The slump

So, one of the things I've been up to behind the scenes lately is working on a whopper of a craft project. You don't see too many DIY-fails around here. That's because usually, if I've committed to doing it, I've got some good ideas about how to make it happen. When there's a fail, I show it to you. You might have thought those Christmas Ornaments late last year were bad... well what I'm about to show you was a whole lot worse!

It started with this: 

Sorry for the asterisks - I want to respect Ginny's privacy as I so militantly protect my own! 

This photo was taken on January 26, 2014.  Ginny's birthday was approaching, and I decided I wanted to make a craft to give her as a present. I've always thought it's cute for a family to have something in their house that says their last name and then "Established ____," with the year the parents got married. I had wanted to make something like that for Ginny for quite some time and thought this birthday (her 30th!) would be a perfect chance to do it. I hate my handwriting, almost as much as I hate to read the writing I do with a paintbrush. I knew I needed to think outside the box.

Some internet research turned up Omni-Gel. Have you heard of this stuff? You can print a document off your computer using a laser printer, and then cover it with three coats of Omni-Gel to make a decal. Sounded sweet to me! I designed the art on the computer, printed it off on a plain piece of 8.5 x 11 copy paper and got to work. 

There was a reason I had my cake pan hanging out in the picture above. Once you've brushed on three coats of Omni-Gel (one horizontal, one vertical, one diagonal), you've got to get rid of the paper. Once its good and wet, the paper should just rub off the back. 

And that was basically what happened. Or so I thought. It was white paper, and I tried hard to remove as much of it as I could. At this point, I thought I was done. The Omni-Gel bottle mentions that the decal might look "milky" but will dry clear. 

I figured that it looked clear enough once it was dry, but I was worried. It wasn't quite perfect. If you'll notice in all of the photos above, there's a bit of a line in the middle of the heart. At first, I thought I'd leave it like that for some kind of contrived-distressed look. But. as the days went by, I began to realize it just looked sloppy. So, I actually shook my printer's toner cartridge and then printed a second draft. Three coats of Omni-Gel later, followed by some paper removal, I was back on track. 

I let the decal dry, which I think was probably the right decision. I even used an old textbook to flatten it because it had gotten a little curled. Next up? Application! 

It was actually stumbling upon this burlap canvas at JoAnn that inspired this whole project. Nothing says Ginny quite like a stretched burlap canvas. Once I removed the wrapping, I followed Omni-Gel's instructions for application: wet the surface, and the back of the decal, with Omni-Gel. Put them together before the Omni-Gel has a chance to dry. 

Holy crap. 

This is not good. 

No, you're not seeing some kind of freaky photo effect. Your screen is fine. It really does have that glowing translucent blue glow in the middle. Yikes. 

Maybe once it dries, it will actually be clear? And not milky, and not blue? 

Nope. 

Stay tuned for more of this crazy story! 

30th Birthday Weekend in Duluth

No, you didn't miss it. I haven't actually turned 30 - yet! I recently went with some very dear friends, though, to celebrate the fact that we are all turning 30 this school year. Everyone else's birthday has already come and gone, with only mine lingering until the end of April. But, don't worry - I did not let that get in the way of the celebrating!

I went with Ginny, Magnolia, Daisy and Clover. We were able to rent a cottage, located on Park Point. It's a very desirable area in the summer time, though you get a huge discount in the winter!

We left in the early afternoon on Wednesday, and arrived shortly before dinner time.

We started by making a grocery list and doing some couponing...

And then we collected this loot at Super One. Okay, maybe it wasn't before dinner when we got there - maybe it really just was dinner time. Wow!

And then, after a stop at Papa Murphy's, we sat down to this surprisingly civilized dinner!

The next few days are becoming a bit of a blur. We made a trip to Glensheen, which merits its own post. We also experienced the best of what Duluth has to offer in February...

