No Power? No Problem.

This summer was a crazy one for SE Michigan.  We've had hail, wind, rain, and floods that have just been bananas.  BANANAS.  One day last month, the internet kept warning me that yet another storm was coming...yippee, right?

And storm did it ever.  We lost power on a Friday evening, and didn't get it back til Sunday night. Sooo, what to do with a weekend full of power outages?  Can't break out the sewing machine.  Can't break out the power tools.  Can't even cook because I don't have a gas stove, and the refrigerator has become a bacterial death trap.

Luckily, I had just cleaned out the fridge the week before, emptying bottles with expiration dates of 2011 stamped on them.  Yikes.  Apparently I didn't need a power outage for my fridge to be a death trap.  Anyone else clicking out of this blog to go check your condiment bottle expiration dates right now?  You might want to.

Let's wait a minute while people do that (insert Musak here).

Everyone back?  So, after the Great Fridge Cleanout of 2014, I bought a few plastic bins at Target, and labeled them with a few of the most commonly grouped items for easy reach.  Even though I have a small fridge, things still seem to get pushed to the back and lost for eternity, shriveling up and dying, only to be discovered weeks later with a, "Hey, I could have used that if I had known it was back there!" 

Lucky for my wallet, when the power went out, I hadn't yet gotten around to replacing all of those staples that I usually kept in the fridge.  Win for big grocery shopping procrastination!!

So, with an empty fridge, no power, and plenty of time on my hands, what is there to do?  Well, lots of things, but only one I'm going to actually write about in a public forum.  Get your minds out of the gutter, people...I'm talking about going to the movies, which no one wants to hear about.

After my last post detailing my lovely little Wine Sign for my sister, I thought I could just pull more wood scraps out of the garage and paint.  So I did.  I'm not really feeling a detailed instructional play by play on this, so I'll just show you a few pictures and then reveal the final product.

Can you spot me in the glass table reflection?
It's the blog version of Where's Waldo!

Add some tape in your favorite geometric shapes!

Slap on some mastic!

Layer on some paint!

Keep on layering!

Take a picture!

Then take a closeup!

I have no clue what I'm going to do with this.  I'm not even a huge fan of modern art pieces like this one, probably because when I see them hanging in a gallery, I think, "Why would I pay thousands of dollars for this when I could make it myself?"  Annnnd I think I just proved my point.

In honor of my Storm Happened, Lines are Down, DTE Can't Work Fast Enough, No Power weekend, this piece is titled, "Edison."


It's Electricity Appreciation Day in this house, peeps!

Wine. It Does a Body Good.

Please don't sue me for stealing your slogan, Dairy Farmers of America!  Wine is much more fabulous than milk, though, isn't it? (and water. and every other beverage. right?)

Preach it!

My sister had a birthday in August, so it was time to DIY!  For those of you who like to say, "It takes too much time to DIY, I can just go shopping and buy something.", I officially challenge that statement.  All in, which included researching my sister's Pinterest boards for what to make, making the gift, and running it to the post office took a smidge over an hour (in bits and pieces, mind you).  Unless you live directly above a gift shop and your sister lives with you, I doubt you're clocking any less time in buying vs. DIY'ing a gift like this.  Plus, people LOVE homemade gifts.  Unless they don't.  Soooo, there's that, I guess.

Luckily for me, my sister appreciates what I DIY for her.  Either that, or she's just too nice to say otherwise.  I'm sure I've given her a few duds in my DIY days, but hopefully the good projects make up for it.

Today's project is an easy one!  Here's what you need:

Scrap of wood
Paint (the 99cent acrylic variety will do just fine)
Paintbrush
Paper/pattern/sketch (or freehand it, whatevs.)

Here's the plan:

Take your piece of wood that most certainly DID NOT come from the garage attic covered in bird poop, and make sure it's clean and free of rough edges.  (Here's the spot where my sister will pause, never knowing if the above sentence is the truth, or just my way of freaking her out.  She'll live in the dark forever- I'll never tell.)

