KatrinkaJane ~ for all your artsy-fartsy needs

'Poo-Free for Life!

2011-06-29T16:59:00.000-04:00

Yeah, it's not what you think. See the apostrophe? (Anybody else always want to pronounce "apostrophe" with a French accent? No? Just me? Okay...)

Six years ago, I saw a book displayed in my local library. From the looks of it, it was probably produced by some teeny-bopper magazine and talked about hairspray and flat irons. What caught my eye, however, was the redhead on the front. The redhead with long, beautiful curls.

In my flat-on-top, frizzy/wavy-on-bottom world, this was über hair. I pulled down the book, intrigued...then I read the title: Curly Girl: The Handbook (A Celebration of Curls: How to cut them, care for them, love them, and set them free).

Wait, not produced by Tiger Beat? This was a serious book for grown-ups?

Turns out it was one of those moments in time where your life is changed forever. I'm not putting it on par with Salvation or anything, but as far as hair care goes, this was IT. After perusing it in the library, I checked it out. Then renewed it. Four times. Then bought it.

The whole book focuses on celebrating ― instead of resenting ― your natural curls. The beginning explains the science of curly hair. Basically, it's drier than straight hair, which is why it curls up and frizzes. And why using shampoo all the time (which strips oil) is not a good thing for Curly Girls. Yes, my "'poo-free" status refers to shampoo. As in, I don't use it. Ever. Ew...

Well, that's what you're thinking, right? "Ew"? That's what I thought the first time I tried it, too. Turns out, all some of us need to cleanse our scalps is friction and a medium with which to carry away dirt and excess oil. I still go through the motions of shampooing (massage product into scalp with fingertips, rinse away), but I use conditioner instead. I also mix a little brown sugar in mine to exfoliate dry patches (it dissolves). Guess what? I don't get dandruff and severe itch all the time like I used to ― because I'm not drying out my scalp with shampoo anymore. After the "cleansing" step, I follow the conditioning steps for my hair type. Once out of the shower, I scrunch my hair dry (NO rubbing) and scrunch on an anti-frizz curl treatment.

The book divides Culry Girls into three types: wavy, Botticelli, and corkscrew. Thought I was wavy, but after doing the Curly Girl process one time, I discovered I'm actually Botticelli!

Here are my before-Curly Girl and after-Curly Girl pictures:

One of my biggest frustrations had always been how the top of my hair was flat, instead of wavy or curly like the rest of my hair. I figured it was because the weight of my long, wet hair was pulling it flat as it dried. For years, I only ever took showers at night, so my hair could dry splayed out upon my pillow, but it still never quite curled from root to tip. Enter Curly Girl! Part of the Curly Girl drying process involves lifting your hair from the root so air can circulate and dry it, while also lifting the rest of your hair to prevent weighing-down. I modified the method from the book so I could leave the house with my wet hair still lifted and not look like a crazy person while my hair dried properly. Here's what it looks like:

Incognito! You'd never guess there was 3 feet of hair tucked up in there. I get a lot of compliments on this style, and people are always afraid I cut my hair! LOL It's so simple to do, too. Basically, I get tiny claw clips, pouf forward a section of wet hair along my hairline, and clip it in place. Repeat from ear to ear. Then do a second row behind that one, off-setting the clips so they pick up hair from two of the clips in the front row. The long hair hanging down in back gets divided into four quadrants, and each quadrant gets folded over and scrunched up against my head, then held in place by a medium-sized claw clip. Voila! Instant "short" hair. The next day, I take out all the clips and my hair is curly root-to-tip.

My boys are both curly redheads, and we follow Curly Girl with them too. No hassle, no tears.

My husband calls this their "ninja picture". (We were couch jumping.)

I highly encourage you to check out this book, if you or someone you love has natural waves, curls, or frizz. Two thumbs waaaaaay up!

Sushi for Scaredy-Cats, part 2

2011-04-20T23:35:00.034-04:00

We've made sushi several times since my Sushi for Scaredy Cats post but forgotten to photograph the process. We had friends over tonight as a last big hoo-hah before their 3rd son was born. What better time to document our dinner? (For the record, she ended up going into labor the next day, which makes it 2-0 for pregnant friends delivering the day after having dinner with us.) Maybe we should offer a labor kickstart service...?

We never got around to buying a sushi-rolling mat, since our Japanese grocery is waaaay across town. While we were at IKEA, however, we bought a $1.99 Toga placemat to use instead. Whichever you have, be sure to wrap it tightly and completely in plastic wrap.

We started with the fixins for four adults, two 4 year-olds, and two 2 year-olds. We ran out of nori before we were all full, but it was fun experimenting with rice-only rolls! LOL They were a little squishy (and not at all proper, I'm sure), but it got the job done. In fact, we loved them -- you could really taste the avocado without the nori there to compete.

Check out the Sushi for Scaredy Cats post for more details on the "how to" before you begin!

This time, we used julienned carrots and cucumber, cream cheese strips, avocado strips, krab, and smoked salmon --- all pretty cheap, depending on the time of year. For the carrots, we found that using a vegetable peeler on baby carrots, then matchsticking them, worked really well. The cucumber should be peeled and seeded before matchsticking. If we'd had green onion, it would've been a perfect spread. Well, and bbq eel. Yes, seriously. If you ate it without knowing what it was, you would want it too. So there.

You can buy "sushi rice" and rice vinegar at WalMart now, but I can't vouch for the quality. Here's what we did to the rice:

Make the sushi rice according to the package directions. We used 3c uncooked for this dinner, and it was exactly/barely enough for our group. Let the rice cool.
Heat 6T rice vinegar, 4T sugar, and 2tsp salt until it mixes together, then let it cool. Again, this is the amount for 3c uncooked rice. If you find this ratio too sweet/salty/vinegary, adjust it for your tastes.
Fold the cooled mixture into the cooled rice in a large bowl.
Mix a little water and a little rice vinegar into a little bowl for fingertips and knives.

Leslie was a natural sushi-roller.

See? I promised I'd get an in-progress rolling pic! I drew a little arrow so you could see how the mat moves as you roll. First, roll up the end of the mat that has the fillings on it, just until the end of the nori touches the rice bed beyond the fillings. IMPORTANT: lift the mat up and away instead of letting it tuck under and touch the rice bed, or it could get rolled up into your sushi! As you continue, you'll need to lift up that end of the mat when you roll (like Leslie's doing with her left hand, above). Shape the sushi roll into a cylinder by tucking the mat around to the base of the roll (the little bobble in the arrow) and squeezing gently and evenly through the mat along the length of the roll.

FACT: food tastes better when you work for it. Click the pic above to see the Awabdys close-up. They're darling.

Mark tries his hand at an inside-out roll.

Wetting the knife with vinegar water to prevent sticking.

We didn't have any, but you can sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds before flipping it if you want them on the outside of your inside-out roll.

The shark smells sushi...here comes Caspian...

Two year-olds look hilarious trying to wolf down a sushi roll, but it's probably safer to let them take bites. Nori-less rolls are a little less messy, too.

Woe betide her who tries to tell Caspian he can't take every.single.piece off the group plate. Following with "until you finish what you already took" quickly resets the sushi-lover's tantrum clock. (Speaking of clocks, check the microwave to see how long that turnaround took).

Even if your kids won't/can't eat the rolls, they'll probably eat the fillings and the rice.

The ends of the roll will always look funny (top, left), especially if you squeezed too hard when you rolled.

But at our house, there's always someone willing to eat them...for the sake of the photo, of course.

the aftermath

Rescuing Blemished Clothes

2011-03-25T22:53:00.001-04:00

Ack, that sounds so serious!

This post has nothing to do with cleaning, let me tell you. It has to do with having/finding a piece of clothing that is only one small stain (or ugly design) away from usability. I should call it "Save That Shirt"! LOL This will open your eyes to keeping those cherished onesies, shirts, and pants that fell prey to spills. Or, in my case, taking advantage of a super-affordable item that has a less-than-ideal picture on it. Now I'm lamenting all the cute clothes I tossed that had stains or sports on them...and now I'm also spending more at Goodwill! (Like that needed to happen...)

Figure out what design or picture you want on your item and sketch it out to get a feel for the size. Caspian chose Plex, and fortunately settled for just his head. He'd outgrown all of his light outerwear, and I found a great hoodie at our Habitat for Humanity ReStore for 50¢. Well, it was great except for the yucky football screenprint on the chest.

Take some felt (on sale 8-for-$1) and some embroidery thread (which you probably already have) and, in my case, a button from my late grandmother-in-law's sewing stash.

Then make-over your hoodie! Granted, I wouldn't have chosen a grey design for a grey hoodie, but I didn't have silver felt and Caspian wanted Plex, end of story. :) I positioned all my pieces, then Fabri-tac-ed the layers together and stitched each piece down before Fabri-tac-ing them down to the next piece. I hand-sewed the button on (it's Caspian's favorite part). At the end, I fray-checked all the threads and knots on the backside. Can you find the feature I forgot to topstitch...?

Think of all the possibilities! Coordinate a plain shirt to match a patterned skirt, personalize with monograms, the mind reels! Felt is so inexpensive and user-friendly. I was totally inspired and empowered by my IRL friend Andrea, who is a felt appliqué goddess. Just look at this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and THIS, and oh my gosh THIS (I know, it's not felt, but wow). You can do this with fleece too, which you also don't have to finish, or you can use regular fabric, which will fray. For now, I'm sticking with felt.

Got plenty more in-progress pics to come!

Rescuing Blemished Clothes

2011-03-25T21:26:00.000-04:00

Ack, that sounds so serious!

This post has nothing to do with cleaning, let me tell you. It has to do with having/finding a piece of clothing that is only one small stain (or ugly design) away from usability. This will open your eyes to keeping those cherished onesies, shirts, and pants that fell prey to spills. Or, in my case, taking advantage of a super-affordable item that has a less-than-ideal picture on it.

Figure out what design or picture you want on your item. Caspian chose Plex, and fortunately settled for just his head. He needed some light outerwear that fit, and I found a great hoodie at our Habitat for Humanity ReStore for 50¢. Well, it was great, except for the yucky football screenprint on the chest.

Take some felt and some embroidery thread (which you probably already have) and, in my case, a button from my grandmother-in-law's sewing stash.

Then make-over your hoodie! Granted, I wouldn't have chosen a grey design for a grey hoodie, but I didn't have silver felt and Caspian wanted Plex, end of story. :)

Got plenty more in-progress pics to come!

Ultimate Crayon Roll, purse-sized beta: part 1 (fear)

2011-02-13T00:34:00.001-05:00

Crayon rolls have been on my mind.

Unfortunately, I ~~am a control freak~~ ~~am very picky~~ have high personal standards when it comes to my own craft projects.

That "high standard" is otherwise known as "fear"...or "perfectionist's paralysis." I am so afraid of messing up my carefully-chosen-and-irreplaceably-precious materials, I never get started.

Which is why, for example, the bazillion dollars worth of scrapbooking materials I carefully handpicked while I was pregnant with Caspian is still in its cellophane wrapping. Pregnant with my 4½ year-old, Caspian. Still in its unopened cellophane wrapping. Over 4½ years later. (Admit it: some of you just had a mental image of storming my house to rescue my neglected Creative Memories cardstock.)

But technically, "perfectionist's paralysis" isn't quite the issue here. The fear in this instance stems from something I'll call..."my sewing machine."

I've always aspired to sew, but it just seemed so involved. Bobbins and threading and darts and seam allowances and stitch length and all the other big intimidating things that you veteran seamstresses are rolling your eyes at. I received a Janome Sew Mini for Christmas 2009 and, prior to this month, used it exactly twice: to make a tissue holder for my purse and to put together my kids' Halloween costumes last year. My house is still a work in progress — though it's getting MUCH better — so I have to use the kitchen table and living room desk whenever I need to sew and iron. (Remember though, "whenever" means "twice in the last 14 months".) Since I know that eventually, when I get my act together, I'll have my craft desk to sew upon, I keep putting off sewing projects in the hope that I'll get my act together sooner rather than later.

The crayon roll, however, won't let me rest.

Here's how my train of thought has progressed in the last few weeks:

My kids have crayons.
Those crayons are in a box from IKEA.
I need that box to store something else.
I should make a crayon roll for my kids.
It would be great to make one with a denim exterior, for durability.
I should use my hubby's old jeans for that project.
I should make a practice roll first.
None of the roll tutorials have all the features I'm looking for.
I should make my own design.
I've only ever sewn 2 things and go all sweaty at the thought of patterns.
Can I do this?
Aaaauuuuggghhh!
I shouldn't use my sewing machine until I can get my craft desk unearthed.
Ooh, I found a Buzz Lightyear bed sheet that gives me inspiration for my design!
Now I really need to make a practice roll.
I'd better make a practice-practice roll, to get the hang of it before I try to get fancy.
Well, I'm going to get fancy anyway, but at least I can use "normal" materials on the first run-through.

