Fingerpainting for a wedding

Literally. Finger painting. 

Today, after church I spent a little time doing some crafty wedding prep. I think this will be the next new nail trend. (Any one got some good tips for getting paint off hands?)

I've been collecting cheap glassware at thrift stores for this project. These cute little tea cups were less than $.50 each. I plan to have some mints or something else munchy in them at the tables.

look how pretty the details are! Like a kaleidoscope!

Gotta have the right tools. Lowes had a nicer color selection than my friendly neighbor Menards. I love the darker teal valspar. Just perfect.

The candle stands are part of another project...

I love the way the glass details show when only the inside of the cups is painted. 

Wedding planning has been a unique experience. I never expected that I would ever claim the title "Bridezilla" but some days, I really feel like a horrible monster. Sure, I only have three months to put this whole shebang together, but I don't think it needs to make me crazy. I must do a better job of being nice. I do need my-boyfriend-turned fiancee to hang around long enough to become my husband, after all.

The Next Parts of My Life

Hello all! It has been the longest time since I made a moment to fill the blog world in on my goings on. Here's the deal. My life has exploded. It has been both good and challenging, hard and wonderful. But it has been one of those times in life when there seems to be a lack of time. Every moment is filled with things and feelings, and every spare moment slips by quickly unnoticed. 

So, I am tired. I am the kind of tired that goes to the bone. And what sounds really nice right now is a snow day. But it's August, and there's no inclement weather approaching to secure a day of forced inside coziness.

Here's what's been up with me:

June 13 - Said goodbye to my first car- "Timber"the best Saturn SL2, ever.
Highlight: my "new" (also made in 1996) car, "Mixy" is a station wagon. 

June 16 - I went to LA on a mission trip with high schoolers for a week.
Highlights: Runyan Canyon Hike, seeing Ron Jeremy with a bunch of church kids, amazing weather.

July 14 - A week-long "vacation" away from home with Stan

Highlight: a hot walk on Put-in-Bay island that IS funny now as I look back (Stan was right), Erie seaglass, watching the kids wrestling with Stan.

July 27 - Stan PROPOSES. I say YES! (duh)
Highlights: wading through ankle deep mud puddles to get to the spot where he did it, him- in general.

August 11 - We decide to get married this fall.
Highlights: Cool weather, fall leaves... and we get this done and over with. 

[insert photo of a frazzled, probably-crying, actually quite happy, bride to be.]

August 13 - Nephew # 4 born. Samuel Ezra.
Highlights: squishy little nose, that new baby smell, the way his brothers and sisters adore him.

August 24 - Completed renovation of two student ministry rooms in the church where I work.
"Highlight": a horrible trip to ikea with a buying team of 5 - it felt like I had 3 husbands.

And then there were the other things. Things like A) job hunting for the Mr. B) trying to figure out how two people will fit into this itty bitty apartment full of my overflowing chotchkies C) wedding planning D) work work work & E) a tiny bit of socializing F) Not much creating.

Next Up in Life?

November 3 - Get hitched.

Details: Check out our wedding website.  (still under construction)

Tons and tons of wedding planning. I've been feeling an awful lot like I have two full time jobs lately. I go to work and do work and then come home and do work. I've designed our invites and save the dates myself. I'm shopping for decor for the space. Things are coming along, but good god, it's so much more complicated than I ever thought it could be. Thank goodness I have a fantastic prize waiting on me at the finish line of this race.

Hopefully, I'll get some process pictures up here sometime. We're having the wedding in a barn in West Chester, Ohio. It will be family and close friends from all parts of our lives. Think a little rustic and vintage. Yellow, red and tiffany teal. Records and games and fun oh my. With hot cider ladled into paper cups. Here goes!

My Grandpa's Vintage Abode - A Tour de 70's

I keep meaning to give ya'll the certain satisfaction of a mini tour of my grandpa's home in Dover, OH. he moved in here 11 years ago when he married the house's owner, my step gramma, Dottie. The 70's decor is as pristine as it was upon installation. I always marvel at the patterns and color schemes. So last time I visited, I took some sneaky pictures of some of my favorite highlights of the home.

Just a quick pictorial update. I'm using the blogger app. I really don't know how to format on here, so I apologize if the page looks wonky.

Don't you just love those bright colors? the green and pink rooms are both bathrooms. I love the simplicity of being able to tell people directions in a color coded fashion. There is no question where to put my luggage when Dottie tells me I'll be sleeping in the purple room. 

