Side Table Repurpose

Did you think I forgot all about this blog?  I just haven't had much to add lately. 

Now I have a few items that will be posted on tuesdays over the next few weeks. 

I still have no actual followers and that's sad. So, if you like my updates click the follow button. 

It will make me feel special. 

Somewhere along the way I got this table "hand me down".  It is nice, very heavy and kind of annoyingly big. Its 2feet x 2feet so it is a big side table thats hard to decorate. I have wanted to do something with it to make it more useful.  

In my usual nighttime thought / overthink I decided it could make a nice ottoman. 

 I measured down the legs and decided it could loose about 7" 

Then I bought some thick, firm foam from the local Smiths Market place and cut it to fit the table top.

I am not so great at sewing. But I'm too stubborn to let that stop me. Because of that I have found my own ways to simplify the process for myself (or I'm totally doing it right and I am awesome :-) 

I laid the fabric wrong side out over the foam and pinned the excess corners to create a seam line, flush to the foam corner so that it would be square to the 2 inch foam. I took that to my sewing machine then turn the fabric right side out and stuff the foam back in to the stitched fabric leaving the excess fabric to staple to the top board. 

 The top was never really mounted to the base so I stuffed the fabric through and stapled it down to keep the top and bottom pieces together. 

  Excuse the green curtain lighting. in the next shots while you check out my cool new foot stool.

I knew I wanted a very large, graphic print. 

I am loving it. 

Because of the firm foam you can still set things on it without them tipping over. But it also serves as a foot rest or even extra seating if needed. 

It was quite a simple update to do and I think it will be far more useful in our house. 

thats it for today. Come back next week. I'll show you my new kitchen table. 

SteamPunk Goggles

Did you start to wonder if I had forgotten about this blog thing? 

This next weekend is the Salt Lake ComiCon, Fan Expo. We have spent the past week working on costumes but nothing really blogable. 

Except maybe this. 

My oldest daughter is doing a sort of Steam Punk Snow White. For her head band she wanted a pair of goggles. Now comes the part where I reference the wonderful Epbot.com.  http://www.epbot.com/2011/07/how-to-make-steampunk-goggles.html

Yes. I use her site ALL the time. I couldn't have made this had she not shown me the way. 

However, I made these once using metal pipe like in her directions and realized they were going to be too heavy for a headband. This is my adjustments for a lighter end result.

These are the items I bought.

2 - 1 1/2 die cast slip joint nuts (@$2.50 each)

#4 mini clamp. ($.40)

1 1/2 " PVC slip joint coupling. ($6.00) 

The coupling comes with plastic joint nuts but they're ugly and not the right shape 

for the look we were after. So just toss those. 

There are metal couplings as well but they add so much weight. I found some to purchase by themselves that were lighter. They were in a high box at Lowes. Not something you will just notice but if you watch for 1 1/2 die cast slip joint nuts you will spot them. 

 See how they have the grip corners around the edge. 

I then found a leather looking fabric at walmart. I think I bought 1/4th yard. 

I cut it to about 1 1/2" wide then sewed the edges down. 

Next I used a scrap of paper to determine the shape of the fabric eye piece. I placed it in the ring to determine the length. 

Then cut the paper to scoop like this. I know it's not even or perfect. It evened out in the stitching and seems to have worked fine. 

I used it as a pattern to cut out the fabric. Then I stitched the edges and connected the ends. I didn't take a photo of the pipe but I used a dremmel tool to cut it in half. I used a slight angle so they would have a scoop to match the fabric. Then glued the fabric to the pipe.

 

Next I wanted to find a good size for the screws. I took a photo of the drawers to maybe help.  

I wanted really small screws which are only available in stainless. 

I bought 2 tiny screws (0-80 x 1/4 flathead + hex nuts) I drilled holes in the shorter, inside of the tubes then attached the spray painted mini clamp for the nose piece. At the deeper end of the tube I drilled through the fabric and the head strap then placed 2 larger screws (4-40x1/4 Pan head +Hex nuts). I worried about the length but it ended up being perfect. 

Some spray pain on the nuts. 

We used Rust-oleum Metallic in Flat Chestnut. Screw on the pipe ends

And thats it. Steam punk Goggles. It really was a fast project. 

