Took a trip today..

To the local craft store that is.
There were things that I really, genuinely needed, and then, well.. 
There were just those things that caught my eye (and my heart) and they came home with me.
I know I have PLENTY of projects that are in the works (or just being dreamed of; the parts in bags or in bins, or on shelves), but I have a few more waiting now with them..
Loved these colors!  And yes, some are for projects to be completed before tomorrow..  at least before school tomorrow. ;)
I just can’t seem to pass up a polka dot, ya know?

I really needed ALL of these..
You might laugh out loud if you hear how many spoolS of thread I went through on Saturday..

Hi, I’d like for you to meet my sweet tooth. 
Sweets are a necessity for crafting..  these are new and I am excited to try them!

Hellloooo to this color!


Been using a lot of elastic lately too..  for SOME reason..

And I think it’s safe to say that I buy all the large ric-rac trim they have every time I am there..

And yarn…
*Sigh..*
My night time/bedtime relaxation hobby..
I already have two projects going..  dreaming of more can’t hurt, can it?

I also got into a photography class that I have been anxiously waiting for since last year, when the class filled up extremely fast.  It was quite a joyous moment when I got in last night..  it also helped that I set various alarms on my cell phone and sat at the computer 10 minutes before enrollment even opened, clicking the “refresh” button repeatedly. :)
I did give a good cheer for all to hear when I was successful.

Something Missing..

I have been noticing around my house lately, that there a few things missing..
Not like someone came in and stole anything, or that something is broken, just things that I notice need more, something else.
I can promise that this will be an ongoing post, I see a lot.
But the first few are here, just for your enjoyment..
We bought the girls bunk beds a year ago (almost) and ever since the night we put them up, I have wanted to do this:
Make your view on the bottom bunk pretty.
When we moved Peyton in with Ashley, I knew it had to happen.
It is not safe..  think splinters.
And rather unattractive, ugly really.
So I went to Lowe’s, I don’t get to go there as much as I used to  (sigh) and picked up some MDF and light blue spray paint (because we all know how much I love spray paint!).
After the blue paint had dried sufficiently, I conned Merrill in to taking apart the top bunk assembly to lay in the new pieces of wood, and then put everything else back in place.
(He’s such a good sport!)
Then I took an old t-shirt, some white acrylic paint, mixed with some pearlescent acrylic, and using the t-shirt dabbed some clouds in place..
Before:
 
(Bleh!)
After:

Beautiful!! :D
I would like to find glow-in-the-dark paint and stamp some small stars in that sky as well.  I think it would be a fun touch!  I also know that stickers wouldn’t last a day there…
The other area needing some help in this room was Ashley’s bed.  The girl must have EVERYTHING she owns on her bed.
Really.
I have convinced her that certain things just don’t belong in the same area that you sleep in (such as pencils, scissors, stacks of books..) but the girl insists on every stuffed animal and doll she owns be at her side.
I can understand that.  When I was little, I believed that my stuffed friends had feelings and were hurt when I would pick one and not all of them.  They usually slept lined up behind my pillow.
So to help her out, and to free up space on her bed, I decided to put up a shelf.
We had talked about it when it was Lynn’s bed, because she was the same way.

Looks much better now, and there are no bedtime fits thrown when Hello Kitty can’t be located because she is buried under a mound of other fluff filled things.

Lovin’ it!

I love when I get a creativity bug.

I don’t love when it is for various projects of multiple mediums.

I have fabric projects in line..

Jewelry to make.

Scrapbook layout ideas coming out of my ears!!

Two crocheting projects going on..

Some re-decorating and up-cycling to go with that..

I have another digital online class to do and I really am excited to do it..

And the weather outside is gorgeous!!  I want to be there, playing and snapping pictures of the kids having fun.

See, I have just too much fun stuff to do!

So it pains me even more that I find this cute freebie from one of my all time favorite designers, and I have a hot date to attend to.

Sigh..

Birthday Shirts..

Peyton’s second birthday is fast approaching and I wanted a special shirt for her day.
I ironed heat and bond onto my desired fabrics, then I traced the pieces for the cupcake onto the backside of the appropriate color.  I cut those out, then ironed them on, starting with the base of the cupcake.  I sewed around that, using a straight stitch.  I moved up to the frosting layer and did the same thing.
Before I ironed on the number candle or the little flame, I marked where they would be, and did a straight stitch forward and then backward a few times to make a little wick for the candle.
After that I added the number candle and flame the same way I did the other two pieces.


I made another one for my nephew, Tyler, who turned one!  (Where has this past year gone?)
I saw a plush iron on at the store, and thought, I can so make that..  or I can “sew” make that, if you want it to be “pun-ny”  or funny, if you will.
(Someone is tired..)
I used felt instead of fabric for this one, but used the same heat and bond, iron on then sew technique.  I did add a button for his little eye.

I was pretty excited with how cute they turned out!
Go here and here  for patterns.

More painting..

I said I loved it didn’t I?

I had some projects planned for the girls rooms, and switching the girls around, just pushed those along.

I had planned, after getting the big IKEA shelf for what used to be Lynn & Ashley’s room, to paint the little white bookshelf “Peyton green” (aka: American Accents Green Apple). 

More pictures to come on how cute this turned out..

I Love Spray Paint!

I seriously cannot count the number of things that have been spray painted in my house..

Even in recent history, that would make a long list.

I love the stuff.

