At Long Last...Subway Art

Well, my {laptop} decided that yesterday would be as good a time as any to up and die. And I do mean {DIE}. I'm pretty upset by this latest development for several reasons. The enormous stash of digital scrapbooking supplies I had is now gone, as are the full-sized files of all of the digiscrap pages I've made. I do have some of them printed, but not all of them. And, even though I *just* moved a bunch of pics to my external hard drive earlier this week, I'm fairly certain I'm still missing all of the pics from at *least* Feb, if not Jan, too. There are web-sized versions of some of the more recent pics, as well as web-sized versions of the scraps, thanks to photobucket and facebook ~ other than that it's all {POOF!} gone. Makes me ill, but I do realize that it could've been sooo much worse, so let this be a friendly reminder to you all...BACK UP YOUR FILES ~ BURN YOUR PICS TO DISK ~ PUT THOSE DISKS SOMEPLACE SAFE & FIREPROOF. In the meantime, I'm using the Hubband's laptop, being that he's out of town right now on an ice fishing adventure. He'll be back tomorrow & who knows if I'll lose access to the computer again when that happens. Sadly, I don't have photoshop on this computer and he'd probably consider {killing} me if I installed it....so straight off the camera pics is what you're gonna get. OUCH. NO idea how long it will be before we can afford to get me a new computer. I'm so so so so sad.

Making me slightly happier...the finally finished (though not yet hung) Subway Art! I took pictures throughout the process, but what with the whole no photoshop thing, I can't show them to you b/c I took them in RAW format, and I can't do anything with them until I have PS back. I cannot even {tell} you how much this SUCKS. So, I took one more of the finished product & I'll share it with you now...with more to follow some day.



OK, so a few things to talk about first if you're going to try this project. I originally saw it on Tatertots and Jello, and she offered a great {tutorial} ~ which you can find a quick link to on the right hand side of her blog. I followed it pretty closely, but there are a few suggestions I'd like to add.

1) Black poster paint is NOT the same as black craft paint. Trust me. After 3 coats and a very navy blue appearance I searched the basement (again) for black craft paint and was thrilled to no end that I actually had enough left to finish the project. {Whew!}

2) I took another look at the original {inspiration} for the project (from Pottery Barn) and noticed that the background in the original is not pure black. I think that part of the charm of the original comes from it looking a bit worn and aged, so...after the last coat of black had dried I brought out the white craft paint and I dry brushed (go gentle here, folks) some white on top of the black. I went stronger around the edges, lighter across the canvas, and then went in and left some larger blotches randomly on the canvas. I think it's closer to the original and I like it ~ but if you like the pure black look, by all means, stick with it!

3) I chose to cut out each individual letter rather than whole words. I just prefer to see the {texture} of the canvas showing through. It seemed like a shame to cover the canvas to the point that no one would be able to tell it was a canvas...especially knowing that it's a decent-sized canvas and it wasn't all that cheap.

4) It's about the Mod Podge. This was my first experience with using it and I'm now a fan. As in an "Ooooh, what can I do with this stuff {next} I wonder" kind of fan. One thing I will say, though, is to be careful when you're using it with a black background. I noticed very quickly that the MP was starting to show a bit of a purple tinge. I don't know if it's from the black paint or the black ink (b/c I did cheat a bit by not going into the middle of the letters {like a and o} to cut out the black parts). DEFINITELY pour some MP out into a cup rather than dipping directly into the jar and contaminating it. I was using a cup anyway b/c the sponge brush I was using was too wide to fit into the jar, and I'm glad I was. I used one coat of MP to hold the letters down, and only one coat of MP on top of the letters/whole canvas once the words were placed, and I can see a slight purpley tone to some of the letters. It's not terribly obvious, and probably no one else will notice it, but I can imagine how much darker it would be if I hadn't noticed and used fresh MP every so often while I was applying my coat.

