New Episode of Home Made Simple tomorrow morning at 9a/8c on OWN!! This is one of my favorites this season. Ken and I makeover a room for a rockin teen and Jesse calls in a favor from Mario Lopez to cook up some amazing food for him as well. Check out this clip to see a preview.

http://bit.ly/TsauoY 

Tools for Distressing Wood

Distressing wood to give it that reclaimed look is a really popular look in the woodworking and designer world right now.  Buying distressed wood or reclaimed wood from a retail store can get very pricy and there are ways you can do this your self to save allot of money and get the perfect look for your project.

The first thing you need to do is prep your wood with a good sanding starting with 100 grit to remove any exsisting finish.

There are many different tools to use to distress the surface of the wood, some you can buy some you have to make but they are very easy to create.

This is a good combo by Varathane that costs around $25 for the set.



  


A wire brush is a good tool to rough up the surface of the wood grain with out gouging it or chipping it.








A small length of chain is good for beating the hell our of a perfectly good peice of wood or a pillow case full of differenct size nuts and bolts.

Once you have the desired disstressed look try staining it by applying a thick coat to the surface of the wood making sure all the disstressed marks are saturated and using a rag to wipe off the exsses from the surface.  The dents, scratches and chips will pick up more stain thean the surface giving it a more worn look

How to update your fire pit with color

The tradition large red lava rock is an outdated look for your fire pit.  There is an easy way to change out the rocks and give it a completely different look.

Make sure you are wearing gloves to protect your hands and start by taking out all your old rocks, sweep out all the old dirt and leaves that has acculated over time and inspect your gas ring for any rust or deterioration.






If you had to take out your gas ring off to get bigger rocks out from under it make sure you put it back on with the gas holes facing down to the ground.  If they are up rain water could make its way into the ring and affect the performance.








 Fill in the bottom of the pit with the smaller grade of lava rocks up to the bottom of the ring.  The smaller grade makes a solid base for your crushed glass finish top.  If you cover the ring with the lava rock it could affect the flow of gas our of the ring and wont give you an even flame pattern on the surface of your glass.

Top off the rest with your color choice of  small crushed glass.  Make sure to clean off any leaves that have fallen in to the glass before lighting it.  They will burn and could discolor the crushed glass.

Quick and Easy BBQ Shrimp

 Cooking is another passion of mine and if its an easy recipe that doesn't take hours to make all the better!! This is a favorite go to for me when making a salad or need a good side with steak or chicken.


Ingredients
-One pound of uncooked fresh shrimp
-One Clove of Garlic
-One Tsp of Italian Seasoning
-One Lime
-One Tbsp Olive Oil



I preffer to use wild caught, uncooked shrimp.  I start by deshelling them which can be a little tricky if you have never done it before.  Start by peeling back the front top of the shell and once you have enough to pinch the front with two fingers press at the base of the tail and push toward the front with your other hand and the whole shell should come off leaving you with nothing but a clean meaty shrimp.

 Prep your fresh squeezed lime juice by first rolling it against your cutting board with allot of pressure.  This will smash the inside of the fruit and you will get every last drop of juice when you cut it in half and squeeze it.





 The easy way to get that shell off of the garlic clove is to smash the clove with the side of the knife.  Don't go karate kid on it and accidentally cut yourself!  This also helps to flatten out the garlic so it is easier to chop up and mince.




I throw all my ingredients in a ziplock bag and shake it up for a minuet to coat all the shrimp.  Skewer them with metal kabobs and heat that BBQ to high.  After 5-10 minuets it should be up to a high heat.  Spray the grill down with a non stick oil and lay em on.  Use long tongs to flip them to keep those hands out of harms way.  For these medium size shrimp I cooked them about 3 minutes on each side.  Enjoy!!

Eucalyptus coffee table

When a storm knocks over a eucalyptus tree some might thing it is a inconvenience but I see an opportunity to turn an unfortunate event into a work of art.  This tree fell across the street from me in a bad wind storm and before it was cleared I salvaged a couple of pieces to make a coffee table.  Eucalyptus is a beautiful hardwood the is great for indoor and outdoor applications.  I treated this with a couple coats of linseed oil and a heavy layer of marine grade resin that can stand up to allot of punishment.

Redwood Table

I wanted to share this amazing creation with you all, this is by far my finest work yet!! This redwood table was built for a breakfast area and I used white cedar for the inlays.  The curling in the wood grain is natural and almost looks like tiger strips running up the sides.  I treated it with 2 coats of linseed oil, one coat of danish oil and three coats of gel urethane to give it this amazing finish.  

Wall-Mounted Console Table

Have you been wondering what to do with that section of wall that is not being utilized and want a functional space from it? Check out this console table I built on Home Made Simple that you can add to that space with minimal tools and money. Click on this link for all the steps to building it and some helpful tips to save time. http://www.homemadesimple.com/en-us/homedecor/pages/wall-mounted-console-table.aspx