In Which I Make Light(s)

YOU GUYS! I am amazing. I created light! Like, first, there was no light, and then BAM! Light!

Okay. Before y'all think I've seriously lost my mind (right, I know, debatable. Shut up.) and have some sort of delusional God complex, let me explain.

Remember my last post about my problem with pillows in which I included this picture?

Dude. I MADE those lamps.

Can you tell I'm just a wee bit proud of myself? I think it mostly stems from the fact that the finished product came out just like I envisioned it in my head. This does not often happen. Mostly what happens is, I have an idea in my head, I try it. It doesn't work out right so then I have to try 432 different ways to fix it before it's either fixed enough to sorta kinda come close to the picture I had in my head, or I declare the project dead to me and walk away vowing never to ______ ever again. (Hey sewing machine, I'm blaming so much of this on you.)

Anyway, I had seen in various places in blogland where people had made their own lamps out of vases or bottles. They swore it was simple and cheap and they swore they weren't electricians. (What exactly is up with the prices of lamps? Why are they so darn expensive? I know for a fact it's not because they're made of gold. I walk through lamp sections with a furrowed brow and think, "Really?! Um. NO.") This made me happy because I, too, am simple and I, too, am cheap, and I, too, am not an electrician. The equation in my head went something like this:

SIMPLE + CHEAP + NOT ELECTRICIAN = LAMP.

True to form for me, there was a little more to the equation than I first thought, but not much more. The true equation looks like this:

SIMPLE + CHEAP + NOT ELECTRICIAN + VASE + BOTTLE LAMP KIT + A LITTLE MCGYVERING = LAMP.

I ran across these gold speckled vases at Home Goods. (Hello, Home Goods! I shall have to start referring to you as my Dealer.) I spied one and thought it would be perfect for a lamp for my living room. I started looking for another, and spied its mate, shoved behind a bunch of other merchandise, almost like someone was hoping to hide it and come back for it later. Sorry, sucka! (For those of you into hashtagging, I'll just say #sorrynotsorry) I quickly scooped them both up (for $12 each!) and ran for the checkout.

Then I stopped at the Lowe's next door and picked up two bottle lamp kits (around $10 each) and Target for a lampshade (around $20). I only needed one lampshade because I already had one at home. Then I went home and started to put this thing together.

And then my head exploded and I pictured the picture in my head crackling into a bazillion little pieces because the rubber nipple thingy (oh dear Lord, save me from the weird google hits that will come from that phrase!) was too small for the opening in my vase and the lamp part wasn't going to fit right into the vase part and I was going to wind up in that special circle of hell reserved for my projects that don't turn out and I was going to have to forsake my gold sparkly vases. This made me want to cry.

So I thunk and I thunk, and I figured I could make a circle out of cork to thread the lamp thingy through and make it fit the size of the vase. I know this sounds confusing, but trust me, I have photos and all shall be revealed, Young Grasshopper.

This McGyvering turned out to work (I needed a little hot glue to keep it stable, but you can't really see it.

I had my beloved help me with the wiring of the first one just so that I would be certain that I was connecting things correctly and wouldn't cause the house to burn down just because I needed gold sparkly lamps. It was extremely simple. I mean, like, I'm pretty sure I could've done it while consuming a glass of wine, simple. It involved a couple of screws and a couple of wires. Easy peasy. And YOU GUYS. When I turned on the switch and actually had light? I danced around like Tom Hanks in Castaway when he finally made fire. Seriously. My husband just shook his head at me and walked out of the room. I am woman. I can wire a lamp with a lamp kit. HEAR. ME. ROAR!

Now, before I show the photographic evidence, let me apologize for the quality of the photos. I took them with my phone. Apparently I am not so lazy that I can't run all over God's green earth to find all the things I need to make a lamp and actually make the lamp but I am too lazy to walk into the other room to grab my good camera so that the pictures will actually be decent. Priorities. I has 'em. Um...or something?

Anyway! Pictures!

See? Gold and sparkly! Hello my love! Also: the walls are not actually that weird purple/blue color. Thanks, iPhone.

*Sigh* Luuuurrrve. Also: Dear Laziness, You have made so many things about this picture bad. It's a good thing the lovely lamp makes up for it.  Also, also: The walls are not actually that color.

