tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45174890806248740332024-03-18T20:51:58.597-07:00Nail{GUN}PolishAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-46396162686092349302012-10-02T18:26:00.001-07:002012-10-02T18:35:19.663-07:00{Real} Life<div>
...Warning: Ranting coming....</div>
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So...anyone else encounter this?? Real life steps up and demands you -- a new job in my case -- which I'm grateful for in this down economy. What gets sacrificed? Being crafty, blogging, woodworking, social life, time with my kids, and creative cooking 4 - 5 nights a week.<div>
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This is causing a lot of confusion for me. On the one hand, I wanted to be employed to contribute to the well being of my family and to paying off my student loans. I love my job (mostly). It's fast paced, different every day, and really giving me a taste of what estimating and construction timelines are like. However, now that I work, I've had to give up all the fun stuff in my life. I don't make dinner for my family any more. I spend two short hours each night with my son. And usually end up watching Naruto on Hulu (which is the only time I get to spend with my hubs). I don't do much for fun...is this what our working life was always like? Did a year off really spoil me this badly?? I want to go back to being creative every day and seeing my creations take form!</div>
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Oh well...I could be crafting now I suppose, since my husband is having boy's night with his brother, my munchkin is sleeping and I'm just sitting. But it is hard to convince myself to drag out tools, materials, and create when I've been up since 5:30...</div>
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So my question to all the blogging/working/momming ladies out there ----- HOW do we do this? I went to 4 years of college as a single parent with amazing help from my mom and people used to say "I don't see how you do this!" but I would just shrug and say "I have to." I suppose I'm going to be adopting that motto for a while longer. Is that how you guys do it -- without burning out? I'd love to keep this up and keep updating with projects completed...I guess it's just gonna be a little slower coming.</div>
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...Rant over...</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-85515230463489817102012-08-18T18:28:00.000-07:002012-08-18T18:28:13.041-07:00{Mad} Tea Party<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all know how popular tea parties have been lately and with all the different ways you can have a tea party, why shouldn't they be? Great for lots of ages and easy-going, tea parties are good for large gatherings of various ages. This Mad Tea Party was put on by my mom and I for my sister's 30th birthday! We gathered inspiration from around the internet, utilized some obvious standbys, and used a few of our own ideas to make it really fun. Kids and grown-ups alike had a blast. Check out these photos of our party and good luck with your own mad tea party!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To be updated with more decor pics, but these are what were on my cell phone! :) Are you an elaborate birthday DIYer?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-35978855756075883912012-08-18T18:27:00.000-07:002012-08-18T18:27:00.068-07:00Cute {kids} ApronThe fam went to Hobby Lobby today and I found aisle after aisle of Christmas decor! Christmas, already? Wow, it's going to be fall soon for sure! {Yay!} So in honor of the seasons getting nearer, I need to start thinking about crafting up some awesome gifts! :) Here is a cute apron I made for my niece last year!<div>
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Enjoy the pics!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskTT_oe1UxIwVvN9lU_Y8m8AlJXmc4Bxd2PJI5mQWjN9d6j1jZH7jd2DqgNbfXxXRO3us2b0aKO2rkSPcfJRvBt3p3bHtI8SZnwX6DnRkuCTZbYdkUfqX1Nk_YQCgOcIH_coUs1_LnBJ6/s1600/IMG_0472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskTT_oe1UxIwVvN9lU_Y8m8AlJXmc4Bxd2PJI5mQWjN9d6j1jZH7jd2DqgNbfXxXRO3us2b0aKO2rkSPcfJRvBt3p3bHtI8SZnwX6DnRkuCTZbYdkUfqX1Nk_YQCgOcIH_coUs1_LnBJ6/s320/IMG_0472.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hung it on the tree so I could see it in it's complete-ness!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PclsShsXhXxNqyxBauBrorAPpaDY2P64_7lxoAPnznTVkNmFRTomFy2Luq1vbfCfvE2Kt0tn2fSQPEXLUx7K6yhkbcLF2bcm4nsU5SSgLcOXnnXQf_zWKg0rvvmVviTJQhk8eBnD1iDT/s1600/IMG_0473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PclsShsXhXxNqyxBauBrorAPpaDY2P64_7lxoAPnznTVkNmFRTomFy2Luq1vbfCfvE2Kt0tn2fSQPEXLUx7K6yhkbcLF2bcm4nsU5SSgLcOXnnXQf_zWKg0rvvmVviTJQhk8eBnD1iDT/s320/IMG_0473.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see the edging and how I double stitched it, unfortunately,<br />I didn't measure well, and had to add fabric to the end to make the corner match up!<br />Oops! Lesson Learned!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My instagram showing off the super cute "oven mitt" I made to go with it.<br />I told my sister not to actually let my niece use this as I wasn't sure the quilt batting<br />would really protect her hands from the heat! But they look adorable when<br />she's in her play kitchen! :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So, all in all, I used 1 yard of fabric (1/2 of each print) and one package of double fold bias tape. I used an old apron of mine for the pattern and did a bit of guess work on the ruffle at the bottom. Also, guessed a bit at cutting the size down to "kid size." All in all, this was a simple project and I got to learn to use bias tape! :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ever make anything on a whim? Share your experience in the comments below!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-65212036127686800632012-05-26T14:25:00.000-07:002012-05-26T14:33:41.495-07:00How to make a Birthday {Frame} Banner!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I LOVE BIRTHDAYS! They are so much fun and planning a party for someone special is a good way to show you care! But it's the details that really show your love. Here's a project that is quick, easy, and you don't have to have any crazy skills to do it! A unique and beautiful birthday banner is in reach!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I started in my mind with a more traditional type fabric banner. However, that seemed less than quick or easy, so I thought "cardstock!" The theme of Mr. S's birthday party was board games, including monopoly, so what better template than a monopoly deed card. Each card is a letter. I created the template in photoshop, but you could print each letter on a mailing label and cut it out to cover the monopoly deed info on the card (leaving the color exposed).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once I had my cards made, I picked a ribbon and affixed them with small wire hoops usually reserved for jewelry making. Punch holes in the top of the cards for the hoops. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, at this point I had intended to affix this banner to the brick of the fireplace, but HOW??? Then it hit me! We had a big, beautiful, frame out in the shed that I had planned to paint and hadn't yet. So, I thought, "why not?!"</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikt_9sX_d5mUczp9noi3QML7oEKDhLIcjeyuzY-_fQO8HjAn9ogNd2Z1HvUeogtzqKGfh3J1_W5fUFgUMs6suf47LU4ffmNewMrgb-rgm5Hj6HrFzqH15nB3PsRpfu9Ex982nPKIQwhHn/s1600/DSC02056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikt_9sX_d5mUczp9noi3QML7oEKDhLIcjeyuzY-_fQO8HjAn9ogNd2Z1HvUeogtzqKGfh3J1_W5fUFgUMs6suf47LU4ffmNewMrgb-rgm5Hj6HrFzqH15nB3PsRpfu9Ex982nPKIQwhHn/s320/DSC02056.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The frame is about 24" x 30".</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I stretched the ribbon across the back of the frame and stapled it in place so it hang the way I wanted. And that's it! It was super easy. And all it was completely free (because I had everything in my house already). It turned out to be my husband's favorite thing about the party and it is STILL on our fireplace!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64zLiATOl3yrcBhiV4KnAqEwEEq68rcPE5rRpbgaHyN4rxLGe4M9ZSZMjVygwraz6Lt1seKs3rIoYENkeg2Z2fR5l2Ub0CLwIQLXw-7D00kmQhTwdc4mk9ItPuMaFPTAtEiBrh2HusHbq/s1600/DSC02114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64zLiATOl3yrcBhiV4KnAqEwEEq68rcPE5rRpbgaHyN4rxLGe4M9ZSZMjVygwraz6Lt1seKs3rIoYENkeg2Z2fR5l2Ub0CLwIQLXw-7D00kmQhTwdc4mk9ItPuMaFPTAtEiBrh2HusHbq/s320/DSC02114.