On To New Things...

Hi All. You've probably noticed that there haven't been any new posts since Christmas. I'm still here of course, but...I think I've lost my love for DIY blogging. I still LOVE to renovate rooms, refinish furniture, even crafts are still fun, but the process of filming, editing, and writing the blog posts to describe in detail what we did has become a chore instead of an enjoyable hobby. With Tom & I both working full time we've always only been able to work on the house on weekends, so projects take a very long time to complete, and then I was never posting on a regular basis. I didn't want to post filler just for the sake of posting.

And as much as I do like DIY (I really do!), I want to spend more time with our dogs and working on their development, as well as spending more time outside our house - field trips, festivals - just discovering the beauty in our community, province, and country. Tom and I took a week off this summer and went somewhere new each day - sometimes with the dogs, sometimes without - and it was one of the best vacations we've ever had.

Thank you all for giving me a place to flex my creative muscle these eight (!) years - I appreciate each and every view, comment, and email I've received. And don't worry - this blog will stay active so that all of my past projects are accessible. I will continue to respond to questions - just click one of the icons at the top of the page to email me or go to my Instagram page (@rottsandpots). 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from all of us at Turtles and Tails!

Holiday Gift Guide

As hard as we try to fight it, the holiday season is upon us. Here in Canada, since Thanksgiving is near the beginning of October, once Halloween is over it's full steam ahead to Christmas.

With that in mind I've put together some of my favourite gift ideas in the three categories I talk about most here on the blog - home décor, workshop tools, and pets. Some are items I already own and love, others are items that are on my wish list this year.

For the Decor Enthusiast

1. This rustic butler's serving tray is perfectly oversized and has a mirrored center.

2. Take your love of wine to the next level with a wine barrel stave candleholder.

3. Woven seagrass baskets of all sizes - to keep your belongings contained and beautiful.

4. For music indoors and out, this wireless bluetooth speaker is powerful and stylish.

5. Faux cashmere throws are just as cozy as the real thing. And getting dog hair on them won't make you cry.

6. Everyone needs a 16" felt gnome in their life, don't they? I know I do.

For the Handyperson

1. Know the precise measurement and keep your work level with this digital measuring tape with laser level.
2. A reciprocating saw makes cutting drywall, framework, or even metal pipe a breeze.
3. I just learned of this utility bar recently. It's a crowbar, board bender, wrench, and hammer all in one.
4. When I told Tom that I was adding this right angle drill attachment to the gift guide, his response? "I use mine all the time." 'Nuff said.
5. For fine cutting, grinding, and sanding, the Dremel MultiMax is the leader.
6. You can never have too many bar clamps. It's a fact. 

For the Dog Lover

1. Try this travel container that holds both water and treats on your next walk.

2. This leash comes with a high-high speed frog connector and an adjustable length for more control.

3. For the extreme dog lover who's never met a dog they didn't want to pet - this t-shirt says it all.

4. Your dog deserves to be cozy too. This boyfriend sweater is stylin'.

5. I will praise the Jive Ball all.day.long. They last for years and the company guarantees them.

6. A bolster bed gives your dog a place to rest their chin as they watch the world crazy humans around them. 

Hopefully I've given you some ideas to start (or finish) your shopping.

Happy Holidays!

Birthday Milestone

No new projects this weekend - it was our Chloe's birthday and we spent the whole weekend celebrating her.

Happy 13th birthday to my beautiful girl!

Canada Day 2018

Happy Canada Day, y'all!

From my family to yours, I hope you have a terrific day.

And here's an interesting little bit of trivia: Did you know that if July 1st falls on a Sunday, like it is this year, Canada Day is moved to July 2nd? I'm not talking about getting the day off work and businesses being closed, I mean that the actual statutory holiday is moved. I couldn't believe I'd never heard about it before.

Celebrations are still usually held on July 1st of course, even though it's technically not the holiday.

But no matter the date, these ruffians are always ready to celebrate.