Fast forward past my revolutionary sheet-using design to my practice-practice design, which is more traditional. Well, except that I designed it to incorporate all the features I wanted in a crayon roll: 8 crayons only (for purse-carrying, which didn't exist in blogland tutorials), a flap to contain the crayons, decorative trim, elastic-and-button closure, AND (my proudest achievement) a custom pocket to hold a little notepad! Why hasn't anyone else put in a notepad pocket? My very own design out of my own little head — I'm so excited! I am just astonished that what started as a pencil sketch in my home journal progressed into handwritten step-by-step directions that actually turned into a real thing...which looks like the original sketch! It's like holding a little alien in your hand. Is it really real?!

I can't believe I sewed this thing. And I designed a sewing project! With seam allowances and top-stitching and pressing and interfacing and, and... ((hyperventilating)) Okay...okay...I can do this. I did this! Wow.

The fabric is from the fat quarter wall at WalMart. Caspian chose what he calls "red lava" as the main fabric. The button is from my husband's deceased grandmother's sewing stash, which was given to our family. The pocket was designed for a little spiral-topped notepad (or "handy dandy notebook", as it's called at our house), but I couldn't find ours for the life of me. The one pictured is some freebie from a hotel.

The detailed tutorial and dimensions will follow. You are welcome to make my Ultimate Crayon Rolls or gift them, but full credit AND a link back here must be directly attached, please. I worked H-A-R-D on this design! :D Thanks! As EllieG puts it, "Do not repost without linking back, do not alter or claim as your own. Personal use only."

Craftgasm!

2011-01-29T01:09:00.000-05:00

I seriously wish our family camera had chosen a different night to die.

And I wish that the step-by-step pics I took with my cell phone (when the camera died mid-project) weren't corrupted.

And I wish that our replacement camera wasn't coming all the way from Canada.

All I can say is, whenever I enter my gift wrap area, I have a little craftgasm*. Because I finally got to use this for something ahhhhh-mazing:

...and it was 100% totally and completely my own brilliant, original idea! Yes, that's a 50¢ wooden cassette tape rack from Goodwill. And no, I'm not going to post an "after" or give any other hints until I can take a REAL "after" picture. Wanna guess...? Anyone who guesses correctly wins a prize!

*By the way, "craftgasm"© is a term I coined a few years ago to describe any craft product/project-related moment that reeeeally excites you. Like, the instant you see it, you're...excited. Like, makes your heart rate increase. IfyouknowwhatImean. Kind of like this or ooohh, this!

Yes, that's a Sharpie wall. And yes, my husband knows what it does to me.

Get Well Soon: part 3, finale

2011-01-22T14:05:00.001-05:00

Click here for part 1, prep.

Click here for part 2, arranging.

If I had it to do all over, I would probably hot glue the foam into the basket, then hot glue the stems in as well, using my Crafty Magic Melt Little Dipper Low Temp Glue Pot (which, technically, is still in the package...since I purchased it in high school because it looked so cool).

Despite having reference photos, the final poked-in version turned out a little different than the practice run. It was kind of hard to see some of the flowers on my tiny camera viewfinder, and some of the insertion angles proved a little difficult to replicate on the first try. Oh, and since I just used the foam I had (instead of custom fitting some), there were some gaps where I intended to poke a couple of the stems.

Overall, though, I'm pretty happy with the layout.

A couple of the add-ins had to be hacked in order to be attached securely, as opposed to just tucked in for looks. The eucalyptus bits were popped off of a larger bunch, so I created new stems out of folded-over floral wire. I did the same for the smaller leaf groupings.

It worked!

Everything in its place.

The back, however, was definitely meant to to be hidden! Hey, it's proof that I made it myself, right?

After using my beading wire side-clippers to chop off the stick-out parts, I hot glued anything that touched anything else. Liberally hot glued. If I was selling this piece, I'd probably cover it all up with felt or something.

But you can't tell once it's in place, can ya? This was intended to go on the wall, but you could also use it as a table centerpiece. If you go that route, I'd recommend a round or rectangle basket, since a heart looks kind of wonky straight-on from the side.

I love the way they protrude slightly from the basket — like they're growing, or there's something underneath pushing them out. :)

This picture is just for scale. Please ignore the pre-road trip checklist and the misarranged Willow Tree collection. The latter never got put to rights after the cat fiasco ("fiasco" as in "the shelf wasn't attached to the brackets and he jumped up to hang on the edge and everything flipped onto the floor" fiasco).

Hope you enjoyed my little 3-parter! I'd love to hear your comments, 'cause it feels like I'm typing to cricket-chirping land — or better yet, become a "follower" AND leave a comment! Pretty please, with jam and jelly on top (as my 4 year-old says)! :D

Get Well Soon: part 2, arranging

2011-01-22T02:51:00.003-05:00

Click here for part 1, prep.

Now that all our stems are trimmed, we can actually start deciding what goes where. I laid everything out by color family. Notice what's missing? Yep — little miss obtrusive, the ivory rose. She was too much of a scene-stealer, and this production calls for an ensemble cast.

By the way, don't you love my flower holder? Does anyone not have one of these white wire shelf things, or at least a white wire basket? We have this stuff all over the place (much to my chagrin). It's not very attractive, but it sure is functional.

It was perfect for separating my flowers without crushing them. Or getting cat hair on them.

First, I started by placing the largest blooms, trying to balance by both size and color. Yep, still working with an upside-down basket.

Next, the medium-sized clusters and blossoms were added.

Then the smaller sprigs and single buds. But...uh, oh. Little miss obtrusive has left a hole in her wake. See it? Above the blue mum at the bottom? No, no — above my shadow. (Hey, I'm sitting right under the overhead light fixture.)

She was the right color, but just a little too big, so I decided to do a little deconstruction. The inside of the flower had a little lip on it, so I had to pull from the bottom (which, in hindsight, made more sense anyway).

Off comes the fake sepal (after inadvertently turning it inside-out).

Next comes the little spacer dude, which was found between each couple layers of petals.

I took off the three largest petal sets, then replaced the two plastic parts.

Voila! A sizeable ivory rosebud — not too big, not too small.

Perfect!

Next up, adding the eucalyptus (Christmas clearance).

Finally, some leaves tucked here and there.

Now that I have pics of my layout, I'm ready to take everything out! LOL Time to turn over the basket, put in the foam, and actually commit. No going back once you poke those holes!

Click here for part 3, finale.

Get Well Soon: part 1, prep

2011-01-22T02:31:00.005-05:00

My mom had her other knee replaced at the beginning of December. My goal was to take her some flowers while she was recuperating, but my family spent the 6 weeks following her surgery either out of town or contagiously ill. Besides that delay, my mom doesn't like fresh flowers (they die). YEARS ago, I put together a sorry excuse of a floral arrangement using her favorite fabric as inspiration: cream, dusty blue, and dusty pink. (Yes, her fabric IS from the 1990's.) Anyway, I thought an updated arrangement showing a little more skill was in order.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find dusty blue or dusty pink ANYTHING nowadays?

I had to settle for the spirit of the fabric and colors, but I think the mix turned out great. I wanted something that wouldn't take up any lateral space, so I scoured Goodwill for a wall-hangable container and found two candidates.

Given the color scheme of the arrangement — and the fact that it's too cold to spray paint — I decided against the black. Plus my mom loves hearts. We have a winner! The structure of the basket inspired me to use primarily the blooms as opposed to having any stem showing. I went shopping for flowers (waiting for the periodic 50% off sale, of course) and pulled some floral foam out of my stash.

I used my fingernails to score a line around the third chunk of foam, then just snapped it apart.

I didn't want any of the foam to show through the holes of the basket, so I "lined" the inside with a scrap of coordinating wired ribbon that ended up being the exact length I needed.

Since I wanted to monkey around with which flowers went where before committing myself to stabbing the craft foam, I had the bright idea to turn over the basket and use it to hold up the flowers while I arranged.

First, however, I just needed to get everything trimmed down to size. I used the pink rosebuds as "rulers" for clipping the rest of the stems, since theirs were strong and smooth.

This is my favorite flower of all those in the arrangement (and it was the most expensive...of course).

Some stems would be poked in upright.

Some stems would be poked in at an angle.

Enough flowers had been clipped to fill the basket, but it still needed a little something extra. And man, is that ivory rose obtrusive or what?

My husband agreed that some leaves were needed for contrast, so I chose the stems that had the nicest looking leaves (and which weren't too long).

When I clipped them off, I deliberately left some of the main stem attached so it would stick in the foam.

The leaves and a few gold-glittered eucalyptus sprigs will definitely add some much-needed life to this arrangement. Now, to take it apart so I can get on to the actual arranging!

Click here for part 2, arranging!

Avoiding the Frozen Waste

2011-01-21T21:42:00.004-05:00

Since I've started actually cooking for my family, I've also started accumulating leftovers. I store them with the best of intentions (as I was raised not to waste food) and even deliberately cook extra just to freeze for later. The problem is, I lose track of things in the fridge and freezer; they get shoved to the back or stacked on top of until...well, they're unusable. Ugh. Who knew leftovers could look like that? [shudder]

When I was at Dollar Tree a few months ago, I saw these photo pockets and purchased a couple. I didn't have a particular use in mind, but there were several ideas floating around in my head — posting Scriptures to memorize, putting up my personal affirmations, menu planning, maybe even photos! LOL

Then I thought, why not use them to keep track of the stuff I put in the fridge and freezer so I can USE it before it spoils? I created a simple Word document, printed it onto blank 4x6 index cards and popped those into the photo pockets (which, I was pleased to note, completely contained the cards instead of leaving the edge poking out). Here's the PDF, if you want it!

Now whenever I put something "odd" in cold storage, I write on the outside of the pocket with some overhead transparency markers I found in my marker stash. (I intended to use dry erase but the tips were too fat and they wiped off too easily. The wet-erase transparency markers are very fine and won't come off if I brush up against the fridge.) In addition to the name of the item, I also put the amount being stored. That makes it easy to see if I have enough for a particular recipe or enough to make a meal.

The only problem now is that I need to buy a bunch more of those magnetic photo pockets! They're pretty darn useful.

Blinged-Out Brace

2011-01-20T00:14:00.008-05:00

Saving orphans from ninjas.

That's my "official" story. It's a lot more glamorous than the "I-ran-into-our-steel-baby-gate-instead-of-simply-striding-through-it-and-it-hit-the-nerve-between-two-bones-in-my-wrist" story. Either way, my hyper-stimulated radial sensory nerve ends up in a plasticast.

No, it didn't come that way. I figured, if I'm going to stare at this thing for a few weeks, it darn well better be pretty. It's surprising how neutral leopard print is — it goes with every outfit! I used this picture for inspiration (found by Google-ing "leopard print"), grabbed a couple Sharpies, and went to town!

Everyone at my PT office freaked out when I went back the next time — they thought I'd gotten custom straps from somewhere. :) I spent my next visit decorating another patient's straps (to match her shirt) with my right hand as I did therapy with my left. FUN! Another day, I got to customize a friend's black brace with a silver Sharpie while we were doing some career training.

Next time you're stuck in a cast or brace, find some way for it to make you happy when you look at it!

Repurposing Old Jeans: crayon roll, part 1

2011-01-15T23:17:00.007-05:00

I've wanted to make a crayon roll for the boys for a while now. Their crayons are currently in a plastic box from IKEA, but I'd like something a little more travel-friendly. Good thing it's a newbie-friendly project, because I'm going to have to do a tutorial mash-up to get the one I want. :D I like the fold-over flap from Feels Like Home, the trim from Skip to My Lou, the elastic closure from The Pleated Poppy, and the dimensions from Make It and Love It or The Idea Room (since my crayons are the tall twisty kind too). The idea to use vinyl inside is great, too (like on Stitched Boutique).

As if that wasn't enough, I got the bright idea to use some of my hubby's discarded jeans (which, he knows now, go straight into my fabric stash) so the roll will be durable. Is that even possible?! (UPDATE: Craft Knife used upholstery samples from Goodwill, so probably.) (LATER UPDATE: Craft Knife also did it in denim and corduroy!) We'll see if my machine can handle it. This thing is going to end up being the size of a duffle bag, isn't it...?

My 1st Fascinator

2011-01-05T00:05:00.010-05:00

Oh. My. Word.

I'm going to have to start a support group: Fascinator-Makers Anonymous. This is seriously addictive stuff, people.

I've always wanted one for myself, but you know how you can't bring yourself to purchase something that you know could be made at home for a fraction of the cost? They've always fallen into that category for me, but I never seemed to get around to it. Well, over Thanksgiving weekend, I got around to it.

MATERIALS:

* craft felt (even scraps!)

* adhesive of choice

* scissors

* alligator clip

* seed beads

* fake flower petals

* circles to trace around, if desired

* marker for tracing, if desired

I used all materials I had on hand, so this was a FREE project! If I had it to do over, I'd use Fabri-tac instead of hot glue, but overall it turned out well. This is a mostly-word-free tutorial, so comment with any questions!

