BICARBONATE BRILLIANCE

This is what I've spent the last couple of weeks doing, cleaning glue off the floorboards in my crafty room, when I took up the carpet I found it had been glued onto the floor. I was just going to get the floor sanded but because of the glue several sanding places either raised the cost dramatically or could not guarantee a good result. When I asked what if I clean the glue myself and then you just sand the floor ready for me to polish the answer was "there's no way you will be able to get the glue off" in other words, suck it up. The hardware shop people said the same thing you can't just remove the glue and not make a mess of the polished boards. That's now about six people who have told me I can't do it and I don't know what I'm talking about. The top photo shows the before and after the floor was totally covered in hard glue and dirt so I washed it with hot soapy water to get a better look at the glue problem. The hot water made some of the floor sticky so I had the idea to use bicarb of soda as it's gentle non toxic and great for sticky label patches. It totally worked!!! I did fairly small patches at a time, wash in hot soapy water, sprinkle thickly with bicarb and then spread over patch with hand, adding more water if floor is to dry it needs to be quite wet to work well, leave for ten minutes or so then scrape off, the bicarb turns the glue to an almost chewing gum consistency. Some areas needed several applications, the photos below show the glue after the bicarb soak ready to be scraped. Problem solved! now if I can just get my huge stash of fabric, fibre and yarn organized I might be able to start and finish a project or two.

YULE TIDINGS

It's great when you find something that is exactly what you have been looking for, the white Gnome is this years new Christmas decoration. I would have liked him to be a little bigger but he's perfect in every other way. I love all white critters and my collection is gradually growing. This years Christmas is on the small scale with lots of small presents for my niece Lilli and Swedish gingerbread for every one as well as the usual cash. I haven't blogged for ages, I've been extremely tired there's been a lot of lack of sleep and after a while you become a little zombiefied  and unable to speak in sensible sentences. This morning I found the tea towel I lost last night in the freezer! why? how? who knows.

Spring is definitely here,  it's a warm and beautiful day. I can only manage a short post as my online connection keeps disconnecting, the phone company just can't seem to be able to fix my telephone line. Furgus is letting me take his photo while being scratched all without biting, he still has his watch it crazy eyes.  My new book arrived! I usually buy second hand but it was cheaper to buy new how odd.  I've just watched  "Julie and Julia"  the film about the blogger Julie Powell and the cook Julia Child,  I didn't read the book about the blog but her blog is still there to read.  The bottom photo is the boned, stuffed and encased duck that was part of the last dinner in the film. I'll add the link to Julie Powell's old blog when my computers feeling more co-operative.