Not so Hobbyless...

I have noticed, as I am sure you have also, that Im not doing very well at posting new stuff for you guys. I guess that I have been too consumed with doing some of my projects that I forget to come back and write. Which was the whole point of this blog initially, anyways.

I've got about 146 projects on the to-do list.... or so Josh says. I'd say I really only have about 60! But that's what happens when people start finding out that you are capable of making things, refinishing things, painting things, etc. And I can't help it that I WANT to do it all... for everybody who wants it. In fact, I try to get people to let me make stuff for them, because it makes me happy to do it, and it's fun to use my creativity for people other than just myself! 

So needless to say, I have 1 project that I am going to be helping my mom with (refinishing her dining room table and chairs), I am making a suitcase chair for a friend of mine, and I am refinishing 3 large wooden furniture pieces for my grandma as well as painting some of her kitchen items (knife block, mirror, mug rack). On top of that, I plan to refinish that bench of mine, make a whiskey bar, and reupholster an old lazy boy chair we found on the street.

So here is something new! 

I did finish the vintage suitcase chair that I told you about 2? blogs back... and it turned out amazingly! I am absolutely in love with it and have already gone out and bought another suitcase to make another chair soon. I am looking into renting a small space in someone's shop where I can sell some of my things, now. And I have a list of stuff that I will be able to make consistently as well as some of my pieces that I will probably only ever have one of. 

The thing I think I'll like about making these suitcase chairs is that you can find so many different colors, and styles of suitcases, and in turn you can have tons of different material print options and color combinations, etc. Not to mention making some accent pillows for the chairs, which also adds some character and makes it all just kind of pop!

I was fairly impressed with myself to have been able to figure out how to construct this chair and all it's parts (along with the help of my husband's ideas) without ever having found someone else's tutorial on how to do it. It all started with a picture I saw of one a girl had made, but it was ONLY a picture. And hers was done sort of crappily, where she just added some legs and kind of stuffed a couple of large pillows in the suitcase and called it a chair. I am not entirely sure it was made to hold any substantial amount of body weight... ever. Maybe it was meant to be a clothes rack for her bedroom?

It looks like a little pet or something! My 4 day old pet... the cool thing is that it can be closed with a cushion in it. Take the legs off, throw them into the suitcase, and you have a very easily transportable chair!

We walked around home depot for about an hour trying to figure out what to use to brace the bottom to the top, when we came across this yellow chain link- that an employee cut off and gave to us for FREE! Apparently I didn't need enough to make it worthwhile to charge. I'll take it!

All in all, I think I did spend about $80 in all the materials to make this. And I put in about 12-14 hours of work. I spent about 4 days on it, with a few hours each day. That sounds like a lot, but because it was my first I ran into unexpected issues, and had to figure out how to get around them. Now that I have done one, I think the next ones will be breezy! And I plan to shop a lot more thriftily for the next ones, too. I'd love to be able to make one for about half the cost if I plan to sell them and make any sort of profit. I didn't mind spending $80 for what I plan to keep for myself. And my own time doesn't cost me anything!

This is the suitcase I bought a couple of days ago. It should be a ton of fun to make! 

I'm still working on getting everything in order so that I can post a step-by-step on how this project was completed.

Until next time!

CookBook

Today, while talking to my sister-in-law, we talked about: how her fiance (who lives in England) may not even be getting his visa in time to make their tentative wedding date in California. How we're all going to have to save really hard to make our tentative Africa and Europe trip happen next October. How she needs to learn to cook well, but lacks time and energy, and non-complicated recipes (all the very important motivating factors) and so she therefore hasn't been practicing very much, but hopes it will come to her once they are married, because she wants him to eat well. Also, because then they wont have an 8 hours time difference, and have the impossible communicating schedule like they do now, which is half the reason I imagine she is tired, and lacking energy, on top of her having a job, and sharing in the full time ministry work!

Mind you, we didn't talk only of all the stressful things... but I could totally relate when talking about finances and cooking, because I am married, and work, as does my husband. We have bills, as well as desire to travel. But how do we do it all?

Most often, we don't. We compromise, or forego what things we really want sometimes. But that is life.

