2010 - Page 11 of 36 - Crap I've Made

Thirty Frickin’ Five

September 20, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 54 Comments

Holy crap that’s old!

30 didn’t seem old.

35 does.

I’ve been doing some reflecting as of late and trying to figure out exactly why I do this. And by “this”, I mean “blog”. A reader (shout out to Meghan) emailed me and asked that very question a month or so ago. (She had to teach a class about it at church…she’s not just nosey!)

Here’s part of my response:

(Disclaimer: A few parts are Mormon-y. While I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m a Mormon, I try to keep my faith separate from my blog, since it doesn’t really have anything to do with the subject matter. And it’s very personal. It is, however, a huge part of who I am and I think it’s relevant for this post. * = Mormon term.)

Why do I blog? It’s not for the money — I’ve never made a cent. I do occasionally get free stuff, and that’s fun, but it’s not why I do it. You know how a generation ago all the moms were outside on their front porches watching their kids play in the street? I think that blogging is this generation’s “front porch”. For a number of reasons (safety, moms having to work, more demands on our time, life being less simple), that phenomenon and the sense of community it created are gone. I get that “community” feeling from blogging. And, it works with my life. I have 4 kids, one of which has Asperger’s and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). I’m the Camp Director* and in the Primary Presidency*. My husband is the Elders Quorum President*. Life is crazy. Blogging can happen at 10pm or 5am. I don’t think my neighbors want to hear from me at those hours.

I also got more help and information in one random off topic post about my son having SPD than I did in months of talking to the school district and trying to get evaluations. The blogging community is giving. They love to share and support one another. I love having a group like that I can go to for support. There’s also a huge range of life experiences out there that I can draw from when I have a question.

I think that blogging has also helped me develop talents. It’s definitely forced me to be more creative. I’ve tried a lot of new things and stepped outside of my comfort zone. (Dude! I was on TV! And I didn’t even freak out or curse!) My sewing has improved. My photography has improved. My writing? Not so much. LOL! I am who I am, though, and the greatest compliment I get is when I meet someone who reads my blog and they say “You’re EXACTLY the same in real life!”

Mormon-y part alert:

Remember that talk President Uchtdorf gave in the General Women’s meeting a few years back? This one….the part subtitled “The Work of Creation”, specifically. We DO need to create.

And I’ve created a blog.

*************

Do I know where this blog is headed?

Nope. I still have no idea.

I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.

Gratuitous picture to make this post cuter:

Happy first birthday yesterday to my freaking adorable niece!

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Filed Under: ramblings

Name that Pyrex!

September 17, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 31 Comments

Yesterday during preschool I decided to skip Bennett’s nap and hit some thrift stores with only one kid in tow. It was mostly a good idea until I got stuck in traffic.

Bygones….

(Did anyone used to watch Ally McBeal?)

What was my point?

Oh yeah! The Pyrex. I enjoy vintage Pyrex. I’m not nearly as obsessed as my neighbor Jami (of The Smelly Barn Adventure™ fame), but I MUST look for it any time I’m at a thrift store.

Yesterday was a good day.

I’ve never seen the one on the left before.

Any ideas what it’s called?

Here’s a closer look:

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Filed Under: thrifting

Quilted Table Runner

September 15, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 49 Comments

Well hello there, internet.

What’s new?

Not much here. Remind me next time not to have quite so many kids. Or at least forbid them from signing up for anything.

Soccer and football are consuming us.

Sometimes at the end of the day, we’re so tired we can’t even poop.

At least he didn’t fall off and crack his head open this time?

I have found time to squeeze in a little sewing. I meant to get to this last month, for Create With Me over on UCreate.

Amy’s tutorial is fabulous. And she’s WAY nice…didn’t even put me in her spam folder when I told her I want to come sew with her.

I made mine all triangley instead of using strips. I’ll post exactly how I did that in the next day or two.

Guess where else it looks fabulous?

On top of this beauty.

I can’t decide where I like it more.

