I love me some fabric.

{Update} .. the painted couch ..

2011-12-20T09:22:00.001-07:00

I woke up to more traffic on m' blog than the usual three hits I get a day {bestie, mom, sister} so I figured that Apartment Therapy {aka my biggest refer-er on the ol' world wide web} had mentioned my silly painted sofa again.

Yep. I was spot-on.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/hot-posts/before-after-painted-furniture-cabintery-projects-best-of-2011-163312

I also got a few new comments, asking for an update or more info. So, here is where I actually answer a question in my comments. Don't die of shock or anything.

Victoria said...

Now that you have lived with the sofa for six months, can you tell us if it has softened up? How does it wear now? Are you still happy with it?

I am still absolutely smitten with this sofa. It hasn't cracked or peeled, but it does get very dusty (disclosure: I live in Arizona right on a mountain preserve, so we have more than your average dust + wind} so I wipe it down with a damp cloth ~~weekly~~ monthly {I probably should weekly, but I am not the tops on housekeeping} Also, on the arms {where you might have those slip-cover things to prevent wear?}the paint is wearing more there. I have plans to touch it up but, ya know. Life.

Overall, still a project in the success column. Except for that HIDEOUS fabric I chose for the cushions....

Yeah. Totally kidding :)

Christmas, already?

2011-12-12T22:17:00.000-07:00

12-ish shopping days 'til Christmas, friends.

Are you ready?

{gorgeous photos taken by my wendy- I will share more later- cuz I don't wanna spoil the families Xmas card excitement!}

My husband turned 40! {or} Life is HARD sometimes. But always GOOD.

2011-10-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

{In as few complain-y words as possible, an update as to where I have been, for those that wonder: The mysterious sickness is still affecting my 12 year old son {he was attending school in a wheelchair up until 2 weeks ago- now he is on homebound. Ugh.}; Threw husband a surprise 40th Birthday party, complete with secret out-of-town guest - my mother in law!; Took trip number 9 {in less than 2 years} to Chicago for 8 yr old's JDM check-up; My oldest son broke his arm at football practice; .... And then? Life in general. Plus, I have been cheating on this blog with my other lover: sheknows.com. Although I don't know that many more people read my drivel over there than over here? The pay is MUCH better :) Check out the most recent articles here,here,here and here.}

Now. Onto the fun!

Because I am COMPLETELY INSANE, in the midst of all of my chaos, I decided to throw my dear husband a surprise 40th birthday party. Thank GOD I had TONS of help from my great friend, the SHARYNATOR {and her entire family} and MY MOM!!!! and too many other people to name. I DO get by with the help of my friends{and family}, there is NO DOUBT.. I am lucky because Michael does not pay attention to ANYTHING that is happening around him. Plus? He pretty much doesn't much pay attention to ANYTHING I say. Pulling off a surprise party for someone as easy going as him? ALMOST easy as pie. {I did end up spilling the beans the morning of the party that I had something planned because Piper was super sick with asthma and needed to go to the doctor and Michael was nearly HORRIFIED I was planning on stepping out for a bit to take care of some more pressing matters and when I requested he take care of things? Yeah. Our marriage may not have survived that. Oh well.

There was a FREAKING DUST STORM at the beginning of the party. I nearly DIED. So much work could have just blown away. Luckily it blew just a little and was dusty for only a bit. And then there was a rainbow.

Crisis averted.

{this is me asking if I should move the stereo inside.}

{or? making a fool of myself on the mic. Probably the latter.}
{if we are ever at a party, even if I am not drinking? PLEASE don't ever let me have the microphone.}

{a lot of times my husband looks like a Chester. It's a shame, but he knows.}
{admitting is the first step fo real fo real.}

I am going to TRY to keep the pictures light, but PLEASE feel free to pop on over to flickr to check out all the tomfoolery :)

One of my favorite projects was the mustache straws. They were super hilarious!
I just love that the 'stache is so popular right now.

{inspiration here}

Equally enjoyable was the drink tags. I stamped random 4 letter words {some 5 when I ran out of kid-friendly words}on metal rimmed key tags and just hole-punch and tied them to the plastic glasses {for kids}and around the rim of the mason jars {for the adults}Like glass charms or name tags, only MORE HILARITY ENSUED.

The photo booth was AWESOME. Seriously. I am going to set one up at EVERY PARTY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. It was super simple. SUPER SIMPLE. I will dedicate a post to how I set mine up soon. For now? My fav pics:

{is this perfectly timed confetti throwing or WHAT?! love it :)}

{my niece, katelynne.}

{camden, dressed for Homecoming - it was a masquerade theme}

{the birthday boy and his momma, who flew all the way in from Michigan to surprise him!}

I kept the food simple and crowd-friendly. My mom made most of the food and prepared just about everything for dinner.
{I know I am lucky. My mom rocks.}

{the cupcake table- chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. gluten free for our family.}

inspiration for the lollipop jar

Can we all just agree that the cupcake toppers are some of my MOST HILARIOUS work? I still LOL when I see them!!!!

Sadly, I didn't get a picture of the drink table once it was completely set up. Sad. So, so sad. You'll just have to trust me, it was CUTE. And the pomegranate margaritas from Costco? SUPER DELICIOUS and why my face is red in most of the later night pictures. I don't know what it is, but I may be allergic to tequila. Bummer.

Wow. I totally lied when I said I was going to keep the pictures light. Don't hold it against me, ok? I hope we can still be friends, but I totally understand if you never want to speak to me again, especially if you are on dial-up. Until next time, friend.

Got an extra prayer or positive thought handy? Send it my way.

2011-09-04T08:56:00.001-07:00

My 12 year old son, Brighton, is sick with something that no one can quite figure out. He spent 4 days in the hospital getting scanned and poked and prodded. {And I got to fully visualize some serious problems with our beastly medical system in this country. But that? I will save THAT post for another day.} For now? We could use some positive-ness thrown our way, if you have any extra laying around...

After just getting past the high of Kennedy finally being off steroids, this is one BITTER pill to swallow. I am hoping it ends up just being one crazy, mean virus :)

today is a REALLY good day. {I am going to celebrate with a donut. Or 12.}

2011-08-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't already know, this little chick ^ is my youngest, Kenny. She is the smartest kid we've created {don't tell the other 3}, the kindest soul I've ever met {it's true} and a complete and total fashionista.{like her momma.} Also? She was diagnosed with Juvenile Dermatomyositis on September 22nd, 2009. JDM is a rare, life threatening neuromuscular autoimmune disease where it's basically all hands on deck as your immune system attacks your muscular tissue by breaking down and blowing out your blood vessels, specifically in the muscle tissue. Good times. Oh, and no cure? Rock On! We hit the Genetic Disease With a Possible Environmental Trigger JACKPOT. {I kid.}{I laugh because if I didn't, I'd be crying.}

But, guess what, friends?! Today we are CELEBRATING a GREAT MILESTONE! Today is the first day since diagnosis almost 2 years ago that Kennedy is STEROID FREE!!!! If you have never personally taken steroids or known anyone that has, that might not sound like a biggie. So, let me tell you why it IS Quite A Big Deal. Steroids are indeed a life saving medication. Prior to the advent of these wonder drugs, autoimmune diseases and diseases of inflammation regularly killed people. Because of this? I LOVE ME SOME STEROIDS. But for real? They are an absolutely devastating drug to endure. The side effects are ghastly. Weight gain. Massive and devastating stretch marks. Bone death. Cancer risks. Cybil style mood swings in a bottle. And? If you ask Ken, the aftertaste of the liquid stays with you alll dayyy longggg.

