NoCry Products for the DIYer

I recently had the opportunity to test out some NoCry safety products.  NoCry is a direct-to-consumer company, which means you can purchase their high quality safety products for a great price because there's no middle man markup.  I was sent samples of each of their products to test and, although some of these products - like the welding gloves and the thorn-resistant gardening gloves - will have to wait until warmer weather for a more thorough review, Hubby and I did our best to examine these safety products.  We even gave some to my in-laws for a test!

We definitely have some favorites, so here's what Hubby and I thought.

NoCry Welding & BBQ Gloves

We were really excited about these welding gloves because Hubby's welding gear has gotten quite a bit of use in the last 10 years.  He really needs a new set of welding coveralls because he burned a pretty big hole in them recently!  Gloves are the kind of the thing that see a lot of wear too, so these treated leather gloves will be a great addition to our safety gear - especially because I'll be doing some welding this summer!  Our welder is actually mine, but although I've used it a couple of times, I've never developed my skills like Hubby has so I decided that this is the summer I start taking it seriously.  I'm going to have to invest in my own set of safety gear and these gloves are a great start.  They seem to be excellent quality and we'll definitely give them a proper test once it's warm enough again to work in the garage.  They fit comfortably and are sewn really well - plus they're only $11.99!

I really love that they're multi-purpose, too.  You can use them for welding, grilling on the BBQ, gardening or handling sharp objects - that's great value from one set of affordable gloves.

NoCry Puncture Resistant Gardening Gloves



I am OBSESSED with these puncture-resistant gardening gloves!  We have a few rosebushes on our property and it's been such a thrill to have fresh, fragrant rose blooms in the summer.  Actually, there's this massive rosebush in the ditch by an abandoned property on the highway and last summer I  ended up knee-deep in muck by the side of the highway, picking the hugest rose bouquet known to man.  I tried to layer up my ratty old gardening gloves but I was still pricked with thorns and my forearms had no protection.

It was worth it, though, every room has a rose bouquet and the house smelled amazing.  

Picking up a better pair of gardening gloves was on my list, so I was thrilled to get these.  They fit so beautifully - snug and comfortably, plus they protect the arms, too.  I really love that they come in different sizes for a good fit.  I have had leather gardening gloves that chafe but these feel so good - they're thick, but so soft.  I highly recommend these, even though they're a smidge pricier than the other gloves at $22.69.  

NoCry also makes two kinds of cut resistant gloves, which are so perfect for everything from kitchen work to carpentry.  

NoCry Microdot Cut Resistant Gloves

These gloves are the lighter of the two cut-resistant gloves, but they're my favorite.  They fit SO snugly and perfectly, ensuring that dexterity remains 100%.  I don't feel encumbered at all wearing these, which means gripping a knife or even a slippery object is a breeze.  Plus they're 4x stronger than leather.  I'm not sure I need them in the kitchen, but they're also great for wood carving or handling broken glass. 

NoCry Supercut Cut Resistant Gloves

The second style of cut-resistant gloves is even tougher and designed more for construction and landscaping than general household/kitchen tasks.  I love the quality and the material is surprisingly thin, making it easy to handle anything wearing these gloves.  I do find, however, that the fingers are a bit long, inhibiting use a tiny bit, but only compared to the previous cut-resistant gloves, which fit like a...well, glove.  The others fit so amazingly well, that in comparison these seem a bit more loose but I still love the quality.  They have superior grip to anything we've ever used, so I'm no longer intimated by DIY projects that involve glass and slippery sharp objects.   

NoCry Safety Glasses with Clear Anti-Fog and Anti-Scratch Lens

We are the worst when it comes to losing and demolishing safety glasses but that's good - at least it means we're wearing them!  Nothing scarier than a DIYer with a brand new set of safety glasses just languishing in a drawer somewhere.  These are anti-scratch, so we hope they'll stand up to our wear and tear.  The fit is super comfortable: they fit snugly (love the wrap-around style), and they're super lightweight while still offering outstanding eye protection.  

They're also designed in Italy, so I feel super fancy wearing them.  Seriously, this gal looks runway-ready (where are the stains and hole in her work shirt???):

NoCry Silicone Oven Mitts

I really needed a new set of oven mitts because my last set is totally toast, so I was pretty pumped for these and ordered a second set to give to my father-in-law and his partner because they're building a new kitchen from scratch (it already has bold red walls and custom, hand-made maple cabinetry), so I thought they might like shiny new mitts that match! 

They earned pretty rave reviews from my in-laws, but I found them to be a bit big.  I have small hands, though, and fitment is often an issue.  That's why I think I favored the NoCry products which came in different sizes - I could order smalls!  I found these to be too large, which hampered my grip a little, but they really do offer great protection.  The material is super grippy, which is handy and makes up for the fit.  They do the job, but I have to admit that I am not as enamored with these as some of the other products (those gardening gloves!).  Frankly, if they were turquoise I'd probably be raving about them, lol. 

