Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

[Frances]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

Phew! Compared to that, building an oven should be a piece of cake, right?

( ...groan... )

[Modthyrth]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

Not much fruit cake is used over here. I wish; that would give me so much more time to work on the decorations! I had three flavors: vanilla butter cake with rum gogo juice soak and a rum buttercream; vanilla butter cake with framboise gogo juice soak, a thin spread of raspberry pastry jam (a kind of hyped-up, super flavorful jam available to the pros), and raspberry buttercream; and chocolate cake with fragelico gogo juice soak and chocolate hazelnut buttercream. I tested all of the scraps--many times over ;-)--and can safely say that they were all delicious. Nothing beats good scratch baking.

Yep, I did all the gumpaste work myself. I spent a good day making about 500 of those little gumpaste cherry blossoms. I spent another good day modeling the bride and groom figurines. All in all, about 5 solid days of labor went into those cakes. And people wonder why elaborate cakes cost thousands of dollars.

[Frances]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

Wow, what fantastic cakes! What was inside them, traditional fruit cake? And hey, do you make all those little flowers yourself, too? It all looks nearly too beautiful to eat.

[Modthyrth]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

I'm back from nearly two weeks away at my brother-in-law's wedding. I made the cake, so we drove to San Francisco about a week ahead of time to give me enough time to work. The actual wedding cake turned out a bit wonky, but I managed to pull it together reasonably well. Let's just say that an enthusiastically helpful father-of-the-bride, lots of tequila, a center dowel, and a mallet don't mix all that well. But it was free and it tasted good, so they couldn't complain. ;-)

Groom's cake:


Wedding cake:


This evening I was able to get a little bit of progress made. I built wooden supports to go under the backerboard and cut the backerboard to size. I got a neighbor with metal-working skills to drill an extra hole in a steel brace that will span the gap and provide extra support. I'm ready to build the form and pour the hearth. I'm going to try to do that sometime this week, while DH is off at U. Illinois on business.

[christo]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

works for me and I like the concept of giving outdoor rooms a bit of structure.

I may have to work one into my patio plan - Right now it seems a bit huge....

Christo

[Modthyrth]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

The way I've heard the term "pony wall" used is to describe a low wall designed to divide a space, not a structural wall. So it might not be exactly appropriate to use the term in an outside context, but it fit the description otherwise, so I'm sticking with it.

Something like this:

Remodeling : Types / Materials : Pony Wall Room Divider : Home & Garden Television

[christo]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

cool. An oppurtunity to add to my education.

What is a pony wall?

The stone veneer is looking great!!!

Chrsto

[berryst]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

omg...this really does look like fun. What was that you said "over do"?
Not for AZ. I loved the outdoor living during the winter I spent there. Because of the climate its really rather practical.
Berryst

[Modthyrth]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

Nikki,

Looks great! Is that how you plan to finish the oven?

Yep, the stand, the wing with the prep surface, and the pony wall that will go behind the grill will all be faced in the same stone. I haven't figured out what to do with the curved seating wall and fire-pit. There's no way I can make this stuff work on a curve.

[mfiore]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

Nikki,

Looks great! Is that how you plan to finish the oven?

[Modthyrth]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

Here it is, my lovely herb-garden-to-be:


I'm going to have the guy who made the stone veneer make capstones for me so that the garden walls can be used as overflow seating when we're having a big pizza party.


PSA:
In case anyone is in the market for concrete at the moment, Lowes has the 40lb bags of quickrete on clearance for $1.30 each.

[Modthyrth]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

More progress this weekend. Last weekend I was in San Francisco for my sister-in-law-to-be's bridal shower and a friend's 40th anniversary party (two parties, one weekend, now that's a trip I can justify!). I spent several hours yesterday and today filling the last of the cores in the stand and the elevated herb garden. Today I got to start the fun stuff--applying the stacked stone veneer to the garden bed! I've never been one for jigsaw puzzles, but this was very satisfying. I'll post pictures as soon as smugmug is up and running again.

I wore my heart rate monitor today as I was working, out of curiosity. I burned 1600 calories working today. Who needs the gym? I should just become a mason.

[Les]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

I cut it. Metal. METAL. I love this project!

It is fun, but I'm looking forward to cutting pizza. You got a great start and your little helper is awesome! She is obviously doing good work. Enjoy it my friend - before you know it you will be posting pictures of a graduation. :-( :-)
I went to school in Phoenix - I know full well of the heat. The upside is you will probably use very little wood in the summer, considering you can fry eggs on the street.

Good luck with the build.

Les...

[Modthyrth]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

Hey Jim--

Great idea to wet down the stand before pouring. I had my big helper take care of that job:



I only had energy and time to fill four cores today. I have Masters Swim practice tonight, and I needed to save some of my strength for that.



Cutting the rebar was fun! I only wish someone had been around to take pictures of the sparks.

I've always felt able and accomplished, and have always had an instinct to make. I got my first real toolbox when I was 3, and grew up watching my parents undertake all manner of projects. But nothing I've done felt quite as meaningfully handy as cutting rebar. Not building furniture, carving a large dala horse, building a playhouse, building a harp (ok, I was only my dad's assistant on that one). I cut it. Metal. METAL. I love this project!

[SpringJim]

Re: Nikki's 42" in Phoenix, where it's hot as a...

Nikki, you can put a little sand or dry mortar mix on your blocks if you want to help the levelling.....not actually necessary as the rebar and concrete will give you full stabilization but it makes it feel good!.

I would also hose down the entire stand before doing your cores as it will help the concrete flow and cure, particularly where it's hot and dry.

Oh, I used three concrete landscaping bricks to make the arch in the Benjamia oven stand....worked fine!

jim