Tools Are For Women Too! Big Announcement!

Some of you may have been wondering where I have been the last few days.  Did you miss me?  I have been working on a pretty exciting project.  It is a brand new blog called Tools Are For Women Too!  In it will be tool reviews, DIY projects, tips, projects you can do with your kids, tutorials, and an online store.  This site will differ from most other tool sites, in that this one will be geared towards the craftswoman.  The online store won't be carrying much in the way of sledgehammers, but it will feature brand names like Cricut, Gingher, Xacto, Dremel, and Dewalt, just to name a few.

Tools Are For Women Too! also has 2 drawings going on right now for sterling silver necklaces.  You need to run over there and get the details.


 A link party is also being planned to kick things off!  I will let you know in a few days when it is.


Setting up this new site has been pretty labor intense.  I hope you will all take the time to visit it and pass the word along, now that there is a tool site, specifically designed for women.

Rory

Sterling Silver Giveaway at The Greentiques Solution

Thats right.  In honor of Mother's Day I have decided to give away a sterling silver 22" neckchain. 

It is a single strand snake chain, shown here doubled up.  I will announce the lucky winner on Mother's Day.  Rules are simple.  To Enter:

1.)  Become a follower if you haven't already.

2.)  Comment on this post and tell me what 5 tools and/or supplies you use the most in your particular area of craftwork.  Whatever it is you use, I want to hear about it.  Everything from sewing needles to table saws, and fabric to wood.  I am looking for your 5 favorite items. Please be specific.   Brand names and model numbers are not required, but helpful. 

That's it.  I just want to know what you all are using out there, so I can better zero in on what I should be carrying in my online store.  I will be drawing the winner on Mom's Day, Sunday, May 9th.  Good Luck!


 Rory

A Guest Post Feature By Stacey From It's Fun To Craft!

That is me, Stacey.I am the crafter over at Fun to Craft.

I blog to share tutorials, crafts, sewing projects, recipes, frugal finds or tips, and host giveaways. I have two crazy kiddos and one law student for a husband who is sometimes seen around our house. (He has 3 weeks left though so we are in countdown mode!!) I get bored and craft as my creative outlet. I think it helps keep me sane! I definitely dig home decor, sewing, crocheting, hand embroidery, spray painting, hot gluing and anything else I have to do to make that project just right.

Aside from crafting, I love Diet Dr Pepper, playing the wii with my hubby, watching some reality TV, eating chips and salsa like it's going out of style, and playing games with family and friends. Some of my favorite projects I have featured on my blog are: I changed up this wooden pencil holder to add a bit more flair to my computer desk. The paper was picked out by my hubby so it was a bit more manly. I made these Luggage Tags to add a little pop of color on my luggage and to help me id my bags quicker! I whipped up this Camera Strap Cover with frills to sport my camera in style, plus it has a nice padded minky fabric for my neck!I made this Art Smock out of a vinyl tablecloth. Very cheap and a great way to keep my kiddos clean during those crazy art projects. I made this nice Book Momento for my hubby's 30th birthday filled with admiring thoughts from others. I have a LOT of fun over at Fun to Craft and would love for you to join me! I have a 'Look at me, I am SO Crafty!' Link Party every Friday. I love making new blogging friends and love to find new inspiring blogs to check out too. So come by, leave me a comment and I will come check out your blog too!! Thanks again to Rory for having me here today. It's been great!!

Tool Review-DEWALT DC720KA Cordless Drill/Driver

For those of you who have never had the pleasure a quality cordless drill to do your DIY projects, you are in for a real treat if you start out with one of these.

DEWALT DC720KA Heavy-Duty Cordless 18-Volt Compact Drill/Driver

This cordless drill from Dewalt boasts 18 volts of power.That means plenty of torque and more time between charges.  It's compact design let's you get into those hard to reach places.  It has a built in LED light and comes with a charger and 2 battery packs.  I really like this one and I think you will too.  It is a lot of drill for the money.  Amazon gives it 4.5 stars out of 5.  I give it 5.  I heartily recommend it.  Click Here for more customer reviews and details.  Rory

Greentiques Superstore Opening

I am trying something new over here at The Greentiques Solution.  I am opening a Superstore for people who visit my blog.  It is powered by Amazon but will not include everything that Amazon carries.  Instead it will focus on a few niche areas such as Craft Items, Books, Power Tools and Hardware, and things that Greentique readers might have an interest in.  Right now it is still under construction, but it should be fun once I get it all together.  To visit it you can just CLICK HERE or click on the big banner on The Greentiques Solution site . Hope you enjoy this new feature.  Bear with us while it improves daily.  Rory

6th Published Photo Game

Donatella tagged me to be a part of a photo game.  To play the game you need to reach back into your archives and republish your 6th ever photo and explain how you might upate it or change it today.  My problem is that The Greentiques Solution is still only a couple of months old, so I am afraid I won't be reaching back very far, but here goes.  My 6th photo was part of a tutorial about how to refinish a table.

