by Amy | Jan 30, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects
Well friends, Derek worked late last night…which means I was up late working on finishing the cloffice. Today is January 29 and my goal was to have it finished by the end of the month. Looks like I met the goal with 2 days to spare. It’s really nice when that happens.
One of the final pieces of the cloffice I really wanted was a dry erase board. I’m a major list maker and I’m trying to cut back on the amount of small pieces of paper with mini lists on them floating around. Hopefully a board near the desk will allow me to make an ongoing to-do list without paper trail.
The only problem is, I think white boards are kind of ugly. Especially against a white wall. Then a friend mentioned that he was going to replace his office’s white board with a painted glass storm door. That got me thinking, “Could any glass be written on and erased from with dry-erase markers?”
Google told me yes.
So I went to Goodwill last night and picked up an old frame. It even came with a complimentary picture of a sad little boy in period clothing. Case in point it was $3. Just be sure you get one with real glass in the frame. I’m not sure the markers would erase as well off of plastic.
Once I brought it home I painted the frame. While that was drying I cleaned the glass and started making a stencil. I free-handed a curve similar to the shape Martha uses on her labels. Also, to keep things tidy, I used the frame’s poster to prevent paint and markers from getting on my table. I only drew one quadrant of it to keep things symmetrical. I used the poster that came with the frame to find the center of the glass and a dry erase marker to split it into four equal sections.
Once the quarters were drawn on I traced my curve four times…once in each section. Then I flipped the whole thing over.
Next I used the curvy line as a guide and acrylic paint to trace over it. Let that dry.
Then put your frame back together {minus the dated poster}. I used a staple gun to attach a ribbon to hang it by, but if your frame comes with a hanger on the back you could use that too.
It’s cute and it writes on and wipes off easily.
If you aren’t known for your artistic handiwork here are some alternatives to making your own curvy frame.
1. Trace a platter to make a circular frame on your board.
2. Print out a giant brace…that’s what these are called {{ }}…and use that as your template.
3. Paint all of one side of your glass a solid color.
4. Use painter’s tape to create a guide for a square frame.
Get ready because tomorrow I’ll show off the finished cloffice!
by Amy | Jan 21, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects
I know many of you are creative types. Like me you probably have the skills {and enjoy} whipping up a new wreath, making felt flowers, pretty-ing things up with scrapbook paper, doodling, stamping, sewing…
If any of that describes you, you’ll probably also relate to this word: Accumulation.
For those of us who like to create it’s easier {and more cost effective} to slowly amass an arsenal of supplies instead of running to the craft store every time the making-mood strikes. And since our supplies are often put away in a closet, binned up in the basement, or neatly shoved under a bed…sometimes we don’t even realize how much stuff we’ve accumulated.
I’m still working on the cloffice, which will also serve as a place to store some of my crafty supplies. So while I was making the move from dark, dingy basement to bright, pretty cloffice I started to process some of my goods. Let me tell you…it’s a little disgusting. I’ve got supplies that date back to my freshman year of college. At this point, if I haven’t used black plastic beads, wooden star cutouts, and glittery wired ribbon…chances are I never will.
Going through it all was quite a task. As I’m sure you can tell by the photo, it was a messy task and a lengthy task. But I’ve been through my ribbon and string, tested all my markers, sorted my colored pencils, wrestled my buttons into one location, and weeded out my stationary. In the process I’ve made quite a pile of things I don’t need any more.
It’s so easy to hoard craft supplies. I think we all get that irrational itch, thinking “I can’t throw this out…what if I want to use it someday?” Friends, take it from me, you’ll feel better when you purge. And 5 years down the line if it turns out you actually do need a handful of black, plastic beads, it’ll only cost $1 to get more. In the meantime I think that’s money well saved to take back your space, organization and peace of mind.
This year I’m going to try to use up some of my arsenal. So put some cute things on Pinterest, so I can make them. Okay? Thanks.
Amy
by Amy | Jan 3, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
Excuse the mess.
This is embarrassing, but it’s real. This is real life. In my house. What you see before you is a 2013 project left unfinished. In its uncompleted state it festered into a catchall eye sore, a place for me to stash things without a home. My favorite gym bag packed with some items that need to be donated, lists of workouts of fitness classes gone by, printer paper, a curtain rod…When it got too ugly, I hung a curtain. To hide it until I found time to finish it.
