Give Me A Sign

I approach this whole Scarlett Ibis thing (hobby?) unlike anything else in my life.  There are no rights or wrongs.  There is are no deadlines, no expectations, no rules at all.  You'll often find that I'm working on several different projects at a time and not one of them is near completion.  For now that is EXACTLY the way I like it.  The rest of my life is structured around State Standards, age appropriateness, time, shoulds and should nots, what's best for the family and on and on and on.

So this, this is my haven.  The one place that I can do as I please...I mean really, really do exactly as I please.  So dear hubby, I did not mean to sound mean when I told you I could paint over paint that was still wet if that's what I felt like doing.  (Wow, that did sound bratty!)  It's just that I really could, because I will not be bound by rules.  It turned out great in the end, but if it hadn't, that would have been fine too.  (There was a small issue between hubby and I and appropriate paint drying times.  I'm happy to report that the man is a saint and all is right with the world)

So this week I worked on something different.  I made this:

I liked the way it turned out.  I did use stencils, which was fine for my first try at a sign.  Then I did something really crazy.  I sort of did a free hand piece.  Here is a peek at it.

This is a table I'm working on for my daughter.  It used to be brown.  She wanted me to do the chairs with a fabric that had strawberries on it, but I couldn't find anything that I liked, so I bought a striped fabric instead, but I wanted to add strawberries to the set somewhere.

I have to say, I'm really thrilled!  I drew the big strawberry on butcher paper and then cut it out and used it to stencil it to the table.  I did the leaves, vines and small strawberries free-hand.  Whew!  Stay tuned because I'm almost finished with the chairs and then I'll reveal the entire set.  Happy Friday!

Partying with:

My Repurposed Life

Miss Mustard Seed

Going Nowhere Fast

I've been so very busy and have very little to show for it.  It's been one of those weeks where I have multiple projects started but not finished.  The weather is not cooperating with my painting projects.  The house seems to be in an eternal state of disarray.  I feel a bit scattered brain as I work on the projects or bemoan the fact that I can't and I'm trying to wrap up the school year and get ready for the summer program.  All in all, I'm busy and for the most part I love it.  This morning I decided I would finish at least two projects.  One was to finish the new cafe curtains I made for the kitchen.  I don't have pictures because even though they're finished, my kids commandeered the curtain rod and the old curtain to use for a puppet show.  Some things just take precedence around here and puppet shows...well they trump all.

The second project was the lamp!  I have some lamps that I bought years ago.  I really liked them but I've grown bored with them and the color scheme in my bedroom has changed so I decided to redo one and sell it with the bedroom furniture I'm working on.  So this is what she looked like before:

Before

And this is what she looks like today:

After

What I like best is that she's so girly now.  Perfect for the girl's bedroom set.  I love the way the silver paint brings out the details.  The shade took three rolls of ribbon and was so much fun to do.  I hope to finish some more projects throughout the week so be sure to check in again soon.

Linking up with my favorites:

My Repurposed Life
Remodelaholic 
DIY Home Sweet Home

Something Borrowed

We've been on vacation in Southern California visiting my parents.  There is a very real possibility that we will be moving back to So. Cal, more specifically, moving IN with my parents sometime in the near future.  There is a lot of talking and planning to do before the BIG move.  There are some things I don't mind, like their red recliners.  Then there are these chairs:

This dining room set definitely needs an update.  My parents don't agree.  They just about passed out when I suggested chalk paint.  Maybe I should have been more specific.  Since I home school, I think they were thinking chalkboard paint and well I can see why they were so dismayed.  I did manage to get them to change the fabric on the seats.  Viola:

Still not great, but better!  Baby steps...just like the transition of moving back in with them.

Partying while on vacation with:
My Repurposed Life

At Last

Wow!  I thought I would never finish.  I've been working on several things at a time and I had to push through the old thought paradigms that hindered me for so long.  "You never finish what you start!"  "You have no follow through."  "You're flaky."  I did it.  I not only finished one thing, I'm well on my way to finishing another and I'm still running the house and a business.  Why did I ever think I was flaky?!

