Scrabble Headband

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LOVEing Pinterest

I admit to being a Pintrestaholic. I have several boards and I pin things all the time. I will say that generally, that is where it ends...pinned. Stuck on a virtual board FOREVER. I saw this on Pintrest and thought is was darling.

The original website this is from is located at: http://www.zestdigitalmag.com/blog/crafts-decor/love-canvas.php

I happened to have a blank canvas hanging on the wall in the playroom/my closet/ storage room and I had red paint. I traced and painted the letters in about twenty minutes. I determined I needed a small 50 light strand for this and ran to the craft store to find one. I found a 30 string and figured it would be enough.

Next, I took an exacto knife and punched a little hole in the canvas. The lights easily punched threw. I completed the L and half of the O and realized 30 lights would not be enough. I took a 100 light strand from my one of my Christmas boxes. This was too many, but I went with it anyway.

Obviously, my creation has more lights than the prototype.

I dare not show a picture of what the back looks like. It is UGLY. If I make another one of these I will use a brand new strand of lights simply because it will be neater. I know I have one somewhere....just can't find it right now.

This was an easy project and makes a big statement on our mantle. I am excited to try this technique using other words. I am kicking myself for not buying more strands of lights after Christmas. DARN IT.

Just Can't Get Enough

Yes, this is a reference to one of my favorite Depeche Mode song in case you were wondering.

Early in the fall I purchased a table at my secret auction for a mere $7. It had bottom shelf (Mr.Dickey loves himself a shelf) and WHEELS!
As with everything in my garage it sat. I had no idea what to do with this table. No inspiration whatsoever. The top had two tones of wood in a geometric pattern. It also had a funky border (darn it, I forgot before pictures). The shelf was caned...sort of and wasn't in the greatest shape.
I didn't think a shabby chic paint job would look good on this piece because the shape was a bit more modern. I was stumped. The only thing I did know was the "cane like" shelf had to be painted. Enter Martha Stewart silver paint. I have used a lot of metallic paint in my thirty-eight-years and this is top notch in my book. It covers well and I don't have to paint a million coats on.
After the silver went on the table began to talk to me. It told me to tape the top following the lines already there.

Next, it told me to paint it with my favorite Ralph Lauren paint from this project:

I did exactly what it told me to and it turned out perfectly. I am debating on whether or not I will sell this piece. Mr.Dickey isn't a fan of furniture change. At this point my plan is to bring the table in under the guise of talking pictures of it in order to sell it. I may list it, or may not...it depends on what it tells me to do.

As you can see I didn't get Mr.Dickey to move it inside for a photo shoot. It is hard to stage a table in the garage  my workshop for pictures so I didn't. I really like the way it turned out and think it will really make a statement in a room. Too bad it won't be mine.

Dumpster Dive Duke Out

I had an early parent group meeting Saturday morning. I was home by 10:15 and went about my usual weekend routine.  Read newspaper, check email, peruse Facebook and finally checks he free section of Craigslist. Three posts from the top was one fairly close to me that had: a desk, chair, dresser, nightstand and foot stool.  Dang it. Mr.Dickey was gone with the truck. I sat back down for a second to check my Etsy site, but couldn't focus. I had to go. My trusty Volvo station wagon had five huge bags of cans in the back. I emptied it, plugged the address in and put the pedal to the metal.
I arrived at the house to see a car pulling away and another pull up. I leaped out of the car and rushed to the dresser that was still there. The drawers slid easily, but the top was badly warped. The sides had veneer that was peeling. Mmmmm. The other "shopper" was examining it as we'll. I stepped aside to inspect the desk. He grabbed the dresser and started hauling it to his car. I wanted to yell at him as he loaded it in his car, but bit my tongue. I wasn't really interested in the desk, but decided to grab it load it in my car to be obnoxious.
As I began to load it in my car (it fit perfectly in the back)  he came back and saw I had taken the desk. He glared at me and muttered under his breath. I left the chair because we all know I don't need anymore of those (see my recent chair chair hoarding post).

Here is the before.

On the drive home I began to have diver's remorse. What was I thinking? I was going to pick up two hutches later that afternoon not to mention the furniture I already had sitting in my garage. This desk was a nice size and the drawers worked, BUT the top was a tacky laminate. How would I hide that? Suddenly I remembered a desk I  recently saw in Blogland that had maps decoupaged on it. The top could be decoupaged with maps and I could paint it a vibrant sea blue.

A Saturday night well spent.

Temporary Workshop

The temperatures here in Portland have been in the mid-thirties during the day and even lower at night. Right now I have a lot more time to work on projects so I want to be  spending time in my garage workshop. I tried the other night and had to resort to wearing a cheap pair of stretchy gloves as I worked. I was able to work, but noticed paint, stain and varnish took forever to dry.
Here is a glimpse at the "workshop".

I finally decided I couldn't handle the cold any longer. I drug the desk I was working on in and transformed my entryway into a temporary workshop.

The negatives of my new digs are that I have to be very careful about dragging furniture around and getting paint on my hardwoods. Another issue is if anyone comes over they are welcomed by an unfinished project.
The benefits are that I can listen to my DVRed shows (poking my head around the corner occasionally) and I can stay warm.

