B&A: Salvaged Bike

Before



After

 My husband spotted the old bike and purchased it for a whopping $20. Pricier in comparison to past purchases.

The last bike I purchased at a garage sale cost me $1. My little boy had to ride around in a hot pink bike, but, whatever, it builds character.

Twenty bucks proved to be a worthwhile investment. The bike frame is made out of aluminimum, making this bike ultra light, especially in comparison to steel frame cruisers on the market.

Note my signature Blue Ocean Breeze color. The same one seen here and here. This color makes me happy and I intend to feel my life with as much of it as I possibly can.

Stay tuned for the DIY to come either tomorrow or Monday. Likely Monday.

Soon to be Re:Loved

I write before you, as usual, unprepared. I have forgotten to take the after photos but perhaps this will provide you with an excellent opportunity to soak in the photo and ponder: good heavens, what good can possibly come out of so much ugly?

And life is really like that.

There is such a thing as second chances which is why I am such a fanatic of the the DIY/ recycling/ refurbishing/ revamping culture.

If life has given this poor little bike a second chance, what can it conceive of you an I?

Lots.

'See' you tomorrow.

In other news: I'm presently reading this essay on auras. Did you know you can see auras?!

Re:loved - Pencil Pouch

When I was a kid, my mom had hidden away in her make-up drawer a cute little keychain with the words,  "Break in case of emergency" on it's cover and it's contents was this itty bitty little plastic pouch. A tiny plastic coin purse? A little cap?  It was a condom.

I carried this little thing around, it might have even hung as an adornment on my backpack. All I know is that it was cute and it was mine. Finder's keepers.

I was young, really young, and I think it was only last week I found out it was a condom (And I'm partly kidding - it was two years ago).

What's the moral of my story?

01. Kids can do some crazy things by definition of an adult, so keep your drawers, and mouths (language) clean.

02. It was the inspiration for this little design. Don't ever take an experience for granted. You or your kid might make something awesome out of the experience some day...    
Yes, it is still a pencil pouch, but so much more. As described, take it out in an emergency for your little ones. Such as when you decide to muster the courage and enjoy a family dinner at a semi-fancy restaurant.

Stock it up with paper scraps, a pair of kid safe scissors, some Mad Libs (or homemade MadLibs, try:  My favorite blog is insert noun/name because the author is  insert adjective  and  insert adjective ), or cut out mini coloring pages. I bought my pencil pouches from a thrift store for 25 - 50 cents.

In any event, it might be helpful to keep one handy just in case there is a kid you are being seated next to in an airplane, or DMV. It'll help keep the noise level next your ear to a minimum. And you'll look ultra sweet in the process. Isn't that what we're all here on earth to be?

Or, just use it as a make-up pouch, whatever suits your fancy.

Re:loved - New Use for Old Tape Deck

<cue the twilight zone music>

In the spirit of Real Simple's New Uses For Old Things, some things don't need to be refashioned, just repurposed.

Take this old tape deck for example,: he was sitting all alone and abandoned at my workplace freebie table. Nobody wanted him, and I don't blame them. Who the heck collects/keeps old tapes anyway?  < hides collection >

I snatched this little guy because, I'm guilty. I still collect old tapes, especially when my local library is selling them for 10 cents. Score! The latest one was a  James Bond theme songs tape (and a Lionel Richie, The Sounds of Halloween and...). But that's not the point. Behold, organization maximus:

Forgive the cartoon-esque design. I commited every photographer faux-pas this morning. I photographed in the dark, early a.m. hours, without lighting plus some urgency.

This old tape deck now holds my collection of letter and number stencils, some paper scraps and some easter cards I made...but never sent out. I tell you, organization (and planning) is a beautiful thing.

On another note,  tapes themselves have several uses, right? You can use it as a blank tape and create your own tape mixes. Oh, you've outgrown that too?  I still think tapes are pretty nifty.  Where else can you create a music mix for free (The library? Your mp3 collection? Good point.) ? Who cares if the songs were a little off from one another: Boys 2 Men, La Di Da Di (Doug E. Fresh) , techo, Salt 'n Pepa. Come to think of it, those all did go pretty good together. Ah, the 90's. 

What 90's hits did you love that might inspire others to find on tape purchase on mp3?



Something for the Little Poopers (aka Pup, Pooch, Perrito)



Before



After

This is the first time ever that the kids have  attempted to help out with chores pertaining to puppy.

It's been adorable to watch my seven-year old  make squishy, semi-gagging faces while picking up pup's poops, and equally adorable to watch as my five-year old almost embraces the icky smells. Gross, but adorable.

They'd taken up the task of feeding pup but somehow leaving it up to their little hands to cup handfuls of dogfood straight from the bag from garage to kitchen proved to be a little disastrous. Which is why I needed to undertake something to simplify the process, and make it look alluring enough to sit in my kitchen.

Behold, something for the little pooper:

He's golden. He's teal. No, he's a dogfood container. 