So there you have it! For those who are curious, {Wooster} is a street in Bowling Green...the main street that runs along the campus at BGSU, and the Hubband & I were introduced on the front porch of a house on Wooster while we were at a party way back in 1996. I chose street names that were meaningful in our relationship ~ our first date, the streets our parents lived on when we first went to each other's homes (and where they still live now), where we got engaged and where we got married...the street our first (and current) home sits on, and the street where you'd find the hospital where I gave birth to both of the tiny people. The Hubband hasn't seen it yet ~ I just hope he likes it....and that we can figure out where the heck to put it!

I'm {linking up} at Tatertots and Jello...and I'm telling you ~ if you're looking for some inspiration and some amazing craft & DIY projects, check out the other blogs that are linking up. L.O.V.E.

Excuses, Excuses...

Actually, I have none. Aside from spending more time than would probably be considered healthy watching the {Olympics} I really haven't been up to much. I've gotten a couple of crocheting projects finished ~ scarves for the tiny people ~ but beyond that I haven't gotten much accomplished. The canvas for the {subway art} project has been painted, and the words have been printed ~ I'm in the process of cutting out each of the letters. It's taking a long time ~ partially because I can't exactly do much with it while the tiny people are awake and partially because I'm already {dreading} keeping them straight and level when I put them on the canvas. I'm seriously considering placing them all slightly askew on purpose so that the imperfections are purposeful and, therefore, draw less attention. If you have any thoughts on that I'd love to hear them...seriously.

The tiny people have been on mid-winter break...which I think is just a {lame} excuse for 2 days off in the middle of February. I mean, really...they just had a day off for a teacher work day at the end of the grading period, and it feels like Christmas was two weeks ago. I really shouldn't be complaining ~ we've gotten very little snow in comparison to most of the country, and we've only had {one} cancellation, but still. Days off just throw a wrench in the schedule and, as a mom, I'm not appreciative of that.

So, this week I'll be {trying} to finish the subway art project, notice the key word here is {trying}, people, and perusing magazines, catalogs and some of lovely blogs I've been stumbling across lately to find inspiration for more crafts and projects. I {promise} to be better the last half of this week!

Square One

I was gone over the weekend. I took the tiny people to my mom's house for the weekend, where we attended the homecoming ceremony and basketball game at my {high school}. It was a fun weekend. We left in haste on Friday afternoon, after I spent the majority of the day trying to catch up with laundry & get the house reasonably picked up so as to avoid crabby remarks from the Hubband when I called to tell him we'd made it safely to {Ohio}. I came home to find that nothing had been touched. The note I left on the counter...still sat there. The hubband admitted to not cooking the flank steak I had asked him to grill (I didn't want it to go to waste), and told me he had not managed to turn the dial and push the button on the dryer as I had requested. Seriously? How hard is it, Dude? There were only 2 notable changes to the state of the house....1) the appearance of a cup from Jimmy John's and a food bag from the McDonald's drive through on the dining room table (meaning, he took the time to clean out the CAR, but couldn't do anything with the HOUSE) and 2) the laundry hampers that I had left in the living room were mysteriously gone.

{GONE!?!?!} Whattaya mean, gone?

You know where this is going, don't you?

He lovingly moved the {hampers}....to the bedroom.

Grrrrrrrrr.....

Tomorrow has already been declared a {SNOW DAY!} so there's no excuse ~ I have to tackle some projects while I'm stuck at home trying to entertain the tiny people. I'm sure I'll have tons of absolutely {riveting} anecdotes to share.

A 2-fer!

For those who were looking for videos that teach crochet... Meet Beth Essington. She might not look like it, but this woman is a {rock star} ~ at least she is in my mind. She moves at a pace that is not too fast, not too slow, and she clearly explains exactly what she's doing. I've looked at a few tutorials that just left me confused and irritated, so finding Beth was {awesome} for me.

Chain stitch tutorial...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtC1s4dlN5g&feature=related

Single crochet tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQUJ3CpS2wI

YouTube list of all of her videos...just in case you feel like getting {fancy}. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=beth+essington+single+crochet&search_type=&aq=f

I haven't even started on my subway art project. A friend of mine made one in Photoshop and ordered it printed on a canvas ~ which I thought about doing...but I'm {cheap} and I've already bought all the supplies, soooo...I'm stuck. If you're {not} cheap, go ahead and google "Canvas Prints" and a whole slew of sites will pop up where you can order your very own canvas and avoid the hassle of paper and modpodge.