(box of post-Halloween black rose petals from Goodwill)

trim for the next layer down

or just trace the next layer's petals smaller

trim as desired

didn't quite look right on cream

don't forget to clean off the extra hot glue dribbles

plenty left over!

I trimmed my dribbles with tiny sewing scissors.

pajamas and right-before-bed face are not required for this craft

Off-Season Scores ~ Birds & Baubles

2011-01-04T13:03:00.006-05:00

Wow, I had no idea I'd get so caught up in the after-Christmas clearance craze. There's so much to share, but I'll just start with a couple of teasing tastes. Come back later for the full rundown!

There's stuff you don't need:

There's stuff you do need:

There's stuff that reminds you of you:

There's stuff that reminds you of other people:

And there's even stuff that was actually on your "to find when it's on clearance" list:

MUCH more to come, so bookmark this post and come back!

Off-Season Scores ~ 1st Linky Party!

2011-01-04T11:24:00.006-05:00

Attention, all 15 of my followers: KatrinkaJane is starting a "linky party" for Off-Season Scores!

"Self?" you wonder, "Why don't I remember seeing Off-Season Scores on this blog before?!" No, no — don't chastise your subconscious mind. I just invented it. When I saw some darling little ceramic bird ornaments in Target for 25 cents after Christmas, I immediately thought of Beckie and Sarah. Then I realized that, inevitably, we all find treasures at post-holiday sales that others might like to hurry and snatch up as well! If we share our squeal-worthy finds right away, we can tip off our readers (Hi, mom!) as to which stores' Chaos Bins™ are worth digging through.

When you have a successful shopping trip hitting the after-Christmas/Easter/Valentine's/Independence Day/Thanksgiving/etc. sales, post about it on your blog and link up here. Whether it's just a single item or a whole trunkful, show us what's out there! It'd be great if you also shared some tips in your blog post for where to look and what discount you found, as well as any creative ideas you have for using your seasonal/holiday finds in non-seasonal/holiday crafts (see my "Birds & Baubles" in linky spot #1, for examples).

Time to link up! If you don't have any pics handy, you now have an official excuse to go shopping in order to get more linky party fodder. ;) Each party is good for a CALENDAR MONTH (until the next holiday's clearance), so spread the word!

All I ask is that you put KatrinkaJane's Off-Season Scores button in your post or on your sidebar, linking back to this blog. (Please don't just start your own OS linky party.) Thanks! The code for this button is below, and also available on my sidebar.

P.S. If you have a brilliant "linky party" idea and want to make a custom button, I recommend the tutorial at Oikology 101.

Off-Season Scores for January 2010:

Secondhand Scores ~ 1st Linky Party!

2011-01-01T22:11:00.010-05:00

Attention, all 15 of my followers: KatrinkaJane is starting a "linky party" for Secondhand Scores!

When you have a successful shopping trip to a Goodwill/Salvation Army/ReStore/yard sale, post about it on your blog and link up here. Whether it's just a single item or a whole trunkful, show us what's out there! It'd be great if you also shared some tips in your blog post for finding secondhand treasures (see my "Leather & Links" in linky spot #1, for example).

Time to link up! If you don't have any pics handy, you now have an official excuse to go shopping in order to get more linky party fodder. ;) Each party is good for a week, so spread the word!

All I ask is that you put KatrinkaJane's Secondhand Scores button in your post or on your sidebar, linking back to this blog. (Please don't just start your own SS linky party.) Thanks! The code for this button is below, and also available on my sidebar.

P.S. If you have a brilliant "linky party" idea and want to make a custom button, I recommend the tutorial at Oikology 101.

Upcycled Sweater-into-Stocking

2010-12-09T12:52:00.006-05:00

My brother brought his rockin' girlfriend (K) home for Thanksgiving, so they won't be able to be with us for Christmas. Therefore, we did a little Christmasing while they were here. Since I'm always looking for a valid ~~excuse~~ reason to craft, I thought a homemade stocking would be a welcoming gesture. K's favorite color is purple, her style seemed to be a little eclectic chic, and she loves high heels, so I set out to create a high-heeled stocking in purple. (And any high heel "worth having" must come with a red sole, right? :)

MATERIALS
$1.00 ~ Gap Wool Sweater, Habitat for Humanity ReStore

$0.13 ~ Red Sparkle Felt, Hobby Lobby (after Christmas 2009)

$1.99 ~ Bag of Assorted Craft Thread/String Stuff, Salvation Army Retail Store

$4.79 ~ 30" Plume of Feathers, JoAnn

-------

BUT I still have 3/5 of a sweater, 16/17 of the felt sheet, 99% of the craft thread, and 5 feathers left over. So instead of $7.91, it's really more like, 40¢ + 1¢ + 2¢ + 80¢ = $1.23! Oh, plus a pin back and some SuperGlue, which I already had.

Tutorial to come — just wanted to get the pics up first!

GIVEAWAY: Silhouette

2010-11-28T01:32:00.013-05:00

Hey, blogland!

If you have ever been a grade school teacher (or coveted their bulletin board trimmings), you've probably wished you had a die cut machine at your house. Remember these hefty puppies? Ker-chunk!

Well, Ellison branched out into the craft world with its Sizzix home die cut machine. Several systems have spawned off of that, eventually leading to the development of an electronic die cut machine: the Cricut. If you have never seen the Cricut infomercial, you have missed out on some serious craft porn.

Without having used one personally, the only unfortunate thing I can see about a Cricut is that it requires cartridges. As in, a different one for each font or graphics set. BUDGET FAIL

Enter the Silhouette!

Aside from its cartridge-less-ness (yes, it's a word now), there are some other differences as well, which Silhouette has outlined here. One that isn't mentioned is Silhouette's recommendation by Beckie, of Infarrantly Creative fame, and that's enough for me! Well, more like "Beckie's ringing endorsement supported my personal research," and that's enough for me. :D

Want to know what else is great? Well, two things really. First, you can enter to win a FREE Silhouette system on any/all of these fine blogs:

House of Hepworths ~ Monday, 10pm CST
Infarrantly Creative ~ Sunday, midnight EST
Thrifty Decor Chick ~ Sunday, 8pm EST
We Are THAT Family ~ Sunday night
Tatertots & Jello ~ Sunday, midnight MST
How Does She? ~ Sunday sometime...?
Love Stitched ~ Monday, 9pm

Second, you can purchase a Silhouette system for a very deep discount on Cyber Monday! Decide whichever of the above blogs is your favorite (they probably get credit for the number of people they refer) and use her discount code to save almost $200 on a sweet Silhouette package.

I was planning to choose a Cricut Create as my Star Consultant prize this quarter, but I think I'd rather just take advantage of the Silhouette deal as my one-and-only Christmas present from my husband. Then I can have a die cut machine AND choose a prize! I'm thinking...the Dooney & Bourke Chiara bag? Maybe the gift card? Don't have to decide until December, so I'll put some thought into it.

I am participating in Infarrantly Creative and Tatertots and Jello’s Blog Hop for a chance to win a Mint Cleaner. It is the revolutionary machine that cleans your hard floor surfaces for you.

Click here to join the blog hop and a chance to win!

The Mint Cleaner is available at the following places:

Amazon
The Mint Cleaner

HSN

Bed, Bath & Beyond

Weekend in French Lick

2010-11-08T14:18:00.004-05:00

No, it's not as dirty as it sounds. French Lick is a town in Indiana with a couple of fabulous luxury resorts. This past weekend, about 300 beauty consultants got to stay there (tax write-off!) for a training retreat put on by our (in my case, adopted) National Sales Director, the incomparable Linda Toupin.

I'll add more later, but here's what we did Friday night:

Members of the Future Holly Brown National Area (plus 1 groupie ☺) made quite an impact at the country costume night for the 2010 Toupin Area Fall Retreat! Thanks to my hubby for creating the theme song CD and to The Barons quartet for the jokes that inspired our MK version of Hee Haw's "Cornfield" sketch.

Here are our jokes:

Christine Hayes: Hey, Sharon! Did you hear that the Top Directors just got back from a cruise to Greece?!
Sharon Rawlings: Yeah, but did YOU hear what happened when a pink cruise ship crashed into a purple cruise ship?
Christine: No! What?
Kathy Baggerman: Everybody got MAROONED!

Marva Moberly: Hey Hannah, what do you have in that sack?
Hannah Wheeler: [hold up imaginary sack] Look Books!
Marva: If I guess how many are in there, will you give me one?
Hannah: If you guess how many are in there, I’ll give you BOTH of them!

Holly Brown: Doctor! Hey, doc! I haven’t seen you since you gave me my last physical.
Erma Anderson: Well hi, ____. How are you?
Holly: I’m doing great thanks to you. I’ve done exactly as you said after my physical. You told me I “was a HOT MAMA and to be CHEERFUL”.
Erma: What?! I told you you “had a HEART MURMUR and to be CAREFUL!”

Hilary Fiskeaux (me): Knock, knock…
Melissa Noe: Come on in!
Hilary: No, no, no, no — it’s supposed to be a “knock, knock” joke…so…Knock, knock…
Melissa: Come on in!
Hilary: No, no — it’s a “knock, knock” joke. I’ll help you: I say “knock, knock” you say “who’s there”.
Melissa: Oh, okay, I think I’ve got it. Go ahead.
Hilary: Knock, knock…
Melissa: Who’s there?
Hilary: Ryan Rogers
Melissa: Come on in!

Holly: So long everybody!
Melissa: We'll see you in Houston on...
Everybody: [up] Heeeeee-haw!
Christine: That’s all!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T21:45:00.001-04:00

When Caspian saw the colorful wings at Dollar Tree in September (or was it August?), he immediately declared that the entire family would be faeries: green for him (grass/-hopper faerie) and orange for Perrin (pumpkin faerie). Since I actually OWN a sewing machine now, I was excited to combine crafting with thrifting to create some boy faerie costumes.

I made my own "Asian green jewel beetle" faerie wings using wire hangers, pantyhose, and craft paint. Caspian's leggings were from a thrift store, his tunic used to be an Indian costume from the Peddlers' Mall, and his leafy headdress (also seen on Perrin) was made from elastic and craft leaves. Perrin's tunic used to be a pillow case from Goodwill.

Eventually, I'll get the full step-by-step tutorials up. For now, here are some action shots. (And yes — when the day finally came, Caspian refused to wear the wings that inspired it all.)

Silhouette Giveaway!

2010-08-07T17:05:00.004-04:00

If you aren't already a follower of Infarrantly Creative...what's your freakin' problem? :) No, really, you should be. Especially because she's giving away a Silhouette machine! You can enter any time before midnight TONIGHT by clicking here and following the instructions.

Of course, I'm fine if you don't. That increases my chances by .00001%.

Outdoor Framed Art

2010-07-08T10:32:00.020-04:00

Looking for an alternative to a wreath or door hanger? Our glass door precludes many a dimensional wreath (due to squishing)...but the big blank brick wall next to the door was fair game!

For this outdoor piece, I repurposed an old window frame insert, found at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore...on 50% off day!!! It cost me a whole quarter. (BTW, when you see what all I got that day for a total of $10, you may hate me. Be sure to follow this blog anyway, to see what I do with it all.) I wasn't sure what I would do with the insert except hang things in the openings. Then I remembered our porch decor. Which, as of July 7, looked like this:

Yes, that is a Christmas decoration. In July. We forgot to take it down when we put away the door wreath and haven't bothered/remembered since. It's better than a blank wall, right? Well, this is even BETTER! It even matches the brick and the deep red door.

If the paper looks familiar, you've probably seen my desk. That also makes this art piece a great transition between the outdoor decor and the indoor decor. In order to be able to reuse these now-discontinued patterns in a variety of sizes, we scanned the full sheets into the computer. Here's how I made the art piece:

This beauty just caught my eye, leaning up against some random cabinet at our local ReStore. The checkout gal told me it's supposed to be an insert in a window frame, but there was no frame there.

100% wood!

It had four of what I thought were painted-over screws.

When I sat down with a screwdriver, it turned out they were heavy-duty pushpins.

Here come the pliers! I botched the first one (snapped the end off and had to really work to get the pin out), but my almost-4-year-old put me in my place.

After the kids were in bed, I tried mocking up a layout on my computer to see where I wanted each of my four designs to go. My computer kept crashing, so I fell back on using Unifix cubes from my college math manipulatives kit.

I had two lighter papers and two darker ones, so I rearranged and rearranged until I got a randomish pattern I liked.

Now, what to tie them together with...? Something that won't compete with the busy patterns. Something that will offset the geometrics with something softer and more girly. Why in the world did I even ever buy all that raffia? 'Cause it was a dollar, that's why. I went with the neutral, lacy-edge ribbon.

Each "panel" is exactly 1/3 of a sheet of paper — 3.67" x 8.5". Here, I printed one set, then realized it didn't print the same color as it was on-screen. I color-corrected and reprinted, then decided I kind of preferred the greener cast for this project. You can bet I turned over that cardstock and printed on the back! LOL

Confirm your layout. Block your toddler. Wish your shorts were longer.

