Dinosaur Drawer Pulls

As you know, I'm always eager to make life better for others.  When a lovely women of my intimate acquaintance mentioned that she was thinking about a new look for the handles on her dresser, I became eager to help her find something more aesthetically pleasing.

You can imagine my excitement when I found a do-it-yourself idea on Apartment Therapy. If you go there, you will find instructions on how to make drawer pulls from just about anything and they feature toy dinosaurs.

Toy dinosaurs in a variety of sizes are available at all the best dollar stores at affordable prices. But the Apartment Therapy instructions require work. I found that dinosaurs can go in the handles with no drilling, spray painting or added bolts.

It's been a week and they're still there. Although I've heard "they're not exactly ergonomic".

Wizard in a Jar

I made a new piece of found object art today.

Several years ago, I got a wizard in a Kinder Egg. Almost right away, I realized he was likely involved with the pirates tangling with the giant squid in my table art piece. I thought about burning another hole in the table, but fortunately before I did that, I checked the height of the wizard and discovered that with his hat on, he was taller than the depth of the table.

So the wizard has languished until today when I realized I could combine him with broken glass I've been saving and a craft involving a Mason jar, Epsom salts and dollar store lights from the Art of Doing Stuff.

Now the wizard has a home. Unfortunately, I don't believe he is comfortable in it.

Meldigast returned to consciousness in a strange and frigid landscape…

Holiday Lighting: Tea Candles in the Snow

1. Punch a hole in the snow;
2. Drop in a tea candle; and
3. Light the tea candle. (A long-necked lighter from the dollar store is good for this. If you don't have a long-necked lighter or long matches, light up a dry piece of spaghetti.)

Uses for Binder Clips - Puppets

A long time ago, Beverley told me she had a great idea for using a binder clip, I told her I needed pictures and at last she has come through with pictures and a video. It's a puppet! Beverley says:

It looks like you have turned away from binder clips on your blog (and more towards light bulbs :), [DS: not true!] but I finally got the puppet done! The hair is actually a feather that my Mom thought would make good, fuzzy hair; the actual binder clip is thanks to you; and googly eyes from the dollar store.

Here is the video. Unfortunately it seems her binder clip has laryngitis. If any of you can read clips, feel free to tell us what the puppet is saying in the comments.

Purchased Treasures: Such is the outlook this cool character provides!

I have a confession to make. I often take a morally self-righteous stand against consumerism, but the fact is that I am as much of a greedy materialist as the rest of you. Today I engaged in a virtual orgy of shopping.

It started at the used book store associated with the public library in Nepean at Ben Franklin Place. I found two old books for six dollars each. One by Captain Marryat, who, as you know, was a distinguished British Naval officer in the Napoleonic Wars and later a novelist. The other a small copy of THE TRAVELS AND SURPRISING ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

I have no idea when this copy was printed but it starts with a page that says:

TO THE PUBLIC

HAVING heard, for the first time, that my adventures have been doubted, and looked on as jokes, I feel bound to come forth and vindicate my character for veracity, by paying three shillings at the Mansion House of this great city for the affidavits hereto appended.

This I have been forced into in regard of my own or, although I have retired for many years from, public and Private life; and I hope that this, my last edition will place me in a proper light with my readers.

How could I not get excited by a book that starts with affidavits of its veracity? There are a number of things I want in the book I hope to publish one day. Affidavits of veracity have now been added to the list.

On my way home from work, I took a different route from usual and realized I would be passing Dollar It, the wonderful store that has replaced Big Buds and taught us that change is not always bad. Dollar It sells the Mars Bar 2-pack for $1.00. This is $0.50 less than any other store in Centretown, and $0.75 less than many. This means that I have to go in when I am on that part of Bank Street. While I am there, I thought, I must have a look at the latest marvels of Chinese manufacturing.

And marvels I found. I won't share them all with you, but look at the excellent colours in the modelling clay package ($1.00)! I believe this will make a young lad happy on the weekend.

And how about this adorable notebook?

Dachikuma

A character that reminds you of the value of friends! It's fun to be with friends. Being with friends boosts your power

Friends bring you joy

Such is the outlook this cool character provides!

