DIY Spinning Composter

This year was my first year for a full-fledged garden. I consider it full-fledged because it produced enough to not only feed Biceps and I, but it also allowed me to dehydrate, freeze and give-away the excess.

To be honest, I was just happy that anything sprouted from the earth.

I give props to the composted kitchen and yard waste that we added to the soil-this garden seemed to outperform many of my neighbors’ gardens.
And just in case you don’t want to go spend your hard earned dollars buying a fancy composter in excess of $100 bucks or more, I thought I would show you how to make your own using some recycled and some store bought materials for about $30 in a matter of hours.

(Here’s my video for my DIY Spinning Composter.)

Here’s what you’ll need for your very own composter (The store bought materials can all be found at Lowe’s):

Food Safe Barrel of some sort (I used a leftover crazy person’s 40ish gallon Y2K water barrel they had in their basement in preparation for the end of the world)
3″ ABS toilet flange (I used an Oatey brand for $3.60)
3″ PVC pipe (I bought a 10′ stick-that’s the smallest they had for $10)
3″ PVC cap ($.72)
(2) 2 x 6 x 10 pressure treated lumber (~10′ for $6.97) and pressure treated wood screws (about 20 or so)
(2) hinges with appropriate sized bolts and nuts-don’t use the screws in the package that comes with them (Gatehouse brand 3 1/2″ Butt/Mortise hinges for $2.78 each)
(1) window sash latch with appropriate sized bolts and nuts-don’t use the screws in the package that comes with them (Gatehouse brand for $3.59)
(1) galvanized pipe (I re-purposed a closet rod-1″ diameter and about 4′ length, but if you have to buy one, they are about $5-7)
(8) wood screws 1 1/2″ ish (I used leftovers found in my coffee can full of excess screw, but you may spend $.50)

Here are the tools you will need to complete the project:

Square
Skill Saw with wood blade
Drill with 5/16″ drill bit, hole saw slightly bigger than your galvanized pipe/closet rod
Fine grit sandpaper
Chop Saw
Old screen from window
Tins Snips to cut screen
Flat head & Phillips head screwdriver
Hammer

Let’s get started!

Determine which end is up for you and your barrel. On your “up” end, use your skill saw to cut out a lid in a semi-circle shape (half of the entire circle).

This is what the lid will look like when you are done cutting it out. Sand off any burrs.

Pre-drill the holes for the hinges and the latch. Sand off any burrs. Attach the hardware, using the bolts and nuts (bolts on the outside, nuts inside).

Attach the hole saw to your drill and measure halfway down on each side of your barrel, starting on either side of the lid. The holes should be drilled so that the closet rod will run parallel to the lid. Sand off any burrs.

Drill holes for your closet rod to go through. Insert the closet rod to make sure the barrel can be easily turned. If not, increase the diameter of the hole slightly.

On the bottom of your barrel, trace the 3″ opening for the toilet flange using a sharpee in the center. Cut out the circle with your skill saw and wood blade. Sand off any burrs.

Insert the toilet flange to the outside of the barrel and make sure it fits snugly.

Cut out enough screen to cover the bottom of the opening in the flange. Pre-drill holes in order to screw the flange to the barrel and the screen to the flange.

Remove the closet rod from the barrel and place the PVC pipe vertically in the barrel, fitting it over the toilet flange. Cut the 3″ PVC pipe to fit vertically inside of your barrel, leaving about 6″ headspace between the top of the pipe and the opening of the composter. Place the 3″ cap on top of the pipe.
Mark where the curtain rod will meet with the PVC pipe.

Using your drill with the 5/16″ bit, drill holes several inches apart in the PVC pipe. Using the hole saw, drill two holes in the PVC pipe for the curtain rod to go through.

 

Using the same 5/16″ drill bit, drill holes vertically in the barrel, about 2″ apart vertically and 6″ apart horizontally.

Cut two identical “legs” for the composter using your chop saw and the pressure treated wood. Begin by measuring from the side of the barrel to center, adding 1 foot to the measurement. For each “leg”, measure 2″ down from one of the cut ends, center the hole saw to cut a circle for the curtain rod to go through.