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to see details in this pic, but you get the idea :)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Recap:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Materials</u>: Picture frame {large}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Ribbon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Cardstock</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Stapler/staples</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Wire rings</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Hole Puncher</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Program to make card</u>: Photoshop, but you could use Microsoft Publisher or </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Word</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I want to make one of these with our name and hopefully will post pics soon!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-29606232139603641872012-05-26T13:57:00.000-07:002012-05-26T14:32:08.768-07:00How to cover your {ugly} walls<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Missed everyone while I was gone. It has been a crazy few months. Getting Little S ready for school and Mr S has been so busy with work. I, too, have been busy doing freelance work for a few clients, so forgive me my absence, please. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hope you are all doing well and as promised (if not much later than I intended) here is how I covered the ugly walls of my sunroom for Mr S's big 30th birthday bash! {Seen <a href="http://nailgunpolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/board-game-bash-recap-pt-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Materials/Tools:</span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fabric of your choice ( I chose white satin)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dowel rods (I used 3/8") or curtain rods that you will use</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Command hooks (check the weight) 2 for each panel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Measurement of walls you need to cover {height x width(2)}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Steps:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Cut your fabric to twice the measurement of the wall you wish to cover. Adding 4" to the length. If you want/need to sew the sides, give yourself an extra inch in width as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Note: In my case, I needed several different sizes and chose to cut and sew them all at one time, so I labeled them "a", "b", "c" etc to keep from getting confused and stuck sticky notes to the wall with the corresponding letter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Turn the top edge under 1/2" and press, then turn another 2" and press. Stitch a 1/4" along the edge to create a pole pocket for the dowel. **You can do the pole pocket whatever size you like. I created a generous pocket as to allow me to use these on different dowels in the future**</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Turn the bottom edge 1-1/2" and stitch a bottom hem.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">**If you were going to turn the sides in and sew them, do that before the pole pocket/hem**</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Place command hooks at the edges of the walls you wish to cover. Make sure you leave room to put the dowel over the hook.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Cut the dowels to fit the hooks (they can extend to just the edges, but they fall kind of easily, so let them extend slightly passed the hooks. Once they are cut, thread them through the pole pocket.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Hang them on the hooks and....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Voila!! Your ugly wall is temporarily covered. This whole method could work for making curtains too, just make sure you make it all look pretty and neat if you're trying to do curtains. Here are a few shots of my unfinished sun room with it's white satin wall covers.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5BVIisthf7lWPvfYgPfTY3SxHaMjfglYq5S4liQejSLZSSv5MLz9qDPErRVYKyLMneJ57UXI7sIpULVBSPqUlCDMt4yxtYFlfyX-EzQqCq7LP8wryyv_-KoDleaXZBVsAdNgFI68uFCM/s1600/DSC02061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5BVIisthf7lWPvfYgPfTY3SxHaMjfglYq5S4liQejSLZSSv5MLz9qDPErRVYKyLMneJ57UXI7sIpULVBSPqUlCDMt4yxtYFlfyX-EzQqCq7LP8wryyv_-KoDleaXZBVsAdNgFI68uFCM/s320/DSC02061.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not a permanent solution, but a perfect, cheap,<br />short term solution!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTip9aOYnGCu-9Pz29RpPhlDRE_uJvXev0sIgpKzyQFByw9Vhn9RllBEJ69WQ26CGXCDB-318MhC1m6r2WX9FYjZGmql39P0B4fr777fbaS_a2IrG5I3y6UaFxHwDNZvo1pWGDnqXu2rB/s1600/DSC02063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTip9aOYnGCu-9Pz29RpPhlDRE_uJvXev0sIgpKzyQFByw9Vhn9RllBEJ69WQ26CGXCDB-318MhC1m6r2WX9FYjZGmql39P0B4fr777fbaS_a2IrG5I3y6UaFxHwDNZvo1pWGDnqXu2rB/s320/DSC02063.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the black table cloths, red tissure paper flowers, and white curtains, <br />it isn't noticable that the room isn't finished!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Links to sites I used: White Satin <a href="http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/satin-fabric/bridal-satin-white-fabric-.htm">http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/satin-fabric/bridal-satin-white-fabric-.htm</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More white satin: <a href="http://www.efavormart.com/108x50ydtullebolt-white.aspx">http://www.efavormart.com/108x50ydtullebolt-white.aspx</a> (<span style="font-size: x-small;">the fabric from here was much thinner than what i orderd from amazon, but it worked well</span>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Black table cloth: <a href="http://www.smartyhadaparty.com/">http://www.smartyhadaparty.com</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;">We bought these for our wedding and have kept them for occasions such as this!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dowels: Michael's</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Command Hooks: Walmart</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all, the panels cost me about $40. The reason I didn't bother with side seams on any of them is because I wanted to be able to use the fabric later, since it was the most expensive part. Hopefully, this inspires you dress up your home without breaking the bank for your next party!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-1736685179832109872012-05-10T06:13:00.000-07:002012-05-10T06:14:28.389-07:00Summer is Here!! {Sorta}Do you find your self more busy in the summer?? I do. I don't even know why. Except maybe I love being outside, so I'm always putting off my real work to go outside and work. :) I have the luxury of working from home part time, so often this results in a few days of 8 - 10 hours of cramming work in, so that I can go outside and play the other 5 days of the week.<br />
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Playing outside lately has included a chair repainting/reupholstering experience of which I'm in the middle, a spray painting extravaganza of changing free items into items that will work in our home, and learning to use my jigsaw properly. Hope to start posting some photo rich posts soon. I'm letting the warm summer days call me back to the outdoors for now...maybe I'll decide to blog from outside....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_5vjrzP2a-9EOH7Jn4te6er5WwnuJZzzN_0BilX24mNy0xlnlyhMSDbE9gnUwPcGskMn33qDtybFZv_rvDI0G0QITCAWGOFSdlYQsjl9OppoqrYWPRsCLPGAvhYTnjdxDoAZFztwaqup/s1600/chair+prime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_5vjrzP2a-9EOH7Jn4te6er5WwnuJZzzN_0BilX24mNy0xlnlyhMSDbE9gnUwPcGskMn33qDtybFZv_rvDI0G0QITCAWGOFSdlYQsjl9OppoqrYWPRsCLPGAvhYTnjdxDoAZFztwaqup/s1600/chair+prime.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqaxnD-BTD30FTlzom8pSZSIgcCT53dIHtkUnUbhJlwNeoHozK8aNhY1h-xhKNf61Rwpx9mF-7jp3a-53NLsglMiBOKoPuWXfzX3D8ceiPGOiD_4HulFAU7scdGSDdRMqolgEzuU5hZfq/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqaxnD-BTD30FTlzom8pSZSIgcCT53dIHtkUnUbhJlwNeoHozK8aNhY1h-xhKNf61Rwpx9mF-7jp3a-53NLsglMiBOKoPuWXfzX3D8ceiPGOiD_4HulFAU7scdGSDdRMqolgEzuU5hZfq/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXbqx7NopXndbzvvu4OOpuZIA9Anu1pyFChWdn_Q9SzEjtouThIcReaCapTsieUQUqt2e6LcNPa-aS7gUriNEQnaRxEbIQheOvQ46vmJwf8bNlFb4BZjkORxo_zXTRQktQ1aqSt8Z0ZUy/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXbqx7NopXndbzvvu4OOpuZIA9Anu1pyFChWdn_Q9SzEjtouThIcReaCapTsieUQUqt2e6LcNPa-aS7gUriNEQnaRxEbIQheOvQ46vmJwf8bNlFb4BZjkORxo_zXTRQktQ1aqSt8Z0ZUy/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just a few of my favorite "early summer" photos. :)</div>
