Friday, July 8, 2011

Dollar Pail Project

Confession:  I started this post like two months ago but never got around to finishing it... so here we go!

Okay... who doesn't love the Target dollar aisle?  I mean, as long as you can ignore the cheesy dog clothes and awful toys... there are some good finds every once in awhile!  A few months ago, I was paroosing said aisle when I spotted these beauties:


Little galvanized pails for $1 each!  I bought 5... but wish I had gotten more!  They are so very useful for many different things.  My first thought upon seeing them was that they would be perfect to plant herbs in.  Last year we had gotten a basil and rosemary plant to keep out on our porch and I LOVED being able to walk out and grab a few fresh ingredients for our dinners.

So with this in mind, I decided to add a strip of blackboard paint to each pail so that I could label them with the herb they contained.  This was a pretty simple project and only took a Saturday afternoon to complete

Step one was to tape off the area I wanted to paint since I like straight, perfect lines... no eyeballing it for me!


Once all the pails were taped I gave them each a light sanding over the exposed area to make sure the paint would adhere properly.  I'm a big advocate of always sanding when painting... it gives the paint something to grip to so that it will adhere better.  I figure that if I'm going to go through the effort of painting something then I want to make sure it's done right and will last!  Unfortunately sanding is probably the least enjoyable part of any project... even if it's just a little pail.

My next step was to prime the pails.  For this I chose to use a spray primer that I already had in my stash.  Using a spray primer meant I needed to add plastic bags around each pail to protect the part that was not to be primed:


Lined up like this the pails were so easy to prime.  I did two very light coats and then let them dry for about ten minutes before moving on to the blackboard paint.  (It was a warm and sunny day so I didn't need to wait long for the paint to dry between coats.)  For the blackboard paint I used a flat, soft bristled watercolor brush that I had on hand so that I would leave as few brush strokes as possible.  The smoother the paint is the better it will be for the chalk writing when finished because it will be easier to read.  It took three thin coats to fully cover the primer on each pail...

Coat one:


Coat two:


Coat three:
 
 

As you can see I got excited after the final coat had dried and started peeling off the tape before remembering to take a photo :-)  Here they are with all the tape removed:



After they were all painted I had to do something that was oh-so-difficult for me... I had to WAIT 72 HOURS before I could write on the chalkboard paint!!!  GAH!  So loooooooong!  But wait I did (like a good little instructions-follower) and finally after trying to forget about the pails for a few days I was able to break out the chalk!

With chalkboard paint you need to prime the painted area with chalk before you write on it... this just means you rub the side of a piece of chalk all over the painted area like so:


Then wipe off the chalk with a dry cloth and it's ready to be written on:



Before I labeled my pails I quickly drilled a hole in the bottom of each so that water could drain out:



Ready to see the finished product???  Here they are:



Right now I have three planted with basil, rosemary and chamomile... good thing the labels weren't permanent since I hadn't planned on getting chamomile!

And now it's time for a weekend full of family!  My newly married sister and her husband are coming into town to see our newly born nephew... and there's a carnival just down the street from our house so we'll just HAVE to go to that I guess :-)

Have a good weekend everyone!!!


Thank you SO much to those who featured this project:


I've linked this post to the following: 


Thursday, July 7, 2011

A Letter to My Very First Nephew



Sweet little Nolen,

Finally you're here!  It was only two days ago that you came into the world...  and I couldn't wait to meet you when I found out you had arrived!  I loved you the moment I saw you.  When I held you in my arms I couldn't take my eyes off your perfect little face... truly you're a gift from God, fearfully and wonderfully made! 

People say that you're big for a new baby but to me you're so very little... little hands, little feet and the cutest little nose I've ever seen. And your tiny little mouth is constantly at work while you sleep, making sweet baby sounds as you smack your little lips. It amazes me to think that one day you'll grow into a man! For now I am simply looking forward to seeing you open your eyes and begin to absorb the world around you.

So far you seem content to sleep quietly while you're passed from person to person. I hope you behave as well for your parents tonight when you're finally home together for the first time. They're new at this so make sure to let them get a little sleep from time to time.  Know that you're a blessed little boy who has been given two amazing parents that will love you, teach you, and encourage you as you grow.

And I will do the same in my role as your aunt.  I'm thankful to live so near to you that I'll be able to see you as often as your parents will let me!  And I guess I'll learn to share you with your other aunts and uncles :-)  Sweet little Nolen, how happy I am that you are here to stay.

Love,

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

An Orange and Purple Affair... The Day Begins

Guess what day today is?

It's my little sister's 24th birthday!!!

And I thought in honor of Brittany's special day I would share some pictures from another very special day that took place a few weeks ago... her wedding day!  But there are so many photos I want to share that I decided I can't do it all in one post (or this post would go on for days) so consider this Part One.

Oh and I better warn you in advance...  These are some seriously.  gorgeous.  photos. 

(If you're getting married in the Indianapolis area I strongly encourage you to check out LINNEALIZ Photography who took all these amazing photos!)

The day began at Brittany's house with a little hair and makeup:


And if anyone noticed or is concerned by the fact that Brittany chose to wear a t-shirt... don't worry... we cut her out of it so that her hair and makeup didn't get messed up :-)

Meanwhile,  Josh was also preparing for the big day:


After hair and makeup, all the bridesmaids gathered at the Mansion where the wedding was being held in order to finish getting Brittany ready.  First we tried to get her dressed... which was no easy feat with the 5 million layers of tulle and fabric.  Then Brittany (reveling in the moment I think) started to slowly spin as we lowered the dress over her head... making it even more difficult!


"Brittany, why are you spinning???"  Megan asked with a laugh.  Silly Brittany :-)  Once we got her to stand still the dressing process went a lot faster!


After she had her dress on we added the necklace and earrings:


And finally it was time to put on her veil:


Ready everyone?  Let's get these two married!



 
I LOVE YOU LITTLE SISTER! 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!



Don't Forget to visit LINNEALIZ Photography to view more of their amazing work!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

It's a Boy!

Meet Nolen, my new little nephew!  He was born this morning after what seemed like the longest wait ever!  Mom and Dad are happy and healthy as is Nolen :-)



Welcome to the family Nole!