Yep. We came home from our visit at Glensheen on Thursday afternoon, and this was what the world had to offer by the time we woke up on Friday morning. We'd planned spa appointments for that day which were cancelled because of the weather. So, housebound we were!

Well, at least we were until this machine dropped by to plow the driveway. Holy smokes! (I'm taking this picture from behind a window inside the cottage - the driveway is barely wide enough for it to drive down!)

We did relaxing activities at home...

Like eating homemade milkshakes...

We discovered an ancient Gameboy tucked in one of the drawers in the cottage, and played everybody's favorite card game!

There was also this, which defies explanation!

Once the plow came, we were able to get out and do a little. We even took a walk to Lake Superior!

We were in the snow up to our knees at points, but it was pretty awesome! I didn't realize it right away, but you might think that those bumps out ahead of us are the dunes at the water's edge.

But, on that score you'd be wrong. These bumps are actually more like frozen waves! Wow!

I think this shot gives a little more context - the dunes are where the reeds are growing! This view was within walking distance of the cottage. In the summer, while not treading through so much snow, it would take less than 5 minutes.

 As the trip came to an end, we made a craft project that was inspired by Ginny and her Pinterest surfing. We found brochures in Duluth that provided each of the images above. Ginny had collected the supplies at Michaels before we left, so we enjoyed a peaceful evening crafting by the fire. Score!

Before we knew it, our trip had come to an end. I had to say goodbye to my sweet, relaxing room and get ready to return to the grind.

Goodbye Duluth... and hello 30!

Shopping Trip

Wow - another crazy week just got the better of me. Hopefully this week things will be pretty much back to normal!

So, one day last week, I had a doctor's appointment in the early afternoon. I had to leave the office right after lunch to get there in time, but it was all done by 3:00. I found myself near lots of shops, before dark, without being exhausted. Time to go shopping!

First stop: Michaels!

 These trays were so tempting! The only real problem (ignoring the fact that I DO NOT need another tray) would be picking one!

 Colorful pottery? Yes please! My cabinets are already stocked, especially with bowls. Wonder how that could have happened...

 I spotted this tote bag in the "dollar" section - though they wanted more than $1 for it. I'm kind of picky about handle length and strength, so I didn't have much difficulty saying no. But still! So me!

 This little pouch was also a hit!

As were these note cards!

Next stop: World Market!

Wow. If you were going to turn Marvelous Minnie into a coffee mug, I'm pretty sure this is what it would look like. Seriously! Stripes, polka dots, paisley, and snow flakes? Come on. And in my kitchen color scheme? Dang!

Final Stop: Target!

 I liked these picture frames. Normally I'm not much for gold, and I profess my embarrassment at shopping in the teenager home collection, so I can't believe it myself. But my eye was certainly caught!

And these gnomies? Come on! I don't have a garden, so I couldn't possibly have a need. But they're sure charming!

So, that's an overview of all the stuff I saw that I kind of wanted. And now here's a quick run down of the stuff I didn't leave without - all of it from Target!

I paid not even $5 for this tablet clip board. I use a contraption like this at work every day - this will be the third one. It has a nice pocket on the inside where I can keep stuff. Hooray!

I also scored this fabric table cloth that's the right size for my table without the leaf. Until now, I've only had one cloth in that size. I had previously thought I wouldn't use it very often, though that hasn't turned out to be the case.

Here's a shot of the package photo, so you can get the idea of what it will look like when spread out. Mod-ish flowers? $8.48? Sounds like a winner!

I also got this plastic placement. If you've been around here for any length of time, you've read my ramblings about my "crafting tablecloth" - a vinyl tablecloth that I use instead of newspaper for messy activities like painting. I decided to diversify a little bit and picked up this place mat for smaller projects that won't make such a huge mess. At $0.58, how could I have gone wrong!

I enjoyed my first "spring" season shopping trip. I hope you enjoy yours!

Merry Christmas Mom

Hi guys! I'm back from Duluth and pretty successfully settled back into life! It was a busy, tiring week, but I've got some stuff to share before I get into the wrap up from my trip! 