Nautical/Sports/Cowboy/? Dresser

We are getting back in the swing of things around my house. School started Monday and we went back to work. Ugh. In our house the next two and a half months are the "quietest" of the year. Nothing to do. BORING, according to my kids. Don't get me wrong, I am not sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Basketball will start up soon, acting class will begin and I am taking an IPad class, so we will have things to do. However, most nights are open.
This is the time of year when I get stuff around the house done. Two years ago I knocked out the laundry room "makeover" and the bathroom was spruced up. Last year I painted and gussied up the entryway. What to do this year? Tile the bathroom floor? Begin painting my kitchen cabinets? Paint the hallway and add some character? Or should I simply finish all of the furniture sitting in my garage so I can park in it again.
As of right now I am going with the last one. I rolled down my sleeves (it was 32 degrees outside), put on some cheap gloves and began painting.  It was so cold I could see my breath as I painted. The portable heater helped a bit, but when I finished I was numb.
It was worth it:

I picked this dresser up at my secret auction. I think I paid $16 for it. The drawers worked and it was sturdy. I decided it had a masculine feel to it. I mixed my magical chalk paint concoction up with Sherwin Williams Sea Serpent. I thought about doing rope handles (they seem to be all the rage right now), but decided the old handles looked fine, especially with the exposed wood top. The top is      . For the top coat I did the dresser in Annie Sloan Soft Wax and the top is coated with wipe on poly.
I can just see this bad boy in a little boy's bedroom. It would fit with a nautical theme, cowboy motif, pirate paraphernalia, baseball (GO RED SOXS) and more.

I am planning on selling it via Craigslist or a local Facebook group I am a member of. I keep waffling back and forth on the next step to take with Dickey's Decor. Do I rent a booth at a local antique mall? Do I try to do several local shows like Junk Salvation or Plucky Maidens? Do I put more effort into selling things via Craigslist, etc? I need to make some decisions.

McDickey Breakfast Sandwich

The Dickeys are not breakfast eaters. Let me clarify, we don't like to eat right after we wake up. My sister likes to tease us about getting up as late as possible. Yep, Mr.Dickey's is out the door in twenty minutes and I can do it in forty (it would be less if I didn't have to feed the dogs and chickens).
I do eat breakfast, but not until third or fourth period (roughly 9:15-10:30). My breakfasts need to be portable and something I can grab as I head out the door.

Enter the McDickey breakfast sandwich.

I make the egg part of the sandwich on Sunday night using my favorite Demarle mold.

I lllllooooovvvvveeeeee Demarle products. I could go on and on about the reasons why, but I don't want you to think I am a sales rep. I should be, but I'm not.  If you don't own any Demarle you should at least go to a party sometime. It isn't cheap, but it is well worth the money.

This mold is the perfect size to fit on an English muffin. I place two eggs in each cavity, break the yolk and add a bit of salt and pepper. I usually make a few without yolks for myself.

Next I bake it for twenty minutes at 350 degrees.

After they cool down I pop them out and put them in a container in the fridge. The night before I take a slice of cheese, a sausage patty (sometimes I use Morning Star) and an English muffin to create a delicious grab and go sandwich.

At work all I have to do is pop it in the microwave for a minute and I'm good to go. The only problem? My students begging me for some. Mmmmmm.....
The best thing is I have virtually no nasty egg pan/dish to clean. Demarle is cool like that.

Chair Hording

Grandma Dickey was a hoarder. I know this term has become cliche, but she really was one. In fact, I had the honor of cleaning out her house at one point (This was prior to the myriad of shows about this topic).
The the hording gene runs deep. Mr.Dickey has some tendencies and if left unchecked, my dear Delia would be a potential candidate for her own episode. I jest, but admit at times our garage and storage areas can look a bit hordish.
This summer I kept picking up chairs from various "sources". My plan was to paint them and resell them. At the height of my collecting I had 21. Yep, 21 random wooden chairs. Summer slipped away and I never got around to fixing up the chairs. The chairs, for the most part, were under a tarp behind my garage eaves. You can insert hillbilly jingles here.
A few weeks ago I acquired some awesome fabric for a song. It was Frenchy love. I finally found my painting mojo and painted a chair with Sherwin Williams Watery and my chalk paint formula. I gave it a coat of  Annie Sloan wax, recovered the seat and posted her on Craigslist.

 My ad stated I had four more unfinished chairs that I could customize, or paint to match the one posted. Within a few hours I had several inquiries. They wanted all the chairs, but preferred them left alone.

The first responder arranged to pick them up. I threw in the fabric (she had asked about it) as well. I waited as long as I could for her to arrive, but alas Les Miserables was calling my name so Mr.Dickey was put in charge.
The buyer arrived and as my husband was helping her load up her truck she began to inquire about my horde of furniture in the garage. He called me and over the phone I sold a desk and mirror. I had big plans for them, but I also have big plans to park my car in the garage soon. I could almost hear the psychologist from the store coaxing me through the sale...wait it was cash talking.
I am down to 12 chairs. One is on my agenda for this week, two will be gussied up for Delia's playhouse (our goal is to have it ready to go by her birthday on March 25th), and the rest mmmmmm?