A wooden box with no home

Before I get into the bulk of this post I just wanted to say stay safe and warm everyone in Buffalo,NY today. Don't travel if you don't have to! I can actually believe I am typing this sentence, which is sad, but I can't believe I am actually seeing this happen...To say this winter has been bad is an understatement. Today we got issued a blizzard warning until 2am Thursday. This is the second blizzard warning we got this winter. We are expected to have storm totals of 16". Craziness. Yesterday it was a high of 48° today, we have a march blizzard. Cool. 

So one of our local craft stores in the area is closing, which means crazy close out discounts. Right now they are running 40% off everything and they will eventually get to 90% off. This little wooden box caught my eye as I was running around the store grabbing as much as I could. 

How charming and precious is this little box that could? This was very unlike me to buy something that I had no end use for within crafting. But you know what? I'm so glad I grabbed this, and for only $2.99 if it didn't work out its not like I broke the bank.

For this project is was thinking a tri tone with a nice beefy stain on where the cut outs are to showcase the beautiful craftsmen ship.

I've used these stains once before, and I'm kind of obsessed. They are just as small as a normal acrylic craft paint bottle and they go on very easy and they don't smell as much as normal stains. I started first by doing the staining.

I decided the oak stain was getting lost with what I envisioned so I took the walnut stain and applied it over my oak stain, the result was actually exactly what I was looking for.

Then I just started to paint a lighter grey around the top edge and a darker moody grey on the bottom half.

The inside of the box I wanted a pop of color, but before I could do that I had to apply the stain to the inside cutout panel. 

With all staining you want to make sure you are removing excess stain and to stain with the grain. 

I just painted the insides and the lips of the wood pieces the same colors as the outside and the I chose my pop color, a lilac.

Four coats later, that's right four coats! The wood they used to make this was very absorbent. But once it was painted I really really liked it.

Once it was dried, it need a home. Currently it's been living on a small shelf in my bedroom, but I have a feeling it will be moving around my home a bit before it finds it's perminant home. 

It's actually not too bad there. It's been on this shelf now for about two weeks so I'm definitely living with it a bit before I move it. 

The Aqua Lent Challenge

Oh man do I chuckle at these someecards. Sometimes I find myself looking at them for hours and laughing out loud...by myself. GUITLY! I haven't found one yet that wasn't funny. But this one is kind of true. 

Every year we are, I don't want to say expected but well expected, to give something up for Lent. 40 days. Doesn't seem too bad, until it's day 2 and you realized how much of a whimp you are and you're sneaking what ever you gave up back into your routine. *raises hand because I gave up 1hr into it*. 

Every year I give something up. Every year I make it one more day longer than I did last year. Not this year. This year I'm going to really try to make it the full length of Lent and I challenge you all to do the same! 

I don't like to post about religion or my

beliefs because that's not what I'm here to do. But it's only fitting that this gets some blog time. We all know that one person who tries to push their beliefs onto others and make everyone guilty when they think otherwise. That's not me at all. But I am asking you to join in this challenge with me! 

What's the challenge you ask?? I'm calling it the Aqua Lent Challenge! 

Doctors and research shows we should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day. To me that's crazy. I don't even like water. It tastes dirty to me. I've tried all waters and all different ways for me to like it, it doesn't happen. So I don't even drink it....I'll wait while you make some crazy remark, I've heard them all....done? Ok, good. Continuing on...

So this is a little crazy but I'm challenging myself and anyone who wants to join on a 40 day water challenge. For Lent I will be giving up any drinks I normally drink on a day to day basis and putting water in it's place. But there are some let's say rules that I and anyone who wants to join should follow. (See how I said should and not has to, you can alter this for your lifestyle or your own liking).

