I'm a huge fan of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia - and the crazy part is, I became a fan as an adult. I remember reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in elementary school, and enjoying it, but its the allegory to God's story that captivates me the most.
I just found out (thanks to this post) that the newest movie adapted from the series, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, is set to be released on December 10, and I can't wait.
Watch the trailer here:
10 things i learned from my dad.
In honor of my dad, on Father's Day, I thought I post just a few of the lessons I've learned from him.
- When its a good friend's house, you don't have to knock.
- The best way to practice hospitality is just to be yourself.
- There's a pretty cool world out there, and it's worth seeing.
- Sometimes the value of a thing is actually more about the story behind it.
- It's important to love with your actions - it's also important to say the words.
- God is far bigger than doctors and ouija boards, and anything else really.
- You don't just go to church on Sunday morning, you get involved.
- There's a lot of joy to be found in something you made yourself.
- Lots of relationships are built, and maintained, over a meal.
- Nothing can cheer you up like a hug.
Bermuda, 1994
testing paint finishes.
The other frame I've been working on (you can see the two others here) is for a surfboard print I bought for my bedroom. Three years ago. Which is kind of embarassing.
I used a couple of rustic pine 1x2 furring strips, and this plan from Knock-Off Wood (which is a crazy-inspiring site, and one of the main reasons I wanted to buy a nailer and compressor for my birthday).
So - this was one of those frustrating projects where nothing seeemed to go right. I won't go in to the details, except to say that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the plans - I just made several mistakes. Luckily, 1x2s are really cheap - and now I have scraps for future projects (or even more, smaller frames).
So, here are the options:
By the way, these are a lot less subtle in person. At least, I think so.
I used a couple of rustic pine 1x2 furring strips, and this plan from Knock-Off Wood (which is a crazy-inspiring site, and one of the main reasons I wanted to buy a nailer and compressor for my birthday).
So - this was one of those frustrating projects where nothing seeemed to go right. I won't go in to the details, except to say that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the plans - I just made several mistakes. Luckily, 1x2s are really cheap - and now I have scraps for future projects (or even more, smaller frames).
The tricky part has been deciding on what finish I want to use. I knew I wanted something basically white and rustic - but not barn rustic, more beach rustic. I looked at a lot of information online and came up with a few different possibilities, but couldn't decide which to try. Until it occurred to me to actually test them one of those scrap pieces of wood. (I know, sometimes my problem-solving abilities astound even me).
So, here are the options:
By the way, these are a lot less subtle in person. At least, I think so.
- A whitewash finish, using watered-down white primer (using the instructions here)
- A dark stain, followed by a coat of white paint on top and sanded off
- A coat of white paint, distressed, then dark stain on top as a kind of glaze
Option 2 didn't really work the way I expected. I started by applying the stain, letting it sit for a while, then wiping it off. After a couple more hours, I rubbed the edge of a candle along the some of the edges (I read that somewhere as a trick for distressing - the paint isn't supposed to adhere to the candle wax, meaning those are the areas that are easily sanded off). Then, I added a couple of coats of white paint. Once everything was dry, I started sanding the edges - and the stain sanded right off, too. Which wasn't really the look I was going for.
I liked the results of option 3, but when I held my test board up in my room with the print, I didn't really like it. I have another project in mind where I think this finish will look great. (To do this, I applied two coats of white paint, sanded off the corners, then painted on a bit of stain and wiped it immediately off almost right away.)
I liked option 1 the best - so that's what I decided to go with. I'm still not totally sold on it - the color is a little too white, I think, especially with everything else in the room. But I'm going to live it for a while until I decide for if I want to change it. At least its finally hanging up in my bedroom!
project inspiration (vol 1).
Just a few of the projects I've seen lately that are inspiring me:
DIY garden chandelier from Ecologue - I'm trying to convince my sister to let me create something like this for her outdoor reception in August - I think it would look amazing hanging above the railing on her deck.
