EPEngineer

47 posts

Upcycling & Recycling Home Improvement DIY: Projects

DIY: Plexiglass on Tree Trunk

By EPEngineerOctober 6, 20122 min read664 views

About 3 years ago I came across a piece of thick plexiglass which I knew that I wanted, but did not know what to use it for. Time passed and about a month ago, while cleaning the garage, I came across it again. This time I decided to file down the edges to round them off and make it usable. As luck would have it, I needed to place it on a surface to round it off and after looking around for a bit; found myself a tree trunk that was the perfect size.

An hour later and the piece of plexiglass was ready to use and while looking at it from different angles I found my answer. “A TABLE”. I used wood screws to drill it down to the plexiglass and used a drill bit to make the holes on the plexiglass to not crack it. Here is the result. I hope you enjoy it.

Upcycled Garden Table — *Table made with Plexiglass on salvaged Tree Trunk.*

After numerous trips to Lowe’s and Home Depot, my wife asked me once again to make her a Primitive Wooden Bench. I had spotted a couple of choice piece on a pile of used wood behind our garage and now was the time to fish them out. I had seen the leg pattern from other benches and knew what they looked like, so I started with them. Once I got the correct angle in place, I cut two pieces of each for the legs and screwed them together to verify the angle.

Once done with the legs I started working on the sitting part and the back rest for it. This two pieces where cut the same size and rounded off to eliminate the possibility of splinters. I used to pieces to unite the back rest to the legs and the rest is history. You can see for yourselves the end result.

Enjoy!

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Fall Health and Wellness

Allergies: Aches of Fall

By EPEngineerSeptember 28, 20122 min read785 views

Are you experiencing symptoms of sneezing, runny nose, itchiness, watery eyes, headache, migraine and cough? I know I am since Fall is the reason for the sneezing.

As the excitement build up to enjoy the colors of autumn foliage, we have to keep in mind that the season brings with it weed pollen and other allergens carried by the winds. Fall has always been the return of allergy season from Spring and here in the High Desert, our main contributor to these allergies are the ragweed, sagebrush plants.

Here are some measures you can take:

As the mornings start to get colder, we need to remind ourselves that sweaters and pull-overs are our best friends. They keep us warm until the day catches up to us and can easily be removed once the heat catches on. I love the feeling of the cold air in my face and knowing that my pull-over is keeping the rest of my body nice and warm.
Get rid of the weeds around your home during the summer months to eliminate the sources of pollen around you.
Inform the school about your child’s allergies so that they can be aware of his or her symptoms as they arrive and warn you to take steps to help your child thru this.
Tell your children not to share food with anyone since that child may be already sick or perhaps on the verge of getting there.
Encourage your kids to change clothes and wash hands when they return from school.
Hand Sanitizer/Disinfectant will go a long way in helping disinfect commonly touched surfaces.
Always wear a facial mask when conducting any outdoor activity.
Keep your windows and doors closed at all times.
Purchase a high efficiency Air Purifier to filter, trap and hopefully remove these allergens from the air (dust mites, mold spores, pollen, etc!).
Remove the wet, fallen leaves around your home as soon as possible the formation of mold.
Change your air conditioner and furnace filters at least once a year.
Stay indoor as much as you can.
Talk to your doctor as soon as you have concerns.

You can read more about these allergies here.

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Kids Craft Children Education DIY: Projects

DIY: Sheep Craft

By EPEngineerSeptember 22, 20122 min read923 views

We treasure weekends in my home as it is our moment to unwind and let our creativity go wild. After bike riding around the block, we decided to work on some crafts with the kids. From all the creations we made, they enjoyed the Sheep Crafting the most and we had so much fun making them. I am sharing the tutorial with you and hope you enjoy making them as much as we did. This are some of the little things I refer to as “Strength of the Small.” They move me and I respond positively.

Materials Needed:

Construction Paper/ Toilet Paper Roll (for body, head, ears, eyes, nose and/or legs)
Styrofoam Balls (for head)
Googly Eyes
Scissors
Cotton Balls
Q-tips/Straws/Toothpick/ Wooden Skewers (for legs)
Craft Glue
Yarn (for mouth)
Wrapping Paper/Tissue Paper/Toilet Paper (for face)
Sharpie Marker (for eyes, mouth)

Step by step:

In the absence of toilet paper roll, cut out a rectangular piece of paper and roll it to form the body of the sheep or use a white construction paper to cut out the body shape.
Use a black construction paper to trace the faces and legs and then cut out the pieces or either glue a styrofoam ball onto the body or insert a tissue paper through the toilet paper roll to form the face.
Make 4 holes on the body to pass the q-tips/wooden skewers through and glue them to form the legs.
Apply glue onto the body and cover it with cotton balls
Glue the googly eyes or use a sharpie marker to trace the eyes and mouth. You could also use a yarn or a cut out for the mouth, ears, and nose and glue them on the sheep’s face.
Use your sharpie markers to add colors

Based on the picture of the sheep you’re trying to make, follow the steps that apply to you.

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Shabby Chic Vintage Home Decor

Smoketree Junction Antiques

By EPEngineerSeptember 15, 20121 min read595 views

The second joyful part of our day was visiting the Smoketree Junction Antique Stores in Pinon Hills, CA (also referred to us by Angie). It’s a beautiful and friendly place to shop for antiques, shabby chic, garden as well as upcycling furniture.

I found this gorgeous antique Ladies Vintage Dress Form Bust “Gleneagles 1900′s Lady Golf Tournament” still in its original condition (from my extensive research on the Internet). If this beauty was made in 1900 then it’s 112 years old. How cool is this? My husband on the other hand found a vintage red glass oil lamp, which was converted to an electric lamp. He will post pictures and tell you all about it himself in due time. Don’t hesitate to stop by when you’re in town.

: Gleneagles 1900’s Lady Golf Tournament (Vintage Dress Form Bust).

Smoketree Junction Antiques
815 California 138 Pinon Hills, CA 92372
1 (760) 868-8806

A few years ago, we found a Vintage Horse Grooming Curry Comb Brush (from the 1950’s) in the basement of our storage shed. Back then, we had no idea as of what it was except that it was really old, until this afternoon at the antique store when we spotted a similar tool and inquired about it. This is just one of the many finds we unveiled around our home.

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Weather Nature High Desert

Red Sun on a Dark Sky

By EPEngineerSeptember 2, 20121 min read509 views

While working on my garage, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a plume of smoke over the mountains. It was not big in size but dark on its intensity. As the hours passed the smoke plume got thicker and wider and darker. It was quite a sight to behold since its not every day that something like this happens. The picture here was taken in the evening and it’s quite a sight.

Due to the intensity, I wondered about the origin of the fire. It seemed to me that the fire was towards Irwindale, CA/Pasadena, CA mountains. The radio made no mention of the fire nor the location as the hours passed on this day. Having witnessed some fires up close I can surely say that it looked like a very fast moving fire. And so, The cycle of life continues with the rebirth of the hills.