Almost But Not Quite

So, since it’s taking me waaay to long to finish the ‘secret’ nursery project I’m going to just give in and let you all in on a sliver… 

I’ll let you in on the full monty next week but just to tide you over, I’ll spout out a little tutorial just in case you wanna go painting stripes before I get that far.  :)

Before I start, let it be known that it was not my original intention to paint the nursery walls even though the thought of stenciling them or painting them was tempting.  I could’ve worked around the beige walls and thought that leaving them was free made it the right choice…until the diy in me got the best of me AND I saw this on Pinterest: (image found via Pinterest from here)

The stripe-lover in me had to.  I loved the look of the thinner stripes.  I also loved that diy-ing stripes would be relatively cheap considering I had most everything I needed to do it on hand.  So, thin or thick, white or red or blue or pink, here’s how I did it (correction…am doing it):

Step 1:   Decide how thick/thin you want your stripes.  You can make them all the same width, you can alternate thick and thin, you can even do a bunch of different widths, horizontal, vertical, diagonal…whatever gets your inner zebra goin’.  I went horizontal and did a mock-up with Pixlr to figure out how many stripes I wanted.  I ended up with 14 stripes all the same width.  Also included in this step is picking out colors.  Depending on the colors you go with, you’ll probably have to paint your room a base color before you put the stripes up.  I went with the custom beige I already had up and an off-the-shelf plain white in a satin finish by Olympic.

Step 2:  Mark your measurements.  The easiest way is to simply grab a ruler a make pencil marks at every point a stripe edge would be.  You should only have to do this once (if you go horizontal like me) since, once your stripes are drawn on, you can simply follow them around the room.  Since I wanted 14 thinner stripes, I measured the length of my wall, top of the baseboard to ceiling and divided by 14.  Doing that meant that my stripes would be 6.6 inches wide.  So logic would follow that I would make a mark every 6.6 inches.

Step 3:  Draw the lines.  If you’re lucky, unlike me, and have a laser level you can probably skip this step entirely and move on to step 4.  We have a plain ‘ole long level that I used. 

If you don’t have either you could continue marking and just connect your marks around the room.  I started at a mark, leveled up against it, and drew, and drew, and drew…all around the room.  Actually, I did one wall at a time but that’s a moot point.  I also used a pencil for this step because I could simply wipe it off after if need be.  It would be helpful to use a pencil of the same color but depending on how much drawing you’re doing, sharpening it might be pain in the rear.

Step 4:  Tape along the lines.  Make sure to tape a teeny, tiny smidge under or over your pencil line so that it’s painted over and therefore disappears.  I used Scotch, one inch, blue painters tape.  I also stuck a few little pieces of duck tape into the areas I didn’t want paint just to make sure there were no accidents.

Step 5:  Make sure tape is securely adhered to wall.  Meaning, press down hard when applying it.  You don’t want leakage.  Our walls have an orange peel texture making my stripe painting a little more difficult.  To make sure my tape was stuck on good, I put an old sock on my hand and went along every tape line, pressing as I went.

Step 6:  Paint.  The width of your stripes will determine the roller size you use unless you go at it with a paint brush.  I actually thought I’d use what I already had, a small foam roller, which ended up getting a big, fat ‘F’.  I should’ve used a roller with a nap to it because of the orange peel.  I ended up painting one entire wall, removing the tape, and then realizing I needed another coat.  It was back to step one and a lesson learned for me – use the right tools, even if it means you can’t use what you already have.  Thankfully, ReStore had what I needed for mere pennies and it was back to the wall I went.

Step 7:  Remove tape while paint is still semi-wet or asap.  Waiting until hours or days pass could mean taking tape off will also take paint off.  I removed it right after I was done painting.

Step 8:  Do touch-ups.  I had some drippage in a few corners and a few minor leaks under the tape here and there so I just touched up those spots with the extra beige paint I had on hand and a small paint brush.

Step 9:  Pat yourself on the back and admire…or rush back to life with twins, whichever your life situation allows.

Step 10:  Stop in next Saturday and see the final result!  I’ve got one wall to go but I’ll be sure to have it done by then!

Update:  SEE THE REVEAL HERE!

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Cost breakdown:

Paint:  $12 (I used leftover paint from painting our guest bath cabinets plus a purchased quart.)

Tape:  $10 for three rolls (I had one already and probably would only have needed to buy two more if it weren’t for my mistake mentioned in step 6.)

Paint rollers:  $1 for two (I had the handle.)