Old window turned display frame from 71 toes - I already have a thing for making stuff from old window frames (exhibit a, b, and c), and I'd definitely like to do this with a huge window I have in the garage. Choosing photos will be the hard part.
Front door quote from Apartment Therapy - I've been thinking of quote ideas for my front door, whenever I figure out what I'm actually going to do with it. Love this one!
Hidden cabinet inspiration board from Young House Love - I'm definitely doing this, as I think I already have all the pieces I would need at home!
Greenhouse window from Martha Stewart - One of the few things I regret about renovating my kitchen 4 years ago is that I didn't plan for a deeper window sill (and the gooseneck faucet that I love makes adding one impossible). Something like this might would be a great way to add space for growing herbs in the window.
DIY garden chandelier from Ecologue - I'm trying to convince my sister to let me create something like this for her outdoor reception in August - I think it would look amazing hanging above the railing on her deck.
Old window turned display frame from 71 toes - I already have a thing for making stuff from old window frames (exhibit a, b, and c), and I'd definitely like to do this with a huge window I have in the garage. Choosing photos will be the hard part.
Front door quote from Apartment Therapy - I've been thinking of quote ideas for my front door, whenever I figure out what I'm actually going to do with it. Love this one!
Hidden cabinet inspiration board from Young House Love - I'm definitely doing this, as I think I already have all the pieces I would need at home!
Greenhouse window from Martha Stewart - One of the few things I regret about renovating my kitchen 4 years ago is that I didn't plan for a deeper window sill (and the gooseneck faucet that I love makes adding one impossible). Something like this might would be a great way to add space for growing herbs in the window.
frames for the dining room.
Two of the things I wanted to finish this weekend were the frames for the dining room.
I've had these two prints up for ever - one I bought on Arbat in Moscow in February 2009 (I made a simple frame for it here), and the other is a view of Baker Park from well-known (at least in Frederick) artist Harry Richardson. I purchased the latter while at the Maryland Christmas Show with my mom, sisters, and nephew last November.
With Victor's guidance, I picked up select pine 1x2s at Home Depot - its a lot smoother than rough pine, but provides a smoother finish when staining than oak. After cutting each piece to size, I attached them using the nail gun I bought with birthday money.
finishing.
The theme for this weekend is finishing:
- Finishing the frames I made for my dining room.
- Finishing stripping the back of the front door.
- Finishing turning a thrift store jewelry box into a charging station.
- Finishing the Bridge Kids lesson plans for June.
- Finishing the dining room window treatments.
- Finishing and mailing our support letters for Gabon.
kristin's journal.
My friend Kristin is graduating from high school tomorrow, and I wanted to make her something special for a gift.
We've spent a lot of time over the past year talking about taking risks, and moving outside of your comfort zone. Kristin has followed God's leading this year to do so many things that have scared her to death, but she's followed anyway, and learned so much about faith in the process.
I spent some time looking online for a journal or notebook that would speak to all of that. When I didn't have any luck, I decided to make my own - and this is the finished result!
I love how it turned out - even better than the picture I had in my head.
In addition to the cover, there are three dividers inside as well, each covered with a different piece of patterned paper. Most of the inside pages are blank, but the first page of each section has a quote that reminded me of Kristin.
I also added a pocket inside the front and back covers - the front has a little note from me to Kristin, and back containers several scrapbooking photo corners, in case she wants to add photos to some of the pages.
The best part? I used a children's board book I bought at the thrift store for the covers and dividers, thanks to this inspiration from Nap Time Journal on cheap chipboard albums. I just covered used a box cutter to carefully separate the pages, then covered the pictures of the Little Mermaid with scrapbook paper.
I'm so happy with the end result, and can't wait to give it to Kristin tonight!
Edited to add: I'm linking this up to Feature Yourself Friday.