Welcome to the Family (Dadli Dogs)

Our trip to Antigua a few weeks ago wasn't just for a beach vacation. It was to adopt these two adorable ragamuffins. We're pleased to introduce you to Scarlett (previously named Unity) and Zac, our newest family members. They are Native Antiguan dogs (or NADs). NADs are also called "Dadli Dogs" after the original name of Antigua (Wadadli). You might also know them as Potcakes, which is used for all Caribbean mixed dogs. They are truly mutts; every dog is a little bit different.

When we were on Antigua last February we spent a day at the PAAWS potcake rescue, walking the dogs and playing with the puppies. PAAWS Antigua is a no-kill shelter that relies solely on donations (no government funding) to keep it going. The employees have little time to walk and socialize the dogs so they welcome tourists and visitors to come by and help out.

Our Chloe is getting older and isn't up for playing much anymore. Last summer we started thinking about getting a younger dog so that Sasha would have someone to run around with. We tried adopting through a few of the local shelters and rescues, but were turned down either because we don't have a fenced property (we have 15 acres of rural land) or because they wanted their dogs to go to a single-dog home.

Of the many dogs we walked last year on Antigua we had taken a special liking to Unity. She's a sweet little thing who was found wandering in Parham in 2016 at only 8 weeks old.

We contacted PAAWS to find out if she was still available and (sadly and happily) she still was. They told us she was very close to her kennel-mate Zac though, and asked if we would be willing to take both. How could we say no?

We were familiar with Zac as we had walked him last year when we walked Unity. He'd also been at the shelter since 2016, arriving a few months after her. He's outgoing and energetic and in love with everyone he meets.

So began the long process of getting the dogs to Canada. The biggest obstacle to adopting an island dog is the cost involved. There are:
- the medical expenses (making sure they have all of their shots and paperwork),
- the flight costs (more than twice as much if they are unaccompanied), and surprisingly,
- the cost to send a travel crate to the shelter (it costs the shelter over $300 to buy one on island).

The options were either 1) have them shipped as cargo, or 2) fly to Antigua to get them. Of course, we would then be paying for our own flights, but we would also get a vacation out of the deal. We spent quite a bit of time working it out with the shelter and watching flight prices until we finally decided to fly there in April. We managed to find two used travel crates on Kijiji (like Craigslist) at a reasonable price - a shout out to Free Korean Dogs for selling them - and packed one suitcase between us so that we wouldn't have to pay for extra baggage.

Once we were on the island, in between some hiking and beach R&R, we spent time taking the dogs to the local vet for their rabies shots, helping out at the shelter, and visiting the government vet to get the final paperwork approved.

I'll admit that I didn't really enjoy the last couple of days of vacation as I was so stressed out about the return trip. But it ended up being so easy. We got the dogs checked in, paid our fees, and then tried to relax before the flight. The flight itself was a bit bumpy and there was a medical emergency on board that we thought might re-route our plane to Miami, but it ended up going smoothly. Once in Toronto we visited border security to have our paperwork inspected, paid our fee, and we were on our way home.

Since then it's been very busy at our place. The two sets of dogs eat in shifts and we go outside for pee breaks a lot. The new dogs have an entire room to themselves right now (with a DIY gate!) so that we can keep them separated from Chloe and Sasha when we aren't home (we don't need any arguments breaking out without a referee present!)

It's been nearly three weeks and Scarlett and Zac are gradually getting used to their new home and becoming part of our pack.

They're venturing out to explore the rest of the house more, getting into everything, and just yesterday Zac tried to get Sasha to play with him for the first time.

Zac also redecorated the room using their medical records on the first day unsupervised. Such an artist.

We're so happy to have our little potcakes here. And so happy that we could do a small part to help the animals of Antigua. If you would like to adopt or donate, you can contact PAAWS Antigua directly through their Facebook page.