Things I owned and used:  retractable pencil, a level, and an ipod to keep me company  :)

Total spent:  $23

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Hope to see you next Saturday!

Until then, Ana clued me in on Mary’s thrift store challenge and I’m totally doing it.  It’s right up my thrift loving alley.  Also, Grace, Erica, and Kayla are having another Open to Interpretation partay and I can’t wait to join in on the fun.  And the girls at Fine Linen and Purple are holding a Sunday ‘What I Wore’ link-up that I swear one of these Sundays I’m going to jump on.  As if that’s not enough, Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy has a ‘What I Wore Wednesday’ link-up.  Can you tell I need a million and one excuses to get out of the gray sweatpants and stretchy tanks I’ve been donning for the past hundred days?  Well, I do.  So, look for me next week, the lady with the twins who’s dressed to the nines whilst spending hours feeding and changing diapers and not even leaving the house…all dressed up with nowhere to go…except that’s not me, I’m ‘all dressed up and at home because it’s too much work to leave the house’.  Yeah, that’s me. 

Goldie Toes

Oh my goodness gracious am I excited about this project!  One because I’ve finally broken out the spray paint after a five month hiatus and because it was 100% free!  Here’s the scoop.  I’ve been going through my closet little by little, slowly beefing up my Goodwill pile.  Whilst in one of my purging sprees my eyes sank down to a pair of old white ballet flats I’ve had since college (I think I got them for $10 new).  Not in the best of shape after beating my college paths and not having touched my feet in at least a year, their future in my wardrobe was looking pretty bleak and the pile pretty welcoming.  But, before I give anything away I always travel to the crazy creative area in my mind just to make sure they can’t be refashioned or reused.  And lucky for these little gems, I had an idea.  They were going to be the perfect medium for an experiment I’ve always wanted to try but never have.  Here they are in all their worn in glory:     

And here’s the inspiration behind the madness that was about to ensue: The Cece cap toe ballet flats from J. Crew chiming in at a whopping $168!  So pretty but not in my budget, no way, no how.  (Shoes images retrieved from J. Crew.)

However, a half hour of fun craftiness and I had my own cap toes: 

Here’s how I got ‘em.  First, I scrubbed my old shoes with some bleach and dish soap to perk them up.  Can you tell the difference? I know, it’s not a slap-you-in-the-face difference but they’re a little cleaner.  The toes have endured the worst wear but that’s why this upgrade is perfect for this sad pair.

So next I snatched up a few things I had laying around:

Then I got to taping.  First I taped off the area I wanted to paint: Because these shoes had pleats in front, I made sure to press down the tape really hard to ensure that paint wouldn’t leak down the pleats and spoil my plan.

Then I taped off the front sole of the shoe:

And then I taped some scrap paper over the rest of the shoe to protect it from any stray paint:

Outside I went and a few thin coats of liquid gold I sprayed… …until I went back inside, took all of the tape off, and decided I wanted a little more gold so I repeated the whole taping process again.  :)  But, that’s obviously an optional step.

Side note:  I made sure to remove the tape when the paint was still a little wet.  Otherwise, the paint may have peeled off with the tape putting a rather large dent in the whole project.

Now for the back of the shoe.

First I taped off the sole:

Then I taped off a thin strip.  The back seam of these particular shoes was a little crooked and I didn’t want a crooked line, so I just disregarded it and made my own straight line. 

For protection of the rest of the shoe, I taped on some more scrap paper and stuck a wad in the heel of the shoe:

Out to spray, let ‘em dry, and tape off and I’ve got some new favorite shoes. 

Oh, and if you’re wondering about the durability of spray paint plus shoes, it’s actually really great.  These shoes are faux leather and just to see, I actually tried scratching some of the paint off of the front.  The only way any paint was coming off was if I scratched the pleather off the shoe.  Happy day!  :)

I’m so excited this worked because I’ve always wondered if I could ever change the color of a pair of shoes with spray paint and now I know!  Anyone else tried pairing the two with good results?  I’d be lying if I said I’ll never do it again!  Patterns, shapes, stripes…it’s all fair game now!

Happy weekend everyone!

7 Quick Takes

Happy Friday!  It’s that time again!

I’m stealing a few takes from last week since I missed out and because they’re too good not to!  Go to Jen’s digital abode for more!   

(Never seen that commercial?  See it here.)

