It’s Not Just For Wrapping Meat

My household sister, Jerilyn, recently introduced me to the wonderful world of freezer paper .  In particular, the wonderful world of freezer paper stenciling.  Way back when, when we announced sprout numero three was on his/her way, I used this technique to get the numbers 1, 2, and 3 onto some onesies and a tee.

 

First, I traced the numbers by placing a piece of freezer paper over a Word document on which I had picked out a 1, 2, and 3 in a font I liked.  I trace really, really lightly so as not to damage our ancient computer’s screen (heaven forbid) and I also lay the screen back and flat so that I wasn’t tracing while holding the paper up.  Make sense?

Then I cut out each number and number sign with an exacto knife.  Remember that any pieces that are unattached/floating, like the inside of my number sign or the insides of a’s, e’s, o’s, etc, will need to be saved and set in place before ironing!!

Next up I whipped out the ironing board and it’s kin, laid the stencil over each article of clothing I was doing (a onesie in this case), and ironed it on by pressing on each area of paper for about 7 seconds or so.

Oh yeah, and I made sure to stick some wax paper in between the front and back of the onesie/tee so the paint didn’t seep through!

Once the paper cooled, I made sure it was completely stuck to the onesie and sponged some gold paint (Martha Stewart from Home Depot – the same paint I used on this mirror) onto the stencil.

I did all three numbers at once and ripped the stencils off right after I was done sponging the last one, while the paint was still wet.

The marvelous thing about freezer paper stenciling is that the options are ennndlesssssss…  For real yo.  And, the finished product is washable (assuming you use permanent paint).  So cool.  I’ll never use iron-on designs again.

Here are some outtakes of our little announcement photo shoot just for a giggle and to show-off those freezer paper wonders:
[What that “sexy” toss of the hair looks like mid-action.]


[Somebody forgot to tell C she was supposed to be involved in a staring contest.]

Turns out that pressing the self-timer button while holding a baby and then running to the scene of the pictorial in a maxi skirt in time to make a lasting shot isn’t my strong suit, Cecilia has two…nope, one facial expression (getta loada those cheeks!), and lighting DOES make a difference.

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So, anyone else have some freezer paper stencils goin’ on?  If so, on what?  Clothes, curtains, bags, hats…the medium and design options are endless and that my friends, is awesome.  :)

P.S.  The twins are ONE!!!  We went on a birthday excursion to the zoo because they are absolutely enamored by animals and it was oh-so-fun!!!  I’ll get a post up all about it asap!

Multiple Personalities?

Self-contradictory?  Hypocritical?  Mood swings?  Liar?  Just plain crazy?  Apparently it’s any and all for me since today I felt AWESOME (sing it)!  But didn’t I just get down and low with my woes and complaints to you all yesterday?  Yes, ‘twas me.  Funny thing is, that girl isn’t this girl today.  I’m owing it all to plain greek yogurt because that’s the only explanation this 360 degree spin has.  Maybe I’ve stumbled upon a new pregnancy sickness remedy?  Or maybe you all knew greek yogurt was key and just forgot to tell me?  Or maybe it’s all in my head but either way, today I could’ve conquered the world.  Let’s see, where to start…

I got up at the usual hour of seven-ish, awoken from slumber by one and then two girly cries coming from down zee hall.  Anthony was the martyr this morn, getting up first to change and out the girls from their white cages.  I lumbered in a few minutes later, put the tots in the living room amidst their pile of toys always strewn about, and sipped up the coffee Anthony brewed up.  It’s all pretty boring from there – breakfast for us, breakfast for them, more playing and making toy messes, dot dot dot.  Before he left for work, Anthony helped me carry our massive filing cabinet outside so I could give it a spray paint thrice over and during nap time is when all the motivation appeared, just like that.  I gave myself a goal to at least get the thing halfway painted but here I sit with it fully d.o.n.e  in our living room.  Not only did that get done, we’re having VIP company in next week and some furniture movage is necessary so my 14 week old womb mate and I moved one large club chair approx. 20 ft, moved a desk from one end of the house to another, disassembled a large box filled with a new desk, cleaned under our bed, purged our closet, messed around with blog design, did the girls laundry, washed cloth diapers, ate two more meals and various snacks in-between, made four pint-sized meals for the offspring, and I’m now sitting down to write a blog post.  What now?  Repaint the house?  Sheesh.  Pregnancy is a crazy thing it is. 

I don’t know why I feel the need to type this all out but maybe I’m hoping that spilling my brain guts will ensure that tomorrow and the next day will be the same.  Here’s to hoping, right?

Either way, I’ll keep you posted because I know you want to know ALL about my life. 

And just because I don’t believe in blog posts without pictures, even blurry ones:

In process:
 

The palette I’m envisioning for a forthcoming master mini-makeover:

A pow-wow we three had after nap time today:

Cheers to tomorrow!

Bleh

Blogger, me? I suppose so although lately the last thing I feel like doing is making things and painting things and then writing about the whole process-shmocess lest this damn (you know I'm serious when I utter one of "those" words) nausea, tummy-ache, whatever it is, plague me like it does starting around noon each day and coming to a nice head around nine at night. Morning sickness? Nope. My sickness is afternoon and night and basically during all times of the day when I could get something done because that's when nap times and bedtimes fall. Woe is me. I could write about the fact that yesterday was the first day I actually got dressed and let my hair down in days or I could write about how we're finally starting to purge away some of our "double" baby paraphernalia. You might love to know that Cecilia's taken to playing hide-and-seek behind any and all curtains she can reach in this house which has led to two (so far) curtain rods being almost pulled down. I know you're dying to know that we deeeep cleaned our living room this weekend and after that I didn't have the energy to do what I wanted to do which was spray paint a filing cabinet. Let's just hope that happens tomorrow however if I don't get started at the crack of dawn, I know it won't. Ugh, I thought first-trimester woes were supposed to stay in the first trimester. 