Cut four identical lengths of wood (mine were about 2′ each in length) to secure the legs to. Attach with the pressure treated wood screws as you see here. I got fancy and cut the corners off of the base pieces. You don’t have to, it doesn’t affect the functionality of the composter.

I added spacers in between the pressure treated wood and the barrel to keep the curtain rod in place. They were just bits of pvc pipe that fit around the curtain rod, cut to about 2″ in length.

Give it a spin and see how much fun making your own compost will be.
Begin collecting all of your kitchen scraps: veggie/fruit peels and scraps, egg shells, coffee filters & grounds, etc (no meat, eggs or dairy) and throw it all in your barrel with dried leaves, grass and yard waste with a ratio of 1 (kitchen waste) to 2 (yard waste). Turn the barrel once a week and keep it as moist as a damp sponge by adding water when needed. (I save old coffee, rinse/rain water, etc. to moisten up the compost).

It’s ready to be used in the garden when the compost smells like heavenly dirt and is black and crumbly. Your plants will thank you so much for this yummy concoction…

Meet the New Kitties

We loved our eight years with Cowboy. He was the weirdest and awesomest (yep, that’s a word) cat ever.

He was my little buddy and followed me around the house doing strange things. He would sit on my lap for hours while I would write my articles or blog. And, he slept on top of me each night.

He would sneeze quite often, make a sound like an Ewok when he wanted something, and fought until the very end for his furry little life. We didn’t realize what a gaping hole was left when he passed away. After several days of crying and being pretty mopey, Biceps said a strange thing.
“What about getting a new kitty? And maybe not just one, but two?”
I had a feeling he was lonely without the furry dude, too.
But, I was pretty resistant at first. I mean, how could a new cat-or even two new cats-take the place of Cowboy? But, Biceps reminded me that we aren’t replacing Cowboy, no cat could ever do that. We are giving two new kitties a new home–a much needed home. And they in turn will bring us happiness and entertainment.

And so, after days of scouring rescue centers, talking with several “foster parents” and driving around, we found our forever kitties.
This is Maxwell.
Originally he was named “Flame” due to his orange markings on his nose, ears and tail. But that name we decided was weird. For several days, we confused the he k out of the little guy. I called him “Scout” and Biceps called him “Piglet”. Neither of us could agree, until the name “Maxwell” surfaced. It stuck and the name fit his personality all too well.

He does everything to the max. Whether he is eating, sleeping, being extremely cute or playing, he does it full force. There is no half-hearted efforts here from ol Maxwell.
And, he is all that is boy-stinky, haphazard and always attacking something.

And this is Bianca-the complete opposite of Maxwell. She smells like roses. Literally. We have a feeling she is stuffed with potpourri.

Bianca has taken it upon herself to clean Maxwell. It may seem sweet and motherly, but deep down, I think it’s mainly because she can’t stand the smell.

They became best buds right off the bat, doing everything together. They’ll even eat at the same time and switch to their water bowl at the same time. It’s bizarre. But pretty par for the course in our house. Nothing around here is ever normal….

Welcome home, you two crazy cats. We are so thankful that you are here. Even if you have jumped into the toilet on several occasions, knock things off the fireplace mantle and race through the house at 500 m.p.h..
They have definitely brought life back into the house. Lots of life….

The Master Bedroom Remodel

While Biceps was away on tour, I had a couple of weeks to myself.
And what does any good girl do when her hubby is away? REMODEL!

This is the BEFORE. When we chose this color, we didn’t realize the problems that this shade of green would pose. Reds paired with the green gave it a Christmas vibe. Pinks, purples, or blues alongside the green, made our bedroom feel like a victorian bed and breakfast-and not the good kind. Orange seemed to be the only thing that matched, and it wasn’t our favorite.

Secondly, the north facing wall was almost entirely a white brick fireplace. I decided that something must be done. With a few weeks and a few greenbacks, I had just enough time to be sneaky and remodel our Master Bedroom.