One of the craft projects I was working on late last year in preparation for the holidays was a hat and scarf set to give to my mom. I actually found two skeins of this yarn on clearance probably a year and a half ago. Maybe two years ago - a really long time. I bought it on a whim, though I knew right away that the color would appeal to my mom. It took me some time to decide exactly what I wanted to do. Ultimately, I decided I would do a hat and scarf set. I also decided that I would start with the hat, and make the scarf with whatever yarn was left.

You guys have read about me knitting hats here and here. I made only tiny modifications to the pattern, which available online for free here. I knew the hat wasn't going to take a ton of yarn - I expected to wind up with more than a skein and a half leftover. It probably would have been more fun to start with the scarf, because knitting a hat with seven needles at once is irritating. But, alas, I did it!

You might remember reading about a week back in November when I had to take a pretty serious break. I would up with an extraordinary pain in my left hand that prevented me from knitting and from even typing to post about other projects here on the blog. After about a week, I was back to posting. AND back to knitting? Sort of. It took a long time to really get back into work on the hat, but, by Christmas, it was done.

In fact, you guys have already seen quite a few of the photos detailing the mad dash towards Christmas, finishing this and other projects. I was disappointed when Christmas morning came and I had to make the decision to put the scarf in the box still on the needle. The scarves Mom has in her collection are generally shorter, and I figured she'd want the same in this instance. The good thing was that we actually had the chance to talk about it on Christmas morning. And she told me she'd like to try a longer one! I'd never have guessed, and I didn't want to ruin the surprise by asking - it worked out just great!

With those as my marching orders, I got back to work. I'd thought that maybe it would take me another week or two to really finish things up. That was very optimistic, since it's now been 2 months. But, I am thrilled to report that the scarf is done!

I knit until it was 64 inches long, and then realized there was just a little bit of yarn left. I kept going and knitting until the yarn was all gone. The result is the same length as my futon!

Here's a slightly closer up view:

I love that self-striping yarn! And I'm so proud that, even though it happened two months late, the scarf is finally done! Hooray!

Vacay - finally!

Oh man, you guys, I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. I'm not rushing around trying to get my coffee into the travel mug and stuff my feet into my boots. Nope, I'm here at home, in my jammies, just about to cuddle up with a ceramic mug full of coffee while I watch House of Cards and eat breakfast. Why? It's time for vacation! Yay!

Several months ago, I met up with Ginny, Daisy, Clover and Magnolia and we started making a plan. This school year, each of us will have our 30th birthday. (Everyone else's has already come and gone - mine isn't until April.) We decided to mark the occasion by taking a trip. Yay! You might be thinking "all-inclusive in Mexico, right?" Yeah, no. When the realities about money, and about taking vacation days, or time away from life as a stay-at-home mom, set in, a trip across the country was quickly ruled out.

This afternoon, we are headed to Duluth! We were able to rent a house for the weekend! I'm pretty sure we never would've been able to rent this place during the high season - it's on Park Point, and it sounds like you can literally walk to Lake Superior from the yard. That's not going to be super helpful right now, since the very warmest temperature we're likely to see there is 38 degrees. (The following day, it's expected to fall below zero at night). The house has a fireplace, and hopefully it's well insulated, so we'll be cozy! I know it won't look anything like it did when I snapped this photo two summers ago, but hopefully it will be beautiful in a different way.

The last time I went on vacation was in July, 2012. I literally haven't been anywhere since. The destination then was also Duluth - which makes me smile. I'm excited that the day has come when I can take time off work for a break. And I can't wait to go hang out with my friends. I wish I could tell you that I've got some exciting stuff scheduled for the blog while I'm off to relax. Unfortunately, I don't. And I know that when we get back on Sunday, I'll be exhausted and I've got a strong hunch that feeling will stick with me all of next week. That's the mark of a good vacation, isn't it? So, just to be safe, I guess I'll say: See you in March!

