Sometimes Time flies

I haven't written in a long time. Sorry.

I'm in my last semester as a grad student at WVU and working three jobs. While applying for a real job/career post-graduation in early May I've had very little time for being crafty. Christmas I was snowed in and didn't get home until days after I had planned to leave, but we created a makeshift tree from the dressform nicknamed BB and my green apron. One string of holiday lights and we were set - what's more "in the spirit" than this?And it's "green" too! No need to store a big artificial tree or chop one down. It's a space saver (esp. in my small apartment) to think outside the box.Recently I decided that, since I'm going to have to move soon and I don't know where or when, I'd like to complete some of my potential projects that I have lying around. This way I don't end up moving two huge boxes of corks and an empty frame, but instead move a corkboard. It only took two nights and felt very worth it. I had been thinking about it forever, and in a world where I have no idea what's coming next it is nice to have something I could control for once.This isn't the best photo, maybe I'll replace it later, but you can probably tell it's a bit large. I used it to hide a box of guinea pig snacks that is underneath a low lying corner table for a while. It was nice on the floor. I'm trying it out over the sink for now, but since I'll be boxing everything up in a month it's probably best not to make new holes in the wall. I think the dark frame looks nice around those light corks.


Any suggestions for what I ought to do if no jobs come through before my lease it up? I'd love a house boat or a neat Airstream <3

Pretty pleased with myself

I've been busy getting those spongy corks out of the house (they had stock piled... ah) and, with about 70 to a wreath, I made three more after the last post. They don't have bows yet, I might enlist a friend to help me make them pretty. Look at all those regular corks, forlorn in the foreground.

I also made four lamps last week for my mentors. A pretty blue Dellitori (sp?) bottle, a Little Black Dress bottle (which was lovely and had a lovely cork as well), Jim Jim (for a man named Jim, imagine), and a stout Dos Lomos bottle for one that lived in Argentina.
I reuse bags when I can, and the Anthropologie bag was lovely for those of you who shop there.

Finally finished!

How long did this take? Too long, but mainly because I was picky about having too many of the same corks close together. I have about fifty Ecco Domani, Kendall Jackson and Robert Mondavi corks, but I wanted this wreath to have a lot of variety. I think my next wreath will merely have three or four brands repeated and I can finish it a lot quicker. Working at Olive Garden part-time really helps me acquire more corks than humanly possible (if I were drinking my way to a final product) so I end up with a lot of the same ones.

Speaking of, I need to be at the OG in 40 minutes, so I better get moving soon...

All you need are some eyelet screws, heavy hanging wire and time... just drink as many different brands of wine as you dare to acquire multicolored and interestingly designed sponge corks.

Doesn't the bow just look excited? I left enough wire on either end so that I could easily twist them around one another with a pair of small pliers and they naturally made a hook. Here's another image so that you can kind of see the wire twisted at the top. I'm not a great bow maker, however; any suggestions?

:)

It's beginning to be Fall outside

These days I'm writing about Norway, and have been using the slides I purchased last year around this time to help. They're incredible: vacation photos from a couple in the 60's and 70's. They had three magazines from Norway alone, and their images are just lovely. I feel lucky to have found them. I am the type to really care about the unclaimed slides of strangers with gorgeous photos of themselves, in love and traveling.

What are the legal stipulations to publishing these prints? Does anyone know?

AND - I need good holiday gift ideas. Things that are inexpensive but nice, typically homemade or repurposed. Here are a few sites I think are a good start:

I love the napkin rings here -
http://www.curbly.com/ModHomeEcTeacher/posts/5587-sixteen-recycled-handmade-gift-ideas

For those of you who can sew, or like to cook, or know a chef -
http://www.craftstylish.com/item/42826/apron-made-from-repurposed-jeans-skirt-back

Or you can get your own ideas from looking through - http://hottiehomedecor.com/index.html - they repurpose sweaters for the home. Talk about "nesting."

http://myrepurposedlife.blogspot.com/ - She does this one thing with a bowling ball - wow - and a few great sewing machine projects. :)

Let me know what you do when it's time to budget crunch.
Hope you're doing well.

Framing your board

Back in action! I've been slacking on the blog, but in my defense I am having a VERY busy year. I am currently teaching, waiting tables and attempting to put together a thesis that's worth something.