See how I McGyvered the cork below the ribbed nipple (ugh. google.) to make the lamp part fit? See the hot glue holding it stable? You cannot see this in real life. I was a champ and got super close to take this photo just for you. You're welcome. Also, also, also: The walls are not that weird brown.

Yes, the cord hangs from a weird spot. You cannot see it from most angles. If this bothers you, you could take some sticky tack and stick it to the vase to make it less obvious. Or, you could just have a glass or 3 of wine and then you'll be all "Cord, schmord! Another tankard, please!" Also, also, also, also: The walls are not tan and the word "also" is starting to look and sound weird to me.

So, dear children, what have we learned from this post? Let's see:
Home Goods is my Dealer.
Sparkly gold lamps are the bomb dot com.
Making your own lamp is fairly easy and inexpensive.
The new feminism involves wiring a lamp from a lamp kit and being an independent woman who don't need no electrician.
I am lazy.

Now, I urge thee: Go forth and make some light! (And if you do, can I see it?)

I Think I May Have A Problem

Hello. My name is Sara and I am an addict.

I didn't know my problem was this bad. I thought I could handle it on my own. But I've come to believe that I cannot control this myself. I need help.

I am addicted to throw pillows.

It was harmless fun at first. I would buy a fluffy pillow thinking it would solve my decorating problems. But I'd get the pillow home and after a brief high, I'd realize that I was still unhappy. And so I'd go to Home Goods or Target thinking that I could handle myself. I could get out of there without a pillow. I'd just avoid the pillow section.

But we all know how that works out. You think you are strong enough and that you can just stroll through the pillow section and take a peek. You won't buy anything. Because you definitely don't need a throw pillow. You can get by without a throw pillow.  Throw pillows don't rule you, you rule throw pillows.

And then you see it. The color is perfect! The texture is divine! You have the perfect spot for it! And you say to yourself: Oh what's one throw pillow? I'll just get this one pillow this one time and then I'll quit. So you buy it and take it home and put it in the spot that would be perfect for it and you look at it and it just... isn't. Oh well, you think. It's just a pillow. I'll put it in the closet and when I re-do the  next room, I bet it will work in there.

Except it doesn't.

And you promise yourself you will just. stop. And you do.

Until the next time.

And you keep going this way on this crazy throw pillow train, collecting pillows and tossing them in closets and collecting pillows and tossing them in closets.

Then you discover that you can make a pillow using place mats.

And you think to yourself, this is it! This is the solution I've been waiting for! Place mats are cheap! Fiberfill is cheap! I can totally make a pillow that will be the perfect pillow and all of my problems will be solved!

Place mats are like the methadone for throw pillow addiction. Soon you find yourself addicted to them as well.

So now you find yourself trolling all your old haunts and instead of just being drawn to the pillow section, now you are also drawn to the tableware section.

You find your children pulling you by the arm and hustling you away saying "NO! Mom. Come. On. You do not need another pillow or place mat. This is not okay. It's time to stop."

And you are embarrassed because you have been found out. You thought you had hidden your little addiction so well. But now your kids are on to you and things are just going to have to change.

So. You force yourself into your closet and you pull out your stash of pillows. And it looks like this:

And your face flames in shame as you realize that none of these pillows have solved one decorating problem for you. So you go through them one by one, pat them lovingly, and relive the memories of their purchase or creation. And then you force yourself to choose. Some of them must go. You will allow yourself to keep a few which come into play around the holidays, but after that, you will make yourself be brutal and get rid of the rest. Even--horror of horrors!--the matching ones that came with the couch that is now covered with a slip cover and don't even match any part of your house anymore. Yes. Those, too, must go. You were holding on to them "just in case." But you have realized that just in case never happened. And even if it did, you would be okay without those pillows.

So here are the last throw pillows I've made: (the floral ones)

Yes, they are lovely. Yes, they bring in a burst of color for spring. But you have seen the light. Pillows will not get you out of any sort of decorating dilemma. They will only steal space in your closet.

So now my living room looks like this:

And I'm going to live with it. And it's going to be okay. Because I've done the hardest part; I've admitted that I have a problem.

