s December 2016 - The Kim Six Fix
What is New?

Easy Calendar to Greeting Card Upcycle

Hi Kim Six Readers!! We are so excited to be back here visiting with you today. If you can tell, from our previous posts, we love a good upcycle. What's not to love? Take something that is lifeless and bring it back to life. It's probably how a heart surgeon feels.....ha! As we end 2016 we say goodbye to some pretty fabulous calendars. Really, people are paid to make these. They are artists for goodness sakes.


You say you don't buy a calendar? No worries, you can reuse the front of greeting/Christmas cards you receive.
How to Upcycle Your Calendar into a Greeting Card wtih materials you already have on hand

Q. Why make your own cards?
A. Well, not only are you avoiding waste but has anyone seen the price of cards? YIKES! Tight budget or not, cards can really add up. If you send out 55 cards a year (average) X $3 (average) = $165 a year. We can make them WAY cheaper and with less to throw away.

Scroll Saw Wooden Basket From A Single Board

Wooden layered basket scroll saw bowl

Easy DIY Scroll Saw Basket from a Single board
I am so stoked to be sharing today’s project with you.. mostly because I was able to get my hands on a new power tool (a scroll saw) and try it for the first time.  The part that I love so much about it, is how amazing the project turned out, for being my first time ever using one! It gives me hope that I can really come up with some fantastic future projects AND it should be evidence that you shouldn’t be afraid to try new things!  

The 10 Most Popular Posts of 2016


10 Best Projects of 2016
Now that the year is over, it is time to take the annual look back on what projects really resonated with my readers. 

I’ve done annual recap for the past 4 years.. and it is fun to compare the popular posts and see how much things have evolved. 

In past years my most popular projects have always been large room reveals and home improvement projects, but this year I didn’t work on my house much, so the top posts tended to be a little more crafty, although my readers still really love power tools!

Here is a countdown of my 10 most popular posts (based on traffic) that I shared in 2016: 

Mahogany and Cherry Wood Cutting Board Style Parquet Serving Tray


Serving margaritas on wooden tray
This DIY wooden serving tray is made with ONLY glue. No nails or fasteners required.  Using the natural beauty of cherry, mahogany and pine, there is no need to stain it!

I have wanted to do a mixed wood project for a long time.  I almost always build exclusively in pine/white wood, mainly because it is so cheap, but every time I am in the lumberyard I ogle the hardwood section.  I know I will never build large furniture out of Mahogany since it is just so expensive.   But when DAP® contacted me and asked me to create a wooden project featuring their RapidFuse™ Wood Adhesive (You find find them on DAP Facebook),  I knew this would be the perfect chance.  
DAP Rapid Fuse Wood AdhesiveI wanted a project that could feature multiple species of wood, but didn’t need a lot of linear feet.  I also wanted to be able to use my tried and true white wood, and so I decided on a cutting board type serving tray with a ‘rail fence’ style parquet pattern. (A throw back to my quilting days!)
DIY wooden tray with multiple wood types
Because the pine is so soft and the cherry and mahogany are hardwood this project shouldn't be used a cutting board.  It is a decorative serving tray only.   Fence rail style wooden serving trayAnd a serving tray is always handy! Especially when you eat outside a lot.  Great for carrying stuff back and forth.

Cutting board mahogany and cherry
Routered edge on wooden cutting board tray
Wooden serving tray with drawer pull handlesParquet Style Wood Serving Tray:

Supply List:

Wood 1 (I used Mahogany):  3' 1x2 (I purchased by the LF)
Wood 2 (I used Cherry):  3' 1x2 (I purchased by the LF)
Wood 3 (I used Pine/White wood): 12’ 1x2  (or 2 @ 6’)
(2) Drawer Pulls (Mine were 5 inch wide)
DAP® RapidFuse Wood Adhesive
Chop or Miter Saw
Bar Clamps
Router with 1/4 inch roundover bit
Random Orbit Sander
Sandpaper (80 through 220 grit)

Cut List:

(7) 4.5”- 1x2 Wood 1
(8) 4.5” -1x2 Wood 2
(30) 4.5” -1x2 Wood 3

Assembly Instructions:

For this tray I used 1x2s (because they were the cheapest hardwood boards I could buy.)   That meant that if I glued three together the total width would be 4.5 inches wide.  Therefore I knew that was the length I needed them to be when I turned them 90 degrees to form the fence rail mosaic pattern.
Measuring thickness of boardsI actually played around with a lot of patterns (and shared them on snapchat!) before I settled on this traditional version.  All the mahogany pieces run one way and the cherry run the other.  You can also see just how important it was to be super accurate with the cuts.  Since I was going to be gluing end grains I knew I needed the cuts to be precise.