However, I wanted to come up with some ways that I might be able help alleviate some stress that many couples have at the start of a marriage, so, this gave me a good idea that I could make them a cookbook as part of their wedding gift, full of all of my tested and true, simple, not so time consuming recipes by going on Blurb.

In the starts of my researching the best way to go about this, and getting ideas from other people online who have done this, I came across this hilarious blog that someone wrote, basically mocking all of the people who for some odd reason feel the desire to post photos of all of their meals, or any sort of food/drink intake they have throughout their day. And these aren't the people who are traveling the world, eating exotic foods, at a fancy boutique or cafe that you would never find anywhere else. THAT would be okay...

And so I felt the need to share. Enjoy!

Wine Cork Back Splash

This is the month of do-it-yourself.

I know that in my 'about me' paragraph, I talk a big talk about giving you some DIYs and tutorials... and then for the first month, didn't have a single one. But at last, I live up to my own description!

This time, I decided to do a back splash made of wine corks (yes, it will show all the world, or just your friends and family, how much wine you really drink. Who cares?) to add to my mom and dad's new faux granite kitchen! And I do some day plan to make one of my own... though mine may be less classy, and made of beer bottle caps. We like drinking, but no, not in a way to be called an addiction.

*sips 12 year El Dorado rum*

This project was supposed to be finished along with the countertops when I did them, but I realized that a week to do the faux granite and this cork board was just impossible, at least for my first time on either of them! I could probably make it happen now that I think I have a clue what I am doing...

Getting on with it: Wine Cork Back Splash Tutorial

What you need:
Hot Glue Gun
Corks
Knife (exacto works splendidly)
Fiber Wood (if you don't want to glue directly to your walls)

1. The most important step to this project is knowing your space- measurements, mostly. That is measurements of space width and height, divided by measurements of wine cork height and width size (the average wine cork measurements. Don't go through measuring each cork you have)

2. The second, pretty important step is having the wine, drinking the wine, which then gives you number of said corks. Try not to get lost in all of these algebraic formulas!

Since I had to do this project from my own home for a space that was not at the same location, I took my measurements first and cut a piece of finished particle board to match the size of the space I needed to fill, and ended up gluing my corks to that board.

3. To maximize your usage of corks, cut all of your corks in half, vertically! This way you technically get two cork widths from one. Or if you're like me, and want to get really involved, you can cut slices. (I did some of both)

4. Now you want to draft your layout of corks. For me, I laid all of my corks onto the board, arranged, rearranged, replaced corks, etc, before ever touching the hot glue gun. You want to know that you are going to like the design and pattern first, before you make it permanent. Get Creative! If you use a board, you'll find this step is much easier, due to the fact that it can be laying horizontal, instead of working on a vertical space, such as directly on your wall.

5. Once you have the exact design or pattern laid out that you want, it's time to plug in that hot gluing bad boy and get to work. One by one, pick up the corks, put a dab of glue on, and replace it.

All laid out, ready to be glued!

I have seen this idea done in many different ways. I wanted to do a pattern, because I feel that nothing is ever truly random, even if you say you want random. And I am far too picky to be satisfied if I have just slapped a bunch of corks onto a wall and called it decoration.

This project was extremely simple, while being very tedious. So you do need to have a bit of patience to complete this project. But trust me, it adds so much character to the space!

Completion!

So... call me a garbage picker

I have been thrilled these last couple of days to find so many amazing steals... and deals!

It started off with my looking for cushions that would be the correct size to use when I make my suitcase chair (because nobody sells cushions precut in the measurements of 17''x 24''x 4'', or anything big enough while being in my budget). I stopped at Savers, a slightly more upscale goodwill... and to my surprise they had tons of couches, and chairs, and benches for sale that had just been dropped off for donation that day!

There were a few really nice (mind you, very outdated) chairs that were in fantastic shape. And then I saw a wooden bench, with 4 huge cushions... and instantly knew these were the perfect size cushions I needed.

Me to the cashier: "Is it possible to buy just the cushions without the bench?"
Cashier (laughing): "Um, no... you have to buy the whole set because nobody will want the bench on its own."

Ugh, okay... I'll go see how much it is I guess. And of course, no price tag to be found.

Me again to cashier: "What is the cost of the whole bench set?"
Cashier: "Hi again. I'm not sure... you have to ask the donations people."