For the "lenses" we used Vellum but I don't like that you can't see through them at all. My daughter is fine with it since it is a headband. I think I would use a matte finish page protector or a thick plastic folder. 

So If you are at FanExpo and recognize the goggles, say Hi. 

I'll be the mom behind her in the Molly Weasley sweater.  

Yesterday was my birthday. I finally got my own finishing sander which is Great because I have 4 wood projects taking space in the garage and I'm about ready to get back at it.  

Have a wonderful week.  

Star Wars Lego Table.

My Son likes to set up the counter of his Lego sets to look like their proper environment. He has used blankets and fabric before. One of his cool ones was when he used Lincoln Logs and glue 
dots to make the Forbidden Forrest for his Hagrid's Hut set. He decided this week that a 
Star Wars set needed it's own location. 
A dessert scene for the Skiff, Jabba's Barge, and Sarlacc Pit.

 So part of being my child is coming up with crazy ideas and asking me to figure out 

how to make it work.  

Yesterday after school child and I went to the local thrift shop and found this table. He liked that it had a raised edge. He also liked the shape until he got home and tried to fit it in his room. 

You can faintly see a red X on the top. I measured from corner to corner to locate the center and pulled out the dremel tool. Using all the wrong attachments, I carved out the center. To get it just a bit deeper I chiseled out some particle board layers with the putty knife and screw driver 

Once I got a decent depth I grabbed this nifty spray paint that has a sandy texture to it. 

After one spray I realized it wasn't going to fully cover the existing wood so I went searching for what paint I had kicking around.

 I found a dark brown and a creamy white. Neither color really worked SO I mixed them. I just needed a better undertone so the color wasn't crucial. 

You can see the base coat is a bit streaky. I did't want a solid, perfect layer. We are going for sandy  and the more texture I could add in, the better. It isn't even the same tone across the top. I added a little more brown half way through and didn't mix thoroughly. 

(breaking All the rules) 

I then sprayed a layer of the gritty paint but still wanted texture. I found some acrylic paint in 2 more shades of brown, diluted the light one with water and flicked it across the top. I then added the darker into the water and flicked some more. 

But I felt like it was a little too speckled so I added one more thick, puddled layer of texture paint. (thick sections are thicker "sand spots")  

When the boy returned from school and saw this he decided that it could be darker and that he wants the pit to sit deeper so I borrowed a scroll saw and am wondering why I didn't do that sooner. I got 2 paint stir sticks (free) and nailed them to the underside of the hole. 

 then one more time I diluted craft paint and flicked it over the top, pounced the color spots to fade out and add depth. Thus making the boy happy.  

And here is his set on the sands of Tatooine.

Just a silly thing that makes a kid happy.

I have been low on posts. I am working on a few projects that aren't really photo friendly. Like family history and sorting through all of my Mom's slides that she doesn't know I stole while she was gone recently (hi Mom) 
A little info on that. Costco slide transfer is usually $17.99 for the first 50 and .29 each after that. This month they are having a $5.00 off deal. Which means I Really need to pull it together.  

Have a good week (or month, who knows)   

Not so sunny

It's been a couple of weeks so I should probably add something here. I'm trying to think what to blog about. I guess it will just be a run down. 

I am 2 weeks past leg vein surgery. It is so strange to look at my knee and have flat skin where a major coil has been for the past 20+ years. I still have some bruising just above my knee and yellow bruises along the incision areas. But all in all, it looks great. I think I will be glad I did it. 

Still keeping the photo small. It's just dash marks, no wound shot. 

I found out about a job literally (true use, not exaggeration) literally within minutes of it opening up. I called the company THAT day. With a few follow up calls and a couple of emails trying to find out where it would be posted and what was needed to apply. I really wanted a chance to persue this job. I felt like it would be a good one for me and that I would be good for it. I started dreaming myself into it to make sure I could work with the travel and time that it would require. Last night I finally got a response that they had been interviewing and were about to fill the position. I have been so sad about it today. I'm bummed that after how many times and ways I tried to find information, to have never been contacted until it was too late. I have teased that anything I dream about goes away. There is this quote 

 Well if I dream it, it dies. I am trying to not be cynical. I'm trying to trust that God has a better plan for me. But I have cried today. I feel like opportunities pass me by. Especially once I start picturing myself in it. Sometimes I hardly dare to dream. 