In honor of All Saints’ Day yesterday, I give you glimpses of our girls namesakes (inspired by Claire’s Fairy Tale Friday photo ops):The name Veronica means ‘true icon’ and was given to Seraphia, who wiped the face of Jesus during His Passion.  Read more about her here and here.  For prayers to St. Veronica, go here.  (St. Veronica image from here.) 

To read more about my awesome Confirmation saint, go here.  For a novena to her, go here.  (Image of St. Cecilia from here.)

Bean Sprouts: 3 Months

Well, the twins have reached the ripe ‘ole age of three months (plus a few weeks at this point…) and things are just swell.  They’re both pros at holding their own noggins even with a little bobble here and there and they’re smiling and gibbering away at us and each other.  Cecilia has mastered laughing when tickled and rolling over from her belly to her back.  I’m not sure she knows exactly what she’s doing when she pushes her body over with her little legs though because when she ‘lands’ on her back she always looks a little dazed and confused.  :)  Seraphia on the other hand has rolled over just once and I’m pretty sure it was with the help of the couch’s incline.  However, she’s the talker and once she finds her voice, there’s no stopping her (just like Daddy).

We are continually amazed at the fact that they exist and find ourselves just staring at them sometimes, thanking God over and over for sending them our way.  It hasn’t been easy (God knows it hasn’t…whew!) but their smiles wipe away each under-eye circle (figuratively speaking) and make every diaper change a joy (also figuratively speaking).  We are so in love!

  

(Thank you Auntie Rock and Lauren for being good picture takers!)

Sister Rally

Thought I was hard at work in the nursery this week, dincha?  Nope, nada, not a smidge because my sis came to see the twins and the four of us skipped town all the way to Florida to move in with our other sis and her little family for the week.  We did what six girls do best and had lots of fun, fun, fun.

 

We set the cousins loose on each other and let the bonding begin:The day before we left, Claire (blondie in case you’re unsure who’s who) finally almost got down “baba” for “babies” rather than the “dada” she had been using to refer and repeatedly wave at them.  They bared their toothless grins at her even so.  :)

We paid a visit to Farrah’s fave thrift store where we each came out with some great seconds.  I scored this huge round mirror for 8 bucks:Once I get my DIY tentacles on it, it’s former self will be long gone but that’s a ‘reflection’ for another day.

We also put the childrens through an hour long hunt through the treasured clearance racks at Target where I walked out with not one, but two more pairs of colored jeans (dark green and mint, in case you’re wondering)…I think I’m addicted.  Anybody else like their lower extremities screaming bright, bold colors?  Anybody else just plain addicted to Target?

We also engaged in an extremely hilarious, pee-your-pants-laughing episode reading Raquel’s diaries out loud.  In a nutshell, she hated my guts as a child, only kind-of hated Farrah’s, was in love with a few lucky boys (referring to herself a few times as Mrs. ‘insert-crush’s-last-name’), wrote to dear diary like dear diary was an actual person, and wore a couple of my rings to school one day back in ‘93 and left them there, very unbeknownst to mwah.  However, she did ask dear diary “What should I do?”  It’s unknown if a response was ever given.  (Sorry Rock.  Am I sharing too much?  I just can’t help myself!)

Then of course we dove into a few projects like making a custom dress form for Farrah out of duck tape.  She’s sure to give you the scoop but here’s a glimpse: (Face mask worn to guard a sensitive nose from the not so sensitive smell of Dollar Store duck tape.)

And then there’s the time when we concocted a face mask goo along with teeth whitening solution (equal parts baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and water apparently) and added to the two the strict placement of some cucumber slices, and thennnn broke out the camera to get this: We’re crazy and we know it.  :)

Well, the week flew by and before we knew it we were saying our goodbye’s and hitting the road home when we spotted a helicopter on the highway.  Look:

 

And that’s that.  But, me being me, you’re not getting away without some home-related eye candy I spied.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, my sister is one of the most creative people I know and her home is full of the stuff.  Her and Patrick’s little abode is so bright and cheery that I couldn’t resist snapping a couple pictures of it. 

One of the coolest areas of their house is their stairwell, where they smartly put up these shelves, one side resting on a bracket and the other on the slant of the wall.  So pretty, right?

And then there’s the perfect for fall bunting Farrah made with some burlap and twine and hung over a large mirror in their living room.  Love it and just might have to copy it.    

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For me it’s back to the grinding stone, where there’s a big nursery project waiting to be completed!  I hope everyone had as great of a week as I did and an even better weekend!  I’ve got some three months pictures of the tots to share this week and hopefully some quick takes to squeeze in on Friday so keep in touch!

Adios!