Shed Building Plans: some

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You Win Some You Lose Some

Does anyone remember my Great Potato Experiment of 2009? Well it was not as successful as the Smartpot claimed it would be.

I ordered these cloth pots from Gardeners Supply this past winter. Their sales pitch sold me and it made sound, logical sense to grow in a container that would do the root pruning for me and yield 10-13 pounds of potatoes per bag. Hah!

My pototes grew beautifully and I was so sure that they were full to capacity in there. They got so tall I was worried they would fall over before they were supposed to.

The directions say that when the greenery starts to die back they are ready to harvest. So harvest we did.

Doyle dumped the grow pots into the wheel barrow and Maecy and I dug for the potatoes I was so sure were in there. Of course like most teenagers, Maecy wasnt on board with helping but my hubby reminded her that this was just the same as Easter but the eggs were under the dirt. Reluctantly she agreed to be helpful. Sometimes my husband cracks me up. Sometimes, not so much.

I will say that we had plenty of marble sized tubers in there. It was a sad day in potato land for sure.

We ended up harvesting 27 pounds of Yukon Golds, Red LaSodas, and Red Norlands. Not great but not a total failure.

Next year we will plan to plant them in the ground. I can hill potatoes the old fashioned way. My lazy mans way out was not what I had hoped. Sometimes my experiments are first rate and a staple for me and sometimes they arent quite what I had them chalked up to be. This was one of those ones. But oh well, I do live in the Potato State, I can probably find a decent potato if I have to. Better luck next time!

You Win Some You Lose Some

Carpet is Gone! Time To Paint Some Faux Hardwood Floors!

The holidays are coming. Slowly, but surely, the holidays are basically upon us. And so is the nagging little head that says hey! We need new drapes, new carpet, new sofas, etc. So I decided to tear up the carpeting.

Ok - carpet is gone. NOW WHAT? I want hardwood floors but I really cannot afford them. I want those awesome, distressed hardwood floors that have been around for a hundred years! Like the ones Paul Revere walked upon or were once in a local pub in Ireland.

Alas, my budget cannot afford any of the above so I decided to PAINT my version of these floors. And I must admit, they didnt turn out too badly.

I swept the dust and dirt away, removed all staples and tack boards and wiped the underlayment wood down with a very damp cloth. I used a scraper to remove any globs of paint or glue. Then, I used a basic brown porch floor paint and rolled it on. Then, I took a 6" wide piece of wood and used a thick black magic marker and drew lines to simulate planks.

Then, I took a small bowl and added basic black paint and added some water and a darker grey paint. I swirled it all together - I didnt mix it together - I wanted the colors to stay separated. Then I used a sponge craft brush and painted the paint onto the floor, let it dry for about 30 seconds. Then I used a damp rag and gently wiped the floor to create the desired effect. I left some darker patches and some lighter areas to create the worn, vintage tavern floors I so desired.

Once that dried, I added a coat of polyurethane gloss to make them shiny and complete! I love the look and the price even more! They make the room turn out exactly as I had hoped.

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Carpet is Gone! Time To Paint Some Faux Hardwood Floors!