This ^ is Kennedy about 6 months before diagnosis. You can see her telltale JDM rash. She was laying in bed because she was weak, but I thought it was because her sister was sick {asthma flare} and she wanted some extra attention because of all the attention Piper was getting. Man, mother guilt is REAL.

This is Ken ^ about a month into treatment. We cut her hair short because it started to fall out from the {actually very small dose}chemo shots she was getting. {about a month after, someone clued us into folic acid supplements which helped save the hair, YAY!} But wow. The changes in my little girl happened faster than I was prepared for. AND? STEROIDS MAKE YOU CRAZY! Like, instantly bi-polar. Fun times.

At one point, she was getting 1000 mg prenisone infused EVERY WEEK. Dude. Seriously.

It's been a super hard two years. These pictures used to be sad for me to look through. But honestly, not anymore. They humble me. I look at them as a GREAT REMINDER that no one is merely what their packaging looks like. I wish more people thought that way... Because for real? We got used to people staring and judging whenever we went out, mostly if we ever dined out. I can only guess what they were thinking and judging.... Mostly, I would guess they thought I was a bad mom. Boy, and I felt it.

Sometimes I get a little pissed off about it. Its not all sunshine and unicorns pooping rainbows around here 24/7. But then I stuff those feelings down with a donut :) {or.... 12} {I wonder why my pants are so tight....} {Cure for tight pants??? BUY BIGGER PANTS! ba-dump-bump!}

But today? I am glad to report that the next time we go to Disneyland, it will likely not require a use of a wheelchair.

And my little warrior had her port removed almost 3 weeks ago, so hospital stays? Hopefully will soon become just a distant memory.

This is Ken a couple of weeks ago, drawing artwork for Make-A-Wish. I smile and cry when I look at this because she has come so far. While she is still on the rest of her meds {of which there are many} she is a FIGHTER and she is winning the great fight, I just KNOW IT. We take it day by day, especially since there is no cure {yet}. We have learned to adapt to the fact that her and the sun are total frenemies. {I tell her she is going to have the most beautiful, wrinkle free skin when she is old like me} and hopefully one day soon, she will reach remission. And today? I am, without fear of what could come tomorrow, going to CELEBRATE today. I think at the height of the chaos that 'roids brought into our life, I promised a pony ride the day she was off the juice..... I guess I better start googling some horse stables.....

{gluten free} pumpkin muffins with maple cream cheese frosting - make this now.

2011-08-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

My great friend, The Sharynator {as in - a fun combo of her name and The Terminator? Get it? Yep. I am a great friend.} bought me a can of pumpkin a few weeks ago, after we had just heard about the great pumpkin shortage of 2010 and started to kind of PANIC and FREAK THE FRACK OUT because we noticed our local grocer was not stocking the pumpkin like they used to but then she spotted it on the shelves of another market. {Food Ciiiiiiii-Tay! - if you've ever shopped there, you know what I mean. I LOVE shopping there. Especially FRIDAYS!} and picked us each up a big ol' can. {oh holy run on sentence} And I have been staring at it ever since, because my trusty pumpkin bread recipe just isn't going to work this year {since we've been gluten-free since January} and I hate to waste time making things that are going to end up tasting like sadness. BUT I have tried to start to give myself credit for finally getting a handle on what gf flours work for what and so I decided {after a successful foray into making pancakes with what I had on hand vs an actual recipe}to try to modify my bread recipe into gf muffins. They turned out SO DELICIOUS I am going to share them with you:

Ingredients needed to make 24 regular sized muffins + 24 mini muffins:

{Halve the recipe to make about 18 regular sized muffins}

1 c unsalted butter {2 sticks}, softened

1/2 c brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 c granulated sugar

2 tbsp honey

4 large eggs

2 tsp gf vanilla extract

2 c canned pumpkin

1 1/2 c gluntinous rice flour {widely available at asian or int'l supermarkets for VERY inexpensive- I can get it in AZ for about 99 cents a pound}

1 c sorghum flour

1 c tapioca starch

1/2 c almond flour

2 tsp guar gum

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup buttermilk {you can substitute powdered buttermilk + water}

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin tins with paper liners OR grease and flour the cavities. In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients: the flours, guar gum, soda, powder and spices. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugars and honey until well combined, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Add vanilla and pumpkin and beat until well mixed. Add the buttermilk and flour, alternating between the two, until everything is mixed together. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

To make the delicious frosting, whip together 1/2 c softened butter, 1 block softened cream cheese, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp maple flavoring and 2 tbsp half and half. {start by adding 1 tbsp and add 1 tsp at a time until you reach your desired frosting consistency. Add more half and half as needed} Frost your muffins once they are completely cooled. ENJOY!

Gluten free baking does not need to be scary :)

{make this!} The yo-yo headband that you ALMOST forgot about :)

2011-08-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! When I ~~became a total star~~ ... ~~started on my quest for craft world domination~~ ... made my television debut last week, this headband was one of the two YO-yo-yo projects I intended to talk about making. And then we took so long talking about the tank top and, well, actually just MAKING a yo-yo, I never actually got to this one. I am quite certain there might be one person out there that is interested in this, so One Person? This is just for YOU :)

The headband is pretty simple, just a collection of yo-yos on a felt base.

To make one of these little suckers, you'll need:

-A plastic headband - I bought a pack of 5 at the dollar store, for, well, A DOLLAR :)

-square fabric scraps or a charm pack - stack them up in rainbow color, because that's just really more pretty to look at :)

-yo-yo makers in various shaped and sizes {or an old trashed cd to trace if you don't have a yo-yo maker}

-a handful of buttons or flowers or stacked felt flowers {I will show you at the end how to make a simple one} and at least 8 finished yo-yo's.

A piece of white {or any coordinating color} craft felt, cut into a bean shape, approximately 4 inches long.

To start, make your yo-yos. Don't have a yo-yo maker? Go here. Now, glue the felt piece to the underside of the headband, starting where ever you'd like your patch of yo-yos to be. I did these off to one side {and since there is no front or back? It can be worn to either side}.

Start building your patch by first covering your headband with three large yo-yos. Securely glue the yo-yos to the felt as well as the headband. Then just glue the rest, overlapping, over the rest of the white felt, covering the felt as much as possible. Trim away any edges that aren't covered.

To make a quick beaded and stacked felt flower:

1} cut a small, bigger and biggest circle out of felt. {smallest is about the size of a penny}

2} Glue and stack together. Once all glued together, put a generous ball of hot glue on the top in the center

3}Carefully push the glue spot into a pile of small seed beads {while the glue is still HOT}

4} Let the glue dry and then flick off any loose beads

Copycat crisis averted? Or perhaps just a missed opportunity.

2011-08-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today I had the extra awesome pleasure of attending a monthly assembly at my girls' school. I just love the opportunity to get out into the 'real world' whenever possible. Oh. Dear. Yes. An elementary school assembly has become the 'real world' for me. Send help.

I digress.

