For the love of chalk.

Ever since I discovered chalkboard paint, I have been dying to cover something with it!

A few months ago, pre-move, I found this amazing frame at goodwill for around $9.99.  That's usually more than I'm willing to pay for something thrifted, but I just knew it would make something magical!

Then, I thought I might need to show the frame to scale!  So in comes the broom.  

BUT THEN -- what if this was a small broom?  So I jumped in the picture.  For reference, I'm 5'5'', always pretending to be 5'6''.

For the paint, I used Krylon Chalkboard Paint, found at Hobby Lobby and other places for around 8 bucks, but I got it for $6.98 with a coupon a while back!  Gotta love coupons!  

I took the painting out of the frame (which proved difficult because the million little "staple" things holding it in, and the parchment paper on back), and took it outside to paint.  I put some wrinkled wrapping paper I couldn't use underneath to protect the grass, and got to work!  You have to apply two coats, so that the chalkboard appearance will happen.  

I couldn't have asked for a better day to be outside -- it was only around 85 degrees!  The worst part was the ants crawling all over my toes.  I will wear shoes next time.  Some ants and bugs also tried to crawl on the paint, but met untimely deaths.  I tried to blow them off before the toxins reached their bodies, but some are just too intent on crawling all over the place.  Between coats, I brushed dust and grass particles from the Kansas wind off with a paper towel, ever-so gently, as not to mess the paint.

I brought it in, and putting the board back in the frame was even more work than taking it out, but ta-da! This is the finished product (up close and further back):

It is also my goal to make a new cushion for that chair...

I have to wait 24 hours for the paint to draw before I can use my chalk.  The bottle of paint says to stay away from clay-based chalk, so I will have to check on that, but I'm excited!  I can just see messages to dinner guests, holiday quotes, and favorite poems, displayed nicely on the board!

My favorite, and excerpt from "The Welcome," by Thomas Osborne Davis:

So come in the evening, or come in the morning;
Come when you ’re looked for, or come without warning:
Kisses and welcome you ’ll find here before you,
And the oftener you come here the more I ’ll adore you!

*UPDATE*

I added the words (8-9-11)

It takes a little work to get the chalk off, and it's interesting to write on a slightly textured surface -- but otherwise awesome!  Don't you just love it? :D

Ah, I love to create!

When it's hot, go thrifting.

I just had to share my most recent thrifting finds!  They made me a happy lady before yesterday's blubbering, and I'm oh-so-happy again when I think about the bargain I got.  It almost makes me want to identify with extreme couponers.  Almost.

First, I found some things I can use in my classroom (always on the lookout!)  I got the most adorable little pushup puppets representing countries all over the world.

They are like a push-pop.  Fun with fine motor skills!

I also got some window clings (the kids love to peel and stick) for the fall season, and some more tiny pumpkins for fine motor.  We have to do ten minutes a day of intentional fine motor at LEAST.  It is such an important skill to build.

I also got a bag full of rick-rack and some other odds and ends craft supplies, which you will see later. I also got a few things for myself, one being this delicious, wide, RED mug!  I can't get enough of mugs!

I also got another red-hot item -- this large clutch that will look so good with the navy-blue blazer I am coveting.  

Finally, here is a picture of all the items together, with my MOST FAVORITE item being the adorable hostess apron I got for the bargain price of 99 cents!  Those are usually around 20 dollars, and I'm not talented enough to make one, so I am pumped about this purchase!

How much was all of this, you say?

Dolls -- $1.99

Window Clings -- $0.99

Mini-Pumpkins -- $0.49

Bag of craft items -- $1.49

Mug -- $0.49

Purse -- $0.99

Apron -- $0.99 (still in disbelief!)

All for a grand total of $7.43, and with my Goodwill discount card -- $6.03!  I still don't know how it equated to that with a 15% discount, but I gladly paid the amount!

I'm sure there will be some baking to come in that glorious apron.  I'll keep you updated.

Go thrift!

