for a festive celebration table, i've got you covered. diy

posted by jennifer:

in my last post i mentioned a table covering i made (with the help of my children) for our
thanksgiving table.  today i wanted to share what i did.  i was so happy with how it turned out.   plus, it was economical which is a good thing, but didn't look economical which is even a better thing.

**how to make a chalkboard tablecloth**

you will need:
-a roll of brown butcher paper
     i used paint masking paper from home depot.  a roll of a million feet was like $9.00.  so
     i will be using the same roll until i am 95 years old
-chalkboard paint (i used rust-oleum)
     i had leftover paint from another project, and this used so little i still have leftover paint
-painters masking tape
     i thought it could  free-style it at first, but um, not so much
-a big ol' paintbrush
-chalk
-hairspray


1. measure your table you will be covering, and if you want to wrap it around the ends of the table, don't forget to add several inches to the measurement.

2. cut your butcher paper to determined length.  it will want to roll up again, so find something to weight it down.

3.  using your masking tape mark off the area you want to paint.  i did about a 2 foot stripe down the middle of mine. but you could be creative here.  maybe placemat size rectangles at each persons place?

4.  paint in your masked off area.  i only used 1 coat, and was good.    let it dry, which here in southern california was fairly quick, but if you are in a cold climate, you might want to find a low  traffic area of the house for this.  the wet paint here was almost stepped on several times, a couple of times by me as i was yelling at the kids to  be careful not to step on said wet paint.  ah, parenting.... it  is humbling is it not??

5.  after it is dried you can start decorating.  i didn't wait for any curing time on the paint as i knew this was going to be a one-time use project.  i the project was done start to finish in about 1 1/2 hours. 
i used colorful chalk, you could go with standard white for a cool look, which is what i originally thought i was going to do...  but i didn't have any white chalk.  magenta (check!),
periwinkle (check!), burnt sienna (check!), chartreuse (check!), white (okay, with color we go... and i loved it. )

6.  so thinking about smudging.  i knew that if i didn't use something the sharp lines would start being blurred lines.  which would be pretty.  like looking through a kaleidoscope when you are crying.  but not the look i was hoping for.  i tried shellac at first, but it just made the chalk disappear.  so after googling it, hairspray it was. workable fixative would work as well.
i used extra on the ends where i was worried people would rub up against the chalk. and i wanted to avoid people's sleeves and shirt fronts from  looking like my 3rd grade teacher's butt  looked like after she was standing against the chalkboard... remember those days?  ha!

7. roll it up until it is ready to use. 

so that is it.  it makes a beautiful tablecloth.  it can be customized to any occasion or festivity.
and at the end of the night, when it is covered with grease stains, wine spills and water marks, you can roll it up and into the recycling bin it goes.   or is it the trash can.  i always am questioning the recycling rules. 

oh, and to carry the theme a bit further, i made place cards using brown cardstock.  i painted a stripe of chalkboard paint on it, stamped the first initial with acrylic paint, and wrote the remainder of the name with a white gel pen.  the finishing touch.

cheers!

Transplanting a 35 year old tree

I made a little nut tree,
my children four to share.
Each Advent day, from it, 
a hallmark did appear.

There was such excitement,
the guessing, it lit a spark.
All for the sake of, 
Christmas Day to hark.

Yarn tied each walnut tightly.
What could the bauble be?
Tradition spun around the fun,
happy days for me.

Slowly, grand anticipation slipped,
new lives were off and running.
A game as such takes lambs, of course,
just to keep it drumming.

Blink, new babes enter the scene.
Lo and behold,
that nut tree is a time machine!

I happily resuscitated the Advent nut tree (that I originally made some 35 years ago) for daughter #2 and her family to use.  As I did so, I felt a zephyr of Christmas spirit warm my heart.  I love that the excitement of the nightly guessing, as to what is inside each nut, lives on.  (April, do not look at the following pictures.  It would give you an unfair advantage.)

t.t.f.n. ~ Carol

Not a vacation.

Hello!

Since I posted last I have...

*picnicked on a bridge with a few of my favorite people,

*danced like crazy late into the night to some live music,

*went for a quick ride on a flying elephant,

*did some modeling for a fantastic little shop (https://www.etsy.com/shop/strawberryoaks )

*met with some new friends to discuss a good book

*explored an estuary,

*flipped into a foam pit at a trampoline park,

*visited 3 different beaches

*kissed my love by a campfire

*and I have had breakfasts, lunches and dinners with a princess and a superhero.

So- I haven't posted recently, but I have been very busy. And Happy. 

XO,

April

turkey graffiti....

