Christmas All The Way.... X'mas Decorations

It's Christmas season people and all most everyone is getting ready. So without further ado let's start on our Christmas decorations. 

Christmas Paper Stars

You will need

3 (9- by 12-inch) sheets of construction paper

Blender

Very hot water

Folded cloth towel

Plate

3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter

Sieve

Glitters of your choice

Rag

Baking sheet

Ribbon loops

Handles..... Little Somethings For Home.... Part 5

Handles are very very important when it comes to selecting what type of a door or drawer set you want. There are many type of door knobs, handles and pulls ranging from ancient to modern high tech looking fashionable ones. A handle or finger grip is often formed as an integral part of door or drawer. However, there are numerous ready made fittings to choose from. Although they are essentially functional pieces of hardware, handles can enhance or spoil the appearance of storage furniture, so select them carefully to suit the style and scale of the work piece.

Curtain Designs.. Little Somethings For Home Part 4

Among many things that add up life to your living space, a simple thing like curtains hold a major role. Curtains can nullify the total effect of a mystified room or just add a bit dramatic effect to a colourful room. And also apart from the colours you intend to use on them, their patterns and prints also matter.  

Firstly in choosing a curtain design, consider the place of the house such as whether it is living room, tv room or bedroom etc. If we think of bed room, go for a colour matching with the wall paint and as well as the bed sheet colour. If it is a room fully painted in white, you can always select the option for more brighter coloured curtains which will add up a ripple of colours to your bed room. A living room is the place we get to spend time, meet outsiders so it's nothing wrong with a bit of show off in there. You can always choose something simple but attractive. What is the point of a curtain if it not eye catching???? For bathrooms and kitchens, go for lighter shades to blend in with the walls so that there is not much of a difference. 

Applying Finishes... Little Somethings For Home Part 3

In our earlier chapter of Little Somethings For Home, we discussed about the finishes and their different types. Today our article will be on applying finishes. None of the wood finishes are difficult to apply but it helps if you work in a relatively dust free environment and use clean brushes or applicators.

Preparing wood for finishing

No surface finishes, especially clear varnishes, lacquers and polishes will disguise a poorly prepared surface. Holes, dents and cracks should be filled and the wood sanded smooth. It is essential that you work in good light, preferably daylight. Some finishes exude quite unpleasant fumes so ventilate your workplace and wear a respirator.

Cellulose filler

Before applying an opaque finish, use ordinary decorator's cellulose filler to prepare the surface. Mix the powdered filler with water to a smooth ceramy paste and apply it to the surface with a flexible filling knife. Let the filler dry, then sand with medium grade garnet paper.

Finishes...... Little Somethings For Home Part 2

Finishing is very very important because it is the finality in our work and what that tells us how exactly well it is done. A surface finish is primarily intended to protect wood from staining and prevent it becoming dirty. To most people, however the way a finish enhances the appearance of a work piece is perhaps the prime consideration.

Paint, Varnish and Lacquer

Paint, varnish and lacquer are similar in many ways, not the least being that they are being sprayed or more commonly brushed onto the surface of the work piece. Certain varnishes and paints are almost identical in composition, the main difference being that paint contains pigments that make it opaque and colourful.

Solvent based paint

Virtually all solvent based house hold paints are suitable for storage furniture. They are made by suspending solid pigment in a synthetic resin such as vinyl, acrylic or polyurethane. Most paint finishes are built up in layers; a primer coat, two undercoats and a glossy, matt or semi matt top coat. However, some heavily pigmented paints are designed to cover a work piece with only one coat.

Little Somethings For Home.... Part 1

Man made boards

The development of man made baords has profoundly influenced the design and construction of storage furniture. Previously only solid timber was available and considerable skill was required to make and assemble wide flat boards of even thickness that would not suffer from wrapping and splitting with changes in humidity. But stable man made boards change all that. In just a few hours, you can now make a cabinet that would have aken days of painstaking work to produce before the advent of factory made preveneered boards. Below are some of the more common boards that you will find at any good timber merchant.

• Plywood 

Plywood is a laminated material made by gluing thin sheets of wood together in layers to form boards of various thicknesses. The grain of alternate sheets are set at right angles to one another to reduce the tendancy for wood to move as it shrinks or swells. Normally plywood is made with an odd number of piles for balanced construction. Decorative veeners are often used for the surface or face piles. To reduce manufacturing costs, a slightly inferior surface veneer may be used on the back. It is a relatively cheap board comprising three birch piles only, is often used for drawer bottoms. Being flexible, it can also be nailed or glued over a curved frame, forming a tough rigid skin.