So I find the donations girl and she goes out and gives me a price of $14.99!!! I'll take it! (I ''yell'' without trying to sound ridiculously excited about someone else's disgusting, used, ancient furniture") But seriously, this was awesome. The cushions are in amazing shape... still firm and clean, unlike the cushion covers. I could not have gotten a better deal, nor had better timing if I wanted to.

Also, they don't know that I am going to refinish the wooden bench and make it all nice and new looking, for less than 2 dollars... only use two of the cushions for my original intentions, and leave the other two, maybe dye the old covers, so that I can probably re-sell the set again for $10+ more than I even paid for all of it! Talk about thrifty...

The original cushion covers on the $14.99 bench set. Hmm, I take back what I said... these are actually kind of sweet in an old retro sort of way! Heh?

THEN... later that evening, Joshua drove to the bank, and when he gets home he tells me that he drove past a wingback chair on the side of the road just around the corner from our place (almost exactly the type of chair he has been looking for). So in the car we go because I am not letting anyone else have that piece! Sure enough, it's still there, and it is in unexpectedly good shape, beside a loose footboard, and shredded fabric on the seat cushion. But it is perfect for what we want, because I have been wanting to try reupholstering, but not on something I have already, of which I probably like and spent a decent amount of money on. You can't beat free!

The Little Pink Beauty

If you're thinking of doing a reupholstering project and need some awesome tips, I highly suggest checking out allthingsthrifty's blog. This couple is amazing, and so very talented! They have step-by-step restoration and upholstering tutorials... and many other things!

The original piece that started my collection of garbage picked goods was this armoire that my neighbors had put outside on the lawn when they were moving out. Its pretty banged up, and the finish is in really bad shape, but nothing a little restoration won't fix. I plan to make a bench seat out of it to put by the front door, so Josh has a place to sit, put his shoes on/take them off. I'm even thinking of making a storage area in it for a couple pairs of shoes... but this one is a little ways down the list yet. So you have to use your imagination on how that will work until later, when I can tell you all about how I did it!

Enough about all my 'junk'... let me tell you what project is in progress!

I decided to make a chair out of a vintage suitcase. I found an awesome old terracotta colored Samsonite one at an antique shop for $15!

Meet Suitcase. Vintage Suitcase.

I have to put legs on it and form some sort of a frame for my cushions. The frame will then be attached to the suitcase inside, probably via a hinge...

Bought these 14'' legs at Home Depot for less than $20. They are now stained ebony!

This is my awesome, bold, fun material that will be used for the cushions. I got it on sale at hobby lobby for 50% off... totaling less than $15.

At this rate, I can have a totally adorable, unique, self-made usable chair for under $80!

Tutorial will be coming soon... please keep posted!

How To: Faux Granite Edition

Remember that time I told you all about my family's 'famiversary' tradition? And how I would keep you posted with what I would be doing for the ones I picked to buy for this year? And then you probably thought to yourself: ''yeah right, we'll never find out, because she'll forget all about it.''

Well, wrong...this was too fun not to share!

My parents went away on a week long vacation to Aruba this past week, so I took the initiative to do some updating. Because, you see... my parents have about twenty never ending to-do lists, honey-do lists, someday-do lists, would love to-do lists, etc. But the main thing I've been hearing about from them lately is wanting to update their kitchen. However, it's fairly low on their list, along with being a fairly large expense and needing time they don't have.

So I decided to do a complete countertop makeover for them.... using paints!

This is why: Beautiful blue and white outdated counters... with matching cabinet hardware!

Here is a list of the things I needed to complete this project (and no, its not difficult, but it is quite time consuming)

-A photo of real granite: I looked at photos of granite to get an idea of what would go, and what I wanted my project to resemble. I suggest doing the same, so that you can examine what colors are present in the granite. This helps when picking your acrylic paint colors.
-Zinsser brand all surface tintable water based primer - can be found at most hardware stores: Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
-5 to 7 different colored acrylic paint tubes (yes, the cheap arts and craft ones you can find at a hobby shop or craft store)
-One real dead sea sponge
-Foam roller
-A paint brush (or foam brushes if you need to stay cheap. However, a good brush will give you a better smoother finish)
-A small paint tray
-Painters tape
-Sanding bricks
-Mineral spirits for cleaning
-Minwax brand Polycrylic clear gloss finish (use polycrylic instead of polyurethane, due to its non-yellowing tendencies)
-A good amount of free time and patience! (The most important of all)

Now, step by step I will show and explain how to complete this project from start to finish!

