Thrift Store Corkboards Two Ways

My daughter needed a corkboard to hang above her new desk and I was lucky to come across two giant corkboards at my local thrift store last week.  They were both on sale, marked down to just $1.25! They needed a little TLC, for sure, so this is what I came up with:

I was lucky enough to find a piece of fabric in my stash that was just the right size to upholster the corkboard.  Using a staple gun, I stretched and attached the fabric to the back of the frame stapling the whole way around. 

 That's it!  It probably took me less than 15 minutes total to upholster it and hang it on the wall.

I had some left over chalkboard paint from a project I did at least 2 years ago.  I don't think I ever shared it with you, but you can see it here.  I took the corkboard outside and spray painted it with the chalkboard paint, letting it dry between coats.  Easy peasy!!  I added a typography Julia Child quote with chalk and hung it near my kitchen table:

I think it looks fab...except hubby keeps reading it as "People Who Eat People"...maybe I'm too subconsciously addicted to The Walking Dead!

Can you believe these two corkboards once looked like this?

(Disclaimer:  I fully realize that these are awful photos!  This is what happens when you are in a rush to document a project!)

Ten Minute Teen Wolf {DIY Halloween Costume}

Last Halloween, my then 12-year-old son couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to dress up for trick-or-treating.  The truth is, he WANTED to dress up, but wasn't sure if other kids his age would be, as well.

On the morning of Halloween he finally decided he wanted to dress up regardless of what the other kids were doing.  Of course, that left me little time to come up with one of my totally awesome DIY costumes. ;)  He suggested dressing as a werewolf and here is what I came up with:

I had found some fur at the fabric store earlier in the month and picked up a remnant since he had been leaning toward werewolf IF he decided to dress up.  I cut the fur into wrist-sized rectangles and sewed on a small piece of elastic to the bottom so he could easily slip his hand through.

We threw together a flannel shirt, some jeans, and I used two shades of brown eyeliner and lip liner to draw fur on his face and give him a wolf's nose and bushy eyebrows.  I added a lot of gel to spike his hair and voila:  Ten Minute Teen Wolf!

Here he his posing with his sister, the Mad Haute Mad Hatter (which is quickly becoming one of my most popular posts thanks to Pinterest!)

So what is he going to be this year?  I hope I don't find out on Halloween morning again!  ;)

Easy {DIY} Vintage Sewing Cabinet Makeover

The months of August and September have been crazy busy for me!  I thought for sure that when the kids were back to school that I would have SO MUCH TIME to get all of my housework, work-work, volunteer-work, and DIY fun-work done that I would be literally searching for something to do...WRONG!

Housework has been on hold, work-work has picked up, and volunteer-work comes in almost daily. This means that DIY fun-work gets squeezed in at all hours of the night while everyone is in bed and I am desperately trying to catch up with my "Mom-only" guilty pleasure shows (Mistresses, Devious Maids, Real Housewives of Miami...)

Here's my latest midnight project:

My Easy DIY Vintage Sewing Cabinet Makeover

My daughter has been asking for her own desk since school started, but she doesn't have a lot of space in her bedroom. As I was searching for a small table I could transform into a desk, I came across this vintage sewing cabinet at my local thrift.

These are a fairly common item at garage sales and thrift shops.  In fact, there were two different ones for sale on the day I found her.  Yep, it's a her....

She was marked at $35 because she came with a working sewing machine installed, still a pretty good deal, but I really just wanted the cabinet.  The tag showed that it was the 7th day since she had been put out for sale, so I asked the manager and he brought the price down to $20, machine and all.

This girl weighed a good 40 lbs, so even if I wanted to just tuck away the machine, I knew it would just be way too cumbersome to keep installed. I unscrewed the bolts and set the massively heavy machine aside for my upcoming charity yard sale.

As part of my search for a desk, I had come across a new (to me, at least) line of chalk paints at a local home goods consignment shop and I decided to try some out.

I fell in LOVE with this coral color called Gypsy by Vintage Market & Design Furniture Paint.  I coordinated it with some Annie Sloan Provence, used the Annie Sloan clear wax and left the hardware with its existing patina.  Not much work, but boy, what an update!

My daughter LOVES it, and it fits right into the little corner of her bedroom.  I'm still debating whether to hang a basket in the hole where the sewing machine was or to cover the hole completely with a thin piece of board, but for now she can do her homework in the comfort of her own room.

Adorable, right??  Now on to search for the perfect chair!




Click here to see the amazing sites where this and my other projects are linked!