But with Christmas fast approaching I know I need to get back in touch with my more hands-on creative side, especially since I lack the funds necessary to purchase gifts worth gifting. Previously I've offered suggestions for ways to frame your corkboards, but I don't think I mentioned the cheap and easy way to provide a really "polished" product. That, my friend, is buying an empty frame. Duh. Accessory and home stores often will sell frames for more than half off if the glass from them has been cracked while on display. This is perfect, since you don't want frames with glass. Also, some craft stores will sell empty frames and you can create your own backing pretty cheaply with a lightweight board. I found this beauty at Michael's and I think it's going to be lovely when I find the time to cut the corks to fill it.
Also, if you have a marrow space, or want one that's more dynamic in your space (I always imagine them in kitchens, although mine is on my office desk) create one that's long and skinny. This one's only 2 corks wide and it's 19 long. It'd look really smart above a sink or on an awkward partition wall. AND - it doesn't have a frame, for those of you who want to make the easiest version possible.
Hope you're well and more productive than I am these days.

Finally done

Since the semester has finally come to an end I can finish all the little things I had started that just stayed lying around the house. It feels good.

Ta da:This board has been mailed to my brother and his wife as a sort of happy birthday/belated housewarming gift.

I got the lattice border from Micheal's (it was easy to cut with a thin knife) and painted it to (sort of) match the ribbon. i drilled two holes, 4 and 6 inches in from the border for symmetry and hung it with a sweet little messy bow. i love this one and might make another for myself. They just take SO long to get a decent variety of corks for. Never throw your corks away!

To commence shortly: a quilt, another corkboard, the organization of my life. But first, a trip. Nine days until I leave for London. Hurray. :)

April was full of showers - Hello May

A month has come and gone since my last post and I'd be lying if I said I feel genuinely sad or sorry about it. What I do feel sad about is the fact that I haven't blogged because I haven't had time. My life is pretty non-stop. All of my creative projects have come to a halt; maybe summer will be more fruitful? I'm grading today, and next week is the most downtime I've had all semester since my students will be compiling their work for a final portfolio. Then it will be back to grading around this time next weekend. I am just shocked exam week is so near. Where did this semester even go? Working two jobs is exhausting, but you never realize how quickly that time seems to fly.

Current non-work related news: I am finally reading the Harry Potter series. I can't believe the first book is twelve years old, or that there are still three movies to be released. I really missed out when I was younger. I would have been eleven or twelve when this whole thing started, but I guess I thought I was too cool if I ever heard them mentioned before the movies. I saw the first movie my freshman year of college. I lived with 4 or 5 really "cool" dudes (at least they considered themselves to be) and they loved this DVD. It was weird (for lack of articulation today - I'm tired, be kind). I was sucked in too, but couldn't really put my finger on why. The movie was already three years old and I was just an old enough that I wasn't really the intended audience.

Something about getting to start over, to having a secret world to be incredible in, even if you aren't incredible day-to-day with your family or school, must be the huge appeal here.

Speaking of incredible: 3 and 1/2 weeks until I leave for the U.K. I must give the due amount of praise to my travel guru (the other Lauren) for teaching me about TripAdvisor.com. If you've yet to use it I am recommending it to you now, so there's no excuse for not knowing. It consists of forums to ask trip related questions, and hotel/hostel reviews from people who've stayed there. These reviews are anywhere from 1-5 stars, with descriptions of the good, bad or ugly, and members upload photos from their stays at the place, sometimes of the gorgeous views, lobbies or beds, and sometimes of the dirty bathroom, broken windows and... well, the ugly I mentioned before. I think the real testament to this site is that you can see over time if a place has become rundown, or if they've made a change in the last few months since the comments are listed chronologically. This one place we booked in Piccadilly Circus has been having an issue really recently with people leaving with rashes or bug bites - needless to say, we canceled our reservations and found a new/better/slightly more expensive place. It's good to have that sort of reassurance. I'll pay more to avoid bedbugs and I'm glad people took the time to make those comments. You'd think a site like this would only be hotel bashing (as if only the disgruntled leave comment cards) but people are quick to praise too, if they believe it's worth it. I think when I get back I'll leave comments on all of the places we stay. It's only fair considering how much the site has helped me.