I laminated the cardstock and trimmed, leaving a 1/8-1/4" border of plastic, and pressed around the edges to seal them more firmly.

I decided it wasn't quite weathered enough just to leave as-is, so out came the spray paint. This was the only white can I had. Hey, it also says "wood" on it. I also clear-coated it for longevity.

While it dried, I marked 1/4" from the top and bottom of each panel and marked the center so I could punch the holes. I chose a square hole punch so the ribbon would sit flat. IF I HAD IT TO DO OVER, I might punch my holes before I laminated, so the holes would also be weather-proof. Of course, you'll also have to punch the holes again, with a smaller-size punch, to leave a ring of protection around the hole. Okay, nevermind. I'd just do it the same way again.

Since I didn't punch them first, I clear-coated them instead.

If you do it this way, be sure to wipe off the excess, front and back.

Center your panel, measure from the edge of your frame (L) to the panel's nearest hole, double that number, and add whatever you think you'll need for tying it or gluing it.

Also measure in the "middles" from hole to hole, double it, and add whatever you think you'll need for tying it or gluing it.

My random ribbon stash roll had enough for all six edge ribbons and all six middle ribbons, plus a little bit left over. Yay!

Here are my measurements. I chose to add 2" to each ribbon for overlap, since I plan to glue, not tie/bow.

After laying out my panels on the table and threading each ribbon through, I realized that I needed to glue on the backside, not the front. So flip your panels onto their backs, being sure to reverse them left-to-right as well (like a mirror image).

Then lower the frame (also upside-down) over top of them and straighten out your panels.

The pretty centers of the ribbon should be under the upside-down frame, so they end up in front of the frame when you turn it over.

Tape down your frame to the work surface. Center your panels and tape them down too.

Pull the end ribbon taut (or leave it loose if you prefer that look).

Hot glue it profusely while it's still taut — don't let your slack go!

Overlap your middle ribbon ends and hot glue profusely, maintaining tautness.

I was almost afraid to turn it over...

Ta-da! Just great! I'd initially toyed with the idea of hanging it on the front door itself, since I'm plagued with only making wreaths-that-don't-fit-behind-the-storm-door-without-squishing, but the brick next to the door needed it more. Now, it just needs a hanger to fit over the porch light.

I took the leftover ribbon (27.25" if you're wondering) and taped about 2" of one end to some scrap paper, then aligned it where I wanted one end of the hanger to be (aligned with one of the interior frame slats). I looped the ribbon over and taped down the other end where I wanted it to be (aligned with the other interior frame slat). Clear as mud? (BTW, that's not a real bath pouf; it's the one we use for painting.)

Before I untaped the ribbon, I marked where it hit the edge of the back of the frame (not the top of the decorative front, the putty-colored back support thing). The marks won't show if you lay the ribbon facedown.

To give it a more polished look — and for strength — I cut another length of ribbon off of the second roll of matching ribbon, which I so fortuitously had in my stash. I made that ribbon double the first one (54.5" instead of 27.25") so I could double it over, making the hanger look like three ribbons. If I was doing this project from a new roll, I'd just make it the full 81.75" and fold it over twice.

Eeek! My first staple gun experience! (Thank you, honey, for buying me a brand new staple gun to replace the "bargain" I found at the ReStore for which staples are no longer made.) I used 1/4" staples.

Yes, my left hand went on top of the end of the stapler when I stapled; my husband just happened to take an in-between picture.

Before I stapled, I taped the three ribbons together at both ends. First I placed the stack of ribbons on the center of a piece of tape, thereby securing the bottom ribbon. Then, with the top ribbon out of the way, I folded one end of the tape over the center ribbon in the stack.

Then I laid the third ribbon back on top and secured it with the other flap of tape. My wonky method kept the center ribbon from shifting as I worked.

Now it hangs!

I thought I was finished, but it looked kind of...stark and geometric. It needed something to pull out the flowing, feminine details and balance all the harsh lines, but without competing with the busy patterns OR ruining the orderly flow of the piece. I decided on matching ribbon rosettes. After much deliberation, it became clear that the least-obtrusive place for them was at the hanger points.

Once I figured out the size I wanted (by holding it up to the frame, above), I measured the span of the rosette, just in case I accidentally let go before gluing.

Turns out you can just use a tiny dab of hot glue on a project. Who knew?

After many agonizing minutes debating center pieces, I ended up using small, clear rhinestones (leftover from our wedding — be sure to ask "from what", if you want a super-clever idea for your wedding).

Ahh, that's better!

The great thing is, you could totally make this reversible for the seasons. Just paint both sides (even two different colors, if you're careful!) and print different patterns/quotes/letters/pictures on the back side of each panel. Maybe your family name? A holiday message? All you'd have to do to make it reversible is secure the ribbon in a different way (or just tie each one as a bow), add something fancy to cover up the staples on the back, and voila! Transitional, seasonal decor. You could even make it switch-out-able if you wanted.

I chose to use these patterns because I love them and already have them in my house, but fortunately the palette is appropriate for every season except winter. Good thing I have that jingle bell thing to replace it with! You know, I toyed with the idea of using this as a two-sided indoor piece to display our house rules (which have yet to be posted in our house), since we have 9 family rules and 9 life rules, but I didn't want to have to turn it over every time I referred to it.

ETA: My cold lamination did not hold up well to rain. I got water damage all around the edges of the panels and, particularly, around the holes I punched for the ribbon. I've got a couple of mods in the works, so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading! PLEASE comment — I love them! Or even better, follow! :D

Magic-Reveal Visor

2010-06-29T13:34:00.011-04:00

I love watching my son create. He is so intense and focused, like there's something inside him bursting to get expressed in a particular way. He's 3½.

Our local $1 store has a pretty varied craft section, including a rainbow of foam sun visors. I knew when I saw them that they'd be an awesome craft for my red-haired-and-therefore-sunburnable son Caspian (if he makes it, he'll be more likely to wear it, right?). He chose a white one to decorate.

First, I laid out a couple sheets of newspaper and taped the edges down on the table (including wrapping a little around the edge of the table). Since he usually doesn't like to wear clothes around the house, I didn't bother with a smock. I also removed the little plastic curlicue that holds the visor onto your head.

I offered spray painting, brush painting, and markers as choices for decorating; he decided he'd like to start with markers and move to brush painting. He asked me to draw his name on the visor for him (specifying "small" and "open letters"), then he colored all over it (both in his choice of Sharpie color: blue). Since his name was now obscured by scribbles, I went over the letters again in silver Sharpie. Then I set out my meager selection of plain ol' craft paint and let him choose where to start. He used bristle and foam brushes, plus a bath pouf that was in our painting supplies box. The cool thing is that although he eventually covered the entire visor with paint, when it dried, you could "magically" see the marker again!

I'm pretty sure we'll be doing this craft at his fourth birthday party next month. Instead of gifts (Lord knows he doesn't need any more toys), I'm going to ask each parent to bring 3-4 bottles of acrylic paint and an old shirt or smock for her child to wear. I'll get a visor for each kid and they can go to town! The acrylic paint cleans up so easily, and the parents can have fun by helping their kids use the Sharpies in the beginning. By the time the party is over, the visors should have magically transformed!

"Wait, mommy — you need wings."

Yes, they're magnet clips.

First, silver paint...

Then switch brushes...

Now purple...

He asked me to fill it in the rest of the way with the purple, then he decided to cover up the silver and the marker, too:

Now brown!

Then a big ol' dab of white, spounced all over with a bath pouf. Fun!

completely covered

set it out to dry where kids and cats can't reach

LOVE the texture from the pouf!

All dry...and look what happened!

Even the under-colors became visible beneath the white texture layer!

Please feel free to ask questions in comments, and I'll flesh out the tutorial. I ♥ comments and followers! :)

the CSI project: wall challenge, entry #3

2010-06-24T09:51:00.018-04:00

This is probably one of my favorite projects, probably because so much work went into it. It's always nice when the things you look at every day make you happy. Teal+iridescence+bling+organization+personalization=a happy KatrinkaJane.

This started as a $1.50 memo center from Goodwill. Holes, scrapes, and old wood don't fit into my decor (Lying! They totally match 79% of the stuff at my house, unfortunately), so I bought this with the intent to paint it. Now, what does match my preferred decor is anything painted with Bahama Sea spray paint. Yay! Now that's a big can of happy. It looked a little one-dimensional just in the teal, so I lightly spritzed it with some Sesame Shimmer spray paint as well. After staring at it and pawing through my stash for inspiration, I decided to use more of my iridescent teal marbles to mosaic the top. They were a little large to use alone, so I interspersed them with some smaller ones I picked up at WalMart ($3 for a big bag of teal and green mixed). It still looked kind of ordinary, so I found some gorgeous, blingy, faceted beads in my stash to sprinkle throughout. They really make the most of all those plain little nooks and crannies! (Anybody know the difference between a nook and a cranny, without Googling it?) Add some custom push pins and you're ready to go!

Arrrghhh! How'd that happen?! It won't even scrape off with a razor. :p

Ummm...no...that's not my kitchen counter, post-lunch...why?

I had no short, flat push pins, so I modified the ones I had.

This is how my mom used to poke holes in Barbie's back so the wings from another doll could stick in. :)

Add a little E-6000...

Find a high-contrast image...

This is the difference between tracing around the marble with a pencil (outer ring) and what actually fits well on the bottom of the marble.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who manages to glue shut her Mod Podge every single time...?

random bling from my bead stash = cute pushpins

Comment with questions, and I'll flesh out my "pictutorial" as needed!

Please check out my other two CSI "wall" entries!

the CSI project: wall challenge, entry #2

2010-06-24T09:37:00.011-04:00

I like to call this "Olan Mills to Oh, My!" :) 'Cause I'm dorky like that. It started as a blonde wood Olan Mills frame I picked up for $1.50 at Goodwill. You can barely see the cute flower carving with all that blonde woodgrain overwhelming it. I started by painting it with Bahama Sea and then brought out the details with some Midnight Blue acrylic (went from brush to rag to fingers). It looked a little blah, so I mixed more Midnight Blue with some Metallic Teal and finger-smushed the rest of the frame to add some depth. Add an old calendar print and voila! Instant cabin-worthy art!

They're just drying — I painted them out where the street meets my driveway.

reading break!

much better

I like the tri-tone look; art major DH says paint it all...

Comment with questions and I'll flesh out my "pictutorial" as needed!

Please check out my other two CSI entries!

the CSI project: wall challenge, entry #1

2010-06-24T09:22:00.007-04:00

This first entry isn't so much a craft as an idea. Does that even count? I found a super-chunky, gorgeous frame at our Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $1. $1!?! It made me happy just to look at it, so I justified the dollar. As soon as I got home, I knew it had to go in my bathroom. You see, my prayer list/reminder and my daily positive affirmations are posted on the wall across from...our toilet. Where else is a busy mom guaranteed to see them at least once a day? :D Problem is, they've just been hanging there, taped to the wall. Ugh. So I framed them out (hid them, from the doorway) with this gorgeous, heavy frame, and now it's not so eyesore-y when you enter the bathroom.

Please check out my other two CSI wall entries! (yes, they're both crafts)

the CSI project: dollar store challenge, entry #2

2010-06-15T14:50:00.005-04:00

Here's my second entry for the CSI project, dollar store challenge: a magnetic memo board!

((crickets chirping))

Okay, so it's not exactly original, but I actually chose this project because I was inspired by an item I found (as opposed to copying a post directly). Side Note: Don't you hate that feeling, when you get all excited about a project and how innovative and inspiring it's going to be, and then realizing that there are 36 more just like it in blog posts already? Anyway...

I'm a sucker for anything 1. teal, 2, iridescent, 3. decorated with swirly vines, or 4. that costs $1. So when I went traipsing through Dollar Tree looking for inspiration and saw the bags of glass marbles, they had to be mine. Yeah, I know they don't have swirly vines yet — stick with me here. The first thing I thought of when I saw them was, of course, all the glass marble magnets I haven't made yet, despite their having intrigued me for years. Right across the aisle from the marbles were the metal pans and such, which reminded me of this item on my "Crafts to Do Someday" list. I decided to découpage and paint mine, so a couple bottles of acrylic from Hobby Lobby got added to the mix. After purchasing the items and getting home, I looked back at that inspiration post and realized that it had already been a CSI entry. D'oh. At least mine is my own — and it's hand-painted!

Feel free to comment with any questions, and I'll get the tutorial fleshed-out with words as needed. For now, enjoy this picture-only how-to! :)

I've had this Chacopaper (transfer paper) since my mom gave it to me five years ago. She'd had it since...ummm...the '80's? Fortunately, it's still around, for about $5-6 a package. It works on paper, fabric, leather, plastic, wood, glass china, and metal.

