faux fireplace revamp

A few weeks ago Rhett's mom gave me permission to test my painting skills on a faux fireplace they used to have in their game room upstairs [but was currently in their storage unit]. I snatched it up, read some furniture painting tutorials on Miss Mustard Seed, and got to work! Here is the starting point: relatively untouched wood.

All I had to do was sand it down a little and wipe it off before I added my first coat: Almond Cream by Behr. I only did one coat because I knew I wanted to do some pretty heavy glazing at the end.

Then I taped off the inset rectangles and painted them Violet Shadow by Behr. After those were dry, I rubbed on a small amount of flat Cathedral Gray for texture. 

After that dried, I covered the entire thing [piece by piece] in Valspar glaze in Leather Chair. You really have to put it on thick in the beginning and then wipe off however much you want. It's a back and forth type thing [put a lot on, wipe too much off, put more on, etc.] until you get it how you want it. The glaze is really forgiving. You can wipe almost all of it off if you don't like the way it's turning out. 

After the glazing was dry, I sanded around the edges and nooks in the wood.

Then all that was left was to put it up in my room and decorate the top! Here is the final product [my apologies for the blah lighting]. 

The old window hung above it is from the church where my parents were married. How cool is that?? 

Overall this was a really fun project to do and I will enjoy it for a long time. That being said, it did not come without its frustrations and touch ups. That's not stopping me from paining more furniture finds! LOOK OUT! Not even your own furniture is safe.

getting industrial--pallets and nuts

WOW! Check out this post on Young House Love!! I hadn't seen this website blog type thing until tonight and I am obsessed with the whole house [though I'm not sure about the light feature above the table]. Can you believe this table was $10 at a thrift store?? Do you love the ottoman and mixed seating at the table as much as I do?? They also use pallet wood in several places which I am currently obsessing over. 

How much do you love this DIY mirror? I've actually been collecting pallets for a few weeks now. Rhett brought me back some oil field pallets that are very weathered and cool [I already have something in mind for those] and we picked up this broken one by a dumpster on campus last week.

I like the wood and it has these cool numbers and stamps on parts. Not sure what's in store for this. I'll let ya know. 

I also saw this little DIY bracelet today on Honestly WTF. I was headed to Home Depot this evening anyway, so I picked up some twine and little gold nuts and tried it out. I'd usually choose silver over gold any day, but since my Aggie ring is gold, I thought I'd bring some more gold into my life. I think it turned out different and cute. I like the pic on their blog where it's layered with other bulky pieces of jewelry. 

In unrelated news, the Rockets traded Shane Battier to Memphis today. What were they thinking?My two favorite athletes in Houston sports, Shane Battier from the Rockets and Kaz Matsui from the Astros, are officially gone. Way to go, Houston. UGH, FRUSTRATION!

ssssgooooood

Breakaway Update:

This week was all men's breakaway, so I don't have a super official update, but I did see on their facebook page that we have raised over $45,000 in the Shalom Project!! 

Let's observe a moment of silence. Let that sink in. 

This is WAY above our goal, and I'm really interested to hear what Ben says about it next week at all women's breakaway! I'll keep you updated. 

Rhett and I went to the Aggie Basketball game tonight making this night 2 for us and tamu sports. The night was complete with slam dunks, kettle corn, huge laminated heads of the team and coach, fist pumps [and leg kicks??], and baby races. Top it off with a W for the Ags and it was an allover successful evening. 

Did anyone else see the post on painting furniture today on Miss Mustard Seed?? She did a little swap with another blogger and they shared their best painting tips. It's like she knew I was tackling a project this weekend. 

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My resolution for this month is not going too well. I have higher hopes for March. 

who's your daddy?

My mom and I love the show Brothers & Sisters on ABC. We've been watching/comparing our lives and family to this show for years [my mom is obviously Nora and I am Kitty]. Rhett, on the other hand, hates this show [but loves to make fun of it] and especially hates these two characters. The episode this week prompted a long discussion of who the members of our families are in tv/movies. Check out our comparisons. I think we did a pretty good job.

It was very hard to pick one for my dad, so I picked two. He is a mixture of Steve Martin in Father of the Bride and Liam Neeson in Taken. I liked Steve Martin because he is a great dad and has a fun relationship with his wife. Liam Neeson is also a great dad and will open a can if a seriously bad situation arises [totally hypothetical]. 

My mom, as I said earlier, is Sally Field in Brothers & Sisters. She is an awesome mom, super involved and can send out a mass text like no one's business :) If something is going on, you can count on her to let everyone know [and if you don't want the world to know, you must state it upfront for the best odds]. Plus she's a good cook which is one of Nora's claims to fame!

My brother is Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network. He's smart, sarcastic, and he even kinda looks like him! He will also beat you at any debate even if you went in totally confident of your side. He's not, however, disconnected and mean spirited [for the most part]. These things aren't perfect, you know. 

