Pledge® – It’s Not Just For Furniture!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Pledge®. All opinions are mine alone. #MyPledgeCastle #CollectiveBias

Pledge® – It’s Not Just For Furniture!

 

You have all heard the phrase, “My home is my castle.” It is so true, isn’t it? We surround ourselves with the things we love and cherish, things that have special meaning and a place in our hearts. It is only natural to want to take care of these things in the best way possible. And, for me that means using the products trusted by my mother and grandmother, Pledge®.

Whether it’s the china hutch handed down to me by my grandmother, the vintage sewing machine and cabinet given to me by my mom, or the bedroom suite I passed down to Rory, Pledge® Lemon Clean helps beautify and pamper our furniture. I love that the furniture cleaner features Allergens Trappers® to remove dust and up to 90% of the allergens found in dust.  Sometimes, I switch things up a bit and choose the Pledge® Orange Clean scent. The lemon and orange both leave my home smelling fresh and clean.

 

But, did you know that Pledge® has an entire family of cleaning products? They do. It is not just for wood furniture. The furniture polishes mentioned above join together with Pledge® Multi Surface Everyday Cleaner with Glade® Rainshower®, and the Pledge® FloorCare Products to give your castle a beauty makeover with your usual cleaning routine.

 

Here are some other uses for Pledge® Lemon Clean and Pledge® Multi Surface Everyday Cleaner with Glade® Rainshower®:

  • Shine your Stainless Steel (dishwasher, refrigerator, oven).
  • Shine your Chrome (faucets, toaster, light fixtures, knobs, towel holders).
  • Cabinets, Doors, Moldings (door jambs and window frames), Ceiling Fans.
  • Remove that gooey tough glue residue left behind from adhesive or stickers.
  • Clean and condition leather couches, leather bound photo albums
  • Clean and shine your marble and granite.

 

 

In fact, some of our favorite uses (other than furniture) happen outside the home. Let’s face it, what castle doesn’t have a carriage, and with us, it is our classic cars and hot rods.

A while ago, I shared this fun post, Hot Rods & Classic Cars. Today, I’m going to tell you a little secret on how to get a show-worthy shine on your vehicle with Pledge®.

When you take your hot rod to a car show, trunk space is very limited, so taking the full-blown car detail kit is not an option. You can still impress the judges and spectators by bringing along this simple kit. All you need is a can of Pledge® Lemon Clean / Pledge® Multi Surface Everyday Cleaner with Glade® Rainshower® and a clean, soft, cloth baby diaper.

  • Spray a light mist on a clean cloth diaper (never spray directly on any part of the vehicle); then, wipe and polish the car one area at a time, until you have a dazzling shine.
  • Wipe down the dashboard, door panels, console, and seats.
  • Polish the chrome bumpers, grill, valve covers, chrome axle, mirrors, door handles, emblems, hood ornament, wheel rims, etc.
  • Shine your tires (use a different cloth from the one you are using on the car or interior).
  • This works really well on fiberglass cars to help keep dust away.

 

 

 

These touches will give your car or truck a brilliant shine worthy of any competition or special occasion (date night, graduations, weddings, etc.). And, it will leave your vehicle smelling fresh.

So, next time you’re at your local Ralph’s, Kroger, or any of the Kroger family of stores, don’t forget to pick up your Pledge® cleaning products. Check out more on the official Pledge® Facebook Page.

 

 

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Hot Rods & Classic Cars

Hot Rods and Classic Cars

And some of the awesome Car Shows of Summer

Every Saturday morning, just about a mile from my home, hot rods, classic cars, and muscle cars gather for possibly the biggest and best weekly car show and cruise around, Donut Derelicts. People bring their cars from miles (even counties) around to take part. You can read more about this here.

But summer brings some extra special once-a-year shows to our area. Since building and restoring Hot Rods and Classic Cars is Luke’s line of business, we go to these great shows and have a wonderful time.

We started our summer car show stops at the legendary LA Roadster Show at the Pomona Fair Grounds.  At this classy event, The L.A. Roadster Club showcases the Original Hot Rod–the 1932 Deuce, along with 1928 to 1934 hot rod Roadsters, plus rows of specialty cars, coupes, sedans, woodies and wagons ranging from 1910 to 1975. This annual Father’s Day weekend event is a fundraiser to benefit worthy non-profit organizations. Here are some of the cars we saw…

(hover over the slideshow to stop it for a better look)

 

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Next on our list was the 75th Anniversary of the 1940 Ford, at the Forties Limited of Orange County‘s 39th Annual Forty Ford Day at La Palma Park in Anaheim. This show celebrates the 1940 Fords, but you can find other cool street rods and classics there as well…

 

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Do these amazing cars inspire you to come out and share the experience? If so, you haven’t missed your chance. The Great Labor Day Cruise at the Orange County Fair Grounds is coming September 4th through 6th, 2015. This 33rd Annual, weekend-long event hosted by the Orange County Cruising Association (OCCA), benefits the Warrior Foundation – Freedom Station. Get the general information here.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse into Hot Rods and Classic Cars!