And if you are vacationing on Antigua, or know someone who is, consider being a flight volunteer to get one or more dogs to their forever home. It costs you absolutely nothing and the shelter will handle all of the paperwork/arrangements at both ends of your flight.

Industrial-Style Dog Feeding Station

This week's project at the Turtles and Tails household involved upgrading the dog feeding area. If you recall, last year we built plumbing pipe open shelving in the dining area. We decided that we wanted to carry the look over into the kitchen and give the dogs an upgraded spot for eating.

This is what their feeding area looked like before. The raised buckets - available here - have a carrying handle and built-in bowl areas in the lid. I stenciled their names on the buckets a few years ago and we liked to pretend that they always go to the correct bowl because they can read. It's all quite serviceable, we were just looking for something a little more rustic and easier to keep clean.

We were lucky enough to have some old lumber given to us recently. These 10" wide boards (1.5" thick) were originally the sides of a waterbed. A quick run through the planer to remove the lacquer and scratches and they were ready to go. Each "shelf" ended up being 8.5" x 22.5" x 1.25" thick.

We started by taking the dogs' bowls and tracing them on the board and cutting out holes with a Rotozip. 

Important: You'll want to cut your holes slightly smaller than the circles you traced so that the edge of the bowl rests on the wood and holds it in place. 

After puttying any imperfections and sanding everything smooth, I stained the wood with Minwax's Jacobean stain and then waxed it with 2 coats of Minwax's dark finishing wax. Another tip: To get a silky-smooth surface, finish by buffing the wood with extra fine steel wool.

The framework to hold the shelf to the wall is made of everyday plumbing parts.

For each shelf we used:

8 - 2" length 3/4" nipple pipe
2 - 4" length 3/4" nipple pipe
2 - 6" length 3/4" nipple pipe
4 - 3/4" floor flanges
6 - 3/4" 90 degree elbows
2 - 3/4" tees
2 - 3/4" caps

The framework was assembled and then painted using Rustoleum's Flat Black spray paint. Once the paint was dry the pipes were reassembled with the shelf and mounted to the wall. Make sure you either hit a stud with your screws or use anchors as you don't want the shelves falling down.

We also made a stand for the water bowl using the same wood and plumbing pipe. We considered mounting it to the wall (with support feet at the front) but decided it wasn't necessary. And the different style breaks up the look.

The dogs were unsure at first (and Sasha went to the wrong bowl the first day), but since then it's been business as usual. The new setup takes up much less space, leaving a clearer path from the hallway through the kitchen. And cleaning up the water spills and dog hair is so much easier. 

Here is one more before and after:

Stenciled Wooden Toy Box

Our dogs are spoiled. They probably wouldn't agree, but you just have to look at their pile of toys to see it. We buy them new toys at Christmas, when we go on vacation, or any time we see something cute in a store that we think they might like. And then there are the toys they get from other relatives. I feel like I have a toddler with the way I'm constantly going around the house collecting toys and putting them back where they belong.

Their stash has grown so large that we've resorted to using one of the wooden storage crates that we built last month as a toy box. And to make the crate a little more fun and personalized, I stenciled it this weekend with a special message.

For detailed instructions on how we built the crate - please refer to this post.

I cut the stencil out of self-adhesive vinyl using my Silhouette Cameo. The Silhouette machine comes with its own software - you plan out your design on your computer and then send it to the machine to cut. I cut it out all on one sheet and then cut out the individual words to lay out on the slats. You just need to peel off the backing paper and apply your words or images to the surface.

Once the words were in place, I masked off the rest of the crate as I was planning to use spray paint and didn't want any over-spray on the wood.

Several light coats and a few hours to dry completely, and I could peel off the stencil. (It kind of looks like a KitKat, doesn't it?) The paint I used was Rustoleum's American Accents Plus in Espresso.

How cute is that? And so very true - home IS where the paws are. Our dogs are such an important part of our lives. It's probably why they get spoiled so much. :-)