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Hope you're enjoying the weather!!</div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-18619161031521150582012-04-06T07:06:00.001-07:002012-04-06T07:11:18.657-07:00Awesome Scrabble Letters {epic fail}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOC0mXT0eDYaLlC3tC69rUEGFBj7OLxPJIxEuLC7bkzYydl6-9y-t_q-MC5OBmxsPVlhNkcL1lFCT808tJ6egCTHuue9HfTaKo9-qjhW_fTesbodweQZdv6qB3J1YYTHKF8TmK9MD5fJi/s1600/IMG_0847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOC0mXT0eDYaLlC3tC69rUEGFBj7OLxPJIxEuLC7bkzYydl6-9y-t_q-MC5OBmxsPVlhNkcL1lFCT808tJ6egCTHuue9HfTaKo9-qjhW_fTesbodweQZdv6qB3J1YYTHKF8TmK9MD5fJi/s320/IMG_0847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Not all DIY projects have a happy ending...luckily for me, I found a way to turn this epic failure into a success story!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, if you're at all in love with Etsy like I am, you've probably seen lots of cute things and thought, "oh, I can't afford that, maybe I could DO it." For me, it was huge scrabble letters for Mr. S's 30th birthday party. I mean, you can't have a game themed bash without scrabble letters!! Well, when I first checked a few sellers for large letters, I was looking at about $6 - $8 each {a steal for home decor} but as I was going to use them to spell out "FOOD" and "LOVE" and 1 custom designed one, I really didn't have the budget to spend about $70 on this part. So, I started Google-ing tutorials. I found a few that appeared promising (links at the bottom) but went with this one from <a href="http://greenweddingshoes.com/diy-vintage-wood-table-numbers/">Green Wedding Shoes</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, you need the wood blocks. If you are fortunate to have a miter saw or table saw, you can buy long, thin boards ( think 1/2 in x 5 in x 48 in) in the building supply section of your local home improvement store and cut them at home. Some stores will cut it for you, but that's WAY less fun! ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEnEWrcXCIMy6HY_JWSGBouwca7T15oTcpMQvqOwc9jbd4nll7ED164E3wkazJouMyvQlf07SvU983pxJXLHImWmb-Js19Uc85yqzP866so0aOVBVgpiF-6NMOXyrTgLtAHrEDtKgRP08/s1600/DSC02052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEnEWrcXCIMy6HY_JWSGBouwca7T15oTcpMQvqOwc9jbd4nll7ED164E3wkazJouMyvQlf07SvU983pxJXLHImWmb-Js19Uc85yqzP866so0aOVBVgpiF-6NMOXyrTgLtAHrEDtKgRP08/s320/DSC02052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cut the board into square pieces based on the width of the board.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, is printing your letters onto the wood. So if you jump to the bottom and check out the other links, you'll see that a laser jet printer is one requirement. This is because all of these methods of transferring some image/letter/etc onto wood uses water to remove the paper. A laser jet printer uses heat to melt a powdered ink to the paper, which bonds it there and that's why photocopies don't get all ink-runny when they get wet, but papers out of your home printer do. (As most home printers are inkjets which use water soluble ink.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, the directions from <a href="http://greenweddingshoes.com/diy-vintage-wood-table-numbers/">Green Wedding Shoes</a> are not specific to the type of print necessary and I had all the other items I needed from that how-to. So...off I go creating from their directions my scrabble letters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (printed backwards!) on card stock to become my awesome scrabble letters...here we go:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTeruOxzB5ttb_dWcENmWJ_zUjM4GKc5xZEHcO1xz9S1JQYY5gvZL8lRwqqu8VPxLBujf8-4r17MedbqSQAJlOsYb_xB-oHyRe4HdQODk0C48dx7SIOaal3f9A4Z-vlX8FmW3iycFZb52/s1600/IMG_0842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtl26dCra7Jl9xic6CjyM84gHT9C3Fmb2EgwSpmu0sKLw2CSjTzT03a8uqAo94aNSywXIzK9H9ypkAXo-FkGdEyWFbZ5ExkNaqqrr8JUAiZzkdeEGWzVV7Yp_ph9t_JuEiztYNu3MyxY7/s1600/IMG_0841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtl26dCra7Jl9xic6CjyM84gHT9C3Fmb2EgwSpmu0sKLw2CSjTzT03a8uqAo94aNSywXIzK9H9ypkAXo-FkGdEyWFbZ5ExkNaqqrr8JUAiZzkdeEGWzVV7Yp_ph9t_JuEiztYNu3MyxY7/s200/IMG_0841.JPG" title="After printing and modge podge-ing, I'm using water to remove the cardstock!" width="150" /></a><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTeruOxzB5ttb_dWcENmWJ_zUjM4GKc5xZEHcO1xz9S1JQYY5gvZL8lRwqqu8VPxLBujf8-4r17MedbqSQAJlOsYb_xB-oHyRe4HdQODk0C48dx7SIOaal3f9A4Z-vlX8FmW3iycFZb52/s200/IMG_0842.JPG" width="150" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2s0ZT6SVNyIjhB3WRy3EyBk9OuWVaZUTSERj3iG8I1hLitvgM9QMnJOyJPXvo0m9v9oAfSZWYgFc6eCqhSBNmpZvTY02tWHuB8WaCy4RIXJWYYpfp2nt_rKu7-xZQLAgUV66_j5j3dpi/s1600/IMG_0844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2s0ZT6SVNyIjhB3WRy3EyBk9OuWVaZUTSERj3iG8I1hLitvgM9QMnJOyJPXvo0m9v9oAfSZWYgFc6eCqhSBNmpZvTY02tWHuB8WaCy4RIXJWYYpfp2nt_rKu7-xZQLAgUV66_j5j3dpi/s200/IMG_0844.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So as you can see....I started by running the card stock under water like the instructions said, but this wasn't working {and I PAY for my water...so it's wasteful to just let the water run} so I decided to turn it face down in the sink of water. In the instructions it says the card stock should release and come off on it's own...but...you can see that it didnt... So as I used more water and rubbed the paper off the ink began to ran! The ink ran probably because I used an inkjet printer. Should have known better....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I ended up with this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqDGj4XKvAwylONTNvnLfslSfQuaIqzbtsCpQ4wcMMRoMiv-eG1_tO8BNl-UP06eWVW0qwtP4PdfzmUH8mtnZMx8Qr3ABUMwwqfaAgH2jJMClDe2pgQgXAgve_tUAUyWIbVj3SVp6ensE/s1600/IMG_0839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqDGj4XKvAwylONTNvnLfslSfQuaIqzbtsCpQ4wcMMRoMiv-eG1_tO8BNl-UP06eWVW0qwtP4PdfzmUH8mtnZMx8Qr3ABUMwwqfaAgH2jJMClDe2pgQgXAgve_tUAUyWIbVj3SVp6ensE/s320/IMG_0839.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not so pretty and definitely not going to work (imagine I had 3 other letters to go!). Luckily, I only did the word "FOOD" first as a test. Unfortunately, I waited a while to do these thinking they would go smoothly and there were too many other things to worry about to do them over...so WHAT TO DO!?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, I had to breathe...and think...and let them dry, because they were very wet from being in the water and they were warping from the expansion (caused by the water).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In design school we did some pretty extensive lines with sharpie markers when we would forget to hatch wall sections and such on the computer before plotting. So if your scrabble letters looked like this and you have a steady hand....don't worry! I used a fine point Sharpie marker to trace around the letter and number like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnYYK5fg_5k9eQm5WwzSHtuCVYV5xrbrTiPXN-RT0nmDHFRpcKY-FLvK3owk4_Z-xYWl27Qy6Y7ysPa5h5QuC7o6TXAnGA8SWTvO5r66qdu_6X8DKBeDJLldI0FmOhnICkl9zv5Afxgar/s1600/IMG_0846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnYYK5fg_5k9eQm5WwzSHtuCVYV5xrbrTiPXN-RT0nmDHFRpcKY-FLvK3owk4_Z-xYWl27Qy6Y7ysPa5h5QuC7o6TXAnGA8SWTvO5r66qdu_6X8DKBeDJLldI0FmOhnICkl9zv5Afxgar/s200/IMG_0846.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fill in the small number with the small sharpie, because the larger one would've looked fuzzy and not crisp enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then fill in the rest of the letter with a larger tipped sharpie. You <i>can</i> use a fine point on the entire thing if you have that kind of patience...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4i6MoifkespBh6mP0AbJz9jhJDeGbtn9srnW_oh7Fguul2FffUfR4tanl11OXwcN6AChGGV7fBrTklL22jRnXLxYu_z64vNU2pWGkfd30HdNOQWG2PS2FYViPK522RHrc_3fu_Y7kzzx/s1600/IMG_0845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4i6MoifkespBh6mP0AbJz9jhJDeGbtn9srnW_oh7Fguul2FffUfR4tanl11OXwcN6AChGGV7fBrTklL22jRnXLxYu_z64vNU2pWGkfd30HdNOQWG2PS2FYViPK522RHrc_3fu_Y7kzzx/s200/IMG_0845.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I don't know why blogger wants to<br /> rotate this image?!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here is what I had when it was partially done...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once all the letters are filled in and dry, you can spray the whole block with a clear top coat to protect it, if you wish or if it is going to come into contact with water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here's what they looked like with the sharpie fill-in:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirw8PpZ5c7hTkhTlrj9z3IvUt_Lrco-k_vlN-fUJT1jmf4_yW3xagUQ0ymL1dxdN9s3G_Ty_TlfKlp7Nw7rCMAXSfGE_uz1Dgk9k4YmAGM7Ko9pyLCGAkDDt2XM_if6B0iCbhaJxMP_hJG/s1600/IMG_0847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirw8PpZ5c7hTkhTlrj9z3IvUt_Lrco-k_vlN-fUJT1jmf4_yW3xagUQ0ymL1dxdN9s3G_Ty_TlfKlp7Nw7rCMAXSfGE_uz1Dgk9k4YmAGM7Ko9pyLCGAkDDt2XM_if6B0iCbhaJxMP_hJG/s200/IMG_0847.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't think they turned out too badly! :) If you want to see them in the party, check them out <a href="http://nailgunpolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/board-game-bash-recap-pt-1.html">here</a>!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For how to's (that might actually work for you! lol) try these websites:</span><br />
