Hi friend!
I cannot believe it's already Friday! I need to apologize for being so MIA this week. Here is my excuse: Mr. Lass was home sick from work on Monday and Tuesday, so it felt like a four-day weekend to me. For whatever reason, whenever he is home I never get anything done. Whether I'm watching a movie with him in the middle of a Monday because he's sick on the couch or not being able to clean the bathroom because he's napping in our room...it is totally unproductive. So when he finally went back to work on Wednesday, it really felt like my Monday, which would make today my Wednesday? But tomorrow is Saturday because he'll be home again...ugh! So anyway, I feel like I've been cramming in the last three days what I normally have a week to get done, and of course on Wednesday I didn't feel like doing anything because I'd had four days "off." So, yeah...it's weird how days lose their "feeling" when you don't go into an office, you know? Every day kind of feels the same in a weird way, but the weekends are definitely a highlight still, even if I'm not working full time away from home (because at home I feel like I'm working at least two jobs!).
Okay, let me first say that I love your
chairs. They turned out a-mazing. I don't know that I saw the 'before' on them, but the 'after' is stunning. White lacquer was the way to go. And the fabric...I just love it. It was the perfect choice. They look so elegant and sophisticated, but totally warm and inviting too. I know they were a pain, but you must feel so accomplished now that they're done! And whenever I finish a really awful project like that I just remind myself that I never have to do it again (hopefully!). And if the time ever comes where you do decide you want them a different color, you'll have forgotten how much of a pain it was to paint them originally. (That's also what people say about childbirth, by the way!) I also worked on a chair project this week. The before:
We inherited the big chairs from some friends that were moving out of state and didn't want to haul these along. The small chair is from my parents for little Suz. It kind of bothered me they didn't all match, so of course I decided to paint them! (My question: what can't paint fix???)
Here was my inspiration:
And a close-up:
This is my father-in-law's neighbors' front yard in Dallas, where we visited in the fall of 2009. Hubby and I went on a walk through the neighborhood and I took my camera...it was in the middle of the day and no one was home, so I didn't feel as weird taking pictures of strangers' homes, but still...I got a few looks from passing cars. Anyway, I loved the red chairs against the gray house. Incidentally, while we were in Dallas we went by this garden shop that was going out of business and they had a red wooden double Adirondack chair on clearance for less than $100. I died. But there was no way we could get it home on an airplane. I kept asking my FIL if he had plans to drive to Florida at any point in the future and he kept saying no. So, fast forward to this Christmas, when he DROVE from TEXAS to FLORIDA. Ugh! When I heard he was driving one of the first things I said was, "He could have brought me that chair!" It took Hubby a second to realize what I was referring to and then I think he was either impressed or disturbed that I was still thinking about that chair. Seriously, it pained me to leave it in the store. Lesson: always buy it, even if you don't have a way to get it home but you have a free place to store it, which is a lesson I applied when purchasing a dining table off the Atlanta Craigslist (thanks again!).
Of course, my inherited chairs aren't wood but plastic, but no matter. Here was my weapon of choice for this project:
And actually, multiply that picture by two. Yes, four cans of spray paint at $5.99 each. Maybe not the most economical project, but as I pointed out to Mr. Lass: the chairs were free, so if I have to spend $25-ish to get them to match, I think that's reasonable. He grudgingly agreed. But we both love them now:
I need to do a few more touch-ups, but all in all, I'm very happy with the result. The little chair came out the best, probably because it was a lighter color to begin with. I love the three together - it reminds me of The Three Bears and a chair for Mama, Papa and Baby Bear. Of course, they're starting to take on an orange tinge because of the pollen that is quickly coating everything outdoors. But it's done and I think they will look great in the yard we are envisioning creating this spring.
Final plans for the birthday party are coming together. I asked a friend of mine to come and take pictures, so I feel extra pressure/incentive to really go for it in terms of decorations. I was starting to feel a little lazy about making everything I originally talked about, but now I feel a new burst of energy. I told her I want pictures of all the food and decorations, in addition to candid shots of family members. I'll let you know for sure once it's over, but I think designating someone to take pictures at a party could be one of the smartest decisions I ever made: it will free me to enjoy myself and not feel pressure to capture everything on film on my own. Plus, I might even be in some of the pictures! And for you it means lots of great pictures to look at once the party is over.
