Weekly Therapy: getting ready for hibernation… or something.

the week:
For real, the most exciting thing to happen this week was this enchilada casserole for dinner that we ate THREE DAYS IN A ROW. Pathetic, but my days are so much more relaxed when I work out in the mornings. I can almost say that waking up at 5am for 7 weeks of CrossFit has made me a morning person. Almost.

weekend:
Oh em gee, I have a weekend off work (and then an extra two days). The boyfriend and I get to do fun things, like, discuss our 2014 home renovation projects, budget and furniture wants. And then I’m drinking rum-and-cider for the rest of my free minutes because we will probably definitely be arguing by the end of that.

Kidding. Mostly.

But on Monday, I get to take boyfriend for his pre-birthday surprise.

seven things, seven days:
1. Did I really just buy three separate items for holiday decorating? I did.
2. Oh, and then my boyfriend told me that he special ordered the live Christmas tree, so I guess we’re both feeling the spirit? We also figured out where we’re putting the tree this year. Note: not in the dining room.
3. My boyfriend commented that the new dining room layout looked “like a grownups dining room.” *swoon*
4. WHAT IS HAPPENING? I HATE CHRISTMAS!
5. I used my chalk paint AGAIN — HATE the blue tape for edging. Each project the tape peels up big chunks of paint from the surface, resulting in multiple touch ups. So #dumb.
6. I unpacked boxes from our move two years ago… We have so much freaking glassware in storage, but I think I have a new idea for our collection.
7. And I must be in some kind of nesting phase because I just reorganized all the stuff in my kitchen cupboards (BUT IT’S SO MUCH BETTER!)

Weekly Therapy: we keep it stinky

the week:
The stinky corpse flower was blooming at the Phipps Conservatory this week. Of course I waited three hours in line to smell it. If you didn’t get out, it’s already too late (smell ya later, Romero!). My friend and I visited within 24 hours of its bloom announcement (Stink Gram?), and it was already starting to close up. If you’re unfamiliar with the Amorphophallus titanum, it only blooms once every 6-10 years — and only for around 24-48 hours.

Be tee dubs, whomever is handling their twitter account is brilliant.

romero

weekend:
My Tough Mudder is Saturday (ack!) — thought I’d be more excited. But honestly, I’m worn out. My body is worn out. At this point, I’m just hoping not to pass out mid-mud obstacle.

Sunday, we finally are “interviewing” another house cleaner. See above comment about being worn out. I never thought that a 3-bedroom, 2.5 bath house would be too much for one person. It’s too, too much house for me to get a handle on, especially with three cats. I’m not too shamed to admit that. And that’s why life gave us professional house cleaners.

Otherwise, I’ll be over here doing yoga on the bridge.

52 Books in 52 Weeks:
Yeah, I’m seriously behind (don’t judge me!). But I started reading Rust Belt Chic: a Cleveland Anthology as result of my trip to CLE. More reading for my fellow rust belt city homies: Belt Magazine.

seven things, seven days:
1. Painters again. Gawd, I’m tired. BUT OMG I HAVE A YELLOW DOOR!
2. In the process of redesigning our patio space… again. Garden tour is in three weeks. FML.
3. Is there nothing better than finding a dress that just fits. like. a. glove? It really is amazing when you can purchase something and not have to tailor a damn thing (dress definitely not that short IRL). I wish I had all of the monies to shop Shoshanna for all of the things.
4. Forgive me, hair gods, for I have sinned; it’s been nearly 30 weeks since my last cut and color. I’ve had to reschedule my hair appointment twice in two weeks. Third time, the charm?
5. This post couldn’t be more timely: Are Dining Rooms Dead? {via BrightNest}
6. THIS. For all of the pet owners out there.
7. Speaking to my heart here: Writing & Speaking for Introverts {via Art of Non-conformity}

Weekend DIY: paint a tray with chalkboard paint

Since I’ve been attempting to control the clutter in my basement — and catch up on unpacking a few boxes stored down there from TWO YEARS AGO — I came across a pair of these breakfast trays that we’ve used, probably, never. BUT they’re in never-used condition, and I needed something to fill That Annoying Space above the cabinets in my kitchen (which is its own ongoing decorating project).

breakfast tray DIY chalkboard paint

Chalkboard paint is SUPER easy to accomplish in an afternoon (so long as you can keep the cats away from the kitchen table long enough). I like to paint with sponge brushes for these types of small projects.

I didn’t bother priming because a) it’s chalkboard paint and b) it’s a small surface and c) AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT. See: it was only going to be for decoration and no functional use. Also see: dramatic foreshadowing.

photo 2

The surface of the trays is similar to some kind of whiteboard material — super shiny — and no, I did not want to use as whiteboards. The corners were a pain in my ass, so after wiping excess paint off the wood 18 million times, I went back and taped the edges.

Said tape pulled up the paint when I removed it, which means I left it to dry too long.

These babies only needed two coats, and the chalkboard paint is REALLY forgiving, so you don’t need to worry about any streaking. Until the edge tape pulls the paint off the edges, and you have to go back and fix with a tiny brush. But what would a quickie-DIY project be without unexpected annoyances!

photo 4

We were hosting a neighborhood “stoop” party, so I replicated a fun illustration from a set of greeting cards welcoming our guests.

And there you have it: one simple weekend DIY project!

We’ve used chalkboard paint in two different kitchen projects (the first was a cabinet door above the keg fridge), and it’s so easy to use and to create something unique. Plus, the ongoing art therapy of drawing with chalk gives this 30-something warm memories of sidewalk chalk masterpieces.

Have any fun weekend DIY projects? Leave them in the comments!