Let's Go Bowling! : DIY Record Bowl

Yeah, okay. Cheesy title. Deal with it, I'm punny. It's just I had a day full of bowls and I'm blogging about it. You know?

Found these great vintage mixing bowls at the Troy Goodwill. I passed up on a couple other pieces, trying to be money conscious. Now, I really regret not getting them, and there's no way they are still there. I should follow my gut more often, especially when it comes to adorable vintage things that are reasonably priced. Dang-it thrifty upbringing!

But bowls don't have to cost a cent if you've got an old warped record on hand. I have seen these record bowls at stores and online for the past few years. People are crazy about records these days. It's fun to have some company in the record stores. Normally, I wouldn't condone defacing an album, but this Beach Boys record skipped so much that one side played in about 20 seconds. It was doomed to warp further, I just helped it along. Now it's useful again!

The process was really easy and super quick. Now that I know just how simple it is, I may have to make some more. Guess I gotta stock up on some really desperately scratched 25 cent records at Omega.

I loosely followed instructions from a couple sites online. Like in cooking, I think you just need to feel it out, be patient and attentive.

• Preheat oven to 200
• Put a cookie tray with an oven safe bowl on it in the oven for 5 or so minutes (the size and depth of the bowl will help determine the shape of your final product)
• Place record on top of the preheated bowl 

• Watch as your record bends over the bowl! MAGIC! (it will smell dusty and hot like the first time you turn on your heat in the fall)

• In about 5-10 minutes, you will want to take the record out of the oven and quickly finish the next step. This step will vary depending on the record type and the oven heat. You can easily test the pliability of the record with a oven-mitted hand. It should bend easily in one place without moving the whole record about.
• When it seems pliable enough- carefully remove the tray 
• Quickly flip the record and HOT bowl into a larger bowl (again, the depth and size of this bowl will determine the size/shape of the final product)
• Remove the hot bowl and shape the record with your fingers (if things don't turn out the way you like, you can always reheat and re-shape)
• Press the middle sticker down into the bowl to ensure the record has a flat bottom to sit on.

And Voila! You've got a record bowl. Of course, this isn't food safe, and it can't hold wet things. Still, it's doing a great job holding the things that clutter the table near my door.

If you love records, you should check out this really awesome art exhibit which features The Beatles' "White Album". The track near the bottom is so interesting. 

Ikea Nightstand Hack - Cheap & Easy Footstool

My boyfriend is a couch hog. He works hard all day at work. He likes to get comfy afterwards. And that means lying down on my skinny vintage couch effectively taking up the entire length and width of the couch. After many long suffering months of trying to share this space, it became necessary to get: a FOOTSTOOL.

I was kinda aching for a little stuffed box with hidden storage space, but I'm too thrifty to pay 30+ dollars for a tiny piece of furniture. I mean, I got my awesome couch off the side of the road. (One day, maybe, I'll grow up and pay full price for something that hasn't been used already.)

I found the solution at Ikea! Go figure.  I used this simple, inexpensive RAST nightstand as the premise. This was the only thing I found at Ikea that fit the bill. It needed to be short enough to be comfortable to put your legs on while sitting on the couch AND it needed to be thin enough to slide under my coffee table when not in use.

Turns out, a few other web folks have found this Ikea hack on their own- so it's not a NEW idea. But I think my final product is still bragworthy. The whole project took maybe an hour total to complete, though I finished it gradually over a week while I was gathering the necessary tools and add-ons.

What you will need:

• RAST Night Stand - $14.99
• Sturdy Material - from my craft stash
• foam padding (a pillow would work) - from my craft stash
• staple gun - borrowed
• gliding furniture tacks - $2.49
• Murphy's Oil (or other oil or stain) - from the cleaning cupboard

Making it Happen

1. Stain all pieces using oil
2. Cut some foam to fit the top of the night stand
3. Stretch fabric over the top piece and staple (I did the corners like I was making a bed) 
4. Poke holes through stretched fabric where the screws go in
5. Assemble the night stand
6. Tack on gliders

You know me, I like to get things done quickly so I can enjoy them. The unseen details aren't quite as important as the more visible parts of a project. So it doesn't matter to me that there are some salvaged edges showing when you look under the stool. I might eventually hot glue a square of fabric or covered cardboard under here for a more finished look. The glider tacks are a super addition to what was a clunky piece of furniture. they allow the stool to slide across the carpeted floor with ease.