But see those lamps? Did you know you could make a lamp out of a vase? Want to meet me at Home Goods? I'll see you in the glassware section. I mean, I know I was just there, but I could go again. I don't have to buy anything. I totally have this vase/lamp thing under control...

Skating Into Christmas

Hello! I'm back after a respite. Is a six week gap in posts a respite? Whatever. Potato, potahto. Things have happened. There were holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving. There was football. There was much sickness. And frankly, there wasn't much I felt like blogging. To tell the truth, I'm still not all that motivated to do much of anything. But, since usually this time of year I post a few crafty ideas, I figured that I could keep with tradition and post the ONE crafty thing I've done in--oh, ages. YOU'RE WELCOME. I keep telling you all that I'm a giver. Ahem.

Anyway.

I made these:

Please do not pay attention to my dirty door. Especially now that I've called your attention to it. 

 I could not be happier with how they turned out or with how simple they were to make. I bought a pair of used skates, painted them gray, used a round stenciling sponge to make the polka dots, painted glitter paint on the blades, wove ribbon through the lacing holes and stuffed them with greenery. Oh! And the fur trim? Socks I found at WalMart! Did I go back and buy several more pairs of those socks so that I can someday make more skates? Yes. Yes I did. So now, should Sockpocalypse ever happen, I am more than ready.

I know this could be done even more quickly with vinyl polka dots--especially if you have a Silhouette or Cricut machine. Shoot, I almost did it myself with a hole punch and some contact paper, but decided that I liked the gray. The vinyl option would be great if you wanted to be able to change things up since the paint is permanent.

The moral of the story is…

Well there is no moral since this is a craft post.

Wait. Yes there is. Stock up on socks.

Nope. Definitely not a moral.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email.

Before and After: Table and Tray

Good morning! Is it sunny where you are? If it is, would you mind sending a little my way? It has been so gray and rainy here in the past week that it's making me a little grumpy. Grrrr... But you know what doesn't make me grumpy? A good before and after.

I had this little black table that has been in my family room for several years. It was in my parents' house before that, but when they downsized to a smaller home, I inherited it. It's not a fabulous table, but it's sturdy and has good lines and it fits perfectly behind our couch as a depository for wrappers, empty glasses, pop tabs, dirty socks, pencils, random playing cards and other detritus of the feral goats that live in this house with me beautiful things.

When it came to me, it was light blue. I painted it black. It worked fine when my room was green, but when I lightened up the room and changed the curtains, I wanted something different for the table. Also, I had been dying to try out Annie Sloan chalk paint, so I decided that the table would make a perfect guinea pig for a chalk paint experiment. I figured if it didn't work out and I hated it, it would be easy enough to change.

Bad blogger! I started painting before I thought to take a "before" shot. 

Turns out, I love it! I used the Annie Sloan chalk paint in Greek blue. I used a 4 ounce sample pot and that was enough to completely cover the table. I used two coats, because I wanted good coverage and I didn't want the black to come through because I wasn't going for an antique-y look. The paint dries super quick and no sanding or prep is required, which is a great match for my need for instant gratification in crafty projects. I also used two coats of the Annie Sloan clear wax. The can is HUGE and a little goes a very long way. I barely made a dent in it and will be able to use it again and again on other projects. All told, with the painting and the waxing, the table only took 24 hours start to finish.  The blue is a nearly perfect match for the lighter blue in the family room curtains and it adds a nice pop of color to the room.

Perfect spot to sit your dirty socks refreshments.

The tray was a Goodwill find. I think it was $2.50? It was just a simple wood framed tray with a cork bottom, but there was something about the lines of it and the cork that I liked. So I sanded it and stained it with a dark stain (Minwax Kona), gave it a going over with some paste wax, and BAM! Just what the blue table needed to be complete.

I think the tray is pine, but I'm not sure. I wasn't fond of the orange-y finish, so it was given a sanding and some darker stain. 

I think the table and tray turned out great. Plus, because of the cork bottom, the tray does double duty in acting as a coaster.

Accessories were also found at Goodwill. Except for the cute kid. He's my own unique creation. :)

Now if I could just figure out a way to make my offspring understand that pretty things go on the table and tray and dirty socks go in the hamper...