...and other forms of artistic expression i am thankful for

posted by jennifer:

first off, did you know the singular form of graffiti is graffito?  i just read that in the dictionary. who knew.  and yes, i looked up graffiti, just to be sure.  this coming from the girl who misspelled tomorrow (i am still catching myself writing tomarrow) until a few months ago.  thank you april.   so, ya know, i have to be sure sometimes. 

my children,  like myself get into holidays.  they are more consistent in every holiday getting a fair amount of attention, where i tend to go all out for christmas.   the other holidays just get a bone thrown at them.  but in this case a very nice t-bone steak bone i have to say.

on this note, they have been creating in the spirit of the season.   i thought i would share some of these creations.

the first is a collaboration.   they did the artwork... at least most of it that went into my turkey feather garland.  i got the idea from one of my favorite  bloggers: www.auntpeaches.com .  i used artwork that they had left lying around... so i figured it was fair game... they begged to differ on a few pieces, but it is a lesson.   if it is important to you, put it in your room.  if it is in a pile (look at all those little words in a row... if it is in a ) in the living room it may end up in the recycling bin or in this case transformed into a beautiful turkey feather garland.  i stamped the letters to spell out: eat, drink, and be merry on muslin with brown acrylic and then just strung them up along with the feathers.   i love it.  

these beautiful creatures were made about 2 weeks ago. my older two came in from the backyard with these.  so clever i thought.  they used apples from our tree, and feathers from our molting chickens. 

my daughter emma likes to use charcoal to draw pictures on one of our retaining walls.  this was done yesterday i believe.   i love beautiful graffiti.   not the random tagging with just a name.  but when graffiti artists really put themselves into it.  i  love driving through parts of l.a. and downtown san diego .... or when riding the train from san diego to orange county... and seeing the graffiti.  i think i may have to get some spray paint for emma and let her at the walls in the backyard with something more permanent.  hmmm.  

and lastly.  this is a sneak peek.  my next post will go more into how  i made a table covering for thanksgiving.  i used brown butcher paper, chalkboard paint and colorful chalk. the kids helped naturally.  i want to wait to show you until it is all put together.  but it is a good one methinks.

have a wonderful thanksgiving.  i hope you have your share of turkey graffiti to  enjoy. cheers!

Mark my lettuce

One of  the most rewarding vegetables to grow is lettuce.

Here in Southern California, I eat my homegrown lettuce for about 6 months a year, December to June.

 I love salads, and eat them almost everyday. I love lettuce. Son-in-law #2 says I am the only person he has ever known that orders "extra lettuce" on my sandwiches and on my In-and-Out Grilled Cheese. 

Growing lettuce is beneficial in many ways: the yield is high, the leaves are tasty, the varieties available to grow far exceed what you can buy at Whole Foods or Sprouts or Mothers, the mix of textures and colors makes a presentation that would please any Home Ec teacher, you can pick and eat in a matter of minutes so the nutritional value is greater, you don't have to store lettuce in the refrigerator---just pick it as you need it. Add to all this: lettuce is easy to grow.

Every year I grow a salad bowl of varieties.   I add new varieties to the ones that are tried and true.

It is important to me to know which lettuce is which.  I've learned with vegetable gardening, it is most important to grow a variety that has the taste you love and that grows well in your location.  I want to know which lettuce plants work well for me and, to do so, I need to keep track of their names.

I currently have 9 varieties of lettuce growing and because I want to remember which seedling was which, I wrote each lettuce name on a Popsicle stick...with a Sharpie and stuck it in the ground next the the planted seeds.  

After a short 3 weeks, the lettering on the sticks was already fading.  I knew I was going to need markers that were more permanent. 

I scroll through Pinterest occasionally and dutifully put the ideas that appeal to me on my boards.  Less frequently, I actually use the ideas. 

One of my boards is "Gardening" and some time ago I saw this idea and filed it to that board.

Painting rocks as garden markers.  I thought this seemed like a fun and effective way to keep track of my selection of Red Sails, Black Seeded Simpsons, Nevadas, Rouge d'Hivers, Parris Island Cos, Little Gems, Flames, Buttercrunches, and my latest favorite, Dark Lolla Rossa.

I liked the result so much I painted other vegetable names as well.  It was easy....just find some fairly smooth rocks and using acrylic paint add the name and any design, scrolling, dots, squiggles, or lines that strike your fancy onto it.

This idea was originally posted on augustwren.blogspot.com.au (07-26-2011)  How nice to be able to put an idea into action. 

t.t.f.n. ~ Carol

the evolution of a haircut

posted by jennifer:

so, i cut my own hair.   and have been doing so for about the last 6 or 7 years.   well, i guess technically i have been doing it even longer than that.   i know there were a few instances in my childhood that i started practicing the art... ahem.   but i didn't start in earnest until more recent years.

i didn't just pick up the scissors one day and decide to go for it.  there was a process i went through.   it all started with isaac.  he was the first "real" hair stylist i went to.  you know, not your run of the mill strip mall chain stylist.  my mom and sister had been going to him, and
i decided to plunk down my money  and see what this isaac was all about.  i loved my haircut.  so much that i went to isaac, who was in fullerton (orange county), even after i moved down to san diego.

then isaac moved away.

i had to find a new hair stylist. 