But for real for real, I do enjoy the getting out and people watching the most. I love the young helicopter parents.... and the shutterbugs... But I am ALWAYS on the lookout for the like-minded crafty moms in my little town. Because my closest crafting pals are a half hour in one direction or an hour in the other, I would just LOVE to have at least ONE crafty gal in my own neighborhood. It REALLY is all about me, justsoyaknow.

Anywhoo, this little momma that came to sit in front of me and the mister was toting along the MOST ADORABLE PURSE EVER! {and the skirt her daughter was wearing was pretty darn cute, as well.} They both had ADORABLE hair flowers to boot. So, I waited approximately 3.5 seconds for her to get situated {well, I actually was delayed because I quick asked Michael if he would help me knock her down in the parking lot so I could just steal the purse, but he said no.} So, after she got situated, I tapped her on the shoulder, told her that the purse was ADORABLE and asked if she made it- she said yes. Then I again gushed over it. {It was ruffles and polka dots and cuteness, oh my!}And gushed over her ADORABLE daughter's skirt. And then back to the purse. I asked her if it was a pattern, she said yes. I asked what the pattern name was, she said she couldn't remember but thought it was Abbey Lane. She then OFFERED to text me the name of the pattern when she got home. I was elated, I felt like I hit a total jackpot and dreamed of ruffles the rest of the afternoon.

And then? Later that afternoon, I got this disappointing text message, that basically 1)Didn't name the pattern. 2)Told me the pattern was crap and really hard to follow {so, I didn't want it anyway? I think that's where she was going} 3)and that she was going to be selling them in a local Xmas show for somewhere around $125 and maybe did I just want to buy one? Ugh. And it brought up all these ugly memories because I have been in that jealous, protective place before.....

And then I came home and found the pattern:

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/56799398

{ The internet is a beautiful thing. }

What do you think? Do you lie to protect your business? Is this what is still going on? I am feeling yucky about it. Especially because it's someone else's pattern.... I would love to hear any thoughts about this, even if you don't agree with me :)

Another visit to the studio {or} I had so much fun today, I almost wet myself {but that may have been too much Dr Pepper, actually}.

2011-08-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun AGAIN today visiting the local ABC studio. My bucket is SUPER DUPER full today, KATCHOW KATCHOW. I thought I should have been super nervous being on live tv, but {besides the nip slip/F-bomb anxiety} I have felt at ease both times. Weird. And slightly awesome.

I thought to bring my camera along this time to get a few shots of the studio and hosts.

And.....You guessed it! I was that guest. That one who was actin' the fool once the camera came out. Yeah. But WHO IS NOT EMBARRASSED IN THE LEAST? Me. Three words. No. Nip. Slip. That's all that really matters, Amen.

They probably shouldn't ask me to be a camera woman, for real. That camera is SENSITIVE. My shakey hands + that = no bueno.

And ZOWEEMAMA these ladies are beautiful.... and SUPER THIN. {my poor ham bone arms were so embarrassed.} Next time? I will bring them donuts. And perhaps several buckets of lard. Need motivation to go on a diet? You can come with me next time... {boohoo.}

It was just a really fun day. And I hope everyone in the land starts a Chore Store. It really is a great thing.

Here is the video: {enjoy!}

Find the original chore store post here:

http://fabricbliss.blogspot.com/2011/04/do-this-family-chore-store.html

A quick porch updo {or} I am hoping if I pretend the weather is getting nice, it will start to cooperate.

2011-08-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

August is the month in Arizona when pretty much everyone {besides the mister- he LOVEs the heat} is completely, totally and utterly DONE with the heat. So, so done. So done, all I can think about is, 'why do we live here?' ... 'San Diego isn't that expensive, is it?' ... 'I think I am insane.' ... 'Where is the ice cream?' ... 'Why are my pants so tight?!'...So, to totally screw with myself, I decided to do a once-over on my sad little neglectarino porch that has been sitting dusty and desolate all summer. Because, for real? Its going to be at least 2 months before anyone is actually enjoying sitting out here again.... BUT I adore the way it turned out and am pleased to say in total I spent less than $35! And very minimal effort...

I bought these adirondack chairs at our last community yard sale for $10 each. I used leftover paint from my bedroom dresser makeover of last summer and I LOVE them :) Best part? Painting helps minimize the splinter-in-yer-butt factor these chairs used to have. The ~~nightstand~~ side table was a free with purchase item on my last craigslist find {hutch for fabric storage}. I just love free.

The lamp was a mere $2.50 at Goodwill half priced weekend. It was a god awful wood and brass, but nothing a little spray paint couldn't clean right up. The shade was one I had in the garage- the scale is a little off, but I didn't want to buy a brand new shade to put outside so it will have to do...

I made this chevron fabric out of spray paint, painters tape and a painters drop cloth and just recovered an old, faded pillow. {the pink Flea Market Fancy pillow is a leftover decoration from Camden's grad party}

I made this slipcover out of a kitchen towel from Target. I think it was the biggest splurge, at $3.99.

I just love the way it turned out. Now, if only the weather will cooperate!

How full is YOUR bucket? {or} A positive message for Tuesday.

2011-08-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

My older daughter, Piper, came home from her first week of school talking about BUCKETS and SCOOPS and FEELINGS, oh my! I told her that day {she was SO excited} to wait until we sat down for dinner to tell us all about it {in reality, this child can talk a LOT and I probably was answering an email or talking on the phone - I was such a dip-taker}

So, in my 9 year old's words {because to be honest, I haven't actually gotten to read the book, yet...} imagine everyone around you is walking around with a bucket full of good feelings and for every act of kindness they experience at your hand, you are, in effect, putting a scoop in their bucket... but for every unkind word or action you commit, you are taking a scoop out. {ahem. mean or rude blog commenters? You are total scoop takers!}

For my 9 year old, I think the focus was for the children to really understand how their words and actions effect those around them and that they should strive to be bucket fillers. But me? I am looking at the other side. I am pondering my OWN bucket.

As a woman, it is SO easy to let your bucket get totally empty. The daily mundane of life can suck you dry like no one's business. {honest moment---->} I have had literally MONTHS where I wanted nothing more but to cradle my own empty bucket whilst sitting on the couch in my dirty pajamas watching tv until the kids were done with school. During those blue periods, dinner was a chore. Chores were a chore. Let's be honest. BREATHING was a chore. {I can't imagine those working moms that actually would have had to leave the house in that condition. You are true superstars.} Luckily, I had the luxury of hiding in my house when that was going on. After a touch of counseling {true story} I have learned I need to replenish my OWN bucket by doing things for myself! Girl trips, this blog, crafting- these are all things I do for me that fill my own bucket. {Ok, I didn't actually KNOW about my bucket back then, but now that I do, it just all makes perfect sense.} And I want to encourage everyone reading {all 5 of you- hi mom!} to watch the levels of your own buckets. What are you good at? What makes you smile? Start a journal and write down something positive about yourself every night. If no one is filling your bucket, do it yourself!

My good friend {who shall remain anonymous} is suffering from a dangerously low bucket at the moment. Its a hard thing to watch from the outside because I remember what it felt like to carry that dry-as-a-bone bucket around. It really wasn't that long ago. This is to you, dear friend. I would email it, but I want the world to know how great you are {well, at least 5 people in the world who are reading}even if they don't technically know who you are...