I also have a new fondness for travel books and guides. This mysterious system of recommendation and ranking is very readable and interesting, but how do they claim such-and-such is THE thing worth seeing, when there always seems to be so much? I'll just have to see when I get each place if I think Frommer's or those "Unofficial Guides" were right.

Wish me luck surviving these weeks until.

In the little free time I have...

Working two jobs is a drag - but the good news is I have access to more corks then I would have if I simply saved my own. I am inspired to work on new cork projects.

This first is a wreath. I'm only using those corks that aren't really made of cork - you know the ones, they're like spongy plastic - and I am screwing eyelet screws into each of them and using the same wire I use for the wine bottle lamps to string them circularly (since I know that will definately hold its shape). That was probably not worded as well as it should have been , let's hope pictures ARE worth a thousand words. I'll add more soon. The problem with this project is simple though: it takes forever! Even getting ten or so corks a week it is becoming such a slow process. The wreath is tiny with fifty or so already strung, and my apartment is so small it just sits there on my desk, mocking me.

The second project is a new corkboard. This one is going to be a little different than the last one I showed you though. The board is the same rectangular shape (because I REALLY like it), but the border or "framing" will be done differently. Instead of just staining something decorative, I've chosen a lace-like pattern, one with large carvings, and I will paint the board green behind the stained border, in order to give it a little more contrast. Since this border is wider than the first, I'll just use it on the shorter sides and have the corks go to the edge on the long ends. I'm not saying length-wise and width-wise because I'm hoping this will look great both ways.

This one is a house-warming present for my brother and his wife. They're moving and I felt that merited the time and effort that go in to making another one of these. It's time-consuming too.

K, I'm done talking about THIS now. <3 Take care.

Corkboard Update

FYI: I had to use rubber cement to make the corkboard stronger; it was becoming a little rickety. And I think it's because hot glue guns suck (as I'm finding out). The glue comes out in lines that cool too quickly, while rubber cement fills the cracks better. If I make another one I'll probably try rubber cement first.

Plus, the hot glue was the culprit for the falling photo, so I haven't had the best year with it.

Finished refinishing!

Well, minus drawer pulls. But I've varnished (several coats) and the decoupaging turned out wonderfully. If I didn't have a job this would have been an easy weekend project. I love the maps and I think they tie together a lot of my art from my travels that don't necessarily go together. You'll see that I didn't create holes for the drawer pulls (but I did for the locks) and that's because pressing the maps against the drawers doesn't give me a good indication of where they would align. A few times the paper even stretched out just enough so that it became too large and I had to use an exacto knife to take an edge off. All in all, it was a rewarding project and I hope it extends the life of my desk.(My carpet is hideous, I'm aware : )

4. Try wallpaper paste (it dries more successfully than a craft product like Mod Podge). I used a roller to apply it to both sides of the paper and overlapped. I'm pretty much a color-inside-the-lines girl, but I forced myself to attempt an organic feeling by having an image come over the green border on each piece.

5. After the paste and PLENTY of time to dry, I started applying the varnish. There was a paint "expert" at Lowe's and he told me the type of varnish I purchased is pretty much the only type that is safe to use over paint. I applied a few coats since a lot of my maps were thin paper and the desk gets a lot of daily use.

Desk:

Printer stand:I'm pleased, and probably more excied about having my apartment back in order.

Have a happy weekend!

Desk redo!

This project is SO much fun. Coming home from work and having two huge pieces of furniture to sand, paint and decorate is a blast. I'm 3/4ths of the way done, and here's what I've accomplished so far.

Some of these steps are taken from Shelia McGraw, author of Painting and Decorating Furniture.

1. First I sanded off the old finish. The desk was kind of an early 90's executive "power" desk.A brighter cherry maple color, with lots of shine! and gross gold drawer pulls I am excited to get rid off. I think the sanding was fun for me because I could do it by hand, without a power sanding tool. They sell sponge-shaped sandpaper now, instead of just sheets of sandpaper, and I think people are often worried they won't be able to sand evenly without help. Just sand and look, sand and look. (I prefer a coarser sandpaper, and they have parallelograms that are excellent for working with edges and wood under trim and in corners) It's hard to mess up a surface you're going to be painting over anyhow. The reason we do this step is so that the paint absorbs instead of sitting on top and being able to peel. You want a desk with this many layers to have the best starting hold possible.