Anyway, I could complain to you all all day in some sing-songy writing but I'll stop and just tell you that I'm sorry if my blogging presence is a little limited for the next few weeks (dare I say months...no, I can't). I loved pregnancy with the twins and with this little one, well, I can't wait until he/she is here because my paint brush called and it'd really like a dip. Bear with me folks. I'll be back in the swing of things as soon as I possibly can. I've got a to-do list as long as a mile and I'm bound and determined to make some check marks. Until then, feast your eyes upon those which are driving me crazy and fall in love all at the same time: 

(P.S. Sorry the video is sideways...I'm too tired to figure out how to rotate it.)

Nice and Clean Clean

Well I celebrated the entrance of trimester dos of this pregnancy by snatching up a wonderful stomach bug (possible food poisoning?) which left me lurching over a bucket at the beginning of this week.  It was great and made the nausea I experienced during the first trimester seem trivial and minute.  I know it wasn’t pregnancy-related, but I truly empathize and am so sorry for all you women who have nausea enough to make you throw-up during pregnancy.  I wouldn’t wish that upon even my worst enemies.  Yuck, yuck, yuck! 

Anyway, on to bigger and better things now that I’m back to my usual self…Praise God.  I washed the kitchen rug!!!  It’s still just as snazzy as it was before it’s washing too!

Here’s what it looked like in the few days after I painted it:

(taken from the original posts – patterned side and striped side)

And here’s what it looks like now, after it’s first wash:

The only difference, except it being much cleaner, is that the washing fluffed up the fibers a bit causing the stripes to appear aittle lighter.  To avoid this next time, I’ll probably pre-wash any rug I’m planning on painting first so that it’s nice and fluffy when the paint goes on.  That way, the paint will hit every fiber while it’s at it’s perkiest.

Since it’s made of cotton, all I did was throw it in our washer on a warm cycle with some regular old detergent (Era in case you want all the deets) and let it air dry.  Easy peasy.

Anyway, I’m hoping to check in tomorrow with progress on the next project.  It involves a filing cabinet and some spray paint.  Fun stuff as usual!  TGIF!!!!!

In Sight, In Mind

I’m one of those people that NEEDS to have a to-do list to get anything accomplished.  I don’t know if it’s an OCD list tendency or just a love of the satisfaction of “checking” something off, but I work so much better and get so much more done when I have a list to look at.  For this purpose, I grabbed the cutest gold striped calendar notebook on super clearance at Target a couple of months ago but guess what happens?  I write my to-do list out, lay the notebook down somewhere,  forget to check it, little gets done, things get forgotten, “outta sight, outta mind”, yadda yadda yadda…

So I finally got smart and made a dry-erase board to-do list this week. 

Here’s da story:

I grabbed a picture frame (I think it’s “document size”) that I bought from the dollar store several years ago.  It was originally wood but I spray painted it white right after I bought it.  After being moved and stored, it needed a touch-up coat so I quickly gave it a light sanding (fine grit sanding block) and gave it a thin coat of white spray paint I had on hand.

Next, I cut a piece of scrapbook paper I snagged a couple of months ago at Michael’s to fit inside the frame and be a background.

Then, using regular ‘ole super glue, I glued four semi-strong magnets (Lowe’s) to the cardboard backing of the frame.

Like dis:
 
I glued them right to the cardboard knowing if I ever wanted to, I could simply rip them off and reuse them else, albeit probably with a little cardboard residue on the backs but no big deal, right?

The glued dried within minutes so I happily scribbled down my jobs for the day (top) and week (bottom) with a dry-erase marker and pranced over to stick her on the fridge.  A full dose of motivation, coming right up.  Seriously.  It took me from lazy pregnant with a side of sleepy to crazy with a stick of a few magnets and the squeak of a marker…miraculous I tell ya. 

 

It was the perfect addition to our little “organization station” – a calendar (I made it on Microsoft Publisher…such an easy DIY), the to-do list, keys, a magnetic notepad we use for making grocery lists (I loathe grocery shopping btw), and invitations (No, we’re not that popular.  Most of those are old and we just hang on to them for sentimental purposes).  I might have to grab a little vase or something, stick a magnet to it, and stick it to the fridge to hold pens and dry-erase markers.  For now though, they’re tucked away in the drawer below.  As for the magnetic hooks holding everything on,  I got those on clearance at Target awhile ago and they’re awesome.  I know they still sell them.  I’m still dreaming of a way to disguise this black side of the fridge (bead board?) so we’ll see if that ever comes true too!  A piece of bead board and some more magnets shouldn’t be so hard to whip up someday. 

(Ack!  Sorry for the fuzzy pictures…there is not one but zero DSLR whisperers in this hizouse.)

Anyone else a do-er only with a list telling them what to do?  What about grocery shopping?  Anybody willing to do mine?  I’ll feed you…  Oh but wait, I hate to cook too… 

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Have a great weekend!! 

P.S.  I washed the rug!  The number one asked question that came up after it’s YHL debut was if it was washable.  Yes it is.  Yes I did – yesterday.  Yes, it still looks like it did the day I painted it.  Stay tuned for a whole post on it next week!