Dear friend that knows who she is,

You are awesome. ... No, really. You are awesome. Let that sink in, because when I am saying that about you? Truer words have never been spoken. You had this really crazy childhood... If it's not one thing, it's your mother... you could have coined that phrase. And yet? You are THE BEST MOTHER I KNOW. {no offense, mom.} You care for your kids like no one I have ever seen. You have made ME a better mother and before I met you, I was already trying pretty darn hard SO THAT IS SOMETHIN'. You are super smart about things I know nothing about. Which, because I actually consider myself pretty darn intelligent? Might make you the smartest person I know. {No offense, Michael} You are always a willing ear to listen to me complain about my husband {no offense, Michael} and yet don't hold a grudge against him and understand that sometimes I just need to vent with no judgement. Even if I am, indeed, the one being the butthole. It's like MAGIC. And You have this way of being handed a turd and polishing it up until its the prettiest turd of the bunch. Its just so darn impressive. I have learned so much from you. Thank you for being my friend.

Its true, they let me on LIVE tv {or} How I spent 4 minutes focusing on not F-bombing it.

2011-08-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

{my television debut}

....

In case you don't follow me on twitter, I was on this local show yesterday doing a craft demo. It's true. Me. Tv. Live. Insanity. Big hair, hambone arms, double chin and all. Here's the low-down. I was worried about f-bombing it or a nip slip THE. ENTIRE. TIME. Its truly absurd since I can actually be out in public and not riddle my conversations with vulgarity. {shut-up, Heather.} I have NEVER just casually shown anyone my nipple. Really. For REAL. I can be trusted {most of the time} in polite society and not embarrass anyone. But for some reason? I thought surely all hell was going to break loose when these people let ME of all people on LIVE tv. Oh, man. But, besides that? I wasn't nervous at all. In fact, I was on my BEST BEHAVIOR and apparently not as sassy as everyone expected!

...

I will do better, next time.... which just so happens to be next Thursday, August 25th when I am going to appear on Sonoran Living.... If you are in Arizona, please tune in if you can :)

I HAVE been busy!

2011-08-08T13:08:00.001-07:00

I wrote a few more how-to articles for sheknows.com - Check. Them. Out. {that's an ORDER!} :)

http://www.sheknows.com/how-to/articles/837631/how-to-repaint-furniture

My FAVORITE is this dresser. It came about as an ugly duckling to swan story. I wanted an excuse to buy a new, low dresser like this one to use as a buffet. When I received the email with the article assignment for how to repaint a piece of furniture from SheKnows, I WAS BEYOND THRILLED that I had an excuse to do a little craigslist shopping! I scored this little beauty for the low sum of $50 but was HORRIFIED when we arrived to pick her up that I didn't notice in the pictures that there was fake bamboo trim and rattan{wicker?} drawer fronts. {also the drunk dude that helped get her into the car and the smoke I can still smell when I open up the drawers. BUT 50 BUCKS? Hell yes.}The drawer fronts were mdf-ish underneath. I almost had to call myself a wahmbulance and my husband and I nearly got a divorce during this project {which I did indeed do all by myself, EVEN DRILLING HOLES IN THE MIRRORS, thankyouverymuch} Oh, and also? I went over to my dear Shar-bear's house to use her husband's miter saw in the midst of this project chaos to cut the new trim for the drawer and door fronts and after calling both her husband AND her father to find out how to unlatch the darn safety on the saw and after THEY BOTH told us if we didn't know how to do it, we had no business using said saw, then? Then we you-tubed how to unlatch it, and made SEVENTY TWO CUTS and still have all of our fingers. And NOW? At the top of my list is one of these saws. IT was SPECTACULAR! {and I love me the internet.} And also? We both laughed because they were SO WORRIED about us using this saw, what with its little plastic safety blade guard and such. And we reminded them of all of the SERIOUSLY DANGEROUS TOOLS we are ALLOWED TO USE IN THE KITCHEN EVERY DAY! With no. proper. training! Can you IMAGINE? I can't BELIEVE I have never accidentally ground up my hand with the meat grinder! Ahem. So, John B.? I forgot I have to have a word with you about your faith in my and your wife's woodworking skills. Because we do got mad skillz... MAD.

Check these other informative article, too. Not QUITE as drama filled, but interesting just the same :)

http://www.sheknows.com/how-to/articles/837633/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-table

http://www.sheknows.com/how-to/articles/837629/how-to-refinish-a-dresser

Also! If you are local {Arizona}set your tivo and organize a viewing party {LOL. I kid.}because I am tentatively scheduled to make an appearance doing a craft demo on Smart Family on channel 15, which airs live everyday at 3:30 p.m. {Yes, Heather. I WILL procure Daphne Monroe's autograph for you. No worries.} Unless I die of embarrassment and nervousness before then. Which is completely possible. Promise you will pretend not too notice how sweaty I am???? Thanks. Gosh, you are a GREAT friend.

Best. Day. Ever.

2011-08-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school for my little brood.

{the happy news is I may actually have time to post on the blog again.}

I am SO. EXCITED.

Keeping me busy.

2011-07-10T20:36:00.002-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to do several fun crafting tutorials for sheknows.com.

If you get a chance, go check 'em out :)

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/835499/4-easy-ways-to-embellish-a-plain-tank-top

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/835493/how-to-sew-a-new-slipcover-for-a-throw-pillow

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/835471/how-to-make-a-pet-id-tag

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/835477/sewing-a-dog-sweater

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/835475/how-to-make-a-creative-dog-leash

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/835473/how-to-make-a-litter-box-cover

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/835489/how-to-make-personalized-pillowcases-for-kids

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/835491/how-to-sew-a-simple-bookbag

http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/835479/how-to-make-a-chic-scrapbooking-bag

I am DYING over our little terrier, Chuy, in that sweater! It was about 110 the day we had that photo shoot and he HANDLED IT LIKE A CHAMP! And for the record? He was agreeable to sitting on my ironing board for that particular shot. What my kids could learn from him.... :)

It was my birthday, yesterday.

2011-07-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

I turned an undisclosed age, yesterday. It was a perfect day, finished off with dinner out with some of my bestest friends in the entire world. The highlight, indeed, was TWO rousing renditions of Happy Birthday, sang OPERA STYLE.

Pavarotti, who?

I have ADD and OCD. It's a brutal combination. {or} That post where I am brutally honest with myself.

2011-07-01T10:14:00.001-07:00

I am such a perfectionist, but with a massive case of ADD. It really IS a dreadful combination. All or nothing, perfection or chaos, absolute attention or complete neglect. Nothing is EVER halfway done, because most times, its hardly started. Unless its that week I decide to start a million things at once and crash and burn in epic self destruction. If you are a fellow sufferer, I don't even need to explain it, do I? For the lucky ones that have no idea what I am talking about, thank someone right now, BECAUSE YOU ARE LUCKY. This blog that I was SO EXCITED ABOUT GETTING BACK TO has been all but neglected for a couple of months. I'm absolutely certain its not that surprising to those that know me best, yet in all honesty, its a bit embarrassing for me. Add it to the long list of Things I Started With A Gusto But Never Quite Followed Through With. {Is that a hanging participle?}Yeah. So. ~~Sometimes~~ All the time, I feel like Lucy ala I Love Lucy, full of half baked, crazy ideas that just never seem to work out right. I am living a 50's sitcom. Yay, me!