If you need tips on getting the perfect cuts, make sure to check my post about accurate cuts on a miter saw.  It really came in helpful for this project.
Laying out wood for parquet tray
It also was really important that the cuts were sanded well.  Because I had a little tear out on some of the boards, I made sure to hand sand them. Sanding cut edge of wooden board
This tray is assembled completely with glue. There are no nails or other fasteners.  RapidFuse™ works on all wood types, so I didn’t have to worry about joining hardwoods to softwoods. Wooden Tray held together with Glue
The gluing process is so easy since the RapidFuse™ comes with its own applicator.  A thin layer is plenty to do the trick.
Gluing up boards
The best part of working with the DAP® RapidFuse™ was the super fast cure time. In the past I have done glued wood projects and they always had to dry overnight.  In this case, since I was limited by the number of clamps I had, and there were about 50 pieces of wood that needed to be glue, the fast cure time and tight bond made it the perfect adhesive for this project.   I only needed to wait 30 minutes before being able to release the clamps.
Gluing 1by2s to make tray
Between each gluing step I sanded the ends to make sure everything was staying lined up and square.

Again, the 30 minute cure time allowed for me to do this is quick succession.  If I had to wait for traditional adhesives to dry, it would have taken me days.
Sanding Glued BoardsI was a little nervous about gluing end grains, but the combination of accurate cuts, thorough sanding and the strong adhesive meant it was not a problem. The RapidFuse™ doesn’t cause swelling of the joints (which is important when you are going to line up glued pieces with other glued piece and need to keep the dimensions standard).
Gluing boards together in parquet patternI had assembled the entire tray (with the use of only 4 clamps) in one afternoon. Gluing cutting boards togetherOnce I had the entire tray glued up it was time to sand!  For this process I used my random orbit sander although you could also have used a palm sander.  (I’ve talked about pros and cons of the different types of sanders in the past.)

Make sure you start with the low grit sandpapers and work your way to the high numbers.  I needed an 80 grit at first to get the whole board level and then got a finer and finer finish with the ultra fine papers.
Teaching kids how to use sanderFor a more finished end, I dragged out my router and added a 1/4 inch roundover to both the top and bottom of the tray.
Using router on edge of wooden boardI again thought this would put my glued joints to the test, but they came out beautifully.  The bond was beautifully clean. Routing edge of cutting boardFinally, to make it easier to carry, I added some drawer pulls as handles.  I drilled the holes before finishing, and then actually installed the handles after the mineral oil dried.
Drilling holes to add hardware
I used mineral oil and nothing else to bring out the beauty in the wood.  Since I had spent all the money on this wood I wanted to make sure I let the natural beauty shine. Adding mineral to cutting board to bring out grainThe RapidFuse™ is great since it doesn’t discolor.  Using Cabinet Hardware to Make Cutting Board into TrayFinally, to protect my surfaces when using the tray, I added small felt feet to the bottom.  Adding felt feet to the bottom of tray
Now I am ready to serve snacks poolside!  RapidFuse's™ long lasting bond should hold up for both interior and exterior use and is water resistant. Serving margaritas on wooden trayAnd I am so happy I finally got to try my hand at some other wood species.    Parquet style wooden tray
 I’m pretty excited to see what else I can come up with! 
Visit Sponsors Site

Mixed wood parquet serving tray

100 Home Cleaning and Organizing Ideas

101 Home Organization Ideas
If you are like me, with the start of the new year, it means a renewed desire to get your home and family life more organized.   Sure, not everyone is going to be perfectly organized (myself included) but a few simple tips can often make life easier.

So today I've joined up with the All Things Creative Team in order to bring you a collection of more than 125 unique home organization and cleaning tips, perfect for the new year.

Stenciled Spray Snow Snowflakes

Stenciled spray snow snowflakes on glass
Happy first day of winter!  I thought I'd celebrate by brining you a snowflake themed craft today.  It is part of our monthly "Create and Share" Challenge, where a group of bloggers gets together and creates a project based on a theme.

This month theme was STENCILS and we were so lucky that the fabulous people at Cutting Edge Stencils were willing to sponsor it.  Nine other bloggers and myself were challenged a holiday themed stencil in a simple DIY project.

I think I was the only one to use snowflakes, and I KNOW I was the only one to use spray snow, although there were some other non-paint uses in the group as well.  You definitely should see the other submissions. 


Kim Six Fix - Stenciled Spray Snow Flakes // Green With Decor - How to Stencil A Pillow For Christmas // Vintage Romance Style - The True Meaning of Noel Sign // Southern Couture - Wooden Reindeer Stencil // One Mile Homestyle - Stenciled Holiday Coloring Page Place Mats // DIY Beautify - Stenciled Wall Hanging Christmas Decor // Elizabeth Joan Designs - Stenciled Wall Hanging // Farmhouse 40 - DIY Reindeer Antlers Bulletin Board // Iris Nacole - Stenciled Christmas Tree Stand Box // Pocketful of Posies - The Easiest Christmas Cookie Decorating Hack Ever

Framed Wall Spool Rack Upcycle

Pretty DIY spool organizer Old frame turned spool orgainzer
I am so excited to present today’s project with you.  This thread organizer is my submission in this month’s Power Tool Challenge.  The theme this month is REPURPOSE, and you may already know that is something I love to do.

