Improving My Chest

"We must, we must, we must increase our bust." Sorry, that was for my mother and Aunts.

Anyway, I finally replaced the small wooden coffee table (IKEA) that I had throughout college with a beautiful chest that I painted in high school (was it high school mom?)--I wanted to strip the paint and bring the piece back to its original state, but that sounded hard.

So I followed an antiquing process from this blog that my mom likes, which turned out to be more time consuming than I anticipated. Mine turned out slightly different, but I was pleased with the result.

I gathered most of my materials from the coolest spot in town, the local Brady Street Hardware.

Materials:

Primer
Paint color of choice
Phone book pages/newspaper
Power Sander/Sanding block (I just used sandpaper and my hand)
Brown paint
Matte Medium/Mod Podge
Acrylic Sealer
Drop cloth helps (gets messy)
Wallpaper-crease-roller-thing-amabob

Before: 

After I sanded down the chest and wiped off all residue with a damp cloth, I began decoupaging phone book pages (I used a wallpaper-crease-roller-thing-amabob to smooth the wrinkles--roll over wax paper to avoid a mess).

I considered leaving the phone book chest as is. I liked the look of the text, but I was determined to carry on. Could be cool with significant newspaper clippings, magazine articles/photos, etc...something to consider.

Let the phone book table completely dry, I have little patience so I almost let it completely dry. Apply a coat of your primer and let that dry. And finally, my friends, apply your beautiful color choice and allow 4 hours or so to dry (refer to the directions on the can). Next, take your sander or hand and sandpaper and go to town on the chest. Paint will scrape off from the wrinkled, raised spots on the surface to create a sort of antique look. Fill in these cracks with watered down brown paint. I didn't really like the way this looked, so I used the paint sparingly, wiping off the excess as I went along.

 

Apply your sealer, let dry and then put stuff on it. Enjoy!

Baby Shower Gift

So enjoyed painting this alphabet on canvas with my friend Judy. We divided the canvas into 26 squares (these don't have to be perfect or even, we decided to vary the sizes) Then using graphite paper(found in craft store...like a carbon paper), we transferred letters on canvas.

Next, we painted letters using acrylics.  We actually decided our patterns and colors as we moved along row to row.  Then we sprayed with a gloss varnish to seal and protect the paint.  And finally trimmed with ribbon using a glue gun.

Supplies:
24 by 36 canvas
acrylic paint
variety of fonts (thank you Carly for pulling these off the computer)
graphite paper
ribbon
gloss varnish sealer

Personalized for Chrissy, Geoff, and baby

Baker House, Lake Geneva

After having a wonderful dinner on the porch at Bistro 220 in Lake Geneva,  we walked over to the newly renovated Baker House (previously Gilberts).  We were pleasantly surprised.  Greeted by the new owner Betheny and offered a tour,  we immediately felt her passion and  love of this Victorian home and its history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgnVut3cTXU 

info@bakerhouse1885.com

LAKESIDE DINING

LUXURY BAR & LOUNGE

Casual, come as you are dining.
We're dressed up so you don't have to be...

 

NEW Fall Hours:

CLOSED WEDNESDAY

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday 5pm~9pm

Thursday, Friday, Saturday 5pm~ 10pm
(Lounge Open Late)

Indulge yourself in
Lake Geneva's only

"Small Plate" dining establishment, where everything is perfectly portioned to satisfy all of your hungry desires...

327 Wrigley Drive • Downtown Lake Geneva • Wisconsin 53147 • Phone: (262) 248-4700 • Email:

Designed & Developed

I will be posting again tomorrow...life got in the way!

Love this engagement photo...Ashley and Shaun!

Wedding Card Box

Had fun making this wedding card box for my friend Linda's daughter(Emily).


                                                                        Before

Found this box at JoAnn Fabrics



I used spray adhesive to apply fabric to box.  Using a glue gun, I trimmed the seams with ribbon.



My friend Judy told me about monograms at JoAnn Fabrics that are embroidered and are peel and stick.



Used an x-acto knife to add slot before applying fabric.  Also attached a light(found in the floral section at craft stores) under lid so slot would illuminate, and box would not be mistaken for gift on the gift table.



                                                                                                               

Pumpkin Party

I grabbed this recipe from AllRecipes.com and made a few changes according to the comments. 

 Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil (sub 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup applesauce, 1/4 vegetable oil)
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar (sub 1 cup dark brown sugar, 2 cups white sugar)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I kept adding cinnamon through the process, probably more like 1 1/2 teaspoons, at least)
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• (add 1 teaspoon vanilla)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans (I used two 7x3 inch loaf pans and made six muffins with the addition of chocolate chips for fun).
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (I usually cook it for at least an hour, the middle always takes longer and tests my patience)

For an extra super good time, try making your own puree...I want to try this, have not found the time yet (that's no excuse, seems pretty easy): 

 

They were yummy moist. I did, however, overcook my muffins. Make sure you check on those after about 20 minutes-half hour as they tend to cook faster. Enjoy! 

Just for fun...check out this pumpkin farm/apple orchard we ventured to just outside of Milwaukee. There's a sweet corn maze, apple blaster, llamas, goats, popcorn, caramel apples, cider, hayride--it was the perfect fall day affair. They're open through October 31 if you're in the area. We'll be carving up our pumpkins on Sunday. Yippee!

 

 

Grilled Guacamole



Slice tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, lime, and avocado.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.



Grill (also add  garlic wrapped in foil)



Dice tomato, onion, avocado, jalapeno, and garlic. Mash and add lime juice and chopped cilantro.  Serve warm with tortilla chips and enjoy.