I refuse to let this turn into a self loathing, oh poor me post. So, I am going to end the self targeted bitching RIGHT HERE, friends. RIGHT. HERE.

....

Look! Buttons! {See how crafty I am with my ADD, just changing the subject like that?}

We went to the Children's Museum in Chicago on our trip for a check-up with Dr. Pachman last week {at Navy Pier - I highly recommend it!}and they had an entire room of small collections. Super fun!

I was also SUPER choked up watching my girl climbing through this rope obstacle course at the Museum. It's hard to believe that our first trip to Chicago to see Dr. Pachman {18 months ago} she was in a wheelchair. And NOW? She is climbing like a monkey all over the place. Life IS good.

We also explored Navy Pier {not sure the carousel was worth the $5 a piece to ride, but Kenny seemed to be having a ton of fun, so I squelched my inner cheap-skate}

ADD. OCD. Whatever. Life is good. Hope you and yours are, too.

Happiness isn't getting what you want, but wanting what you have {I love you, Gramps}

2011-06-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

My grandfather, Daniel Vinay, Jr. passed away last Monday. He was 93 years old. And it has been, without doubt, the most difficult loss I have yet to experience in my life. {I should be grateful that I have made it 33 years on this earth without the great loss that I am feeling, but for now? I am just really, really sad.} My mother's parents had passed before him and when they died, I was sad, but they weren't as big a part of my life as he was. I'm not sure I even stopped to realize that before he died. I wasn't going to blog about it, but it's been heavy on my heart and I felt compelled to share who he was with my handful of faithful readers. Thanks in advance for indulging me... He and my grandmother were married 68 years! Sixty-eight! Can you imagine? They were hitched while he was home on leave from World War II. They raised 3 kids. They fought. They loved. They were the salt and pepper of my life. My grandmother without my gramps by her side is almost inconceivable. The funeral was hard {its a hard thing to see my dad and my husband cry. Almost too much.} and it was harder because my family PUTS THE FUN FUN FUN in dysFUNctional :) When someone dies, those earthly concerns seem SO trivial. I wonder, did anyone else notice that?

My grandparents were longtime members of their Russian Orthodox Church and sadly, the last time I had attended a service with them, I was in high school. Being in their church again was like stepping back in time as a GIANT. I don't remember the altar being so small, nor the incense smoke being so strong. I was happy {for my own children} that most of the service is now in English. {Back in the day, it was almost entirely in Russian.} My older sister was pleased that at 35, she was FINALLY able to turn around and check out the choir {that sings throughout most of the service from a 2nd story open loft... we were NEVER allowed to look at as children} It was a trip down memory lane that I was neither prepared for, nor would have wished for under these circumstances. Ugh. Death sucks. We are off to see our doctor in Chicago tomorrow. Back to craft therapy when I return. God knows, I REALLY NEED IT RIGHT NOW.

an eighth grade graduation {or} I might have to pretend my son is really my younger brother, just so I don't feel so old

2011-06-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Gotta start this out by saying, man, I feel old looking at this picture and thinking about my little dude. 8th grade {for me} seems like it TRULY was just yesterday. Not 20 years ago. Because if anyone is counting? I did in fact graduate from 8th grade in 1991. {and also if anyone is doing the math- this kid skipped 5th grade... so, in my defense, he cheated me out of an entire year...}

Notice my blood shot eyes? I had many late nights whipping things together for this shin-dig. You KNOW how it is anyway, at the end of a school year. Adding a party to the mix just crazied it up, hard core. I cannot imagine what life will be like the year Kennedy is graduating from 8th grade and Brighton is graduating from high school. Good times. {Or? poor planning....}

My budget for this soirée was small. Very small. Painfully small. I am lucky to have spent so many years hoarding dishes and craft/party supplies. Hoarders, take note. Keep crap organized and DON'T ANSWER THE DOOR if you suspect someone is coming to stage an intervention! {hint. if you see cameras and trash bags, lock your door and HIDE!}

So, I created the requisite tissue paper puff balls and a cardstock paper bunting banner {sewn together on a length of double fold bias tape}for decor. Boys are pretty easy, that way. He would have been embarrassed had I gone much further with the deco.

No party {at my house} is complete without little boxes of sweet popcorn. I purchase my popcorn at the grocery store but am ALWAYS freshly amazed at what can be purchased on Amazon! The little containers were long ago purchased at Hobby Lobby {when that section of the store was 40% off.} and hoarded to be used for occasions such as this.

Because we are on a gluten free diet, I struggled for what to do for a dessert. GF flour is EXPENSIVE and feeding 40 people a GF cake or cupcake option would have been pricey. I opted to break out the chocolate fondue fountain, instead. We had GF pretzles, jumbo marshmallows, gummie bears and {not pictured} frozen strawberries and banana chunks. Note: EVERYTHING tastes better when eaten off a stick.

Chocolate dip station was not complete without a Camden-related pun.

I found this A.W.E.S.O.M.E. wire basket thingamajing {I have NO IDEA what it is} and realized it is the PERFECT size for styro.i.hate.the.environment.plates. I almost ALWAYS use glass plates for parties but there were too many guests for this one. I was forced to hate on Mother Nature. I did, however, have plenty of flatware.

I made almost all of the food. {I stuck to mostly cold salad-type side dishes, for ease of serving and timing aka cole slaw and potato salad} I like to figure out the tablescape before the food comes out of the fridge so there is no last minute juggling when it's time to eat.

And then, when it's time to eat, I just transfer from tupperware out of the fridge to serving dishes. Does anyone else do this? It makes my life easier. And less stressful. Amen.

The kids made these little 'diplomas' as favors. I found the idea here. SUPER cute and SO EASY.

I had a couple of candy dishes of them. {I just printed the signs off of my computer, used puffy letter stickers for the word 'smartie' and glued them into non-heirloom aka thriftstore candy dishes. I wouldn't use hot glue on a treasure, but on something I don't care about? Its a good solution.}

I also made candy pops, courtesy of Bakerella. I used Ghirardelli squares instead of Godiva and the Reese's cups. I opted to make them just as she showed, stick them in the freezer and then when NICE and FROZEN, dip the entire things in melted red dipping chocolate. For tassles, I used sour cherry straws and an edible pearl bead for the button. {That light bulb is just glued to the end of a wooden dowel and stuck in the stand. I wrote my funnies on it with sharpie.}

How could these not be pun-tastic as well? {Poor Camden and his mom's ridiculous sense of humor, right?!}

The party was super fun. Food was delish. {Main dish- bbq chicken. Yum!}

The weather was beautiful, which I was thankful for. Arizona in May can be HOT! I know I look like a total dork in this picture. Judging by ALL the pictures of my from the party? I was pretty dorky the entire night. I hate cameras. I love my friends and family for accepting me.

All in all? A fun evening. {I bet the boys would say the chocolate fountain was their favorite part!}

{make this!} An awesome outdoor {umbrella} tablecloth

2011-05-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

I hosted a grad party for my son this past Friday and needed a tablecloth for my outdoor table {since over 40 people were expected, half of the party was planned for outside. My house is SMALL, people. SMALL.} I normally like to use twin size quilts as table cloths = mainly because there is no ironing involved and the padding from the quilt protects the table underneath {think ---- no trivets required!}But since my patio table has an umbrella {and I was NOT into cutting up a quilt to accommodate... I wasn't quite that desperate...} I needed a quick and CHEAP solution. Enter in yet ANOTHER project involving those darn Lowe's paint drop cloths that I love so much!