I might need to make another one.

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Filed Under: fabric, sewing

You asked for it!

September 10, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 13 Comments

Since I’m SERIOUSLY behind on emails right now (as in weeks), I’m going to answer some of the questions I’ve gotten most often.

Where is this Pottery Barn damaged goods outlet you speak of?

It’s on 3505 W and 3500 S in West Valley City. Be prepared for A LOT of crap, but when you score? You score big.

I got this Spiderman backpack for Campbell for $4. It was monogrammed, but a little careful patience with the seam ripper and you can’t even tell.

What color is that paint? It looks yellow on my screen!

It’s Toasted Pumpkin by Valspar and I got it at Lowe’s. It’s most definitely orange. The lighting in my room may have been weird yesterday or maybe your monitor settings are different from mine or something.

Where’d your search box go?

It wasn’t working and from what I found on the web, Google was aware of the problem. There was no fix planned at that time. I should probably check and see if that’s happened yet. Or, does anyone know of another good search widget/gadget/whatever?

Where did the giveaway listing go?

I got a lot of requests when it was new, but then it kind of fizzled out. And it when it was active it was way more work than I thought it was going to be. If you’re looking for a good list of bloggy giveaways, Michelle over at Someday Crafts hosts one every Thursday.

What is the font called in your header? Is that your handwriting?

I have no idea. Kim at 733 did my redesign and she picked it all. It is most definitely not my handwriting. I write like a doctor.

Where did the buttons go?

They have their own page now. If you look on the left under “Connect With Me!” next to the Facebook and Twitter and subscription options, you’ll see a button. Click on it. I dare you. Or, just go here.

Anything else you’d like answered? Leave it in the comments or shoot me an email!

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Filed Under: ramblings

Phases

September 9, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 86 Comments

I’ve been searching for *something* to go behind my couch for well over a year now. One time I came close. I found a cabinet, but it had a “HOLD” tag on it. And the hold until date had passed. But they still wouldn’t sell it to me.

I was thrifting last month and found this buffet. It was obviously way too big (note my 4’ 10” child laying on top to demonstrate just how big), but the price was right.

Phase 1:

I called my dad and said “bring a saw”. He gets scared when I do that. We hacked 10” off the legs and then reattached the feet.

Phase 2:

Just yesterday I finished Phase 3:

I KNOW I’ll be hearing from you wood purists, but you didn’t think someone with an aqua piano could leave it alone, did you?

I’m still going to rough it up a bit and glaze it, I think.

Man I love orange!

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Filed Under: home decor, makeovers, paint

Flakey

September 8, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 21 Comments

I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t get my crap together as of late.

Do you ever feel like you’re just doing a haphazard (totally just used the thesaurus to find something that meant half @$$ed but was more family friendly) job of everything and a good job at nothing?

That’s me.

Campbell started preschool today.

If you’re his mom (and I realize none of you are), you can see the anxiety all over his face.

This time of year is hard for him. I wonder if he needs more sunlight or vitamins or sleep or something. Or, maybe that’s just how Asperger’s rolls.

Lucky for me, this guy takes a nap during preschool.

I’m thinking 2 hours of peace and quiet 3 times a week could be just what I need to undo my flakey funk.

I’ve got BIG plans to answer emails tomorrow.

Today?

I’m going to take a nap.

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Filed Under: kids, ramblings

Lap Desk Makeover

September 6, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 23 Comments

Macy’s developed a recent ~~bizarre~~ obsession with lap desks.

I blame Pottery Barn Teen. Theirs are SEVENTY NINE dollars. SEVENTY NINE!!!

We have an outlet near here that sells Pottery Barn stuff that’s damaged or mis-monogrammed. We picked up this one for $10.

(Hey Matti…I have your desk!)

I removed the screws and took the lid off its hinges.

Then I sanded the top. The letters were painted on, so I need to make sure to get rid of any ridges. I also wanted to rough up the old finish a bit.

