New Type of Effusion Lamp wicks!

If you read this blog on a regular basis, I'm sure you must be thinking that I dropped off the face of the earth. Actually, I'm still here and working on a number of projects. I've spent most of the past month trying to get organized-a never ending project in itself. FYI-I'm still not organized and probably will never be, but I do try.

I've been writing this blog now for several years and the most common email I get is always about effusion lamps. I know why-they can be tricky. The wicks burn out, clog up or the scent doesn't smell up the house, etc, etc. I've done so much research on these lamps that I really feel I finally know what I'm talking about.

I was surprised to get an email from Carol a few weeks ago. She was having some problems with her effusion lamp and needed some advice. She surprised me by mentioning a new wick that she is using-which I had never heard of. I seriously don't even know how long the have been around. These wicks have no stone either...... hummmmmmmm......this is soooo interesting. It starts instantly, which saves on fuel, and eliminates the 5 minute (sometimes scary) lighting of the stone. Called the "Platinum Wick", it can't clog or flood. It fits all types of effusion lamps and retails for about $14.95, depending on where you look. My only question would be: how long will it last? I can't answer this yet, but I will let you know.

I ordered mine from here because the price was right and they offered free shipping. I've had it for two weeks and I burn it everyday, so we'll see how it goes. Below are some step by step photos and a good look at the wick.

To start off: here is the wick, right out of the box.

Below is the lamp filled 1/2 up with fuel. Remember, don't fill over 1/2 way up-these lamps need oxygen to work. Pop in the wick and leave it for 10 minutes.

Above: the wick. Looks like something that goes over a chimney. Notice there is no stone with these new wicks. The stone is replaced with a metal grate that heats up during the process.

Here is the wick being lit.

Here is the flame that is created. You keep the wick lit for 30-35 minutes, a little flame appears for a few seconds and then you blow it out! The metal grate gets hot and the smell starts almost immediately. It's a big difference from the old stone wicks. I still like them and use them, but this new one appears much safer to use.

So there you have it. A new type of wick for the effusion lamps.

Here is my original post on effusion lamps which includes history, information and the fuel recipe.

FYI-I have purchased so many nice and inexpensive effusion lamps at this store in the local mall. Check their site and see if there may be one by you.

Christy

Christmas Backdrop

A unique way to change how your furniture looks at Christmas. How about changing the background of shelves or behind wall units? Initially the work takes some time, but once it's all done you can store it and pull it out the next year. You can change it up easily, year to year.

Here is the cabinet that I'm going to create a new background for. A few years ago I cut and placed matchstick blinds behind the cabinet to give it a different look. For Christmas I'm giving them a real seasonal look.

I use thin, luan wood for each section. Measuring is key, of coarse and I learned that the hard way.

I cut out each section using my jigsaw and lightly sanded the sides.

As you can see below, each section was covered with red satin. I use "duct tape" to attach the satin. You may think this is a strange selection for adhesion, but it worked great! It gave me the ability to pull the fabric tight and it also gives me the option of taking it off easily next year and change it to gold or green fabric. I like this.

Here is the finished look. Maybe next year I'll do gold. Have a great holiday!!

Christy

Recovering An Old Chair Pillow

This particular chair I got off the sidewalk in front of Pier 1 Imports a few years ago. It was only slightly damaged and seemed simple enough to touch up with some paint, which is what I did when I got it home. I paid $69.00 dollars for it, which I knew was a real bargain.

A few years have passed and now the white pillow is getting worn out and just crappy looking. Time to recover that chair seat. Now, what's the best way to go about it? Carefully take the pillow seams apart and disassemble the fabric, piece by piece. This creates a template for your new cover.

Below you can see the pieces removed and taken apart. Now all I did was pin them to the new fabric and cut out the new pieces.

Here, the pieces are pinned to the new fabric.

Just to be on the safe side, I've pinned the new fabric to the pillow to make sure it will all fit. It should if I followed the template correctly.

Sewing right sides together, the pillow is almost complete. This job is best done with a sewing machine and some basic sewing skills, but honestly not that difficult to do. Now the issue becomes this: what is the best way to close up this pillow. A zipper is great, but a lot more work, or the use of Velcro which works great but is still some extra work. I decided to leave an opening, stuff the pillow in and hand sew the pillow closed. I picked this option because the pillow is hardly ever used and should hold up for a few years, before it needs to be replaced again.

Here's the pillow all finished. Great that it looks clean and like new again. I used 1 and 1/2 yards of fabric. The fabric was $6.99 a yard on the clearance rack and I used a 40% off coupon at Joann's. Not a bad deal and pretty easy to sew up.

Christy