The Old Rocking Chair - Part 1: Wood Filler and Sanding

Oh hello there. 

It's been a looooooong time since I posted anything.  I've been in a DIY dead zone for the last few months since all of my time has been spent trying to pass Algebra and look for a house.  I have a few weeks before school starts up again and before we close so I decided to start refurbishing my beloved rocking chair for my new office.

It's obviously pretty dated but it's the chair I was lovingly rocked in as a little munchkin so it has major sentimental value. It's also solid wood and ridiculously comfortable so I've dragged it all over the country with me in anticipation of one day fixing it up. 

This post isn't terribly exciting but it's the before shot and initial prep work details that start the project off right.   

It's a big chair that's very solid.

80s stenciling...SWEET!

When we adopted our dog he had some separation anxiety during the first few months and took it out on my chair.

First coat of Elmer's Wood filler!

Some minor scratches that only needed a thin layer of filler.

Starting to sand!

So if you've made it this far down the post, here are a few more bits of info about what I'm planning on doing.  I vacillated between painting and restaining but ultimately decided to go with paint. It's less work than stain and I already have a lot of dark wood furniture. Plus, I'm thinking of painting it a fun color like turquoise or orange because why not?

I'm still in the sanding/filler stage but will post more as I go through each phase of the project! 

Crocheted Washcloth...Yes, Crochet!

 I recently had the opportunity to barter crafting skills with a friend. She showed us how to needle felt, I taught her daughter some jewelry making. It was so fun, we did it again and this round, she taught me crochet. I swapped my garden advice, which should not be construed as professional advice. ha! This was my first attempt, and yes, it appears there was a big smudge on my camera lens. I would tell you what stitch I used, but then I would sound like an idiot. I think it is the single chain, and I hooked through the back loop. See, I told you I'd sound ridiculous!

I love the ridges that are formed with this stitch. I used 100% cotton so it will make a nice washcloth. I am going to save it for Operation Christmas Child. The most amazing part of this is I finished it in a day and a half. Considering it took me months to knit a washcloth, I think I am quicker at crochet. Besides, it gives me something to do when I take my kids fishing. That is, when I am not removing hooks from hair, trees, and the occasional fish.

Fishing Theme Birthday Cake!

 My youngest just turned 5 and is recent obsession is fishing. He would also like to eat chocolate every day for breakfast. For his birthday, I made a chocolate cake, blackout style. The difference being instead of cake crumbs on the outside, I used crushed Oreos. On the top, I frosted a lake with candy bubbles. The dock is made from Popsicle sticks and hot glue, with a Playmobil guy fishing off the dock. His pole is just a skewer with thread and a wire hook. We later added Swedish fish to the lake, which completed the look. It was fun to make and the kids helped. Other than melted chocolate being splattered hither and yon by an enthusiastic whisk-er, it was quite enjoyable.

Sew-A-Thon

Last week I got the sewing bug. It's been too long! I cut out 4 baby dresses for Etsy, sewed them up, and finished two other dresses that needed finishing touches. Here are a few sneak peeks:

Yes, this one looks mighty familiar doesn't it? I liked the custom one I made so much I made another one!

Painting Party! Kids' Birthday Party

 A friend of mine recently asked if I would be interested in doing a painting lesson for her daughter's 8th birthday. Um, yes! Her daughter loves butterflies, so I came up with a pretty simple butterfly.

 I prepped the canvases by lightly spraying them blue, leaving plenty of white splotches for clouds. I was concerned that with the limitations of time and attention span, painting a background was out of the question. I guided them through, step by step, teaching them how to paint the butterfly section by section, how to use the end of their brush to make dots, and other little tricks.

 There were 18 girls at the party. That is a LOT of girls! It was so much fun to do, and they seemed to really love it. I had a hair dryer with me to dry the paint before did the designs on the wings. That worked out great. I had them use Martha Stewart craft paint, which is cheaper than 'artist' acrylic, but nicer than the cheapest acrylic you can get. I experimented a bit and found the advantages of the Martha Stewart brand were that it was thicker and could easily cover on the first coat. It also dried fairly quickly and had cool sparkly colors!

 When I came up with the image, I wanted something that would allow them to have good results, as well as allow them to use their creativity. I have found that often people are paralyzed by the idea that it has to look 'just like yours/mine/hers'. Only a few girls got hung up on that, and the rest of them seemed to really love being able to personalize their own paintings. Now they have their own masterpieces to take home!

Faux Cactus Garden: A Frivolous, Pointless...and Fun! Project

 About a month ago I saw this idea on Pinterest. I thought it was totally cute, despite the fact that I an not a fan of knicknacks and anything that requires dusting. A few days later, my friend Caitlin shared the link on her blog...and there it was again! I decided to make it, if just for the fun of playing with clay. I decided not to fiddle with them for long, because that's sort of the charm of them...right?

They are made from Sculpey, painted with acrylic and sealed with gloss medium. They are fun, funky and ridiculous, and they have found their home on the bookshelf for the time being!

Front Door Makeover

Yikes! I fell of the face of the crafty planet. I have not gotten a whole lot done lately, and what I have? Well, who wants to see how I hemmed a shirt from the thrift store? Exactly no one. But! I did get a wild hair and decided to repaint my door. I have wanted to for a long time. Our house's color scheme doesn't exactly lend itself to new color scheme (it is cream and brown...wha???). Alas, I decided to paint the door anyway because I can!

I chose a dark tealy-green color that I will also be using on my stair risers. Painting the door was pretty straight-forward. I won't bore you with the details. The decal I ordered from The Orange Sofa via Etsy. It took a while to get here, but it was cheap! Like, 5 bucks cheap.
 

I ordered silver because I was afraid the black wouldn't show up too well. I think it would have been fine but I like the silver too. Its fun!

The wreath is made from scrapbook paper and cardboard. Totally high tech. I made paper pinwheels and hot-glued them willy-nilly all over a cardboard ring.

The centers are buttons. Of which I have a few....hundred....or more. But now I have 8 less! I really want to make one of these in a red, white and blue version too!