Finalle

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

The last and final week!

One of the last steps: put hanging stuff on it. Yes, that is the technical term.

I bought this kit within a few weeks of Chris and my wedding and I have used the junk out of it!

It has most all of what you would need to hold an average picture

I'm slightly OCD so I have to make sure that the two things were even on each side. I used 2 just to be careful... not because I have granite necklaces... but that would be pretty, heavy but pretty.

It is all done and hung... now just put all the lovely and amazing jewelry up!

Colors, Mash and inability to choose

Thanks for the prompt Gussy... Favorite color.  Makes me think of playing around the playground as a child playing MASH.  "Name three guys...Name three colors..."

As a child I loved red, for my older brother loved red.  Later I decided I would stick with it cause it was easier than trying to choose another.  Years pass and I still would just answer "red" cause... well, why not.  Being truthfully honest I don't know what my favorite color is.  I love bright colors, but then again I love muted colors too, dark winter greys, the jewel tones of the fall... It is easier to say what colors I don't like instead of the colors I do like.  But that's very me.  My husband says that I am a classic "Yes/No" person.  I can't give a straight answer.  I always have to give qualifications even for something as simple "Where do you want to eat?"  I guess it is hopeless for me to pick something as permanent as a "favorite color".

Officialy a series... so I guess not epic

Next is getting something for the jewelry to hang on... seeing as that was the reason for this whole thing.

I resently was given one of those ridiculously big bags of random buttons and we have so many different types of screws lying around the house because of this project and that project that I didn't look any further.

I went into the back and grabbed the first flat head screws I could find and drilled them into the frame but only partically of course.  

Then I took my handy dandy modge podge ( I would have used super glue but ours dried up... who know they did that... I guess I break so much stuff I have never had to worry about it.  OH!  I guess that means I am getting less clumsy.) dabbed a pretty large drop on each one

Then topped each with a button.  I did a grouping of muted colors in the "cool" color family but random sizes and textures.

Kept the frame on its back for about an hour and then it was good to go.

Joys of Imagination

The front porch.

  What does it mean to you?  So many people have memories and dreams of "one day".  I have a front porch... kind of...  We never sit out on it but mainly it is because it would mean setting Indian style on the wood planks, not the most comfortable.

When I think about the front porch I smile at the small bistro set we could have sipping cappuccino why I don't know since i don't like coffee (heretical I know), maybe even wearing a barre and looking out over some cobble stone street.  But that's the whole thing: it's all in my head for as soon as I walk outside and look to my left (it is a small porch, leave it alone) I see planks... that's it.  Whatever happened to my childhood imagination... I guess I use it on the porch?

One day I will have a bistro set, one day I will sit and try to like coffee once again (I should amend this, if you add enough flavored creamer, sugar, blend it and top it with a lot of whipped cream then I'm ok with it... but I feel like it is more of a milkshake then anything else at that point).  I will hold hands with my darling and talk about... well, anything.  I will be bundled with a blanket and scarf because there is no way I am volunteering to sit out in the heat of the south till it is winter, and there is no heat.  (hard to tell my preference on things isn't it?)

Thanks for the prompt Gussy Sews.

Book 3 of my epic

I decide mid way throw this amazing and life altering project that I also wanted a place to hang my belts since I so meanly stole where Chris' belts are supposed to go.  I had to wait till I could find some cheap spoons. You ask why spoons and why cheap?  Well spoons are something you can find pretty redily at most yard sales and thrift shops.  They are usually thin enough to bend easily and they provide a possible flat surface to work with.  This is where the cheap comes in hand.  Both price cheap and quality cheap is needed.  

Price because it is just better to pay less.  Quality cheap is dire for the hammering the spoon area flat and bending the handle.  I am sure you have seen this before but if you hammer the spoon head flat it make it easy to secure it to the frame (after you drill a hole) and the hand bent allows for the crook on which things can be hung.

Step one: get cheap spoons

Step two: hammer the spoon heads flat

Step three: drill holes into the spoon (you will need a pretty powerful hand drill and a drill attachment).  Use your body weight to keep the drill stable and make sure you have the spoon on something that you are ok with getting marred or possible "holey"

I unfortunately made one of my holes off center... oh well.  It will hold the belts perfectly well.

Step four: Screw the spoons into place!

Step five: bend the handles to up to a nice sized crook!