Well, I think 2 blog posts here in one day is {quite} enough, don't you? So I'm off...to pick up the latest crochet project where I left off. See you people later!

Well, hello there...

In case it somehow managed to escape your attention, I {love} blogs. I find it so interesting that so many people, myself included, put their thoughts, ideas, talents and feelings out there for all the world to see. I peruse often, and I have a {growing} list of blogs that I love and check daily. Or hourly. You know....whatever.

One of the blogs I like a lot is {Bakerella}. Not because I fancy myself a fantastic baker, or because I have the ridiculous amounts of {time} and {money} required to make all of the wonderfully adorable little concoctions she describes, but because I think it's fun to look at the things she comes up with. Some of the things she's done with {cakepops} just amaze and astound me - and if you look at her most-recent post you'll freak. Where does one locate an Oscar (as in Academy Award) shaped cookie cutter? REALLY!!! Anyway, last week I noticed that Bakerella was slacking....and she made something so ridiculously easy, even I could pull it off. See? http://www.bakerella.com/ridiculously-easy/ Right?

Now, I don't mind peaches, but when I saw this recipe I thought to myself...hmmm....I have 2 cans of {cherry pie filling} that have been just sitting in my cupboard taking up space. I wonder... So I googled. I googled Cherry Dump Cake. Most of what I found called for mixing one can of cherry pie filling and one can of crushed pineapple. I couldnt' quite get behind that. And none of them called for the use of brown sugar. I couldn't get behind that, either.

So here's what I did. I {dumped} a can of cherry pie filling into the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. I swooshed it around a bit, but wasn't convinced that there was enough to ensure that you'd get a good amount of fruit in every bite....so I went right on ahead and {dumped} the second can of pie filling into the pan, too....because that's how I roll. Next, I busted out a box of yellow cake mix and {dumped} that on top of the pie filling. Then I sprinkled just a bit of brown sugar and some chopped pecans on top of the cake mix. Next step - butter - or, as Paula Deen would say {budder}. :) Except for the fact that the Hubband has some cholesterol-related issues, resulting in the use of {Smart Balance} instead of the real deal...which I'm okay with. So, I scooped off spoonfuls of {budder} and placed them on top of the cake/brown sugar/nut mixture at even intervals a' la Bakerella. Then I popped that puppy in the oven at 350° for about 40 min. It took {work} not to eat it straight outta the pan. But I was swayed by the revelation that I could make use of the ramekins I picked up last week, so {YAY!} And here you have it.... Cherry Dump Cake....



Word on the street is that it's a bit on the sweet side. {Oh, darn.} Looks like we'll have to eat it with a healthy side of vanilla ice cream.

And I shall name her....

Hmmmm.... I had chosen a name for my sewing machine ~ but it wasn't a very {nice} name. Meaning it wasn't a name I could utter out loud in front of the tiny people. Meaning it started with {f} and ended with {er}. Probably not entirely appropriate. And I'm starting to think that she heard me refer to her by name and thought, "Oh, yeah, lady? You wanna call me that, I'll live up to the name."

See, last night, while I was watching the finale of The Worst Cooks In America (I was rooting for Jen. :(...so sad) I brought her out and plugged her in and got ready to sew a pillow for the inside of "Tuga" the turtle. ("Tuga" is short for "Tortuga" ~ which is the Spanish word for turtle. Thank you, Diego.) I cut out the fabric, carefully placed the pins, sat down at the table and started to sew....for about {three} seconds....and then the thread went all wonky and the machine jammed. {EFFER!} I tried again...same thing. I rethreaded {both} threads and tried again...same thing. At that point I chose to turn off the machine and walk away...because it wouldn't be very nice to throw {effer} out the window ~ it would be loud and wake the tiny people...and it would make a big mess....and be expensive to repair...plus it was really cold outside and a hole in a window would result in a considerable draft. The results were the same when I tried again this evening. Grrrrr...

