Help! I'm Nakey!!!

My chair is officially nakey. Why hello chair in all your birthday glory. :) I found some interesting things as I completely took apart the chair. I noticed that the chair had been redone once, but only by the upholsterer using fresh webbing, (this is the foundational layer to a chair with springs.) And I have decided and committed (meaning I spent money!) to how I am going to re-do the chair. Will I use foam? Will I go the old fashioned route and use springs? Stay tuned!!!

But before I move on to my next step I have to decide what in tarnations I will do with the frame of my chair. These chairs are not perfect... (this one in particular has a crack in the frame that I must glue,) and I am completely ok with that because it is my first project, and I fully expect my work to not be perfect. Is this setting myself up for disaster? I don't think so, just building in the freedom of messing up on a first try. I mean honestly, who is perfect?

Anyway back to the frame... Should I paint it? Sand it and restain it? I am not sure yet... though I love this idea that I found over at designspongeonline.com, where part of the chair was left so that you can see the original woodwork. I know painting furniture is so popular right now but my gut says that painted furniture is just a passing fad, and within the next few years everyone will fall in love with natural wood again... and all of us who have painted furniture will be left to learn how to strip it down and stain it. But hey, us DIYer's are ready for exactly that aren't we? A new project is always welcome!

Anyway here is the link to the original post on designsponge that I fell in love with this idea in the first place. If anyone is out there, let me know what you think!

Nervous!

Day 1 of Vacay

I can't help it. I'm nervous!

There has been a project that I have been wanting to work on all year... I know how wonderfully reupholstery projects look when done well... but I also know how ambitious I want to be with this project... and I'm nervous!!

Here are my two parlor chairs that I fell in love with. Notice that I started the deconstruction process? I want do completely re-do them. And well... there is a lot to them. There are buttons... which can be an adventure in and of itself. And I really really want to redo the springs that it has as well.. but I am tempted to just buy high density foam and well, kind of cheat... because not only will this project be lengthly but it will also be costly... well, costly for the cheapest woman in the world. LOL...

I'm half tempted to just get rid of them and try again. But I've already bought some things that I will need for the project. Now it's decision time... should I go the whole way and change out the springs? Or should I just "cheap out" and buy some foam, and go from there?? Oysh! I don't know!! Feedback?

A Summer's Focus

I am on the eve of the rest of my summer. Today was my last day working for a school district as a 10 month employee, therefore I have 2 months off to do as I wish.

But I do not want this summer to be like other summers, ones that just pass by you so quickly that you forget what you did all those days of July and August. I want my summer to have purpose, and I want to note how much I’ve grown during them.

So here it is. The first blog post of the summer. I have already decided what my two main foci will be, (and I say only 2 because I recently read you can’t fully commit to more than 2 goals at a time. One is actually optimal.) My 2 goals are:

· Focus on Relationships

o That’s right… I love people but I am a very task-oriented kind of person. So guess what? I have made it my task to be focused on developing relationships with people around me. Friends old and new, I hope to reconnect and strengthen those friendships that are around me. I also want to embrace as many opportunities as possible that will help me meet this focus. For example, I have decided to be a part of a book club. First book up: The Help! (How exciting! Yay books!)

· Write a book

o I have an idea… for a series of books… that I am very excited about. I know there are a lot of books out there, but well, I’m passionate and I love writing. I just have to get over my self-doubt to take a plunge. I am very excited, very excited.

While these are my two foci for the summer, I also intend to make a daily schedule for myself. These are the things that I will try to incorporate into my daily schedule:

· Do a bible study/devotional daily.

· Work out daily (try for at least 5-6 days a week… those ten extra pounds need some help moving out.)

· Work on a project daily. I don’t necessarily have to complete a project daily… but I want to work on one daily. I have a laundry list of things I want to do… So I want to set aside time everyday to pursue and complete these projects. Staying focused will probably be my biggest challenge in this category.

· Work towards developing a relationship everyday. Meaning: meet up with someone, invest in someone’s life, write a note or letter… every day. Make it a daily goal.

· Do at least 15 minutes of cleaning everyday… ::GASP:: Oh man? Has it come to this? My husband is indeed the tidier out of the two of us, and I must honor him by trying to make an effort… however feeble attempt it may be.