2. I coated the top of the desk and the fronts of the drawers with a water-based primer. I taped off some of the old desk color and finish before sanding so that when I'm all finished it's a blend of the before and after. Keep tape on any edge you won't be painting: all four sides, any decorative trim, the sides of drawers, maybe the cover of key locks.... this is the most meticulous step so don't tape as you go.

3. After the primer I taped off an interior border. You can see this in the photos - I measured in a few inches from each side and placed tape around the surface area to create a nature looking "frame" for the decoupage on top. The edge of the drawers and other wood I won't be decoupaging now have this same paint color as well. I used the green color from my slide file drawers, since my offices for years to come will often have both in the same room. This green will tie them together.

Next I'll carefully peel up the masking tape and design the fronts of the drawers and surface area. I'm using maps. Yay, I can't wait to finish.

Always something new...

So I am recruiting assistance for my latest project - hope you can help.

My desk is 21" x 48" and I have a map I'd like to cover it with. My reason for wanting to do this (other than the fact that I love maps, of course) is because the desk is a hand-me-down, beat up and aged old friend. It has seen better times. But after months and months of considering trading it through Freecycle.org, or building one from old shipping crates and a weathered door as the table top, I've decided that keeping what I have is the way to go. I'll change the handle hardware, etc, but a glass or acrylic table topper seems to be too expensive. Decoupage seems to melt when under laptops (as I've learned the hard way), but is it save to sit a desktop computer on? Will either suffer?

And remember, I am on a budget. If not decoupage, what wallet friendly way can you suggest to protect both the map and the electronics on top?

-L

Break!

So it's the second to last day of the semester and I still have a project to do, but I just want to curl up and watch Love Actually. It's been raining all day and all I managed to do was go to Petco and Target and make Mexican for dinner. Guess I'll be up tonight getting work done but at least it's only one more day then a month off from work. This time of year is a good reminder of why I like teaching. ;)

Here's the photo I put on the cover of my holiday cards:
They were a big hit - Last year I sent out one with just Betsy, since I got the new babies in February:I've become the crazy guinea pig lady and I didn't even know it! BUT, for inexpensive holiday gifts (I haven't blogged about my crafting in a while) here's an idea!

Wine bottle lamps. Best invention ever. As everyone worries about recycling and going green more and more, I think these are simply the easiest and sweetest presents. I have a friend Randi who is less into wine than Jack Daniels and I made her one of these in an old Jack bottle, so you can be as individual as you'd like. My mom visited Morgantown last May and I sent her home with one for her kitchen made from a bottle from the local winery, as a momento.

Here's the one in my bathroom, but they're also great for kitchens and hall lamps (especially for those who like low nightlight lighting):
This is a Forks of Cheat winery schawarzer bar bottle; it's a delicious white table wine, might I add. I use a 35 strand of christmas lights. White lights work too, but they look best in blue or deep green tinted bottles. In plain white bottles I prefer white strands. I have also seen people use 100 strand lights, but I'd say that's too many for a regular size bottle - you don't want the lamp getting overheated.

I decorate the outside with a picture framing wire (found at Lowes, or any other home store). I have 16 gauge galvinized utility wire right now because it's earier to add decorative touches with, but I've gone up one size in the past. I'd go one size thicker just to twirl, like I did in these images, but I've made a bunch of grapes before and it was tough with thick wire. And be sure to use needle nose pliers to grab and manipulate; it might take a practice piece to get used too. You don't want too many kinks or folds... just a nice coil.

Here's photo with the bunch of grapes:My advice is just to play around with the wire until you're comfortable to do this; it hurt my hands a lot but it was worth the extra effort. Another great thing about this bottle is that I didn't use a strand of christmas lights, but I bought a bottle topper named Bottelabra from a company Northern Lights.
Sweet, huh? Only eight dollars. Sometimes Bed, Bath and Beyond sells them, but I've found them on the internet for cheaper through wineries with shops. Hallmark was also JUST selling a bottle topper with three cast iron tealight holders. I fell in love. I know it probably doesn't look its best in a chianti bottle, but that's all I had just sitting around.
Hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday!