This whole process took me about 10 minutes.  It isn't hard and if you mess up get some more spoons!

Weeds not such a musical fruit

Have you ever seen the scene in Just Like Heaven with Reese Witherspoon is sitting resting her eyes in the midst of that beautiful garden.  That.... is not my garden.

I don't plant, ho (that is what you do to a garden right?)... and I really don't pull weeds.  I'm pretty sure there is a circle in hell reserved specifically for pulling weeds.  It's the devil.  Pretty sure.

In my dream garden, there is no upkeep, no need for planting, no need for pulling weeds, no watering... it just grows beautiful... pretty much anything, just so long as I don't have to do anything.

Don't get me wrong, I really like flowers, vegetables, fruit, things that grow and well... green things.

Thankfully I have a darling husband who likes things that grow.... even grass, he wants to plant grass.  I looked at our yard and said, "what's all that green stuff on the lawn?" Chris smiled and said one word, "weeds".  So he will help me with my like of growing things and flowers but he is ok with the work related to them... even pulling weeds.  God works in wonderful ways!

Thanks for the prompt Gussy!

Part Duex of the most world altering post

So the SUPER cheap water colors I used at the last bit in part one wasn't quite enough color for me.  I looked at the frame and thought about what I might want.  Do to all a lack of creativity I decided on flowers on the vine.  Figured it was clichely girlie enough for jewelry to hang from.

I broke out my "starter" kit of acrilycs and set a move on it.  I didn't want to bright of a color and wanted to stay in the "cool" family so I went with a deep plum.  DO NOT be intimiated by acrilics.  You can have fun with it, plus if it goes back you can always paint over it and it will be covered in jewelry anyhow!  Be creative and have fun.  It is really easy so long as you have a firm small brush.  Use it like a pen... that you have to dip that apparently has some ink issues... you kind of get my point.

I did two different styles kind of on accident and kind of on purpose.  I wanted one side to look different then the other but I didn't originally intend for one side to only have 3 petals but I'm ok with it.

I like to add random colors as accents.  So I added a bright blue to the flowers and bit of bright yellow to accent the vine...

It really is super easy: take it and make it your own!

A day in my life

Thanks for the challenge Gussy.

Well, let's see aside from being awesome what do my days entail?

I wake up in the morning feeling like, well not Pdiddy.  There is no brushing my teeth with a bottle of jack, in fact not much of anything that epic or wrong.  I spend the early morning hours with my dear and darling husband.  The hours following that is a torrid of awesome that is working from home.  I can multitask by handing all of this blogging stuff, cleaning, projects and work.

I am photographer, a wedding photographer specifically.  So my day is filled with looking up new and exciting techniques in photography, practicing, editing photos and responding to emails.  Seeing as I am starting out as a photographer I also help business with their online advertising.  The only thing that would make my day and life better: my husband.  I dream is that our photography business can take off enough that he can work with me all the time.

Then after I rejoice at the return of my dear white knight we start our escapade that is our night.  If we are in luck it includes those we love and loads of fun.

Silly and basic is our rule for life.

What's your day like?

The most world altering post

In a give away pile at a yard sale I found this. It was at one point a canvas streatched over frame but it is no longer.  I looked it over and decided I would take it home to play with it.  I have wanted something fun and artsy to hang my jewelry off.  I do have an actually jewelry box but it is too small for everything and I can't get rid of it because it was a gift to my mother from her father, who died the year I was born, and she gave it to me and it really is pretty but just not meeting the need...

So I set myself free and you will get to see the process!

Step one for me was removing the remainder of the canvas/pull out the staples.  I used a flat screwdriver... I got skills!  *insert gangsta face/pursed lips off to the side

It is once again a blank canvas waiting for me this time!

I decided to use modge podge and an book that was terrible.  One  of those books I read just before getting married, that is about marriage but says that every problem was the guys fault... wait why did I have an issue with this book again  ;P

I did a little coat on top in places where it wasn't sticking too well, then I cut off any additional paper so it was flat with the frame.  The amazing tool that I ingeniously used: scissors.

After that dried I wanted to give it a bit of color so I broke out my SUPER cheap set of water colors and set loose the teal... so it gave it a slightly washed over look.

This was brought to you by the self important.  You are required to look forward to following posts about this frame... exciting I know!