Here is Suz's 'party dress' that I ordered from Etsy:
I think it will double as her Easter dress too. So hopefully it gets here on time and hopefully it's warm in the afternoon next Saturday! Thanks for your suggestion with displaying the monthly pictures. I think I am going to take your advice and use bunting to show off the pictures in some way. I also had another idea: we have lots of what I'm calling "baby artifacts" that I would also like to show off. For instance, the little hospital cap she practically lived in her first few weeks at home now looks like a baby Yamulke when I put it on her. We have a picture of her in our going-home-from-the-hospital outfit, so I was going to put the outfit out somewhere. Plus I was going to take a picture of her in her car seat now and have another picture on display of her as a newborn in it. And a picture of Hubby cradling her as a newborn when her feet barely reached his hand, and then now where her legs spill over the side of his arm. Maybe I will use the mantle for all that kind of stuff. So those are all things I'm working on deciding now too, as I make a list of all the things I need to pick up at Michael's and Joann's over the weekend.
Whew - who knew I had so much to say? I guess it has been a week! Tomorrow I am going to a big neighborhood-wide garage sale that apparently is the creme de la creme of all garage sales. I'm not much of a garage sale-r, usually sticking to antique shops and estate sales, but I'm going to give this one a shot since I've heard so many good things about it. I'll let you know if I pick up any treasures! Anything you want me to look for for you???
Have a great weekend!
Kara
I am IN LOVE with this hat (if it's possible to be in love with a party hat). I think it is so, so adorable and, while Suz will probably not allow me to actually put it on her (based on her reaction when I was measuring out the ribbon ties), it will still be really cute to look at. The only thing I didn't do was use heavy cardstock paper, but it seemed to work out okay, so no worries.
And a closer look:
Being outside and in the sun, they took about five hours to dry versus the recommended 12 hours in a garage, so I was grateful for that quick turnaround (being into instant gratification and all). My only other change was that when I got home I realized I did not have enough glue - I had purchased a 4-ounce bottle because I didn't want a ton left over, but when I mixed it with water it just seemed really watery and I was doubting whether it would give me the desired effect. So I mentally ran through my list of craft supplies that I could add to the mixture and realized Modge Podge might have the same properties as the Elmer's glue, so I mixed some of that in and it worked like a charm. Here is my finished result:
I know some of the flags look white...they're actually a creamy background with orange circle, but I realize it's hard to see. I used fabric quarters from Joann Fabrics for the pink and also the orange fabric I just mentioned, and then the yellow was part of my fabric stash. I am planning on putting these in the front yard to line the driveway and sidewalk as an alternative to balloons on the mailbox. Fingers crossed it's not a windy day! 
We inherited the big chairs from some friends that were moving out of state and didn't want to haul these along. The small chair is from my parents for little Suz. It kind of bothered me they didn't all match, so of course I decided to paint them! (My question: what can't paint fix???)
And a close-up:
This is my father-in-law's neighbors' front yard in Dallas, where we visited in the fall of 2009. Hubby and I went on a walk through the neighborhood and I took my camera...it was in the middle of the day and no one was home, so I didn't feel as weird taking pictures of strangers' homes, but still...I got a few looks from passing cars. Anyway, I loved the red chairs against the gray house. Incidentally, while we were in Dallas we went by this garden shop that was going out of business and they had a red wooden double Adirondack chair on clearance for less than $100. I died. But there was no way we could get it home on an airplane. I kept asking my FIL if he had plans to drive to Florida at any point in the future and he kept saying no. So, fast forward to this Christmas, when he DROVE from TEXAS to FLORIDA. Ugh! When I heard he was driving one of the first things I said was, "He could have brought me that chair!" It took Hubby a second to realize what I was referring to and then I think he was either impressed or disturbed that I was still thinking about that chair. Seriously, it pained me to leave it in the store. Lesson: always buy it, even if you don't have a way to get it home but you have a free place to store it, which is a lesson I applied when purchasing a dining table off the Atlanta Craigslist (thanks again!).
And actually, multiply that picture by two. Yes, four cans of spray paint at $5.99 each. Maybe not the most economical project, but as I pointed out to Mr. Lass: the chairs were free, so if I have to spend $25-ish to get them to match, I think that's reasonable. He grudgingly agreed. But we both love them now:
I think it will double as her Easter dress too. So hopefully it gets here on time and hopefully it's warm in the afternoon next Saturday! Thanks for your suggestion with displaying the monthly pictures. I think I am going to take your advice and use bunting to show off the pictures in some way. I also had another idea: we have lots of what I'm calling "baby artifacts" that I would also like to show off. For instance, the little hospital cap she practically lived in her first few weeks at home now looks like a baby Yamulke when I put it on her. We have a picture of her in our going-home-from-the-hospital outfit, so I was going to put the outfit out somewhere. Plus I was going to take a picture of her in her car seat now and have another picture on display of her as a newborn in it. And a picture of Hubby cradling her as a newborn when her feet barely reached his hand, and then now where her legs spill over the side of his arm. Maybe I will use the mantle for all that kind of stuff. So those are all things I'm working on deciding now too, as I make a list of all the things I need to pick up at Michael's and Joann's over the weekend.
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