Speaking of crafts

Speaking of crafts

The Rustic Guest Room decor is coming out wonderfully!! I just wanted to share a quick little sneak peak at a few more of the pieces that we have made so far. By the way, everything we are making has been out of free pallets---score!!!

Here is another finished string art:

This one was much less tedious that the last one (seen here), and I feel like the end result is much better! I kind of wish that I could make like 50 of them and hang them up all over the house, but then it might be overkill...we'll see :)

The other finished piece is a shelf-slash-dresser-slash-thing-that-will-hold-the-cable-box. My momma saw the idea online and I LOVED it, so we got to building. We took one 10 foot long pallet and cut it in half, then basically folded it into itself. Some nails here and some stain there (ok, some stain everywhere--everyone's arms, my brother-in-law's leg, the garage floor) and this is the finished product:

The picture doesn't really do it justice, in part because I am a terrible photographer and in part because the lighting in the room was way too bright. I swear, once the entire room is put together I will take a better picture of everything!!

And now for your viewing pleasure, I will share with you the hubby in action (FYI--I am obsessed with watching him work...something about him doing manual labor--love it!!)

 

...love him...

 That's it for today, just wanted to drop in and get everyone's creative juices flowing! 

Linked With:

Just call me Nicole Curtis

Just call me Nicole Curtis

Ok, so if you have been following along to my blog, you know how much of a DIY Network/HGTV freak I am. The hubby and I could literally sit in front of the TV for hours and get lost in "House Hunters" or "Rehab Addict." (And when I say we 'could' get lost for hours, I mean that we have seriously sat in front of the TV for hours on several occasions). Every time we watch Rehab Addict, the following thoughts run through my head:

1. OMG that house is amazing
2. The tool looks like SO much fun to use (Exhibit A--After watching an episode one night, I left my house, drove to Lowe's and bought a power washer...true story)
3. Nicole Curtis is too hot to be using power tools:

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 Well ladies, I am officially part of the power-tool-using-chick club. (There's gotta be a club out there somewhere, right?) Over the past few weeks we have been working on projects for our Rustic Guest Room. So far we have completed the headboard, side table, 1 string art sign and 2 hanging bottle-art pieces (Next on the list is another string art sign, a few shelves and possibly a dresser/shelf). And of course, in keeping with the rustic/DIY theme, everything is made out of pallet wood. In case you have never built something out of pallet wood before, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It is a LONG process! First, the pallets have to be cut down to size. Next, you have to sand the hell out of each board because lets face it, no matter how rustic you want your headboard to look, splinters suck. After everything is sanded comes the task of assembling. Before I started I was thinking "Oh piece of cake, just throw some nails and screws in and I'll be good to go." Nope, not the case. Another thing that you should know about pallet wood is that it splits. Too close to the edge? Split. Knot in the wood? Split. Luckily, my patience is pretty good when it comes to crafting, so I didn't let it get to me. After assembly comes stain, which by the way is no joke. It will stain your hands for days!

The reason for me describing every little detail about our projects is that I had NO idea how much work went into it, and the "fun" power tools that I described above are not exactly as fun as I had thought! I have never really been one to pick up a power tool and try it out. I've used the basics---drill, hand saw, hedge trimmers---but I've never had the chance to use a 'real' power tool. Well let me tell you, now I feel like a seasoned pro! To take apart the pallets, I used a nifty little jigsaw. To sand the wood down I used an electric sander, and to get those pretty angled edges on the headboard I got to use a mitre saw (which I kept calling a circle saw...same difference, right?). And guess what? I looked nothing like Nicole Curtis. I was sweaty, my lines were far from straight, and I had sawdust in crevices that I didn't know I had. My hands were vibrating like crazy from the jigsaw, I sanded my finger twice with the sander, and the mitre box is officially the loudest and scariest tool ever. I swore I was going to lose a finger every time I turned the damn thing on. But you now what? I did it! I stepped outside of my comfort zone (and by comfort zone I mean scissors and a hammer) and I'm still alive to tell the tale! Hey Nicole, looking for a sidekick?!

Here are some pictures of the progress so far. Once everything is completed I will take some pictures of the finished room, but for now you will have to settle for these less-than-pinterest-worthy shots.

 

String art sign numero uno

 Headboard completed!

And here is a picture of the mitre saw that I was using. Seriously, that blade is no joke! 