This space is a closet. A really nice closet, even. It is the byproduct of my bedroom makeover I took on over the summer. In the original second floor layout the master bedroom and guest room had identical closets that backed up to one another. They were only separated by a flimsy sheet rock wall that was easy to knock out in an afternoon. {You can see that destruction here.}
When I finished the bedroom {see that here} I put a wall in front of the original closet opening and built in a brand new closet into the newly expanded space. It was a win-win. The master bedroom gained its own, larger closet–and the guest room closet doubled in size by taking on the original master closet.
I prioritized my projects, and to be honest, prettying up the closet in a room no one really uses wasn’t at the top. But, as you can see, things are getting out of hand. I’ve been asked a lot recently what the first project of 2014 will be. Well folks, you’re looking at it.
The grand plan is that 2014 will also bring us a finished basement {that’s a whole other story} as well. In the basement we will add a third bedroom and a second bathroom. That will turn into guest quarters and the current guest room will become my office. When I renovated in the summer, expanding the master bedroom meant that we lost our office space. So until all our construction is done, this over sized closet will serve as an office nook for me. Granted, it’s not as cozy as sitting under an electric blanket on the couch with Panda Kitty…but I think it’ll be much more efficient. Maybe something more like this…
The goal is to finish the cloffice {closet-office, get it?} by the end of the month.
by Amy | Jan 2, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Adventure, The Art of Faith, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Living, The Art of Projects, The Art of the Kitchen, The Art of the Moment, the house
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we have entered another year. If your life is anything like mine…it’s felt like a whirlwind ever since Thanksgiving. Yikes. But now the festivities are behind us and it’s time to learn from the past year and step into a fresh, new season.
The year goes by so fast that I often feel like it passed in a blur. {Any one second that?} I have to remind myself that a year is a long time. A lot can happen. One life can do a lot in one year. I really believe that and I hope you do too. For me 2013 could have been a very hard, negative year…but I think we chose how we spend our time and resources and energy. We can let negative circumstances weigh us down…or allow them to give us a chance to brush up on our hurdling skills. I may have banged my shins on hurdles a few times in the past 365, but I can confidently say that I cleared them all.
And if you don’t believe a lot can get done in a year…let’s look back at the biggest moments of a year with Amy Allender. (more…)
by Amy | Dec 5, 2013 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Projects, The Art of the Kitchen, The Art of the Moment
Did you have a happy Thanksgiving?
I sure did.
As most of my holidays go, the day revolved around being in the moment with family and friends. Oh, and it also involved quite a bit of food too. I’m a big fan of eating later in the day so that there isn’t a big rush with baking the turkey. It also takes away the need for a second giant meal of the day…we do dinner, pie, tea, games and bed time. Eating at dinner time {instead of that awkward 2pm “lunch”} gave everyone time for a little Thanksgiving activity time.
For Derek and my dad that meant time in the field hunting. For mom and me it meant time at the gym for a little turkey trot {aka an hour on the treadmill.} Of course we were home in time for THE parade.
You like the place setting in the photo above? I thought you might. I bought a new {cheap} table cloth from Target’s Threshold line. I just love that stuff. Then I topped it off with a runner made from some unhemmed gingham fabric I had in the basement. My favorite part of the table was the place mats I whipped up. They are paper bags I ran through the printer {cut to 8.5″ x 16″ long} with this adorable free printable. Paper bags! {And you know how I like paper bags.}
On the menu:
An herb rubbed turkey stuffed with sliced apples. It was just enough sweet. Mashed potatoes mashed with nonfat Greek yogurt, milk, chicken bullion, garlic and green onions. Homemade yeast rolls that Mom and I worked on throughout the afternoon. Jiffy corn casserole {it’s a classic, but I sub Greek yogurt for the sour cream called for in the recipe.} Sweet potatoes with cinnamon and pecans. Apple butter. And the prettiest part of our meal, apple cider sangria. Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of the few days of the year I have a glass of wine, and I can’t think of much prettier than this sangria with pieces of apple floating in the glass. And since Derek doesn’t drink at all {ever} he had his non alcoholic. Just cider with apples in a fancy glass. {Which means this can be a fancy drink for the whole family.}
As much as I like cooking and setting the table, my favorite part of the day is sharing a meal with a table full of people I adore. After the meal comes something I like even more than eating…games. Then of course, hot beverages {tea, coffee, cocoa} and pie. Between activities there is lots of chatter, story telling and foolery. I love the rhythm of Thanksgiving at our house.
Where’s my mom? Probably on the couch with Derek and me…occupying my dad’s lap after dinner was his “lap” dog.