I lived in a neighborhood for 7 years. We left it a year and a half ago. Last night I was asked to come back and teach a class. I tried to defer to some of the far more skilled ladies in that area when I realized they just wanted me to get my butt up there to visit. It was strange to be 1 1/2 years away but to return to these ladies that I had served with and have so many stories with. It was nice and comfortable. 

I made a favorite treat. Cookie Dough Truffles.

I had to threaten my kids to not eat them then promise I would have more after the class. So now I need to go dip another batch. For home peace.

I need some projects. I've got a table to work on but I would like it a bit warmer to work outside. And it's raining. So that doesn't help. I'll get back to it soon I'm sure. 

Cookie Dough Truffles

Delicious little cookie dough chocolates. A major favorite.

YIELD

 102

CATEGORIES

 candies

---

INGREDIENTS

• • 3/4 cup butter. (1 1/2 cubes)
  • 1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 cup flour
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

• dipping chocolate

---

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy
  2. Add flour, sweet milk and vanilla mix well
  3. Stir in chocolate chips
  4. Shape in to balls
  5. Place on baking sheets refrigerate until firm

• melt dipping chocolate

  1. Can melt in microwave in short bursts (1 min at a time) stirring often.
  2. Can also use crockpot on a low setting

Sundancing

WHAT A WEEK! 

I have always wanted to participate in the Sundance film festival. I worked in Park City for 5 years and lived 15 min away for 7 but never volunteered. Partly due to working. Partly due to kids ages.
Also, I was already there. 

I have walked around main street to "Star gaze /Celeb stalk" almost every year I was up there. I guess I felt like I had covered it enough for the time but I always knew I would join in at some point. 

When I saw a link to a sign up I just did it. I would figure out how when the time came. I just know you can't move ahead by standing still so I jumped.

I got called and interviewed and I thought it went well. But then I received an email that the spots were filled so I brushed that off figuring it wasn't time yet. A few days later the Volunteer staff person that interviewed me called me back and said she had a job for me. We set up that I would be at the Eccles ( main theater) working crowd control. I signed up for 5 days/shifts.

I arrive for my first shift (festival day 6) having no idea where to go. I get pointed in a direction and given a job working in the lobby of the Theatre. In that job I get to sneak in and watch 2 films. The 2nd  day I was assigned to sit inside the theater by the entry with a flashlight, keep the curtain shut and light the way for people leaving or re- entering. I did such a good job they had me there again the 3rd day. Then I started looking at peoples credentials and realized everyone in the theaters said "Theater Team" Mine said Crowd Liaison. I was in the wrong place. I didn't want to be unable to volunteer next year because I wasn't showing up for my shifts when I was really just in the wrong place so I ratted myself out. :-)  

The next day I arrived and was placed in the ticket holder tent. I was kind of bummed. But I was able to talk to the great team members and enjoyed the attendees that I was ordering around. 

(nicely and with a smile of course) 

I finished my last day with a team switch and met a whole new group of people.  So my experience was very broken and I was never "part of a team" But I got to experience a few sides of the work and hopefully expand my usefulness.

I attended the opening party where I glommed onto a nice group of kids that talked to me. (I'm 40, kids are anyone under that age) I also attended the closing party which had decent food, loud music and a great opportunity to say good bye to new friends. 

We all got cool jackets. you can see them in this video that was shown before every wednesday movie for Volunteer appreciation day.  

As we Loaded the theater for Dear White People I noticed William H. Macey walk by. I said "Mr Macey, It is so nice to see you."  He kind of moved to walk on but leaned back and said "It's nice to be seen." Later he came to the back of the theater and stood right next to me for a while. I didn't realize it was him, which was probably good. I just let him be. He spent quite a bit of time around Eccles. He had a movie premiere there (Rudderless) and maybe he wanted to see how it was going to flow. I heard high praise for his film. He also talked with many volunteers. He was just low key and kind. I love when you see the good side of people.
I came home exhausted, sore and with no voice. 

I can hardly wait to do it again next year. 

I will tell you about the movies I saw. They DID contain language.
Yes. I have stepped onto that "Slippery Slope." 

I was at a film fest where you see great projects and well thought out stories. 

 I also got to see Q&A's with some of the stars and directors. 

Following is the movies I saw, their IMDB Summary and my quick comments in Orange. 