We've spent a lot of time over the past year talking about taking risks, and moving outside of your comfort zone. Kristin has followed God's leading this year to do so many things that have scared her to death, but she's followed anyway, and learned so much about faith in the process.
I spent some time looking online for a journal or notebook that would speak to all of that. When I didn't have any luck, I decided to make my own - and this is the finished result!
I love how it turned out - even better than the picture I had in my head.
In addition to the cover, there are three dividers inside as well, each covered with a different piece of patterned paper. Most of the inside pages are blank, but the first page of each section has a quote that reminded me of Kristin.
I also added a pocket inside the front and back covers - the front has a little note from me to Kristin, and back containers several scrapbooking photo corners, in case she wants to add photos to some of the pages.
The best part? I used a children's board book I bought at the thrift store for the covers and dividers, thanks to this inspiration from Nap Time Journal on cheap chipboard albums. I just covered used a box cutter to carefully separate the pages, then covered the pictures of the Little Mermaid with scrapbook paper.
I'm so happy with the end result, and can't wait to give it to Kristin tonight!
Edited to add: I'm linking this up to Feature Yourself Friday.
new recipes, part 4.
Almost there! These are recipes (goal #14) 16-21:
Baby Red Potato Salad
Even before I cared about the fat content of the food I was eating, I wasn't a fan of thick and heavy mayonnaise-based salads, and this version is good. I made this for as Easter picnic with friends.
Veggie Stuffed Bell Peppers
Very good, and very filling! I did a couple of things differently, just to fit my tastes - I used twice the amount of brown rice (I don't use white rice at all anymore), and I left out the mushrooms. And although I made up the entire amount of filling, I only made two peppers at first, since I wasn't sure how well they would reheat. I put the rest of the filling in the refrigerator, and made up more the next night.
Black Bean and Corn Relish
I found this recipe when I was looking for a way to create Chick-fil-A's Southwest Chargrilled Salad. Salads make for easy weekday lunches, because I can marinate and broil several chicken breasts over the weekend, and the salads are easy to put together in the morning. And if a salad has enough liquid-y stuff, then I don't add dressing to it at all. This recipe has a bit more kick than Chick-fil-A's (but not so much that the average non-spicy-food-wimpy person would probably notice). I added it to a mix of salad greens, tequila lime marinated chicken, and a bit of salsa.
Strawberry Bread
I've made strawberry bread before, but it didn't turn out as tasty as I thought it would, so I decided to try another recipe. The batter was more dry than I expected, but I decided to trust the recipe. When I checked on the bread after 35 minutes, it was bubbling up over the sides on the pan (and some had fallen to the bottom of the oven). I tested it with a toothpick to see if it was done, and since the toothpick came out clean, I took the pan out of the bread to let it cool. When I went back, it had fallen, and it really hadn't cooked all the way through.
I'm not sure exactly what went wrong, but the parts of the bread that were cooked were really good, so I think I'll be trying this again. Next time I think I might use a bit more baking soda, full the pans a bit less, and definitely let it cook longer.
Fruit Salsa
So easy - I'll definitely be using this one again! I made mine with pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, and blackberries, then added lime juice and some sugar.
Baked Cinnamon Chips
Also easy, and goes great with fruit salsa.
Baby Red Potato Salad
Even before I cared about the fat content of the food I was eating, I wasn't a fan of thick and heavy mayonnaise-based salads, and this version is good. I made this for as Easter picnic with friends.
Veggie Stuffed Bell Peppers
Very good, and very filling! I did a couple of things differently, just to fit my tastes - I used twice the amount of brown rice (I don't use white rice at all anymore), and I left out the mushrooms. And although I made up the entire amount of filling, I only made two peppers at first, since I wasn't sure how well they would reheat. I put the rest of the filling in the refrigerator, and made up more the next night.