Rules of this challenge:

- You are allowed one cup of caffeine a day (this way no one will get a headache from no caffeine, you'll thank me for letting me keep your coffee) 

- You are allowed to designate one day during the week where you are able to "cheat" and go back to your old drinking habits. This day you can choose on your own to whatever fits your lifestyle, I still have to decide on mine. I hope by giving a "cheat" day this challenge will be easier to follow through with. 

- You cannot get "creative" and tell me you have water in your ice tea mix. Been there, tried that, drank it while you weren't looking. You may however, add any natural sweeteners like fruit, veggies, raw sugar, etc to your water. 

- You must make sure water is the main drink you are drinking throughout the day.

- You must start tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, March 5th and end on Easter Sunday. 

- If you are joining this challenge with me keep me posted! I would love to see how you're doing with it! 

Here's to hoping I make it the full week! You think I'm joking but I'm not. In all seriousness, I think this will be a healthy, helpful and interesting challenge! 

Just call me the Wreath Whisperer

Wowzers! It's been way too long since I've posted something for you fine folks. A month to be exact! Lots have happened in those 4 weeks. Of course there has been crafting, have you met me?! But I also went to Las Vegas MAGIC market week, which is a 3 day trade show held for the fashion industry that buyers and vendors attend to and I got the great opportunity to attend this year! I may post about that but if I do be prepared for tons of pictures and me yapping away! It was such a great opportunity I still can't believe I was able to go!!! I also caught the flu when I returned to buffalo from my trip and the a head cold right after that. I couldn't catch a break! I'm finally feeling back to myself. You don't know how grateful you are to be able to breathe out of both of your nostrils until it's taken away from you overnight. Seriously, try to eat something with your mouth closed like your mother taught you and you can't breathe in either of your nostrils...it's not fun or a cute picture.

Enough of my life recapping! Let's get to that post I've promised you. Now that you all probably have 50+ felt rosettes made during the time I was gone lets put them on something shall we?

This wreath was made for valentines day, but you know what...everyday is valentines day so it's okay that it's now march and I am just posting now about the day of love...

 

Surprisingly since this is now my 3rd wreath that I have made I didn't have any of the supplies on hand to decorate the wreath. So I just went to Joann's (a local craft and fabric store) to pick up the wreath mold, the yarn, the LOVE wooden sign and felt. With the use of a 40% off coupon (they always have them, get the app you won't be disappointed, and they take competitor coupons too!) this project came in at about $10. Music to my college student ears!

I just started to wrap the wreath with the grey yarn like I have in the past for other wreaths. You can see a better step by step tutorial here. This took me a little longer since it is a shape I'm not use to wrapping.

Once the wreath was wrapped completely with the yarn I started to make the felt rosettes (which you all know how to make since I have given you plenty of practice time!!) here is a better tutorial for some of you folks who have no idea what I'm talking about...

After I made a good amount of the rosettes, I made a bit more than I used and made some smaller or bigger depending on how I cut the felt out. I then moved onto painting the LOVE sign a nice red and hot glueing that to my wreath. I glued it on an angle, which my photo skills here are not up to par but trust me its on an angle.

Then I just glued the rosettes in smaller clusters towards the end of my heart wreath...

I had so many left I decided to add some to the very top of the wreath. I'm really glad I did this because without it it would be one undecorated heart. More roses are always a good thing, am I right or am I right ladies ;)

Thankfully at work we just happened to do a massive prop purge the week I made this wreath and this burlap ribbon that I took home with me was the perfect addition to this little project. So introducing the free yet appropriate burlap ribbon. I hot glued the ribbon to the back of wreath this time and have found I like this way a lot better than what I've been doing previously. When in doubt, hot glue it.

Three hours later I found myself the owner of a nice new lovely wreath! I still have it hanging up in my kitchen, at this rate I may as well keep it up until next Valentine's day...

 

 

Have you ever found yourself making the same crafts over and over because you just simply love them? Or found yourself surprised how fast life can go by and you realized you've left your readers hanging? (sorry again, I love you all!!) Here's to many more crafts and better scheduled posts!!