I did manage to make a bit of a {shopping} trip today, and I grabbed the items I need to make the much-anticipated subway art. Can't wait! I still haven't decided on a method. The tutorial I found came from http://www.tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/ and while I think hers turned out beautifully, I'm hoping I won't be disappointed by the finished product when I see it in person. I guess we'll find out!

In addition to the subway art supplies, I also picked up more yarn. The tiny people have requested scarves, so I'm working on that. It's nice to have {something} to work on while I'm busy ignoring my sewing machine. {effer}

Whew!

We survived another weekend...whattayaknow! I'm ready for the week to begin ~ I've got some {fun} stuff planned!

OK, so I said I'd show a pic of the scarf, and I'm a chick of my word, so here you have it...





I was gonna post a pic of myself actually {wearing} it, but...I didn't take a shower today and didn't want to subject you all to my {funk}. You're welcome. The tiny people are thrilled with my creation and have requested scarves for themselves, so it looks like I'll be picking up some pink yarn this week.

Also this week, the project I hinted at yesterday.

Here's a pic of the Pottery Barn subway art that started this whole thing in the first place. See those words in the middle-ish of the canvas? Two words. "Bowling Green". Those of you fortunate enough to be from the midwest....or even better...{OHIO} know that Bowling Green is a city in Ohio and the home to Bowling Green State University ~ which is my alma mater ~ and the Hubband's. That's where we met. When I saw those words I started thinking about the places in BG that hold meaning to me & the Hubband, and writing down the street names of those places. I've made a template in Photoshop, so I know how the words will fit together and what font/s I want to use. So {hopefully} this week I'll be able to grab the rest of the supplies I need so I can knock it out.

Other plans for the week include figuring out what the heck to do with the London Broil that now sits in my fridge. {Thoughts?} I'm still thinking about those doggone Molasses Cookies. {Frick.} I have a ka-ton of laundry to deal with ~ and of course there's the usual cooking, cleaning, erranding, kid-corralling, etc. that happens every day. Should be fun!

And now, it's back to the {glamour} of folding laundry ~ and yes, it's 12:45 am. Gotta get it done sometime, right? Have a great day, everyone! :)

Is It Monday Yet?

I know that's an odd question, but this week was c.r.a.z.y ~ and the weekend wasn't all that much better. I mean, {clearly} this week must've been eventful, otherwise I certainly would've, I don't know, ummm...{blogged} or something?

So what went on this week? Well....In addition to the usual things like taking tiny people to and from schools and bus stops, grocery shopping & erranding, cleaning and doing minimal amounts of laundry while solo-parenting because the Hubband spent an inordinate amount of time sitting on a sheet of ice attemping to catch fish...

I {did} make a menu plan, and I actually stuck to it...which is an absolute {first}.

I {didn't} bake the molasses cookies. Partially out of laziness, and partially out of a desire to avoid eating every last one of them myself, considering no one else in my family likes them.

I {did} bake a batch of peanut butter cookies instead, with the help of the tiny people.

I {didn't} work out. Barely even really thought about it. I {suck}.

I {did} practice crochet on some ugly, boring, normal yarn...

and I {did} switch to some {fancy} yarn once I felt like I had a handle on it...

and I totally {did} crochet myself a pretty but sloppyish scarf, which I promise to post pics of soon.

Can I get a {woot!}

I {did} watch the State of the Union, and I {do} *heart* our President.

I {did} throw something new together for dinner tonight, loosely based on a recipe idea I got from a friend and adapted from a couple of recipes I found online. I might just share that soon, too.

And I {did} finish the book I've been reading, so I can move on to the next one.

Watch out {Godfather}, here I come.

So the next book has been chosen and so has the next {project}. Wanna know more?

