Sunday, March 30, 2014

Chalkboard cabinets--don't be afraid!!

Oh yes it did! That tiny spark ignited and exploded lol...I got the itch on friday as I was performing one of my most hated "chores" of cleaning up underneath the kitchen sink. It seems that a conglomeration of "junk" accumulates under there lol. Anyway--as I was doing that I was thinking of all the chalkboard projects I've seen over the last few months and I thought to myself "hmmm I should do that somewhere here in the kitchen..." And so began the process :)
I didn't mention it to Tim--not because he'd say no but because I knew how skeptical he'd be lol. Hey--that's what I am telling myself so let's just go with that ok??? So early Saturday morning I got up and went to walmart--I have a love/hate relationship with that store. Sadly, in the paint department they didn't have anything "chalkboard" other than spray paint and I certainly wasn't inclined to remove the cabinets and taking them outside for spray painting--ain't nobody got time fo' dat.
I had my grandson with me and he was getting restless but I decided to just run back to the craft department (what's left of it) and just see what was there. It must have been divine intervention because I found ONE 4 oz. bottle of FolkArt acrylic chalkboard paint!
I decided on painting the fronts of the pantry cabinet doors and I love it!
I can never seem to remember to take "before" photos until I've actually started a project but eventually I'll get there lol. SO here are some photos of the process....






NOTE: I did some research online before I started and here are the tips I found most helpful. 
1. Obviously clean your surface prior to painting.
2. Paint one coat and let dry for at least an hour before painting the second coat.
3.Alternate brush strokes with each coat of paint--eg: if you paint the first layer up and down then paint the second coat side to side.
4. Let the paint "cure" for 24 hours before writing on it.

That one 4 oz. bottle painted 3 coats on each of my cabinets so it doesn't take a lot. The bottle was $5



Friday, March 28, 2014

And so it occurs to me to wonder

Today I had an unexpected day off from work and I've piddled around all day accomplishing very very little. Of course that's pretty par for the course for any day but I feel a teensy bit less guilty about it today. But as I was performing one of my least favorite chores it occurred to me that I wonder if I'm the only person who vacuums their ceilings? Am I a complete weirdo? Ok, yes, I am a weirdo lol but seriously--- I get little cobwebby <<---and is that a word because spell check didn't say it wasn't---anyway, I get these little cobwebby dustbunny thingamabobbers all over the ceiling...mostly around where the ceiling fan blades rotate. And sometimes I don't even notice them and sometimes I look up there and it totally disgusts me. Now, I am NO clean freak by any stretch of the imagination but I can't stand those things. So I vacuum them off with the hose attachment. And as easy as it is to see them when you're sitting there--it's just as hard to see them when you start vacuuming them lol. 
Yeah...nothing creative or even interesting there right? LOL
Sorry!!
I've still not been in the mood for anything creative--just really a combination of things. I do have a couple ideas brewing in the ol' noggin' though so be sure and check back soon...you never know when inspiration might strike ;)

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

No I haven't disappeared ;)

Whew...I guess I haven't been updating much as of late--it started out when I got the creeping crud (that's what my Mama use to call every cold, flu, virus or other miscellaneous ailment). That knocked me out of commission for at least a week as it was a huge butt kicker. I'm feeling much better and almost completely over it. Unfortunately, after I got over it, Chris caught it--poor guy.

The fact is that I just haven't been feeling very crafty 0.o
I did finish a couple of layouts and have one on my desk about halfway complete. I feel that I need to get reconnected to my scrapbooking as that is the only true legacy I will leave behind to my children and grandchildren.

The weather (YES, I'm talking about the weather LOL)...has been so psychotic recently--Mother Nature is definitely having some sort of spasms. Hopefully, she gets her medication straightened out soon.

Counting down the days until spring break. I am pretty sure I will get some crafting accomplished during the break so be sure and check back!!

In the meantime, here's the one layout I did recently that I photographed.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

altered wooden circle

The "collage wall" in my living room is an on-going project for me and I add and take away from it periodically. I'm searching for just the perfect feel. I had picked up several of the wood plaques in different shapes from Michael's forever ago--story of my life, right? So anyway, I decided I few days ago I wanted to do a small monogram for just this one spot on that wall...I decided on the circle because I felt like it was the most aesthetically pleasing. I also had already decided on painting it black simply because I thought that spot warranted it.
I made the roses using my EK Success small retro punch from Bazzill cardstock, the leaves are from www.wildorchidcrafts.com, I used a sticker for the "R" and the string pearl I have in my stash.
The bling around the edge I got from ebay--you can google "hot melt gems" and you'll get tons of results in lots of colors. You can use your I-Rock tool to heat the gems but I have a different tool (same thing, but electric and I don't remember the name--also from ebay LOL). And that's about it I think...if you have any questions, be sure and ask and I will do my best to answer.

I've been down with a cold so I didn't feel like getting too crafty but this was just enough to appease the desire to create :)
Have a great day guys and come back soon!

I also mod podged the entire thing after the paint was dry and before adding the embellishments and gems.