<a href="http://whollykao.com/2011/12/30/the-photo-to-wood-transfer/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wholly Kao's Photo-to-Wood transfer</a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://greenweddingshoes.com/diy-vintage-wood-table-numbers/">Green Wedding Shoe's tutorial</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.petapixel.com/2011/10/06/how-to-transfer-a-photograph-onto-a-block-of-wood/">PetaPixel's Wood Block Photo</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here's one I hadn't seen before I did this for transferring color photos to wood using an inkjet printer and t-shirt transfer paper! From another power-tool savvy lady! <a href="http://www.toolgirl.com/toolgirl/2010/08/transfering-images-to-wood-using-your-inkjet-printer.html">Tool Girl Mag Ruffman</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hope you have good luck with your photo to wood transfers!! I think next time, I'll just buy the letters! ;)</span><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-39093799272264655582012-04-02T06:38:00.003-07:002012-04-02T06:38:29.929-07:00Board Game Bash Recap {Pt 2}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that you've seen the food of the Board Game 30th Birthday Bash, let's look at the decor! {<i>If you haven't seen the food, click <a href="http://nailgunpolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/board-game-bash-recap-pt-1.html">here</a>}</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Creating a distinguished looking party that celebrated Mr S's 30th birthday and showed off our new home was a must! I wanted to balance the decor around the house, as our house is fairly compartmentalized, and we had many guests. I knew everyone wouldn't fit in one space. If you can fit everyone in one space, it will definitely make decorating easier!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided to keep the decor in our newly finished living room fairly low-key, so people could see all the hard work we'd done in there! The sun room {previously untouched} got more attention, as did the dining room - where a poker set and card decorations made a fun space, and lastly a few decorations tied the kitchen breakfast nook into the party. Ultimately, the kitchen became the quiet spot where I could go for a break!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So check them out!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Sun Room</b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZKjE6FUbMjbLXDB19Ofw6c5fYkQdEU3bakTL2UPrgQtsTTbUAccuUV3LBbIa9mVjl-EvENXNXnNp6N2IBsJxBIzPCgNfoSjRv1q0m3NfGNQfeZb_iI_fCC-PoK1_tix4COE62RBiIUem/s1600/DSC02060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZKjE6FUbMjbLXDB19Ofw6c5fYkQdEU3bakTL2UPrgQtsTTbUAccuUV3LBbIa9mVjl-EvENXNXnNp6N2IBsJxBIzPCgNfoSjRv1q0m3NfGNQfeZb_iI_fCC-PoK1_tix4COE62RBiIUem/s320/DSC02060.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Black Cardstock and wide {non-wired} ribbon created a domino effect on the ceiling. I used Scotch brand reusable adhesive. The ribbon didn't stick well to the adhesive, so that took a bit of work, but this would have worked without the ribbon to be dice!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyjllXFLeBSRS8XIx8zRxktB3zGYIjeNFVd0ImgbGiiMrYH-n6K-m6vE_RQcBdNfl9qZZ89APSHOibtjisVGuj8K6_NijvmXElsoAPLfU2uQWi805oHCrVs-64kz8K68K_skhhbyfcTY3/s1600/DSC02061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyjllXFLeBSRS8XIx8zRxktB3zGYIjeNFVd0ImgbGiiMrYH-n6K-m6vE_RQcBdNfl9qZZ89APSHOibtjisVGuj8K6_NijvmXElsoAPLfU2uQWi805oHCrVs-64kz8K68K_skhhbyfcTY3/s320/DSC02061.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Curtains?? Yes....unfortunately, we haven't finished the walls in our sunroom! The sheetrock is still bare and the joints don't even have mud! So, to distract from that, I created white satin {temporary} panels to cover all the places with bare sheetrock. Luckily a sunroom has lots of windows, which helped keep the amount of bare sheet-rock to small sections (4 - 11 inches wide) and I used about 10 yards to create 8 panels.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ALhyphenhyphen8wxpMYQat3jrkuBRxfT3-cxZ9tM1F5YXDqmFDeRTVDVMiOjz7jLr3Oj4fOjBcqEcIJif6y82BHcHJfEACeqp-rL2VL4YZzjdp9Dewm4px_giPTXdqYAXtNVmpHp76fopNVz_8_Iw/s1600/DSC02079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ALhyphenhyphen8wxpMYQat3jrkuBRxfT3-cxZ9tM1F5YXDqmFDeRTVDVMiOjz7jLr3Oj4fOjBcqEcIJif6y82BHcHJfEACeqp-rL2VL4YZzjdp9Dewm4px_giPTXdqYAXtNVmpHp76fopNVz_8_Iw/s320/DSC02079.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can see the panels in the background of<br />this picture. Although you can still see the<br />unfinished sheet-rock at the top of the windows,<br />it is definitely less visually intrusive!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Living Room</b></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kbIgfjYxxFoV4_UxymviYOXVYR3FP8FkPsOqM9S0LLQf2z_Srnc5-qB2y4xKPWZBOP8yEz2XCdc5tc9lbDFrTzdhhwjbYAVnJhBnP4HoV8QiuwCrmf6v7YXPFv9WcrhjNymHSYGP8tTJ/s1600/DSC02112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kbIgfjYxxFoV4_UxymviYOXVYR3FP8FkPsOqM9S0LLQf2z_Srnc5-qB2y4xKPWZBOP8yEz2XCdc5tc9lbDFrTzdhhwjbYAVnJhBnP4HoV8QiuwCrmf6v7YXPFv9WcrhjNymHSYGP8tTJ/s320/DSC02112.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Little S reading after the party has died down! The birthday banner was really the only decor in this room, besides a few extra card tables for playing games!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Dining Room</b></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwIea067Nz2gTipFbUno4Kkd0gu28xyM0bZvI4eVzAR1GT8d1M3AILVk1WZsk5Fv2p6R9nBN0z_5aSxeKkNk9U3NzsPJ61vhhHHr3o-U5L0ncgWoy5MZAyG4W8HzCu9UdhaB13MLn6TTL/s1600/DSC02108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwIea067Nz2gTipFbUno4Kkd0gu28xyM0bZvI4eVzAR1GT8d1M3AILVk1WZsk5Fv2p6R9nBN0z_5aSxeKkNk9U3NzsPJ61vhhHHr3o-U5L0ncgWoy5MZAyG4W8HzCu9UdhaB13MLn6TTL/s400/DSC02108.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A card chandelier is an inexpensive, fairly easy, way to jazz<br />up an old chandelier. Though this isn't quite the impressive,<br />massive card chandelier, I'd hoped for, it's cute. Everything<br />can't be perfect, right??</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5acm66BzrRytJDaqHcnhr4pZlAcApswyRGWz4YB_SaC-dUbxF1WScvMsnk6ec5M5ZR5ii-qEdZm6Ruz8B8Dme6pjNEQPkc59gO-ajqCvgxRR_K87eaqaZ6KX8aiQ_E8C8Ja3BRteg8zhx/s1600/DSC02109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5acm66BzrRytJDaqHcnhr4pZlAcApswyRGWz4YB_SaC-dUbxF1WScvMsnk6ec5M5ZR5ii-qEdZm6Ruz8B8Dme6pjNEQPkc59gO-ajqCvgxRR_K87eaqaZ6KX8aiQ_E8C8Ja3BRteg8zhx/s320/DSC02109.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A 6' banquet table makes a perfect<br />poker table</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HIShpzS8bllSbxSbsBK9DYZj7ruucHT_ee3aYIK0xpulEtZoxnI6I3L3WozHMHQZxJ3RsioDFoERB3TkD4xxMXShzazfODczqCI681PZD0J3fvbmLiPysqR7OGwJrX5qZrfL7rFIALXg/s1600/DSC02106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HIShpzS8bllSbxSbsBK9DYZj7ruucHT_ee3aYIK0xpulEtZoxnI6I3L3WozHMHQZxJ3RsioDFoERB3TkD4xxMXShzazfODczqCI681PZD0J3fvbmLiPysqR7OGwJrX5qZrfL7rFIALXg/s320/DSC02106.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Breakfast nook gets a primary color pop to help tie it in to the party. The giant playing cards (which <i>were</i> stuck to the windows...) helped block some of the harsh sunlight.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Again, I used a combination of store bought and DIY ideas for the party to keep my sanity and save time. There were certainly other things I wanted to do that didn't happen, but that's what happens with a budget of time and money!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tutorials to follow:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Making simple panels {temporary or permanent}</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy Birthday {Frame} Banner</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Card Chandelier</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Enjoy!! Let me know what decor things you would create!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-31159897093992811572012-04-02T06:04:00.001-07:002012-04-02T06:39:24.097-07:00Board Game Bash Recap {Pt 1}<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr S LOVES {board/card/dice} game nights. I love them too. Honestly, it is better than any modern, tech advanced, video game competition! (Except maybe Wii Tennis! haha). So when the epiphany for a game themed 30th birthday hit me, I decided to make sure some favorites were used as themes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The easiest {and probably corniest!} part was figuring out the food - I wanted a cute name for everything! Because what sophisticated party is complete without food tags?? So in this Part 1 we'll look at all the food that makes a game party fun!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok, as promised here's a photo recap of Mr S's 30th Board Game Birthday Bash!