Black Bean and Corn Relish
I found this recipe when I was looking for a way to create Chick-fil-A's Southwest Chargrilled Salad. Salads make for easy weekday lunches, because I can marinate and broil several chicken breasts over the weekend, and the salads are easy to put together in the morning. And if a salad has enough liquid-y stuff, then I don't add dressing to it at all. This recipe has a bit more kick than Chick-fil-A's (but not so much that the average non-spicy-food-wimpy person would probably notice). I added it to a mix of salad greens, tequila lime marinated chicken, and a bit of salsa.
Strawberry Bread
I've made strawberry bread before, but it didn't turn out as tasty as I thought it would, so I decided to try another recipe. The batter was more dry than I expected, but I decided to trust the recipe. When I checked on the bread after 35 minutes, it was bubbling up over the sides on the pan (and some had fallen to the bottom of the oven). I tested it with a toothpick to see if it was done, and since the toothpick came out clean, I took the pan out of the bread to let it cool. When I went back, it had fallen, and it really hadn't cooked all the way through.
I'm not sure exactly what went wrong, but the parts of the bread that were cooked were really good, so I think I'll be trying this again. Next time I think I might use a bit more baking soda, full the pans a bit less, and definitely let it cook longer.
Fruit Salsa
So easy - I'll definitely be using this one again! I made mine with pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, and blackberries, then added lime juice and some sugar.
Baked Cinnamon Chips
Also easy, and goes great with fruit salsa.
stripping.
Last weekend I started (in earnest) what is probably the most insane DIY project I've ever tried.
I'm stripping my front door.
This is all a part of the process of fixing up the outside of my house. I'm still not sure of the end result (and I'll probably change my mind many more times), but I do have this idea of a beautiful, imperfect, warm wooden door.
I'm not entirely sure I can pull it off, but I figure, in the worst case scenario, I just repaint it.
Its a long process. I'm using CitrusStrip, so that I can work on the door in pieces without needing to take it off the hinges yet. I started with an all-over coat last weekend, and scraped off the easy parts - any place where the door is basically flat. During the week I've been sticking to only a small section at a time, since I only have my evenings free to do it. All of the detail work is tricky - its hard to get in there really well. I'm doing the best I can, and then thinking of taking my Dremel to it to handle the finer points.
Its a very messy job, and my house smells faintly of a slightly-off orange scent.
I'm planning to do the big parts this weekend, then hopefully start working at the details in earnest throughout next week. Once I've done as much as I can with the door in place, I'll pick a weekend to take it down and stain it. This is what the inside looks like today (the bottom section has stripper on it - I'll start scraping there in a few hours):
I'm stripping my front door.
This is all a part of the process of fixing up the outside of my house. I'm still not sure of the end result (and I'll probably change my mind many more times), but I do have this idea of a beautiful, imperfect, warm wooden door.
I'm not entirely sure I can pull it off, but I figure, in the worst case scenario, I just repaint it.
Its a long process. I'm using CitrusStrip, so that I can work on the door in pieces without needing to take it off the hinges yet. I started with an all-over coat last weekend, and scraped off the easy parts - any place where the door is basically flat. During the week I've been sticking to only a small section at a time, since I only have my evenings free to do it. All of the detail work is tricky - its hard to get in there really well. I'm doing the best I can, and then thinking of taking my Dremel to it to handle the finer points.
Its a very messy job, and my house smells faintly of a slightly-off orange scent.
I'm planning to do the big parts this weekend, then hopefully start working at the details in earnest throughout next week. Once I've done as much as I can with the door in place, I'll pick a weekend to take it down and stain it. This is what the inside looks like today (the bottom section has stripper on it - I'll start scraping there in a few hours):
words.
I'm a sucker for words - quotes and cards and inspirational messages.
These are some of my favorites:
Red Letter Words
Curly Girl Design
Compendium (Live Inspired)
These are some of my favorites:
Red Letter Words
Curly Girl Design
(She Packed Up Her Potential, The World Is Full Of People, Close Your Eyes)
Compendium (Live Inspired)
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