I finally finished my desk area in the loft…

I am quite excited with how it turned out…

The desk was the desk left with the house, the desk that I was practically praying they would leave!!

The chair was one of my thrift store finds.

Both were loved  a little more, and look a lot better because of it.

I used a latex bonding primer on the desk (thanks Brooke!) and spray painted it, yes, spray paint.

The chair was also primed and spray painted.

New hardware and a seat cushion finished it off for me!

I wanted organization to be prime in this space, so I went to get a magnet board.  Roberts has my favorite kind..  but they were out. 

For weeks.

Being the kind of gal I am, I made my own.  It’s not perfect, I chose the knottiest wood I could find, and I sincerely love all the knots and cracks..

I also made a fabric bulletin board, for those smaller items that I don’t want taking up space on the magnet board.

This goodie was a re-purposed item from the craft room.  Wall space isn’t prime in there, and it got put away until I could think of a use for it..

I used the Storybook cartridge and the Cricut, and now I have a nifty new place for incoming and outgoing mail and notes.

I had to have a recycle bin here, this is where I sort through mail and newspapers, ads, coupons.. 

I found this basket at Michaels, used one of those coupons I LOVE..

Another item, from another room, that got a facelift was this bookshelf that I have had since I was 15.  I love the thing!

It was built by the same man who built my cedar chest.  Both have proved the test of time and my love for re-arranging furniture. 

It was in the nursery, and was white then.  It got the same treatment as everything else, and was painted black.

The metal storage containers are from IKEA.

(I love IKEA just about as much as I love spray paint..)

Now for my recently discovered tips..

First off, prime, PRIME, PRIME!!!

Latex based bonding primers are available at most paint counters.  They can even tint them to help in the painting process for the following coats. 

My sister-in-law Brooke, bought a gallon to use on her project, and she loaned me some of it.

Thanks Brooke!!

It is awesome stuff.

For my thrift store find chairs, I used Kilz which is not only a primer, but a blocker for stains and odors.  It comes in a spray can which makes the process of painting all of those spindles a breeze!

As for the paint..

My new favorite is this type of Rustoleum.

(I am not paid to say this..)

I have used a lot, and if the color I want is available in this brand, and even more importantly, this type of can, I get it.  There are obviously some colors that aren’t available in this type of can, but I love this kind..

American Accents (also pictured) is another favorite.

Gloves…  may I suggest, strongly, that you wear some?

I bought two boxes just like this at Sam’s club.  I bought them to wear while making salsa for cutting and de-seeding the peppers.

(It also helped me look like a paranoid lady, because when I bought them, it was the same week that Swine Flu became the freak out that it once was.)

Turns out they have another purpose in my house.

Wearing gloves prevents the spray from getting on your skin and/or nails.  They are also fantastic for when (or if) the nozzle on your can starts to clog, and a nice stream of paint trickles down the side of the can to your unsuspecting hand.

They are also a good thing if you are painting outside, and the breeze (or sudden strong gust of wind) blows it right back at you.  Thinking of this, wear a jacket that you don’t care about..

(Isn’t this a nice, humorous image of me?)

If you do get paint on your skin, this stuff is awesome..

A girlfriend brought some to me on Halloween.  It was by far the best trick-or-treat visit I ever had (especially considering the clown that came later that same night…)

I smells like butter cream icing and makes me hungry whenever I use it..

It is awesome stuff!

She got gum off of her little boy’s skin using this and a washcloth (with minimal scrubbing).

So that ONE time I neglected to put on my gloves, and got some on my hands, I remembered her telling me about the gum..

Paint came off.

No big deal.

Then, at the end of the day, when your project is all finished, take a hot bath or shower using it.

I promise, it’s awesome!

Mish-Mosh

What to do with all that yarn, you know, just the remnants?
Not enough to make another beanie..
Not enough to make a sock..
Not near enough to make a whole afghan..
No probable scarves here..
Unless….
You combine them all!
Here’s my afghan so far:

It’s fun working with all these different colors, textures, and sizes of yarn.
It is even more fun remembering what projects they were used on.

Thrifty!!

Here's another peek..


If you know me, I won't post it until the WHOLE area is complete. :)
But I was in need of a special chair for my special little desk. I saw this a while ago, and loved it!! I have been dreaming ever since.
I put on my hunter orange (okay I really didn't do that..) and went hunting.
It also added to my list of good reasons to go to the DI.
On that list:
- 2 garbage bags worth of clothing and shoes
- 3 boxes (2 of which barely fit in my trunk..) of other household goods no longer employed by this particular household.
Went there and found no success.
A lot of fun people, but no success.
I was thinking of somewhere close to go, and stopped at the thrift store on Wall Avenue where U & I furniture used to be..
I went there with my parents when I was 3 to get my bedroom set.. the salesman kept playing footsie with me.. creepy.
Now I wonder if I was the one who started it... hmmm.
Anyway, there I found success, in triplicate.


I really wanted at least 3, and I got 'em!
So here's the before, and I will show you afters of each when I get there.
Total I paid $21.95 for the trio.


Not too shabby, eh?

A sneak peek..

Here's another project in the works:


The previous owners of our home left this behind. I was hoping they would! :)
Once the pres (thanks Nat!) and I started to move it out of Peyton's room, I could see a reason why they just might have wanted to leave it.
It's kinda rickety.
But it is on it's way to looking awesome!!
Stay tuned..