1.) Tape off all wall surfaces or other non-counter surfaces that may come into contact with your painting tools.

2.) Have your foam roller and tintable primer ready. Start rolling your first coat of primer directly onto your need-to-be new counters. (Sanding the old surface is optional when you use the Zinsser all surface primer because it will stick to anything. I did not pre sand. However, if you use a different brand of choice that hasn't been tested on other surfaces, I highly recommend sanding your counters first.) Be sure to let the primer coats dry fully before moving onto step 3.

The above photos are taken after 3 primer coats to achieve full coverage. The amount of coats needed will vary depending on your starting counter color.

3.) Pick out which color of your acrylic paints you would like to have as your base 'granite' color. Keep in mind, this color will be the one to least show through on your finished project. Squirt small amounts of the first acrylic into a paint tray, and gently dab the side of the sponge in. Then, with absolutely NO rhyme or reason, sporadically dab the paint all over your counters. (Random is important! You will find it begins to look too patterned if you try to plan where your sponge dabs will go)

My starting color was silver, because I was aiming for a more warm finished product, but still needed a bit of a stone color to 'peak' through. Notice how some areas of silver are thicker and more filled in, while others may seem nearly bare. This is good!

Also, if your counters do not have rounded edges, a way to give them the rounded edge effect is to roll your sponge over the sides every so often, so that it makes the top and the side panel of the counters seem connected.

4.) Repeat step 3 with color #2..#3...so on and so forth. Always remember: Random and sporadic! Just continue this process until you have used all of your acrylic paint colors. There is no need to wait for each acrylic paint to dry, nor to clean the sponge or the paint tray after each color. Just squirt the new paint color into the tray, and keep going at it.

After I applied three of my colors: silver, brown, black.

Notice that I tried to go lighter on the black than the others, because black is a much more dominant color, and will more easily show through any lighter colors layered on top of it. So if you don't want black to be a large portion of your final product, but want it to act as an accent, then follow my lead. If you desire an all around darker product, feel free to go a bit heavier on black.

After 2 more colors, khaki and buttermilk were added. (Totaling 5 colors so far)

At this point, you should start to see whether or not the color is meeting your expectations. If not, no big deal! Just go back through and add more of the colors you feel you want to see more of! Or maybe you notice that it all looks a little too sponged still, adding more layers will help this. It will fill in some of the seemingly open areas, as well as give your granite a more speckled character, rather than having chunky color. 

For me, I liked the idea of a more chunky granite look with sweeping colors, but this wasn't quite there you yet. So I simply went back through, adding more of the dark brown, and very small well spaced spots of black, all again covered once over by khaki. 

5.) Have your brush and clear gloss finish ready. This is the least fun, most time consuming part. After you've let the sponged acrylics dry for about 24 hours, its time to start the layering of clear gloss polycrylic. This is going to give it a beautiful shine, as well as giving the counter durability. Because what a waste it would be to have all the work you just did go down the drain... 

Brush the polycrylic over the counter in smooth strokes, always making sure your brush is wet. If the brush becomes dry during this step, you will see many brush strokes in your finished product (and the whole idea with faux granite, people, is to look like the real stuff) and everyone knows granite is smooth as glass! 

You'll need between 7 and 9 coats in order for the counter to be well covered and fully protected (more than 9 for those eager at heart!) Each coat should dry for about 1.5 to 2 hours. 

After dried, lightly sand with very very fine grit to help smooth out any imperfections from the brush strokes or collected paint drops. 

Then repeat step 5 another 6 to 8 times. 

Once all the clear coats are finished, and dried, let the counter cure for about a week before going back to full carelessness and use. Although, even after it cures, never EVER use the counter tops and knives together without a cutting board. And be sure never to set oven or stove top hot pans on it. This will ruin the clear coat, and at very least leave small scratches. If you accidentally do this, don't completely lose your mind - The clear coat can be sanded down in the damaged area and you will need to reapply clear coats once again.

My finished project, along with all new brushed nickel cabinet hardware!....

Happy Famiversary, Mom and Dad! 

