On this amazingly beautiful Easter Sunday, I want to wish you and yours a fabulous day.
And as I sit here enjoying my family, my wish is that you all could share in the feeling that graces me today.
Utterly blessed!!!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Happy Easter!
On this amazingly beautiful Easter Sunday, I want to wish you and yours a fabulous day.
And as I sit here enjoying my family, my wish is that you all could share in the feeling that graces me today.
Utterly blessed!!!
Monday, March 25, 2013
In the Interest of Full Disclosure
I'm generally a pretty honest person.
But, on an extremely obsolete and rare occasion, it's possible that I might have told the eensiest, little tiny, itty-bitty lie.
Today I'm here to fess up to a little one I told you all a few months ago.
I didn't do it intentionally.
Pinky swear!
Let's start at the beginning...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
You may remember this post at Christmas time, where I showed you all my brilliant ornament covered chalkboard.
And I told you that the hot glue I used to affix those lovely ornaments would come off with "No Problems"!!
Well that was true the day I put them up.
Honestly, I tested it, no problems at all... that day.
Fast forward a month later, and we have this.
I'm guessing I don't have to point out the obvious.
The obvious being that I lied to you and the hot glue did cause a problem.
Wasn't this Mr. Concrete's idea in the first place??
Yes... let's blame him.
Alright, now that I know he's sufficiently sorry (or thinks it's my fault since I certainly didn't have to follow his advice),
I HAVE TO FIX MY CHALKBOARD!
I decided that since they were just tiny little spots, I'd pull out my chalkboard paint and carefully dab it on with a sponge brush.
It was perfect.
Until I added the chalk.
Oh. Happy. Day. all the spots are showing. (where's that sarcastic font when I need it!)
Now this is a homemade chalkboard, made by flipping over an old picture and just painting the backside.
It was never perfect to begin with.
That being said, this is way more "imperfect" than I'm prepared to live with!
The solution that finally worked wasn't quite as simple as just dabbing on some new paint, but close.
I used 100 grit sandpaper and carefully went over each spot and a small area surrounding it.
Then I actually had to break down, decide not to be lazy, and get the paint roller back out. (I was a little lazy, it was the tiny 2" roller, and I only went over the areas I sanded)
About 2-3 coats of paint, sanding between each coat, and it's finally back to the non-perfect chalkboard it was before.
If you look closely, you can still see some of the chalk sticking to the repaired area in the middle, on the right.
But it's good enough for me.
And I told you that the hot glue I used to affix those lovely ornaments would come off with "No Problems"!!
Well that was true the day I put them up.
Honestly, I tested it, no problems at all... that day.
Fast forward a month later, and we have this.
I'm guessing I don't have to point out the obvious.
The obvious being that I lied to you and the hot glue did cause a problem.
Wasn't this Mr. Concrete's idea in the first place??
Yes... let's blame him.
Alright, now that I know he's sufficiently sorry (or thinks it's my fault since I certainly didn't have to follow his advice),
I HAVE TO FIX MY CHALKBOARD!
I decided that since they were just tiny little spots, I'd pull out my chalkboard paint and carefully dab it on with a sponge brush.
It was perfect.
Until I added the chalk.
Oh. Happy. Day. all the spots are showing. (where's that sarcastic font when I need it!)
Now this is a homemade chalkboard, made by flipping over an old picture and just painting the backside.
It was never perfect to begin with.
That being said, this is way more "imperfect" than I'm prepared to live with!
The solution that finally worked wasn't quite as simple as just dabbing on some new paint, but close.
I used 100 grit sandpaper and carefully went over each spot and a small area surrounding it.
Then I actually had to break down, decide not to be lazy, and get the paint roller back out. (I was a little lazy, it was the tiny 2" roller, and I only went over the areas I sanded)
About 2-3 coats of paint, sanding between each coat, and it's finally back to the non-perfect chalkboard it was before.
If you look closely, you can still see some of the chalk sticking to the repaired area in the middle, on the right.
But it's good enough for me.
Linking Up at These Fun Blogs:
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Saturday, March 9, 2013
It's "Drool~Worthy"
How about trying something new today?
You up for it??
No need to get stressed about it!
Ok, if you must stress, I'll take a moment to pause while you go grab a glass of wine...
Ok, settle in.
Take a sip. {if it's Moscato you're sipping, I may force you to share. Just sayin'...}
Here's a few of the things around the interwebs that've been making me DROOL lately.
Just thought I'd share!
You have to check out the photographers blog too, Abby Grace Photography. This pic is from a Harry Potter Wedding photo-shoot. Every single pic is AMAZING!!
You up for it??
No need to get stressed about it!
Ok, if you must stress, I'll take a moment to pause while you go grab a glass of wine...
...pausing...
...still pausing...
...I can give lessons on how to use a corkscrew if necessary...
Ok, settle in.
Take a sip. {if it's Moscato you're sipping, I may force you to share. Just sayin'...}
Here's a few of the things around the interwebs that've been making me DROOL lately.
Just thought I'd share!
You have to check out the photographers blog too, Abby Grace Photography. This pic is from a Harry Potter Wedding photo-shoot. Every single pic is AMAZING!!
Now be honest.
You drooled... just a little.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Boston Subway Art ~ Z Gallerie Knock Off
There are all kinds of friends in life.
Friends that make you smile, friends that inspire, friends that stop you from walking in on drunk (and naked) hospital visitors when what they really wanted was to let you walk in there and experience that JOY for yourself.
(I couldn't make this stuff up.)
Friends that simply make you a better person!
Somehow I got lucky.
I've been blessed with 4 of those amazing friends! (and yes, you know I'm talking about you up there Paula)
So the answer was easy.
When one of those fabulous ladies asked me to create a gift for her dad, the answer was an absolute YES!
 |
| Z Gallerie |
Kristin had seen this sign from Z Gallerie and asked if it might be possible to make something similar.
Something maybe a bit less distressed, very personalized, still Boston and hopefully WAY LESS expensive.
Depending on the size and style, theirs cost anywhere from $249.95 to $849.95.
I was absolutely certain I could do better than that!
To make this sign, I used the same process as my "Bacon" and Latitude/Longitude signs.
The only notable difference was going back to wood instead of canvas.
Oh, and the fact that some of those little white flecks you see are actually bits of chalk I scraped off with my fingernail.
I just randomly scattered them where I liked, then Mod-Podged the whole thing to seal it down.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
NOTE TO SELF: just rubbing chalk over the top then trying to seal it with Mod-Podge for that "chalkboard look" WILL. NOT. WORK.
Yes I tried this.
Yes the chalk just disappeared once it got wet.
Yes you all probably knew that would happen already.
Ugh!
The larger bits though, they actually worked.
The idea wasn't a TOTAL craft fail.
But ALMOST.
 |
| See what did work to get that chalkboard look in this post. |
All the locations, teams, etc. are things she chose because they are special to her dad.
I love art that not only looks good, but also has lots of meaning!
Next project on my list...
Buy a new tripod.
Photographing on the porch, in the wind, was maybe not my best idea.
At least my camera survived!!
Linking Up at These Fun Blogs:
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
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