Christmas Season

   


     Well, Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday!  It has been really crazy here and a lot of the things I wanted to accomplish were overtaken with things that NEEDED accomplished.  Christmas gifts was one of those NEEDED to get done and I always have to hand-make a few things. I know that's my own fault by doing this every year but I really love to do it.  I did not, however, have the time to photography any of my projects which bummed me out.  I have this to-do list that I should just accept will never be completed.  It grows instead of shortens.  I did get the idea to open my own store and my hand out at crafting.  Why? Because you have to think positively and not worry about failure all the time. I would rather try my hand at this than have to stay where I am working now.  

     So- enough rambles.  We put our wedding planning on hold so we could accomplish Christmas this year and there is so much to still plan and do and I hope all the vendors are not booked yet! We did get to cake taste and decide on our cake at the start of December and I finally asked the last Bridesmaid to be in the wedding... I was going to blog a little about the cake but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.  Maybe I'll stick a photo in here somewhere of the tasting!!! 

     I have to say that I know that I am lucky to have my family and friends in my life and I'm lucky that they really know me and really love giving as much as I do!  I really try to make Christmas special by making a lot of things for people and that makes me feel great! I do have to say that I do NOT feel like Christmas is all about gift giving.  I actually think it's a shame that it's not more family oriented and I feel that a lot of that is due to the consumption of things on Christmas.  I am guilty of following the social norm on this but it also makes me feel fantastic when I give a gift and that person's face lights up!  Anyways. I don't want to seem like this post is bragging.  I would like it to come across as more of a thanking post.  Thank you for the people in my life and the things that they are able to give to my family and I!  

 I made cat butt coasters for my friend Kristin!

 I made a bunny wall mount for my cousin's daughter, Makayla!

 An elephant wall mount for my other cousin's son, Logan! 

An a bunny couple wall mount for my best buddy, Brook and her husband, Robert!

 It has been oddly warm this winter (not complaining) and I caught my parents and our neighbors on the deck for happy hour earlier this month.  Seriously. It's 66 degrees in December in Pittsburgh, PA. Not normal. 

 My dad even lit the tikki torches!

 My parents are amazing and on Christmas even I got this bad ass bike!  I am so thankful! I love love love it and of course it's still 66 degrees out but RAINING! Brian helped me put it together last night.  We just have to get a certain tool to tighten my handle bars and we are all set.  All I need is a bell and a basket for the front of her! I named her Mary Bell! She's amazing! SPRING COME SOON!

 Please ignore our basement (chance busted the door in the background and we are still unpacking things from our move... almost a year ago ... yeah. SHHHHH! 

 I've also been thinking up a photo to use her in. I am dying to do a new photo!  It's getting to that point where it's eating me away not doing one! Damn rain! 

 Thank you guys! 

 These are my families. LOVE LOVE LOVE! 

 Erin, John and Rocky! 

 Brian

 The cousins 

 Brian's Family- soon to be mine too! 

 Outtake! 

 My family! (our dogs were at home - we couldn't take them with us but they did have a great Christmas morning!) 

 Here are the puppies!

 Thank you Brian! 

You know me too well baby!

On that note, I have a million photos and really don't want to post tooooo many ;) 
I hope you all had a great Christmas.  We are going to get back to wedding planning and well, life! Hopefully I can make some bunny wall mounts for our kitchen and I will blog the process of how to make them.  I love how they turned out and if people would like any, contact me! I hope I get a new photo in soon too! So maybe more to come on the blog sooner than later! Time is my worst enemy right now. ;) 

p.s. - a picture of our cake tasting! 

My Love.

This is my best friend. This is one of my favorite photos of my best friend.  Chance- I love you! 

Stove-top Simmers

   
   

      As you know if you have been reading my blog, we bought our house last January.  It's coming up on that one year mark and we haven't killed each other yet! We are thrilled! 

     Seriously tho- it will be our first Christmas in our home and I wanted to start some fun traditions and be sure not to get too caught up in my to-do list that is miles.... MILES long.  

I decided that one of my favorite things about the holidays is the smells.  They are so comforting and special and remind me of so many good memories!  I know Brian feels the same way!  

I read some recipes online today on how to take certain ingredients, put them in a cute jar and give them as gifts!  You can attach instructions on how to make the wonderful smells happen (basically just add water to cover). How cute!? I may have to throw some together! Check it out here

    I wanted to try my own concoction, so I took what I already had at home and tried it out.  It was amazing.  Brian doesn't always comment on things and most of the time I have to pry it out of him if he really likes something or not but he even said how good our house smelled without me asking anything!

     I took a branch of our rosemary, that I will try to keep alive indoors this winter (that will be a challenge), a cinnamon stick and two to three orange slices.  I also added a few drops of vanilla extract and I put enough water in the sauce pan until it covered everything and then let is simmer for an hour or so.  

I CAN NOT WAIT to try some other ingredients! If you end up trying it out, let me know what you came up with,or if you already do it at home and what your favorites are!  

Orange Slices, Rosemary and a Cinnamon Stick

 add water to cover 

Let simmer on low

Enjoy

Conneaut Lake Vacation

Life has been so insane I find myself thinking I posted these photos from a few months ago and then find out that I haven't.  Same thing happened with my engagement photos in the last post! I'm so distracted.  I can't remember what I have and what I haven't blogged and then I have to check to make sure I'm not doing a double post.  These are just too good to ignore and not put out here!   
     I couldn't decide what tab to put these photos under- life or personal photography.  I love how they turned out but they were too much a part of my life to not put them here.  These were from our vacation at the lake and I want to blow them up and frame each one!  I wish it was summer now.  I currently have my slippers that plug into the computer and warm up on.  Ah. November... 