So here it is:  Before

 

What is that?  I can almost hear you all collectively asking.  It's a child's picnic bench that has seen better days.  Here's another before:

I was inspired by this lovely post from Making My House a Home.  I want the kids to have fun so I added a game board.  

My 8 year old daughter painted the numbers using stencils.  I painted the chess board free hand...well I drew up the lines in pencil and then painted it.  I thought of making a stencil or taping it, but I don't have the patience for that!  I like it.  What do you think?

Linking up at :  Coastal Charm 

                       Not Just A Housewife 

                       DIY Home Sweet Home 

                       My Repurposed Life 

                       Miss Mustard Seed

What's New Pussy Cat...

...whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute.  I was just fretting because here we are coming up on yet another Friday and I will have nothing to share.  I'm slowly (ever so slowly) making progress on the dining table, but it's not reveal ready.  Gosh even redoing furniture has it's own lingo!  I thought of posting a picture of a dresser I repainted two years ago, but I don't have a before picture and as nice as it turned out you can't get the full impact without the before picture.  This blog is all about the FULL IMPACT, so you'll never see the lovely dresser.  So I'm sitting here, looking around the house and I'm thinking we redid the kitchen (about 5 years ago), nah.  Then something catches my eye.  Something I'm extremely proud of.  Something the my husband and I worked on together, without bickering or getting on each others nerves.  At least I don't remember him getting on my nerves and I certainly won't confess don't remember getting on his nerves.

So here's the thing, we are urban farmers.  If you image urban being a smallish town in Oregon and by farmers, I mean we grow some veggies and own a couple of chickens.  Yes, sir we are living the dream.  We brought our chicks home and put them in a coop someone gave us.  We were extremely grateful but the coop had no area for them to roam.  It really was like a nesting box.  Our issue is we have huge hawks and we afraid of having the chicks roam around willy-nilly without cover.  So we headed to Home Depot and gather the materials.  Really it was just a bunch of 2x4's and some chicken wire.  I chose cedar because it smelled so good.  We worked on this for two evenings and I must say, that while I don't envy our hens, they do live in style!

We want to redo the nesting box.  We are not happy with the way that turned out.  The plywood was too thin, so we covered it with an old wool blanket.  This keeps the rain and snow completely out of the box and hopefully adds some warmth.  Other than that, we are pretty proud of our coop.

That brick is there to keep the racoons out.  None have gotten in, but one morning I found something had tried to pry the door open.  Not on my WATCH!!

Linking up with Five Days...5 Ways 
My Repurposed Life 
diy home sweet home

Do You Remember...

...Willamina?  This is what she looked like for many years:

Rugged good looks?  Not!

After some TLC, this is what Willi looks like today:

My but she cleans up well.

And just because I can't get enough of her, she's so pretty, here's one more:

(Don't mind the shadow)

See you next week with more from what will be a lovely bedroom set!  Enjoy.

Linking up with: Funky Junk Interiors 
                         5 Days 5 Ways 
                         Miss Mustard Seed
                         Remodelaholic

PYT

Just look at this pretty young thing!  Isn't she gorgeous?

Just to remind you what she looked like before:

Linking up with  : 5 days...5 ways.
                          Miss Mustard Seed
                          Funky Junk Interiors 
                          diy home sweet home

Well Shoot!

I thought that by now there would be all sorts of fabulousness posted on this blog.  Turns out turning crappy looking furniture into wonderfully delicious looking furniture takes a lot of time!  So trust me I'm working on it.  In the meantime, I've done a great job at not acquiring any more projects.  I know me, a garage for of to do's would stress me out beyond belief.  I haven't been idle, it's just that spare time is not abundant and what with kids, a business, a husband and a life, it's not always easy to dedicate a ton of time to my new found love.  So what have I been up to?  Mostly fixing my mistakes.  I have this beautiful fabric that I'm redoing one of those ugly headboards in.