This project took me under an hour, from start to finish. It SO HELPS if you have a ruffler attachment on your sewing machine OR have a Johnson ruffler OR you have a serger. If you plan to gather this beast by hand, email me when you make that cray-cray-crazy decision and I will pray for you. Amen.

These are the supplies you need:

{fabric yardage will depend on how long you want your drape and how big your table is.}

- a drop cloth {or other heavy fabric} big enough for the top of your tablecloth. Feeling extra crafty? Something patch-worked would look super cute here.

-fabric for the drape. I suggest using something a little lighter here

-velcro as wide as half your table plus a few inches

-sewing machine, yard stick, LONG cloth measuring tape, straight pins, thread, scissors and PATIENCE! Don't forget the PATIENCE! This project almost guaranteed cannot be accomplished without using straight pins aka the bane of my existence. Please forgive me.

So. First what you are going to do is create the shape for the top of your table cloth. To do this, fold your drop cloth in half {right sides together} and lay it across your table. Then, line up the center seam {if there is one, if not you can just find the center of your cloth} with the pole of the umbrella.

Now, cutting JUST the top layer, cut along your seam {or center line at the umbrella} just up to the pole.

Now you can unfold your drop cloth like so.

Now, very carefully cut a circle out around the pole. If you have twinkly lights around your umbrella {like I do} take care NOT to knock a bulb out with your scissors {like I did} LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES, I tell ya! LEARN.

Now that everything is laying fairly nice and flat, trim your top piece to 1" around the edges of the table. This can be a little tricky, so take your time. If you like to sew with a bigger seam allowance than 1/4", you may need to leave a little more of an overhang.

When you are finished trimming, your top piece should look something like this.

Now you need to figure out how long you want your ruffle to hang. I used 54" wide cotton cloth for my ruffle and {in true laziness} just cut down the center fold. My drop was about 27" which actually ended up working out perfect. Plus? I left the selvedges raw, so NO HEMMING, friends! No hemming... To calculate how long of a piece of fabric you need for the ruffle, take your extra long cloth measuring tape and measure the outside ?circumference? of your table. {or, if you are a math wizard, I am certain there is some formula you know that you can use to calculate this. STAY IN SCHOOL.} When you have that measurement, double it to account for the ruffling. My table was approximately 220" around so I used 440" of fabric which is 12 yards long BUT only half the width. So in reality, 6 yards of fabric total. {That seems like a ton of fabric, I know. For reference, this table is about 8 ft long.}{And the fabric I used was about $2/yd wholesale.}

If you have a serger, this is the time to finish those raw edges with a quick run-through. If you don't have a serger, I would suggest turning over a narrow 1/4" seam to finish this off nicely.

Now, prepare your drop fabric. As mentioned previously, I just cut along the fold straight off the bolt, sewed the ends together and ruffled along the top edge. I did a two to one ruffle to get this look. If you want it to be more gathered {or less} just lengthen or shorten the yardage you are ruffling. The easiest way to pin your ruffle on is to leave the tablecloth top ON your table and pin there. If your table is as big as mine, this is the WORST PART and the most time consuming. And bulky. I used up almost every pin on my my pin cushion. It was horrifying.

Pins. Pins. Pins!

To finish off the umbrella opening, sew on your velco. It doesn't matter much which side goes where.

I would suggest running the velco just over the edge of the table.

And there you have it, done and done. Easy, right?

{unless you hand gathered. Bless your little heart.}

That darn couch.

2011-05-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

So. If you follow me on the twitter {hint, hint} you already know that I ~~am WORLD FAMOUS~~ ... ~~AM A VIRAL INTERNET SENSATION~~ was kind of excited about this little mention on this awesome website:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/before-after/before-after-the-pretty-painted-sofa-makeover-fabric-bliss-147330

Which was sweetened even more, by this little gem of a follow-up, posted last night:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/crosspost/apartment-therapy-hot-posts-week-of-may-23-may-27-2011-147865

But, really? It's also been a hellabit crazy and something I was nary prepared for. The sudden flood of traffic to my blog, tons of emails and comments I have received has been SO AWESOME {I don't want to sound like a bitter betty} but it has also been a WAKE-UP CALL that I have to be {and was totally NOT} PREPARED TO BE RESPONSIBLE for what I post on the internet!!!!! D'uh! GUESS WHAT, FRIENDS?! I hate to admit what you probably already know, but I am NOT a couch-painting EXPERT!!!!! {insert smiley here} I am just a crazy, slightly oddball crafter that thought this couch ROCKED but couldn't stand the floral fabric and was too poor to have it re-upholstered ... And because it was so darn cheap? I thought, what would I be out if this was an ABSOLUTE FAIL?... a small amount of money and my time. {well, my dad's time, too} It seemed to make sense... and now. HOLY COW! ARGH AND THOSE CUSHIONS that a LARGE collection of the people I have heard from HATE with such vitriol I can't imagine caring that much about other people's fabric choices? I could defend my choice but that might imply I put a ton of thought into choosing those particular fabrics.... The truth? After 2 trips to fabric stores and lots of indecision, I chose those fabrics because I had them on hand and I was hosting my son's grad party {this past weekend} and I needed to get those cushions covered ASAP. I apologize to anyone with bleeding eyeballs because of my poor design decisions :) It might actually be all Heather's fault. We agreed that a little whimsy would fit right into my sewing room. {please feel free to pop by HER blog and share with her how much you hate my fabric choice as well :)}{I love you Heather.}It makes me feel very ashamed that it is so much easier to hear the negative comments than to accept the positive feedback. Do you ever feel that way?????? Also. Do you ever TOTALLY abuse PUNCTUATION and CAPITALIZATION??? I thought so. Gosh, I knew I LIKED you :)

Onto more sunshiney topics, my oldest just graduated from 8th grade. And I could NOT be prouder :)

He even tied his hair back in a ponytail, just for me :)

I had so much fun with his graduation party. I will share more pictures tomorrow... I hope everyone is having a FABULOUS weekend!

A new couch needs some new deco {or} I made a wreath and a pillow, Amen.

2011-05-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

The weekend is just about over and my sweet kiddos have a wee bit less than one week of school left. Hot damn. This was one of those weekends that feels like it was already over before it even started! I scored LOTS of AWESOMENESS at the Goodwill half price sale Saturday morning {with bestie Heather - she got some AWESOME GOODS,too!}{things I WANTED!}{she was all MEAN and bought the stuff SHE FOUND FIRST!}{RUDE}{I kid.}I am MOST EXCITED about a certain DUCK LAMP! {Heather tried to talk me out of it.}{I think because SHE wanted it :)}

I am trying to get as much crafting in as possible before the kids are out for the summer. I don't know what this summer is going to be like- we don't have a vacation planned, its our first summer in this {much smaller} house and we are STILL adjusting to the fact that Kenny can't go outside from 10-4 everyday. You would think after almost 2 years I WOULD GET IT ALREADY. But its still freshly shocking when I forget, and regress back to the 'let's get season passes to the local waterpark' mindset. And then someone {normally, Kennedy} points out that I am forgetting something VERY IMPORTANT. Boo.

I also whipped up this simple sewing themed wreath, for my sewing room {of course!} It LITERALLY took me 5 minutes. I LOVE super simple projects that come out just like I imagined them to.