It's clean, I promise!!
(I used the tacks to hold up the backside of the board for quicker drying time)

Next up, paint the wood with your background color.  I chose to use a mixture of white and graphite paint with a smidge of water- I wanted more of a weathered gray wood look- something slightly opaque, but still rustic looking. 

Let the paint soak in for a  minute, and then wipe it softly
with a rag to let some of the wood grain show through.

While your paint is drying, start making sketches of your wine bottle.  Don't worry if it isn't perfect- it shouldn't be- it's not a photograph!!  When you think you have the template you want, slap it on your DRY wood piece, and trace around it.

I sketched a smaller version of the bottle first,
and then enlarged around it to make the process a bit easier.

Here's where you need to make sure you've got the right paintbrush- no dollar store paint by numbers brush here.  Get yourself a small angled brush- that's what'll work best for painting straight lines with a smart edge.  Use your angled brush to trace the outline of your wine bottle, and then fill it in.  I used the full strength version of my graphite acrylic paint that I mixed up earlier.  You could always use chalkboard paint here, as I was going for a similar look, but I did not feel like busting out and mixing up my pint of chalkboard paint when I wasn't going to use it as a reusable chalkboard. 

Ignore the shadows, please- my basement craft room needs some additional lighting.

While that dries, practice your handwriting.  You need to give it a few goes- work the kinks out!!

Practice makes (almost) perfect!

When you feel that your handwriting is sufficiently less sucky than when you started practicing, use a paint marker on your wood board.

Almost done!

Drill a small hole in the back to use as a hangar of sorts, and voila, you're done!

Easy peazy.

Instant gift!!

Hope you liked it, Jess!!

State of the Art

The other day, my friend Natalia posted a picture on her Facebook account of a lovely and whimsical drawing of her home state of Massachusetts.  Natalia has lived in various nooks and crannies all over the world, and her creativity and love of eclectic pieces are always inspirational.  When Natalia posts pictures, you pay attention.  There's usually something artistic, beautiful, inspiring, or just happy about her images. 

I saw the drawing, and as usual, my creative juices started flowing.  The normal first thoughts to pop into my head were:


1. I can do that.

2.  Do I already have some of the supplies needed for this project? Pretty sure I do.

3.  What else is on my agenda for the day that I can scrap in favor of fun projects?

I rifled through my craft closet and found my sketch pad, but still needed to make a trip to the craft store.  Off to JoAnn's I went, with coupons in hand!  I bought a 4 pack of drawing pens with various thicknesses, as well as a mat-less, see-through frame.  I had several 40% and 50% off coupons that I was allowed to use, and the frames were already at 50% off.  JoAnn's was even having a "secret" sale yesterday- anyone with a Teacher Discount Card was given 30% off of their total purchase as opposed to the usual 15%.  SCORE.  The sales girl whispered this discount addition to me as she rang me out so as not to alert and anger the hordes of other shoppers in line who were unlucky enough not to possess such a plethora of discount gold. Only suckers pay full price at JoAnn's.  I laugh with glee at you.

Here's the materials I ended up needing to complete this project:

1 9x12 drawing sketchpad (I used an 80 lb. weight medium thickness paper)  

1 pack of drawing felt tipped pens (I had various thicknesses from 01 to 08)

1 bright light

1 Clear Rubbermaid container or file bin with a piece of glass on top

1 Printout of state outline
1 11x14 frame

Step 1: Gather those supplies, and fan them out on a pretty carpet.

First things first- I needed to make a light box for tracing my image.  It's difficult to trace images when using higher weight drawing paper unless it's illuminated from below.  I used a hanging spotlight that I keep in the basement for this project.  A small lamp would work just as well.  I put the light inside of the file bin, put a piece of glass on top, and presto...my homemade light box was done.

Classy, I know.

Next, I used my printout of the lovely state of Michigan and put my drawing paper on top.  I used the thickest drawing pen (08) to trace the outline of the state.  