Mo' Moving, Mo' Problems

I have moved four times in less than a year.  It's about to be five.  I am so ready for this phase of my life to be over.  Moving is a nightmare.  Especially when it's hot.  Especially when you have bronchitis.  Especially when there is sloshy snow on the ground.  Especially when you have to decide what to keep for the summer and what to put in storage.  I feel I've experienced it all.

I'm ready to slow, and to settle down.

To do this, I've got to know what is ahead for me.  I would love to be wild and free-spirited, but no one ever tells you how much planning that actually takes.

I want to find a place that's affordable, will let me have Basil (fenced-in yard preferred), has a big enough kitchen for me to cook in, and room for my furniture that fit in my old house.  Hopefully two bedrooms.  I can live with one bathroom, but I MUST have a place to craft and have guests.  And an old place, full of character would be nice.  That's not too much to ask, is it? If I'm paying for it, I want to like it.

Maybe someday I'll just sell everything I have and move to a big city.

But I wonder -- all the great experiences a big city provides -- do they mean anything if you can't share them with the people you love?

And now...a tribute to my former houses, that I loved.  Sigh.

Dog Days of Summer

Besides basic emotional turmoil of all single twenty-something women, my life, in the words of the Fresh Prince, has been "flipped turned upside-down."  By a small dog who goes by the name of Basil.  Half dachshund, half shar-pei.  Cute as anything, crazy as all get-out.  Apparently, abandoned dogs sometimes suffer from separation-anxiety, and Basil's is severe.  That, and some other factors, have brought me to the decision to stay home this summer and take care of her, and take care of my dad after he has back surgery.  I think it will also be nice to stay home and catch up on reading, Spanish, crafting, and of course, tap-dancing.  I'll just need to live a little more thriftily.  You'll hear about that here.

I've spent this weekend at garage sales, the public library, and the farmer's market.  At the library, I got Mark Bitttman's The Food Matters Cook Book, which is companion to his book that I love so much, and changed my views of food completely.  I'm looking forward to cooking from it!

At the garage sales and antique store(with the help of Molly and Jess), I got some awesome deals!  I spent less that 25 dollars and got two dinosaurs, wood blocks, three movies, two books, pipe cleaners, four spools of ribbon (for my classroom), a NEW game of Catch Phrase, a gift for dad, a picture of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, four pairs of earrings, a feather boa, and two vintage maps to use for a project!  I am so happy with the results.  Garage sales are a teacher's best friend.

I also got this FABULOUS trunk for ten dollars!  I look for a trunk everywhere I go, because I've been dreaming of turning one into a coffee table.  They are usually somewhere from 150-300 dollars, which is obviously too expensive.  When I saw this one for TEN DOLLARS, I flipped!  It needs a lot of work and I know I don't have anywhere to put it right now, but I couldn't pass that deal up.  And I'm so looking forward to the fun of re-finishing it and making it my own!

Finally, this morning, I went to the downtown farmer's market at First and Mosley.  It was delightful!  There were people abound, live music, and local food and produce to die for!  I ended up with a package of Thai Basil and three tomatoes (for bruschetta this week!) and a package of fresh flowers. Heaven. :)

I really wanted some fresh eggs, but they sell out quickly, I was told!  I'll have to go earlier next weekend.  I miss Salina because I got fresh, free-range eggs from a co-worker. :(

Enjoy the bounty of summer, my friends!

Book Club

It started as a little nugget of an idea, a joke, really.  It was one of those days we like to remember when the air conditioner was actually working.  When the outside wasn't so stifling that it permeated the entire house.  Days of the past.  Two short weeks ago.

Jessica and I sat, me dreaming of things to come (typical), and she adding rhetoric.  I said book club.  Then we laughed about how little we both read these days.  We threw around ideas, our favorite was reading only romance novels and wearing feather boas.  This turned into a facebook status, and the rest is history.  

Tonight, we had three members present at the first official book club meeting (two absent).  Pizza and fresh-fruit sangria were present.  Many laughs were had, gruesome stories exchanged, and each other made fun of.  We decided to meet every two weeks, and to choose books easily-read in that time period.  First up is "My Horizontal Life" by Chelsea Handler.  Classy.