· And of course… write or work on my book everyday. This might not be so stringent (not because it is not an absolute passion of mine,) but more because I realize that the creative process comes with its ebbs and flows… Meaning I don’t want to get down on myself because I had a slow day of writing… when in two or three days I could just go to town and whip out a strew of well-written, inspired pages. Don’t fake it, just make it.

So there it is! It might seem simple, but to me it is indeed very complex. Maybe I should make a calendar of all the projects I want to do and the things I want to accomplish to set mini-deadlines for myself. What do you think? I don’t want to get legalistic, but I don’t want to lose sight of my daily goals either. J We’ll see how it all goes…

By the way, don’t you just love the bright blue toes? Totally weird pic, but I couldn’t resist. I’m so excited about them! Yay summer toes!

TheCreativeMrsK goes Global!!!

Ha, ha. Actually it's not sooo extreme. Rather, after a bit of encouragement from friends and family alike (more family, thanks mom!), I am officially working on launching "TheCreativeMrsK" onto Etsy.com and hopefully a few local stores. I will mostly start off with the pins I have created, and work from there. I have lots of ideas and will keep you posted! Will send off a link when I'm comfortable (aka more confident) with the appearance of my online store. Until then-- thanks to anyone who has been a support!

Opinions on Facebook

Lately, a group of believers that I am a part of have taken on the task to discuss issues that God has laid upon their hearts. These issues are ones that are a bit controversial, and thus need to be spoken of in a well-educated light.

Last night was one such discussion. The topic was "Technology" but more specifically, it was technology in the form of social networking. Here are a few points I took away from it.

1) Facebook can be an avenue of sin for many. It is difficult for people to see other friends with smiling faces and not be jealous of their situations. Either seeing pictures and developing jealousy, or even judgment, upon others has cause the deletion of some users accounts in the Christian realm.

2) Many other users have noted how much time they can spend on Facebook. Oftentimes Facebook can take away our valuable time that might be better focused on school work, careers, or general lifestyle maintenance.

3) Facebook "Friends" can often be people you have not spoken to for years, and if you see casually, might not even say hi to. What are they then? A false acquaintance? A memory of a time you once knew them? Do you have them as friends only to indulge your self-importance?

4) Facebook status updates diminish the need for you to actually contact people you care about. "Oh wow, how is so-and-so doing? Well let me look at their wall and find out..." Thus decreasing human interaction.

5) The general "Best to Worst" ways of communicating are: Face to face, phone, letters, messaging (e-mail, text), and then "Pokes." Pokes are the ultimate in sterile contact with another human being. Thus, when you do go out of your way to visit someone, or to write them a physical letter it shows much more intentionality and care.

6) The diminished use of face to face interaction as a means of communication is greatly diminishing the skill of people (especially children) to interact with one another. It is also causing the loss of courage when dealing with difficult situations. These situations might include pursuing an apology, speaking when shy, or the ability to face rejection.

These few points being stated, I currently have a Facebook account and enjoy it! This discussion does make me question my motives. My husband just took steps to delete his Facebook account. Is that what I should do? I do not think so but I do think I will be more mindful of the time I spend on Facebook.

What do you think? I really would love to hear any input!! Maybe if you see me in person, we can talk about it! ;)

Flower Pin Pictures

Here is a picture of my flower pin! (sorry it is washed out!)

And this is a detail picture of one of the petals, in case it is hard for you to visualize my instructions!

Flower Pin

So this week has flown by for me. Like craziness, honestly. I work at a school district and I had two afterschool programs this week, one right after the other. It was craziness! Long days, but definitely blessed ones. My hubby Troy and I were able to hang out with our friends mid-week, and see a bunch of people yesterday (as per the norm on Thursdays,) and I'm SUPER excited about having people over tonight.

I did want to post these instructions to make a flower pin. My mom asked me this past week "what easy craft can I do?" because she was getting together with a few women who crochet, and knit, and paint, and she didn't know what to do! This is a great craft for kids, maybe middle school girls. I made my flower (with a few feathers!) into a pin, but you can use it as an applique on your clothes. Who knows! Get creative!!! The instructions are for using a hot glue gun, but I sewed my flower together to make it a bit more secure.

You need:

1 piece of felt (8"x11") cut into 6 circles

Hot glue gun

Brooch Pin

1 Button (optional)