Now I'm on the lookout for a basket or box that will fit perfectly into the open space in the footstool. I can't believe Ikea doesn't have it! 

I love my new footstool. In fact, I'm using it right now. If you're in need of a resting place for your aching dogs, try this one out. It's easily customizable to your stylish space.

The Gift of Decor (or) Window Treatment Fix

Since it's spring, I suppose it's time for a little catch up with Christmas time crafting. (Yeah, that doesn't really follow- but I'm gonna run with it anyway.) My sister is a mother of 4 (soon to be five) who lives in a rental home in Ypsilanti, MI. She's a wonder woman. She cooks, cleans, crafts and home-schools her little ones - and usually with a contented smile on her lips. I adore her and have always looked to her as a role model. One drawback to the business of her life is that she hasn't had much time (or will) to decorate her home since the family moved in last summer. Since it's a rental, it's hard to make an investment in any kind of decor decisions that might be permanent. In six months, she's put 1 nail in the wall. I can't imagine living in an undecorated home. Every apartment I've ever lived in, any home I've ever had a room has been decorated immediately. I can't feel at home until the space feels "homey". 

For her Christmas gift, I put together a low key decor kit for her tiny master bath. It's one of the only places in the house that receives more adult usage than kiddo, and I wanted for her and her husband to feel like it was a little special. Like a little oasis? I don't know if any space in that child-ridden home will ever really be relaxing. (Although, I gotta say, sitting next to the fireplace with one of my brother-in-law's homebrews is pretty magical.) But at least the room has a window treatment - and a bath mat!

A lot of the decor elements came from the Dollar Tree (oh I love that place!). I cut down a bamboo placemat to make a makeshift runner for the flat surface behind the toilet. I made a little candle feature with stones and funny moss covered rocks. The cut-off portion of the placemat had this neat suprise feature of staying in a twisted shape like a vertical pinwheel. I stuck a string on it and it hangs fromt he ceiling! Elements of the decor kit not pictured: bath mat, soap dispenser and toothbrush holder. All in a light sage shade. 

My favorite invention for the bathroom? A tricky way to hang a sheer curtain and valance on only 1 pressure curtain rod. Knowing my sister would be hesitant to put holes in the wall I wanted to take out all the work of hanging the curtains. Problem solved!

I achieved this special magic using a length of foam tubing. (That stuff people on Pinterest have been making wreaths out of!) I cut it to just shy of the width of the window and slit it down one side. Then I put it over top of the sheer on the rod. 

What's awesome about this method is that I could have two sheer panels on the rod and still be able to open and close them to adjust how much light I want to come in the room. You have to tug a little to move the bottom sheer, but it's still effective.

Sorry the pictures aren't better. It's hard to photograph a window feature during the day especially with a silly little camera. (It's so time for an upgrade!)

Making it is simple. I made a rectangular valence the width of the window and finished it on all ends. Then I HOT GLUED the sucker onto the foam tubing. Here's a picture to explain the construction.

I think maybe I might be a genius. (A super-humble genius!)

Happy spring, ya'll!

Found (then lost) & Found Again

A discovery when I was doing a little spring cleaning the other day. During my years in Minneapolis, I amassed a little collection of found items. It had been my intention to send the lot to Found Magazine. But here they were, under a pile of old chapbooks and thank you notes. I never sent them, and now I don't think I will. Instead, a FOUND post of my own here on glass huff full. (The captions are the cherry on top. Always my favorite part of the magazine. I'm not as funny as the Found staff.)

If you've never heard of Found Magazine, I suggest you spend a chunk of time on the website. It's an incredible community project, well worth your time. Basically, it's a collection of found items from around the world that have beautiful, poignant or funny implications when seen out of context.

FOUND in Minneapolis, MN ** May 2006 - August 2009

Mom and I picking apples. No one else was invited.

I don't have a phone; here's where I live.

Picture for the dating site. "Loves reading in public" And documenting it.

Self Portrait with Cougar & Air Conditioning Unit

"even when you were mad"

(7x9 Print) Proof we were Beiber before it was cool. 

Hippo. (Playing fetch with a Frisbee?)

Just a little friendly segregation with the girls.

A popular topic. 

What have you found lately? It's amazing what you can find dropped on the ground, in a book borrowed from the library, in the closet of a rental, etc. What makes these things interesting is the people who made them or  possessed them. It's like peeking into someone else's life. It's a little bit sneaky. And I love being sneaky every now and then.