Coffee Week in Review

This past week on our Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/HassettAceHardware )  we featured used for used grounds.  That's right, after you squeeze out every drop of caffeinated goodness, those grounds are still useful.

Tip 1:  Coffee as an air freshener! I tried this one, and it did work! I have a small pantry, which the previous tenet stored some super stinky candles. So I placed come grounds in a cup and stuck them in the cabinet, and it neutralized the odors! Gonna try it next in the fridge and freezer.
Also save some used grounds under the sink. When chopping onions or garlic, rub some on your hands afterwards, and the smell is gone.

Tip 2:  Hiding furniture scratches in dark wood, and antiquing paper!

For dark wood furnature, you dip a cotton swap or cotton ball in steeped grounds, and rub on the scratches to hide them. Test in inconspicuous area first!

Also you can antique paper with coffee by mixing the used grounds with water (making a watery soup) and letting paper sit a few minutes, let dry and brush the grounds off.

Tip 3:  offee grounds in the garden! Back home I had a friend who grew the most beautiful roses. She even won some ribbons at the state fair with them. Her secret? Coffee grounds! She would save the leftovers from her morning brew and dump them around her plants. The grounds provide nitrogen (Nitrogen: 2.28 percent, Phosphorus: 0.06, percent, Potassium: 0.6 percent), and has trace amounts of other minerals, like phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and copper that plants love. If applied topically it also helps repels slugs and snails. Coffee grounds are great for other plants too! Another bonus, coffee grounds are worm candy! If you have a composting worm bin, they will love you for adding some coffee grounds. Plus they will be drawn to your garden when you add it direct to your soil. Creating an aerated, microorganism rich environment your plants will thrive in. Please keep in mind the pH or reaction of the coffee grounds is considered slightly acidic and in a favorable range at 6.2 on the pH scale.

Tip 4:  Our last coffee ground tip is.. Coffee grounds in your beauty routine (say WHAT??): Yes, you read that correctly! Your left over grounds are on their way to be coming your next favorite spa items.

Grounds for the hair! Did you know before you use your favorite shampoo, you can put a hand full of grounds and scrub your scalp. The course grounds help get build up residue off your hair, leaving your hair silky and shiney, while exfoliating your scalp. Use caution if you bleach or lighten your hair, or are blonde, this could darken your hair. (or in my case help blend the grays away in my dark hair)

Grounds for your skin! Yes, coffee grounds make a great body scrub. It's a natural exfoliant, and helps remove dead skin cells, and grime.

Grounds for your face! How does a Mocha-Frappuccino Morning Mask sound? Good enough to eat right??
Mocha-Frappuccino Mask (Coffee, Cocoa Powder, and Honey Facial Mask) Recipe
2 Tbsp freshly ground coffee (the finer the grind, the better)
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. milk (whole), heavy cream, or yogurt
1 Tbsp. honey
Mix all the ingredients together well. Apply to a sleepy morning face. Allow the mask to dry for 15-20 minutes. Wash off in the shower, scrubbing VERY lightly over the skin while rinsing.

Coffee and cocoa are both awesome antioxidants, so it’s a great anti-aging and detoxifying mask. Coffee also helps with the morning puffiness. The benefits of honey are widely known.
(Thank you, Crunchy Betty! http://www.crunchybetty.com/mocha-frappucino-mask-coffee-cocoa-and-honey-facial-mask)

Bonus!:



ingredients

2 c. almond or refrigerated coconut milk
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 tsp. vanilla (optional--add for more intense vanilla flavor)
instructions

Combine almond milk and sugar in a large saucepan. Slice open vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape insides into saucepan, then place empty vanilla bean into mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking to break up clumps of vanilla. Once mixture has come to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes more, whisking occasionally.
Allow vanilla mixture to come to room temperature. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl with a spout, then pour mixture into ice cube trays. Freeze until completely solid, 3-4 hours (depending on the temperature of your freezer and size of the cubes). Serve with iced coffee, tea, root beer, cola, and other beverages.

Organic Willow Glen Oasis Garden Update!

• We promised we would give you some fun garden updates. So here we go! The Garden is shaping up to be a welcoming backyard park, complete with patio swing!

Remove Paint Odor - Naturally

Need to paint but wish you could get rid of the smell without opening all the doors and windows for a week? Check out Fresh Wave - an eco-friendly, natural odor eliminator. They have a product for every need, from candles, to pearl packs for you drawers.

I use the home spray, the crystal gel and the candles. The spray is great to freshen up a room, the candle has a lovely, light fragrance that smells like an expensive decorator candle and the gel just quietly absorbs the slightly dogginess my office gets in the winter.

Free Paint Saturday!

If you missed it last Saturday, you've got another chance! Come in this Saturday, August 10, and get a free quart of paint.

Remember to enter for a chance to win 1 of 10 $1,000 ACE Gift Cards. 