Here's the DIY:

Tools/Materials:
+tin can
+spray paint (2 colors)
+template
+glue
+paintbrush
+x-acto blade
+polyurethane

01. Head on over to your local thrift store, garage sale, yard sale and pick up one of these oversized, Christmas leftover popcorn containers. They're everywhere.

02. Get your puppy silhouette template here or create your own.

03. Cut the template out with an x-acto knife.

04. Spray paint the template to your desired color. I used metallic spray paint. You'll need this for the trim as well.

05. Spray paint your tin. I used Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze (left over from my Booklift project).

06. Since the tin is round, I didn't want to butcher it with a stencil so I decoupaged the thing. Notice the  Elmer's glue up top and paintbrush ( I learned to decouage from Ms. Martha here).

07. Decoupage: (a) brush a coat of glue on desired spot on tin (b) place design over glue spot on tin (c) roll it out to eliminate bubbles/wrinkles (sorry, facial wrinkles exempt) (d) brush a coat of glue over design, repeat five min. later  (e) brush a coat of polyurethane once design is completely dry.

08. Spray paint the trim with Metallic paint, or other color.

09. Get yourself a scoop like this one and fill with goodies.

The nice thing about this project is that's its versatile enough to be used as toy storage for blocks and legos and yes, it can be used for kitty too.

B+A : I'm down with OTB

I didn't completely get the full before pic but an in-progress one. The deck was originally tattered and badly weathered covered in faux grass. Meet Ms. Judy, the homeowner, and my hubby hidden behind her.


 

After

I suggested to the hubby some really large Moroccan colored pots and succulents would do the trick to liven up the space some but Ms. Judy thinks the deck is "so pretty just like it is."

What you don't really see because rooftops and myself don't mix well is that the deck design is a large cross.

The fence itself is also custom and some 500 sq.ft. of conrete needed to be added to the entry.

Here is the work in progress. It was some 1000 sq. ft. so it was rather large for a deck. To think I once lived in a space this size and there were four of us plus pup.

Did you see the curves on that one?

                            

Under the deck  is the installation of a french drain leading to the ditch behind the home as to drain the excess water since it tends to rain excessviely so (opinions of a former Angeleno)  out here in Texas.

 Exterior firepit complete with the gaslines and all.  It is covered inside and out in white brick.


If you squint hard enough you can see the entire walkway is purposely designed into a cross. Or you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Whew.

All pictures and work produced by OTB.

B + A ( Libraries c/o Target)

 

I before

  

I after

 

I before

      

I after

If I had to choose which two traits have stuck with me the most from mom and dad it would be this: a love for walks from dad + a love for books from mom.


Ever since I was a little girl I adored libraries. Even stepping into one as an adult evokes happy feelings and I stand true to that tradition with my own boys. I remember perusing the shelves for Beverly Cleary, Babysitters Club and in my teens I searched the paperbacks for R.L. Stine and other mysteries. And throughout all these years I'd regularly check out Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic. Do any of these ring a bell, or evoke an emotion? If it does, check out the Silverstein site to re-live good memories!


As a teen I would walk (thanks to dad) to the library. Imagine to my surprise when the librarian offered me a position! And so my first job was first as a tutor in the library system and then as a librarian's assistant.


All that being said, I am a true nerd at heart and I dream of a day when I could sit in a tranquil setting and enjoy a good read...but between you and I, I wish these days as a mother to  7 + 5 yr. old boys would never end.


For more on the Target School Library Makeovers visit the site here.


(Photos care of the Target site)


Do any of you have a home library? How about a magazine collection? As a visual learner,  I know I can attest to a huge collection of magazines!

Before & After : Booklift

Most people create pro and con lists for their place of employment with ideas that foster around salary and commute time. While my list does entail that, higher up on the pros and cons are where this position serves me in my creative endeavors and serves me in my role as mom.

Working for a school has its perks. If I must work, I have weekends off and my work schedule mimmicks the childrens' school hours almost exact. This is a plus for my role as mom.

But where does this present position serve me in my creative pursuits?  Outside of my office door (the ol' Principal's office) we have a freebie table. On this table you'll find all the old scraps people no longer have a use for such as frames and cups and fabric and tacky looking book lifts that don't match their home decor any longer.

But that's where this DIY chica comes into play and snatches every little homeless article I can re-love. I'm a total traditionalist so I haven't exactly done away with my handheld books in lieu for some Kindle. As for the other perks, there is a typewriter on site, and very pretty vintage children's books (circa 1950) to peruse through on my break.

The following is not a full DIY but the details for achieving the above design. The eyeglass design was inspired by this design and these pillows I saw on Design Sponge.

DIY details
+ Fellowes book lift
+spray paint (I chose Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze)

+Handraw your design

Re:loved {Backyard Fountain}



{Before}

 I was a bit behind schedule on the before the before  picture, but here is a snapshot of the work in progress. The before pic is essentially a salmon pink wall.

[Photos by La Tendedera]

{After}

This Toluca Lake home received an exterior facelift and backyard focal point with the assistance of  OTB . I'm loving the punches of color amidst the backdrop. Wish I could've captured an image of the statue spitting out at us.