This year was very special because the living room was taken over by the chalkboard for mini sessions. But for us it only added to the merriment because it meant that I could take Katie and Sean’s Christmas photos. Here’s a peek. You’ll have to wait a few days for the rest…
xo Amy
by Amy | Nov 15, 2013 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects, The Art of the Moment
Thanks for the input on the upcoming Christmas sessions. I took your advice and made a giant chalkboard. Take a look.
My floor is a chalky mess, but it was worth it, because this is precious. Here’s the finished product. Email me, call me, text me, facebook me if you want a session. All sessions come with high resolution digital images and a print release…and hot cocoa.
Amy
by Amy | Oct 30, 2013 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects
If you’ve ever visited me here in Practically Canada, or talked with me about this place, or read my blog for a while, you know I like it here. Despite the cold and the remote location, I like it here. Despite the small town living and the limited Saturday-night options, I like it here. I really, really do. I like it because the people are hard core during the winter. They walk boldly into -20 temps without flinching. In the spring when it hits 35 it’s officially sweat shirt weather. I like the people because they have cute accents and they use the phrase, “Oh, for cute,” when they like something. I like the people because they are nice and they have quirky traditions. For one, they refer to wedding receptions as “wedding dances.” For two, often at these dances, the whole crowd does the hokey pokey. I mean everybody. Not just the kids. Cutely, adorably bizarre. Generally the natives are nice and genuinely care for one another. Someone once told me that the cold weather keeps out the riff raff.
Which leads me to the point of tonight’s post. North Dakota, Practically Canada and their traditions. Since tomorrow is Halloween, I thought I’d share a spooky tradition I just learned about. Boo-bagging.
Ever heard of it? The super-cute example above from Simple Girl give you a pretty clear idea of what a Boo Bag is. You can follow the link to get her free printable!!
It’s sweet and simple really. You pack up a bag with Halloween themed goodies. As extravagant, as Martha, or a lazy and store bought as you want. Some people make fancy bags, other people just store bought bags, or just paper lunch sacks.
Once you’ve got your goods, it basically turns into a game of ding-dong-ditch. Go to a door, ring the bell and hide or get away before the recipient opens the door and finds the bag. Cute, right? Speaking of cute, you can also be inspired by this Boo version from I Heart Nap Time. She shows you how to make this bag and how to make candy corn trail mix.
Some folks include a poem that asks those who have been “Boo’d” to Boo someone else. But I’m not a fan of pressuring people into things, so I’d just as soon leave that out. Gifts are more fun if they have no strings attached.
I love this tradition so much, I want to spread it to the world. If I had known about this I would have done it years ago. How about you? Have you heard of Boo Bagging before? I’m sure there are other places that do this, I just haven’t lived there yet. And since I have no plans for 10/31 I think I’ll drop some off tomorrow night. {Mine will be of the lazy, store bought variety.}
Amy
by Amy | Oct 11, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
Good news everyone. The guest room floor was done in time for our latest house guest. And it’s ready for the next batch, and then the holiday batch after that. I’m so happy with the results {especially the lack of old-carpet-smell.}
And I apologize for these hideous B&A photos. I know. It’s so cheap to show the before with the room looking like a wreck. The truth is, I was just so eager to rip that carpet up and drag it to the curb that I nearly forgot to take any before photos at all. I had the bed stripped and the mattress prepped to be moved out when I remembered. So, sorry. It is, what it is.
This room was so easy to work on. {Especially compared to the office.} It rolled right up. No glue. Only a few staples on the carpet pad and a tack strip to rip up. {See how it came up here.}
I scraped up some old paint splatter of yester-projects and sanded out some rough spots. Then I cleaned the whole thing with Krud Kutter {that stuff rocks} and let it dry.
Then it was two coats of Fast-Drying Polyurethane from Minwax applied with lambswool. Same stuff I used in the bedroom. In there I used a natural bristle brush. I think I like that technique better. Especially since I neglected to wear gloves and I had polyurethane all over my hands…and no mineral spirits in the garage to get it off.
Yuck.
Pretty isn’t it?
I talked to some folks earlier who called this type of flooring “porch floor.” They claim it’s an old school type of sub-flooring, meant to be covered. I claim that it’s rustically perfect and full of character. I like the nails. I like that they aren’t in perfect rows. I even like the little bits of paint that are left behind. And I like the price. This redo didn’t cost me a penny.
To protect cold toes from icy hard floors we put down this braided rug that was rolled up in the basement. That’s a win-win, because it serves a purpose and frees up shelf space in the basement. It’s from the Shabby Chic collection at Target, but I {of course} bought it second hand. Whatever. Pretty is pretty, right? And I love a good bargain.
Amy
