A Day in the life of.....

Ok, actually it was a few days, but they blend together with the same thought.

Boredom

My daughter is in Canada at camp, and my son has been working so I have a lot of time on my hands.

When I get bored, I start gluing things together.

The project below is what came out.

I had read on Pinterest that you can make large images for cheap, if you order engineering prints at Staples.  They only come in black in white and they are not picture sharp.

I thought I'd give it a try and ordered this picture on line and another one, you'll see at the end of this post.

For two 18x24 images was under five dollars.

So I glued the paper on a piece of foam core I had left over from a Dollartree excursion.

I used spray glue on the foam core and then smoothed the picture on top.

I had room left over so I started gluing on my husbands old (as in thrown away) drumsticks.

Then I threw in some coffee beans for flavor HA! get it?  flavor :D 

How more Seattle can you get?

It still didn't work on the wall.

So I put it on another wall. 

I kinda liked it but, I like my orange frame better.

Oops sorry random picture.  It's a "vanilla bean cheesecake with chocolate crust and salted carmel topping.  Insert drool here. 

Dang, another random picture, but I did finally capture Kiki in his bed. 

Ok back to the picture without a wall.

I found a frame that was on my mantle....empty....just kinda sitting there staring at me and my dillema.

I got re-inspired and added a little typography on thar 

The frame was happy to oblige me and made my free art complete.

I think NOW it is working.  Maybe....

I will post another picture when that side of the room is complete.

And of course the final picture. 

Yes, I have not painted my mantle yet.

I am bogged down by the little things I have to do before I can actually do that.

I wish I had a intern to do all the lacky stuff so I can finish up these projects.

But on the great note, my knee is finally healed and I am able to do stuff.

Whoooo hoooo.

Don't throw ideas from glass heads

Back in my teenage years I first saw a glass head.

I loved it and really wanted one buuuuuut it just never happened.

Thanks to wandering around a discount store I finally scored one for about 7 dollars!!

Isn't it terrific?!?!!

I am so excited about all the possibilities it could hold.

Flowers for spring, a hovering light bulb, Christmas lights, the ideas just flood.

The only dilemma is how to keep it in there?

So I found a candle and the top cover thingy fit pretty good. 

I then added a little duck tape to thicken it up a little and then wrapped rubber bands around that for a good seal. 

So can you guess what I stuffed it with? 

No?

Ok I'll get closer 

Figured it out yet? 

yeah, old school media aka cassette tapes. 

I also threw some silver glitter in there and a couple of guitar picks.

I love it :) I even found a pair of really old school (70's) head phones to put over her glass ears.

It's just plain fun.

Oh and to answer any questions about the Kiki Throne he has not slept in it.  He has slept next to it a few times.  Rooo  being who she has decided it was worthy of her nap time and has now claimed the throned. 

The king has lost his throne, truly.

The Wall!!! Where's the bar?

 So this is my feature wall before the wood and after.

I got overwhelmed with the possibilities of much stuff .

I need All The Stuff!!!!!

I drove myself nuts!!!

One day I changed the wall 3 times O_o 

Yeah 

That about sums it up.

So this is the wall I settled on. 

I even painted the candlesticks a muted silver and used them as pedestals for the vintage cameras.

Guitar case to support the glass shelf and old school headphones. 

Old rake holding my martini glasses and cd holder holding the vintage shot glasses.

I feel a little calmer about it.

Pay no attention to the blue paint, part of it is dry and part is wet. 

Ok on to the bar....this was for FREE!!!!

It was a 50's or 60's era radio/phonograph.

I decided to tear it apart.

I sold the tubes on ebay (got about 50 bucks) and removed the guts.

I was going to make it a buffet but that was a few years ago. 

It sat in my garage for a few years and got messed up in the process.

Someone used it for painting things on.

I could sand it and repaint it but I am to the point of extreme lazy and wanting to be done. 

Fabric to the rescue, doo, dooo doooooooo

This is left over fabric from the curtains in the dining area. 

So with the exterior figured out, I needed to do something with the top.

I know I am being brainwashed, it's subtle, it's probably happening to you.

CHEVRON! 

So whipping out my trusty can of spray paint I created Chevron. 

But you can still see where people used this for other projects.  I also calmed down the inside with some place mats from Ikea. 

So I darkened the wood and muted the blue and decided to funk it up with a wood grain. 

Are you feeling it?

Yeah, the rug had to be moved.  As well as the blue candle sticks.