If you're an avid DIYer - or are shopping for one - check out NoCry because the quality of these products is outstanding, plus the shipping was super quick!  Over the years, Hubby and I have always been really conscious about showing us working in safety gear on the blog - and being honest about when we should have used it - because people can be seriously injured during even the most straightforward home improvement projects.  Remember how I had to drive our bathroom tiler to emergency after he sliced into his arm with a chop saw?  Home improvement - even the most basic tasks around the house - is serious, so I was happy to partner with NoCry to showcase some stylish, high quality products which are designed with safety as the main objective.

I'll be sure to let you all know how these hold up to wear and tear.

This post was sponsored by NoCry but all thoughts and opinions are my own.  Check out their blog for more handy tips and tricks.   

Bearly a Problem

It's embarrassing to admit, but when we first moved from the city to our rural lakehouse, I was scared out of my gourd.  The woods - at night! - tops the list of my irrational fears.  A lifetime of scary movies has taught me that bad things happen in the wood at night.  Shortly before the move, we started watching The Walking Dead, and that's when I learned that the woods can be terrifying during the day too.  The episode in which Hershel's idyllic, country farm is overrun by walkers hit a little too close to home and that's when I stopped watching.  Only recently have I been able to come home in the dark without spending half an hour parked in the driveway, petrified with fear of what's lurking outside and trying to screw up the courage to open the door.  I can now stand on the deck at night while Szuka does her evening perimeter check/pee, instead of cowering inside with all of the lights on.  When something goes bump in the night I'm not immediately drenched in sweat, certain that my untimely demise is imminent.

Photo Source

Despite the bevy of irrational fears that have shaped my experience of country life, I haven't - until recently - been afraid of more plausible threats, like bears.  I've seen black bears, here and there, but I always felt safe in my backyard because black bears, we're told, tend to avoid people.  Predatory black bear attacks, although horrific and gruesome when they happen, are really very rare.  Still, habituated bears - those that are accustomed to humans and aren't afraid - are worrisome.

Photo Source

Recently I shared a photo on Instagram of one of our apple trees with a branch ripped almost clean off.  I suspected a bear, and it was confirmed last week when a neighbour anxiously banged on our front door to let us know a bear was in our apple tree, high among the branches, and refusing to budge.  He eventually ran off, but she was really concerned by how unfazed he was by our presence.

The neighbour told me someone else in the area had been confronted by a giant, 200+ lb black bear, who determinedly, yet slowly, approached her while she was out walking.  She in turn slowly backed away but he followed, so she tried to make herself big and tall and noisy but still he confidently moved toward her (probably not unlike the curious bear in this video).  He was only scared away by a passing truck.

This description sounded eerily like what might happen before a predatory attack.  For the first time, I became afraid of what's actually lurking out there, in the woods.  I felt somewhat safe because Szuka is always by my side (and she's a big girl), but then I read that dogs can be the worst around bears: some run up to a bear and nip it, then turn around and run back to their owner with the bear in hot pursuit.  Szuka, still just an adolescent and fun-loving pup, is goofy enough to do that.

Illustration Source

I decided to do a little research and see what I could do - in addition to buying bear bangers and bear spray, which I stocked up on - to keep bears away (plus what to do in the case of an encounter!).  The number one rule for keeping safe in bear country?  Hide food sources (garbage, compost, etc).  That's kind of a no-brainer, and despite my former penchant for fox-feeding, we've been diligent about not leaving food out.  I have no idea what possessed the former owner to plant two juicy apple trees between the house and the garage.  But then I saw this photo of a woman feeding a black bear and I realized that sometimes smart people just do stupid things.

Photo Source

We had been meaning to chop the trees down, but last fall there were no confirmed signs of bears coming to our yard (we thought we saw bear poop, but now I'm not so sure), and so it hadn't seemed urgent.  Plus, we liked the leafy privacy they afforded.  Well, it turns out that last year there was a big bear hunt in the area that eradicated the bears, but without an organized hunt this year, more black bears began appearing.

A couple of Instagram friends told me we could interrupt the fruit cycle and still keep the trees.  I thought that might be a good idea but suddenly the fruit tree removal seemed very urgent.  The persistent little black bear started appearing daily and I was worried he'd bring bigger, even bolder friends.  Even though he's small, I knew that he could still do damage if provoked - especially if he took a swipe at Szuka.  He tended to appear around the time we went outside to play fetch - and I started to wonder how many times he'd been only a few feet away without us realizing.  One night I decided to read about every fatal bear attack in North America in the last hundred years, and it had me wishing for a comforting episode of The Walking Dead.  Did you know that a woman was mauled to death in her kitchen when a black bear burst through her window and attacked her?!?  Hubby and I decided, definitively, that the trees needed to go.  Right now.  Luckily, my father-in-law was kind enough to drop what he was doing and come by with a chainsaw.  He expertly cut down the trees (digging up the ground around them so the sawed off stump won't protrude) and then we bagged up all of the apples.  I still need to cut down and dispose of the heap of branches, but the larger chunks of wood we'll dry out and burn.  We mourned the apple trees a little, and the heap of brush has certainly not added curb appeal, but I feel a lot better now that the lure of delicious applies is gone.