Mmm, free creative ideas

I know I've talked up Lowe's before - but I absolutely love that they provide FREE subscriptions to their Creative Ideas Magazine. I know this type of thing usually acts as an advertisement, but while they will list the paint colors they use and size boards or screws, etc, they never force it on you. For color-matching though, you can't beat people telling you exactly what they used!

http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/subscribe/subscribe.aspx

What really pulled me in is this image I cut out of the September 2008 issues of Travel and Leisure magazine. I am immediately drawn to beautiful outdoor spaces that feel like an extension of your home, and this hanging bed in India was the perfect example of this blend for me. There is a very easy, do-it-yourself version right on the cover of their summer edition. I love coming across unique DIY like this one. If you go now to the link and look at the Home and Garden mag. you can read the pdf. file of this. But I really suggest signing up for the mailed version. It's full of great ideas that won't be deleted after a short period of time. ;)

Wall of Inspiration <3

This week was long and I didn't get nearly enough grading done, or my own work for that matter. Every week this semester has felt like that. Sunday I'll play catch-up. This week I'm interested in getting this "wall of inspiration" of mine off the ground. My blank bedroom wall is bugging me beyond belief so I'm working to collect things that inspire me: prints from friends, I'm looking to order some soon from an artist I admire, some photographs of my cousin's - and I'm working on collages of trinkets that are the same color schemes. (if that works out there will be pictures to come)

I've found a few photos that I'm using to organize my ideas:

*http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_10&listing_id=15213593
*I forget where I found this - when I come across it I'll post the link. But painted drawers as shelves (for lightweight objects I'm assuming) seems like a great idea.

*A great blog to check out some time is http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/.
*and http://darlingdarleen.blogspot.com/
*And remember! In this upcoming election - Vote Sandy Holepit!

The week's already over

I'm not much for the journaling aspect of this thing, but I figured I'd update a bit. Last weekend, although I didn't get any actual "work" done, I was very productive. Friday I had a meeting with a professor on a big paper I have coming up, saw a friend and then curled up and watched a (stupid but still enjoyable) movie. Saturday, Lauren and I drove down to Buchanan, WV for lunch with her grandparents, visited with her mom at work and went antiquing. I bought the sweetest chair. She bought this old artist's case with palette paper and old oil paints...
Sunday I don't remember but halfway through the week I went to my favorite little used everything store and bought old slides... some are this couple's vacations in Europe from the late 50's, and others are creepy medical slides - I still haven't ventured to explore all of them.

This weekend is pretty laid back - sent in my absentee ballot request, paid some bills, looked through some home improvement and decorating magazines and laid around the apartment... the other Lauren's out of town. I find myself doing the same lame things we do together, only alone, which points out my inability to entertain myself without her. ;) Tomorrow's Sunday and I'll try to do an annotated bibliography for this lit class I'm struggling through. I'm probably struggling through it because I like the subject matter, but just don't love it. I'm in too many classes this semester.

I thought I'd share some of my favorite home stuffs websites. Some are about DIY and others going green and renovating in general. Hope they inspire you!

*http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/idea-library/articles/Artistic_Appeal_1107.aspx - This is just one of Lowe's fun projects. Hanging artwork can be artistic too!

*http://www.greenwinebottles.com/ - If you can cut glass, or if you're a wine drinker, think twice before wasting those beautiful bottles!

*http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/green-ideas/diy-upcycled-lighting-ideas-from-etsy-055107 - Just one of their inspiring pages.

*http://www.artecnicainc.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&category_id=15&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=49&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=12 - Don't neglect the tabs at the bottom!

*http://www.etsy.com/ - Who doesn't already know about this?!?

Here are three cute piggie photos I'm going to hang on my bedroom wall - I'm about to start an inspirational mix of art and photography on that wall (I took down a huge map of the states that used to hang there). (In order: Penni, Lacey, Betsy.)



Have a super week. <3

Things I am working on that make me happy.

Things I am working on that make me happy:


Like the green pepper I grew on my struggling porch plant -



And Penni, she's still not really a "people piggie" but she's sweet and coming around ;)



A painting - it is definitely a work in progress, but it's fun to try.



A corkboard is underway!





AND, a collage of places and images that inspire me...


Happy October!