ETA: After posting these pics, I realized I'd forgotten to glue the black and teal sequins & beads around the outer pan edge. Oh well...minimalist, huh? :p

If I had more time (and my sewing machine wasn't at my mom's house), I'd totally make a skinny black ruffle — as a contrast to the teal-painted "wall"/side of the pan — to go around the outside, covering up the lip of the pan. Cool, right?

Check out my other dollar store challenge entry here.

the CSI project: dollar store challenge, entry #1

2010-06-15T14:04:00.000-04:00

Here's my first entry for the dollar store challenge: Hard & Soft "Floral" Frame. Nobody besides Judge Jen (thanks, Jen!) managed to visit this project when I submitted it for the hardware store challenge, so I'm resubmitting it here — the actual frame was from Dollar Tree!

BEFORE

AFTER

The overall effect is supposed to give the general impression of flower shapes (it's not a literal floral print, obviously), as well as play on the contrast of textures. The more realistic flowers are crafted from masking tape and receipt paper, whereas the abstract flowers are various wooden and metal bobbles from the hardware store (well, technically, the hardware section of the ReStore). You could probably get most of these supplies at a dollar store as well, though!

Click this link for the tutorial.

Keep your eyes peeled for entry #2, coming soon! (DS2 woke up from his nap before I finished today. :)

CSI project: Martha Stewart - Tessellationery

2010-06-10T11:54:00.001-04:00

"Tesselationery" is a word I made up to describe my stationery with tessellations on it. My very first thought when I heard of CDI project's Martha Stewart challenge was faux bois. I toyed with doing faux bois on fabric using a bleach pen, but didn't just want to do a random craft — I'd rather do something that I really want to have in my house or to give to someone else.

That reminded me of my "tessellation phase" from back in college, when I took Math for Elementary School Teachers. The tessellations unit really resonated with me, so I did a bunch of them on note cards just for fun. Tessellations.org also has a bunch of really easy DIY tutorials on creating your own tessellations, although they focus more on finding a picture within your random shape. I prefer creating a fun shape in its own right.

I made notecards and traditional page stationery (which could easily be turned into frame-able art). Both stationery and monograms are very "Martha," so hope you enjoy my Tessellationery!

HOW TO

Supplies: blank notecards or cardstock, Sharpie or gel pen, pencil, tiny scissors, index card

Note: choose your drawing implements carefully. Your fingers will be all over your stencil as you work, and any residue on your fingers may get on the rest of your work surface.

Step 1: Find inspiration somewhere, whether it's an existing stencil, a picture, or just your imagination.

Step 2: Cut the index card into the desired stencil size (I chose 2" squares) and draw your chosen design(s) onto adjacent sides of the stencil. Keep in mind that your cutouts will be taped onto the opposite sides of the square, thereby making it larger than the original square. Basically, don't make your starting stencil size very big in comparison to your notecard or the tessellation won't be able to repeat very many times. Also, thinner pieces tend to flop around as you trace, so start thick (until you're more confident).

Step 3: Put on an audio book or semi-boring movie (so you won't be tempted to look up) and carefully cut out your stencils. Shift the cutout straight up onto the opposite side and tape it to the stencil. Don't flip, rotate, or shift it over. Trim any excess tape.

Step 4: Decide how you want your pattern to repeat. In a grid? On a diagonal? At what angle? Trace your stencil carefully onto your notecard. Repeat until the entire surface is covered. (Yes, that's for "Martha Stewart" not "multiple sclerosis".)

One option is not to fill the space with the repeating design. Try filling just part of the space, then flipping the stencil and tiling down from an opposite corner for a more organic look.

Step 5: Embellish as desired. You can even fill in each "block" with stripes, dots, or solid colors. Try writing a name or a quote in the blank spaces, if you like!

Tip: If you're going to commit to a design, be sure you have a backup pen. Since the one you're using is from high school. Which was not even in the oughts.

I was going for a spreading vine/grass vibe. Can you see where I ran out of teal?

Tip #2: Gel pens that have run out of ink make for kick-butt embossing pens! LOL

You can go anywhere from fanciful to traditional, from recognizable shapes and letters to funky abstract curves.

The great thing about tessellations is that you can use them on anything, not just paper products. Paint them onto an artist's canvas, dress up a plain clipboard, or frost your bathroom window!

For traditional, full-page stationery, consider using a larger stencil and trace it onto 8.5"x11" card stock. You could just embellish it and frame it as art, or you could scan your completed page into the computer and embellish it on-screen.

Here's my filled card stock page.

I used good ol' black Sharpie.

Here is is scanned into the computer, without embellishment.

The design really pops when you fill every-other "stencil" with color!

You can even use a polka dot pattern — the sky's the limit!

Photoshop has some fun filters and options, like mosaic tile and stained glass.

Stick with bold colors and high-definition to use this as computer wallpaper or to print as scrapbook paper. Can you picture your own customized monogram paper in your next layout? Or, print it in a paler watermark style to use it as stationery!

the CSI project: hardware store challenge

2010-06-03T02:32:00.002-04:00

Click on any picture for a larger view!

Literally all of the supplies for this entire project can be found at the hardware store!

This project was inspired by the hardware store challenge for the CSI project. This was a particular challenge for me, as we have no home reno leftovers or workshop drawers to paw through like many crafters. In fact, I don't even have any tools beyond the basics (hammer, screwdriver, drill), so things like cutting wood or metal are beyond me. On that note, anyone want to donate a staple gun? :D

My first thought was to make a piece of jewelry, but I really wanted to make something more unique. That led to thinking about the shapes of findings and washers and such, many of which resemble abstract flowers to me. Then I remembered this:

I bought it at the Dollar Tree to frame a 4x6 picture for a friend (it was literally the only 4x6 frame in the store). Unfortunately, by "fits 4x6 photo" they actually meant holds a 4x6 — what shows inside the frame is only 2.8x4.7 (hello?). Needless to say, it's been sitting in my makeover pile for a while.

So I decided to paint the frame, then decorate it with a combination of abstract and realistic flowers made from hardware store supplies. Instead of blowing all my "blow money" for the month (holla, Dave Ramsey!) at an actual hardware store, I went to our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore and got all my supplies for a dime each! Hooray for repurposing someone else's junk! I probably spent an hour digging through boxes of random bits, picking up only those things that inspired me in a floral kind of way.

The burglar chain is glued to the back of the frame to hang it on the wall, but the glue hasn't dried yet, so I can't turn it over and show you. Just thought that'd be a cool touch!

I did purchase this pack of tiny washers at (gasp!) full retail, because I couldn't find any at the ReStore. A bag of 45 was 97 cents at WalMart.

MY PROJECT LIST:

frame (mine was plastic-coated paper, which wouldn't be my first choice — but it was "free", so...)
Krylon spray paint in Oil-Rubbed Bronze and Sesame Shimmer
various metal bits from the hardware store that resemble flowers in some way (I used washers, screws, nuts, ball chain, knobs, springs, and a lamp bulb-holder)
OPTIONAL: a burglar chain, if your frame doesn't have a hanger
masking tape and these directions
your store receipt or a roll of receipt paper, and this book
E-6000
toothpicks and small paper plate

HOW-TO:

While carrying your supplies into the living room so you can watch Glee and HGTV online with your husband as you craft, drop your cheapo frame on the carpeted floor, thereby dislodging the portrait back from the frame. Cut it off the rest of the way OR glue it back on, depending on your preferences.
Spray paint the frame using Oil-Rubbed Bronze. (Quick tip: For top-insert frames, take out the frame innards and insert a scrap piece of magazine cover that fills the space. This will save you the hassle of taping anything off.)
Take the little screw out of the lamp bulb-holder and insert the big pretty screw in the top. Pretend you deliberately purchased a screw that would fit, for decorative purposes, and pat yourself on the back.
Do a practice layout on a similarly-colored and -sized background while you wait for the paint to dry.
Turn the now-dry frame over and spray the back.
Spray paint the wooden knob and the cardboard insert from the lamp piece with Sesame Shimmer. I really liked the mixture of warm and cool metals against the black frame, so I chose not to paint any of the actual metal hardware. Depending on your preferences, they'd also look great all monochrome or even painted in pretty spring colors to emphasize the floral theme.
While you wait for the paint to dry again, craft your more realistic flowers. First I folded my favorite origami flower model using some receipt paper. I was going to use the actual receipt from my hardware purchase, but then I found a fat roll of receipt paper at the ReStore for 10 cents and changed my mind.
Using masking tape and following the directions for a duct tape rose, craft another flower. At first I was going to use duct tape, but the masking tape was more to scale and also fit my color palette. (Is it sad that the only duct tape I could find in the house was blue and purple tie dye?)
Squish and seal all around the bottom of the masking tape rose, then cut off the stem. Carefully flatten the bottom of the rose to make it easier to glue down.
SEE STEP 15
Take a picture of your final layout so you have something to reference as you transfer your items to the frame itself.
Reinsert the lamp thingy's cardboard, reinsert the big screw, and transfer everything to the frame.
Put a small amount of E-6000 an a paper plate and use a toothpick to apply the glue to the underside of each decorative piece. Do one piece at a time, leaving everything else in place for spacing. Refer to the layout photo and replenish glue as needed.
Insert your choice of artwork. I put one of my favorite quotes inside: "Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you." Because the hardware was so heavy and kind of squished/closed-off the opening, I really had to work to get everything to slide in. Work the layers in one at a time. (This would be easier if your frame was more substantial than mine.)
Wait 24 hours for the glue to dry, then turn the frame over and carefully glue on the burglar chain so you can hang the frame. Wait 24 more hours before hanging. (If I'd thought about this better, I would've done the chain before the decorative pieces, so nothing would squish or get knocked off. That makes this step #10, if you're working smarter than I did.)
Hang in a low-traffic area so the very 3-D decorative pieces don't get knocked off. I also don't recommend hanging this above your bed or a crib, just in case the heavy pieces rip off the paper front of the frame.

I love the muted metallic color palette for this project! And a little proud of my all-hardware-store materials. :) I'm just surprised it came together almost exactly as it looked in my head! I thought about hand-painting some vines and more literal flower details but I rather like the impression of flowers given by the hardware, balanced by the two realistic blooms.

ETA: My very reason for entering last week's CSI challenge (paint) was my desk makeover...which I entirely forgot to put in the blog entry. Poo. :( I got so excited finding all other paint projects to list, the impetus for the post got left off completely! LOL Here's a link to my fabulous desk redo!

the CSI project: paint challenge, entries #1-5

2010-05-27T11:57:00.001-04:00

These are my entries for the CSI project: paint challenge. Please comment on your favorite! The entry with the most comments will be the first tutorial I post.

Click on any picture for a larger view!

#1 DIY Halloween Costumes
Oscar the Grouch in his trash can! Click here for the tutorial and a close-up of the texture of the trash can — it was so realistic! I also made a stewardess' hat for my own costume, carved from a free Krispy Kreme hat and spray-painted black, to wear this same Halloween.

#2 Trashcan to Tupperware Storage
I have a tall, free-standing pantry cabinet in my kitchen, on top of which we store our plasticware. The stacks kept falling, and I could barely reach the ones in back, even standing on a chair. Then I remembered theses two black trash cans we'd cleaned out, and I sorted the lids and bins into them. Now they sit on top instead and can easily be hauled down (without even standing on a chair) to find the containers I need. One has stripes and a caterpillar, the other has a butterfly and polka dots, all in lilac and purple.

#3 Recycled Newspaper Beads
These were inspired by an Infarrantly Creative post! Purple, lilac, silver, and champagne paint transformed old newspapers. Stay tuned for an as-yet-un-uploaded pic of the finished necklace and earrings. My son turned his share into red and blue freeform "rocks".

#4 My First Watercolor
The view from underwater (see the dirt and rocks under the bank, and the grass peeking out?) as a girl reaches out a finger to touch the surface of the water. I've always wondered if I painted this just to show the girl exploring nature or if it's painted from the perspective of an underwater fairy creature. Dorky? That's how I roll.

#5 Basic Boxes
I've always liked hidden surprises, so I put them inside my boxes. My favorite is the vine creeping inside the lid.

Leave a comment about your favorite and check back later for more details on these projects!

Works For Me Wednesday ~ Strewn-About Magnets

2010-03-25T09:20:00.000-04:00

If you have a mobile infant (not to be confused with an infant mobile), chances are he leaves destruction in his wake just like mine. The magnet letters on the fridge seem to be of particular interest. He makes a beeline for them as soon as he enters the kitchen and, as if to demonstrate his contempt — or perhaps as a commentary on the magnets' thoroughly offensive presence — he furiously paws the lower half of the fridge door clean. Seriously, he is focused and relentless...

Well, sometimes he gets distracted by the fact that he's so near the cat food dishes (notice the barricade?).

Anyway, we recently scored a Leap Frog Word Whammer Fridge Phonics Set at OUAC for $8.50 and don't have room for four sets of cheapo letter and number magnets on the fridge anymore. Since there were already several magnets on the floor and Caspian was napping, that meant I had to pick them up myself. I decided to store them in an old metal Christmas cookie tin that used to hold our spare change (until we started our Debt Snowball).