This dollar store wreath is wrapped in super cheap {red striped} jute upholstery webbing.

I made a rose-ette out of a long metal zipper {left over from my couch project}a vintage tomato pin cushion {does everyone have a million of these laying around?} and a vintage spool measuring tape. Done and done.

Well. Its 10:47 am on Sunday and I am headed back to bed for a much needed nap. {went out with girlfriends and my cutie sister last night and didn't QUITE get enough sleep!}

Please.

Don't judge.

{make this!} A composition book cover + FREEBIE FRIDAY!

2011-05-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

It all started with this notebook I made for Creative Estates:

And then I {we} were HOOKED.....

So, remember long ago, when I posted pics of these fun composition notebooks I had made for my friend Erin? And how I had said I had a SUPER QUICK and SUPER EASY tutorial I was going to post? And then everyone quickly realized I was a BIG FAT LIAR? Well, who's the liar now, weenies? Because HERE IT IS, in all of it's 18 picture tutorial glory {14 of said pics are almost assuredly unnecessary}. Better late than never, friends. Better late, than never.

This project is rated SUPER EASY. How easy, you ask? Even when you are having a day where you feel like you are crafting worse than a drunk monkey? You will STILL find success with this project. I swear.{you can trust me.}

Supplies are super simple. Plug in your sewing machine and make sure that bobbin has thread on it. Plug in the ol' glue gun {if you aren't ashamed to laze it out}but if you are all proper and stuff, I will show you how to sew at my gluing point.... Gather some fabric together- {THIS MIGHT BE JUST THAT EXCUSE YOU WERE LOOKING FOR TO GO TO THE FABRIC STORE. OR? Shop online! Did you know you can order fabric at Amazon? OH FRIENDS! That means with Amazon Prime, you can get free shipping on fabric all. day. long. Its almost sinful NOT to be ordering fabric all day long, isn't it????} At least one piece needs to measure 12" x 22". You might even get a little crazy and patchwork together a few scraps to get something this size. Woot woot! You will also need an 18" piece of pretty elastic or stretch lace to serve as the closure.

You also need {duh} one regular composition book, like this one:

{these are around a dollar at Target}

An optional supply for this project is something I keep in my sewing arsenal ALWAYS! Wash away Wonder Tape is my best friend in the sewing room. {well, besides spray adhesive}I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE to use straight pins. HATE! I REALLY prefer to just use this to tape pockets down - well, really anything that can be taped down- and then stitch. This will NOT gum up your needle and if you ever wash your cover? This stuff dissolves in water. GENIUS! {I buy this at Joann's, either with a coupon or when the notions wall is 50% off.}

Ok. We are ready to get started. Cut out a piece of fabric {or create one with patchworking} that measures 12" x 22". Try not to cut it so that your HB Pineapple motif is going to be on the front upside-down. But if this happens? Meh. Move on. There are bigger things to worry about and Erin is such a nice friend, she will never say anything :) I serged around the edges, mainly because I own a serger {or two} and I like to serge whenever possible. There aren't really going to be exposed edges, so if you don't have a serger, skip this part. Geez. How many times have I said serge? SO MANY TIMES the word looks weird to me now. Serger. Serge. Serge. Serger. OK, moving along...

Now, fold over 3" from each side and press, right sides together, along the fold.

Press, press, press. Press HARD. Iron like you MEAN IT. {Truthful moment: I cropped out the duct tape repair on my iron. And my really beefy arm.}

Now, unfold and your crease serves as the no-man's land for decorating the front of your cover. As in, don't go too near the crease and anything to the right of the crease? That is going to be on the inside of your notebook. {I didn't take a pic, but you also need to fold the entire piece in half, like a book, and press a crease there, too. That will serve as your binding mark. Anything to the left of that crease will be the back cover.}

Now, embellish to your hearts content. I taped on and then stitched a pen/pencil/marker pocket, added Erin's business initials and a bird patch I made from fabric + Heat N Bond LITE.

{did you know EVERYTHING IS BETTER when you put a bird on it????}

This is what my cover looked like after i was done embellishing the front. If I could do anything over? I would move the pocket down and the bird over...... the bird was painfully close to my elastic closure and it annoys me.... or I could just be hormonal. At this point? Its ANYONE's guess. {husband? Best for everyone if you refrain from guessing....}

Now. Take your cover back to the ironing board and touch up those creases. Now, sew along the tops and bottoms of both front and back seams {using a 1" seam} just where the fabric is overlapping. {does that make sense?}

In what is perhaps one of the lamest little layouts that has ever been made, LOOKIE I made a little pattern because I think I am complicating this WAY. TOO. MUCH!

Now, when you take your little beauty back to the ironing board and flip everything right side out, it should look something like this ^ Press down those flaps on the tops and bottoms and stitch those down too. Just where they are flapping up. Don't stitch over where your book is going to go into your cover, you dig me?

Now, convince your composition book into its new cover. Depending on how straight you sew and cut {i don't cut or sew straight hardly at all - wonky in da' house}this could be super easy (or) REALLY DIFFICULT. But. I KNOW you are going to get her in there!

Now. Here is where I am going to glue. This part can be accomplished WITH THE COVER ON with glue, but if you are stitching, it needs to be done before you put your cover on. {ahem. overachiever.}Make a loop with your 18" piece of lace or elastic, and glue the ends together. Take said loop and position on the back cover, near the edge that is NOT the binding, go somewhere in the middle and glue it like you mean it. {if you are stitching, re-read that last part but substitute the word GLUE with the word SEW. Be careful not to stitch through the back to the flap where your book cover goes.}{for the record- us glue-ers don't have such worries.....}

I like to cover my glue ~~shame~~ handiwork with a little heart cut from fabric. Just glue that little sucker right on top.

Voila! And just like that, you are finished.

Now that you are such a notebook cover making pro, I encourage you to try different fabrics and trims. MY FAV I have made so far is this ruffle confection! Erin is lucky I mailed it when I did. I had several little ladies in this house eye-ing it up.....

Hey, GUESS WHAT? I am going to giveaway one of these little pretties to one lucky commenter. Love this? Hate this? Having a bad hair day? Does your husband work from home as well and you are having one of those 'wanna poke his eyes out' kinda Friday's, too? Tell me about it right here in the comments and Sunday night, I will pick a winner. {did anyone else's family say 'pick a winner' in reference to picking one's nose? or was that just my weird kin???}

{I'd love to see pictures if anyone makes one of these}

{do this!} I painted a couch last week {or} NO REALLY! I PAINTED A COUCH!

2011-05-19T08:27:00.002-07:00

So, if you follow my VERY AMUSING musings on twitter {hint, hint} you may have seen the picture of this garage sale SCORE I bought a couple of weeks ago. For the low, low sum of FORTY-FIVE DOLLARS! Can you FREAKING BELIEVE my LUCK?

