Life in Rehab: June 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Shell Jars

Goodwill. 2 jars. 99 cents each.

Solar landscape lights from Target, $2 on sale.

Adhere the light to the lids of your jars using Goop.

Totally light up the night, baby.

Addictive personalities and quick and easy crafts are a dangerous business.

Two other examples of this project can be seen HERE and HERE for more complete instruction. But I think you get the idea.

A Promise is a Promise

A promise is a promise, and quite frankly, I'm pretty excited to share the beautiful job my sweet Savannah did on this mirror, all while I was at the office!

First, she carefully taped newspaper over all of the exposed mirror,

sliding it under the ornate carvings for full coverage.

Then she hauled the beast outside onto a table we'd set up with sawhorses and leftover plywood...

...and started spraying it with several light coats of Rustoleum Satin Aqua.

Doesn't this just pop?

Check out those gorgeous carved details.

lI got home and did a little quality assurance touch up here and there...

...and then it was time to remove the newspaper and tape!

We used a little razor action on any paint that had made it past Savannah's barriers.

And we debated whether or not to white wash over the aqua for a more subtle effect.

But looking over those curvy details I just knew.

This mirror isn't a subtle piece, which is why I loved it in the first place.

It's an attention grabber. It commands the room. And for what I have planned for that wall, she's going to be perfect.

And I just LOVE how unexpected she is.

Don't you?

Baby Wells approves.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Sneak Peek: Spray Paint is Hereditary

Now, granted, I've been doing craft projects with the children since they could splatter finger paint and clutch a glue stick, but sometimes I get a little misty at what they come up with on their own.

Last year my oldest son wanted to be the Joker, emulating Heath Ledger's take on the character in The Dark Knight. We don't do store bought costumes, so off we went to Goodwill to buy suit pieces to fit the bill, and then we swung by Home Depot for spray paint.

Yes, we spray painted the suit in green and purple. And some gloves.

So when his sister needed props for her play,

spray paint was Sam's weapon of choice.

And when the Giggle Gaggle (any assemblage of my daughter and her friends) were unsuccessful in locating red shoes for a costume during our latest Goodwill Hunting, I told them to just find the style they wanted, and then this happened courtesy of Krylon Gloss Red.

So it's no mystery that when Savannah asked if she could tackle the giant gold mirror, I let her.

Yes, it's done. And hanging. And it looks fabulous.

You'll see the blow by blow tomorrow. She photographed everything.

You have learned well, Little One.

10 Rules for My Daughter

I'm afraid I have something to confess.

My daughter thinks I'm cool.

I know, I know, she's 15, and I should be doing my best to alienate her, but I just can't, because I promised myself in 1976 that I'd always remember what it was like to be 15, and I have. I made promises about how I would parent, and adjusting for reality and the fact that there STILL isn't a flying car, I've kept them. When I held that little 9 pound 14 ounce dollop of pink in my arms for the first time, I knew I had to make sure we'd always be the best of friends even as I guided her to adulthood. Besides the usual guidelines of the teen years, my hard and fast rules have remained:

1. You can have pierced ears. You will pierce each one once, and that's all you're piercing. What you dangle from them is your business.

2. You may tattoo nothing. Never make permanent decisions that may not fit your life later.

3. Your hair, accessories, and clothes are open for discussion. Your personal style is a personal choice. To prove this, I have purchased Tripp pants covered in chains, arm warmers with skulls, army boots, military style hats, crazy over the knee socks, and numerous T-shirts that you love- all without you being there. You can cut your hair punk, and I'll supply the spray on dye. You are you, you're an amazingly good child, and I love you, no matter what you wear. Plus I think the Tripps are cool. I just can't rock that look at 49.

4. We will share music. I want to hear what you like. I want to know what you like about it. Yes, Adam Lambert is pretty cool. Yep, Breaking Benjamin is my ringtone. But I want you to know what I listened to when I was your age. And come on, Styx has stood the test of time, right?

5. Your room is your haven, and it's decoration is your decision.

6. I expect good grades because you're brilliant. I will reward you when you achieve them. We'll discuss it when you don't. But primarily, I want you to expect good grades of yourself.

7. I do need to meet your friends. This isn't such a big deal since you make good choices and I like all of them.

8. Let's do things together. Let's have shared interests. I like being with you and teaching you things. And sometimes, you have really cool insights into things I've been doing the same way for years.

9. I will support your dreams. If you want to be an actress, then you have my full backing. A photographer? Do it. I will not tell you that you need a safe back up plan. There's tons of time in life to become an accountant. I started my present career at 40. For now, grab those stars.

