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Last year, Santa brought my son a set of dominoes. He loves them and will get creative after we've built "the largest domino set EVER" as he calls it. He'll knock them down, then lay them down in pairs and build roads for his cars. It just goes to show that the simplest toys are best.

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Someone gave me this old container of salt. I love the design of the label.

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I'm suspending the Miata rehab project until I can find the right steering wheel. Now it's time to tackle the ginormous palm plant that's taking over my living room. It's leaking sap everywhere and I suspect it's infected with spider mites. I am treating it but in doing so, cut off a couple of leaves. A couple of days later I noticed that the structure inside the stalks is really beautiful.

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Miata Rehab project #3: interior

before

The Miata was designed to mimic vintage British sports cars but have the ease of Japanese engineering and reliability. They kept everything pretty minimal, including the interior. I've always liked it to be simple, but I decided to add a little interest. Not bling, just details.

I took the interior door panels off and ripped off the old vinyl on the bottom. I bought a yard or two of black carbon fiber vinyl and used the old pieces to make a template to cut new ones. I glued the new pieces on and reassembled the door panels.

after

I wanted to add some interest to a few of the interior pieces, so I used a flat gray DupliColor vinyl paint to spray the piece that cups the door handle, the upper part of the armrest, the speaker covers, and the vent rings (to bring the color around instead of isolating it on the doors).

after

I also used some leftover carbon fiber vinyl and sewed a new shift boot cover. The old one was ripped and sad looking, so I took it apart and used the pieces as a template for the new one. I sewed it with red thread to pull some red inside. I also bought a new shift knob to brighten it up a bit.

I went a little spray-paint-happy and cut a stencil and added some Ms to the back of the seats with a light, fading spray for a little more interest when the top is down.

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Miata Rehab project #2: Faded seats

before

I've got a base model Miata with cloth seats. I've flirted with the idea of trading my car for a limited edition model of a similar year, but all of those come with leather seats. And if you've ever driven a convertible on a hot summer day, you'd know that leather is not a good option. I borrowed a steam cleaner and washed my seats, but this is as good as it got. They were starting to turn purple.

after

So, in looking around online for rehab tips, I found a fabric/vinyl dye that's spray paint. I'd read many positive reviews so I decided to try it. I think I spent maybe $15 on two cans of black. I taped off the vinyl edges so only the cloth was exposed. I haven't been able to get a good angle to photograph the "after" effect, but it's a pretty striking difference. I am not sure how long it'll last. We'll see.

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I've had various things keeping me from my 365 project, and I'm starting a series on one of them: my Miata. A little background: I bought this car in '96 with 52k miles on it. I had planned on test driving three or four different cars but I drove a Miata first and was in love. It was the closest thing to a motorcycle on four wheels, was no frills, and wasn't terribly expensive. It's also been the most reliable car I've ever owned. Over the years, it's always been cherished but age started taking its toll and I started thinking about fixing it up.

Miata Rehab project #1: broken back window

The back window snapped in three pieces on a night of extreme cold. The soft top is in good condition and I didn't want to replace the entire thing. The window is plastic, so I started searching online for a replacement window and found a couple of people who'd cut the old one out and put a new piece of vinyl in place.

I found some heavy gauge vinyl and bought a yard or so for about $20. I then carefully cut out the old window, used it as a template to cut a new one, sanded the contact points and then glued it in place. I had a hard time finding adhesives, but finally found a vinyl cement that was flexible at Lowes. I glued it in place and let it sit for a day or two before using black tread tape (stuff you put on running boards - AutoZone) and used that to run around the seal to finish it off. It definitely doesn't look stock but it doesn't look bad for $25. And if it doesn't last, I have enough vinyl to cut two or three new windows, all for $20. Had I cleaned it before taking the photo, you'd see that the replacement is crystal clear.

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We finally had some nice weather and spent three glorious hours outside at Whetstone Park. It was a foggy morning and I tried to get us out the door early enough to catch it, but that rarely works out for us. So I was at least able to catch some dew drops. Everything was sparkling.