Tricking out the Bike V: Rear View Mirror

With the coming of the cold weather, I wear my hood under my helmet. When it hits -7 below Celsius, I'll be wearing a neck tube and a tuque under the hood. At -15C, I'll replace the tuque with a balaclava. Wearing a balaclava, a neck tube, a hood and a helmet, it gets a little hard to turn my head to see what traffic is coming up behind me. "I need a rear-view mirror," I've been thinking. But at this time of year, it's not easy to get reasonably priced bicycle accessories. Then I remembered the convex mirrors I bought in my shopping spree at the Dollar Bank. Just need a way to securely attach the mirror to my handlebars. Something so it won't bounce all around. Two days later, I had my brainwave. Here is the recipe: Ingredients:

• one 2" wide angle blind spot mirror ($1.50 at the Dollar Bank);
• an old-fashioned corkscrew with a handle flat enough for attaching the mirror (no hinges, levers, wings) ($1.00 at the Dollar Bank);
• a cork removed from a wine bottle (one of those black plastic ones would be cool, I bet); and
• Some duct tape.

Directions:

1. Use a hammer or mallet to bang the cork into the opening at the end of the handlebar. (This may require removing your handlebar grip, or cutting it. I didn't have an air compressor around to help me remove mine, so I made an "X" cut in the rubber. If you removed the handlebar grip, put it back on once the cork is in place.)
2. Screw the corkscrew into the cork.
3. Fasten the mirror to the corkscrew with the duct tape. Sit on the bike and adjust the angle so it works for you. Almost vertical, with the top of the mirror about 10 degrees or 15 degrees away from me, works for me.
4. Bonus: A corkscrew every where you go.

Links:

• The Dollar Bank Shopping Spree

Advice for Law Students: Metal Cups

I scored one of those nice metal thermos coffee cups on Quiz Night. To be strictly honest, one of my team mates scored it. She didn't want it because a) one of the judges gave it to her so she'd "relax" and leave them alone and she didn't like being patronized and b) she didn't want a cup that had the name of a firm that wasn't the firm she'll be working at. (Isn't it good to see that loyalty already?) These reasons posed no problem for me. I won't be working for a firm, so who cares what my mugs say. But when I got home, I remembered that in my big purchase at the Dollar Bank last week, there was a package with wire brushes. About 60 seconds with the copper brush and the firm name was all but invisible. So, law students, if you have a bunch of cups with inappropriate firm names on them, spend a dollar for some wire brushes, and give yourself a collection of no name mugs.

Plan B: The No-Lose Cork Screw

Whenever I have a party, there's a corkscrew problem. Even with two in the cutlery drawer, I can count on being asked where there's a wine-opener three or four times during the evening. At the last party, one of the corkscrews, the one with the arms, broke. 

So when I was at the dollar store and saw corkscrews for $1.50 and $2.00, I bought one.

Instead of getting the kind with the arms, I decided to get the levered waiter's corkscrew type. It was 50 cents cheaper and they do a better job.

Do you ever start to implement a great idea and before you do anything you realize it has a fatal flaw? So you stop?

That's what I would have done, but I have this blog constantly demanding content. So I attached the corkscrew to the chain, jammed a cork into a wine bottle, then wound the corkscrew into the cork. This wound the chain around the corkscrew.

You know, I decided it doesn't work so bad after all. I'm going to leave it there and see how it goes at the next party.

Plan A: Suction Cup Picture Holder

Remember when I said I had plans for all the stuff I bought at the Dollar Bank? I wasn't being strictly honest. For some of it, I only had vague ideas. For instance the $1.50 wood chisel I only suspect will come in handy before long. Same for the plastic suction cup picture holder things. But not long after I got home I realized they'd be just fine for putting song lyrics in and attaching to the wall of the shower stall. I like to learn a new song every few months. (Most recently learned song = The Beach Boys Fun, Fun, Fun. Be careful about asking me to sing it. I will and I won't stop even when you've obviously lost interest.) Years ago I learned the first three verses to the Kelligrews Soiree. I'm going to see if I can learn the remaining six. Links:

• An annotated version of the Kelligrew's Soiree
• Lyrics and a midi file playing the tune
• a sheet music version (melody only)
• the first Dollar Bank article

I love the Dollar Bank

I do a lot of my shopping at dollar stores. At lunch today, I dropped in at the Buck or Two in the Rideau Centre. It has a wide selection. But as I looked around, I noticed that prices were higher than I'd seen elsewhere. In particular, a crescent wrench for $2 and picture frame for $1.50 that I'd seen for less on Saturday at the dollar store on Bank at James. This evening, on my way home, I stopped in at the Dollar Bank. They had the same wrench priced at $1.50 and the same frame at $1 (the price on everything that doesn't have a sticker). Look at how much stuff I bought for $26.50. And trust me, I've got plans for all of it. Including the giant dice! And the suction cup plastic picture holder. The Dollar Bank 386A Bank St. (corner of James St.) Ottawa, ON K2P 1Y4 613-567-6407 p.s. They sell bus tickets!