A Trip To Italy. Two comedians, six meals, six different places on a road trip around Italy. Staring: Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon.   Attendees called it Food Porn. It was enjoyable. Lots of talking, impersonations and Pasta. Both actors attended the Q&A
Hellion.  A motocross obsessed, 13 year old, Jacob's increasing delinquent behavior forces CPS to place his little brother Wes, with his aunt. Jacob and his emotionally absent father must finally take responsibility for their actions and for each other to bring Wes home. Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins.  I thought this movie was Great. The story was really well done. Acting was fantastic. Especially being carried by a young kid. Probably the Best movie I saw. 
Hits. A comedy exploring the nature of fame in 21st century, You Tube america. Takes place in a small upstate New York town. populated by people who trade in unrealistic expectations. It's a story in which fame, delusion, and recklessness meet, shake hands, and disrupt the lives around them.  A teen girl wants fame anyway she can get it. But instead, everyone around her keep finding the notoriety she craves. Directed by David Cross who's Q&A was almost a 15 min stand up. This movie tells a great story of You Tube culture and jumping on the wagon before you even know where it might be going. 
Skeleton Twins  When estranged twins Maggie and Milo feel that the're at the end of their ropes an unexpected reunion forces them to confront why their lives went so wrong. As they reconnect, they realize the key to fixing their lives may just lie in repairing their relationship. 
Kristin Wigg, Ty Burrell, Bill Hader. This quickly became a favorite for everyone. It was funny, touching, Well written and acted. Only the director was there for the Q&A It won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
Happy Christmas. Irresponsible 20-something Jenny arrives in Chicago to live with her older brother Jeff, a young filmmaker living a happy existence with his novelist wife and their two-year-old son. Jenny's arrival shakes up their quiet domesticityLena Dunham, Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey. Lots of Pot smoking and lena dunham. My shift ended, I left. 

To be perfectly honest, I was not too excited for the next 3 films. But I had just realized I was in the wrong place and didn't want to get booted out when I was totally unprepared for the cold (I had left extra layers home since I was working inside) So I just did my job. 

The Voices, A disturbed factory worker who hears advice from his pet dog and cat is implicated in the accidental death of his co-worker. Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick, Ryan Reynolds. This is NOT a Talking Dog movie. This is a DARK comedy. Well written, well acted, well directed. but gruesome and bloody. I had my head down a bit. But in the end, I hate to admit, I thought it was really good. Probably can't recommend it to many though. Director only for Q&A

Life After Beth, Zach is devastated after his girlfriend, Beth, unexpectedly dies. When she suddenly rises from the dead, he sees it as a second chance and decides to do and say every thing he wishes he had while she was still alive. Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Molly Shannon, John C Reilly, Paul Reiser. Not generally a fan of Zombie movies. And the lead photo that they keep putting on everything is probably The Worst shot they could have picked and it is out of context. This movie was hilarious. Not a gory,graphic, flesh eating movie but it IS a zombie movie. In the vein of Warm Bodies.

Dear White People, At a prestigious University, biracial student Samantha White begins her radio show, "Dear White People, the amount of black friends required not to seem racist has just been raised to two. Sorry, your weed man, Tyrone, doesn't count." She becomes president of the all-black residential hall, whose existence is facing extinction in the name of diversification. A TV reality show smells gold in Sam's story and decides to follow it, rejecting the proposal of fellow black student Coco Conners, who pitched her own show and through misguided ways tries to convince them to go with her idea. This also becomes a career-defining opportunity for black misfit Lionel Higgins when he is asked to join the school's lily-white newspaper staff to cover the controversy, even though he secretly knows little about black culture. Didn't think I was their target audience. Wasn't sure I would enjoy it. I was wrong. This movie was really good. Not sure what to say about it. but I thought the cast was great. It was funny and a great story. 

winner of U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent

Wreath Makeover

LONG ago I saw this wreath in a magazine and fell in love. I thought he was so cute. I am not sure how long ago he dates back to. I would guess he has graced my Christmas front door for at least 10-12 years. I have changed my tree at least 3 times in his "life". Every time I bring him out I profess my love.  

I am not sure how you properly measure a wreath but measuring the frames the 

bottom is 25" middle is 15" top is 12" 

Not taking into account the spread of the boughs(?) 