A Little Crafty: Watercolor Map

Yesterday while spending time in the rabbit hole that is Pinterest, I came across an interesting site that unites my love of maps and my admiration for watercolors. You can find it here.  After fooling around with it for a bit, I had an idea. I decided to print out a couple of watercolors of places we had visited and frame them using some frames I had found on clearance at Target and set aside for later use.

It was a super simple process. It works like searching on google maps in that you type in the name of a city or country and then you can zoom in or out as much as you like right down to street grids, depending on how much detail you want in your map. Then you can choose watercolor, toner, or terrain depending on what you want. I wanted something less graphic and detailed than what you get with toner and terrain. But I could see doing one of these--especially toner for a more industrial feel.

Once I zoomed in to what I wanted, I simply printed. This part might take a little trial and error. My print preview allowed me to see exactly how the map would appear on my paper, enabling me to go back and shift the map around to get the area I wanted since when you print, it prints out the details in the top corners that you don't really want to show. This is how the watercolor of Indy printed out. (It's trimmed down here to fit my frame.)

I found three of these frames on clearance at Target. I wasn't crazy about the fabric insert, but I liked the frame color and the matte.

After I trimmed my paper, I just placed it right over the frame backing (the fabric was glued on here and I didn't even take it off, since it was quite thin and didn't bleed through my paper.) and clipped the backing right back into the frame.

This is the one I did of Sanibel and Captiva Islands off the Gulf coast of Florida as a reminder of our lovely vacation last year.

Voila! Easy, fast, and cheap--just how my husband describes me on our first date. Wait. No, that's not right. Easy, fast, and cheap--just how I like my craft projects. There. Much better.

Just A Quickie

No. Not that. What kind of blog do you think I'm running here? I may regret giving this post that title later when the google hits from the pervs starts coming, but for now, it's all good.

This quickie is a quick craft project I did yesterday. It all started with a framed painting from Goodwill.

I spray painted the frame black because the silvery/brassy/leopard-spotted frame didn't really do it for me. (Sorry I don't have any completely "before" pictures. I just jumped right in and then remembered to take pictures. Bad blogger!) Then I chose stickers for the word I wanted to stand out, in this case, "peace." That word sometimes seems elusive around here and so I thought that having it staring out at me from a frame, well, if it didn't make me take the time to find some, at least it would look pretty.

So! I stuck the letters onto the landscape painting, and then I painted over them in white. I removed the letters while the paint was wet and cleaned up any smudges from any paint that might have seeped under the stickers. And this is what I'm left with. I like it! I like that the texture of the canvas is varied because of the underlying oil paint underneath and I like the variations in paint color in the letters.

Yes, I know I have some touching up to do on the frame where I got white paint on it. I was too impatient to get started and the black paint on the frame hadn't had time to harden completely and I didn't want to risk having to paint it again, so instead of taping the frame off, I free-handed it. Yes, I know that my free handing looks like I'm suffering from DT's. Whatever. I'll fix it. The point is, I took a not so pretty picture from Goodwill and turned it into something I like much better.

Also? I found this idea somewhere in the pre-Pinterest days and I cannot remember where so I cannot give proper credit. Just know, as usual, this is not an original idea, but, as ever, I am a copycat.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I finally replaced my 50mm lens and now I have some pictures to edit. (I'm sure you'll be seeing them soon. Boring family photo alert! Um...not that we're a boring family. It's just that you'll probably be bored looking at the bazillion pictures I took of my offspring using my nifty fifty. Digression over!) Also, I need to do some laundry since my husband came home at 12:30 this morning after a week on the road. And I need to cook some turkey bacon because my daughter ate the last strip. And I should probably go for a walk and a bike ride. After I get out of my pajamas. Ahem.

Before And After: Side Table

It's been a bit since I've had any before and afters to show. It's not that I haven't been on the hunt for stuff, it's just that the stuff hasn't been there for me to find. However, I did recently come across this table. I wasn't in love with the rattan, but I did like the lines. And I knew the rattan was something that a few coats of spray paint could fix.

Here it is before, sitting in our forlorn--but not for long--basement. (Okay, our basement will still be forlorn for a bit longer. But it's less forlorn than it was and it is the project that has my beloved's focus now, so you know. Hope, and all that.) That white stuff on it is primer. Because I had started in on it, having sanded and started to prime it before I remembered to take a "before" picture.

