Archive for June, 2010
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
I’ve always had a little piece of my heart in Finland. I didn’t know too much about the country or its residents. I could locate it on a map and spot the Finnish flag in a heartbeat. I heard the language is one of the most difficult to learn. The Winters are quite cold and long and dark. Lots of blonde hair and blue eyes. Stuff like that.
Even with little knowledge, I’ve been fond of Finland all my life and this is because my dad spent 2.5 years of his young adult life living there. I always knew he loved Finland. And because he loved it, I wanted to love it too.
And now I can confirm: I love Finland.
David and I just returned from an incredible experience there. (My blog posts from the past couple weeks were scheduled to post so I didn’t completely disappear.) We visited my parents who are currently there serving a church mission. We experienced Finland in so many ways. I have thoughts, ideas, tips, and of course photos to share. But first — I have lots of other important things to do: mainly love on my kiddos and catch up on laundry.
In the meantime, check out this bag.
So cute, right? It had me at hello. And I thought maybe one of you would like it too. So I bought two in Lahti, Finland. One for me and one for … could it be you? There’s only one way to find out. Leave your first name, city, and state in the comments. It’s a homecoming giveaway! Woo-hoo for cute bags and just-because giveaways. : )
U.S. shipping address only. I will choose someone at random and announce the winner on Friday.
Tags: bag, Finland, finnish flag, purse
Posted in style & design, travel | 1,593 Comments »
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
When you think of taking birthday party pictures, you think of taking pictures of the party, right? Sure! Makes sense. Absolutely.
But what about adding some different angles to shake things up a bit? What else is there at the party? The cake, dirty dishes, wrapping paper thrown about. (Of course this goes beyond birthday parties.) Think outside the box with your angles behind the lens.
Here’s the tip: Take your “normal” picture of … whatever you’re taking a picture of. And then … step back. And maybe step back even farther. Take a picture of surroundings. What would be the traditional “subject” is now in the background and slightly out of focus. Bam!
Absolutely get a traditional shot of the bride and groom at the wedding. But also try backing up and see what else is going on, like a dozen other friends and family members trying to get a picture too.
Capture kids doing whatever it is that they do, but try capturing it from the kids’ perspective instead of just standing in the corner of the room.
Tags: birthday, candles, party
Posted in photography | 20 Comments »
Saturday, June 19th, 2010
For the record, I do think this frame in its original form is quite lovely. But with all the color in our home, it was out of place — the color, that is. I think I got this frame at WalMart years ago. Can’t remember for sure, but I think it’s a really terrific frame and I wasn’t about to get rid of it.
Instead, I gave it a simple facelift. I went for pink on this and I love it. The name of the color is Berry Pink (Rust-Oleum brand; got it at Home Depot).
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Folks, that’s a wrap on spray-painting inspiration for now. If you want more ideas, keep scrolling down. If you missed Monday’s post, definitely get my free download (handout) that has spray-painting tips, techniques, and tid-bits. Go here.
Now go on. Find something that is ready for a little color makeover and have fun!
Tags: berry pink, frame, spray paint
Posted in DIY, home, style & design | 16 Comments »
Friday, June 18th, 2010
Yesterday was June 17th. An “ordinary” summer day. No holiday or major event or giant task. Lots of little to-do’s. But woke up feeling like it was going to be a good day. So I decided that it would indeed be … a good day.
And it was. Because every day just is.
Today, I encourage you to pay closer attention to the little reasons why it’s a good day for you. And then – of course – record it. Whether in words or pictures. Whether in a journal or on a blog or telling a loved one over the phone. I believe that when we record our blessings, we’re just become that much more aware of them. And therefore … happier.
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There are a million reasons why yesterday was a good day in my little world. Here are ten.
1. Good old-fashioned hose-down. You go, Claire. Take ‘em down sister. Note #1: This was very impromptu; hence the fully-clothed boys. Note #2: I assure you I do comb my daughter’s hair.
2. Daily drawings continue. Today Porter drew a custom space boy for everyone. So grateful for such good friends in our community. Good families. Good kids. Good people.
3. I caught up on four loads of laundry. Very good indeed.
4. I got to do a little unexpected spray-painting to help a friend with a little project. For sure good! Spray-painting is always a good thing. Helping someone in a pinch is even better.
5. Crew stood up in the bath and very intentionally – with a smirk on his face – body-slammed into the water, creating a tidal wave effect that covered my bathroom floor. The little stink. But my sense of humor won over my frustration in that moment and I’m grateful. We all had a good laugh over that one. Unfortunately this encouraged Crew to want to repeat the act.
6. David had a long day at work so the kids and I packed up a few plates of O’Henrys and surprised a few friends with a “hello” and a hug and these. It’s always good to tell someone you’re thinking of them.
7. One of those recipients is a brand-new friend. Meet Brenda Reed. Adorable, right? She really is. So is her little family. She is local to me. I knew she frequents my blog and follows me on twitter. I knew she has been diligent with Project Life and I’ve seen many of her POTDs (posted on her blog). They’re terrific. I thought it would be a good day to stop by her house and meet her. With O’Henrys in hand. It was indeed a pleasure.
8. When I saw this picture of us I noticed far more wrinkles than I realized I had. Like … a lot more. Sometimes I still think I’m 25?? BUT … I’m okay with that. Because wrinkles are good. Don’t hate me for saying that. I think wrinkles represent evolution and growth and add character to our features.