If you decide to do this project, I would love to see your results! Please share by messaging me, or posting a link in my comments!

Taste this!

Have you ever read the label on the back of a wine bottle, or the description on the bag of coffee beans,  or even on the back of that 12 or 18 year scotch you have on your shelf? These are the descriptive words that so often appeal to us, and give us the desire to buy the product.

Have you ever, after buying the product, gone home and thought to yourself after tasting it "Subtle hints of hazelnuts and dark chocolate? More like dirt.'' Or, "Really, they picked out citrus and melon flavors? Man, I must be missing something!" And lastly, maybe you've thought "ah, oak or sherry? Yeah, I can taste those woody flavors!"

Well, I've been right there with you, at each of these differing stages! After some experience with our own home brewed beer batches, going through a few wine tasting sessions, drinking coffee from all different parts of the world, and enjoying a nice scotch on an evening at home, I have realized how much my taste buds have changed from before, and how much they have matured.

I enjoy trying new things. I cannot come to a liking of extremely hoppy beers, such as an IPA... but I am working on it. I think that knowing what to look for when tasting different alcohols helps you come to appreciate how it was made, what ingredients needed to be used, and what the process would have included. All of these things tell you a lot about the aging process of alcohols as well, and how much time really went into making it.

So I have decided that I am going to teach myself how to properly taste! There are so many good websites about tasting. The tasting process is just like any other thing in life: in order to be good at it, it takes practice. In fact, I'm sure the first journal entry in my coffee tastings will be "Mmmm, dirt and coffee! Smells more like chocolate than it tastes." My first journal entry on scotch will probably go "Mmmm, burny, tingly, woody, delicious. Smells like bark, and rubbing alcohol." My first journal entry on wine will most likely say "Mmm, grapes, sugar and toe jam. Smells sweet." (It's true, grape stomping is a pretty big thing. And many people in many places still do this as part of their crushing process... so yes, your wine has probably had a few feet in it... Enjoy!)

The key will be to have the right materials, such as proper drinking glasses, cups, stirring utensils, etc. That, along with the proper time to give to each tasting session, and you have yourself a good start on your road to learning your drinks!

I'm ready to start planning a tasting party!!

If you're interested, here are some links to the websites that give all the information needed to start tasting, as a hobby!

Coffee Geek
Single Malt Tasting
Wine Tasting

The things we said

Well, our trip to Isla Mujeres comes to a close today. But we had tons of fun, drank well, and ate more than enough for all of the all inclusive customers at our resort. We also said some hilarious crap! Maybe hilarious to us because we were there... maybe you'll find it funny anyways.

So here are the things we said:

''I'm not saying I like it... but it's catchy!"
''He probably just pooped his pants if he is denying farting''
''His butt just burped''
''That's what you get for being downwind.''
''There is a snake in my boob.''
''There is a crab in my crotch.''
''That little kid has the shortest neck... he could pick his nose with his boob!"
''They were a family of no 'neck'icans.''
''Yeah, I'm pretty sure my parents never set at home watching race horsing.''
''If I just lost this fat, I'd be in pretty good shape! Yeah, that's what that huge fat dude is saying, too...''

Josh and I will be going on another trip alone, so stay tuned!

The Unbounded Pail List

Talking with some friends last night, I realized that I said: "I have never flown in first class, but it always seems like it would be so much nicer!"

And it was then, I decided I should make a pail list! Why a pail list? Because 'bucket list' is too cliche. But a pail is just a synonym for bucket, so what makes the difference? The difference is that it catches peoples attention for a split second longer and makes them think about what this is.

If you are a person who is hobbyless, this is a good exercise to try. Think of all the things that you don't do, haven't done, always wanted to do but haven't had the opportunity, wouldn't think to do because it is out of your comfort zone, spending limit, etc. Then, make a list of all these things, and do them. It doesn't have to be written down, it can just be in your mind. However, I do think that it is more likely you will actually do them if you have it written down and kept in a place that you often see or will come across on a regular basis.

Now, the next step is to figure out how to make the opportunity to do all of the activities you have listed. For the typical bucket list, its known to be all the things you would do before you die. My thinking is...sure that sounds good, but you never know when you are going to die. It could be today, tomorrow. Heck, it could have been yesterday.In which case, I am a little freaked out if you are reading this.   My point being that either you may not ever complete your bucket list, and if you have a theoretical 80-100 years to complete it, doesn't that seem like ample time to forget about it all, procrastinate on checking things off, and what not? 

