tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58277967604468929712024-02-20T15:23:25.111-05:00Little Birdie ChirpsMaking mistakes, and learning to love them...Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323054943441833624noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5827796760446892971.post-80594760927347460872012-07-15T21:58:00.000-04:002012-07-15T21:58:42.168-04:00SevenSo, let me tell you a little bit about why I hate the number Seven right now. I know, there are so many reasons to loooove Seven, right?<br />
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Seven is a prime number (That sounds cooler than it really is though)</li>
<li>Lucky number Seven</li>
<li>Seventh Heaven</li>
<li>7-11 (this is self explanatory)</li>
<li>Seven brides had Seven Brothers...</li>
<li>and even <b>He</b> rested on the Seventh Day</li>
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But right now, Seven and are throwing down. Seven is the age my youngest child will turn on her next birthday. (How did that happen?) Seven is also the day AFTER my birthday.<br />
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But most importantly, at the beginning of the year, I had a resolution to lose weight. I know, so does everybody else. I don't necessarily pride myself on being different, so just roll with it, ok? Basically, I just was tired of being a fatty boombalatty. Yeah, I said it. Roll with that too. <br />
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Anywhoooo, I started out okay and dropped around 10 pounds in January. Then came February. Even with the leap year, that short little month was a serious derailment. I mean, it's starts with the Super Bowl and midway you have Valentines day. Diet killers. <br />
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So, I slowed. I was down 10 at this point and the weather was looking better. <br />
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March and April rocked, and suddenly I found myself down 25 pounds. I was able to do this because I'd get up in the morning and get my kids on the bus and go walking. Sometimes by myself, sometimes with my girlies (thanks girls!). Either way, I was kicking butt and taking names. <br />
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Fast forward a few weeks after school let out. Not only have I not lost anymore weight, but now I'm up <b>Seven</b> pounds. So there you have it. My current loathing of Seven. Can you blame me?Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323054943441833624noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5827796760446892971.post-5617626530045191472012-07-04T14:29:00.000-04:002012-07-04T14:29:51.733-04:00Happy 4th!!<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I finally found time to do a little project around here. A few weeks ago I found this wonderful wood tray on a trip to Goodwill. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dxkPK37fEW0/T_R-O3c0d2I/AAAAAAAAACc/MXfz5Kz8YeE/s1600/Goodwill+tray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dxkPK37fEW0/T_R-O3c0d2I/AAAAAAAAACc/MXfz5Kz8YeE/s640/Goodwill+tray.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">My first thought was to make it into a chalkboard. I was in love with distressed wood finish and the scalloped edges; not so much with the little embellishments it had on it. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z1jn-sXzxdQ/T_R--AWtiMI/AAAAAAAAACk/iqBKYbAdICo/s1600/goodwill+tray+close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z1jn-sXzxdQ/T_R--AWtiMI/AAAAAAAAACk/iqBKYbAdICo/s640/goodwill+tray+close.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I'm pretty sure that's Holly Hobby up there in the left hand corner. Nothing against Holly Hobby; I had her lunch box all through elementary school. I was kind of looking for something a little less stuck in the 70s; just sayin'. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;">My first thought was to just do a chalkboard center, and leave the lovely wood grain on the edges. When I bought it, I thought this would be a simple task. After all, I already had the chalkboard paint. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Once I started into the project though, reality struck. I'm not a freehand painter - at all. I didn't think I could realistically tape off a perfect circle either, in order to apply the paint. You'll find if you read this blog with any regularity, that I lack faith in my own skills. It's a weakness and it's why I subtitled my blog the way I did. Making mistakes...but learning to love them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Ah-hem. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Anywho...after some digging, I found out that they actually make a chalkboard contact paper. Eureka! I'd just get that, trace the shape and ba-bam - done! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;">I didn't want to just start out cutting into the vinyl. That stuff isn't cheap, even with the 40% off coupon from the HobLob. So, I improvised with what I had on hand. Parchment paper. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dRZ7y1-bLu0/T_SCn1FheMI/AAAAAAAAAC4/eg1RMhdvqDI/s1600/trace+onto+vinyl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dRZ7y1-bLu0/T_SCn1FheMI/AAAAAAAAAC4/eg1RMhdvqDI/s640/trace+onto+vinyl.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7PMXdj52Fs/T_SCsc9jWGI/AAAAAAAAADA/YsA71NXrfkI/s1600/tracing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="363" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7PMXdj52Fs/T_SCsc9jWGI/AAAAAAAAADA/YsA71NXrfkI/s640/tracing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">First, I traced the tray onto the parchment, cut it out and then used that to trace onto the vinyl. Working with a roll of vinyl isn't easy, so use whatever you have on hand to hold the roll open while you trace. You know, like The Hunger Games trilogy in a box set...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Once you have the desired shape, it's just a matter of cutting it out and placing it properly. Oh, and to ensure a good seal, using a clorox wipe to wipe off about 20 some odd years of wood polish...can you say yellow? ewww. </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_kachQf3DAg/T_SDcH-hIbI/AAAAAAAAADI/nGIQjbLwCt8/s1600/vinyl+cut+to+fit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_kachQf3DAg/T_SDcH-hIbI/AAAAAAAAADI/nGIQjbLwCt8/s640/vinyl+cut+to+fit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I won't lie to you, the contact paper isn't easy to work with. After pulling it up and reapplying it twice, I nearly gave up and just went with the paint on the entire thing. It isn't perfect, and something else I didn't really think about was that I should have sanded the surface instead of just wiping it down. The little girlies on the front still sort of shine through with little ripples in the vinyl. grr. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">What I should do is take the vinyl off, sand the thing smooth and do it right. But, I'm lazy -something else you'll discover if you read this blog with any regularity. Short cuts are my speciality! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;">I think it turned out cute for about 45 minutes of work and $7 in materials. <del></del></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><del>Cheap and fast</del> er, um, Inexpensive and delightfully simple!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E0nOnwsENNU/T_SHdyWW0DI/AAAAAAAAADU/eR0IxxvsPMY/s1600/DSC_0830_edited-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E0nOnwsENNU/T_SHdyWW0DI/AAAAAAAAADU/eR0IxxvsPMY/s640/DSC_0830_edited-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I think it turned out okay. Maybe someday I'll do it the right way, but I probably won't. It's possible nobody else will notice, and you won't tell, right?</span></div>
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<br /></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323054943441833624noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5827796760446892971.post-72655551945770217372012-06-19T17:54:00.001-04:002012-06-19T17:54:18.519-04:00My first chirp<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">So this is my attempt at starting a blog. Actually, this is my second attempt - but we don't need to dwell on it. I'm not a professional writer by any stretch of the imagination, so bear with me as I attempt to get my thoughts onto paper..er, the interwebs. I promise to try to be interesting, or at least entertaining. Starting.......NOW. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323054943441833624noreply@blogger.com0