(cred) 

I hope everyone is having a fabulous week! And i apologize for the lack of nice pictures, after sitting on the ground hammering and sanding for 3 hours my phone isn't really in a picture taking mood. And by my phone I mean me.


Linked With:
Tres Chic

The worst fashion blogger in the world

Worst Fashion Blogger Ever

Ok so I know I haven't posted an outfit in forever, and I am the worst fashion blogger ever!! But let me explain...

1. The weather here has been absolutely ridiculous. Between 26 inches of rain and gross humid overcast, I have been leaving the house in less than blog-worthy attire. It is supposed to be in the high 80's this week so I may actually get dressed in normal clothes!

2. For the past week, we have been draining, scrubbing and filling our pool. I almost considered taking a picture last week to show you all how nasty it was, but then quickly decided that it was entirely too green. So instead we decided to empty it, pouring another 10 inches of water in our backyard. I'm sure you can imagine the outfits I was wearing to scrub the pool....

3. I have been hard-core working on my rustic room decor!! The headboard is finished (designed, assembled, stained and ready to go!), 2 random glass-bottle signs are done and the 1st of 2 string art projects is nearing the end. I have been a busy bee...a busy bee in sweatpants and a tee-shirt...neither of which are acceptable outfits.

So you see, I have several reasons why I have been the worst fashion blogger in the world as of late. But I swear I will change that!!!

In other happenings, this weekend I finally got to see "The Other Woman" with the hubs! I have been waiting to see that movie for like 3 months!! I LOVE me a good chick flick, and lucky for me, the hubby is amazing and enjoys them right along with me!! The movie was awesome--Leslie Mann is hilarious and perfectly portrays what happens after you get married and get comfortable with your husband. Throw in Cameron Diaz (with her fantastic wardrobe) and Kate Upton's boobs and you have yourself a great movie!

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Speaking of movies, while watching the previews for "The Other Woman" we saw the trailer for "The Fault in Our Stars." OMG seriously I have to read the book ASAP! I have been meaning to read it, mainly because I am super excited for the movie to come out and also because I am a huge book nerd, but now its crunch time! The movie comes out in like a month, and I have yet to pick up the book!! I am really weird about that--if there is a movie coming out that I am dying to see, and it is based on a book, I will always read the book first, then compare it to the movie (its no comparison, the book ALWAYS wins). I am also such a sucker for a sappy book, so this one is on the top of my list!

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Not much else going on around here. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!!

Link Ups:
Manic Monday , Funday Monday

Blank thoughts

Blank thoughts

Today's post is the result of complete writer's block combined with a post I found while perusing through some blogs...So here are some blank thoughts and facts about me!

I’m weird because…
I drink ice in my milk
I eat jelly on my grilled cheese
I get up to pee at least twice every night before I can fall asleep
I turn the tab on my soda can around, and have been doing it since 7th grade
I turn my car radio volume to 10 before turning the car off
I love the smell of baby throw up
I sleep with a minimum of 3 blankets every night..and my hubby HATES it
I will not walk around barefoot inside the house, ever
I love the taste of pickle juice, but hate the actual pickle..solution? Pickle kisses from the hubby

(cred) 

I’m a bad friend because…
I haven't seen my best friend in over a year
Sometimes I go weeks without calling her
I spend 97% of the time complaining to her about my jacked up uterus

(cred) 

I’m a good friend because…
I have been down to her house THREE times since we moved..uno, dos, tres! And she has not seen my house yet (And I know that she is reading this right now so I figured it was necessary to rub it in)

I’m sad because…
Boots and skinnies are not acceptable summer attire
The Walking Dead is still 6 months away
There are still 2 baskets of laundry in my room that need to be put up
There is no Taco Bell close to my work
Some of our family still lives WAY too far away from us

I’m happy because…
I have the best husband in the world..who is willing to jump in the nasty green pool to pull the plug and drain it
I am an aunt to 8 of the most darling nieces and nephews
Soon I get to pull my bikinis out of the back of my drawer
My "Rustic Guest Room" crafting projects are turning out amazing!! (Pictures to come in a few weeks when everything is finished)

I’m excited for…
Our cruise in a few months
Finally opening our pool back up
The beach
Midnight swimming
Paranormal Activity 6!! (Seriously, I am hooked on those movies)

So there you have it..a mini mind-dump/randomness about me.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!! Hump Day!!!!!!!