And here it is in our baby poop brown living room. Can you tell that I am tired of living with other people's decorating choices? Because actually, even though the room photographs baby poop brown, it's not. The brown is an okay color. In fact, it's very close to the brown we painted in the master bedroom of our old house. But that's the problem. I am OVER. IT. Done with the brown! In fact, if I were to show you the whole wall there, you would see white patches where my beloved (finally) filled and sanded holes from the previous owners' decorating decisions. Soon--perhaps as soon as next week!--I will be painting our dining room--can you call it a dining room when it no longer contains dining room furniture and instead has a couch, desk, t.v. and gaming system?

Hmm...I seem to have digressed. Have you gathered that I have my mind on several things? That other things are afoot in the decorating department? Yes. The table is nice. It fits the spot and was just what I needed.

For now. It may end up painted bright yellow and be an accent table in the dining-room-that's-not-a-dining-room somewhere down the road. Or not. I am nothing if not indecisive.

I'll Drink To That!

You know me. Give me an excuse and I'll drink to something. New job? Cheers! It's a holiday? Bottoms up! Getting married? Here's to you! It's sunny? Slainte! I'm wearing real clothes instead of sweats? Salut!

And what better way to toast to something than in these beauties?

I found these on Pinterest, but they originated here. I would love to say that they were really complicated and involved, but if you have read here for any length of time, you would know that that was a big, fat lie. I don't do complicated and involved because I have the attention span of a hamster with A.D.D. Oh look! Something shiny!

Basically, you just sponge the glitter paint on the glass, wait an hour, do some more, wait another hour, and do some more and so on and so on, until you are satisfied with the end results. Easypeasylemonsqueezy!

The best part is that once these paints cure for 21 days, they are safe for the dishwasher. Nope. I'm not even kidding you! How awesome is that? You get to drink yummy stuff from a pretty, glittery glass and then you can just throw that baby in the dishwasher and sleep it off not worry about it.

I think these would make great wedding or anniversary gifts and even hostess gifts for those people that you know would enjoy a beverage in a glittery glass. And who wouldn't enjoy that? Elliot Ness, maybe. But everyone else would love them!

Now if you will excuse me, I have a few more crafty things to do around here and then I'm going to enjoy a glass of something of which Elliot Ness would disapprove. And I'll probably do it in a sparkly glass.

Here's mud in your eye!

Little Birdies--Take Two

Remember the glitter birds? As fun as it was to have glitter in unmentionable places, sometimes I just don't feel like rockin' the glitter. So I wondered what might happen if I used a different clay and a different finish.

I had intended to use Crayola Model Magic to make these:

I found them on Pinterest, but they originated here. Model Magic is super lightweight and very easy to work with. So easy that my youngest made her own ornaments using some of my left-overs. I used a Wilton cookie cutter to cut out these snowflakes after I rolled out the Model Magic. After letting them dry (they air dry, so no oven needed) I used some of the glitter paints in Martha Stewart's new line of paints to glam up a few. These paints are really easy to use and come in a wide range of colors and finishes.

I used a stencil sponge to sponge the glitter paint on one side, let it dry, and did the other. Others I didn't do a thing to except hang them with some ribbon. And when I was finished, there wasn't glitter anywhere except on the ornament and the stencil sponge. And God was in His heaven and all was right with the world. Yahoo!

Voila! Easy, inexpensive, and pretty.

Now--back to those birdies.

I used the Model Magic to make the birds the same way I made them last time. But this time, instead of putting them in the oven, I simply sat them aside on some parchment paper to air dry for at least 24 hours. (By the way, I had an ingenious idea to form the hangers on the little birdies' backs--I snipped the curved ends off paper clips and inserted them before leaving them to dry. Much less frustrating than twisting wire.) Then, I used wood stain--I chose walnut stain--and stained the birds, wiping off the excess. I gave them at least two coats of stain. Then after the stain was dry, I brushed on a little polyurethane. Easy. And I think they sort of look like they were carved from wood. I like them and think they go in the complete opposite direction of their glam and glittery cousins.

Back tomorrow with yet another glitter project that involves glassware. Stay tuned!