Beautiful Fabric

 

 

I wanted to cover the chair in a different pattern, so I saw a striped fabric I thought would go well, but alas I didn't buy enough of it.  I tried to make it work but it looked awful!  I didn't really like the way the fabrics looked together anyway and my attempt at adding some shining detail was a HUGE failure.  Don't believe me?  Take a look at this:

FAIL!!!  Back to the drawing board.    

Mental note: Next time lay off the wine before attempting to hammer anything in a straight line.

Now for the good news.  The chair is painted and ready for it's new seat.  I love the antique white color. 

Antique White.  I love it!

I decided I'm going to use the same fabric on the chair and the headboard.  It just goes so perfectly together.  Well shoot, that's not much progress but it's better than nothing!

Moroccan Chicken - Voila

I have to share a recipe with all of you.  It's my famous Moroccan Chicken one pot meal!  It's fabulous.  Also, like most of the wonderful things in my life, I came upon it purely by accident, a large dose of creativity and a prayer.  Don't you just love it when things come together just so?

The story behind this outrageously delicious recipe goes as follows:  My parents were visiting, that meant that Sergio and I actually got a date night...out...without the kids!  Yippee!  Still I'm the type of person that hates to impose, so much so that in my quest to not impose I often find myself imposing on people who probably wish I would just go away quietly without so much hoopla. The thought of leaving my aging (don't tell them I said that) parents with my kids and have them make dinner would just be too much.   So, I decided to make a quick and easy chicken fricassee.  Only it wasn't so quick and time was ticking and the movie would be starting and we still needed to stop and have dinner ourselves.  In my rush, I grab what I thought was cumin and doused the chicken with it.  The aroma hit me like a cinnamon stick, because instead of cumin I had just doused the chicken with cinnamon!  YIKES.  No time to fix it, I just put the lid on the pot, kissed everyone goodbye and prayed that it would all work out in the end.  I mean we had cheese and tuna and milk in the house.  I'm sure that would somehow come together for a lovely meal.

Much to my surprise everyone (including the kids) love this dish.  My dad asked me if it was a Moroccan recipe, which is how it got it's name.  The recipe has since evolved.  Please note that you can add as many or as few of the ingredients listed, but don't forget the cinnamon.  You are just going to have to work and test the amounts, because I'm a dash of this, pinch of that type of cook.  Enjoy!

Chicken thighs (you can use whatever part you like, sometimes I throw drumsticks in there too)

Heat about 2 TBLSP of your favorite oil in a pan and brown the chicken

Once your chicken is slightly browned add the following:

1/2 cup of chopped onions

3 mashed garlic cloves (or more if you like garlic)

one 8oz. can of tomato sauce

one 15oz. can of chopped tomatoes (or even better sun-dried tomatoes)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon of:

Oregon

Thyme

Cumin

Lots of cinnamon (I like each part to be covered in it, but start with less, add more)

1 15oz can of Garbanzo Beans (rinsed)

A handful of manzanilla olives

1/4 cup of white wine

Cover and let simmer until the chicken is fully cooked (about 45 minutes)

Serve over rice or couscous...Enjoy! 

Also I've been working on this pretty young thing.  She's a mess, but she'll be gorgeous.  Stay tuned.

Pssst....

Do you like winning stuff?  Go to this lovely site, Maynard Greenhouse  Even if you don't win, a visit to this site is inspiring.  Good luck!

It's a Keeper or I'm a Giver

We have this table that I (and by "I", I mean my husband) picked up for free from Craigslist.  It was 
ugly and it was heavy.  No matter, we wanted to use it as an art table and were happy that we didn't have to worry about getting paint, glue or glitter on it.  Then I decided to open a preschool and after school enrichment program at home, so we took that ugly table and painted it, cut the legs down to a child's table level.  It turned out so much better than we expected.  Sometimes we consider using it as a HUGE coffee table, but then my kids would be sitting on their chairs with no table and the state frowns upon that...so it stays put in our classroom!  All this to say sometimes free stuff is awesome and you can totally score. 