I'll give you a hint. My friend {Molly}, who I love and adore, passed on a link to a sweet little blog, wanting to show me a {super cute} little Valentine's Day wreath. While I was there I poked around a bit and here's what {really} caught my eye ~ http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2010/01/valentine-subway-art-tutorial-with-pdf.html

I'm not big on seasonal decor for non-major holidays ~ not because I don't think it's cool ~ but because I tend to {forget} that I have it until the holiday is over. I'm soooo organized! But there's a lovely little 2-word clue in the original inspiration for the subway art...and those of you who know me will know it immediately. Those 2 words are going to be my jumping off point, and I'm moving forward from there to make my own. I've got a canvas in my basement just {waiting} to be abused. ;)

Today included a family outing to the roller-skating rink. Did you know that people still go roller skating? Shocked the hell outta me! I couldn't {believe} how many people were there ~ and we went during the "family matinee". Oh, the kids...everywhere...the kids. My back is shot and we'll see if I'm able to function in the morning.

And with that, I'm off. The Hubband will be dedicating a good portion of his day tomorrow to ice-related activities ~ first fishing, then hockey ~ and I need to get a good night's sleep so I can deal with the tiny people on my own. I'm ready for {Monday} ~ so, so, so ready!

Setting up playdates for your kids with {new friends} is tricky. First you have to figure out how to contact the parent of the kid your kid can't stop talking about. (I sent a note to school in her folder, addressed to "Other Kid's Mom"...I felt very much like I was back in elementary school myself.) Then you have to determine what their kid thinks of your kid...as in "Yeah, she's nice" or "Ewwww...she's the one that eats paste and follows me around all the time!" (See what I'm saying? Does your kid like my kid? Check yes or no.) You hope for the best. Then you have to wait for the other parent to make contact, and see if you can work out a date and time to get together. And then, when the time is set and the day draws near you have to {hope} that the other kid...and the other kid's family...is nice and {normal}. Today we hit the jackpot. {Whew!} The girls played great together, my kid was polite & kind ~ always a plus ~ and didn't throw a fit when it was time to leave. I'm so hoping that other kid had a good time, too, and that the conversation upon our departure didn't include the sentence, "Well...she was...different." ;)

In addition to today's playdate adventure, I also accompanied the tiny people to a birthday party at Pump It Up yesterday. Nothing quite like 30 kids running and bouncing and wearing themselves out to make you really {really} tired. A good time was had by all.

When we got home and the kids went to bed, I busted out one of my pretty new crochet hooks and decided to muscle through yet another online tutorial until I had it figured out. And I {did}! Go me! I didn't even try to make something, I just wanted to make sure I had the stitching down. I'm going to attempt to actually make {something} this week. I'm thinking a scarf...and maybe a hat. We shall see! I'll also be attempting to make my very own batch of {molasses cookies} this week. And I have to get the house under control after a weekend of kid-centered activities that left the homestead more than a little neglected.

And with that...I'm off to try to get a chapter of my book read before I fall into a deep and uninterrupted slumber. A girl can dream, right?

Bullet Points & Random Thoughts

*Moms don't get sick days. I'm gonna go ahead and say that that {sucks} and I'd like to renegotiate my contract.

*I'm trying to decide on the next project to work on. Aprons for the kids? Or learning to crochet? Or maybe making a pillow to go inside the enormous turtle that I got for the kids from Ikea a couple of Christmases ago. It's {adorable} and they do bring it out to use it, but it's filled with a big plastic inflatable thingy, which makes it not all that comfortable or cushy. Hmmmm... Decisions, decisions.

*So John Edwards finally admitted that he's the baby daddy of the little girl born to his ex?-mistress. All of the reporters I saw on TV today were talking about the {shocking} admission, etc. Dude...REALLY? I for one was not even a little bit surprised. And I'm guessing that about 90% of the general population was with me when I said the words... {"Well, DUH!?!?!"}

*This morning, when I went to pick up the tinier of the tiny people from preschool, I also dropped off a big bag of non-perishables at the church's food pantry. That felt {awesome}. And I plan to do it again in a week or two. I know Haiti is at the front of all of our minds lately, but let's not forget to continue to give {locally}, too.

