InspiredElectrons
DIY
Project of the Week
May 7th
Ok, so this post was going to be about how I won’t be doing anymore projects for awhile. We leave for China next week. NEXT WEEK, PEOPLE! Needless to say, things are getting to be a bit hectic. However, I am DONE with all my performances. They were a smashing success. I am so pleased with my little ones at school. But it’s a huge relief not to be in charge of anything else for awhile (besides my normal teaching, of course). Speaking of teaching, I am also working a few extra days before I leave, so that adds to the craziness. And speaking of craziness, yesterday a microburst ripped through our front and back porch. We rushed out back, assuming that was where the most damage was done. Our bbq was knocked over. That’s how strong this was. Our stringed lights were knocked down but amazingly not broken. My awesome buddha beer bottles were scattered, but also not broken. My stoic hookah stood untouched and proud on the table. Whew. We go out front and this is where the true tragedy hit. My beautiful trellis, the pride and joy of my heart, had been viciously attacked and lay cripple with two broken legs. I AM SO UPSET!
Ok, back to the point. I had decided that I wasn’t going to worry about anymore projects. Then yesterday, I was leisurely sitting on my back porch, sipping my coffee, reading The Elfstones of Shannara, breathing in the scent of my jasmine in full bloom, listening to my fountain, when I wandered into the house for some random purpose (I forget), which brought me into my sewing room. With a burst of inspiration and determination, I set to work on a random project I’ve been wanting to do. I think it was because I saw my earrings that I had dumped out of their jewelry box reminding me of what I wanted to do. This is by no means original, but it goes along with my hippy-I-use-coffee-sacks-for-everything craftiness.
It was super quick. I grabbed an unused frame from the closet (This is one we brought back from our honeymoon in Hawaii. It was way too expensive, and we were dirt poor. We bought it anyway as our one souvenir. I have kept it all these years for sentimental reasons.) I cut some burlap, glued the edges on the back, and voila! The fun part was arranging all the earrings. Some of you may recognize ones you have given me over the years as bday gifts :) I have so many, I know. I have been neglecting them for the past few years because I forget about them tucked into a box. And then when I did want a pair, I had to dig around until I found them. Annoying. Now they are out in front of my face everyday so I will be reminded to wear them more often.
The end.
Project of the (Previous) Week
Apr 29th
I missed my Monday deadline, sorry. But I did do a project last week! And it’s super cute. I did these Neon Shoes DIY:
The example/inspiration
I had a pair of brown, strappy heels that I thought would work. Here they are:
I decided to go with the pink and yellow, since I liked it. But then changed my mind. The heels/platform had a textured surface like a basket weave. I thought it would look like an easter basket. So I decided electric blue. I still left a pop of hot pink in there though.
Ooh la la!
The details: The texture made painting difficult. The electric blue polish was older and did not go on as smooth. The new yellow polish was awesome, even with the texture. Also, I had to do quite a few more coats to get all the little nooks and crannies, which made the surface much gunkier. However, it was a fun project, and I love the colors! But when I look up close and see all the flaws I’m not terribly happy with the results. I was going to just get rid of them because they are not very comfy anyway. But then I was getting ready for dinner at Zemam’s and feeling a little sassy. So I grabbed them out of the give-away pile and tried one on:
(disclaimer: It’s a crappy pic and my room is messy)
fyi taking a good pic of yourself in a mirror with an iPhone is really hard
They actually weren’t as uncomfortable when I’m sitting for long periods of time, so they are keepers for now :)
Project of the Week
Apr 16th
I’ve been a bit brain-dead the past few weeks. It’s performance season in the land of music teachers. I had my kindergarten performance at the end of March, and then the 3rd grade recorder concert last week. Both went extremely well, but they leave me very drained. I have one more to go at the beginning of May, which is actually only a few weeks away (eek!).
Regardless of my excuses, I did manage one simple project this week. So last year for my birthday, I co-hosted with Neal and we threw a Nerdy Geeky Birthday Party. It was awesome. We went costume hunting at the thrift store and came up with these outfits:
I know, right?