His arms are just 2 sticks from the yard. I have changed his scarf and hat a couple of times, I think another accessory change will be coming for next year. 

Throughout this years appearance I have felt like he needed a major update. This feeling was made stronger when my favorite blogger put up the following tutorial on her blog. 

I again refer you to the wonderful www.epbot.com where she transformed an old 

Christmas tree into some she was seeing for $400. 

Check out the link here

http://www.epbot.com/2011/12/diy-upgrade-for-your-christmas-tree.html 

So using Jen's idea I laid out an old sheet and turned on another round of Agents of Shield.

Seriously. Light weight spackle, water and a .99cent  brush. Thats all it takes. 

mix the spackle with water to the consistency you would like. 

I wanted mine to be kind of a light "dusting" so I thinned it out pretty good. 

 Dab it on as thick or as thin as you like.

Below I did a sample a little thicker. Just to show ya. 

It was so fun to watch this transform. It was so easy and it was a good way to 

really spread out each branch

It took me probably 1 1/2 hours to do this whole thing. maybe less. I did need to stop a couple of times. (Agents of Shield should probably not be multitasked) 

This is the only before shot I took.  

And after. 

I still love him. 

I like the update. I may even add a bit more on the branches that are further out front. I just gave it a pretty good mauling to check and it is very strong and secure. 

Epbot Jen did a followup of her own. She shrink-wraps her tree for the year. This was her second time pulling it out of the wrap and it still looks great. 

Simple -Cheep way to change the look of your greenery.

I think the Spackle was just over $6. $2 for the tray and .99 for the brush. So under $10.

Now I have 3 wreaths on porch lights and a long bough over the front window.  

They might all get this treatment before next year.  

Doctor Who, Ugly legs & Sundance Film festival.

Looks like I took 2 weeks off. Didn't want to make it 3. But I really have very little to share. So this will be a quick update / filler post and we'll see what we can come up with for next Tuesday.

#1. I did another Doctor visit for my ugly veins. The first Doctor I went to wasn't on my insurance so I had to start over. I scheduled my little surgery thing for the 28 of January. I was given some lovely "shorts" to wear for the appointment. wanna see.  

Yep. Totally Hot.  

See the ugly lumps above the knee. Yeah, Those are going Bye, Bye. 

Do I do before and afters? 

If I do, I promise they will be post healing not be post op. 

I kind of HATE injury photos and would appreciate people NOT posting these nasty, 

gaping wounds on my Facebook feed. 

2. I am currently -without Project- I am in the middle of Nothing. I decided to just chill out for the holidays and I have enjoyed that.  Also, It's cold. I'm not nice when I'm cold. So I won't be working outside until the temperature raises a bunch of notches. 

3. Although, I did just buy a large table in need of a sand down and repaint. So I'll get to that once it does warm up.  I am excited for this one.

4. My favorite blog www.Epbot.com  Has a cool tutorial that will probably be my next post. 

(One of her photos.)  

Making sure her watermark is on there. 

I am going to use her flocking technique on my favorite wreath. SO the next real post might be Christmas still. But I have time now. 

Heres the Tutorial link just in case you want to peak ahead. 

http://www.epbot.com/2013/12/easy-diy-tree-wreath-flocking-redux.html

5. I am volunteering at the Sundance Film Festival. 

I have always wanted to. I used to live 15 minutes away from Park City but was always working. 

Now, I'm not. 

So why not do it. 

I am excited that I get to participate. There are 2 shows I will probably not watch, but otherwise, 

I think I have a good schedule.  

6. A little over a year ago I told my "Geek" daughter that she should try out Doctor Who.   

She instantly loved it. She shared it with her sister and brother and our home was filled with "Hoovians". I wanted to watch it, but wanted to start from the beginning rather than just jump in. 

I knew it would be a pretty good haul.  So I waited.  

In the process, I grew to know about everything there was to know without actually watching. Over Christmas I finally started from Christopher Eccleston who was the Doctor for the 2005 revival. I just watched the first Donna Noble -companion episode. I really like Doctor Who. Yes it is delivered with a good chunk of "cheese". What's not to like about that? One of my kids pointed out the Doctors "Human's are amazing" speeches throughout  the series. It is a fun, encouraging show. I am looking forward to the new Doctor and what they do with him. 

Ok, Thats more than enough rambling. I hope you have a lovely week.