Rhett chose mine as Jennifer Aniston in The Break-up. In his words--he meets her at a Cubs game [Rhett's a HUGE Cubs fan] and she likes decorating...and she's nice but hardheaded. I'm definitely taking this as a compliment!

I chose Rhett as Vince Vaughn in Four Christmases. I love Vince Vaughn and Rhett has that same big funny guy whose also cuddly and sweet persona. Really any Vince Vaughn character would have worked [maybe Couples Retreat would have been a better pick??], but I like this movie much better, and it's my choice. Also, you should know that I get this face ALL THE TIME. I can just hear him saying "babe, that made no sense."

Rhett chose his dad as Ed O'Neill on Modern Family. This is one of our favorite shows and Jay is one of the best characters [really, they're all great]. He's hilarious and endearing at the same time. In his words--you can find him on the golf course. 

He chose his mom as Jane Kaczmarek in Malcolm in the Middle. I personally have never seen an episode of this show, but I'll take his word for it. In his words--she's funny and is always doing housework. She is also a self proclaimed Lois, so I'd say it's a match.

Rhett chose his sister as Ariel Winter in Modern Family [can you tell we love this show?]. Brennan was a really hard one to chose, and Alex is a little young, but she is smart, sarcastic, and funny. In his words--she draws well, plays an instrument, she's smart and sarcastic. Plus she likes hats!

So that pretty much wraps up our families. We had a lot of fun figuring out each person. Who are your family members on TV? It's harder to choose than you might think! 
Tonight we went to the Aggie baseball game and had so much fun. Tomorrow it's basketball time! BTHO OU!
Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. I didn't have internet this weekend, and I've been trying to kick a head cold for the past few days. I have a really exciting project to do this weekend--details to come next week!

whatever you do, don't run

Last year sometime, Rhett and I read the book Whatever You Do, Don't Run by Peter Allison. We were in a time [and still are] where we lived for the most part in two different towns, so he would read a chapter or so to me over skype each night [awwww]. It's almost impossible to stay awake while you're being read to via skype, so usually we read the last few pages of the previous chapter [which I had slept through] and then some of the next one. ANYWAY, it's a hilarious account of this guys shenanigans in Africa as a Safari Guide, so if you're an animal person, you'll love it. It's a belly-laugh and if-I-think-about-it-the-next-day-I-may-laugh-while-waling-by-myself kind of book. Right now we are reading the sequel, Don't Look Behind You and it's pretty funny. His writing style changed a bit after he became an "author" and he is more seasoned, so he doesn't encounter as many funny mishaps, but it's entertaining nonetheless.

If you're in the market for a fun, light read, I think you've found it!

how to: use a map

Maps are more functional as decoration than as a means to "find" something. 
How's that for a bold statement from a geologist?? 
Ok, turns out I have quite a history with directions/getting lost/being horrible at making maps. In field methods, a TA showed me on my map where to go and check out a certain feature. Long story short[er], I never found said feature - got lost for 3+ hours - balled my eyes out - decided not to yell "HELP!" so I yelled "HELLO??" - ran into baby boars AND their FREAKIN' SCARY mom - got my pocket knife out for protection - blew my rape whistle - no one heard it - lost faith in rape whistles - decided it was now appropriate to yell "HELP!" - didn't make it back to the van on time - the professor and students searched for me in the wilderness [embarrassing] - someone finally found me, and all was well [minus the emotional scars and ego blow]. But take heart! There are, in fact, better things to do with maps than read or make them. 

A while back I saw this magnetic chalkboard tutorial on Design*Sponge. I bought a plain wooden frame at Hobby Lobby for and my mom found me an old Atlas at the library for like $3. I cut the maps out of the Atlas and used modge podge to adhere them to the frame. I got my metal and chalkboard spray paint at Lowe's. Really simple, cute, and fun to do! 
Turns out writing on chalkboards isn't really my thing [not a fan of the texture/residue of chalk]. However, after watching 500 Days of Summer last night, maybe I'll give it another try??

I think maps are timeless and vintage--a must in home decor. Some of my favorite ideas:

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In unrelated news, the bf and I went to the fightin' Texas Aggie basketball game tonight where we BTHO Iowa State! It was support the troops night, so we wore camo :)

oreo cheesecakes

My apologies for being a horrible blogger lately. I have also been a horrible resolution keeper [if you were wondering]. However, I have been an awesome oreo cheesecake maker, and let's be honest, that's important.

Last night I made these for Valentines Day with my honey. We are both cheesecake people and I may or may not have an addiction to oreos, so they're right up our alley. They are super easy and not too expensive. I added a little red food coloring to the mix for festivity. I actually brought the rest to work and school today in an attempt to keep our love day treat from turning into love handles. 

I'll be back soon with fun things, promise!