So are you ready for magic?

I really like this retro cool hip TA-DAA! 

Inside is just dying to be used with ice bucket and shaker. 

I brought the pattern from the fabric to the speaker cover. 

Also the candlesticks now make sense and are really great pedestals. 

And what better way to hold your martini glasses than an old rake your husband wanted you to throw away.  Oh yeah, and now loves the idea of it. 

Yes, the legs are not fully painted.

I just might start a trend because my coffee table seems to have the same problem. 

The veiwmaster is a great Goodwill find and what better place than near a bar.

Sounds like I drink all the time, but I don't.  Maybe a couple once in awhile.  Mostly this wall represents me and my husband's life, past, present, and future.

Now onto the other 3 walls!!!

Portlandia

So we took a little trip to Portland last weekend.

We've also fell in love with Portlandia on IFC.

They are not far from the truth and that is what is even funnier.

So we decided to explore and jumped on the MAX.

It was interesting and kinda fun.

Portlandia beginnings

I loved all the building detail around Ankeny.

It was really empty on the Friday we were there but was packed with food, and art and entertainment the next day.  They really have an amazing flea market and we all found some awesome things. 

My leg is still not healing so a lot of these pics were taken while I was being whisked away in my wheelchair.  It was exciting, scary, and thrilling,.....not so much over the cobble stone though.

One of my favorite things in Portland is Voodoo Doughnuts!

Not only are they funny and fun but the best doughnuts I have ever eaten. 

Not to mention their outside wall is painted with glitter!!!!

YES I said glitter! 

We were there around 4 in the afternoon and there was still a line outside the building.

Me?  I really do love the interior with all the colors and slightly insane design plan 

But be warned, if you want something you better bring some cash because they take nothing else.

Their stuff is imaginative and tasty.  The girls loved the oreo covered doughnuts.  The cereal covered ones where pretty good as well.  Actually there wasn't a doughnut I didn't like. 

The even had little voodoo doughnuts with a pretzel sticking out of their heart, just in case you have some issues to work through.

We continued on exploring and taking moments to ham it up 

After all it was encouraged 

We then headed over to Chinatown but it felt dated. 

This is the first 24hr church of Elvis. 

As you can see, there was no line.

Apparently doughnuts are way above Elvis in Portlandia. 

We stopped for a bit and got to watch some local talent.

There is seriously some great graffiti art in Portland

Then we wandered into the Pearl and headed back to the hotel room.

The next morning ( 10:30) we headed over to Rockin Rose thrift store.

That is when we learned that Portland doesn't do mornings.

Nothing was open until 11 or 12 

We wandered some more. 

We finally made it back to find it still wasn't open and we gave up.

 Decided to practice our lion faces and do the flea market.

? what? don't know what the lion face is?  well you really need to watch it click here

Did I tell you it was St Paddy's Day?

There was a sea of green everywhere. 

Also hundreds of men in green dresses running around "The Pearl"

My husband and daughter went into the giant bookstore called Powell's

If you put all the sections of Powells together it would take up a city block and be three stories.

We (me and Sheri) hung outside for a while watching people but then decided to get warm in Dr Martens and I really just wanted to live there.

I mean how cool is this store? 

We did have a slight accident with our original pink box of voodoo doughnuts.

I had them on my lap and was being wheeled around Portland and decided to check out a thrift store.

Well there are lots of wheelchair ramps that are designed to launch you like the indy 500.

As my daughter built up speed to make the next ramp I was hurled into the threshold.  The wheelchair came to a dead stop.  The doughnuts continued on the projected path.  Into the thrift store with all the trendy hip people, sprinkles exploding into the air.  As all the brightly colored tasty treats fell to their death.  My daughter in a panic ran to rescue the doughnuts and let go of me as I slowly roll back down the ramp into oncoming traffic.  It's ok, I realize I had arms and grabbed the wheels and still while holding the doughnut box on my shins. There was panic, there were apologies, there where multi colored sprinkles everywhere.  It really was quite tragic.

I tell you all of that so you know why we went back before we left Portland

Yep, we grabbed another dozen for the ride home. 

The line was still there.  The doughnuts were still amazing.

Oh, the "stick a bird on it" is over but the new coming trend will be, "put a feather on it"....we got the inside scoop.

I did finish my lamps, kinda and wanted to share that really quick

short tada 

I need something in between to break up the brown and I still haven't made the pillows.

But I sure do love my lamps, I feel all hip and cool.