 Other\ fun parties:
Saavy Southern Style

The One Question You Should Never Ask A Mom (especially me)

The number one question I've been asked since both of my kids have been in school is "What do you do all day?"  Whether it's meant to or not, it's by far the most offensive question you can ask a mother.  I've been asked the same question by everyone from my relatives to my girlfriends who work full-time outside of the home (and also have people who do their laundry and clean their house.)

So for those of you who question what I do all day, here's a little rundown:

I work from home during the week writing, creating and social media marketing for AquaSeventy6. I have a weekend job outside of the home, and during the week I blog and social media market for that job, as well. I also actively volunteer for a local charity.

Along with the above, every single weekday my alarm goes off at 6. I get the kids up, make breakfast, pack lunches, make sure they take their vitamins, that their teeth are brushed, hair is combed, that they have clean PE clothes and that they are wearing deodorant. I drive them both to their schools (it takes one hour to do both drop offs). 

I then run errands (groceries, bank, post office, pharmacy, etc.), do laundry, sweep, mop, dust, clean the bathrooms, and feed the dogs. I pick them up from school (another hour+ depending on car line), schedule and drive them to all medical and orthodontic appointments. I  help them with their homework, attend evening functions at school, attend meetings for work and for the charity, make sure the kids shower, have dinner and brush their teeth again  (although I pawn dinner off to my husband whenever possible).  I load the dishes, clean up the kitchen, and tuck the kids into bed.When I finally crawl into bed, hubby has been snoring for a good hour.

Are you tired, yet?  I am.  During the week, I rush out of the house without showering or eating breakfast. I'm a hot mess, to say the least. In the 5 short hours I have between drop-off and pick-up, I barely even have time to eat lunch. Then, instead of sleeping in on the weekends, I go to work.  I only take days off for special family events, which means I don't relax on those days, either.

I am with my kids every day over the summer, I am home with them any day they have off of school, and I am with them after school and all night long. 

Here I am on-the-go with my kiddos...what do I DO all day?  Hmf!

But even so, I still get asked "What do you do all day?"

When you work from home, it is assumed that you have time to chat on the phone all day or that it's no problem to do someone a favor (usually requiring a drive across town).

There are times, even when I am not sidetracked by phone calls or favors, that I simply can't get to it all and  leave the dishes for the next morning or unfolded laundry in a basket for a few days. Those are the things others see...not what we do, but what we couldn't get done.  That's not very fair, is it?

So, the next time you are curious as to what I (or most other moms, for that matter) "do all day", take a moment to re-read this article, or simply open your eyes, because I promise that if you ask, I won't have a very nice answer.

Time Flies When You Have Ombre Nails (or something like that)

Ever since school has been back in session, it's been so hard to manage my time.  I'm pretty sure it's because I haven't been able to thoroughly complete my errands in the last two months. All summer, any time I pulled into a store parking lot, my son's shoulders would slump and within minutes it would start:

Son: "Mom, I'm getting tired."
Me: "It's 10 in the morning."
Son: "How much longer?"
Me: "We've been here 5 minutes."
Son: "It feels like an hour."
Me: "I'm almost done.  I just need to look at one more thing"
Son: "You said that an hour ago."
Me: "If you would stop complaining I would have been done by now."
Son: "What's for lunch? I'm hungry."

Then I would leave the store, annoyed and forgetting half of what I had originally come in to get. My daughter on the other hand would spend every shopping trip admiring and directing my attention each bit and bauble in the store.

Daughter: "Mommy, these nail polishes are sooo cute!"
Me: "Yes they are."
Daughter: "I don't think I have this exact shade of aqua."
Me: "No, but I'm pretty sure you have every other shade of aqua."
Daughter: "Mommy, look at this shirt!  It's so adorable!"
Me: "Yes, it's cute, but we are not looking for clothes right now."
Daughter: "Mommy, don't I need Post-Its for school? Because, these are SO COOL!"
Me: "I'm not sure, honey.  Let's wait for the supply list to come in."
Daughter: "OK...I was just saying that they are cool...and I really like them...and they are probably on the list...and they are only $2"
Me: (sighing in my head) "OK, put them in the cart. But hurry, we've got to go."
Daughter: "What's for lunch?  I'm hungry?"

Then I would rush to the check out lane forgetting 3/4 of what I had originally come in to get.

So I guess it's no surprise that with the kiddos back in class, I will walk into Target at 9 a.m. and walk out at noon.  No joke.  It's not that I wander aimlessly, either.  Without my little time keepers with tired feet and growling tummies the hours fly by--that is on the rare occasion that my shopping trip isn't interrupted by a phone call....but that is a blog for a different day.