Outline of Michigan.

Beginning to trace the lines.  Kindergarten skills at their finest.

Tracing complete.  We're already halfway there!

After that, I plopped my behind on the couch to watch t.v. and got creative.  I free-handed swirls, shapes, and patterns inside of the border of the state.  I also drew a heart over my general location to add a little personalization. 

It's getting there!

Ooh, fancy.

When I was done, I popped the drawing into a mat-less, see-through frame, and my masterpiece was done.  How easy and cute is this?? 

Done.  Contemplating tearing around the edges
of the drawing for a more organic look.

Super cute, right??  The paper itself is actually off-white, so in real life, it doesn't look quite so, "I drew a pretty picture on printer paper and stuck it in a frame".

Thanks for the inspiration, Natalia! 



Don't be Frigid.

This is my fridge.

Nope, I didn't straighten the magnets before taking this.  Deal with it.

We stand at the same height.  Short.  While I'd like a new fridge, buying one would mean major sawzall surgery on the cabinets above, as they are all one continuous built in piece.  Builders did NOT take the easy way out in the 1940's.  As with everything in an old house, replacing just one thing doesn't ever happen.  A domino effect of repairs and replacements will inevitably take place.  While I sigh and dream of having a fridge that has an ice maker and can hold more than a gallon of milk, I'm holding out for a full kitchen gut. 

Last week, the first domino in the kitchen redo began to wobble.  The meat drawer in the fridge broke.

That string?  Didn't do a damn thing to help hold the drawer up post-break.

Dave and I looked at some new refrigerators online, and outwardly groaned at the work that would have to take place to get this problem taken care of.  Ugh.  New fridges aren't cheap, either!  I ended up searching around some more on the internet, and found a website with replacement parts.  Luckily, they had a part for me.  Unluckily, it was THIRTY DOLLARS.  For a piece of plastic.  Ridiculous.

I bet this piece cost 2 cents to make.

There was a small screw holding the broken drawer track to the shelf, and was the only thing that needed to come out.  I ended up having to make a run to the hardware store for a screwdriver that was tiny enough.  Isn't she beautiful?

Yep, I'm an extra long eyeglasses screwdriver!

Once I had the right screwdriver, it took five seconds to pop the old track out, and another 5 to screw the new one in.

I know, my hand looks malformed.  You try using a screwdriver and taking a picture at the same time.

Can you tell the difference between the broken and new pieces?

The first domino in the kitchen redo may have wobbled, but it's back to being stable.  Darn.

Fixed.  And I am fully aware that bananas don't go in the fridge, but I had an unfortunate fruit fly invasion that required drastic action.

I'd like to leave you with a fabulous picture today.  I stopped into a shop with my lovely friend Venesa this afternoon, and an inappropriate Buddha spoke to me.  Or, more accurately, his $5 price tag spoke to me.  He will find a happy space somewhere in my house, and I'll smile every time I look at him.  I now give you all permission to go buy something silly for your house, just because it makes you smile.  Don't we all deserve to have our homes make us smile??

What a sexy beast.

I LIKE 'EM REAL BIG AND...square.

I hope you now have Baby Got Back stuck in your head.  If you don't, allow me to make sure that happens right now before reading the remainder of this post.  Baby Got Back has been out for 21 years, can you believe it??  I feel old now.

Sorry gentlemen (if there are even any men reading this!), but this post isn't about luscious lady lumps.  It's about wall art.  

When trying to decide what to hang on our walls, a lot of us are tempted to buy smaller pieces because they are cheaper than large ones.  They are also easier to buy and hang!!  Pins on Pinterest are plentiful that detail how to group photos or small wall art- you almost can't go wrong these days.  While I do have plenty of small and medium sized pieces on my walls, I also have a few large pieces that dominate a few walls.  If you live in a small house, don't be afraid of big wall hangings- they make a statement and can give that WOW factor to a room that sends your room rating from, "Oh, that's nice", to "Wowza"!