A Bird In The Hand Is Worth One On The Tree

That title doesn't even make sense. But I don't really care, because I want to show you this:

I knew after seeing it here, after first seeing it on Pinterest, that I wanted to give it a try. It was not hard. Even if some of my birds do look a little like sea lions. I don't care--glitter makes everything better! Even flying sea lions.

I used Sculpey and followed the instructions on the package for baking. I stamped some of them, and some I didn't. Then I painted the little birds and glittered them while they were wet.

I may experiment with some others that are made with a different clay (Crayola Model Magic) that air dries and is a little easier to work. I've already used it on a different project--which I'll be showing you tomorrow.

If you decide to make these sweet little bird ornaments, let me know if you have any questions. Also I'd love to see them. But if yours are cuter than mine and don't look like flying sea lions, then we can't be friends anymore.

You Could Have A Double Letter Triple Word Score Hanging On Your Tree

I promised that I'd be back with something much better than the last post. I hope this counts as better. Well, it involves Christmas, making stuff, and it's inexpensive, so I guess that's lots better than yesterday's post.

While sucked into the black hole that is Pinterest, I began searching for Christmas related things and found something that made me squee with delight. I repinned it but I think it originated with Martha Stewart.

Anyway! You know that I am a sucker for words and letters and typeface--well, maybe you didn't, but if you didn't, now you do. Perhaps you remember this little dealio that I made with Scrabble tiles? The idea I saw pinned was for Christmas ornaments using Scrabble tiles. The original post had Christmas-y words like "snow" and "joy", but I decided to do it with last names. See?

Don't tell, but this will be going in the teacher gift for my youngest two children. I mean, come on! Who doesn't like their own last name? Okay, maybe somebody with the last name of Butz or Pigg or Hogg. But then again, maybe they do. Family pride is a strong thing, you know.

It was easy enough. I just hot glued the tiles together and then hot glued the ribbon on the back. And I didn't even burn myself! Shazam! I happened to have LOTS of tiles, because when I was doing our family Scrabble tile craft, I shopped Goodwill and bought a couple of games just for the tiles. I think I paid about $4.oo for both games. I made about 10 of these last night in under an hour. And some of that time was picking hot glue boogers off of the tiles. So, it's quick, is what I'm sayin'.

That's my kind of craft: simple, cheap, and quick but looks great when you're done.

Stay tuned tomorrow as I'll have another ornament I want to show you. Hint: it involves glitter. Who doesn't love glitter? A cotton headed ninny muggins, that's who! (Name that movie!)

Sittin' Pretty

Hey! I still have my fingers! I am not typing this with my nose! And apparently I still know how to use exclamation points!

Okay. So. The chair is done. (!) ( I had to use one more there because that statement deserved one.) It's not perfect and if you look too closely at it, you will know that it was done by a complete amateur who had no earthly idea what she was doing. So, you know, don't look too closely. Heh. Even if you are looking closely, the finished chair looks--and smells--better than the chair I came home with from Goodwill.

Eventually it will go in the sitting area in my master bedroom. We have a sitting area. It's just right now, you can't really sit there because there's an ironing board, several boxes of my beloved's crap important stuff, and an empty unused file cabinet in the way. (Three guesses who the file cabinet belongs to. And the first two guesses don't count...) But! Someday I will have a sitting area there. It will also have my own desk by the window overlooking our back yard. I will sit there and ignore my children bury my nose in a book that I can't put down. (Speaking of books that cannot be put down, have you read "Room"? If not, hie thee to your nearest book procuring place and get it. It is unputdownable.I don't care what spell check says, that is totally a word.)

Enough talky stuff. Here are pictures. Yay! Lookie, lookie!

Before: Stinky, blue "velvet."

After: Good smelling and mildly distressed. (You would never think those two things would go together, but they do!)

I went with a distressed finish because I wanted a look that would fit into the bright, airy, blue/white/beachy bedroom that I will someday have. My children all told me that they thought the chair looked good but they asked me when I was going to finish it. When I told them it was done, they pointed out the "bare and scratchy spots." My children don't know from distressed finishes. Whatevs. Also, the fabric I had chosen didn't look right to me, but I got a great deal on it and didn't want to find different fabric. So I just used the "back side" of the fabric. I like it much better. That's right. The side you are supposed to see and sit on is facing the inside. Look at me! I'm a rebel!