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnfwRVrBItja2cRhnVDH3udpbzfIW3GiuFEJzCSYMSlr5eavJatdPFjwwEW3U5fEeJzgYtCjaDagBYYnm7HPesF0PPWzTOEXJ9vfh9yKSLf_RC7mHJVTWbhLYNeyCRsjx9Z-G6wMt7Rv1/s1600/DSC02068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnfwRVrBItja2cRhnVDH3udpbzfIW3GiuFEJzCSYMSlr5eavJatdPFjwwEW3U5fEeJzgYtCjaDagBYYnm7HPesF0PPWzTOEXJ9vfh9yKSLf_RC7mHJVTWbhLYNeyCRsjx9Z-G6wMt7Rv1/s320/DSC02068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Cue Sticks, Stack the Deck Sandwiches, Domino Brownies, and lots of others helped carry the theme to the table. Simple food cards make the party feel thoroughly planned!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A mix of homemade and store bought goodies helped me keep my sanity and ensured that there was something for every taste while preserving the personal touches!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMMn6CCD7aF0Bjjes9oNnm9KqYjk6nECfCCyKB5DGYDrYtuLfKOMILBet9YNnSXWmnLy3LzqKatadforQb3ovTH41WHNBhYtTQbQav4NJ5YFoq-icQYRgPzkSin4OHnQlkw2Azfk3A4BC/s1600/DSC02070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMMn6CCD7aF0Bjjes9oNnm9KqYjk6nECfCCyKB5DGYDrYtuLfKOMILBet9YNnSXWmnLy3LzqKatadforQb3ovTH41WHNBhYtTQbQav4NJ5YFoq-icQYRgPzkSin4OHnQlkw2Azfk3A4BC/s320/DSC02070.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Candy Land display failure turned into something beautiful with fun bowls for the individual candies. It's nice to include things kids will love at grown-up parties, unless you are not inviting kids.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The food was one of the last things I could do for this party. So we were definitely scrambling. Some of the food not pictured? Crab Cake Chess (mini crab cakes), Scrabble Cheeze-Its, 'Casino' chips & Dip, and Cheese Dice. Now, granted, most of this food didn't <i>look</i> like the description. The 'casino' chips & dip was just round tortilla chips with salsa, but having the tags is a nice detail that makes your birthday boy (or girl) feel like you really gave it 100%.</span></span></div>
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I can post the crab-cake recipe if anyone wants it, but everything else was pretty straight forward. Box brownie and cake mixes were bought BOGO Free, which helped keep me on budget. And Farkle Cupcakes (square cupcakes with the tops decorated like various dice using mini oreos) helped me save time.</div>
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Best advice on a theme party? Choose your battles and plan ahead. I spent a lot of time on decor items, eventhough there weren't a LOT of decorations. Most of the food is store bought or easy to assemble, because I knew I wouldn't be able to make any of it ahead.</div>
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The <a href="http://nailgunpolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/board-game-bash-recap-pt-2.html">Decor Recap</a> to follow! :) Enjoy!</div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-6233275666839487132012-03-30T12:28:00.001-07:002012-03-30T12:29:06.069-07:00The Little Table that Could<br />
Ever just get lucky? Like designer lucky? It happens to Mr. S and I a bit. And I'm learning something from it...<br />
Make a piece work for YOU even if it is an "antique" piece, it doesn't have to stay in it's original style/color/finish. Especially if that style/color/finish doesn't work with your home. I've tried over and over to force-fit things into my life that I didn't {LOVE} because they were antiques and I was afraid to change them! But fear no more! :) I just decided this weekend, if I'm going to cherish everything exactly as it is, I will ALWAYS have a "designer's block". <br />
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So here's the {antique} table that became the crowning glory of my breakfast nook. <br />
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First, you should know this table was FREE. Always, always, always think about what you can do with Free. Especially if you are on a budget.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original table top sanded down to a beautiful, natural color with it's pits and scrapes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">An amazing thing happens if you just sand down or strip a product down. Suddenly, you have a blank canvas. You can be inspired anew! It's ok to change directions after you've started. Mr. S and I sanded this table and pedestal down before picking out stain colors, because we figured the color didn't matter until the stripping was done! I'm glad we waited because we ended up agreeing on a brighter green than previously imagined. :)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pedestal base. I'm in LOVE with the green</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top after being stained a honey oak color.<br />
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At the moment, I don't have dining chairs that I love, but I've been inspired by the vibrant green of the pedestal, which is a complete stain-newbie mishap. I didn't TEST the green stain before using it, nor did I use a wood conditioner to make the stain take evenly. I ended up with a very uneven, more vibrant, green than I had anticipated. And honestly, I love it! I feel like I always fall back on Bob Ross when it comes to art, but he always said "there are mistakes, just happy little accidents" (at least that's the way I remember it). And I totally believe that. <br />
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And the finished product???<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSq29orGIZjfk2zzhai0ecuC7FkibvNHNxbnm3-ci6GPLEkf2rqoOaQ9pXvQQ1gkdfLqLIff5oZ5D8sF9Rkm5kNGUrQlhNUgixleBqHRYq5Yc_0ZUA3vexMIGCIp3y_z73L897NGprLSK/s1600/IMG_0888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSq29orGIZjfk2zzhai0ecuC7FkibvNHNxbnm3-ci6GPLEkf2rqoOaQ9pXvQQ1gkdfLqLIff5oZ5D8sF9Rkm5kNGUrQlhNUgixleBqHRYq5Yc_0ZUA3vexMIGCIp3y_z73L897NGprLSK/s320/IMG_0888.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beautiful, inspiring {very} green table! :)</td></tr>
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This is my $25 breakfast masterpiece! All $25 went to sand paper, stain, and brushes. I own an orbital sander and used that for all of our sanding except on the curves of the legs and there is one metal band around the bottom that I want to cover with a copper strip {or spray copper} but for now, it is just there and we don't notice it.<br />
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The one thing I would say is that I felt the Polyeurethane/Stain in one (I used on the top) did not work very well. Maybe this is just me? Anyone else have trouble with that? Whenever I wipe my table clean, it seems the stain/poly is coming off of my table. Any others encounter this or know what I've done wrong?<br />
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There once was a kitchen inspired entirely by green Marjolica pottery. If I ever find that magazine/article, I will link it for you to see! This table reminds me of that kitchen! Now...what to do for chairs...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-2147246497173033822012-03-29T05:28:00.001-07:002012-04-02T06:42:45.989-07:00Game Day Birthday BashSo, as promised, I'm back to give you a little insight on planning a perfect {Board Game} themed party!! There was actually a LOT of crafting and work involved, but there are certainly short cuts you could take.<br />
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After scouring the internet for {Game} party themes and coming up only with Casino Night and Family Game night party ideas, I realized I was going to have to be flexible. Why can't family game night work for a game night birthday party? IT CAN! The challenging part about a theme party like this, {read: BEWARE} you have to keep your "theme" <b>focused</b>. In my case, I wanted guests to feel that there would be all kinds of board games and card games they could play, but I didn't want the party to seem thrown together. I know you're thinking <i>"Doesn't the theme of 'games' tie it all together"</i> but, sadly, no. The ideas began to pile up, but too many varying game theme ideas would have made the decor look a little schizophrenic, while focusing on one game could take it from "Game" themed to "Monopoly" themed. Also, I wanted a party that was a little grown up - after all Mr S was turning 30! So the recap?<br />
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<li>Grown Up, Stylish Soiree</li>
<li>Multi-game themed</li>
<li>Cohesive decor</li>
<li>Budget minded</li>
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Doesn't sound like too tall of an order for this designer, but I had to find the thread to tie it together...COLOR. <i>Wait! I thought it was GAME themed?</i> Yes, that's true, but what do all classic board games have in common? The primary colors {and usually dice}!! So, I decided to utilize these colors {and some actual game pieces} to decorate cohesively in my home for a stylish and game themed party.</div>