We already had a violet-colored comforter that I had picked on clearance somewhere years ago. I remember paying $10 for it, buying it with the intention to just have an extra blanket in the house.
And from this cheapo purchase, inspiration was birthed. I painted the room a complimentary purple that Biceps had insinuated he liked at some point.

Armed with several cans of gold spray paint, I scoured flea markets, thrift stores and a certain BFF’s garage for free or cheap picture frames. I spent a few hours transforming ugly frames into gold masterpieces.

From our earlier remodeling of this home, we dismantled a lovely (disgusting) mirrored shower door in one of the guest bathrooms. Deemed the “fat mirror”, like one you would see at a carnival, when you moved up and down, you would become fatter or thinner. Of course, I didn’t throw it away-I knew it would come in handy.

This mirror was tempered and when smacked upon with a hammer, it spiderwebbed out in really cool patterns. If you would like to make something similar, I have a tutorial called Broken Mirror Art.

I added “non-fat” mirror to the fat mirror and then hung gold frames on top of the entire piece. I made two of these to flank the fireplace.

In the center of the fireplace, I found this gorgeous and super heavy mirror for $35 at a flea market. I had to wait for Biceps to return home before I tried hanging it. Trust me, I tried to do it by myself and it did not go very well. Sections of the fireplace had to be painted.

What goes better with gold than silver? After much flea marketing, goodwilling and thrift storing, I found this small dresser at a “Quality Thrift Store”. It was a horrible green, but had great hardware and I couldn’t resist. Plus, I talked them down from $12 to $10. It houses or DVD player, holds up our ancient t.v. and has provided other useful storage for blankets, books, etc.

I found a four drawer antique wooden dresser that was beat up, scratched and missing wood chunks. But, the dresser had great details, cute little legs and the hardware matched my other $10 smaller dresser.
It was perfect and for $100, it was mine.

I first painted both dressers with a metallic silver paint (about $14 at Lowe’s), using a “foamy brush”. The foamy brush prevented brush strokes that a regular paint brush would have left. After the silver paint had dried, I watered down a high gloss black paint until it was the consistency of coffee. Wearing gloves, I lightly ran the rag across both dressers. On the detailing of the dresser, I left a little more black, to give the dressers an antiquey look.

Here’s my romantic, all ready for Biceps to come home.

I was so very sneaky, he never suspected what I was up to. And he loved every bit of the room.

To see what I’ve done to the bathroom, go here and here.

Butternut Squash-Humor & Soup Recipe

My mother-in-law and I love vegetables for two reasons:
1) The humorous possibilities once they are dressed up and you make them say funny things and,
2) Of course, for their edibility.

We’ll start with the humor and end with a recipe.

I’ve received a picture from her of a “sexy carrot” lounging by the pool, a tomato face that would put Mr. Potato Head to shame, and this…

This is a little something from her and her garden that she sent me awhile back, with the caption, “I don’t know…it was crawling in the garden.”

Therefore, it was no surprise when she received the following from me…

“It seems that Marge never really lost that baby weight.”

And this…

“Seriously, all I did was cut out carbs. Think about it, we are starches.”

And finally this.

“Jim?”

Produce humor. Cracks me up every time.

Now, for the Butternut Squash Soup Recipe. This is my recipe, but it’s also based on one that I found in my P90x cookbook (thanks, P90X), along with a few changes that I came across to make it even yummier. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

3 Tbsp Minced Shallot; Minced
2 cloves Pressed Garlic
6 cups Butternut Squash
2 cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
3 Tbsp Water

Peel, seed and cut the butternut squash up into 1″ chunks.

Using a non-stick saucepan, combine the shallot, garlic and water, cooking over low heat until translucent.

Using a large pot, add the squash and chicken broth, and simmer until the squash is soft. It usually takes 20-30 minutes.

Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree.

Return the soup to the pan and place over medium heat until heated through. Serve.

You will love this, guaranteed. It has been “Bicep’s Approved”.