The post was entitiled How To Refinish A Table -Part 2- Stripping The Finish .  I am not sure I would change how I did this project, because my methods of refinishing have not changed since I posted this pic. However, I would probably change the way that I wrote the actual text.  In looking at this pic I now see potential links to products that I used back then.  I also could have done critiques on those products, or maybe even placed them in my online store so that readers could buy the exact same products that I use.  Right now, the store's inventory is limited to books, but I may have missed an opportunity to expand a little in looking at this picture.  I find myself learning more everyday, and each time I write something new.  Thank you to all of you who have stuck with me, as I make my way up the learning curve.  Rory

Now I guess I am supposed to tag 10 more great bloggers to join the game.  Here they are!

1.) Curbside Creations

2.) Expressly Corgi

3.) Grover Woodworks

4.) It's Fun To Craft!

5.) A Primitive Place

6.) Cat Nap Inn Primitives

7.) Pieced Pastimes

8.) Primitive And  Proper

9.) Artful Living on the Bluff

10.) Pine Tree Prims

New Poll Question At The Greentiques Solution

I have posted a new poll that I hope all of you will take the time to drop by and fill out.  It asks 1 simple question..."What percentage of your craft supplies do you buy online? "  It is located on the sidebar.  If any of you wish to comment further on the kinds of things you buy, please go right ahead.  I value your input.  Thanks, Rory

The Romantic Welsh Love Spoon

Here is the romantic old story of the Welsh Love Spoon...

In the 1500s, during their long voyages at sea, longing for affection,  Welsh sailors would carve spoons for their intended sweethearts.  Most of the sailors could not read or write in those days, so they carved what they wanted to say, in the form of a spoon.  Each symbol that they carved had a special meaning.  A cross for faith, a heart for love, leaves for a growing family, an anchor for the sea, intertwining ropes for their life together, a flower for rememberance and lots more.  Hence the phrase "spooning". 

The pictures here are spoons that I have carved myself.  Some I carve purely for decoration like the fancy, more traditional spoon, in the center.  Others I carve so that they can actually be used in the kitchen.  I use various wood including mohogany, walnut, and basswood. I create my own original designs on graph paper and carve each one by hand. It takes several hours to do the actual carving.  It then takes even more time to sand it smooth and do the final hand shaping of the bowl.  It is a pretty labor intense project to carve a spoon in this fashion.  It really makes a person appreciate what a sailor went through to make a spoon at sea, with little more than a pocket knife.  Sandpaper in those days was probably made from sharkskin. 

I sometimes sell a few of these on Etsy, or at the antique shows.  There are a couple spoons on my sidebar that you can click on to go see some more, and maybe purchase one, if you like.  I think they would make a teriffic Mother's Day gift. 
I hope you were all as thrilled hearing this historic bit of romanticism as I was for the first time.  I plan on doing a tutorial on Welsh spoon carving soon, so check back, if you are interested in tackling one of these yourself. 
Keep up the good work.




Rory

My Latest Trash Can Find – Noah’s Ark

I could not help myself with this one.  I just had to load it up! 


I was donating some of my time to a local guild yesterday that specializes in doing woodwork for charity.  It is an amazing organization that does things like build wheel chair ramps for people who are in need. This great group of people needed volunteers to move their facility into a new location.  I am a member, so I naturally volunteered  to help out.  It was a long day of demolition and cleanup to get the building ready for use.  Amongst the huge pile of stuff being thrown away was this handmade rendition of Noah’s Ark.  Nobody claimed it by the end of the day, so I threw into the back of the truck.

Our cat, Paris, really likes it!



I think it is just crude enough and weathered enough to be pretty cute.  I imagine it in a beach house, to store rolled up beach towels.  Or how about in a boy’s room to store his shoes?  It needs a little work to get in shape, but nothing major.  I would be interested in hearing other ideas, as well.  Let me know.  Rory

Restoring Outdoor Furniture Tutorial Video