*I've had at least 3 different FB friends ask for reading recommendations in the last 2 weeks. I've suggested A Prayer for Owen Meany &/or The Cider House Rules (Irving), East of Eden (Steinbeck), Cyrano de Bergarac (Rostand), any of the Scarpetta series (Cornwell), or the Plum series (Evanovich), The Color Purple (Walker), To Kill A Mockingbird (Lee), and Eat,Pray,Love (Gilbert). If someone asked {you}, what books would make your list? No, really! Leave it in a comment ~ I'm always looking for something good. Next on my reading list? The Godfather...a gift from my brother.

*The Hubband is home now from ice fishing ~ I have taken a hefty and {disgusting} dose of Nyquil, and I am now going to go to bed...before midnight.

I can't "do nothing"? What's {wrong} with me!?!?!

First ~ yes, I do realize the grammatical {HORROR} of my title. I tried to save it with the quotation marks. LOL

Second....a story... I walked into my laundry room this morning and found something fascinating. Not only was the washing machine empty ~ but there were 2 stacks of folded & sorted laundry on top of the dryer, and the dryer was running. Hmmmm... Could it be that I, running completely on auto-pilot, had gone down to the basement, switched the load to the dryer and folded the laundry without even remembering it? And then I saw it...a pair of my pants, folded in 3rds...{accordian} style. The HUBBAND! So not only does he kill spiders, open stubborn jars and reach things on high shelves, he also ~ every once in a while ~ does laundry-related tasks...without being asked. Guess I'd better keep him, right?

And now on to the point of the post.... My plan for today was to do nothing. I formulated said plan when I woke up this morning with a sore throat and general {poo-like} feeling. A great big {thank you} to the Hubband, who shared his cootie cold germs with me. (The motive behind the laundry assist is suddenly becoming clear!) Aaaanyway ~ I planned to sit on my can and hang out with the tiny person this afternoon, but the plan was dashed when the big brown truck pulled up in front of the house. Our UPS guy delivered the cable boxes for our "secondary" TVs ~ not sure what the deal is but it's another step in the whole digital transition thingy. So, we had to hook those puppies up, which meant clearing off the top of the dresser so that the Hubband could access the back of the TV in our bedroom, and move the dresser forward to get to the cables, etc. After I'd cleared off the top of the dresser, I thought I should actually clean it and reorganize the crap that had collected there rather than just haphazardly put it all back where it was...ish. So I did that. And then I dusted the {oh-so-grody} ceiling fan, and washed the dresser mirror and the closet doors. I'm not done completely yet ~ and there will be more laundry to put away as soon as I force myself to go back downstairs and switch the load again. So I suppose I should probably get back to it before I forget what I was doing and rediscover the project when I'm dead-tired and want to go to bed, but can't because I have to clear everything off of it first.

Oh, and I have to come up with a plan for dinner. Chicken? Pork Chops? Hmmm..... Decisions, decisions... One thing I know for sure...there {will} be cheesy potatoes. Oooooh, yeah.

　

　

　

TRIUMPH! {or something like it}

It was 3:30am by the time I went to bed on Saturday night ~ okay....Sunday morning. I had decided to start a sewing project....at 11PM. Ummmm, yeah. Trust me ~ I know. After {several} hours spent ironing, cutting, pinning, sewing, swearing, cutting some more, ironing again, sewing some more, swearing and swearing and swearing, etc. I had finished my project. Not only am I thrilled to death with it, but I think everyone who looks at it will actually be able to figure out what it's supposed to be. ;) BONUS!

Now, I will say that some of the seams are...{funky}. And since I wasn't a fan of the ties/waistband on the pattern that I was using, I chucked the pattern and improvised. So there are definitely some spots that are {far} less than perfect. Also, I'm sure I'll look at this one day in the distant future when I've become a bit more proficient with my %#&*ing sewing machine (I say this with oh, so much love) and be absolutely {horrified} at the quality of my workwomanship ~ but right now...I'm not gonna lie...I'm pretty ridiculously proud of myself! So there!

Today, the domesticity continues. I wore the lovely new apron as I baked cupcakes. And I'm still wearing it now as I'm making dinner. Yippeeeeee!