Something's in the Air

So, the first time I walked into my now favorite local winery, I noticed these delightful fixtures hanging above me.  Since then, I've been slightly obsessed, and even dragged my mother in to check them out one recent afternoon.  She, too, fell in love.

These wine glass clusters (Glasklasen) serve as both chandelier and functional art.  You can personalize your chandelier with glasses alike or of various colors, shapes and sizes, and with a clear bulb, it provides a most excellent ambiance wherever it hangs.

Quick history lesson:  Glasklasen is a product of Swedish art industry, designed by a team of two architects, Gunnar Cedervall and Bjorn Stillefors, and an industrial designer, Jorgen Pudeck.  The manufacturing takes place in Sweden, at a smithy dating from 1840.  The glasses are meant to be used and then replaced in the chandelier after being cleaned.  It comes in two sizes (16 and 40) and three different surface treatments; black lacquered, clear lacquered and chromium-plated.  16-glass version - $350; 40-glass version - $400.

Special shout out to the kind folk at Lush on Chicago Ave.  Y'all are swell human beings.

(And they will import these for you!)
http://www.lushwineandspirits.com/

The Eternal Art Project

Oh, hello, sister, mother, followers.  I began this project back in 2004, my junior year of college - and have not stopped.  The assignment was to take a book of your choice and, essentially, destroy it.  So, in my case, I took an old book of poems, and spent the year recreating it.

 The freedom involved in a project like this is liberating.  Everyday I contributed something new, whether it be a lyric, a photo, a drip of paint, pop-up art (that skill will never die, family) - whatever!  One of my favorites was actually creating a poem out of a poem.  Sneaky, I know.

The best part about this, as I mentioned, is that I still jot things down and paste things on.  Its a project for you to enjoy, for as long as you'd like to enjoy it. 

 Go get yourself a book and have some fun.

Iron Ons!

You must go out and purchase this iron on masterpiece-of-a-book. My lovely boyfriend picked this up for me at MoMA when he was in New York. Thank you. I can't remember the last time I ironed something onto my shirt, I probably had a side-pony. It felt so good! The book includes 20 sheets of decals ranging in size and subject. Lots of animals--my squirrel shirt appears below (dedicated to Mr. Squirrel Nutkin, of course). Owls, trees, buildings, buildings in trees, telephone wire, birds and a few alphabet pages with beautiful fonts. Yippee!

Washing instructions are listed inside. Turn inside out, cold wash gentle cycle, hang dry or run through dryer on low heat.

I took the photos after I already wore the shirt, that's why the decals look wrinkly...they turned out super duper.

Gifts of Love



My dad died Sept.1, 2009.  He is so missed.  In honor of dad I decided to make all my siblings  birthday gifts this year.  For my 4 brothers it was a CD of father/son songs.  I also put on the cover a sweet picture of each of them with dad.  The songs were:  Cat's in the Cradle(Harry Chapin), My Father's Eyes(Eric Clapton), My Father's Son(Joe Cocker), In the Living Years(Mike and the Mechanics), Leader of the Band(Dan Fogelberg), and Father and Son(Cat Stevens).  For my darling sisters, a collage on canvas:








Included parts of the Jewel song: "The Shape of You"
And Irish Prayer

An Irish Prayer

May God give you... For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet song, And an answer for each prayer.

An Irish Prayer

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

  



My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

 

I have one more gift for sister Maggie in November.

Ryan Hurley + Eric Mire "Save the Arts"

Celebrate Education Week by remembering the children who face a broken system with an urgency for change. The video above is a local representation of a national problem. Ryan Hurley is a spoken word poet and Eric Mire is a local musician. Their passion and artful illustration of the challenges of the Milwaukee public school system is refreshing when so many of us are doing so little. Let's act, okay?!

There are many things you can do to help. Here are a few for now. Post a comment if you have any thoughts/suggestions:

1. I saw the film Waiting for "Superman" last night at the Milwaukee Film Festival and I wanted to do something. If you pledge to see this film on the Website, you have the option to contribute monetarily--click on the link for details. Go see it!

2. DoSomething.org is a fine resource for change--volunteer in your community, post a project or start a club.

3. Americans for the Arts provides several advocacy tools and other opportunities to get involved in the promotion and support of arts education.

4. My mother watched this interview with Obama on the Today show...sounds interesting. Check out the video and then participate in the online discussion.

Room With a View



Life is good!




Overlooking 18th hole on Brute, Grand Geneva



Remote control candles

Love these candles!!!!  Below are remote control candles from Costco.  They are battery(included)operated and are made out of wax and vanilla scented.  The package includes nine candles in 3 sizes and costs around $29.00.

Gift of Name

I found it a pure joy painting these for gifts.  Here's how I did it:

1. 
   
   paint a background color with acrylic paint
2. 
   
   plan your design with a pencil
3. 
   
   paint
4. 
   
   apply photo copies with Mod Podge
5. 
   
   seal with Mod Podge or spray sealant
6. 
   
   when dry rub brown shoe polish with cloth around edges to antique
7. 
   
   add ribbon around edges
8. 
   
   embellish with ribbons and buttons






  

Wedding shower gifts

I love making wedding cakes for shower gifts.  I decopage photos, lyrics, monograms, etc. on round boxes I have painted from JoAnn Fabrics.  Add a little ribbon, pearls, and fresh flowers and it becomes a center piece.  Fill the boxes with cake decorating supplies or dessert plates and it makes a great gift. I purchased the wire cake stand (in store only) from Crate & Barrel.