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Now, as my camera is still on the fritz and I'm going TODAY to get an adapter for my memory stick...I'm sending you over to Pinterest to see what inspired me and to a few other blogs with AMAZING party ideas!</div>
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<a href="http://www.hwtm.com/">http://www.hwtm.com/</a> The perfect site for perfectly adorable party ideas. {They're parties are glam, but alas, I couldn't find a "board game" theme anywhere!} They update their site all the time with new and amazing ideas!</div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/grayd/jesse-s-30th-birthday-ideas/">http://pinterest.com/grayd/jesse-s-30th-birthday-ideas/</a> My pinterest site for party ideas {see links under the pictures for sources}</div>
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<br />
<i>Woot - I've finally gotten the pictures up! Check out the food recap <a href="http://nailgunpolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/board-game-bash-recap-pt-1.html">here </a>and the decor recap <a href="http://nailgunpolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/board-game-bash-recap-pt-2.html">here</a>! Tutorials to come soon. Thanks for visiting.</i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-38792010242324544452012-03-19T06:27:00.000-07:002012-03-19T06:27:15.735-07:00Growing {wiser} Older<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My wonderful husband turned 30 last Saturday and I have been absolutely DROWNING in getting his party planned and executed. (That's why I've fallen off the face of the planet for a month) However, it was a<i> </i>wonderful party and I had an opportunity to really get creative! As he was worried about getting older, I was running back to my childhood craft days of paper flowers and card banners! Enjoy the "Game Night" party theme ideas!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you're like me, searching for an appropriate themed party for your {wo}man was the biggest part of the party planning stage! How many different themes are out there?? LOADS, but none quite fit Mr. S. Conversations with myself went like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He's athletic? <i>Sure</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He like movies! <i>Who Doesn't?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">He likes camping? <i> Well, yeah, but...I don't know.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Then *BAM!* it hit me like a ton of bricks. All of our get togethers with friends or family usually involve GAMES....board games, dice games, domino games, card games, etc. Why not throw a game themed party? So here are some items I crafted for his birthday party!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2cmmzSw5jUag4-AaiEGtwrc9Cqx9EM7dkWCEfNgv_Hj6gLHoFzi_Bk1Xlexufvmk7bBptYr6_QndUn2iLrMtIAVk4UrfavXBdOIovLUVIZJxGGgsHDyFKS07mYRh8jUz6ULEMJ9vIMqt/s1600/IMG_0847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2cmmzSw5jUag4-AaiEGtwrc9Cqx9EM7dkWCEfNgv_Hj6gLHoFzi_Bk1Xlexufvmk7bBptYr6_QndUn2iLrMtIAVk4UrfavXBdOIovLUVIZJxGGgsHDyFKS07mYRh8jUz6ULEMJ9vIMqt/s320/IMG_0847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Food Table Sign</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8xbgQXBIGpy3AtvatVPoNT6_bvPX4n1-hhrZGu29xNwxYyFLwIVOqZnK7EPAes3kC21FPZa4vu_isQfjEsxp70q6K1e6nURC6-rENpsdKVUaP8i4c_p1Mtel4RssMXh8yGcutW6mlNjm/s1600/IMG_0891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8xbgQXBIGpy3AtvatVPoNT6_bvPX4n1-hhrZGu29xNwxYyFLwIVOqZnK7EPAes3kC21FPZa4vu_isQfjEsxp70q6K1e6nURC6-rENpsdKVUaP8i4c_p1Mtel4RssMXh8yGcutW6mlNjm/s320/IMG_0891.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Paper flower centerpiece</div>
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More photos to come and tutorials on making your own game day party memorable!</div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-82247520061055386982012-03-19T06:18:00.001-07:002012-03-19T06:28:09.063-07:00M.I.A. in the quiet blogsphere...<div style="text-align: center;">
>tree frogs singing....owl hooting...breeze in the trees< </div>
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Wow...it's quiet out here...Sorry I've been M.I.A. It's certainly isn't for lack of WANTING to blog. My {not so great} camera had decided it doesn't want to give up the photos of my living room! Evil thing. So I am trying to find a way to download photos. I may have to break down and go buy an adapter for the memory card so I can just put <i>that</i> in my computer....don't you just love technology! :) Either way, here are some iPhone photos of future projects to keep you updated!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20JcBYAlNhWfJiunj_NQld8o50tzSBz7ojWBdkYQbF8d142g92WzNCAzpz6j232Ywz30w7hz0wPawJCm7VHYgyvCr6Bmig95d_4w_cyKBmRy7-Y03ozt4LeQBbGuht41ry21R61DQrIlC/s1600/IMG_0551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20JcBYAlNhWfJiunj_NQld8o50tzSBz7ojWBdkYQbF8d142g92WzNCAzpz6j232Ywz30w7hz0wPawJCm7VHYgyvCr6Bmig95d_4w_cyKBmRy7-Y03ozt4LeQBbGuht41ry21R61DQrIlC/s320/IMG_0551.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Picking a Paint Color!</div>
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Breakfast Nook Table Restoration</div>
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Industrial Cart Coffee Table {for less}</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PPlwNYxMsDLvaEdN2gxcQH1QravGAZhaPmYmWwKgaNygxNG7tylHB60lGVzRmz1bUK1i9LCNkB8sul8tjppuRNH_Dial15ZhOvqFxKwjtFsAQSwEluxix1W4-PKi1KlJ3Kj412r7Pt81/s1600/IMG_0895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PPlwNYxMsDLvaEdN2gxcQH1QravGAZhaPmYmWwKgaNygxNG7tylHB60lGVzRmz1bUK1i9LCNkB8sul8tjppuRNH_Dial15ZhOvqFxKwjtFsAQSwEluxix1W4-PKi1KlJ3Kj412r7Pt81/s320/IMG_0895.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Recreating a {favorite} Pillow</div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-73313286485189632432012-02-21T15:02:00.003-08:002012-02-21T15:02:58.556-08:00<div style="color: #351c75;">
Whew...11 days since my last post! I'm so sorry! Mr S and I have been working tirelessly on painting and finishing up various areas of the house. And his 30th birthday is coming up in 3 weeks! What does a 30th birthday mean?? </div>
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A BIG PARTY! (Of course)</div>
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Let's face it, 21 to 30 is 9 years without a milestone, so the party has to be memorable. The party itself is no surprise to Mr. S, but the theme IS. I have searched high and low for a party theme that fit him. It was really hard. There are tons of cute party ideas on various blogs (http://www.hostessblog.com/ has some of the cutest, but perhaps not the manliest). I came up with a list of ideas:</div>
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<ul style="color: #351c75;">
<li>A Mexican fiesta</li>
<li>A James Bond party</li>
<li>A Game Night Party</li>
<li>A Harry Potter theme (yes, we're nerds like that ;) )</li>
<li>A Sports themed party</li>
<li>A Camping themed party (complete with after party camping trip)</li>
<li>And a Hollywood Movie Night party</li>
</ul>
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All of these seemed like good ideas. So which one wins? I can't say in case he's reading...but mid-March I'll reveal all and show everyone what I came up with!! There is a LOT of D.I.Y. happening, but I am having to order a few things ;) Can't wait to show off what I've done and link to the tutorials that have helped me the most!!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #351c75;">What was the most memorable party you've ever been to?</span></b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-54706342391667508162012-02-10T21:10:00.000-08:002012-03-19T06:28:54.513-07:00{d.i.}Why not?<div class="Publishwithline" style="color: #351c75;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The first room Mr. S
and I wanted to tackle was the living room!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRY6IsR4FsS83a84oRf-x_jn6BmRqZevbD1IzjNO_g4QnvnKvAdIsPCGluyBbzLfMpOo1iV_bqrFpmz0ccpcym44eZhtSKIVZa2CVCWDWzqRBvAOLmLM4kEP4w_Ex0tFPPC-PXJskc6cza/s1600/IMG_0589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRY6IsR4FsS83a84oRf-x_jn6BmRqZevbD1IzjNO_g4QnvnKvAdIsPCGluyBbzLfMpOo1iV_bqrFpmz0ccpcym44eZhtSKIVZa2CVCWDWzqRBvAOLmLM4kEP4w_Ex0tFPPC-PXJskc6cza/s320/IMG_0589.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not a terrible color,
but in a room with only one window, it did make for a bit of a cave like
feeling. Also, the entire house has
those pop-corn ceilings, which we’re not crazy about. So we thought, “Let’s try a living remodel
and see what happens!” We felt we could
learn a lot from the first room and get it finished in order to have company
over! First things first the CEILING!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Now,
this should be a simple, but messy DIY project. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I watched several videos on Youtube, Googled many how-to’s. I highly recommend Ron Hazelton’s video on
removing acoustical (aka popcorn) ceilings.
