i always will...

I'm struck today with how dangerous a thing love can be. "Every rose has its thorns," as we learned Monday night on Bachelor Pad, but, in all seriousness, it's quite true. One of the most dangerous, vulnerable things you can do is fall in love. Even worse, you can commit your life to that person. A person who will never be perfect, never bring you total satisfaction, and who will never be everything you really want him to be. Yet we rush headlong into love anyway. Love is an intoxicating thing. At times my heart feels so full of love for my man, that it could burst. And other times that love causes me to bury my face in my pillow and cry. It's a powerful, dangerous, intoxicating thing. I doubt I'll ever understand it. But I will continue to choose it. I choose Luke, and the joy and heartache that he brings into my life. I know I do the same to his.

My wonderful sister introduced me to a couple of singer/songwriters who put this oxymoronical truth about love into words.

Fun Finds

While my craftiness may have waned, my love for fun finds at yard sales, estate sales, and the best discount stores around (Ross and TJ Maxx), has most certainly increased. I have a wonderful friend to explore and shop with and we hit the yard sales at 8 am this morning in the intense heat and humidity to see what we could find. She ended the day with far more than I did, but I'm pretty excited about what I ended up with : ).

First, we visited a yard sale with very little, but the lady practically begged me to take what I did for $1. I'm quite pleased with it:

I'm thinking fried chicken and coleslaw during warm days...and maybe a place for blankets during cold ones.

Next, we drove past a couple of sketch places before coming to a cute house with kids selling lemonade. Here, I found what I am most excited about:

Decanters! I know they probably used to hold booze, but I can't get over the beautiful shapes. They're like giant vintage perfume bottles! My favorite part are the stoppers, which make a pleasant "pop" when pulled out of the bottles:

At TJ Maxx, I found some sweetness on the clearance shelves...

Candles! Aren't they precious?! The left hand one is a lace pattern, and I got two of them.

And finally, the best find of the day:

The illusive side chair I've searched high and low for is now mine! It's a soft blue-grey. The throw pillow is one I made a few weeks ago and happens to match perfectly!

My friend and I have a trip to Danville, VA to the nearest Hobby Lobby planned for next weekend, so we'll see what treasures show up from that adventure. Until next time!

thoughts in my head, as of late

Well, I'm finally back to VA after a two week absence. Although, I must say I loved every minute being home with my family. I haven't really done any more craft projects, though I have had a few ideas. Instead, I've been spending quite a bit of time writing. Surprise, surprise, the girl writes. I know, I know--kind of obvious. But I've had an idea for a book bouncing around in my head for the last several months, so while I was home I started outlining and drafting. I have the entire thing outlined now, and I'm working on the writing part. Let me tell you--writing is not for the fainthearted. Sometimes the words come so easily, but other times I sit for quite awhile without writing anything.

Anyway, enough about my writer's block. Not only have I been working on this book (which is non-fiction), but I also recently finished any essay that I'm considering entering into a competition. I just have to pick one. And pay the entrance fee. And actually decide if I want my stuff "out there." I must say, it's a lot safer here, with me, where no one will judge it.

I've also been studying quite a bit. I know what you're thinking...it's summer! Why would I study? That's a good question. And the answer is simply that I am no longer just a student. I am now a teacher and a student. That's right folks, I graduated to the big leagues (kind of)... Basically, I've been given one section of Junior High English 1 with The Potter's School to teach this coming school year. So I've been studying for that class. I figure I should know the material, considering I'll be teaching it. I honestly never thought God would make me a teacher...but apparently that's what I am.

the DIY bug...

So apparently the work and stress of refinishing my chest of drawers just wasn't enough. Meet my next project:

I bought this desk through Craigslist last week for $30. It's actually a really solid piece of furniture, with a lot of surface space for books and papers, and plenty of drawer space as well. When I bought it, I kind of talked myself out of redoing any of it since it's in fair shape. But I haven't been able to get the idea of turning "fair" into "gorgeous" out of my head. So here's what I'm thinking...

Green!!

Seriously though, I've been thinking about green on this desk so much, that I'm pretty sure I'll just have to go for it. The first desk has similar design elements to mine, particularly the scalloped edges along the bottom. Both the first and third desks have the traditional round knobs that mine does, but I'm thinking of replacing them with something more like this:

I found these knobs at myknobs.com, and both are less than $5 a piece. With only 5 knobs to replace, adding this finishing touch could be well within the budget.

While I am anticipating some serious sanding would have to take place, I think I'll be able to get away with a less involved paint job. I'll probably sand it all down, prime it all, particularly the drawers, then paint a couple of coats in either a satin or semi-gloss finish. 

I definitely caught something...what have I gotten myself into??