I am happy. Now I just have to clear out my sitting area so that I can put my chair there and actually sit there. But that's a project for another day. My fingers are still recovering.

It Could Be Beautiful. Or I Could Lose My Fingers. Time Will Tell.

Hubris or hope? Courageous or crazy? Frugal or folly? In for a treat or in over my head? These are all the things that went through my mind when I picked up this chair at Goodwill last week and decided to fix it up.

I have always had reservations about buying upholstered pieces from someplace like Goodwill, but after giving the chair a sniff test (You should be thanking providence that there is no such thing as "smellovision" right now. Just sayin'.) I knew that I would be replacing all the material, foam included, so I gave it a shot.

I am halfway through the project right now. Which basically means that I've rid the chair of its old smelly fabric and foam, pulled a thousand and one staples, and done bodily injury to myself. Because you know that a job worth doing is worth doing well and sacrificing your fingers is just part of the deal. At least that's my story.

Hopefully today I will head out to find foam and fabric and look for an electric staple gun so that I may not totally lose my ability to play piano. Not that I ever played well, but I have found that it's helpful to retain your fingers to play more than "Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater."

I'll keep you posted and either way, win, lose, or lose my fingers, I'll show you how the chair comes out. What can I say? I keep telling you people that I'm a giver. You should totally believe me by now.

Before And After: Who's Crazy Now?!

Remember this?

She's all finished and sitting in my entry hall. I may be crazy for taking it on this time of year, but my crazy got some good results. I love her. I shall call her Blanche because she reminds me of a southern belle who was forlorn and past her prime, but with a little care became a beauty once more.


Also? Blanche is very handy to have around since Goodwill came last week and carted out my old dining room table and china hutch. I needed some place to store the very few things that I kept after cleaning out the hutch and Blanche is happy to oblige. Gotta like that in a girl piece of furniture.

What? Don't you name your furniture? Truthfully, this is the only piece of furniture I have named in my home. But I think it fits. (Will you think I'm crazy if I tell you that while we haven't named furniture, we did name our van? Never mind. Don't answer.)

I was lucky that all of the hardware was in good shape. I was able to spray paint it with oil rubbed bronze paint. It photographed black, and it is dark, but it's not really black. I used some paint I got free from Glidden to paint her and if she gets scuffed up--which, let's face it, in this house is likely to happen this week--I'm okay with distressing her a little bit. I think she can take it. So this project cost me nothing but what I paid for the cabinet ($40.00 at Goodwill) and a few hours of my time since I had all the supplies I needed already, leaving me a little extra green to use at my discretion. (Hello, nice bottle of wine to add to my Life List!)

Now, just so you understand, there will be no more of this project madness until well after the holidays. I have stuff to do--stuff that involves making Oreo balls and Irish Cream cakes so that my family will not feel neglected over the holidays.

And who will ever know if some of those Oreo balls disappear on their way into the freezer for safekeeping? Shhhh....

The Crazy Continues

Who doesn't spend several hours hot gluing hundreds of coffee filters onto a wreath? What's that you say? Sane people? Oh. Well then.

I am definitely insane. And I've lost several fingerprints due to glue gun burns. If I ever wanted to commit a crime or disappear to Brazil, now is the time, since I don't think I can be identified through fingerprints any longer. Hmmm...new identity, sipping frosty adult beverages on the beaches of Brazil...things to ponder...

Anyway! I needed something to go over my mantel this holiday season. Usually there is a very large, very pretty picture of tulips over the fireplace, but somehow the colors orange and green don't scream Christmas, do they? So after seeing these beautiful coffee filter wreaths around the Internet, I decided to feed my insanity by making one.




I am happy with how it turned out. It's large enough to fill the space and it looks nice with my white mantel. It's just how I pictured it in my head. I fully intend on making a smaller one with natural colored coffee filters. AFTER Christmas, that is. I am crazy, but I'm not barking mad. Shut up.

I Am Crazy: Reason 7,853

Who takes on a big furniture refinishing/painting project on the threshold of the busiest, most stressful month of the year? A crazy person, that's who.

Really though. Look at those lines! And she is just the right size for my entryway! And it's wood! And the drawers are dovetail construction! And the price was right! And what else do I have to do this month anyway?

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Yeah. Total. Lunatic.