I did not go into this project unprepared – or so I thought…<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ceilings
come in lots of different styles.
Smooth, Textured, Coffered, Tray, Cathedral, etc…It’s often the
forgotten last moment of the room. I
mean how many people (other than designers) really think about what their
ceiling is going to look like when visualizing a room? Not many except to think, “I want high
ceilings.” Imperfections in the ceiling,
from patching or whatever, can be easily covered by acoustical (a.k.a.
“popcorn”) ceilings. If you have these
“popcorn” ceilings and you hate them – as I do – or you just want to do
something more charming in a room, you may be thinking surely this is a DIY
project I can handle? Why not?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">First,
let’s talk about what it takes to remove a popcorn ceiling texture. I used <a href="http://www.ronhazelton.com/projects/how_to_remove_an_popcorn_textured_or_acoustic_celiling">Ron
Hazelton’s video</a> to learn what to do.
After watching several videos, his was the most clear and concise. Supplies you will need:</span></div>
<ol>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Painter’s
Tape/Plastic Sheeting</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
– These are essential for keeping the water off your walls while you’re
spraying it at the ceiling. No matter
how careful you are, you WILL want to prep properly! This job is MESSY!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Contractor’s</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">paper</b> – This helps you to make clean up easier. Put it over the plastic as Ron suggests in
his video.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Coveralls/Goggles/Mask/Gloves</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> – I strongly recommend a cap
too if you can stand it, because this stuff gets ALL over you. Do NOT try this without goggles. You don’t want this stuff in your eyes.</span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Scraper
of some description</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
– I used a dulled putty knife. Dulling
the edges keeps you from gouging the ceiling as badly. Ron’s video showed a wide tape knife.</span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Water</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> – Using a garden sprayer is an
inexpensive option that won’t kill your hands (imagine a spray bottle??
Yikes). I got mine for $8 at Wal-Mart
and now I can use it to water the flowers.</span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ladder
or scaffolding</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
– Honestly, if you have some kind of scaffolding to use that you can make long
walks across the room without getting up and down a ladder, that would be less
tedious…</span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Alternative
source of light</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
– You are going to need a work light if you are going to be doing any work at
night. I found this out when the project
took me MUCH longer than I anticipated and I’m stubborn enough to work all
night to get it done! Do yourself a
favor and get a work light with an extension cord (if you don’t have an outlet
near the door of the room)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sheetrock
tape/mud/sanding block</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
– these are the tools you’ll need to patch/repair any problems you find (cause)
on your ceiling. I highly recommend the
low dust brand from Wal-Mart. It was
only $6 for a large bucket and I ended up needing almost all of it…</span></li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtF18zEYZCB6RH2IrF-UliDzDqP5NhYMja6e4BCoDzTtrrriZ-CZ6s2CdW295WlXRY5JgVwub56rbQqLtMSv7vpsZSp6OiIUeAbuCa2QKBsDH7IAKM5112gAJl2jgYunMwroYpa8CEz5Fm/s1600/IMG_0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtF18zEYZCB6RH2IrF-UliDzDqP5NhYMja6e4BCoDzTtrrriZ-CZ6s2CdW295WlXRY5JgVwub56rbQqLtMSv7vpsZSp6OiIUeAbuCa2QKBsDH7IAKM5112gAJl2jgYunMwroYpa8CEz5Fm/s320/IMG_0553.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ok,
first go check out <a href="http://www.ronhazelton.com/projects/how_to_remove_an_popcorn_textured_or_acoustic_celiling">Ron
Hazelton’s Video</a> then come back here for a recap and tips/photos on some
troubles you may run into! Get yourself
a bottle of water with a protective lid and get ready to work hard!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Steps:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1 - Tape sheets of plastic up around the entire room. Cut a slit or leave a flap for ventilation in and out of the room, and so you aren't stuck in the room. You can see in the photograph how i had to sit an extra work light outside and shine it through the plastic. Though it doesn't appear to be helping, it was like being in the room on a cloudy day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2 - Cut the power to the room before spraying any water AT ALL. The last thing you're gonna want is an expensive electrical problem! And even with all the plastic - better safe than sorry!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3 - Remove any ceiling diffusers (if you have them). This is simple - removing the two screws on either end of the grate is usually all that is needed to get them down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4 - Begin at one corner of the room and spray a section of ceiling 4' x 5' {ish} and let it set in for about 5 minutes. In the video, it says to immediately scrape the ceiling and if your ceiling has never been painted try that. Our popcorn ceiling had been painted before, and it took a minute for the water to soak through the latex paint.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5 - Begin scraping using GENTLE pressuer - it shouldn't take force. If you press to hard, you WILL gouge your ceiling. Also, only go as far as you can comfortably reach to help avoid gouging.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">6 - Work your way around the room in this manner. If you run into spots that don't want to scrape off (as I did), just let the water sit on there for 5 or 10 minutes and try again. I don't recommend trying to cut it away with a razor or sanding it while it's wet because you'll just tear up your ceiling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">7 - As you finish around the room, go back and work on the trouble spots. I highly recommend leaving the plastic and resin paper down until you've mudded/sanded everything that needs it. This will make cleaning easier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You may run into some trouble spots {as I did}! Acoustical ceiling treatments hide imperfections in ceilings VERY well. Unless you built your house (or know who did), don't be surprised when you find weird patches or uneven spots in your ceilings. We had a large, unusual patching job that was 1/4 in lower than the rest of the ceiling. We opted to go several rounds of joint compound feathering to create a smooth appearance. This, however, added about one week to the overall time-table of this project.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Some Tips:</b> {From Mr. Hazelton & Myself}</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">*<b> DO</b> have your ceilings tested for asbestos if your house was built in the 1960's or 1970's. The cost seemed pretty unreal to me - like $90 - for an EPA certified lab (at least all the ones I looked up) but it could be a lot cheaper than dealing with asbestos poisoning. The NIST keeps a list of labs. You can contact them at (301) 975-4016. For more information visit <a href="http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/help.html">www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/help.html</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">* <b>DO</b> use "resin" paper ("rosin" paper?) that Mr. Hazelton refers to is worth the extra cost. I used regular rolls of brown paper (marked for latex painting) and while it did absorb water, it tore very easily. The other would probably hold up better to being soaked through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">* <b>DON'T</b> feel like you HAVE to buy 2 mil poly sheets to line your walls. I know this is recommended in several of the "how-to's," but I used 0.5 mil poly sheets. A 3-pack is cheaper than 1 roll of the 2 mil and it worked great. Also, 0.5 mil poly is lighter and, therefore, easier to hang on the walls if you're working alone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">*<b> DO </b>wear protective gear. Even if your ceiling has NO asbestos, you don't want that acoustical stuff getting into your eyes, nose, and throat. I noticed that Mr. Hazelton's video did not show wearing coveralls, but I strongly recommend this as my job made a HUGE mess.