When I saw her sitting there, in that nice man's driveway, I got the heart palpitations and sweats that only a true bargain hunter can understand. There and then, as I sat in my car, tangled in my own seat belt {there may have been some cussing involved} I KNEW I NEEDED to OWN her! As I walked up the driveway, I fretted that she might be out of my budget, but was already concocting excuses and justifications for the mister. I watched as another woman had a conversation about the couch and WALKED AWAY. 'OH GREAT!' I was thinking, 'this dude must have visions of GRANDEUR and wants a Antiques.Roadshow.Mint for this little beauty.' My garage sale compadre nudged me a little and said GO ASK ABOUT THE COUCH. {She actually more shoved me, bless her little heart.}So, up I trudged and casually asked, 'how much for the couch'. Oh man. He started out with a story which typically = A TOTALLY INFLATED PRICE. He told me she was from the 40's, original fabric {which, I disagree} and that he just replaced the springs a year ago. And then he said it. FORTY FIVE DOLLARS!!!!!!??????!!!!! Uh. Yeah. I'll take it. {and for the record, it was in VERY CLEAN condition. No smells, fabric could have been left as is, if it weren't so hideous. SCORE!}So, I kinda knew I was going to paint her from that moment. {did you see that episode of trading spaces where the couches were painted but got ruined by the rain? Yeah. I still wanted to attempt it.} It took a bit of convincing the mister, but he eventually agreed with me that this was the only way she was going to fit in with out COMPLETELY NOT SHABBY CHIC HOUSE {that was for my galpal Heather}

Just my luck? My dad was in town to help! {Its almost like I PLANNED IT}

So, here are the supplies we used:

*Glidden flat black paint {color -Ebony}- I started out with just one quart, but ended up having to go back for another, which I used half of. So, if I ever paint a couch again? I will just go for the gallon.

*2 - 8 ounce containers of Delta Ceramcoat Textile Medium - this paint additive keeps acrylic/latex paint flexible enough to use to paint a couch, without all of it just flaking off. It was supposed to be 1 part medium to 2 parts paint. I got lazy doing the math, so I ended up using the 2 - 8 ounce containers for a quart and a half of paint.... that adds up, right??? {It turned out fine, regardless...}{Kids, are you listening? YOU DO NEED MATH SKILLS IN EVERY DAY LIFE! STAY IN SCHOOL!}

*Painters tape {Don't be buying no dollar store tape. It sucks. The extra moolah is SO worth it.}

We also used this foam roller. {OMG I know this is the worst picture ever to be posted on the interwebs, it was just the only one I took.} {Sorry.}{I love you.}We also went through several of these type foam brushes, mostly to get in the nooks and crannies.

My dad was in charge of masking the wood base. {YAY FOR FARMING OUT THE TOUGH LABOR!} There was some discussion about painting the wood as well. We didn't, mostly because I am lazy, it would have involved priming and sanding and I am nothing if not a crafter suffering from a MASSIVE case of A.D.D. So, YAY for NATURAL WOOD TRIM!

I rolled all the bigger, flat areas, and Dad used the foam brushes to get in the tufts on the back and around the trim. It took both of us painting about 4 hours total painting time over 2 days to finish. {My dad actually did most of the work. THANK YOU DAD! I APPRECIATE YOU!}

It took me the LONGEST to figure out what fabric to use to cover the cushions. {I knew right along that I didn't want to paint those....} I settled on reversible cushions, trimmed in polka dots. {Perfect.}

Didn't she turn out beautiful???!!! You can still see the texture of the original tapestry {original?} fabric, which I actually love. The back feels a bit like you might imagine a painted couch would feel like. Stiff, like a new screenprinted t-shirt. I might not attempt this on a 'fluffy' couch. I think it worked so beautifully because this was a tight, tailored design. {which is why I did not want to attempt to paint the foam butt cushion covers. It sceered me.}

So. To review. Look. The prettyness. The beauty. Total cost? A little over $100.

$45 - couch

$16 - 2 quarts black paint

$7 - 2 containers textile medium {both purchased at Joann's with coupons $5ea is reg price}

$2 - foam brushes

$36 - Damask and Floral from Joann's with coupon {had the dots in the stash}

$3 - 3 upholstery zippers from SAS

Painters tape, plastic tarp, rollers {I already had}

-----------------------------------------------

Total price - $109

I think this couch is just what my sewing room was missing, don't you?

{linked this project up}

{What have I been doing, you ask?} Why, I've been painting my couch! :)

2011-05-17T13:09:00.001-07:00

Ahem. HEY! Whassup.whassup?! I just got some crap from my ~~frenemy~~ friend, Heather, today, about my seriously slacking on the ol' blog posting lately.... I know I am SO RIVETING ! I am QUITE CERTAIN that everyone out in Bloggyville has been fretting, wondering how they will fill the many hours in their day without a little fabfab snark! So HERE YA GO! 12 days worth, compacted into one blog post! You can thank Heather later, you LUCKY DUCKER you! :) {Do I overuse the exclamation point? It's just so hard to convey that I AM INDEED SHOUTING without it, ya know???!!!} And, just to clear the air, I was NOT huddled up in a ball on the floor for the last 12 days, crying over missing Quilt Market in SLC. I was not. I was not. I was not!!!!!! .... Well. CONFESSION TIME! Maybe I was just sitting in a dark room, huddled in my blankie, Osama style, feeling indescribable sadness.... Wah.

{this is not what I have been doing, but dear me, doesn't EVERYONE just LOVE the site of freshly ground beef????} {well, maybe except vegetarians and vegans.} {sorry for that, my herbivore friends.}

So, moving along.... my dad was in town last week! And, just like me, the old man CAN NOT SIT STILL! We were going, going, going all week, which left little {if any} computer time.

{excuse number one for blog neglect - DAD IN TOWN}

He helped the boys transplant some cherry tomato plants into bigger containers {HOME DEPOT 2 dollar buckets, for the record! Yay for frugality! Boo for not being able to keep these ugly, bright orange buckets on our front porch. Burlap covers to come, soon!} - I think we got started a little late this season for these tomatoes, but Brighton is mothering them pretty hard, so I will keep you posted!

We also went and saw Grandma. 90ish years young. I can only hope to be half as awesome as she is when I am 90. {I didn't get a photo, but Gramps is 93ish and laying in a bed next to her. They have been married over 60 years!}

{This is my dad and Grandma. Seriously, friends, neither one of them has aged in 10 years. Some lady at Home Depot told me she liked MY HUSBAND'S SHOES!!!???!!! I was like YOU MEAN, MY DAD?! Do you think my dad would admit to using a little Oil of Olay? I really need to know his secret! I have more grey hair than him!}

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I bought this awesome couch for $45 a week or so ago. Well, I HATED the fabric, so my dad and I spent the better part of last week PAINTING IT BLACK! {excuse number two for blog neglect -PAINTED A COUCH}. We used a textile mix-in that keeps the latex paint soft enough to do this. Full blog post on this, soon! I promise! 'Cause you crazy girls out there KNOW you wanna paint a couch, too! It was a bit labor intensive, but my dad didn't seem to mind spending a large portion of his vacation on my crazy DIY project! We also did a LOT of thrifting and scored some great finds! We were scouting for some other couches to paint, but couldn't find any as great {or as CHEAP} as this one.....

Yeah! Whew. So, school is almost out! Summer vacation is all but upon us. Camden graduates from eighth grade in a little over a week! {I still remember my teal satin gown, pink frosted bonnie bell lipstick and 6" tall mall bangs from my own 8th grade commencement like it was yesterday. Surreal.} Another year under our belt. Before I know it, I will be 90 and my 30something grandkid will be visiting me with one of MY kids!

FREAKING OUT!

{trying to follow this advice}

{buy your own poster here!}