When my husband and I were renting a small house after getting out of college, we needed some wall art to warm up the place, stat.  As a former history teacher, I have an affinity for maps, and found a "classic" edition of a world map for $7 at OfficeMax.  I took it to a local shop and had it framed with a simple wood frame and acrylic (glass would have been way too heavy), and we had a huge wall hanging for much cheaper than anything we could have bought otherwise.  When we moved 6 years ago into our current house, the map kept its place above the couch in the living room.  We're constantly on the lookout for a more permanent piece of art (hopefully done by a local artist), especially since the map is now obsolete with the creation of Kosovo and the South Sudan.  I'm a nerd for knowing this, I know.  Its come in handy while watching Jeopardy and other shows, though, as I can be frequently viewed through the front window of the living room standing backwards on the couch staring at the wall.  (I wonder if my neighbors think I'm crazy sometimes...)  

That amazingly straight edge paint line was done BY HAND.  Big ups to my husband for having the steadiest hand with a paintbrush I have ever seen.  As a side note, I am rarely allowed to paint.  I'm not complaining.

Three summers ago, I went to Alaska with my husband for our "deferred honeymoon".  On our last day there, we browsed through some of the galleries in Anchorage, and found an artist we fell in love with.  The colors she used were eye popping, yet not overbearing, and we wanted to get something that would be a great reminder of our trip.  As a side note, there are some pretty amazing artists and artisans in Alaska.  During the cold and dark winter months, a lot of people turn to crafting- they then sell their item in galleries and on the internet.  You can find a lot of amazing stuff, and with the minimal incomes that many Alaskans make, their art usually helps support their families in a big way.  

Alaska is incredible.  Dave took this shot at about 11:30 at night.  Amazing.

We didn't have the room (or money!) to buy one of the pieces we found that day, but we took the artist's card and kept dreamily staring at her art on the internet.  We weren't able to buy a piece that year, but my Christmas present the following year was a huge giclee print of the artist's moose painting.  It was hand numbered and signed, and it went straight onto the very tall wall in the stairwell of my bedroom.  My husband and I had just finished painting the bedroom, and I had purposely painted this wall in a dark grey, dreaming that this print would end up as the centerpiece.  I am totally in love with it.  Here's a link to the artist's webpage if you'd like to check out her wildlife art- she's a talented lady: vrae's Online Art Gallery  Maybe one day I can have an original piece from her.  One day.

What's up, Mildred?

This is an upstairs bungalow bedroom, so the door here goes into the attic eaves and is smaller than a normal door, but I wanted to give a point of reference for the size that Mildred is.  She's amazing.  Have I told you how much I love her?

This last piece isn't a huge art piece, but I have to include it, as it was too funny not to buy.  This past Thanksgiving, my hubby and I traveled to Napa Valley and San Francisco for a "foodie vacation".  If you're not familiar with the term, just think like this:  Make ZERO plans for your vacation except restaurant reservations.  BAM.  Foodie vacation.  On our last night (there seems to be a trend here of finding art on our last nights of vacation), we had a quick dinner at a taqueria in the Mission district of SF, and wandered into a shop called Therapy.  We had had one too many cervesas, and the shop was closing.  The manager let us in while he was closing up on the promise that we weren't going to buy anything since he had already shut the books down.  Dave and I both happened to look up at the wall at the same time, looked at each other, and then at the manager.  The next thing I knew, we had bought a print of a goat, and it was being shipped to our house.  Huh.  Our bedroom is quickly on its way to becoming  a menagerie.  

Greta says hello. Never fear, I'll talk about my chevron-covered chair reupholster in a later post!

So, there you have it.  Don't just fill your walls with common pieces of "art" you can find anywhere.  If it means your walls are bare for a little bit longer than expected, go with it.  Waiting for a big, cool piece of art can be worth it.  The weirder, the better.  Take it from Greta and Mildred.  They won't steer you wrong.

Yes, I wake up to this staring at me every morning.