Ginny's Birthday Book

I posted last week about hosting Ginny's birthday party earlier this month. It was exciting, and it spawned some DIY. Woo hoo! I decided that we should make Ginny a book in honor of her 30th birthday. I asked the guests at the party to each make a page expressing their well-wishes for Ginny - I thought this would be particularly nice for her kids to do for their mom.

I picked up this 8x8 scrapbook with expansion pack at Michaels. I was hoping to find an 8x8 paper pad, so we'd have a nice variety of coordinating papers. I couldn't find one that was really the right style, but it worked out just fine. I picked up three packs of perfect 12x12 papers in Target's dollar spot. I then used a paper slicer to trim them down to size. It worked out great! I put the papers out with some interesting accompaniments for everyone to work on during the party.

Afterwards, I edited and printed a ton of photos.

I spent a couple of hours making a ton of pages - with these banner papers, with the pictures, and with other weird stuff.

I even found a birthday card, which I cut in half and made the last page of the scrapbook. The inside message says, "You sparkle from the inside out - Happy Birthday"

I also got the chance to bust out my new glue gun to add these mardi gras beads to the page. My control of the heated glue could use some work, but still - very excited!

I put the pages into the book and even got to make a decoration for the cover, which reads "Happy Birthday Ginny" (but substitutes her real name).

Scrapbooks that are so thick they'll only barely close are my very favorite!

 The banner page reads, "Happy Birthday Dear Ginny"...

 And here's the bead page, along with the pictures of Little Miss M playing with the beads!

We ate Dove Chocolates during the party and made fun of some of the fortunes, so I saved a few for posterity. And, after Ginny jokingly said, "I hope 30 sucks as much as you do" during the party, I knew it would have to be part of our memories of the evening!

When it was all said and done, I printed about 60 pictures. And I couldn't fit quite all of them into the 40 pages of the book! Easy peasy - I tucked them into this envelope and taped it to the inside of the back cover. I hope the book and the extra photos will help Ginny keep happy memories close at hand for a long time to come!

Christmas came late!

I've written a lot about Christmas - and now I'm going to write about it just a little more. On Monday of this week, out of the blue, I received Christmas gifts from two friends. And since I'm really excited about them, I just had to share.

At work, one of my officemates returned from maternity leave. And she brought me a Christmas gift - woo hoo!

 Maybe she thinks I smell bad... or maybe she thinks that I love things that smell really good. Check! (Also, sometimes my apartment does smell bad, mostly because its an apartment with no real ventilation system. Score!)

 She got me some wax cubes to go along with it - these are, of course, essential to the wax warmer. The "golden butterscotch pear" sounds a little weird, but it smells really good!

 Each of the boxes above contains 6 little cubes of wax. You can just break one off using your hands, so I did it. I wanted you guys to see! The lid of the warmer has a little rubber seal around it, so you can push and pull the top of the warmer off easily.

I was worried the lid wouldn't fit over the top, since I broke the cube off a little unevenly. But, it fit right on, and I flipped the switch. We're in business!

She told me she knows that turquoise is one of my favorite colors, so I just had to show you guys this. I think it looks like it has been here all along!

On Monday, I was very excited to come home and set up the wax warmer. I got a little delayed setting it up, though, because I discovered a package at my door when I got home! It was mailed from Bluebell, in Michigan, and I couldn't wait to look inside.

She sent these sweet notecards! (Handy for writing my after-Christmas thank you notes, right?)

The presents were wrapped in this super cute paper. Love!

She also sent this glue gun. Woo hoo! This picture might actually be larger than life size, but that's how excited I am about it. For a while, I've wanted a glue gun. I know, it might be hard to believe that I've not had a glue gun before this. I make crafts all the time, but I've never actually gone for it. I was actually at JoAnn's within the last week or two, looking to make the leap. Now, I'm all set!

Monday was awesome - Christmas came late! It was such a fun reminder of how blessed I am to have such great friends in my life. They know me SO well!!