An Unexpected Setback...

White birch trees

Extremely Easy and Cheap

No, I'm not describing myself with the fellas (hurr hurr), that's what I'm saying about these little wall plaques that I've made a few times.

I don't know why there's a curved corner. Maybe I had something draped on the couch, whatever.

Materials: wood plaque (doesn't have to be plain, you can paint over the cheesy floral print.)
craft paint
foam paint brush
Mod Podge or other decoupage medium
picture to use
scissors

As an thrifter, I spent a ridic amount of time sorting through the piles and racks of various Goodwills, etc. I founds these two little wooden wall plaques taped together for $.99 and took 'em home figuring that I'd find a use for them.

From the Lonely Summer of 2012, an Easy DIY

Last summer, of the year 1012 was mostly enjoyable, but spotted with moments of quiet, dark, loneliness before it's August climax of a public meltdown
I worked a summer school job and part time at a store. This left me enough time to socialize, shop the thrift stores, and enjoy the local wrestling promotion I had been part of for many years. But it was also my first time being single since I was a teenager. I lived alone in my downtown apartment and I soon began to feel like the world was no place for sole single woman in a social circle of mostly male friends. I had a a handful of girlfriends--but they weren't single. I just felt like I was doing everything alone, and it just wasn't me. I might have met up with a group, but I would arrive and and exit alone.
Friday nights were the hardest. Friday is date night and week after week I would find myself spending it alone. At the age of 31/32, I felt like the last of my youth was slipping away and that good times and joy were happening every where without me.
There was always one person I could talk to. John was my former boyfriend (I never called him my 'ex'). Together for 11 years, I made the hasty choice to break up in early 2011. It was not always easy, but we stayed close and we talked to each other all the time. He didn't hold the break up against me. He believed in me, even when I didn't. He was like "the wind beneath my wings" or some shit. I was blessed to have him in my life.
He thought it was cool that I was doing crafts. We talked about my depression and ways to cope. He suggested I use my projects to keep me busy and that I start a blog where I could share them and also my writing.
It was awesome. I remember publicly thanking him for the idea, posting on Facebook; "Finally! An idea I can use from someone who really knows me!" This blog was essentially his idea. I'll get to the sad part of this story soon enough.

This was what I was working on at the time: the beginner DIYer's project of lamp spray painting. I'm all about vintage stuff, especially mid-century modern (who isn't, amirite?) I wanted two matching lamps for the tables on each side of my couch. I found these.

It's been a year since I started claiming that I was going to get a blog. So, I started and couldn't really get myself going with it due to many annoying reasons. Fear of sucking, fear of tackling a huge project, fear of trying something new, etc. The hardest thing to do is start. So, maybe if I just publish this thing (blank and all) it will be easier to work on.

Old thrift store dress that I started re-fashioning in June. It's hard!!