You can’t tell from this picture and my slouched posture but the blouse I’m wearing was actually pretty cute. I mean, who doesn’t love polka dots? The only thing was the length of the sleeves. They created too much poofiness. So after the party was over, I set it aside in my never-ending-pile-of-future-alterations. Finally, Friday I was in the midst of cleaning my dressing room/craft room. I remembered that I needed to do a project of the week and in a flurry of spontaneity I somehow pulled this blouse out and set to work.
I snipped those annoying sleeves:
See how long those suckers are?
Then I added mustard yellow bias tape around the edges. Bias tape has become my new bestie. If you have not discovered the wonders of it, you are missing out.
Tada!
Looks like a totally different shirt, right? I’m still contemplating putting some bias around the collar too. I didn’t personally model this shirt for you because:
a) I’m still in my pj’s and am not motivated to get dressed. Good thing I have a job where I have to get dressed some days of the week, huh?
b) It’s a bit snug around my love handles. Drat my chunks of love. They will forever be my nemesis. I’m working on this though. I’m trying to made cardio my new bestie. And salads. Sorry, bias tape.
c) I swear I have the shortest torso in the world, but apparently not. It’s a bit short to wear with low slung jeans. Easily fixed with the right tank underneath. I just need to figure out which color, which requires me getting out of my pj’s. Also, a high-waisted skirt would do the trick. Again, I’d have to get out of my slobovia clothes, as Phil calls them.
But still, it’s super cute and I’m happy with the results. The whole thing took probably about 15 minutes. An easy fix. Now, if only I could tackle more from my to-be-altered pile …
Project of the Week
Apr 7th
Does this count?
Happy Easter!
p.s. Last week’s garden post was technically my project of the week, since I did have to plant many new seeds. I should’ve specified that :)
Project of the Week
Mar 26th
Actually, make that “Project of the Past Two Weeks”.
Tada! In case you’re wondering what it is, it’s a combo trellis for my garden (cucumbers and squash, specifically) and shade for our front door/window, which get quite toasty in the summer. I got the idea from here. Phil’s sister sent me that link last year and I found it tucked away in my “Projects” folder in Evernote. See, you just never know when you’re going to come back to something.
I started building the frame last Monday when Phil was out of town. Now while I enjoyed the freedom to do it completely MY way and not his super logical way, I did have to go back and undo things quite a few times. My biggest mistake, probably, was building half the frame indoors. Maybe.
At the time it made total sense to me. It kept me in the nice cool house. It was a bit warm outside, and I was being sun-cancer conscious and staying out of the harmful UV rays. But then I need to move it outside. All by myself. A big 7 foot by 8 foot frame. And no, I did not break anything. That was Phil’s first question when I told him my process.
Then I had to add on the other half. Many other “Oh crap, I should’ve done it that way” moments came to me during the rest of this. But I will save those for a conversation over wine.
Next step was painting a color that matched the house. It didn’t really turn out looking any different than the original wood color, but it does give a little bit more finished look to it. Then the rain/snow came last weekend and halted my progress. But Friday was beautiful outside so both Phil and I went to staple down the metal fencing wire mesh stuff. This was the whole point of this entire project – a trellis for my garden. The cucumbers and squash I plant are vining varieties and so will eventually climb and provide shade. Phil had the great idea of adding the shade cloth though. So back to Home Depot I went to get shade cloth. Then back another time to get those special fasteners for shade cloth that I thought I should get but decided I didn’t need them because we had a staple gun. (I was wrong, btw). And then back a 3rd time to get another pack because, again, I ignored that little voice of logic in my head that said, “Hmmm, maybe you should get two just in case”. Damn logic gets me every time.
Side note: We both, even in all Phil’s logical glory and super translucent skin, forgot to put on sunscreen. We totally fried. Now you see how genius it was of me to build the thing indoors.
Anyway, many more hours ensued between putting the entire thing into the ground, attaching the cloth, deciding to attach it up to the roof, perfecting it, etcetera, etcetera. Phil is still not done perfecting it, but I’m happy. I’m loving the shaded front porch and added privacy!
And here is a teaser for a very overdue garden post:
Red Creole Onions