Rebecca Beauchemin
Rebecca is a mom, wife, real estate broker, decorator, party planner, chicken keeper, and gardener
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Yellow Front Door
One day I was bored and home with a sick child so I decided to paint the exterior doors the same color as the chicken coop — Egg Yolk yellow! I started on the back door in case it went terribly wrong. A yellow front door and side door would follow. The doors were a brick red and I knew it would take several coats to cover it up. Frist step is taping. I didn’t take the hardware off but I wish I had. I think it would have come out better but taping is okay. Next step is primer. I like Stix primer from for cabinets, doors and furniture. …
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Big Ruler Height Chart
Like most moms, I feel like my kids are growing up too fast. The days are long but the years are short. I wanted a keepsake that would show their growth. I pictured them showing it to their kids when they visit Grammy & Grandpa’s house someday. This Big Ruler Height chart came out so good and was super easy! It also requires very few supplies: 1x6x8 piece of hardwood (I used poplar) small can of stain and cheap paintbrush Sharpie number stencils First step in making the Big Ruler Height Chart: I lightly sanded the wood and stained it. I drew the measurements on with pencil and traced the numbers…
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Rosemary & Mint Soy Candle
Summer was over and the fall air set in. I decided it was time to harvest the leftover herbs for winter meals and projects. I had a lot more Rosemary and Mint than I would ever use in cooking so I decided to make Rosemary & Mint Soy candle for Christmas presents. These would make a great housewarming or hostess gift too! VERY easy project! For one Rosemary & Mint Soy candle you will need: 1 lb Soy wax flakes (if you want a 1 qt candle) mason jar or other glass container (I used a 1 qt green glass mason jar) wick with metal tab (needs to be 1…
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DIY Chick Brooder
See below step by step instructions on how to build a cat proof DIY Chick Brooder for your baby chicks. Please also consider enrolling in my new e-course! E-course | Chicken Keeping Basics | Order Now! Chicken Keeping Basics | How to Get Started Raising Backyard Chickens (Enroll Now for $99) Baby Chicks need 3 things: #1 A Safe Place to Live In preparation for my first flock of chicks I built this DIY chick brooder. I had no idea what to expect or how fast my chicks would grow but this was quite sufficient for the first 3 weeks. I searched for the largest tote I could find and…
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Chickens & Winter
Chickens don’t love the snow. They tolerate the cold well but the snow turns them off. They don’t like to walk in it. This was the first snow my chickens ever saw. They stayed on the only grassy area they could find under the big pine tree. Of course every winter its the same — they don’t leave the coop if there’s even a dusting of snow. Continue reading about Chickens & Winter below. Winter Modifications to the Coop Typical winter modifications to the coop and run are easy. You need to: Protecting Chicken Combs in Winter During very cold temps you may notice your chickens combs becoming purple and…
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Chicken Feed Storage
Rodents can be an issue in chicken coops. They are attracted to the chicken feed. Chicken feed can also attract larger predators — in our area Black Bears. It’s important to have a dry, rodent proof/predator proof Chicken Feed Storage container but I also wanted it to look nice. So I came up with this: The metal trash can is completely rodent proof but I’ve read it can leach metals into the chicken feed so the plastic trash can serves as a liner. I keep this inside my chicken coop so it stays completely dry and protected from the elements. Chicken Feed Storage project only requires 3 supplies: 20 gal…
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60th Birthday Party
This was a party I planned for my Mother’s 60th birthday. I used lime green and turquoise scrapbook paper as my inspiration. I copied old photographs of my Mother to personalize the cake and flower arrangements. Etsy (www.etsy.com) is fabulous for finding unique downloadable scrapbook paper. You can use it in so many ways and ends up costing a lot less than buying actual paper. Plus, you can save it and use it for other projects.
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Max & Ruby Birthday Party
My 3 year old LOVES Max & Ruby. It’s his favorite, so of course I had to give him a Bunny Party when he turned 3. There is only one company who is licensed to sell Max & Ruby party supplies (www.birthdayexpress.com) and the selection is limited, pricey, and too generic for me. I made most of the decorations myself instead. Once I started planning I realized it was going to be much easier and cuter than I imagined. Some ideas: Max Shirt, made with an iron-on transfer and a Max graphic I found online. Based on the Bunny Cakes book by Rosemary Wells… Max’s Worm Cake Ruby’s Angel Surprise…
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Automatic Chicken Feeder
Making this Automatic Chicken Feeder was overall a very easy project and required only a few supplies. Once you find the supplies assembly should take less than an hour. The large feeders hold about 12 cups of feed and the smaller feeders I use for oyster shell and grit. To make a large feeder you need: 1 4in PVC Wye fitting 1 4in PVC pipe about 24in long 1 4in PVC pipe about 6 in long 1 4in PVC cap fitting 1 4in knock-out or separator piece PVC primer and cement Steps to making an Automatic Chicken Feeder: 1. Lay all the pieces out in the order shown 2. Cement…
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Chicken Coop Construction: How to Build a Predator Proof Chicken Coop
(Backyard Chickens 2017 2nd place Coop Contest Winner!) In this article you will find: Our chicken coop began its life as an old, sad, playhouse that we considered demolishing several times. When we decided to get chickens I began researching chicken coop construction. I fell in love with the idea of having an adorable and functional space for my flock. Most of the pre-fab coops you can buy online are very small and didn’t look very sturdy or predator proof. We have 20 acres of woods behind our house predator proof was a must. And so it began — turning the sad playhouse into a safe place for our hens. As…
