Sunday 17 May 2015

Ants 'n' Cinnamon, Upcycled Market Umbrella to Clothes Frame

In this post....


Ants
I always seem to be banging on about pests here, but hey - they annoy me. So when I find something that works, I figure others might like to know too.
Have you tried putting cinnamon on ant trails to keep them out of the house? 
Apparently the smell confuses them and they just stay out. I've tried it, and they've gone - yay! 




Mozzarella Failure
A few weeks back I wrote a post on making haloumi cheese is easy  I commented that my next cheese would be Mozzarella. Well! After a following a recipe for "30 minute mozzarella", which the author described as so easy that her 9 year olds make it all the time - I had a big fail! It made some kind of cheese, which I have been hiding in white sauces,(and using up the ton of buttermilk this way too) but it definitely wasn't mozzarella. I'm going to blame the rennet.

Upcycle Market Umbrella Frame to Clothes Drying Frame
I have been hankering to replace our plastic coated clothes drying frames.

Drying frame - all rust, flaking plastic and sharp edges - out it goes!


I saw a gorgeous one in an eco shop in Auckland, fold-up style and made of wood, but it was well over $100. Probably one of those good investments that would last forever, but it seemed a lot.
Where we live is prone to great sudden afternoon gusts - so when I forget to drop the market umbrella in time, it can be doomed.

The bones of a deceased market umbrella


The remains seemed too good to just throw away, so I came up with this plan to utilize the parts into a wooden frame for clothes drying.
I have to say that the end result, which now stands without leaning, is largely thanks to my lovely Derek, who redid a fair bit of my initial construction.
I think it's great! 

Fabulous new drying frame


The next one, we have decided, will be more suitable for larger items, as this one is better suited to smaller pieces that don't need so much room to hang. And maybe we will be able to make the next one a folding frame. Perhaps I will let Derek design it.

You can see some more of my upcycles in these posts dog dishesdog bed from a suitcase upcycled fish smoker from a washing machine,  upcycled jewellery

5 comments:

  1. I like the wooden drying frame and love that it's recycled. Together you did a nice job. Mine is made of painted wood and does collapse. I use it all the time but it's only for small items.

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  2. Beyond my expectations. Not only the quality of the market umbrella but the follow up by the company. I usually go for the cheapest on a like product. After dealing with these people with their great and sincere service , I will gladly pay a little extra to buy from them in the future. Ordering 2 more today from Bizarkdeal!!

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  3. I threw whole cloves around in my pantry and cupboards and haven't seen an ant since!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Annie, I must try that too as cinnamon can look a bit messy.

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  4. Extremely uncommon to discover such a radiant blog, I feel fortunate perusing this.travel umbrella

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