50 Projects: 52 Weeks (27. Glossy Greeting Cards: Happy Rock and Farm Dog Jack)

This was too easy. Found a great deal on Shutterfly (10 Free Greeting Cards! Just pay shipping); I have ordered cards from them in the past, and have always been happy with the quality and thickness of card stock, etc...

These are just prints of two photographs I have on Etsy for sale. Super quick. Looks professional. 

Watson Lake: Reflections and Color

A last-minute jaunt last week to Watson Lake produced some magnificent shots. 

Peaceful.

Beauty and the Beast

Well, almost. These are our pets: Frank, the cat, and Tealk, the dog. Both are amazing little personalities and our lives' aren't the same. But how could we live with ourselves knowing the either one of these furballs would have lived a life in a kennel or at the humane society in a cage. Nope. Not these two.

Love the soul patch!

Frank is also fond of break-dancing...

The Monster.

This is what we have dubbed: "The Thing." It's where trolls come from.

And, yes, our animals are color-coordinated. 

50 Projects: 52 Weeks (26. An Autumn Sunset)

Misty. Ethereal. Chilly. Warm. Autumn is my favorite season and I know that I am going to miss the colors changing in Wisconsin. Colorado doesn't get the spectrum of colors like the shores of Door County or the hillsides of Devil's Lake would. Inspired by a sunset, this is another painting I hope to put on Etsy soon but deserves a little blurb here. 

Layering and representing streaks of sunlight is challenging for me to paint. I am probably my own worst critic. But this one has been a work in progress for, years? I don't even remember when I started this.

But, just put on a sweater and think Fall. Chai anyone?

50 Projects: 52 Weeks (25. Halfway There! Chalkboard Desk)

It's part functional, part kitchy, part country. We found a light-stained, slightly ratty desk by a dumpster on the evening of July 31st (mega move-out day for tenants in Fort Collins). We, and a group of friends and new-acquaintances, walked the desk back to our friends house. Actually, some guy put it on his back and carried it almost a mile...insane. 

Nonetheless, (surprise surprise!) we painted it with the same color as the bathroom wall, a greenish color and bought some chalkboard paint. We will have to buy a different brand of chalkboard spray paint because this wasn't the same as the kind I used for our Chalkboard Coffee Table; this one has an extremely matte finish and is actually kind of gritty. Sad. But I thought I'd throw it up there anyway. It was pretty painless to do this and didn't cost us more than 1.5 cans of chalkboard paint.

Side note: The black desk chair in the photo was also a fix-me-up found by our dumpster for our apartment complex. Free and it just involved tightening down some screws! Pottery Barn, watch out. :)

PSS. Notice the Dwell Magazines in the second photo? Also a FreeCycle find. Join your local group. I'm excited that I got a bunch of free magazines to read, cut up, repurpose.

50 Projects: 52 Weeks (24. Teal Squares)

Because we just had to make our cans of Oops! paints go as far as they can, you're probably going to see a slew of projects with the same colors over and over. Don't judge. This was a hand-made floating shelf/cube thingy that I bought at Goodwill for $2.99. At first, I tried to sand and stain it. Horrible idea because the stain didn't take well.

It's the teal paint from our bedroom and it's a pretty fun display for Steve's (massive) collection of (empty) beer bottles.

50 Projects: 52 Weeks (23. The Blue Light Special)

Repurposed from a stand-up cheapie metal lamp, I pulled apart the cord and shade, bought a can of spray paint in an almost Grecian Blue, spray painted the light and hung it upside down. Voila! $3.50 for the spray paint and now we have a sweet pendant lamp.

Healthy Brownies

Hmm...made these tonight as a healthy "treat." It's good but I have mixed feelings about it. I didn't have the walnuts that it called out for and I don't have a food processor (just a horrific 1970's mustard-colored blender which makes terrible grinding noises while in use); the consistency could've been a little smoother and I think it could've been sweeter actually. 

The marble effect was done by using part of the egg and agave mixture drizzled over the top. Anyone have any suggestions?? Go for it! Here's the recipe. Get creative! (PS. You CANNOT taste the black beans, FYI...Steve didn't know at all! Oh, and they are Gluten-Free!)

My First Clothing Vintage

This might not seem like a big deal, but I've never bought vintage before. Actually, it was a stab in the dark, really.

This piece is under the label "Le Petite." It's most likely a synthetic polyester-type material and is white with little navy squares.

It's a "Division of Leslie Fay, Inc." Doing a little research helped me figure out that the piece has to be from 1959-April 1982 based on the company's name. It changed after 1982 to The Leslie Fay Company. Elizabeth, I could use your expertise! 

I hope to modify the bottom hem a bit since it's so short or find a way to wear it with some sort of pencil skirt or belt. Or both. Fun stuff!

50 Projects: 52 Weeks (22. A Long Time Painted: Color in Our Lives)

The Bedroom Wall

The Bath

The Living Room

Steve and I painted one wall in each room. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but I decided to include photos from all three. We needed color in our lives. We knew we would be living in the apartment for at least another year and decided [what the hey?!] and why not paint one wall in each room. We can think Home Depot for the Oops! paints that we bought because we saved (we calculated it, dorky, I know!) at least $60 on paint and supplies. We bought $5 gallon buckets of paint that were rejected in their Oops stash in the colors we wanted anyway. We have plenty of extra paint and plenty of other projects, too. Here's to a little color!

50 Projects: 52 Weeks (21. Sunset at Devil's Lake: A Two-Piece Wedding Landscape)

For the beautiful bride and groom. Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, WI. I've been working on perfecting reflections and water. It's a challenge to paint, but I love the way this one turned out. 