But wait!  There's more.  I see an ad (again on craigslist) for another free table.  This time I think it's a gimmick because it's actually not hideous.  I ask beg hubs to come with me just in case it's some sort of kidnapping ring.  You know we middle aged housewives are all the rage in the world of people trafficking, also it might be heavy.  Well the couple seemed nice enough.  I don't think I would've been kidnapped, but I do think they were crazy for giving it away!  This is definitely a keeper...only I don't have a place for it and don't need it.

But just look at it!  It's so pretty.  I love the details on it.  I knew right away what I wanted to do with it and thought maybe (if I didn't find a place for it) I would sell it.







  Then I ran into my daughter at the mall.  I realized she's using a card table as her dining table, so now it's hers.  Or at least it will be when I'm done with it.  What can I say I'm a giver.  And this little beauty gets to stay in the family.

The Ugly Duckling

We've had this table since we were first married.  It belonged to my mother-in-law and at some point my husband came to have it in his apartment before we married.  It's never been my favorite but it's served it's purpose.  It's been a side table, a night stand for various children, a table for the printer and it has always been ugly.  I thought when I first saw it that it had potential and that I would refinish it someday.  Fast forward 13 years (and I do mean fast, the years just flew by) and I'm ready.  So the plan for this baby?  Blue/grey paint with metallic dry brush, glass knobs on the drawer and wait for it....a mirror on top!  It's going to be sooo glamorous.  

I will name her Willamina! (after my MIL)

 
Of course I couldn't stop there.  I'm a big picture kinda gal.  So I got these for a song ($10.00 for both) on Craigslist.  Aren't these (there's two of them) headboards just about the ugliest thing you've ever seen?  They're covered in vinyl.  I'll have to post the fabric I choose soon so you can imagine (if you have an imagination...which I'm sure you do) how elegant it's all going to look when it comes together. 

They shall be known as The Twins!

There is even more, but that will wait for another post.  I'm already working on these.  I can't wait to see and share the finished pieces!  See you soon.

Embrace

The word for 2012 for me is Embrace. This year looks to be bringing a ton a changes for me and my family.  Change is inevitable.  Instead of fighting the onslaught of changes I'm going to embrace it.  I'm determined to make the best of it and enjoy what is sure to be a wild ride.

Another thing that I'm fully embracing this year is who I am.  I've fought too long against my innate desires because they seem even to me to be all over the map.  I'm constantly telling myself to focus, to finish one thing before I start another, to follow through.  One of my former bosses told me I was like a butterfly.  That she noticed that I liked to go from one thing to another.  I have no idea how she meant it but I took it to mean that I was flighty.  A friend of mine once suggested that Ritalin might be a good fit for me because I had adhd "tendencies."  I retorted with a very dry comment about not being invited to the celebration when she received her doctorate.  She of course had not and I vaguely remember that conversation ending badly.

No more.  This year I will fly from flower to flower collecting pollen and savoring the nectar that is my life.  I will embrace every idea and follow it to where ever it may lead.  I will embrace change, success, failure, if not with equal enthusiasm (I mean let's be honest, I'm no Polly Anna) with a sense of wonder and oneness.

I am a creative spirit who loves to try new things.  This year I started sewing.  I sew very badly, but some people (ahem...my kids) seem to love the things I make for them.  I think they are pleased that I don't sew clothes.  I made my girl a Hello Kitty pillow.  It sits on her bed and she cuddles with it every night.  Sometimes I hear her reading to Kitty. It makes my day when I hear her reading.

Kitty Sachet

 Kitty Pillow

Owl Pillow (obviously)

I'm no fool so I tried a small version of the pillow first and made a little sachet.  It's not perfect, but the lavender scent makes up for the less than symmetrical face.  I think the pillow turned out quite nice.  For my son I made a really weird looking owl pillow.  He loved it and said he was so glad it didn't give him nightmares!





Currently I working on refinishing some furniture and making some toys for the after school enrichment program I run.  I'm excited to be sharing these as well as my thoughts about the changes on the horizon.  I do have another blog which you can visit here.  That one is very business and education related, this one will be more creative, more personal, more me.  Next up...the ugly duckling furniture that I'm transforming.