9. This evening I was properly put in my place. Being humbled is always good, right? Porter wanted to spend his money on this dumb machine at WalMart. We’ve never done it here before, but I’m quite familiar with how these machines work. And so I firmly expressed it.
“Porter, let me tell you something. It’s your money, but I want you to know how strongly I feel that this machine steals people’s mon—-”
Literally right at that moment, the darn grabber thing grabbed a toy. The look on Porter’s face was pure elation. And I knew that moment was golden for him. Because kids need to know that sometimes Mom is wrong. Sometimes Mom needs to have more faith.
Oh, and he immediately gave the toy to Claire. Because he’s that kind of a big brother.
10. Claire told me she loved me more than the marshmallows in her Lucky Charms. If you knew what those marshmallows mean to my four-year-old you would understand why I wanted to melt into a puddle on the spot.
That moment alone made for an instantly good day.
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This is the stuff of life. This is the stuff we put in Project Life. This is why I care so much about Project Life.
(Fine print: Those of you who have been patiently waiting for Project Life to become available again … we’re getting close. Hopefully just a few more weeks. I’ll be sure to announce when those kits arrive at Amazon.)
Tags: before & after, brenda reed, friends, good day, kids' art, love, o'henrys, Project Life, spray paint, summer, trampoline, walmart, wrinkles
Posted in family & children, giving, photography | 27 Comments »
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
Napkins and fruit. Two essential things in our kitchen. This is how I did a quick makeover on a couple of our kitchen accessories. This napkin holder was a part of a set we got at Costco a while back. Thousands of families have the same one in their kitchen. (Oh Costco, we love you.) It was time to bid farewell to the black and give it a fresh coat of green. Key Lime, to be exact.
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I found this at Home Goods recently. It holds our non-refrigerated fruit on top of our kitchen bar. The change is subtle. It was a weathered & worn white and now, after a little love from a metallic spray paint, it is silver.
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You’ll notice I didn’t do any distressing on either one of these pieces. They both have a clean, glossy finish. The end.
For spray-painting tips, techniques, and tid-bits be sure to get the free download in Monday’s post here.
Tags: fruit, kitchen, napkin holder, spray paint
Posted in DIY, home, style & design | 12 Comments »
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
I came across this piece on clearance at Roberts (a craft store in Utah) earlier this year. Didn’t love the color but it screamed painting potential! I loved that the frame came with an adjustable stand and I loved the texture.
A few things to note:
1. The name of that reddish-orange color of spray paint is Paprika, purchased at our local Home Depot. It’s such a bold, pretty color.
2. Love the contrast with the stand which is now white.
3. In the before shot, that’s just something random that Porter drew and wanted me to put in a frame. Apparently it’s an asteroid hitting the ocean. Pool little fishies.
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For spray-painting tips, techniques, and tid-bits be sure to get the free download in Monday’s post here.
Tags: frame, paprika, spray paint, stand
Posted in DIY, home, style & design | 9 Comments »
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
Today’s spray-painting inspiration features sun yellow which I picked it up at Home Depot. I have no idea where I got this first piece. I’ve had it for years and now I like it all over again. That’s the beauty of spray paint, isn’t it?
I want to point out something important: If you spray-paint something and it looks very … “spray-painted” (read: flat color) it probably calls for a little distressing. This adds depth, dimension, and interest to the piece you’ve painted. You can go really subtle and light so you hardly notice it. You can go crazy and get a very weathered look. Or you can go for something in the middle.
This shows you what the bowl looked like painted before (left) and during (right) the distressing. I just used a little piece of sandpaper. Super easy.
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I found this little number at Hobby Lobby. After rolling my kitchen washcloths for a dozen years, I have switched to an old-fashioned stack next to the sink. So I was really pleased to find this shape & size. It just begged for a coat of a happier color.
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We’ve had these topiaries for quite some time. Don’t remember where we got them, but they’ve been feeling pretty drab lately. Until now.
This is how I prepped each topiary before painting: Plastic bag and some tape protected the greenery. I wasn’t worried about paint getting on the moss because it needed to have a little fresh layer added on top anyway.
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For spray-painting tips, techniques, and tid-bits be sure to get the free download in yesterday’s post below.
Tags: kitchen washcloths, spray paint, topiaries, yellow
Posted in DIY, home, style & design | 12 Comments »
Monday, June 14th, 2010
I’ve blogged about spray-painting here and here and here. Because I think it’s awesome. And easy. And frugal. And creative. Yet simple. And fun.
If you’ve never tried spray-painting, this just may be the time you give it a try. I’ve put a whole bunch tips & tricks into a document for your convenience. Share it with anyone that might be interested in giving it a try. Get a group of friends together for a spray-painting pow-wow and print copies for everyone. You have my permission to use and distribute this handout. Go for it. Spread the love. : )
Each day this week I’ll be sharing little pieces of inspiration to get the wheels a-spinnin’ in your head.
Note: This handout is 2 pages or print it front/back of a single sheet. When you click on that link, you may have to click on the red “spray-painting tips” again and that will pull up the pdf.
(The fonts I used for this handout are SNF Lollihop (found here) and Gill Sans (which I use all the time … just came on my Mac I think?). And that lamp? That’s part of the DB Good Company collection also found here.)
Tags: free download, how-to, instructions, spray paint
Posted in DIY, home, style & design | 38 Comments »
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