Anyways, for the pail list, it needs to be a specific time period that you set for yourself to have done all of your activities by. For example, the author of yesandyes.org did something similar, where she set out to do 34 new things before and up to her 34th birthday! 

I am going to make a list, because I think it will be fun, and it will help me to improve and grow as a person, build character, expand my horizon, and learn to do new things, like new things, or just to try new things even if that means never ever trying them again. 

I talked about doing this a while back with my husband, so coming up on our 1 year anniversary, I think now is the time to actually do it. I am planning to add things that I can do myself, as well as things him and I can do together. My goal is to do all of these things by our 5 year anniversary (October 8, 2016)

To start:

1. Fly first class
2. Ride in a hot air balloon
3. Stay in a real tree house in a rainforest
4. Wilderness camping
5. Learn to start a fire the real way
6. Buy an airstream camper
7. Remodel an airstream camper
8. Buy a VW bus
9. Remodel a VW bus
10. Finish rebuilding our cafe racer motorcycle
11. Make homemade wine
12. Learn to play an instrument
13. Take singing lessons
14. Sing in front of a crowd
15. Sell something I have handmade/sewn/built/upcycled
16. Learn to crochet/knit
17. Try eating a foreign delicacy (beatles/cat/dog...depending where you are)
18. Take up the full time preaching work
19. Live in another country
20. Learn another language
21. Go hunting... and eat what I kill
22. Try being vegetarian for a week (and actually stick to it this time)
23. Don't partake of any alcohol for a week

..... to be continued

Have fun with it! The options and ideas are unbounded, really.

How 'bout dem apples?

This past week, we had dinner with some friends. And naturally, I asked what I could bring, or what I could do to help or contribute in some way. I was asked to bring dessert... and then discovered that I don't actually have any recipes for desserts because that's one thing Josh and I do not eat much- of sweets. So, there I was, just a couple of hours before dinner scrounging through cupboards, looking through cook books, and picking my own brain to come up with something good. *sigh*

Here's what I ended up making:

Hazelnut Fuji Apples!

What you need:

Apples (your favorite kind)
Brown sugar
Hazelnut liqueur (or for the non-alcoholic fans, hazelnuts would work well)
Ice cream (once again your favorite kind. I used coconut pineapple and boy was it something delightful)
Toppings (I prefer nuts)
Honey

What to do with the things you need:

1) Preheat oven to 350° (I failed to mention ''oven'' in the things you need. I'll assume you already have one, though)

2) Core the apples, but make sure you don't core all the way through to the bottom of the apple, or else all of your toppings will fall through and the flavors won't be held in the baking process

3) Rub brown sugar into the inside perimeter of the cored apples. Then drizzle some of the hazelnut liqueur inside, allowing it to pool.

4) Place apples into a baking dish, and then into the oven. Allow them to bake approximately 1 hour (until soft but not mushy)

5) Allow apples to cool. Then proceed to fill with ice cream. Top with toppings. Drizzle with honey.

6) Eat, and enjoy!

The Hatch Hotel

It's been a few days... I know.

Josh and I along with another couple are going to be making a trip to Isla Mujeres, Mexico in about two weeks! Kind of as the first part of our anniversary vacation. It will be a nice relaxing vacation... with not all that much to do, other than lay in the sun, enjoy the endless booze fountains, and maybe do a few water activities.

The hotel we booked is of course, an all inclusive. So I am sure that I will be coming back you know... 10 pounds or more heavy. Anywho, I am excited about this for several reasons- beach, sun, heat, drinking, friends, ocean, and a jacuzzi on our balcony!! That's right, a balcony jacuzzi, overlooking the beach. It's gonna be awesome! But, to have that perk, it cost an extra little pretty penny. And why wouldn't it?

This takes me to the part where I explain that on vacation, when it comes to where I sleep it has to be very clean, pretty, have good eats, good drinks, a very very very comfortable bed, nice bathroom, and all that good stuff. Because I feel like if I am going somewhere for as long as a week, it needs to be worth leaving my cozy home for. I guess the location itself typically is why we would leave, but why shouldn't the hotel be at the same level?