I decided to repurpose a large wooden frame I had originally used for a Patriotic Mantel.
Back then I had painted the frames red, white and blue, but for this project I wanted it to be a little more sophisticated, so I brought out the Modern Masters Gold metallic paint.

Rustic Lodge Inspired Holiday Home Tour

Rustic Lodge Style Holiday Home Tour Rustic and Vintage with a touch of the outdoors I love it
Welcome to part two of my holiday home tour.  Today I’m sharing my family room and kitchen with you.  I took inspiration from that rustic mountain lodge feel of traditional ski chalets and mountain homes. Since it doesn’t really get cold here in California, I wanted the space to remind me of the cool crisp woods up in the mountains. All the rustic elements and natural colors make it feel extra cozy!

Rustic christmas mantel with plaid and red
If you missed the first half of my home tour, it is DRAMATICALLY different than that space which featured traditional Victorian style Christmas decor.


Last Minute Wrapping Ideas For Christmas

easy and inexpensive ways to wrap gifts for Christmas

Ho ho ho friends! It's Kim from Exquisitely Unremarkable popping in with a few last minute wrapping ideas for Christmas. Truth be told, I am the worst when it comes to wrapping gifts. I buy the presents in a timely manner, but then they sit stashed away for weeks, until Christmas Eve when I wrap late into the night. I enjoy the process, listening to carols in front of the fireplace and tree, but it really doesn't give me a lot of time to get creative. 

Traditional Victorian Holiday Home Tour: Living and Dining Rooms

Traditional Victorian Holiday Home Tour
This year I couldn’t decide between two dramatically different styles of Christmas decor, so instead of giving one up, I decided I would just use both.  Today I’m going to share my living room and dining room, which are decorated in the over the top gold gilded style of the Victorian age. 

Simple Holiday Mulled Wine

Hey y'all!  It's Mandee coming at you again from The Kitchen Wife.  The holidays are in full swing and it seems as though there is a party going on every weekend.  When you are younger it's easier to be a hostess, a couple 2 liters and you are golden. However when you are a grown up you may want to liven things up a bit.  If you're not sure how to put the spirits in your holiday, don't worry!  With my Simple Holiday Mulled Wine your holiday party will be hoppin' in no time!  


With just a few ingredients and 30 minutes your holiday bash will be the talk of the town!  I can't wait to share it with you so...

Let's Get started!

LED Lighted Burlap Garland

LED Christmas Lights Burlap Garland
Lighting technology has come a long way in just a few short years. ENERGY STAR Advanced LEDs are replacing traditional incandescent bulbs because of the huge energy and cost savings (as much as 75-90%). Now that LEDs are available in a range of colors and brightness levels, you can have the warm and cozy feeling you get from incandescent bulbs, but at a fraction of the cost.

But did you know that that technology has extended into the realm of holiday lighting as well? Gone are the days of energy draining mini-light strands with loose bulbs that would result in the entire string of lights going out. LED lights are long lasting, shatter proof and most importantly cool to the touch. This puts them at a huge advantage over traditional incandescent lights.

For this project I used LED string lights for just those reasons. Safety, cost savings and the fact I could re-use this string for as long as 20 years!

Wreath Styling 101

Wreath Styling 101
The traditional evergreen wreath is a universal symbol of the holidays. It is a blank canvas for any decorating style, and with the addition of ribbon and a few floral picks, you can transform it into an endless number of styles and aesthetics.

Today I’m going to share a few simple decorating strategies, as well as give you some examples of how those designs can result in four dramatically different finished wreaths.   Keep in mind that any design could be used with any aesthetic, these are just examples.

The example I am using is a 28 inch pre-lit artificial wreath, but the tips and suggestions included below could be applied to any size wreath, real or artificial.
plain unstyled wreath

How to Sew a Felt Keepsake Ornament

Hi friends! Alicia here again from Sew What Alicia. Christmas is almost here again! I know you are probably pulling out your tree and putting all the ornaments on the tree. Every year I have more and more ornaments that my kids have made at school! This year I decided to start a new tradition and make my own ornaments with my boys! Here is how to sew a felt keepsake ornament.
How to Sew a Felt Keepsake Ornament | www.thekimsixfix.com

Textured Photo Transfers on to Wood Blocks

Easy Photo Transfer with Textured Finish
This month’s power tool challenge was not only a building challenge, but it also was a gift exchange.  The members of the group were challenged to create a gift using power tools and mail it to another member of the group.

This month’s gift ideas were amazing!
DIY Gifts Made With Power Tools
Wooden Chair Spindle Snowflake by Interior Frugalista  + Hanging Christmas Card Holder by H2OBungalow
DIY Cookbook Stand by Dogs Don't Eat Pizza + DIY Pallet Wood Shadow Box by Create And Babble

For my gift I decided to make some simple wooden plaque wall art.  Large scale prints on blocks and canvases are super hot right now and being able to personalize them makes them a perfect gift!






 
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