10. I will be honest about my past and my life. I'll admit that I made some bad choices. I'm not perfect. Learn from my mistakes, avoid them yourself, and remember, a mistake is a lesson. Regret nothing. Keep dancing.

Now get your animal skull earrings off the coffee table before one of the cats eats them.

Tuesday Tangos

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A Stroll Through Life

Monday, June 28, 2010

Today's Top Ten: Favorite Brand New Bloggers!

Blogging happens for a lot of reasons. For me, it was something I'd been talking about doing for months to catalog my crafting. I've been making stuff for decades, redoing furniture, and recycling household items to a new purpose. I thought it would be fun to put my processes in writing. But although I was still cranking out projects on the weekends, I hadn't actually gone on the net to start a blog. I was procrastinating.

Then I had a fire lit under my butt. Literally.

Now, I don't recommend having a major house fire to get your creative juices flowing, but in my case ours was a positive thing. The fire was on August 16th, and my first blog post was September 27th. We had electricity, and I'd started getting the house partitioned off for living spaces versus wreckage. And I had a LOT to blog about!

There are several other new blogs out there that I pop over to regularly. I asked my 10 favorite new bloggers how they got into this. Check them out-these ladies are very free with sharing the inspiration!

A Conversation at Goodwill Sherrie: I enjoy the thrill of the treasure hunt, whether it is at Goodwill, the flea market or a lawnsale. I love to decorate with and repurpose these treasures. I can't imagine shopping at the mall and at full price. I use my treasures in my home, for my clothing and in the garden. It takes recycling to a whole new level. With my blog, I hope to educate or at the very least entertain my visitors.

The Hand Me Down House Amanda: A little bit about why I started our blog -- My husband and I recently bought my childhood home (our Hand Me Down House) and have been going crazy updating it and turning it into our home. We felt a blog would be a good "scrapbook" for all our improvements and hopefully inspire others too.

The Junkin' Junky Mel: After looking at others blogs, I knew it was high time for me to get off my duff and start spiffying (is that a word?) up my place. I had just finished painting my kitchen cupboards and wanted to share it some how. I had gone to the blogosphere for inspiration and thought that maybe, just maybe someone would be inspired by what I do. I have connected with so many lovely people and while I don't have a lot of free time, I try my best to be supportive of other bloggers and their work.

Just-You-Wait Kerry: Hi! I recently bought a house. My first. It's pretty old, it needs some work, and my budget is tiny. This is where I chronicle my progress. Come on in!

Our Life in a Click Heather: I got into blogging to connect with friends and family but I've found a whole new group of bloggy friends that I feel just as connected to. The more bloggers I connect with, the more ideas I want to try and the more blogging I do.

A Date With Design Anne: My husband and I recently bought our second house (which needs major work) in April, and I started the blog as a way to share photos with my family and friends. I never dreamed I would have other people reading it, but it is such a nice surprise when I get new readers and comments. My blog has turned into a passion, and I love being able to post about decorating and design, among other things...

Fuzzy Slippers Designs Moriah: Why I started blogging... hmm... Well, I had lovely friends who thought that my creations should be shown off. They told me about blogging and how it's like a giant creative party in blogland. So true! I get so much inspiration from so many people all over the world. I also have to say I get lots of encouragement from folks who leave me blog love and have made so many friends that I've never even met in person!

Gingerbread Snowflakes Pam: I'm a mother, daughter, grandmother and wife, who needs to create things as often as possible. I'm a photographer who enjoys crafting, cooking, gardening and collecting minerals, and who has maintained a lifelong fascination with astronomy, geology, nature and anthropology.

Fowl Single File Megan: Hmmm. Why I started blogging. This could get pretty lengthy, but I'll reign myself in and try to summarize it in just a few sentences: I blush profusely and get all tongue-tied at the slightest compliment (I'm the middle child and not used to the attention, I guess) but I still love showing off the creations that I'm proud of. Crafty blogging is the perfect venue for someone like myself to share projects AND gather inspiration. There's such a wealth of information and so many friendly folks willing to share their talents out there! Since I started blogging (almost a year ago) my to-do list has quadrupled in size!

Keep Home Simple Robin: I started my blog for many reasons! I thought blogging would be fun! It would motivate me to actually do all the projects I had stored in my "idea" folder or in my own head! It would allow me to better my home and myself, as a mother, a wife, and a homemaker. I want to inspire other people to create and to make their homes a heaven on earth!

There you have it, my list of great fresh blogs with no artificial flavors or fillers.

Go take a peek and get some new ideas!

And if you were featured here, feel free to grab my button!