This is just a quick post - got a lot going on today and have to get up early for work tomorrow. Oh joy. Mondays. haha <3 Summer, my heart belongs to you. 

My office chair

     So. I'm redoing my office. I am so sick of wanting things to change that I am just going to learn how to do it- no matter what. 

     I know I wanted to change a lot and that I wanted to start with something simple.  I have a lot of old furniture and even though we love our house, it is small.  My office is really my art room, work area and closet, it's just too much in such a small room.  I'm dying for something attractive and organized. I want to get rid of things I don't use or need and really just make it my own.  I decided to start with my old desk chair, which is my parents old dining room chair.  I figured the thing was old, ugly and falling apart- if I ruined it, I could throw it away.  I also would like to get a desk and paint that as well so it will match.  I'm planning on consignment store or goodwill visits so I can get a desk at a good price then sand and paint it.  

(Chance even hates the old chair.  It use to have a black seat cover on it....)

(The color I used was Teal Lagoon from JoAnn's ) 

     I decided to pick up some chalk paint.  We used it once before on the sides of some old end tables and didn't seal it because we do not set things on it or move the tables around.  The chalk paint was really easy to use and we liked how it turned out.  It then occurred to me that I would need to seal the chair since I use it...everyday! NO ONE ever talks about sealing furniture.  I read up on blogs and being completely new at this bought the varnish that was on the shelf next to the chalk paint. Stupid. STUPID STUPID STUPID.  I painted two coats of my beautiful chalk paint on the chair and it looked LOVELY.  I only used a tiny bit of the paint and had a TON left over.



  Then, I used the VARNISH (screams internally). That shit sucks.  If you never used it. DON'T.  I think Brian said it best when he told me it looked like spit.  It DID! It looked like someone "hawked a loogie" on the side of my chair.  I thought I brushed it on the chair so well and then it would just pool up in spots and pick up every dust particle there was.  

                                                                    (see the white junk!?!?!?!)

I seriously was so frustrated.  

     I almost gave up.  I then read a blog about Minwax Polycrylic Satin Base 8 fl oz Polyurethane. LIFE SAVER. I went to Home Depot and picked up a can of it.  This project that was only suppose to take a few days turned into a week and now going onto two weeks.  I tried to sand off the parts of the varnish and smooth as much as I could but I just decided to have a tantrum and paint over everything with the chalk paint. Now I have used most of the chalk paint and I'm more frustrated.  I did two coats and let eachdry in between (I get home from work late so I can only do one coat a day and it takes a good hour or more since there are details on the chair to paint). I finally busted open the Polycrylic this past weekend and it was so MUCH better!  All my frustrations went out the window.  I do have to point out that you still have to paint it on VERY thin and follow the instructions on the can.  Try to purchase a pretty good paint brush too.  It's worth a bit more money.  I also have to say make sure to do it in an area with a lot of fresh air.  It was such a beautiful weekend in November that I took advantage of it and sealed in the in driveway!  I did two layers and then started on the seat cover.   

The seat cover was the first thing I started on when I took on the project but the way my brain is wired, I screw a lot of things up by other thinking.  I bought a fabric with white in it where I really needed off white. Okay, you may roll your eyes at that last sentence but honestly, it would never work with me.  I wanted the fabric to match the vanity I am doing next and the vanity is going to be off white paint.  The fabric would need to match and it would be cheaper to buy new fabric than new paint.  I can always use the fabric for other projects of mine.  I also brought the wrong size foam and it was too lumpy for my liking so when I got new fabric, I also bought the correct size foam.  Now this project that started out at $20.00 with extra paint and fabric turned into $40.00.... but hey - I'm learning.  I hope I get better at this though- I can't afford to TRY to be frugal haha. 

                                                      (First try with the black and white fabric)

                                     (New and IMPROVED fabric) 


      The new fabric was not something I was really looking for but I loved it and it was going to match the chair perfect AND the vanity (I'm made sure to check it with the paint this time).  I went back home and removed all the stables and salvaged the fabric I couldn't use.  I stretched out the new fabric over the new foam and had Brian help me with the staple gun.  I have to get a bit better at covering the chairs since I'm a perfectionist and I can see every lump and wrinkle in the chair.  It may have been the way I cut the foam or maybe it shifted or- MAYBE I'm being too hard on myself. lol.  I'm going to try it out and I can always fix it later if it needs it.   I LOVE how it turned out now.  SO MUCH BETTER! I can't wait to do the vanity and the only thing I may have to pick up at the store is some more stables for my Dad's staple gun he let me borrow.  I swear the staples are from the 80's.  He's always letting me borrow his tools though. I love that he is a handy guy!  He also loved the finished chair! 

 

(Thanks Dad!)

     I screwed the chair seat back into place and I am in love with it! The paint matches my record player and my new lamp!  I can't wait to get rid of my pink carpet and paint this room to so it will all tie together.  It looks so funny in there right now!  

(Bear is so over the chair, he's passed out on the couch)

     I have a huge list of things to do and I'm thinking it will take a year to finish.  I want to get rid of the carpet, paint the walls, the furniture and get some new things.  I will blog the progress and I even took a before video of my room (though I forgot to do shoot the video before I started working on my chair).  I am not going to post the it until I'm further along since it's weird just showing you a video of my messy office with no "afters" to show you.  I hope you enjoyed and if you decide on doing this - don't get the varnish.