Fourth Repair Cafe in Palo Alto a Success

Sunday, July 21, was the fourth Repair Cafe in Palo Alto and again, we had a great time.

Here is what the founder, Peter Skinner, reported on the event:

Thanks to all of you who participated in yesterday's Repair Cafe.  We had the usual eclectic collection of stuff come across the transom, including bikes, clothing, cameras, cell phones and computers, lawnmowers, luggage, lamps, toasters, cd players and microwaves.  We saw 3 broken sewing machines and a vintage film projector.  We even had a brush with a Silicon Valley legend [Dan Kottke...known as 'Apple employee number one']  – see my blog post here.



All told, 73 people brought in 114 items. We were able to fix 76 of them (67%)  and partially fix another 14 (12%).  The remaining items were deemed worthy of the recycling bin (provided by Greenwaste of Palo Alto) or carted away by their owners.  Not a bad fix rate!  There were many very happy people when they left.  Here's feedback from two satisfied visitors to the Repair Café:

Just wanted to weigh in to tell you how pleased we were to bring our “old”super 8 movie projector 

for repair and have so many volunteers show an interest in making this family relic work correctly. 

No less than six and more like seven or seven gentlemen had a look and tired MANY ideas to make 

the projector work as of old. At the end of the afternoon with Jim and Casey’s expertise, they 

got the it to almost work correctly. Movies can be seen and with a bit of “hands on” the movies 

can be seen without the flicker that plagued it before. It was a 

solution is to have at least some of the most precious family memories done by a professional unanimous  that the BEST 

and use the projector for family night entertainment. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR YOUR HELP

 

Nick and Barbara Mardesich

Cupertino, CA

Leatherman Micra

Leatherman Micra, the perfect pocket tool.

Fellow FACE* Team member Heather highly recommends the Leatherman Micra mini tool.
Tools include: Spring-action Scissors, Nail File/Nail Cleaner, Tweezers, 420HC Knife, Extra-small Screwdriver, Medium Screwdriver Flat/Phillips Screwdriver, Ruler (4.7 in / 12.0 cm,) Bottle Opener and Key Ring Attachment.

"The Micra is one of the most useful tools I've ever owned. I remember my mom used to have a great set of collapsible pocket scissors that we used constantly. The Micra takes that convenience and practicality a step beyond. Everyone should have one of these in their purse or pocket!"

*Facilitating Awesome Customer Engagement

Children's Miracle Network Hospital 20% OFF Sale

Hassett ACE Hardware is proud to be teaming up with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, donating with each purchase for a great cause!

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals is an alliance of 170 premier children's hospitals that treat an astounding 17 million sick and injured kids each year. Whether they suffer from common childhood afflictions like asthma, and broken bones, or fighting bigger challenges like birth defects or cancer, CMN Hospitals provide comfort, treatment and hope to millions of sick children and their families across the country. There is a CMN Hospital serving each and every community across the United States, and 100% of the money raised locally stays local.

Ellie is the 2013 ACE All-Star. At 20 weeks in utero, Ellie was diagnosed with Myelomeningocele, an open type of Spina Bifida.

Here's what Nikki, Elle's mom, had to say about their experience at Lurie Children's Hopital (a CMN hospital):

"Lurie Children's gave us more than hope; they opened our hearts back up to feeling joy. When Ellie came into the world, she was rushed to Lurie within an hour of her life.  Her back was open, with spinal cord exposed, nerves damaged, hyperextended knees, club feet, hydrocephalus and an array of other issues. Lurie took her and took care of her like nowhere else. Everyone from the transport team to the neurosurgeons embraced us and cared for us and our daughter like family. Ellie had two surgeries within her first few days of life. There were limited expectations as to what she would accomplish. Lurie Children's taught us how to fight for her, and I'm proud to say she has defied most odds given to her.

Ellie has a little sister Mia, and as a family, we don't let anything stop us.  We have a rule in our house.  We don't use the contraction "can't" we say "can try". Ellie goes to school with all her neighborhood friends, and learns in a regular education third-grade classroom making excellent grades. She plays sled hockey, miracle league baseball, dances ballet and tap and is in Girl Scouts.  She can do all of this thanks to the miracles of medicine, and the gift of modern technology, the love of family and the spirit of hope, all of which were received at Lurie Children's. Lurie Children's is not just a hospital. It is a family of doctors, nurses and staff reaching out, hugging you, and caring for your whole family.

On behalf of Ellie, and our entire family, thank you for participating in this campaign.  Every dollar you raise for your local Children's Miracle Network Hospital makes a difference in the lives of children and families just like ours. So, thank you again and good luck!"

Exclusions: *10% discount on power tools and small appliances. Regular priced items only. Excludes propane, labor charges, Stihl, Weber & Miele products. Limit one bucket per person, per sale period.