When I remembered that magnets stick to this type of metal, I decided to use the lid as an incredibly ~~lazy~~ ingenious way to pick up the letters without having to bend over and scrabble for them each individually. Any that are on the ground already and are magnet side-up will stick to the lid of a metal tin. The plastic is too thick for the right side-up ones to stick. You'll have to ~~leave them for your husband/child~~ ~~sweep them up into a dustpan~~ pick those up by hand. Oh, and we are talking about the back of the lid, here.

You can just "wipe" them right off the lid into the container.

If you're just cleaning the floor, you're finished. Should you want to rid your fridge of magnets as well, you'll need the lid again. Lay it on its back under the fridge so it sticks out a little more than halfway. Then simply push the magnets down the fridge until they drop off into the lid. They will be drawn to the metal and stick inside. Dump the loose ones into the tin periodically and repeat the process until they're all off the fridge, then just put the lid back on the tin.

Then...cover the entire fridge with different letter magnets! There, wasn't that worth it?

When your toddler keeps spelling "poo" in the Word Whammer...? Yes, it's still worth it.

This post was submitted to Works For Me Wednesday.

Roadkill Rescue ~ Delightful Desk, part 2

2010-03-01T16:16:00.000-05:00

As I said in the previous post, this reveal has been a long time coming. Beckie at Infarrantly Creative inspired me to start crafting again last year, and I saw a soon-to-be-beautiful desk out on a neighbor's curb right after hearing about Beckie's Roadkill Rescue party. Perfect timing! "Where will we put it?" was my husband's first (and only, bless him) question. Turns out, we actually needed a work area for my husband at home.

We were on our way home from church when we spotted it. Too be fair, it was less "spotted" and more "espied" -- every curbside trash heap came under scrutiny in my efforts to find something, anything to make over. This looked perfect, ripe for rescue: water stains, gouges, graffiti...it was even missing hardware!

We checked to see how the drawers pulled out (just fine) and noticed this inside one of them:

Free pen cap! No, no...and not the "vintage" contact paper lining the drawers, either. It's hardwood, people!!! Score! The only downside to this treasure was the horrendous stench.

Pee-yew! Whoever owned it before must've been a chain smoker, because this thing smelled absolutely disgusting. If we'd had a garage, the desk would've lived in there...but we didn't. I honestly got migraines while we waited for good enough weather to take it outside. And let me just say, there are a zillion-and-one opinions online for how to get smoke out of wood furniture, but what worked for us was a combination of stripping off the finish and then sealing it back up. No more smell!

On to the stripping. First, the contact paper had to go...and it took some of the laminate with it. We also found the aforementioned pen cap, an unsharpened pencil, a penny, and two charms in the drawers. And lots of spider webs. Ick.

On my birthday, my fabulous hubby borrowed his dad's power sander and stripped the desk down for me.

He even did all the details and spindles by hand!

To keep him from getting distracted, I set a task master over him.

6 month-olds are impossible to bribe when you're the non-lactating parent.

He did ask to be a little closer to the action, though.

Can you hear the whip cracking? Whh-chh! (And no, he couldn't reach those scissors.)

Put your back into it! Whh-chh!

Don't think I didn't appreciate all of his hard work! Ewww...dust.

All finished! After hours of sweaty, dusty work, we thought about just clear-coating it. DH really liked the shabby look. But I had a spray painting jones, so I won.

Stay tuned for part 3: painting!

Roadkill Rescue ~ Delightful Desk

2010-02-25T23:34:00.002-05:00

Wow, this has been a long time coming.

We rescued this desk on the way home from church on October 4, 2009. It wasn't sanded down until the 18th or painted until the 20th. The drawer fronts weren't put on until...well, technically, they're just Photoshopped on right now, but the designs did get printed today! Details of all to come in another post! ETA: here's part 2!

Here's a little detail:

Technically, this is what it looks like right now (which is still better than we found it). The most tremendous part of this "rescue" cannot be captured in a picture: the smell. When we found it, the desk REEKED of cigarette smoke. While we still have some additional tweaks to make, it's definitely finished enough to be called an "after"...and hey, we live with it every day like this!

ETA: I entered this in the CSI project: red, white, and blue challenge. I love that it's an alternative to what you'd expect from a "red, white, and blue" theme — although some of the papers do look like fireworks!

Recipes We Tried: (to do)

2010-02-11T19:07:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the recipes I'll be covering, as soon as I get the chance!

Salmon Chowder
Carrot Soufflé
Hearty Fiesta Cassoulet
Baked Spinach & Cheese Noodles (CP)
Salmon & Green Beans (CP)
One-Pan Chicken & Zucchini

If you'd rather I prioritized one of these, leave a comment!

Recipes We Tried: Autumn Sausage Casserole (crockpot)

2010-02-04T13:46:00.000-05:00

This is technically the first installment of Recipes We Tried (I know — catchy, right?)...however, I'm going to try to back-date the other recipes I'd intended to blog about but never got around to actually blogging.

So, my biggest fear about cooking is screwing up. That is a pretty broad category that spans the mini-fear spectrum from Choosing Bad Produce to Using the Wrong Spice to Picking a Horrible Recipe. As you can imagine, when I find a reliable source of recipes that taste good and include detailed steps (no "season to taste" here, thank you very much), I tend to use a lot of their dishes.

One such treasure trove is A Year of Slow Cooking. Stephanie O'Dea challenged herself to make something in a CrockPot once a day for an entire year, be it entree, dessert, or craft project. She reviewed every recipe and mentioned how her family liked it. The steps are written for real people, and she even answers questions posed in the comments of each post. Hallelujah! Bonus: the recipes are all gluten-free.

On Monday, we made Autumn Sausage Casserole. This is one of my favorite kinds of recipes: dump stuff in the CrockPot and leave it alone. This recipe is technically a small step up from that, as it required actually chopping some of the ingredients, but it made up for it by using up the leftover already-cooked rice that was sitting in my fridge. Her picture was a lot prettier than mine, but boy-howdy did it taste FABULOUS! Here's what the cold leftovers look like a few days later:

Here are the changes I made:

used my 6qt CrockPot
used 7oz of leftover Butterball turkey sausage, sliced thinly (next time, I'll do it chunkier)
sliced onion thinly then cut each ring in fourths (again, next time I'll do it in chunks)
used 1½c carrots, sliced into thin wheels (this worked; she diced in the original)
used leftover brown rice (brown is super-great in this!)
as per a comment suggestion, added a can of black beans, mostly drained
used water as liquid, plus added an extra ½c to compensate for the size of my CrockPot

After just 3 hours on high, the carrot wheels were tender and the apples were still not mushy — perfect! The seasonings were spot-on and very autumnal. DH said the black beans distracted from the texture of the rest of the dish, but I liked the heartiness they added, particularly since I used so little sausage (and it was sliced so thinly). Caspian was reticent, but ended up eating his entire portion (he also said we should make it tomorrow). DH and I each had two helpings. The reheated leftovers tasted great to me, but DH said the distinct flavors were lost.

Charlie: 8 for fresh, 6-7 for leftovers
Hilary: 8
Effort: 8 (chopping and lots of measuring)

Final Rating: 8 Sporks

Menu Plan Monday

2009-11-30T17:29:00.000-05:00

Ever since I started using our picture-frame-turned-dry-erase-calendar to plan our meals, life has been so much easier! Well...not really, but it is a lot easier to say "look at the board" when my husband asks what's for dinner. And it's definitely less stressful to plan ahead for crazy days by cooking extra a day or two before. Plus, with my post-partum memory (or lack thereof), I love getting it all figured out in a moment of clarity.

In addition to putting the contents of our meal, I also write the total prep-and-cooking time required, to avoid realizing at 4:30 that the meat had to be thawed the day before. We're still perfecting our system, but for now, red marker means actual cooking, purple means leftovers/easy/eat out, and black means activity/event.

I plan lunches too, simply because I don't want any leftovers to go to waste in the back of the fridge. If it's on the board, we eat it. My week really should start on Thursday, since we grocery shop every Wednesday, but oh well. One of these days I'm going to start planning two weeks at a time, just so I can fill in the entire darn thing (yes, I'm a C like that). Most of my recipes are saved on Delicious, which is the most awesome bookmarking site ever.

SUNDAY
L ~ leftover (LO) Tuna & White Bean Salad with Pita Chips (this time made with pinto & navy mix and double tuna; best with garbanzos and single tuna) WIC-friendly!
D ~ crockpot (CP) Chicken & Brown Rice Casserole with canned green veggies (needs extra seasoning, like garlic powder and more salt; I used a large onion FAIL and should've left the lid off a little at the end so the rice would be less mushy FAIL; this was, however, my first time using foil in my 6qt crock to make a 4qt recipe WIN)
MONDAY
L ~ Clean Out the Fridge (ended up being baby spinach and LO turkey grilled cheese with LO acorn squash)
D ~ LO Chicken & Brown Rice Casserole with LO sweet potatoes
TUESDAY
L ~ ???
D ~ wheat spaghetti with frozen veggies in the sauce and frozen meatballs (LO from my Open House) with baby spinach salad and LO wheat rolls
WEDNESDAY
L ~ $7 McDonald's Day!
D ~ Papa Murphy's Pizza Day!
THURSDAY
L ~ Asbury College Cafeteria with Aunt Amie
D ~ Spaghetti Frittata (made with LO spaghetti and meatballs) with baby spinach salad
FRIDAY (pancake day!)
L ~ LO pizza
D ~ earned dinner with Steamrollers Club
SATURDAY
L ~ ???
D ~ scrambled eggs with bacon, fruit, and mini bagels
SUNDAY (sausage with LO pancake day!)
L ~ eat at in-laws
D ~ super-easy CP barbecue chicken with canned green veggies and boxed mashed potatoes

Say "No" to Wrap Rage

2009-11-22T11:48:00.001-05:00

Dreading the thought of opening yet another adult-proof clamshell case this Christmas?
Tired of the 8,062 twisty ties that secure every new toy?

Whether you're opening toys or electronics, Amazon's Frustration-Free Packaging is here to save you the hassle...and save you money!

Amazon will eliminate all the excess packaging waste (yay! environmental!), re-pack your item in a plain cardboard box (2005 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee), and ship it to you, ready to assemble immediately Christmas morning! The BEST part is that it also costs LESS to get a toy that way. Double bonus! Be sure to click on the link above to watch a super-cute video about FFP...and to shop!

Secondhand Scores ~ Leather & Links

2009-11-21T17:26:00.002-05:00

After making a bunch of post-"Customer Appreciation Open House" deliveries, I stopped in to the Salvation Army Thrift Store to see if they still had the large clock I saw the last time I was there. It was big and wooden and ripe for "rescue," but we didn't need a clock — much less a big one. Two days after spotting that clock the first time, Caspian stepped on our living room clock and smashed the glass (he was fine). Anyway, the clock wasn't there, but this was:

A 3-piece canister set shaped like a rustic fairy tale castle! Even the turrets lift off separately. $5.99, people. DH's response when I texted him this cell phone picture? "Cool. Too bad we don't need canisters..." Sigh. God gave me a voice of reason for a reason, I guess.

Before I left, I scooted over to the cloth napkin section to see if the bag o' napkins we tried to buy last time had been labeled with a price sticker, and therefore rendered buyable. No such luck...but on the way to the cloth napkin section, I passed the handbag section! Woo-hoo! I actually found a good-sized tote (not too big), in a color I like (red), with the pockets I need (lots, plus dividers), out of a sturdy material (leather)! It even has little metal feet on the bottom to keep it out of the ick. It's missing one strap, but the way the strap attaches allows it to be used as a one-strap shoulder bag (and it passed the one-handed-shoulder-lift test). The three interior cell phone-type pockets have all had their bottoms busted out, but that's an easy fix (I assume) — other than that, no stains, no rips, no marks. It still has the detachable coin purse, too. Technically, it's a Samsonite laptop tote, so one of the divided sections is padded. I'm planning to put a pin or a flower or something on the extraneous buckle.

Wait, OMGosh, seriously?!? I just looked it up online and this is it! MSRP $129.99, retail $99.99, KatrinkaJane special...$2.99!!! SCORE!

Well, that just totally made my day just now. Back to shopping, though. On the way home, the kids were both asleep when we passed our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, which happens to be linked to the local Vendor's Mall. I ♥ flea markets — not the ones that try to resell a bunch of outdated-but-technically-NIP leftover hardware store and novelty dream catchers (you know the ones), but the ones heaped with used goodies. It's like a treasure hunt! STOP. FOCUS. Okay, so the boys were both asleep, so I left DH in the car and stopped in to see if I could find a clock. I was also looking for another big picture frame to hang empty on the wall for posting Caspian's rotating stock of artwork. Shockingly, I got distracted by books, jewelry, and office supplies. Fortunately for me, they are perpetually on my shopping list. heehee Here's what I ended up taking home with some more of my leftover birthday money (not the stuff in the back; this table is also my MK gift-wrapping station):

one of the few Berenstain Bears books not already in our collection: $0.25
set of 3 paper trays, which I desperately needed for my desk: $1.50
old-school Oscar the Grouch puzzle, perfect for Caspian's age: $0.25
chunky 17"x17" carved-wood frame: $1.00
totally on-trend chain necklace: $4.99
TOTAL: $7.99, plus tax

TODAY'S LESSONS:
1. Keep an eye out for respected brands (Samsonite caught my eye).
2. Watch for high-quality materials (genuine leather will stay usable for years).
3. Check out specialty secondhand stores (like ReStores), which may offer random items at great prices.