Do you or someone you know own a Hot Rod or Classic Car?

Do you have any car shows or cruises in your area?

 

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Pumpkin Carving – Carving & Lighting Tips & Tricks

Create and Illuminate!

Here are some Carving &Lighting Tips & Tricks for your pumpkin that will take your design to another level. Differing depths give your carving light and shadows, and can create something almost life like when illuminated.

The unlit carving doesn’t always portray the greatness of the design. Take a look at this example…

We can learn a lot by comparing these two images. Notice the multiple levels in this carving. We have areas that are completely cut out, areas that are barely scraped (such as Brunhilda’s hood on the right side of the picture), and other areas with differing depths. These depths give your carving intricate detail and help create your design and bring it to life. Look at the warts and creases, the jutting chin, crooked nose, lips, and piercing eyes.

Would you have imagined that the illuminated carving would look like this just by seeing the unlit carving?

Let’s look at a few other examples.

You can see the flames on the side of the FrankenRod are carved deeper into the flesh of the pumpkin, which will make them lighter when the carving is lit. Take a look at the details of the engine, the three carburetors on top have deep holes in them, but are not completely cut out. The cut out area of the headlight gives the illusion of the light really being lit.

Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde is a good example of how you can texturize your carving with varying depths. In this case the depths created a skyline as well as Dr. Jeckyll’s face.

The Frightful Carriage Ride is an example of a carving created more by cut out than by sculpting. When you carve out lots of areas, be sure to leave the pieces in place until the end. Granted, some may fall out on there own, but don’t pull them out, they will help keep your design in tact while you work. In this design, there was so much delicate cut out work that I did not fully cut all of the pieces so they would help hold the pumpkin together while I worked in other areas. The large pieces were taken out in smaller chunks to preserve the design.

Carving and Sculpting Tips & Tricks:

  1. Use a bowl for stabilization and easy turning of the pumpkin. Resting the pumpkin in a bowl allows you to maneuver the pumpkin so you can better see the design, get a better angle for carving, and be able to position you hand in an area that is not delicately cut. The bowl also provides you both hands for carving. That way you can stick your hand inside the pumpkin to gently hold intricate areas while sculpting or carving.
  2. Place a towel under your bowl to keep it from sliding so easily.
  3. Start in the center of design and work your way out.
  4. Do the most detailed areas first.
  5. Don’t necessarily cut out an entire area that is cut through. If it is highly detailed, leave parts uncut so that it will be stronger for the remainder of the work.
  6. If an area will be very small or “weaker” when cut-out, do any shading or sculpting work before you cut it.
  7. Leave large pieces in place after cutting to help with stability.
  8. Drill Bits – you can use these by hand to make perfect circles. They also work well for starting cuts in tiny areas.
  9. Pumpkin Saws – Larger saws are for longer straighter cuts. As the design gets smaller or curvier, use the smaller saws.
  10. Wood working tools, Linoleum tools, and exact-o knives work well. Gouge tools – V-shape, U-shape, Round, Flat.
  11. Differing depths of sculpting will give light and shade to your carving.
  12. Taking a break in your carving? Place a damp paper towel over the carved area. If you will be away from your carving for more than 1-hour, place pumpkin in a plastic bag and refrigerate. (When you return to carving, pat dry the pumpkin with a dry paper towel. Be careful not to smudge your pattern.)

Lighting Tips & Tricks:

There are three types of lighting for your carved pumpkin–battery operated, electric, and candle.

Battery Operated: In my experience, these work best if you can stack them so the light gets up behind your carving. The lights are not very bright, so they do not illuminate your design that well.

Candle: If you are using a candle, you need to light the candle and let it burn for a minute, then blow it out. Turn the pumpkin over and see where the smoke hit the inside of the pumpkin. You will need to create a chimney there. You can do this by using a larger sized drill bit to create a hole. Candles do not provide the best light for your design.

Electric: This is by far my favorite way of illuminating a carved pumpkin masterpiece! I found these electric lights at Joanne’s. They are made with a spring stand so they can stretch or bend to the perfect position for your carving. My spring stand lights  have replaceable night light bulbs (7-watt). They provide marvelous light for my designs.

Another way to use electric lights is to wrap a strand of  “Christmas” lights around a mason jar.

With electric lights, you also have the option to use colored light bulbs for a spookier ambiance.

NOTE: Having the hole in the bottom of the pumpkin keeps you from having the cord flopping out over the top of your pumpkin.

So there you have it, Carving & Lighting Tips & Tricks for your pumpkin!

Do you have any carving tips & tricks?

How do you like to illuminate your jack-o-lantern?

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