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">* <b>DO</b> use water - and you could probably mix it with something to help "loosen" the ceiling. I've heard vinegar works well, but I used Method Clementine All Purpose cleaner (1 tbsp to 2 gal) and that made our living room smell wonderful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">* <b>DO NOT </b>think this will be done in one day! If you have to mud anything, the mud has to cure for 24 hours. Bear this in mind when planning your project!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As much as I LOVE diy projects, I'm not sure this is one I will tackle again in this house. After fighting with the suprise "patch" in the ceiling, I waled away from this DIY more exhausted than exhilarated. However, seeing our beautiful, flat, white ceiling...I'm in love. <3</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanks for reading and come back to see us take on that bold red color!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1802974973"></span><span id="goog_1802974974"></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-10869827031890393282012-02-10T19:59:00.000-08:002012-03-19T06:29:19.044-07:00Intro to the house!<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">
My husband and I have just bought a home in an adorable town. It's a 2 story Colonial Revival - built in the 70's. It lacks a few of the charming details of a true colonial revival, but we're gonna work on that. :) The interior also lacks a bit of modern panache. Mr. S and I are working on the interior first. Here's the before photos so you all can see where I'm coming from and where the design/decorating/diy direction is headed!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNxOYMdMJ0FtoC6JUy1t1baqXkAEgq9h0C728vETm0ZjkANJHKIjRoWJoP8XJGm7ZaFE44J5uLdHtYUHPWKB0Sei6Gn36hjrTlCPsbCK69VhSa5hYr92Y_cqoMAht51_UntqIfezdS0ga/s1600/Front+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNxOYMdMJ0FtoC6JUy1t1baqXkAEgq9h0C728vETm0ZjkANJHKIjRoWJoP8XJGm7ZaFE44J5uLdHtYUHPWKB0Sei6Gn36hjrTlCPsbCK69VhSa5hYr92Y_cqoMAht51_UntqIfezdS0ga/s320/Front+view.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">The very plain exterior -- needs landscaping, portico/shelter over the door, maybe a larger stoop? We're gonna get to that one of these days :)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieExj8HSbaagM1Nb6HJqWpjCv0DutdCF2PSclqdN4a3O9_IZhVOZvgxLsZQUoR45Nxdm4nUYdYyIQ1K-c_u1aYxWHCSjnURiEyYpV_Z0NNyn1P7f03ppRWwMd5I7fSGs8w7rqFszwIG9YM/s1600/Living+Room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieExj8HSbaagM1Nb6HJqWpjCv0DutdCF2PSclqdN4a3O9_IZhVOZvgxLsZQUoR45Nxdm4nUYdYyIQ1K-c_u1aYxWHCSjnURiEyYpV_Z0NNyn1P7f03ppRWwMd5I7fSGs8w7rqFszwIG9YM/s320/Living+Room.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzs2_8j6zqDFgkwT0vy25KvftSThWIQOMyGsh6puVodOhR3qU-AhyphenhyphenPb4rSH6yDgeur6IT-4R5crUnNMpI1GDa4YNExrrwBLq2Tnw85LUgzb254LVnjqeQiafeTorQlw1Ngz1dwuGIz6aD/s1600/DSC01912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzs2_8j6zqDFgkwT0vy25KvftSThWIQOMyGsh6puVodOhR3qU-AhyphenhyphenPb4rSH6yDgeur6IT-4R5crUnNMpI1GDa4YNExrrwBLq2Tnw85LUgzb254LVnjqeQiafeTorQlw1Ngz1dwuGIz6aD/s320/DSC01912.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">The very dark living room. Although it's hard to tell in these photos, there is very little natural light in this room. One standard window and one set of french doors are the only natural light.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqu6eLdJ1-F659ku_XOYo18ctknyKYhR7d91PEYMK684N7XWc0av-hbO1pP4AbCzb6Q7nvrmvGMBfQ_ttbaHNDjnS8VhaDO7OCUBuDQ-96MMZ0UirztkBBoQGgnBLWRtyFJKuThSRAev7O/s1600/half+bath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqu6eLdJ1-F659ku_XOYo18ctknyKYhR7d91PEYMK684N7XWc0av-hbO1pP4AbCzb6Q7nvrmvGMBfQ_ttbaHNDjnS8VhaDO7OCUBuDQ-96MMZ0UirztkBBoQGgnBLWRtyFJKuThSRAev7O/s320/half+bath.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The half bathroom. We actually love this. Haha.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdsEfY8mJUHHsTvqheGU_mQC6y_xGwiLhdUJ_sQA_uoLckbNegS006jHg2bz1Ip73SwckIoI9PYHnesNYoPXQJbE5gRYxf39_ZmnikUBjBoWb3TTof2AQqp8NM0UMSX-7FmYBc3LyGWjA/s1600/Kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdsEfY8mJUHHsTvqheGU_mQC6y_xGwiLhdUJ_sQA_uoLckbNegS006jHg2bz1Ip73SwckIoI9PYHnesNYoPXQJbE5gRYxf39_ZmnikUBjBoWb3TTof2AQqp8NM0UMSX-7FmYBc3LyGWjA/s320/Kitchen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The large kitchen was a big selling point for us. It just needs a little....spice. :)</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9y5hg-_OlQ9ksDqs7U_7rJ6v6Cgy3KdG5HLYkPKrnISQN2biX-z6hg9mcYhL8VZB7S267-oKuF7rZyrMNaa7HDoCIZ2yJthWtGNsEoDtL8k9IMnG5SvkF-LMee2lHB2etQTWtNEH_Xh6_/s1600/Mud+Room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9y5hg-_OlQ9ksDqs7U_7rJ6v6Cgy3KdG5HLYkPKrnISQN2biX-z6hg9mcYhL8VZB7S267-oKuF7rZyrMNaa7HDoCIZ2yJthWtGNsEoDtL8k9IMnG5SvkF-LMee2lHB2etQTWtNEH_Xh6_/s320/Mud+Room.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Can't wait to make this a sunny, happy place for me to do laundry!</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's the intro to the home of Mr. & Mrs. "S"!! Of course, this is only a portion of the house. The bedrooms and craft room will get their own post as they become the amazing spaces we need them to be. I'm excited to share this experience with all of you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, what was YOUR first project on your home? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Please note that the pictures labeled "TMLS" are from www.realtor.com. They were part of the sales posting for our home. The others are photos I took with my point and shoot camera!</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06887779193143453808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4517489080624874033.post-70049443099938945062012-01-30T14:17:00.000-08:002012-01-30T14:17:58.142-08:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My Inaugural Post!</span><br />
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Welcome to Nail{GUN}Polish! A blog where being feminine and artistic
doesn’t mean you have to sew pillows or paint vases (although, we’ll do some of
that too)!! I am a 20-something who
loves power tools, flowers, and the color purple! Get ready to embark with me on the adventure
of turning my first house into my first home.
With my trusty side-kick, Mr. S, and our side-kick, Little S, we’ll be
taking on the DIY world!</div>
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Intros! I am Gray – aka “Mrs S.” I am a recent East Carolina University,
College of Human Ecology, Department of Interior Design Graduate. I am VERY proud of my college degree. I did a lot of really hard work to become a
designer and I love it! Interior design
is about how people interact with their environment – the physical and
emotional responses and navigation of the world around them. This interrelationship has created a passion
in me for interiors spaces, outdoor spaces, architecture, and gardening. We’ll see how brave I can be taking on
projects in each of these areas!</div>
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So let’s have some fun!! I have
taken on some pretty hefty DIY projects and some that should be pretty simple,
so we’ll see!! I look forward to sharing
experiences with everyone!</div>
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