Is it silly that I'm still giddy over my leather bag...?

Roadkill Rescue ~ Halloween 2009

2009-11-18T23:40:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah. I keep crashing Beckie's parties with technicalities (and yes, I am still working on that darn lazy susan that started it all). Honestly and truly, I have an actual "Roadkill Rescue" in my living room that is this ===> <=== close to being finished, but we haven't had a chance yet, with my annual Customer Appreciation Open House a couple weeks ago. So, here's my entry for this shindig: a Halloween costume. Yes, most of it was free and "rescued" from various friends' "Do you want this, before I throw it away?" piles.

Our big conundrum this year was "What kind of costume can we do if the baby's in the Moby Wrap?" I have to be honest — my very first immediate thought was the alien-emerging-from-the-stomach scene. But let's be practical, shall we? The baby's head would be sticking out much too high to pass for a real gastrointestinal alien. So we went with my second brainstorm...

Take one "free" baby (don't get me started) and one free Moby Wrap (thanks, mom & dad!).
Add a free "MKmen" ball cap, borrowed coveralls (thanks, Deb!), and borrowed work gloves (thanks, FIL!).
Add a smokin'-hot daddy (thanks, God!).
Take a sheet of free blue craft foam and spray it with paid-for grey primer. Greatly appreciate the splatter effect. Pretend it was a result of your mad spray painting skillz.
Wear out a grey Sharpie trying to draw lines on top of the primed craft foam (see my little scribble sheet, where I tried to get the Sharpie juice flowing again?). In case you're wondering, the blue patch in the lower-right corner is where the clothespin held the craft foam, so I could spray it without getting my hands dirty (this was Halloween night, and the grass was wet). BTW, don't try denying that you want my leopard-print mouse (thanks, Duncan!).
E-6000 two free orange balloons together, then decorate with a dark orange Sharpie. (Yes, I have a drawer just for "Fine" Sharpies...AND it's labeled with a label-maker label. Hate me.)
Shell out real money for a used bathmat at Goodwill, add a free baby hat (which technically did come out of a garbage bag), lots of staples, and some more free craft foam, Sharpied brown and artfully cut up.
Add four large safety pins and a free green onesie, then step back and revel in your homemade "Oscar the Grouch and his trashman, Bruno" costume! Roadkill Rescue Bonus: the costume is even trash-themed!

When we went trunk-or-treating at a friend's church, the baby was turned facing inward and the coveralls were zipped up over him. His hat was so heavy, it actually kept tilting down to cover his head and neck...which was great, considering how cold and windy it turned out to be! I was so close to putting little eyeballs on the hat, too, but wanted the baby to be the face. My husband wasn't committed enough to the costume to let me give him a fake nose and eyebrows. Psh.

Works For Me Wednesday ~ Fancy-Schmancy Art

2009-11-03T23:42:00.000-05:00

We love Saxton Freymann's carved food illustrations and thought his mini wall calendar would be perfect art to hang in the kitchen.

We finally found these cheap frames from IKEA to fit the square calendar pages (only a little trimming was required). The great part is that there are mini wall calendars available for just about every subject imaginable, from kittens to Impressionist art. What an easy and inexpensive way to get great art into your home! For larger prints, just scoop up a regular-sized calendar — they can even be secondhand!

I'd just like to point out how much you should appreciate my "keeping it real" with ya'll and showing my human side and all that. No staging here, folks — that's pure, unadulterated everyday mess you're seeing! :) Don't say I never gave you anything special.

This post originally appeared on my family blog and is reprinted with permission.

More Library Craft Pics

2009-11-02T17:14:00.000-05:00

Here are those pics I promised of the Scrabble tile pendants we made at the library. My cutouts are from "Mod Floral Pink" scrapbook paper by Vera Bradley. Once I realized that the bails would be glued on (and thus, render the pendants non-reversible), I used blank tiles for my second and third pendants. 'Cause I'm anal like that.

What a horrid photo. You can tell I'm not my husband.

You can see where I tried to add more Aleene's Paper Glaze after I realized it hadn't reached the bottom. I didn't bother with a close-up of the third tile, which became a disaster after I leaned over it carefully, checking for bubbles to pop, and dropped the straight pin flat in the middle of the semi-congealed Paper Glaze. Yeah, you can't fix something like that. At least when I wear it as a pendant, no one will be close enough to notice. (Or as I tell my clients, "If someone is that close, they don't care what it looks like.")

Here's the one "lettered" tile I used. Did you happen to notice my Lego-decimated manicure? Yes, I thought you might've.

This post originally appeared on my family blog and is reprinted with permission.

Library Craft, Etc.

2009-11-02T00:12:00.000-05:00

Even though we're already using cloth diapers and wipes, we're looking for more ways to save money (and inadvertently go green in the process — bonus). I started using a crystal deodorant yesterday, and we're going to stop using disposable paper towels and napkins in favor of more dishtowels and cloth napkins (16 for $2.97 at Salvation Army). I really, really want to try soap nuts, too.

If you have a baby, you need to get Magic Stick, period. Go. Buy it. Wow. No, I'm serious — go.

I found this site recently, which has a LOT of printables (including coloring books). Yay!

As promised, here are the library crafts we made on Saturday. The pop can pull-tab bracelets are made just like these, only with fabric strips (folded like binding tape) instead of leather. One lady there made it long enough for a belt, and another did a headband with a flower! I think I might try spray painting the tabs and using ribbon instead of fabric, next time. My mom made hers like the ones on that site, with all the tabs "facing" the same direction; I did one-up-one-down instead, and it made a scalloped edge (cool). We sewed snaps on as closures and covered the snap top with a button. Trés chic, non?

The other craft was cutting out (Vera Bradley) scrapbook paper pieces, ModPodging them onto Scrabble tiles, and supergluing silver Aanraku bails on the back to make pendants. We also topped them with Aleene's Paper Glaze, to give them a snazzy "glass" finish. The bails covered up part of the back, so I used blank tiles for mine. I must get Paper Glaze! Wow. No pics yet, because the glaze is still milky-translucent.

This post originally appeared on my family blog and is reprinted with permission.

More Tie Dye, Etc.

2009-10-30T22:30:00.000-04:00

I got to go back and hang out with a pal on Thursday for some more tie-dye-and-talk time. Yay!

Who says rainbows can't be for boys?

This is a flower. The two leaves were an afterthought, which is why they're so small.

This was an experiment. I hand-gathered the snaky line, just to see if it was possible, then decided to make it an art piece. It's titled Infiltration, and it's a war between warm and cool colors. A few "agents" from each side have infiltrated the other side. Oooh, artsy.

This was also an experiment. It involved a snowflake fold, chopsticks, and binder clips. I'm particularly proud of the gradient.

After Charlie checked out his previously-dyed blood shirt, he realized that they had given him the wrong size. So he dyed his other blood shirt just like it (only he decided to make the starburst originate from a different point on the back of the shirt, just to see if he could).

I also made a second attempt at a butterfly, and reeeeeeally love this one! I spread it out when I dyed the background so it wouldn't be symmetrical. I even got a little black "tail" at the bottom of each wing (and I loooove the b&w "bits" around each wing, too).

We had a great family play date down at the park by the creek a week or two ago. Caspian and Charlie explored and threw pebbles in the creek, while Perrin and I played on a blanket. The city was there mowing and trimming, but it didn't affect us. We did leave when they started spraying, though. :P The funny thing about this picture is that it represents how little personal space Perrin will probably grow up to have! He gets kissed and smooshed all the time.

A few days ago, Caspian said he didn't want lunch, then he said he wanted a hand for lunch. Yes, a hand. So I asked him, "If I got you a hand for lunch, would you eat it?" He looked really surprised, but said yes...so I cut one out of a tortilla! He thought it was awesome. He kept saying, "Just three fingers left!...Just two fingers left!"

Yes, my child likes to spend his days in his Underoos. No, you can't see. :p

I finally got to do my nails during naptime on Thursday, and they were gorgeous...until we had family play time that night. Yes, I sacrificed my manicure to the Lego gods — I am officially a Mom of Boys™. We did make a pretty rockin' split-level house, though, by connecting our three
green boards with flat blocks. There's a couch (with "drink"), three arm chairs, a coffee table, two stand lamps, and a bed. Caspian added the fence in front "to keep the dog in" but ended up parking his cars there instead. Considering our severely limited Lego inventory, I think it looks darn awesome!

Caspian came up with this "man on stilts" all by himself.

Final crafting news for the night: I finally got to go one of our local library's monthly craft days! Even better, my mom went with me! It was awesome. We made pop tabs into bracelets and turned Scrabble tiles into pendants. I'll post pics later. There are enough pics in this post already!

This post originally appeared on my family blog and is reprinted with permission.

How to Tie Dye Stuff

2009-10-29T19:01:00.000-04:00

(Thanks to the incomparable Deb for teaching us about tie dye "way back when" and for providing supplies...and her house! LOL)

Get anything white you can find in your house and launder it.
Now that you've done some laundry, you'll feel less guilty about using your entire afternoon for some crafting. (ha ha ha, so witty)
Decide which white things would look better in color (anything with that inexplicable yellow stain whites get is a great candidate) and tie them up. Use rubber bands, chopsticks, needle and dental floss, knot the fabric, twist, fold, etc. — use your imagination! Swirls and gathers are more easily accomplished when the cloth is wet, so it'll cling to the work surface as you go. This is a safe time to wear your sleeping baby, if you so desire.
Give your toddler a sword so he doesn't get dye on him later. (We actually planned to let him dye, but Legos and playing outside trumped his desire to participate. He just chose colors instead.)
Soak anything but silk in a soda ash bath for at least 20 minutes (plastic tubs with lids work great). Soak silk in white vinegar for 30 minutes instead (gallon ziplocks work fine, just turn over periodically). This will help the dye to adhere better.
Lay out "crap towels" and don "crap clothes" and latex gloves — preferably using a new glove set for each piece.
Working one piece at a time, squeeze out excess liquid (soda ash or vinegar) and dye! Squirt bottles (not spray) are easy to control and allows for some really neat design options. We were told that dye spread more easily in silk and that blue didn't stick, but we didn't find either one to be true. (It's "safe" to wear your baby on this step only if you have long arms and a docile baby.)
For anything but silk, wrap the dyed piece completely in plastic wrap and put in a gallon ziplock (you can put multiple pieces in one bag). For silk, put each piece in its own gallon ziplock, squeeze the air out, and seal it.
If the towel is saturated through, toss it in the "used" pile and get a new one; otherwise, fold it inside out until you find a clean spread to use for the next piece. Toss towels in the dryer to set dye so you can use the towel again for another piece.
Repeat steps 6-8 until you've run out of white things to dye. For anything but silk, seal up the gallon ziplocks and leave them alone for up to a day — the longer, the better. For silk, put the sealed ziplocks in the microwave on high for 45 seconds. Wait until any bubbling subsides then do another 45 seconds. Wait again, then do 30 seconds. Leave the bags in the microwave until they cool off — they will be boiling hot! After the silk has cooled, remove the pieces and follow the steps below.
Since it's the next day (or later in the day, for silk), put "crap clothes" on again.
Remove one dyed piece from the ziplock and discard the plastic wrap.
Rinse the piece under cold running water (in a tub or deep sink) as you squeeze. Start with the lightest color up highest, so the darker dye doesn't run into the light areas. Squeeze and rinse constantly until water runs somewhat clear.
Remove or cut off rubber bands and continue rinse&squeeze-ing until water runs clear. Open piece as you go to allow clean water to get into all the folds and crannies. Squeeze excess water out.
Lay out each piece on a clean "crap towel" as you finish it. If space is at a premium, you can layer a new "crap towel" on top of the pieces laying on the first towel, then top it with more pieces.
When you're finished (or you've done a lot), put pieces in washing machine on the hottest water the fabric can stand. Wash with detergent as usual, with extra rinses thrown in wherever possible.
Peek during the final rinse's swishy part. If there's a lot of dye still coming out, run it all through again (no soap necessary this time).
Toss dryables in the dryer; hang dry non-dryables.

