Hodge Podge

A LITTLE WHINING:

Here are some photos that i have had for a while that I needed to post (along with their stories). Sorry for the hodge podge of information!

Approximately six days after buying four brand new tires, I went to my car in the morning only to find this sticking out of my now flat tire. Joy.


The good news is that they replaced it.

THE LATEST CRAFTING:

Here is a before and after of some wall tiles that we have. We have had them for about three years. When I bought them they were shiny red, but I painted them to match our decor(one orange, one deep red and another brown). They were matte in appearance and I have always thought they might look better with a glossy coat. So I gave them a little gloss!

Before - except for in bright light, you couldn't see the awesome pattern on the tin tile.


After - now the unique texture is more obvious.


I received some doilies recently from my parents. They were doilies that my grandma Patterson had and some of them were even made by my great grandmothers. I wanted to display them in a fun way (see this post), so I looked high and low for fun frames to set them off.

Eventually I found these frames at Esme's. Esme's is the world's greatest junk shop. Seriously. They are only open once a month and are "on the path" to closing as they gradually sell out their vast storehouse. But I am optimistic that they will never really close their doors. At least not while I'm around. :) But I digress. These frames were hideous. I do not have any photographs that do them justice. They were bright gold and very ornate (well they are still ornate, I guess). Now, they are a nice tone of "hammered steel". Here is the before.


The during...



And after. The "after" shot doesn't do it justice. It is really a darker color like the "during" photo...


Seriously, if you ever spray paint this is the best stuff in the universe. With the hammered steel look it disguised uneven spraying and looks good on everything!


Now that they are done, I need to choose the colors I want to use for our bedroom. Marc and I are going to get a new comforter. We love our "current" one, but it is NEVER used. It is HUGE and cumbersome and it is easier to just keep it in the closet. We don't sleep with it because it is silk and satin, and taking it on and off the bed is just not that practical for us. We are going to keep it for a guest room someday, but in the meantime, we want a nice bedspread/comforter that we can easily sleep with, launder and decorate around. So finding a nice new comforter is next on my list. It has to be cheap and it needs to go with our dark brown (chocolate) curtains. Let me know if you have ideas of stores I should check.

Once the comforter is picked, I will find a coordinating fabric to put behind the doilies when I frame them. See! It all connects. I could tell you were worried I had just gone on another tangent. :)

TANGENT #2:

On a completely different note. I called my Mom last week and I was surprised to hear a voice from my past! My friend from high school, Christie, was at Mom and Dad's with her cute little boy Elliot! Isn't he adorable?! I haven't seen Christie since our sophomore year of college, so it was nice to chat with her on the phone. It sounds like she is a great momma and I look forward to seeing her the next time I am in South Dakota. Congrats on the cutest little bug, Christie and Brad!


In this picture you can see Elliot smiling at a photo of Marc and me. He liked our photo so much he cried when Christie put it down! :)



IN OTHER RANDOM NEWS:

What do you get when you mix Midwestern do-it-yourselfers with a car in need of an oil change?


A good old-fashioned oil-change-by-flashlight, of course! Here our the upstairs neighbors Amber and Chris working to change the oil in Amber's car.


The funniest part was that they were doing it at about 9:00 at night. :)


Julie always has to get in on the oil change action. She is truly her father's daughter!


RJ, making sure Julie was okay under the car. :) So sweet!

I am pretty sure that is enough randomness for now. If you like, check out my "other" work-related blog (http://www.methodistchildrenshome.blogspot.com).