The bear will still come back for a bit, out of habit, until he realizes that the apple buffet has officially closed.  The neighbours have blueberries that have yet to ripen so it's entirely possible that he'll still be hanging around the area, snacking.  Hopefully, though, no additional bears will be drawn to our yard because we never leave out anything tasty.  At least by the time our little guest grows to his full size, our apple trees will be a distant memory.  In the meantime, I'm not going outside without bear bangers and bear spray, plus I've put a giant bell on Szuka's collar so we don't accidentally crash a teddy bear picnic.

See ya, little guy.

Read more »

Adding Curb Appeal Even With Strict Condo Rules + Small Budget

Now that I can finally show you the outside of the townhouse, I wanted to share some photos of the teeny, tiny little spruce we gave it to boost the curb appeal.  As you know, with condo rules we couldn't change much: the door colour, exterior colour, mailbox design and colour, trim colour, lighting choice, door style - they are all part of a master design scheme.  Don't feel sorry for us though, because that also meant that exterior care and maintenance were up to the condo.  Every spring they cleaned our gutters, inspected the brickwork, made necessary repairs, etc. - we even got a "free" roof.  Although it was unnerving the first time I heard a stranger stomping around on the roof, and spotted a ladder propped against our bedroom window, this perk far outweighed our lack of creative input. 

This is what the townhouse looked like when we first toured the property in 2009:

Looks like someone hated gardening more than me!

The next spring, I made the left side "flower bed" (if I can call that dirt-heap a flower bed) deeper and planted a small yew bush, which I refuse to prune.  Lily of the Valley flowers (my favorite!) were both mailed to me by my mother-in-law and pilfered from my grandparents' garden and transplanted to the right.  We also swapped out the dated brass door hardware for a pretty brushed silver handle and lock (obscured by the condo-issued brown storm door).

 The house certainly looked more loved after our efforts, but I guarantee Martha Stewart would feel embarrassed for us.  Sadly, by the time we went to sell years later our little spruce had faded.  The orange mulch had turned blah and the salt had wreaked havoc on our lawn.  The colourful mat, which was originally teal, turquoise and orange (look at me coordinating) had become disgusting.  Even the mailbox was looking worse for wear.

We didn't do much to get the exterior ready for sale but we did plant some grass seed, splurge on fresh mulch, buy a crisp new mat, and add a colourful potted plant.  Oh yes, we also restored the mailbox with a quick blast of black spray paint.  I still refused to prune my yew.

During our original sprucing, I made a wreath with my Mummu, a devoted crafter.  I added teal-grey eucalyptus (the same colour as our exterior), plus gold and coppery glittery bits to complement the orange door.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
 

These small changes made the exterior of the townhouse more welcoming and helped boost our curb appeal, without spending a lot of money - or breaking condo rules!

Read more »

Unusual, Small Scale Planter Ideas

I have a collection of vintage McCoy planters that boggle the mind of everyone I know because plants hate me and I feel the same.  At one time we had many plants, including a thriving Hibiscus (Hubert, RIP), many cacti, a jade plant, African violets, etc.  They did well in our old apartment, because utilities were included so in the winter we kept it positively tropical.  Once we moved and started paying for heat, things got a little chillier (I bought a pair of indoor boots and I wish I was kidding).  Plus, the lighting is different here and many plants acquired real estate a little further from the window.  Combine that with a lot of traveling, including my four month stint abroad, and the plants slowly died one by one.  One of two may have been put out of their misery before their time.  Hubert the Hibscus just passed away last week (natural causes) and the grandma who gave him to me (and created him from a cutting TWENTY plus years ago) is going to murder me.  Only a much, much smaller jade plant remains (he's the Benjamin Button of my plants, getting teenier each day).

The lone survivor got smaller digs because I found a cute glass vessel thrifting that I thought would make him look less sad and lonely because the scale is more proportional to his tiny nothingness.  I know he should have drainage and blah, blah, blah but the little guy should be happy I even remember to water him. 

This teeny glass "planter" is melting my heart (and looks great with my Iittala collection below it).  Look how many cute ideas there are for when a wee plant is all someone can manage . . .

Tea cups, Corks, Wood Egg Cups, Tin on Saucer, Tin Can, Copper Caps

Read more »