many past decades without strictly adhering to one. On top of all this the price was unbeatable, ¥4800 less 10% because of a sale. That works out to be about $42. Wow! I had to have it.
Since I was travelling on foot that Monday I planned on returning the following morning with our car hoping the chair would fit. I had not measured it at the store so I prepared best I could and measured the hatch opening at the back of the car. At one meter wide inside I had hopes of it fitting but realistically knew it was doubtful because the opening itself was not that wide and or tall.
The drive to Smile Company on Tuesday morning was a bit stressful -- I do not drive on local Japanese roads very often and especially not very far. The transit system here is incredible and I love it, why drive? Using Google navigation I arrived successfully in about 40 minutes and as soon as the doors opened at 10:30 I was skipping up those steps, yen in hand, for my chair. It was still there! I found a store employee nearby to help me. He spoke very little English, matching my extremely limited Japanese, but with photos on my phone and metric measurements written down we concluded that the chair would not fit. I was sad but still hopeful that I could find someone with a bigger vehicle to help me. So I left the store with a few small items I had seen the previous day and crossed my fingers on the ride home.
By evening it was obvious that I, alone, would have to accomplish the mission and I was motivated. I scheduled a rental van for the following morning for two hours at $10 an hour with no fuel charge. The timing was tight, no doubt. I arrived on Wednesday morning to pick up the van a little ahead of my scheduled time so I could take advantage of every minute. First off, I measured and took a photo of the rear opening of the van.
Oh, it was going to fit all right but was I ever nervous about driving a van on the tiny roads in Japan. I have driven large vehicles before, full-size vans and moving trucks included, but on wide roads in the States. Local roads here are entirely different and don't forget that in Japan the driver's seat is on the right and we use the left side of the road. But I figured if other people could do it, I certainly could too, and I did. In order to not totally freak out I divided the mission into manageable parts. First was to drive there, which I did successfully and safely with lots of deep breathing. Then I had to purchase the chair, which included showing photos and measurements, and asking for help getting it to the van. This was all accomplished with some flipping through an English-Japanese translation book and many smiles and arrigatos. Step two done, the chair was mine!
At this point I had only an hour remaining and time was more nerve-wracking than driving. After making it though many traffic slow-downs (local "Utility Repair Day"?) I finally made it to the house. Step three done. I backed the van right up to the front porch, which required jumping the curb and driving over a lot of grass, and hefted the chair onto the porch. Step four done. Then I got back in the van, and drove to return it. Step five done!
At this point I relaxed a little, knowing the hard part was over. Once I drove back home in our car I struggled a bit getting the big chair to angle through the doorway, at one point thinking it wasn't going to fit. But I did it, all by myself. You should have seen my happy dance after I shut the front door.
Since it was barely after noon I had plenty of time to enjoy the set-up process. Aided by some loud music, I cleared the living room, cleaned the floors, and put it all back together, making some adjustments for the new chair, which I also cleaned and conditioned. By the time I was done, pleased with the results, it was time to leave for a meeting.
It wasn't until Thursday morning that I first got to really use the chair and it was fabulous! I am so lucky that I found it and so happy that I overcame every obstacle to get it. I will use it every day I live in this house and I will be thankful that this wasn't another chair that got away.
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