Congratulations, Mike and Jen!

Big Baby

This is the newest addition to our micro-sized apartment: Teal'C [pronounced Tealk]. He's mostly Siberian Husky with maybe about 10% Malamute. Teal'C has a very stubborn, very lovable personality. The first 48 hours we had him (pre-neuter); he didn't sleep, nap, or blink. He would just bark and talk and pace and be generally obnoxious. He went after the cat in the middle of the night (subsequently, cat on my face in the middle of the night...what a sight to behold!). Teal'C is loyal and pretty goofy. He isn't aggressive and he's learning a little bit each day. Plus. We figured out how to break him. He gets AT LEAST two 4-mile runs (on a bicycle, mind you) a day. It completely obliterates his energy level and he's less prone to terrorizing Frank, the cat.

Now Steve doesn't have to sleep on the couch anymore. Baby steps. And he's a big baby.

Thinking Outside the Box: All Terrain Cabin and Portable Homes

I am a bit weary always having to think about rent, bills, pets, space, cleaning, moving, etc...I am beginning to think that, if I crunch the numbers, living out of a pre-fabricated home or shipping container would actually SAVE us money in the end. I don't want clutter anymore. I am beginning to think about the prospects of living simply and [what if] Steve and I move around a lot. [What if] we work internationally but want a "home" to come back to. [What if] it could be shipped internationally. [What if] we could make it entirely modular and it would be possible to put it on a train from Colorado and move it back to Wisconsin, just in-case. 

I am also weary of thinking about plans for the future. When it comes down to it; I want to be a sustainable designer and visionary. I want to prove that I can think outside of the box, like this company did (purely conceptual, but it's GORGEOUS).

It's called the All-Terrain Cabin (by BARK):

It's a 20' ISO Container Frame.

Imagine the freedom and flexibility of it.

I am going to consider this as an economic and timeless investment piece. More info on how to build your own shipping container home can be found here. I've also compiled this list:

Cargotecture 

FabPreFab Comprehensive List of Projects

Contained Mobility a BA Arch Project

More Amazing Homes

And one of my faves: the Port-a-Bach

Up and Running

Tada! The first round of my photographs are up and running in my Etsy store: Soul Journer Studio.

I'm nervous and excited. I'm reluctant and exhilarated. I'm hesitant because I am my own worst critic. I am excited because this may open up windows, maybe even doors. The next round of items (I hope) will be greeting cards and paintings I've completed. 

Support starving artists. Please.


P.S. For any of you with a keen eye, YES, I did organize my Google Chrome Bookmark Icons by color. I am that OCD about it. . .

Rawah Wilderness - A Challenge

The basics stay the same but the colors change. And you never know what to expect. I love the Rocky Mountains.

We took a two-day, 20-mile hike through the Rawah Wilderness for Steve's 25th Birthday this past weekend. It was moderately difficult, and if it wasn't for him, I may not have had the courage to press on. Press on. He challenged me. We made it over Grassy Pass (11,250 feet!) and onward to camp at Lower Sandbar Lake.

Blue skies. Not a soul in sight. Quiet moments. Reflection. Hope.

Happy Birthday, honey - I love you!

Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association v. Monsanto

Please read this ARTICLE and pass it on or repost it. I am grieved that we are already losing precious heirloom seeds because they are wiped to extinction by America's mega-corporation. Please don't let it happen. I am so glad 270,000 Organic Farmers are taking a stand against Monsanto; let's support them any way we can! 

Lemon Slush

Recipe courtesy Heidi @ 101 Cookbooks. Anise seeds were added. I'm a fan; Steve, not so much. Anise is "licorice-esque" for those of you who haven't used it yet. Enjoy.

50 Projects: 52 Weeks (20. Repurposed File Hanger Plant Stand)

Another one in the books for repurposed. My friend Elizabeth pointed out that the metal frame is actually a file-hanger (I had no idea). $1 at ReStore. The glass? Free from Freecycle. 4 silicone feet for the glass? About another $1. 

$2 for a great plant stand or garden table. I have a second one outside which would look GREAT with a chaise lounge and an umbrella drink and a good drink. Just like the entryway table, in small spaces, glass helps keep the space looking open and uncluttered. A heavy table would look out of place in such a small apartment. And the glass draws the eye outside to enjoy the fantastic Colorado weather.

Another tip? Buy tropical starter plants. $2.99 for 2.5" pots (the ones in the photo were replanted). It saves a lot of money and they are already growing strong. Happy planting!

50 Projects: 52 Weeks (19. Repurposed Glass and Metal Entryway Table)

Well. It seems like I've taken a big hiatus from posting anything on my blog. Summer has been challenging in so many ways. Though I might be eons behind everyone else doing the 50 Projects, I thought I'd keep trying anyway. This is out of order, but I'll start with this project [It's for sale!]

This started as an old iron aquarium tank stand. Matte black and slightly rusted. It had an odious piece of plywood screwed to the top. I removed the plywood and bought a can of Krylon metal, hammered finish spray in Grey. Then, thanks to Freecycle, I had some 1/4" glass, repurposed from a glass-faced cabinet. Voila! A couple of silicone feet for the glass, a little bit of elbow grease and this table has clean modern lines. And a little flirty detail in the front legs. 

Great for an entryway, especially our own entryway because it's transparent and appears to float in such a small space! It also would be stellar outside since it's made to handle the elements.

What we hope to do is sell it. I am not attached to anything I own; we hope to sell it for a little more than it took to repurpose it. Any takers? 40 bucks? ;)