The Old Rocking Chair - Part 1: Wood Filler and Sanding

Oh hello there. 

It's been a looooooong time since I posted anything.  I've been in a DIY dead zone for the last few months since all of my time has been spent trying to pass Algebra and look for a house.  I have a few weeks before school starts up again and before we close so I decided to start refurbishing my beloved rocking chair for my new office.

It's obviously pretty dated but it's the chair I was lovingly rocked in as a little munchkin so it has major sentimental value. It's also solid wood and ridiculously comfortable so I've dragged it all over the country with me in anticipation of one day fixing it up. 

This post isn't terribly exciting but it's the before shot and initial prep work details that start the project off right.   

It's a big chair that's very solid.

80s stenciling...SWEET!

When we adopted our dog he had some separation anxiety during the first few months and took it out on my chair.

First coat of Elmer's Wood filler!

Some minor scratches that only needed a thin layer of filler.

Starting to sand!

So if you've made it this far down the post, here are a few more bits of info about what I'm planning on doing.  I vacillated between painting and restaining but ultimately decided to go with paint. It's less work than stain and I already have a lot of dark wood furniture. Plus, I'm thinking of painting it a fun color like turquoise or orange because why not?

I'm still in the sanding/filler stage but will post more as I go through each phase of the project! 

Homemade Reed Diffuser

I've been reeeeaaalllyyy burnt out on sewing lately. It happens sometimes and when it does I cover my machine and play nicely with other crafts. I've always wanted a reed diffuser but can't stand the nasty, synthetic perfumes that go with store bought ones. I loosely followed THIS tutorial to make my own. 

Basically, you just need to use a 3:1 ratio of filtered water to rubbing alcohol. Then mix in 20+ drops of your essential oil of choice. Throw in bamboo skewers (I used ones I had laying around for grilling) and you're done. Some people get fancy and add citrus peels, cinnamon sticks, etc. but I just stuck with a 30+ drop mix of orange and lavender essential oil. I also just used an empty kombucha bottle and wrapped it with oil cloth because I was too lazy to fight with the sticky glue that refused to peel off with the label. 

Now the room smells delicious without any funky, fake chemicals masquerading as air freshener. Another win for simple DIY.  

Foodie Friday: Homemade Coconut Butter

 

I have several recipes that call for coconut butter that I've been itching to try. However, I couldn't justify spending $15 on a jar when I'd never tried it before. Thanks to the internet I was able to find out that it's preposterously easy to make at home for a whole lot less. Here's my take on the procedure and I'm going to loosely call it a recipe even though it's kind of cheating to call it that. Anyway, here you go...

Ingredients:

12 oz of unsweetened, finely shredded coconut

Yield:

About 1 1/2 cups

These measurements are just for reference. You can increase/decrease based on what your needs are. Anyway, take your shredded coconut and throw it into your blender. I started low and gradually increased the speed as I scraped the coconut flakes back into the flow of the blade. You need to keep an eye on it and keep shoveling the flakes down or it can get stuck. Eventually you'll start to see the flakes get oily and then smooth out into the butter. It's like magic...scrumptious, coconutty magic. Anyway, keep blending until it reaches the consistency you want. FYI - I didn't make mine perfectly smooth because I like the texture. Then, hide all the spoons because it's ridiculously delicious. I literally kept eating it out of the jar, then mixed with vanilla, then on Paleo pumpkin pancakes...In fact, I can't stop eating it at all!!

So some notes for the road...

• I have a Vitamix so the whole process start to finish took less than 5 minutes. From things I've read around the web, other blenders work but it takes a lot longer to smooth out the flakes.
• I got my coconut flakes from Amazon. They came in a pack of 4 -12oz bags for under $15. I realize that 12 oz only churns out 1 1/2 cups BUT I like having the option to do other things with my other 36oz of shredded coconut. Maybe that's just me? 

• One more thing...when you initially blend, it will be a smooth and creamy liquid. However, leave it on a counter for the night and it turns into a hard mass. Don't despair! The oils solidify and all you need to do is scrape out what you need and pop it into the microwave for a couple of seconds.