Fortunate for us, we are good deal hunters so we almost always find super sweet hotels for inexpensive prices- because probably these places realize that they are too over priced and aren't getting the business they'd like, so they run a deal to draw people. I bite!

Josh, on the other hand, could definitely be good with anything that's cheapish. The cheaper the better for him. He can do hostels, tent sleeping...without an air mattress. You get the point.

So I am trying to stop being so particular and needy, and meet him somewhere in the middle.

The second half of our trip, though, is Josh and Me doing a road trip from home, to Boston where we will stay for a couple of days, and then heading up the coast into Maine. We (as of yet) have not booked any hotels and really have no idea as to what we are going to be doing, where we are going to be staying, etc. So when I was thinking about this, I had a pretty little lightbulb pop up! And thought to myself, "we could save some money and still have a cool place to stay if we slept in the hatch of our car for a very small portion of this trip!" We measured, and basically we could fit either one twin size mattress in there to sleep on, or we could fit two of those little camping pads.

I gotta start somewhere, right?

I could make it really nice, and hang up some sheets to cover all of the windows at night. But, then I came to realize that there is no solution to our not having a shower problem if we do this. Well, I guess we will figure it out?

You only live once!

How I started a garden... and how YOU can, too!

No kidding that starting a garden was low on my list of things to do... when I felt like I had lots of things to do. But remember that time I told you about how I had (for a short while) stopped doing things? Yeah... until I realized that I really needed to do something again. Whether it be getting back into exercising, playing sports, arting, crafting, cooking (all the things I used to enjoy doing before I just... quit doing them). Well, when my hubby and I moved into our new place of living, we had a few requirements

1) Two Bedrooms- because we didn't want the stinky ferrets having the run of the house anymore

2) Garage- because we wanted a place to work on our motorcycle, and any other messy projects we might decide to get into

3) Lots of storage- because this was something we found ourselves to be lacking when we lived in a large loft apartment

4)Yard 

Notice how there is no real reason for wanting a yard? That's because I didn't really have a specific plan in mind. I just thought "hey, some extra outdoor space would be nice. Maybe we can get a firepit...because, hey, we like fires!" 

But then, the more I started thinking of things I wanted to do, I decided that gardening would be a really great hobby! For several reasons: It would give me something to do. It'd be something to learn more about. It'd take a bit of time, effort, planning, and consistent care. I could reap delicious things from it! Okay, and it's pretty.

So, that's what I decided to do. I dug a 20' long by 3' wide garden. This was quite a project. In my first 10 minutes of digging, I came to find that we have horrible clay soil. Hard, dry, packed, unbuggy clay. The kind of soil that you just know won't encourage anything to grow, hence, a bit discouraging. Days and days were spent digging, and crumbling large chunks of clay to become decent enough soil to plant in. Then, I went and bought gardening soil, and mixed it in with the clay... and tilled, and mixed, and tilled, and mixed... you get the point. 

TOO MUCH WORK!

By day 6, I think it was, the plot was finally ready to feed things. I really wanted to keep it to an all vegetable/fruit/herb garden, but you should know this about me- I don't often stick to my original plans for myself. Because I like to buy things that catch my eye. So in my search for all of these plants (which was a chore in itself because we got a late start in the year) I came across many other beautiful plants. But mostly, I love love love lilies! Casa Blanca lilies, calla lilies, day lilies, you name it. So I found me a beautiful blooming day lily, a couple of tomato plants, jalapeño plant, strawberries, green and red bell peppers, basil, parsley, and cilantro. 

I came home, planned out where all of them should go, and planted away! I had a few things die on me in the first week or so, due to them being shocked and whatnot, but it all made a great comeback! 

Since then, everything is blooming and growing like a weed! I find gardening to be relaxing, peaceful, interesting, and healthy. 

These (above) were my tomato plants just a couple days after buying them. And those are my little adorable makeshift trellises made out of bamboo skewers and electrical tape! (Creative, right?)

And now, here they are. My little babies have outgrown two trellises, and forced us to step it up to a good 8' tall by 4' wide trellis to give them enough room. They also kicked the jalapeño plant out of their home, and he has been relocated. Aren't they a beauty? 

