Tag Archives: orange

Me, Myself & I: First Edition

I thought I’d try something different today. I’ve been blogging for about 6 months, and I figured it’s time you learned a little more about  the girl behind the purple couches, err.. sitting on the purple couches? I dunno. Here’s some random tidbits about me!

I’m linking up with the Me, Myself & I party via My Beautiful Crazy Life.

What is your favorite season? Explain.

Hmmm..  there are aspects of every season that I love, but I think I will go with Spring. Why? The anticipation of “new”… the fact that Nature is suddenly in full Technicolor, the days get longer. And, Tom & I got married in the Spring (April 28, to be exact), and of course, that makes it a very special season 🙂

Me, in Portland, OR in 2006. Really excited to see tulips blooming.

Talk about a moment that changed your life.

A moment that sticks out the most was when I found out that my mom had lung cancer. She had gone in for a surgery – a biopsy for a spot on her lung that her doctors had been monitoring for years. The surgeon took my dad and me into a consulting room, and I knew immediately that his news wasn’t going to be “she’s all clear.” It was really surreal, having him tell me what I somehow already knew. I remember stopping for dinner on the way home that night. Being so hungry, but so unable to eat. Chewing seemed like an insurmountable task. I still find it a little difficult to eat at that restaurant. (I don’t want to end this on a sad note, though – my mom is healthy and in remission).

If you could be any Crayola crayon color, what would you be & why?

I would be Mango Tango, because oranges are warm, friendly and optimistic. Plus, this one is just fun to say!

Describe yourself as a superhero: Superpower? Name? Sidekick?

Gosh, there are so many super powers that would rock – like being able to do stuff in hyper-speed (like washing dishes), or to have a real Time-Turner like in Harry Potter. Or even just being able to grow really tall to reach things on the top shelf. Ha. That sounds lame. But when you can’t even clear 5′, it’s the little things that matter 😉

If you had all the money in the world and could only shop at 3 stores, where would you shop?

Oh boy, this is a tough one! For clothes, JCrew, because their cuts are classics, so you’d always be comfortable and stylish. For handbags, Michael Kors. Because I would have all the money in the world and not feel (too) guilty for spending $400 on a purse or a wallet. For homegoods, Pier 1, because there is always something fun and fabulous to be found.

Hope you enjoyed learning some random stuff about me! Check out the other Link Party-goers – maybe you’ll make some new friends 🙂

Signs of Fall

Ladies and Gentlemen, Fall has arrived! And maybe rather more quickly than I hoped/expected. It was 37-degrees (!) when I woke up this morning. Which practically qualifies for Winter. But, anywho… we celebrated the season’s arrival with a football-filled Sunday. We hosted a Bengals party, complete with beer cheese, Yuengling, taco soup-chili, and a specialty “Cider Cocktail” (thank you, Pinterest!).

It was a delicious Sunday 🙂

We’ve added some mums to the front porch. Once I get some new planters, pumpkins and a new wreath up on the front door, I’ll snap some pics to share!

Getting My Craft On

I have to confess something before I get on with this post.

I have a love/hate relationship with crafting. (whew! I said it)

I am easily seduced by DIY ideas. I imagine wildly creative sessions with editorial-worthy results. The reality? I usually jump into things without planning. I make huge messes. I get discouraged easily. I have a vision of the results that the reality never achieves (in my opinion). And to top it off, my husband has a ridiculously good eye and hand for crafting/drawing/design. Which usually means he completes the project to perfection as I pout in the corner (yes, I am totally embarrassed to admit this).

But I am determined to change this. First by carefully planning the craft before I even step foot in a Michaels or Hobby Lobby. And second by trying to remind myself to take things slowly and have patience throughout the process. It’s a work in progress, but so far, my new mantra has yielded a presentable front door wreath, and my latest endeavor: painted bowls to house office supplies on my desk.

The inspiration for these bowls came from the lovely Ez over at Creature Comforts. You can view her version here.

I wanted to play around with a few different dishes, so I purchased some basic white oven-safe ceramic/porcelain ones at Target, all for very reasonable prices. I couldn’t find the same brand of paints at my local Michaels crafts store that Ez had used, but I found a comparable brand that stated it would work on porcelain/ceramic. I knew I wanted pinks and oranges, since those are the colors I want to use in my office. I also picked up a metallic silver to add some bling, a variety pack of brushes, as well as small round sponging brushes, all from Michael’s.

I laid out all of my dishes, wiping them down with rubbing alcohol first to ensure they were clean.

And then I got to work! With a little planning first, of course! I started with the bowls, as they seemed easiest. I squirted a dollop of paint into the center, selected a brush (I used a fan brush for the pink and a more rectangular/basic brush for the orange) and started swirling paint up the sides.

I wanted to get more creative with the plate and the mug. After a failed attempt to stencil the plate AND the mug, I scraped the paint off and decided on an easier design: orange polka dots for the plate, using one of the sponging brushes, and pink chevrons for the mug. However, the chevrons didn’t turn out as planned either. After one sorry-looking row of zig-zags, I just went with the artistic swirly all-over brushstroke look. And then added some silver polka dots for good measure.

Here’s a finished shot, complete with office supplies!

I can’t wait to pull the rest of my office together!  I think these would look perfect on a white wood desk, mixed in with a bouquet of fresh flowers!

These would also be great for storing other little trinkets, keys, jewelry, etc. Or just as a colorful accent on a coffee table!

 

 

**Note: this paint is NOT food-safe! Please do not use it on dishes/items that you would serve food on/in.

There are two ways to “cure” this paint: the first is to let it air cure for 21 days; the second is to wait 48 hours, then place item(s) in a cold oven, set the temperature to 325-degrees, bake for 30 minutes, and allow to cool before removing. I intended to do the oven curing, but wound up letting them sit for 21 days.