Then I wiped it down well with a damp cloth. I don’t really think this next step is necessary, but I did it. So, I’m including it.

I taped off the bottom, just so I wouldn’t get any overspray.

And then I went outside and sprayed.

I used spray chalkboard paint. I’ll be honest with you…I didn’t love it. If I wanted a chalkboard finish again, I’d use the brush on kind and just do a couple of light coats with a sponge roller. If you don’t care about it chalkboard-ness of it all, just go ahead and use regular spray paint.

And then I reattached the lid.

Finished product?

Now we’re both happy…for way way WAY less than SEVENTY NINE dollars.

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Filed Under: makeovers, paint, thrifting

A few more things you can do with a Silhouette

September 5, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 4 Comments

(And poorly photograph, too!)

You can entertain a couple of 10-11 year olds with a certain meat obsession.

Or, you can have a Saved By The Bell marathon with a couple of your favorite teenagers and make these:

The lettering is heat transfer from Silhouette. The font is Keep On Truckin’. The technique for the glittery heart came from the cover of this month’s Family Fun magazine. Go here to see how!

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Filed Under: Silhouette

Fabric Covered Composition Book

September 2, 2010 By Char @ Crap I've Made 21 Comments

One of the activities that each girl I took to camp is supposed to do daily is write in her journal. We decided to make it a little more fun by giving them a specific camp journal. We were also on a tight budget, so we needed to keep it cheap.

This time of year, you can often find composition books for next to nothing (my camp assistant picked ours up for 11 cents each!!!), and we needed 25. So, fancying up a composition book seemed like our best option.

I sat down and searched online, but everything I found was either paper covered or involved sewing. I wanted fabric and I wanted no-sew (geez I’m picky). After a little trial and error, here’s what I came up with.

Supplies:

Composition book
Fabric (cotton works best for Mod Podge-ing)
Mod Podge
Glue stick
Foam brush
Cardstock

Cut/rip/whatever 2 pieces of fabric 1-2” bigger than your composition book. My pieces were 7.5” X 11.5”. You’re going to “hem” one of the long edges (that will butt up against the black spine of the book) using a glue stick.

Run the glue stick along your edge on the wrong side. I did the bottom one.

Fold up approximately 1/4” along the edge and press down to glue in place.

Do this to both pieces of fabric.

Brush some Mod Podge on the front of the composition book, right up next to the black spine.

Position your fabric evenly and push your glue hemmed edge right up next to the black spine. Smooth the fabric out on the Mod Podge.

Flip the fabric back and spread Mod Podge on the rest of the composition book.

Smooth and press in place.

I put a piece of wax paper between my cover and the pages. Mod Podge doesn’t stick to wax paper. Then I flipped it over and did the same thing to the back of the composition book.

Open the cover and glue down the outside edge.

I found it worked best to glue down a small angled corner section next, like this:

And then finish up with the top and the bottom.

Leave the wax paper inside and flip the book over and do the same to the back cover.

Once it’s dry, take 2 pieces of cardstock and cut them slightly smaller than your composition book.

I tried Mod Podge to glue the cardstock down but it was bubbly and messy. I used some Terrifically Tacky Tape and it was fabulous, but also expensive. If I were making one or 2 journals, this would be my adhesive of choice. For 25? I used a tape roller.

I ran some tape down the edges of the cardstock and then placed it inside of the cover. I smoothed down the edges with a bone folder because Martha Stewart told me to use one.

Do the same to the back cover.

You can stop there:

(You should probably wait for the glue to dry before you take pictures…)

(See? That looks awful!)

Or, you might want to embellish. The journals I did for camp were all the same boring off-white.

AccuQuilt GO! to the rescue! I cut out dozens and dozens of flower shapes using my Funky Flowers die. If you don’t have a GO! Cutter, you could easily cut out flower (or other) shapes by hand. And provided you’re not making 25 journals, it might even be sort of relaxing.

Once we got to camp, we let each girl personalize her journal by Mod Podge-ing flowers to the cover.

Here’s my example: