Craft Wars Wreath

Some of the other "Craft Wars Vets" (that term just makes me laugh since technically I was the first casualty of that war) have been playing along with the challenges as the season goes on.  This week I decided to jump in and play along.  


Last week's challenge on Craft Wars was to make a wreath out of old sweaters and stuff and then a Christmas tree out of packing supplies.  Well... I didn't have any packing supplies on hand and I definitely don't have a need for a giant Christmas tree in July, so I decided to make a wreath using muffin cups and music sheets.    Let's face it, I'm cheap and I already had all of the stuff on hand.  So here is what I came up with:

And in case you were wondering, YES I glued it... GASP!!  At least this time there is no one telling me that gluing it was a mistake.  There were "glue boogers" everywhere.  Whatevs. 


If you want to check out what some of the other vets came up with hop on over:


Foo Foo La La

Lydia B. and Me

Lisa Liza Lou Designs

Nikki In Stitches

Cooking, Crafting, and Cocktails

Margot Potter

Hand Make My Day

P.S.  The photo challenge for today over at Mercantile Muse is "Vast."  So here it is: (this is actually an old photo... but what I wouldn't give to be there right this second.)

Summer

I have seen a few photo challenges out there and haven't really participated.  I mean, I'm not exactly a photographer.  I would absolutely LOVE to learn more and be better, but let's face it... my time is limited.  I am lucky I remembered to brush my teeth today, so becoming a stellar photographer will just have to wait.  

HOWEVER, when my friend Pam over at Mercantile Muse announced she was doing a 12 day photo challenge I couldn't resist jumping on that wagon... She has AMAZING photos so I know I won't compare but I figure it could be fun to document this summer in a fun way.  

SO, here it is, the first photo in the challenge was "Summer."

I mean, does it get any more "Summer" then this??  So happy.  I hope you all are having a fabulous Friday.  I know I am:)

A Day At The Shade

What's that you say??? You wanted to see what is happening at The Dented Lampshade?????  Well, I hate disappointing people, so here ya go!

Yep.

Snack Please

I am on the Marketing committee at The Barn.  I'm not sure exactly why, since I have absolutely NO marketing knowledge whatsoever, but I like being involved and I feel that the marketing committee most effects my business directly.  SO, since I have NO marketing knowledge I have been lending my skills in other ways.  I started up The Barn's Pinterest page (you can follow us here if you are interested... look at me marketing away haha.) After I did the Pinterest page I didn't have much more to offer... until we discussed trying to raise money for events.  

The committee decided to start selling pop and snacks so we can have a few events per month.  Well, in order to do that, we needed a cute way to display them.  One of the other committee members donated the cabinet, and I donated my time and sweat to making it pretty.  Once again, I forgot to take a before picture... cause I am a slacker like that. But here is the after:

I put up chicken wire on the back, because it is meant to go in a corner and didn't have a back.  I LOVE the chicken wire.  I was originally going to do burlap and at the last second my friend Claire convinced me to go with chicken wire.  I am SO glad I listened, because it totally adds awesomeness to the piece!

So yeah, GO ME!

2 Tone Table

I have been a big fat procrastinator lately.  Well, the truth is, I have been focused on so many things lately that my shop has kind of taken a back seat.  I was just coasting through, when out of the blue my huge table in the middle of my shop sold.  This is good... and bad.  It's always exciting to sell furniture but it also means you have to replace it.  

I have NOTHING ready right now.  Like nothing at all.  So I had to run out like a crazy person and figure out a way to replace it... and I only had one day to do it.  AHHHHHHH!!!!!  I hit up all of my favorite thrift stores and came up with nothing (talk about bad thrifting Karma!).  With one hour left until I had to pick up Luci I was starting to panic.  That's when I decided I didn't HAVE to have a big table in the center of my shop.  I could do something smaller and decorate around it.  Well, on my very last stop, with 15 minutes to spare, I came up with this little beauty:

Of course I forgot to take a before picture. (because by the time I found it, picked up Luci from daycare, and got home to paint, the clouds were threatening to rain on my parade)  Basically it was all wood just like the top.  

I have been reading a lot of Miss Mustard Seed lately and she does a ton of natural wood top with painted base furniture.  Felling all "Mustard Seedy" I decided to give it a go.  I had this light blue left over from an old project and I thought it would be perfect. 

Now that I see what the shop looks like without a huge table in the middle I sort of like it.  Just a small table with a fun cute chair and accessories.  So glad I found this baby.  Problem is... now I am back to where I started, with nothing ready for the next time something sells.  Oh well, I work better under pressure anyway:)

Hope you all have a Fantabulous Friday!

P.S.  if you want to follow along with the happenings of The Dented Lampshade come follow me on Facebook.

Happiness Is...

My friend Kristen over at Milo and Molly does a "happiness is" post every week.  This week I couldn't resist doing the same. With this picture, how could I go wrong.

Yep... pure bliss.

P.S.  If you are in the Littleton area this Friday and Saturday my sister-in-laws and I are having a HUGE garage sale.  Like HUGE.  My entire garage is packed to the brim with all my stuff. I am clearing out EVERYTHING and starting fresh.  So come by and buy my crap!

Custom Dresser

As if my life isn't crazy enough, I have decided to start taking on some custom furniture jobs.  I was skeptical about this at first, but after doing my first two pieces for one of my friends I am SO glad I did this!  It is kind of intimidating to try and create someone else's vision.  I mean, what if you totally screw it up and ruin their awesome dresser.  AHHHH!  


Danielle was great though. She had tons of pictures for me to go off of.  After deciding on a color and style I just dove right in.  I started off big.  I mean really big.  Look at this huge mama jamma of a dresser.

Kind of pretty... if you have some vision.  I actually LOVE the brass handles, it just wasn't the right style. So I busted out the sandpaper, primer and sprayer and got to work.  Ok, Kyle might have helped a little:)  Well, I guess you want to see the after now right?

YES PLEASE!!!!  I am SO SO happy with how it turned out.  It is a not quite white (I think it was called Roman White from Sherwin Williams.)  I went ahead and got the higher end paint for this piece because I know this is something that will get a lot of wear and tear. Now that I have jumped in with both feet I think I am really going to enjoy doing some custom pieces.  I also did a standing mirror for her but forgot to take pictures.  It turned out super cute, take my word for it.  

I have a few more projects to do for Danielle, and am super excited to see how they come out.  PLUS, she happens to be preggo and we get to find out the gender this week... This may mean doing baby furniture.  YAYAYAYAYA!!!

So, I guess we can add "custom furniture refurbisher" (is that even a thing?) to my many hats.  

4th of July

I totally forgot to show you all what we did for the 4th.  Mostly I just want an excuse to show off my cute family:)  We headed up to my old stomping grounds Buena Vista, CO.  A tiny mountain town where my husband and I lived for almost 4 years.  We got engaged, married, and had our little Luci there, so a part of me will always feel like that is home.  Plus, some of my favorite people in the whole world live there, so I am always excited to see them!


I will stop blabbing now and let you see for yourself.

Having coffee with two of my favorite people.  Luci and her cousin A.J.

Uncle Will ran the 5k before the parade... I watched with a coffee and muffin in hand.

Took a moment to stop and smell the roses.

All the kiddos waiting for the parade to start.  They cleaned up at this parade.  It's better then Halloween!  

My little family.  How cute are Luci's little chucks!?  I mean hello 1980's high tops.  I totally wish I had some in pink.  

Riding on Daddy's motorcycle.

A little bike riding with Bapa.

And our trip wouldn't be complete without a dip in the Arkansas. MAN I miss this place!

Hope you all had a fanfriggentastic 4th!

Colorado Parent

I totally forgot about this interview until just now! So funny. Check it out if you have time. http://coloradoparent.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/colorado-mom-crafts-against-the-clock-on-tlcs-new-craft-wars/

THRIFTITY THRIFT THRIFT

Ok, my lockers are still my all time favorite garage sale score, but this chair is right up there.  It just makes me so happy.  Like, slap me on the butt and call me Nancy sort of happy.  Yep that happy.  

The seat is totally falling apart but that is part of it's charm.
  

Yep, I love it.  (I know what you're thinking... "then why don't you marry it?"  Maybe I will.)

Tiny Stool of my Dreams

I've had this little stool sitting in my garage forever.  I totally forgot to take a before picture but it was basically raw wood legs and the top was a piece of wood with the letters T-E-D cut out.  I have no idea why but the other day I decided to whip it out and make it purdy.  I had a bunch of left over burlap sacks from this project I did a few months ago. For those of you who didn't know, you can actually get burlap sacks from Murdochs for like $5!  I LOVED the green in this one so I have been trying to use every last scrap.  No wasting that awesomeness!  


So, I added a little padding to the top, sprayed the legs a fun turquoise and whipped out the old staple gun.  I think it turned out SO SO cute.  What do you think?

MMMMMM It's almost to cute to sell... almost.

Have a happy Monday everyone!

Watch Daddy Shower

Ok, you are probably going... What the @!#$???  


I think every parent enters the phase of... "my kid says whatever she wants to WHOMEVER she wants"...at some point.  


Let's start the story with this, my daughter is really interested in being naked.  All of her dolls have to be naked, she LOVES being naked, and when she hears the shower turn on she comes RUNNING.  She just really likes to see what is going on.  It's her free spirit I guess:)


Well, the other day Luci and I were going to run to Hobby Lobby.  Kyle had been working all day and was a mess, so as we were saying bye he told me he was going to hop in the shower and would see me when we got back.  I packed the little lady up and headed off.  We spent a little time in hobby lobby just giggling and playing and then it was time to check out.  We were standing there at the checkout counter with 2 people behind us and the clerk started talking to Luci.  She got really shy and didn't want to talk.  The kid wouldn't say anything.  Then at the very end when the clerk hands me the receipt Luci looked right at the lady and in her BIGGEST voice says... "Go home, watch daddy shower??"  Yes, that's right,  she just asked that lady if she could go home and watch daddy shower.  UMMMMMMMMMMM.... AWKWARD!


I just started laughing.  I mean, how do I explain this???  I just started laughing and ran out the door.


Then, the other day we were at my sister in law's house and Luci pulled up her dress and yelled... "Luci's BOOBIES!!!"  UMMMMM... yep those are Luci's boobies but we should probably not show EVERYONE!  


So there you have it.  I have officially entered the phase of "my kid will say ANYTHING at ANYTIME!"  


Tell me I'm not alone here!  What have your kids said/done at the WORST time ever?

My Sis-In-Law Can Scrap!

Have I ever told you that I not only have a crafty sister, but I also have TWO crafty sister-in-laws??  It's a family thing:)  My sis-in-law Erin made me a few fun scrap pages to put in the shop.    I am a crafty person but I have never been good at scrapbooking.  I feel like I would really enjoy it, I just haven't found the time to master the skill.  Erin is a scrapping rockstar so now we have these ADORABLE pages at the shop.  There is nothing else like it in The Barn so I am so excited to have a completely unique product! 

All you do is pick out your pictures, cut, and paste.  I thought it was so cool for someone like me, who wants to have a scrapbook but doesn't have the time to make one!  THANKS ERIN:)