So, do you wanna give green thumbing a try? 

Here are a few tips for the willing:

1) Just do it! More than likely you'll find it to be rewarding in more ways than one. And if not, you're only out a few bucks.

2) You don't have to go large. Buy a little parsley plant or a mint plant. Keep it in a tiny jar in your kitchen or bedroom (windowsill, counter top, table) and water it. It'll only grow to be as big as it's space allows.

3) Be sure to use it. If its an herbal plant, add it to a recipe. If its just for looks, smell it or note its color changes. Read about its health benefits and what your plant is good for. This will allow your appreciation for it to grow, helping your bond with gardening or green thumbing to 'sprout' (eh? eh?) 

4) Never neglect it. 

So what do you say? Go grow something! 

Why don't you try it?- First Edition

So, this is a blog that I really enjoy reading! She has so many amazing and creative ideas, and she does an amazing job at making her instructions easy to follow. Her tutorials are filled with detailed direction and pictures of each and every step to a project.

Just to show you... I am a beginner at sewing, sewing machines, and the two together, but for my very FIRST project, I decided I would test the waters with a pretty hard project - outdoor patio furniture cushions for my mom! They weren't a joke... they had piping which meant like, quadruple the seams they normally would have had, which meant more calculations and more materials to potentially cause a disaster! But I was determined that I could follow her extremely simple tutorial on how to make a bench cushion.

Here are the results of the chair cushions I made using the same measurement system:

Trust me, if I can do it, you definitely can too! 

If you're like me, and you have a desire to create or start creating, the best way to do it is to just do it! Get your hands dirty... come up with an idea and just try your best. If it doesn't turn out, how much are you really out? 

This brings us to my first ''Why don't you try it?''! 

I want you to find something to recreate, up cycle, build, refinish, or do anything to. Then I want you to tell us what you made and show us how you did it! From start to finish take a lot of pictures. We'd love to see your creation! 

And for any who have done this before or been doing this, prettyhandygirl has an awesome way for you to get noticed and to inspire others to get creative. 

Have fun, and go do something!

Lets Get It Started!

I guess what I want from this blog is to have something to do consistently everyday, yet, that can be completely random! Does that make any sense? It can sort of become my creative outlet where I can share my interests, designs, ideas, very random thoughts, and a little humor with all of you!

 I may even add in some "Why don't you try it!" projects... you know, if you wanna get that involved.

I used to be a very active, silly, creative, ambitious person. I was always on the go, and needed to be doing something at all times. But then, for a while, I felt like I was in a kind of stupor. No motivation, desires, interests or hobbies. My now husband and then boyfriend was always asking me: "What do you like to do? What are some things you would like to do later? Do you have any hobbies? What goals do you have for yourself? Do you just sit around staring at walls all day?"

Ok, that last one IS a real question he once asked me... but he is not as much a jerk as he seems! It was to be expected when I could never give him any answer other than "wel...uhmm...derrr....idunno...stuff!" with a stupid look on my face. I think (now, of course, far too late to have helped me at the time) that the problem was I always had things to keep me occupied, and most of them were things that all came to a halt at the same time because I graduated. Therefore: Me, left with seemingly nothing to do... (but stare at walls?)

(just to list some things I did)
school
varsity golf matches everyday after that
golf practice on days that there were no matches
softball games
softball practice when there were no games
softball tryouts and conditioning when softball was not in season
talking to my mom (when I lived at home, this happened a lot. Mom does love to talk)
motorcycle rides with dad
dinner with Mom and Dad
watching my nieces
working at Bob's
swimming
sleeping (this decreased a fair amount after I started dating Josh)

So, now, almost one year into marriage, I am finding myself happier than ever! We recently moved into a new place, where we have a yard, a garage, and a neighborhood! I feel like these things have added to my happiness- I do not like being couped up 8 stories above ground, with nowhere to go and nothing to do with no space to do it in. So this is a good thing, right?

Right!

If you were to have Josh ask me those questions from a few paragraphs ago, he'd probably get annoyed at my endless rambling on of things I am interested in. I feel like I have so many things I want to do, and so many things I am doing!

But as I read at 30daysofcreativity.com, "Your brain is like a muscle. When you exercise it, it gets stronger." And mine is getting pumped!