Bein' green...

"Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises."
-Pedro Calderon de la Barca

If you've been reading here for awhile, you might remember the awesome kitchen artwork that my mom and I constructed this summer.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember last month that said artwork leapt off the wall one morning while Rob and I were getting ready for work.

Apparently it didn't like hanging on the wall anymore. The hooks on the back bent out of shape and down it went. The silverware landed in pieces, the board was dented, and Rob panicked because he doesn't handle crisis very well in the moment.

After a trip to IKEA last weekend with my friend Lesa, we both committed to starting house projects this week. And, this newly blank wall in the kitchen was itching for something new...

Here's the look I'm going for...

1. Valspar City Chartreuse paint
2. 10" Raised Numbers Silver Wall Clock
3. Endless Circle Lattice Stencil
**Still haven't figured out the label/frames

Step one... paint the wall.
This afternoon while Rob was riding, I tackled the wall. Four hours and one quart of paint later... tada!

Now, I just need to commit to the rest!!

2013... momentum

"'Momentum,' she repeats. 'You can't just stand there if you want something to fly. You have to run.” 

-Lauren DeStefano, Fever

I'm beginning 2013 in a good place mentally, physically, spiritually... I have found a healthy balance between a job that I love, a home that Rob and I have built together, and even a little community where I can thrive. 

This year I want to continue moving forward, embracing more of the opportunities that life presents. This is the year to make progress on a lot of things that I've put off, felt not ready for, or been too scared to attempt before.

For the third year in a row, I am inspired by Ali Edwards's "One Little Word" concept... and this year, I've chosen the word "momentum" to ponder throughout 2013. [Previous years - 2011: gratitude | 2012: create]

Thanks to some extra Christmas cash, I've splurged on the online workshop this year as well. I'm excited to see where this year and this word takes me. If nothing else, it should be an adventure.

Blogs + Pinterest > most everything

"The greatest thing about the internet is that you can quote something and just totally make up the source."
-Benjamin Franklin (haha!)

Rob has never understood my blog habit. Despite the hours he spends on Craigslist and cycling forums, he still gives me a hard time about reading blogs and browsing Pinterest.

But, I think he's starting to realize their potential....

He came home from work the other day, recounting a conversation with a coworker named Jim.

Jim: my wife and I have just hired a interior design consultant from Pottery Barn to redecorate our house.
Rob: what?!?? Pottery barn does consulting?!?
Jim: yeah we pay them to look at our house and come up with a plan.
Rob: [still confused] why would you need to pay for that? Doesn't your wife read blogs??

So, Rob and I agree... blogs and Pinterest make the world a better place!

Even if sometimes I'm more of a reader and taker than a writer and contributor... Sorry about that... it's been a busy couple of weeks. But, it feels good to have something to say... and time to sit down to say it. Maybe I'll even make this writing thing a habit again... maybe...

#christmascheer

“Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more....”
-Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas 

2012 Crafty Gift Guide

Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.
-Dale Evans

Knowing who my most faithful blog readers are, I can't share many of my craftiest Christmas gift ideas yet. They just might be wrapped up with one of their names scrawled across the tag, waiting patiently to be opened Christmas morning.

But, here are a few of the "handmade" gifts that are sitting under my tree this year:

Totebag for science books | For my nephew, the third grader
He is a good reader but needs all the motivation he can to actually read in his spare time. I filled it with Franny K. Stein's Crate of Danger and a science experiment book which hopefully will inspire him. Wanna make a cute tote of your own? I used this great tutorial from Dana Made It.

Monogrammed cookie jar | For my sister-in-law who recently renovated her kitchen. 
As I've mentioned previously, I love a good glass etching project. Take a $6 glass cookie jar, and poof, it becomes a trendy, custom kitchen accessory. I cut the stencil with a Silhouette machine (at the local scrapbook store for only $1.50!!) and then went at it with the Armor Etch.

Racing bib holder | For my husband, the cycling enthusiast
Along with a several of other cycling-related paraphernalia, I made Rob a display plaque for his bib numbers from races. I was inspired by these from Running On The Wall's Etsy shop.

If you don't have the wall space for hanging, my mom is also working a scrapbook-like binder for her significant others' race bibs---hopefully she'll post on her blog once it's done!.

Math clock | For my brother-in-law, the algebra teacher
When I was teaching math, I kept a similar math clock on my wishlist. Now that I'm out of the classroom, I knew exactly what I would make my brother-in-law who is a first-year teacher. (This, plus plenty of worksheets, resources, and manipulatives that I haven't been able to part with.)

However, this process was so easy, you could personalize a clock with any idea you please. I found the clock at Big Lots and had the design printed as a photo poster from Sam's. A quick turn of the screwdriver, and I was able to remove the back of the clock and replace the original numbers with my poster.