I'm loving these moments I have with friends.  The onderful part of these adventures comes in the reflection, and what it is doing for me as a person.  Sometimes I might write about something that isn't specifically done on my own (what fun is a book club by yourself?  That's called a reading list).  While I feel it contradicts the blog, it's a part of who I am.  And that's okay.  Onederful adventures are still happening daily. :)

But what I really wanted to share was my sangria recipe (that I just onederfully made up -- with influences from facebook friends <Jane!> to my favorite online cooking blogs -- I found something that worked for me).  

Tabatha's Fresh Fruit Sangria

1 small jug of Carlo Rossi Sangria 

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 cup sliced red grapes

1-2 cups frozen raspberries

2 tbsp sugar

Ice

Sliced strawberries to garnish

First, slice up your fruit (duh), and put it in the bottom of the pitcher or beautiful decanter.  Muddle the fruit with a fork, squishing some (I use very technical terms).  Add sugar.  Pour chilled sangria on top.  Add ice as you like it, garnish with a strawberry slice.  Ta-da!  Simple and delicious!   

Fever

It happens every once in a while.

It feels serious this time.

A surge of emotion and passion welling within me.  Every thought washes over me with great fervor.

It's love.

The love of love.

What I have is suddenly not enough.

I want it all.  Everything.  Typical, for my personality type.  Always looking for greener pastures.

I sleep alone.  I want to sleep next to someone.
I work.  I want to quit.
I make dinner for myself.  I want to cook for someone.
And my car suddenly needs a sunroof.

I am completely restless and out of control.

Give in to me, love.  Find me.

A & J Earwood

Well, folks, wedding season is upon us!  One of my first of the season was of college-friend Abbie (Hammer) Earwood.  The wedding was mid-May, an intimate affair of around 75 people, located at  The Barns at Timber Creek in Winfield, KS (the wedding was down a rustic staircase embedded in the side of a cliff, and the reception in the recently re-built Stone Barn...sigh).  I couldn't have been more impressed, and let me show you why...

This was the cake.  It was imperfectly whimsical.  I loved that it was not entirely made of fondant (gross), and had the two love owls on top.  

The first party favors were at everyone's seat, little plants to care for, with instructions online (saving paper, oh yeah!)

One of my favorite things was the little props (mustaches, glasses, hats) all on a stick!  Someone then took photos with a polaroid-type camera, and were put into the guest book, where we all signed an index card with a special note to accompany our picture.

And this was probably my most favorite part -- a TREE made out of guest thumb prints!  What a brilliant and fun way to capture who was there! 

Here is the happy couple sharing in their first dance.  I have a video that is too large to upload, but if I figure it out, I WILL be posting it.  They surprised us all with some sweet moves, for sure!

The wedding favors were the most delicious mix of Jelly Belly jelly beans I have ever tasted.  I love that the favors were something edible.  So often, party favors sit and collect dust, so something sweet to eat is functional for almost everyone!  I can also re-use the little jar. :)  I love re-purposing!

Funny story about the bouquet...I almost caught it.  My hand was on it, but I decided not to be THAT girl. ;)  My friend Kayla was the lucky winner of the bouquet, so I decided to tease her a little and see how long it took her to notice the bouquet was in my purse.  I also love that Abbie used all real flowers.  Why have a bunch of fake flowers from your wedding sitting around years later?  Real flowers are natural and much more beautiful.  She also wrapped the stems with thick green leaves instead of floral tape -- ingenious!  (More than I wanted the bouquet so I'd be "the next to get married," I wanted to keep the gorgeous flowers!)

This is a group of us girls from college.  Love those ladies!

And finally, walking away from the beautiful stone barn, Abbie and James made their way to the car under a sea of bubbles!  It was a gorgeous day, a lovely wedding, and a fun time had by all. :)

**Side note -- at the wedding, the photographer came to me and said, "You win the award for best faces during dancing."  I couldn't have been prouder.  The photographers are awesome, and you can check their website (and much more beautiful photos) out here: http://simplesplendorphotography.com/

(some of these photos were taken by my dear friend, Kelly Rowe.  Thanks, Kelly!)