i asked a friend, whose haircut i loved, where she went.  she gave me the information for a swanky stylist in hillcrest.  a rather artsy, hip neighborhood in san diego.  i set the appointment.   i was a little nervous, because i am not the adventurous, directional savvy type girl.  i get lost frequently.  and am one of those drivers who gets a little, um, erratic when i don't know where i am going.  i have never been in, or caused an accident or anything, but i am sure i have had a few choice words spewed in my direction when, well, let's say, i am looking for a hair salon i have never been to.

well, i made a wrong turn.   i was late for the appointment...very, very late.  the hair stylist wasn't pleased.  i started getting all choked up when trying to explain myself.  yes, i tend to do that.  this was probably 12 years ago.  but i still remember the way she was looking at me. i must have looked pathetic.  and very out of my element.  so, i dried off my tears.  and kept up my search.

i found a stylist i liked.  close to home.  i knew i would not get lost.  but, no, the stylist was not myself..... yet.  

i went to that woman for about 2 years.  until she left.  ugh.  i tried a new stylist at the same salon, and left more than once with a haircut i did not like.  it was then that i started to question what exactly i was paying for.  i clearly remember thinking "a hair student could do a better job."

so, i found a cosmetology school.  you could have a student cut your hair for like $10 or something.  by this time, i definitely didn't feel like i could continue to spend $50+ on a haircut.

 the first time i  left the cosmetology school with my new haircut i felt pretty smug.   i couldn't believe people didn't go to cosmetology schools more often to be guinea pigs.  i had one of my best haircuts ever..... that time.

i think that the girl who cut my hair the first time must have graduated...at the top of her class.   and i think the second and third time i went, the students must have been held back.... or maybe it was there first day of school.   at this point my thought was "i could do a better job than this."

well, it is all ancient history now. 

i never get lost on the way to the bathroom.  i don't need to schedule an appointment.  i can get a touch up whenever i want.  i don't need to worry about being witty, or more accurately, don't need to worry about how socially awkward i must seem when trying to make small talk.  and best of all, i have gotten compliments on my hair.  and they are not those courtesy compliments... when someone doesn't know what to say because what is before them is so uncomfortably awful.  you know "you look great".... when said receiver of the compliment is a horribly hot mess. (oh no, i hope they are not courtesy compliments... egads!)

at least 90% of the time, i am happy with my self haircuts.  and that my friends is a better percentage than when i was going to the professionals.... and sometimes not so professionals. hmmm.  well, regardless, i will continue to cut my own hair.  at least for now. but who knows about the future.  thus is the evolution of a haircut.

Shared ownership of a piece of magic

As Mr. Roger's sang, there are many ways to say I love you.  There are also many ways to stay connected to the people you hold dear:  phoning, texting, sending a card or letter, Facebook, Twitter, or by exchanging an item back and forth.  This back and forth of an object of any sort, turns into a meeting of hearts in a playful  place.

 This game seems to begin in some mysterious, spontaneous fashion.  I am currently enjoying such a 

go-between with my 4 year old granddaughter.

During the summer, Ruby found a key chain that has a broken hi-heel shoe charm on it.  In its broken state, it looks somewhat like a bejeweled duck-head, instead of a shoe.  It is a conversation piece to be sure.

"WHAT IS THAT?"

Ruby gave me this dear-to-her, studded, treasure a couple months ago.  I put it on my key chain in appreciation of her sweetness.  She often takes note of it being there and is always visibly pleased to see it is still there.

About 3 weeks ago she was looking at the hi-heel-duck head longingly and so I gave it back to her "for awhile".  Then last week I was caring for Wyatt and Ruby and before I left to come home, Ruby handed the mutated bauble to me saying, "Your turn".  My heart is still in a melted state.

This got me to thinking about things that boomerang between 2 people and how fun it is.  It creates a special bond to be on such a merry go round with someone.

When I was 5,6,7,8 (?) my Grandmother and I exchanged the same birthday card for years.  I was sad when this greeting card got "misplaced" --perhaps when we moved to Florida--during my keeping of it.  We never started up another back and forth card.  I wish we had.

Mike and I used to have a small, plastic alligator that went to-and-fro between us.  I would open a drawer or box or be shifting through a stack of papers and find that green alligator awaiting my discovery.  Awaiting to deliver the message that the person who hid it there, loves me in a playful way.

I worked with 2 women who, for years schemed surprise-findings-of a piece of string for each other. One time, it spun out of a roll of toilet paper.

My daughters have a top shell, named Toppy, that travels between Lakeside and Fullerton.

A friend of mine and I have a "hospitality angel" that moves between our homes.  (I'd take a photo of this statuette, but she's residing in Temecula currently.)

The start up of one of these games is unplanned and I suppose its finish is as well. I hope to walk across such a bridge, where hearts cross happily, with each of my grandchildren at some point in time.  I'm just waiting for that magic moment when some trinket catches us on a seesaw ride.  This magnetism cannot be contrived.  It has to be waited on, but it's so sweet when it arrives.

t.t.f.n. ~ Carol