Shabbin up the Chic

Well, I've officially completed (almost) my first major DIY project. After finding this little beauty at the DAV for $28, I've now refinished her into something cute and functional, yet without breaking my very small piggy bank.  

The most difficult part of this project was definitely the sanding. I spent about 5 hours sanding down the entire thing, and got some serious back and shoulder pain in the process. And the end result hardly looked promising...

After sanding came priming...

Then painting it brown. It was during this part of the process that I wondered if I had, truly, lost my mind. I had just primed the whole thing white after sanding down the dark brown stain, only to paint it brown again. You'll see how ironic this becomes after this step...

There she is...dark brown again. Get ready for some massive irony...

Yes, I painted it white. Again. Bear in mind, this piece started brown. Then was sanded down. Then primed white. Painted brown. Painted white. Oh, it gets better...

I sanded it...again.

I must say, even though this process involved multiple steps that required some serious elbow grease, I'm really pleased with the end result. It's not quite finished though. I plan to put a sealant on since it will be used in my new place. And I need to put the hardware back on. Which, as it turns out, looks great on the "new" piece.

Cherry Summer

On a whim, I decided to take a cupcake adventure today. Afterall, it is summer, and warm days like this one deserve some sweet treats. So after making a trek down the street to the grocery store, I came up with these delightful sweets: Cherry Limeade Cupcakes

Summer is a time for fresh tastes and projects, and with Sonic Happy Hour on my schedule most evenings, I could think of nothing better than to infuse my favorite treat with the taste of summer. The recipe is fairly basic, and I'll provide it at the end. 

Start with a white cake mix, and add the limeade concentrate for the flavor. I got the cheap, store brand of both since I was doing quite a bit to them. I was most concerned with having a moist, fluffy cake, and this brand worked just fine.

I added the ingredients as instructed, but substituted half the water for 3/4 cup of the limeade concentrate.

The batter came out nice and fluffy in the end, which is just what I wanted.

And colored it pink!!

 While they baked, I made the frosting, for which you need two key ingredients.

           

                           

   

                       butter                 +            sugar                =     buttercream (yum!)


By the time I finished, the cupcakes were done. I opened the oven and found...

(they look orange, but they really turned out a nice cherry-pink)

And my final product...

And yummy too!

I put a little bit of green sugar on top, followed by a sour cherry candy. And that's that!!

Recipe

Cupcakes

1 white cake mix (makes 24-30 cupcakes)

1 can limeade concentrate (you will use 6 oz, or 3/4 cup)

3 egg whites

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

15 approx. drops Red food coloring

Frosting/Decor
1 lb/2 cups unsalted butter
6 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Green sugar
Red Sour Cherry Candy

Enjoy!

Springtime Lovin

Now that summer has officially come to call, I've started on all my projects and goals. Since I do not start my wonderful nanny job until June 9th, I have quite a bit of time on my hands. Since Emily and I decided to move off campus, I've been collecting various pieces of ideas and inspiration through StumbleUpon and my favorite site, Anthropologie.

Well tonight I've officially finished my first project for mine and Emily's apartment. I absolutely love all the fun spring/summer colors and patterns, so I took a little trip to Michael's and got my supplies. And this is what came about...

Laying out the pattern of the paper. I decided to be brave and cut up the four sheets of scrapbooking paper instead of simply covering the canvas with four, large blocks. 

After the glue was applied. I mixed Elmer's Glue-All with equal parts water and used a paintbrush to apply it. I first covered the canvas, then laid down the paper. I then covered the entire thing with another overall layer of glue. Some of the edges were stubborn so it took a few more attempts. By the time I finished it was almost midnight and the whole thing needed a night to dry. 

I really like the glossy look of the wet glue. If I buy real Mod Podge then I'll get a glossy finish over the paper.

...late night musical inspiration...also good when inhaling the scent of glue

I love the contrast between the horizontal and vertical stripes, the plaid and checks, and the floral and scrolling. I also really like the colors in these papers--pink, mauve, teal, blue, and green. 

You can barely tell, but here's a shot with the pencil sketching of the letters, "Love." I was pretty nervous by this point, since I was getting close to the point of painting. I.E., the point of no return...

And I LOVED it!! After I started seeing how the curves of the L contrasted with the straight lines in the paper, I fell in deep lovin with the colors and design. You never know how it will work out, but sometimes it's far better than you ever anticipated. 

Ta-da!! I think the lettering looks a little like Minnie Mouse. I think this would go up in her cottage next to a picture of her and Mickie. 

It's summer, and I'm so excited about the many projects I hope to complete! Among these are more wall decor, a coffee table (which I hope to refinish in an aqua blue), various throw pillows and linens, and hopefully some lampshades. So here is wishing everyone a ton of Summer Love.