Be prepared — the first (few?) time(s) you wear your pieces, dye will rub off on you (which is kind of cute when it's a diaper on a baby's newly-blue bum). DO NOT pair these pieces with your favorite khaki pants or white tank top until they've been washed severalseveralseveral times.

silk pillowcases

Charlie's old hankies made new

Charlie's blood donation shirt, made-over

heart cape/wall-hanging (attach cape closure at top or sew it into a rod pocket)

butterfly cape/wall-hanging (gathered the butterfly with dental floss) (I'm thinking about doing something to create a body and antennae...)

forest play cloth (doubles as alien planet play cloth) with space for a winding road

dark/night and day/light play cloths

Caspian's shirt

Perrin's and Caspian's polos (a tie dye polo says, "I want be formal, but I'm here to party") (the missing dye on the green collar really irks me)

Perrin's shortalls

secret project hint #1

secret project hint #2

secret project hint #3

Okay, I'm going to start an Etsy store, and I was thinking about selling my cape/wall-hangings, among other tie dye items and sundry things. What do you all think?? Here are two more (the original ideas) that I made specifically as capes, for Caspian and a friend (for Christmas). They are deliberately "Batman-colored."

Click the picture set below for a larger view of Caspian's cape test. It passed the color test (in picture 4, unbidden, he cried, "I'm Batman!") and the fun test (he refused to take it off all afternoon). It is modeled with briefs, in true Superhero tradition (no tights, sorry).

My goal now is to figure out what kind of closure to use...

All images, concepts, and designs are ©KatrinkaJane 2009

This post originally appeared on my family blog and is reprinted with permission.

How to Make-Over a Glass Lazy Susan, part 3 (plus a Dry Erase Calendar)

2009-10-28T20:27:00.000-04:00

Decide you're not going to let that st*pid paint get the best of you. You'll use cutouts from that hydrangea paper on something, but not this blasted lazy susan.
Try removing the fruity "paint" with acetone nail polish remover (husband's idea). FAIL
Try removing the fruity "paint" with a pink-handled razor blade. FAIL
Accidentally scratch paint you actually want on there, when removing lazy susan from sink. FAIL
Check out mineral spirits and paint thinner at Wal-Mart. Budget FAIL
Find the perfect all-purpose spray-on primer at Michael's. WIN
Forget 40% off coupon, necessitating return trip. FAIL
Realize that you can now justify a return trip to Lexington on Monday, thereby creating an excuse to get free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. WIN
In the meantime, do another project!

How to Make Your Own Dry-Erase Calendar

Find or buy an oblong frame.
Remove the "innards" (mat, background paper, etc.) and paint the frame, if desired (AKA "if you remember before fastening it all back together and writing this tutorial"). While it's drying, clean the glass on both sides with Windex. Don't let your cat sit on it.
Decide on a layout and dimensions for your calendar (my glass was 18"x34", and my margins were 1.25", so my calendar was 15.5"x31.5"; each column was 4.5" wide, the days of the week row was 2" tall, the main space was 10.5" tall, and the "next week" row was 3" tall; I arbitrarily drew the header for the "next week" row).
Take a Sharpie, a ruler or yard stick, and (if you're lucky) a large ruled cutting board and mark out the lines and words you want as default on your calendar on the wrong side of the glass.
If you severely screw up, use some acetone nail polish remover on a Q-Tip to "erase" your mistakes (or, if you're lucky enough to be drawing on a removable protective plastic film, just smudge it off).
When your toddler wakes up from his nap, take a break for a day or two because your project is "on top of the road, mommy".
Turn the glass over and carefully trace over all of your lines and words with a Sharpie. Consider using different marker widths (I used a Fine Point, a Chisel Tip, and a Magnum 44). Do any designs or decorations you want permanently on the calendar (leave it decorationless if you want to customize it monthly or seasonally).
If, hypothetically, you hate any impromptu decorations you try to do with dry erase markers, be sure to scrub them off with a dry paper towel. While the term "dry erase" may seem misleading, it actually won't come off when you use something wet, like, oh, nail polish remover. I'm just sayin'.
Check for Sharpie flubs and fix them with acetone nail polish remover on a Q-Tip.
Ask your supervisor if he thinks your project is acceptable.
Turn the glass back over and (if applicable) remove the protective film. If you want to erase your guidelines from step 4, do it now using acetone nail polish remover (don't get any on the back).
Realize that, contrary to the test patch and general common sense, the dry erase marker used for decorating did, in fact, rub off some of the Sharpie.
Fix it on the "right" side of the glass.
Fill in your week's activities, with accompanying pictures for your toddler's benefit.
Get really excited when your toddler recognizes your sketch of a Batman mask (to signify that he's going to play with a friend, who has one) — WIN. Realize that your reflection is showing up in your pictures — FAIL. Feel relieved that you're clothed — WIN.

We really needed a large weekly calendar to start using for family things, and to help teach Caspian about the days of the week (and make it less confusing when we say, "We're doing ___ on Tuesday"). Imagine my happiness when I saw this entry for this contest! We even had a suitable frame sitting around unused (albeit with plexiglass instead of real glass, but it passed the marker test). I'd originally purchased it to make a gift for my college French professor, but that never happened.

The great thing about this project is that you can customize your dream calendar (time span, labels, dates/days, etc.). Now I just have to figure out what to do with the leftover mat. Any ideas? It's pretty flimsy, but it's white on both sides (one matte, one shiny). I keep wanting to cut out each individual "frame"...but for what...?

This is another neat weekly calendar idea, especially to use for older children! Can't you just see each child's cube stacked on top of or laid next to each other on top of a little shelf above your family's regular calendar?

This post originally appeared on my family blog and is reprinted with permission.

"Works for Me Wednesday" - Organizing

2009-10-26T12:55:00.000-04:00

Organizing: My Kitchen Pantry

I recently got fed up with my plastic food storage cabinet and my free-standing pantries. We couldn't see what we had, and there was never enough room for what we wanted to put in there. I took two days to take everything out of all three cabinets, lay it out on the kitchen table, re-organize it by category, and then put it back in and labeled the shelves with my Dymo.

The countertop-sized appliances (panini maker, George Foreman grill, Henrietta Hen, etc.) went on the shelves in the cabinet under the microwave, where the plastic food storage had been. The appliances are all large enough to be visible without having to move stuff around, and the cabinet isn't the easiest to look into at a glance — a perfect match.

The plastic food storage got weeded out (hallelujah). Identical stackable pieces got stacked together with all their nesting lids on top. Everything else got its lid put on top of it (to save matching time later) and stacked according to shape/size. Most-used medium-size containers got put on a lower shelf in the pantry, while large ones got stacked on top of the tall pantry (tiny ones got thrown into a basket on top of the pantry).

The categories that needed to be visible (canned goods, sweet snacks, savory snacks, crackers) because we keep forgetting what we have and buying more (or letting them go stale) got put on eye-level shelves. The categories that aren't used often or don't need to be visible because we always know they're there (breakfast, baking, chips, etc.) got put on high or low shelves.

All candy/tiny snacks got sorted into the plastic-storage-I-wanted-to-keep-but-never-used-for-leftovers, so it could be stacked for efficiency and ease of browsing...and so all our candy doesn't end up smelling like mint (which, if you've ever stored all your Christmas candy in one jar or bag before, you know will happen). Even new bags of M&Ms get dumped into their own container. Ahh, order.

Every shelf got labeled so my new order can be maintained by grocery-put-awayers.

It feels great to have all that stuff finally purged and organized, but heck, any day you get to use a label maker is a good day! LOL

This post originally appeared on my family blog and is reprinted with permission.

How to Make-Over a Glass Lazy Susan, part 2

2009-10-25T13:22:00.000-04:00

How to Make-Over a Glass Lazy Susan, part 2

Avoid additional painting for two days because you're paralyzed by the thought of "screwing up".
Conclude that the first 5.1 coats weren't opaque enough to cover the fruit from every angle (especially when light shines behind it...which it won't if it's set on the table, but...). Consider découpaging instead of painting more.
Ask husband's opinion (he votes "découpage"); get grapes from fridge for sustenance.
Research technique online and find the website for "The National Guild of Decoupeurs" (who knew?). Read through their FAQ, then head to Craftown.com instead.
Look through "Découpage-able" drawer (yes, it's labeled that way) for inspiration.
Find a great poem on an old wedding card, but no background materials.
Realize in a flash that you have three humongo storage tubs of gift wrap to plunder! Research "découpaging gift wrap" and find Durwin Rice's site. Get distracted there, then check out Mod Podge online.
Wonder if cellophane is découpage-able.
Settle on some lovely hydrangea-covered wrapping paper that you've been hoarding. The date on the paper says MCMXCIX. How ironic — it was probably on a wedding gift!
Unfold the paper and realize that it probably was not on a wedding gift. Sigh.

Okay, blogoshere — what should I do? Can I still use this paper, in patches? How can I do that without it looking weird? Should I find something else I can just cut the full circle out of? Should I try painting again, instead? Would thicker coats of paint be good? Aaaggghh!

Separate question: have you had any success in printing things on an inkjet (quotes from old wedding cards, for example) and then découpaging them onto something without the text smearing and bleeding? I could hand-paint the quote instead, but [shudder].

Last question: do you have any idea what kind of determination it takes to reach for the Function and Alt keys with your pinned-down hand just so you can type an accented character while NAK? :p LOL

This post originally appeared on my family blog and is reprinted with permission.

Roadkill Rescue ~ Glass Lazy Susan

2009-10-24T13:26:00.000-04:00

Here is my before-and-after for the Roadkill Rescue party by infarrantly creative:

"Wait," you say, "that isn't even finished! How lame!"

Well, savvy reader, there are two important tidbits which must be considered at this point. First, I will replace the "after" picture with the real "after" when the project is actually finished. Second, the contest didn't stipulate that the project had to be in hands-off finished mode in order to qualify. So, just in case life happens (HA!) and I don't get to paint more on my lazy susan today, I will still have a before-and-after to submit for the contest. After all, the new silver lazy susan already fits our style better than the fruity one did. Thank you, fruity-lazy-susan-giver, for providing me with a project to do! What an AWESOME gift!!! (seriously, no joke)

What? You think I should post another set of before-and-after makeover pictures that still fits the contest rules, just in case? Okay!

Ha! Yes, this makeover (on myself) technically fits all the stipulated rules of the contest. And hey, it's what I do! While I don't get to refinish furniture or refab yard sale finds on a regular basis, I do get to exercise a little creativity in making-over damaged skin and poor color choices. And it helps other women in the process — what a joy!

This post originally appeared on my family blog and is reprinted with permission.

How to Make-Over a Glass Lazy Susan, part 1

2009-10-23T13:29:00.000-04:00

Clean the styrofoam bits off the surface and rub with alcohol.
Freak out about paint choices.
Attempt to scuff surface with fine sandpaper.
Do another alcohol rub.
Get sandpaper grit all over forearms while leaning to reach keyboard to type steps 1-5.
Put on Thoroughly Modern Millie soundtrack.
Bite the bullet and mix Plaid Apple Barrel Colors Craft Paint in Pure Silver with DecoArt Multi-Purpose Sealer, then apply with a sponge brush.
Repeat step 7, only more so.
Enjoy the streaky effect.
Wonder how flexible the "Let dry 1 hour" instruction is.
Take 5 minutes to type steps 6-10, then touch the paint to see if it's dry.
Attempt to fix fingerprint with brush; decide surface is dry enough for a second coat anyway.
Make a mental note to do all future painting projects on a rotating stand.
Wonder why paint won't stick to this one st*pid spot.
Wonder if continually spinning the lazy susan as in the picture in step 13 would aid the drying process.
Resist urge to touch second coat.
Paint coat three with happily-opaque results.
Realize you're leaning over your project to reach the keyboard; put on painting shirt.
Mix more paint-n-sealer.
Appreciate the freedom to wipe a drip of sealer purposely right on your shirt...then hope it doesn't seep through onto nursing bra.
Paint coat four.
Debate what to paint on finished surface: swirls using dabs of paint and a static brush on a rotating surface? Taped-off geometric shapes? Freehand painted designs? A quote?
Wonder whether just to use more sealer on top of finished piece or Anita's Water Clean-Up Polyurethane.
Paint coat five. Resist urge to pour paint on top of surface and just spread it around.
Hear baby wake up and cry. Push chair back to leave office. Hear toddler tenderly comfort baby with by shouting, "Perrin-Perrin-bo-berrin! Banana-fana-fo-ferrin!"
Dip sleeve in paint on edge of surface by typing from new, pushed-back position.
Attempt to fix dipped area.
Fix attempted fix from step 27.
Try to clean-up paint on edges by spinning the lazy susan against the brush, thereby creating a raised edge of paint on top of surface.
Try wiping off new raised edge; spoil entire surface edge; fix new ickies with coat 5.1.
Discover paint underneath surface of lazy susan (AKA stabilizing place to put fingers).
Leave office to check on baby, show silver fingertips to toddler, and get mini dark chocolate Reese's cup. Close door to prevent kitty participation.
Realize it has been the length of Monsters Inc. plus both shorts. Forgo chocolate and nurse baby.

End of Day One. Stay tuned!

This post originally appeared on my family blog and is reprinted with permission.