Appetizer Tip: Use the right platter

Manon and I have become the royal couple of devilled eggs. Is it because we make the best devilled eggs? No it is not. First, it is not a competition. Second, all devilled eggs are delicious.

What make us the royal couple of devilled eggs is this amazing ceramic platter we found at the Kanata Value Village several weeks ago. It has a hen flanked by salt and pepper chicks and the hen has toothpick holes. We may try tiny pickled onions on the toothpicks next time.

We have brought the platter to two dinners now and are confident that it will dramatically increase the number of dinner invitations we receive.

Bonus tip: This youtube video that shows a supposedly great way for peeling boiled eggs did not work at all for me.

Double bonus tip: I cannot tell you where to find a devilled egg platter like ours, but it would be better if you didn't have one anyway. Instead you might want a platter that would be suitable for something else. Perhaps chicken wings and dipping sauce. This pair of bowls was at the Gatineau Village des Valeurs on Monday. It might still be there.

Uses for Binder Clips: Clothing Repairs

The uses of binder clips as stylish fashion accessories has been well documented. They can also be used for emergency repair. I understand a respected provincial tribunal member made good use of these three clips in two formal proceedings last week when a hem needed repair. [Update: I am reliably informed that was actually a seam repair, not a hem repair.]

I would name the presiding member that used this repair and the tribunal involved but a duty of confidentiality has been imposed on me. This also precludes me from naming the kind photographer who provided the image.

[Just to be clear, you know that those aren't my trousers, because mine are not that nice.]

A Lucky Lunch in Chinatown

There are worse things than being stuck in Ottawa when it's Chinese New Year's. If you're at the Ben Ben for it, you'll probably enjoy the spring rolls, and you may score a lucky envelope with a candy from your member of parliament in a purple jacket.

Manon loves a parade and she loves New Year's

That dragon can really demolish a cabbage!

More Coloured Marbles in the Window

I completed another another coloured marbles project last week. For this one I built a heavy frame out of slats of wood that came from a futon bed and quarter-inch thick panes of glass that I think came from window louvres. I've had this glass buried in my closet for years and never knew what to do with it. When I did my 30-day purging challenge in the fall, I decided I had justify hanging on to the glass. (I freely admit that it is concerning that I don't know how long I've had this glass or where it came from. It might have been in the house when I moved in.)

With the success of my first coloured marbles frame, I realized this glass might be stronger than the thin glass in the Ikea frames and if I built the frame from scratch, I could make the space for marbles more narrow so the marbles would be more visible.

I had the slats from the futon frame in the basement waiting for use. It might be that narrower slats might have been better for someone who actually knows how to use a router, but these slats turned out to be a good size for me.

I routed grooves in the slats for the glass to fit into and cut the slats to the right length. (Thanks to Ken G who lent me the router and chop saw to do this with and to Greg S who lent me another saw that I didn't use, but would have if Ken hadn't lent me the chop saw.)  I meant to make the gap only a bit wider than a single marble, but I really was not good with the router and the gap was slightly more than two standard marbles wide. At least I didn't hurt anybody.

I drilled some holes to put the frame together with screws, stained the wood slats with a dark water-based wood stain, assembled the whole thing together and hung it heavy-duty hooks and chain. It probably weighs 20 pounds.

A few of the marbles came from a $1.99 bag at Value Village, but most came from the collection of the lovely Manon.

Coloured Marbles on the Staircase

Just before the holidays, I started another coloured marbles project. I didn't do an Instructables for this one because it relied on us having an unsightly gap on our staircase. I hope that unsightly staircase gaps are not common enough that people are looking for attractive things to do with them.

But we had an unsightly gap. We also had one of those solar powered garden lights that had stopped working, a lot of coloured marbles, some plexiglass, wood screws and washers. And I had a little bit of time.

I took apart the solar powered garden light and removed all the circuitry. To my surprise it had a rechargeable double-A battery inside it. I put the battery in my recharger and it did not recharge. So I plugged in a battery that was charged and the LED lit up.

I don't actually know if the tiny solar panel ever worked to recharge the battery, or if it just gave a signal to turn off the light. When I put the circuit in a sunny window, the LED turned off. But a cynical person might figure the manufacturer just put in a battery that would power the light long enough that the purchaser wouldn't return it.


I cut and drilled two pieces of plexigas so they would cover the unsightly gap.

I arranged the circuit so that the battery would tuck in to a place where I could replace it, the solar panel would be exposed to some light (although I don't think it will make any difference) and I can easily switch the light off and on.

Then I packed in a bunch of marbles and screwed the plexigas so that it would hold the marbles in place. Turned on the light and the gap is now beautiful instead of unsightly.

Coloured Marbles Frame

Here is something I made back in July to hang in the window.

I'd have blogged about it sooner, but it took me a long time to create the Instructable so that you would know how to make one for your own window.

Lego Cable Holders

Lego people are probably not the most effective holders for your device cables, but until they come up with dinosaur cable holders, they are the most fun.

p.s. I copied this idea from others