So, all of this is just to tell you that I meant to share this photo with you yesterday, but it just wasn't possible without staying up past midnight again.  But now that you know a little about my daughter's nail polish obsession, it ties right in to this post.

Here's a photo of my daughter's Ombre Nails.

Since she has almost every shade of her favorite colors, I decided to paint each of her nails a different shade from light to dark starting at the thumb. So easy, and too cute!

Thank goodness she isn't a nail biter like me!  She's my perfect little hand model!

Are you into the nail polish trends?  Tell me in the comments!




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Back to School...Back to Work!

It's here...back to school time.  I'd been dreading this since June, but I knew it was inevitable.  In the blink of an eye we were back to 6 a.m. wake-up calls, packing lunches, car lines and homework.

This year, my son (now 13 and in 8th grade) decided to take a "break" from the school band.  Break=quit, I know.  I don't try to block the sun with one finger, like my mom would say. In his defense, he never aspired to be a concert trumpeter (he wants to be a robotics engineer), and there were some technology classes he wanted to take before leaving middle school.  As a plus, he no longer has to carry a 20 lb trumpet case around the school, which I believe is at least partly to blame for his recent referral to a radiologist for a scoliosis survey.

My daughter (now 10 and in 5th grade) has been excited about going back to school and seeing her friends again. More excited, I think, about the possibility of an entirely uninterrupted school year.  In 3rd grade she broke her leg during spring break.  Because she was in a full cast and would need assistance using the restroom, the school recommended home bound instruction. She was taught at home for 5 weeks.   Last year, as you may recall, we moved back to Florida three months into the school year.

That move, in fact, is what pulled the emergency breaks here at AquaSeventy6...good segue, right?  (And, yes, it's "segue", not "segway" like the scooter.  Trust me, I Googled it.)

AquaSeventy6, the blog and the shop have been suffering since my move.  I pop in every few weeks to apologize and promise to do better, only to get wrapped up in life and end up apologizing all over again. But, my friends, this time it's different, and that's a promise. I finally have all of my sewing supplies under one roof again.  The kids are back to school and I am no longer commuting across town.  That said, there are going to be some changes going on as well.

I am first and foremost a writer.  I'm neither Fitzgerald nor Hemingway, but I do think in monologue, and have since I was a kid. I plan on adding more anecdotal and family related posts in the future, which may or may not include anything crafty. (Anyone else get all Grandma's-Crocheted-Santa-Potholder when you hear the word "crafty"?  Trust me, I avoid it as much as possible.  I prefer "handmade" or "DIY" myself.)

As far as my shop, I do plan to reopen it at some point.  I don't like to list special order items, I prefer only to list what I have on hand so my clients can get their goodies ASAP.  This means I have to get on the ball and make inventory.  I love inventory because I have so many bits and pieces of amazing, often discontinued fabrics that I can use to make some truly unique pieces. But inventory takes time, so the shop reopening time frame is currently TBA.

I also plan to get back to featuring my furniture revamps.  These may be items in my own home, or possibly something for a friend or client.  I've been painting and updating vintage furniture for several years now.  Just this summer I've redone 4 or 5 pieces of my own furniture...I just haven't gotten around to photographing any of it! :(  Revamping furniture was my first DIY passion prior to sewing, and sadly I let it fall to the wayside.

Finally, I will continue to toss in some fashion and style related posts here and there. Wow!  I guess I actually AM excited that the kids are back to school, because I truly have missed this!

I will be back soon with a new post, but for now I am hitting the sack!!  It's almost 1 a.m., y'all! 


    PS....what do you think of my new blog design?  

Spring Trunk Show 2013

Last month, some of my fellow small-business mamas and I came together for a spring trunk show. I had all of the best intentions for this event, but time ran simply away from me.  Before I knew it, it was the week of the show and I had very little inventory (YIKES!) 

Somehow, though, when everything was laid out, my table didn't look as empty as I had feared. (Thank goodness!)  It was one of our smaller events, but it turned out lovely nonetheless.

My fabric necklaces were a hit this time around.  I find it so amusing how certain items sell out at one event and are completely overlooked at the next!  That's why I have such a variety!!

I debuted some flannel burp cloths and those were popular as well.  I think I only returned home with only 2 burp cloths out of the 15 I brought.  The necktie applique burp cloths sold out!  <3

Mustachio coin purses, anyone??

I adore getting together with these ladies!!  We have already started discussing a back-to-school event...keep your eyes peeled!