Leapin’ Lizards!

                                                                             dry erase board by mandee (C)2012

it’s leap day! our calendar’s only quadrennial holiday.  Leap Year was introduced by Roman emperor Julius Caesar and dates back to 46 B.C.- it is a corrective measure to keep our calendar matching the four seasons and the earth’s alignment with the sun.  i’d like to wish a very happy birthday to my childhood friend, Lindsay Wilson, a Leapling, aaaaaand also offer her an apology for teasing her releantlessly for being 2 when she was really turning 8.  she hated that.  sorry Lindsay.  

happy birthday to all the Leaplings out there!! 

Before & After: the Painting Process

Makeover shows, be them human or residential, are a major weakness of mine.  Mostly because I love a good before-and-after picture.  I love seeing a neglected little kitchen in Iowa that hasn’t been updated since Reagan was in office be turned into a gormet cookery fit for the White House.  It’s so satisfying to see the design come to life and the before-and-after shot at the end is what makes it all come together.

The same is true for paintings.  Whenever I’m asked to do a custom painting I always start with a sketch to make sure the customer and I are on the same page.  Once the drawing is approved, I get ‘er painted up and no many how many times I go through the process I still love seeing the before and after shot at the end.    

For instance, you can go from hand-colored sketch to nice looking piece of art (if I do say so myself):

From an idea in a notebook to a wall-sized triptych that is now the highlight of Lil’ Dillon’s room.  

From a basic scribble to a full-blown stadium.

From outline to outstanding….ya, I just said that.  

Click HERE to see more before-and-afters.  

And feel free to email me if you have an idea for a painting…or if you just want to talk about muffins. 

Nacional Dia de los Tortilla Chips

Today, National Tortilla Chip Day, is one of the most revered of the fried food holidays trailing only to National Fried Chicken Day & National Fried Clams Day- both heavy hitters in the fried food scene.

So go out and go crazy! Maybe get yourself some of those American Girl Doll Snack Chips! Go nuts!

Mama I’m comin’ home.

Well, it’s official, my little outdoor kitty is going to her new home this Saturday!  She’s being adopted by a recently retired Grandmother, who used to own a craft store (my kinda lady!) and has been sadly cat-free for the last couple years.  Lil’ Miss Grits will get to be an only-cat and there will be no stinky-ol’ babies there to torment her.  It’s the best possible scenario I could have hoped for and I owe it all to my wonderful friends who cared enough about this sweet little cat to tell their friends to tell their friends to tell their friends and help me spread the word about her.  It’s bittersweet and I’ll miss Gritsy waiting for me on my stoop when I get home from work every night but she deserves to have a bed and a scratching post and her very own caretaker to ignore to her heart’s content.

Thanks to all of you for helping me find Gritsy a home!  You’re the greatest!!

TODAY is Random Acts of Kindness Day

Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day, part of R.A.K. Week that goes through Sunday of this week.  The idea is for everyone to do one nice thing for another person and start a tidal wave of kindness that become contagious until people stop being huge jerks to each other.**  It’s also a great excuse to just be nice for the day.   

(**Those may not be their exact words.)

Here are some ideas for your random act of kindness:

• give a stranger a compliment
• do the dishes for your spouse
• let that car merge ahead of you
• smile at a stranger
• forgive someone
• call a friend you know is going through a rough patch

It doesn’t take much to make someone feel special and to change the whole course of their day.  Try it out, it’ll probably put a smile on your face also.   

HAPPY RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY…PASS IT ON!

Gather Here: Don’t mind if I do

In honor of Random Acts of Kindness week I thought I’d share this quick story.  Not long ago I got an envelope in the mail from Gather Here– a super wicked crazy adorable sewing store & craft studio in Inman Square.  Inside there was a gift card for $25- awesome!- but it didn’t say who it was from.  

“Hmmmmm, I wonder who this is from”, I thought naturally. 

I asked Jeremy, called Liz, yelled down to Olivia, emailed my Sister, e-buggled Kristen and it wasn’t from any of them.  That’s when I had to seriously sit down and take inventory of my friends that a) are crafty and b) would have my address on hand and that’s when it hit me, “ooooooh, it was AMY!”

It was so wonderful to get a random gift in the mail and the fact that it came unsigned turned it into an impromto treasure hunt which was awesome.  I made it over to Gather Here just the other day and here are the fabrics I came home with: 

I’m told they lovingly refer to the green fabric as the “q-tip fabric”….oh ya, I see it now.

  ❤ thanks Amy Beth!! ❤

Random Acts of Kindness Day

Tomorrow, February 17, 2012 is Random Acts of Kindness Day.
Part of Random Acts of Kindness Week that started Feb. 13 and goes through the 19th. 


Here is a list of kindness ideas for tomorrow from the Random Acts of Kindness website:

• smile at a stranger
• hold the door open for someone
• send a care package
• send a thank you note
• give a care package to a homeless person
• introduce yourself to a new person
• be nice to someone you dislike
• give someone a compliment

The list goes on and on.  It’s so easy to do something nice and it doesn’t have to be big.  What are you going to do for RAK Day tomorrow?

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Why Don’t You Make Me?: The Sew Free 10-Minute Sweater Makeover

I know this tutorial would have been more helpful yesterday morning but I didn’t even have the idea until yesterday morning and then there were cupcakes to bake, cards to catalog and fascinators to fasten.  Let’s just call this post a jump start for next year.  I’m so ahead of the game.  

To make this sweater I took an existing boxy red cardigan that I never wear (due to boxiness), added $.69 worth of eyelet lace and in 10 minutes came out with something that I absolutely love!  

(Plus, and this is just between me and you, I hot glued that shit on there.)  

 For this project you will need:

• a sweater that could use some snazzing up
• 1 yard of eyelet lace
• glue gun/glue stick
• scissors
• cutting mat or piece of cardboard
• 1-2 seemingly oblivious cats

Begin by cutting your yard of lace into 8 equal parts.  The lace I’m using is an antique white eyelet lace I got for $.69, can’t beat that.  You can use whatever your little heart desires and/or whatever’s on sale.  

Be sure to get a second opinion on whether or not the parts are equal.  It’s best if your helper ignores you the entire time she’s sitting on the project you’re working on.  

Now, slide an appropriately sized cutting board, piece of cardboard, some paper, etc inside of the sweater to keep from gluing the front to the back. 

Lay out your lace to see how you’d like it to look.  I like the standard tuxedo on the left side but ultimately decided to go with the more heart shaped configuration on the right.  

Add a small amount of glue to only the band of the lace a little bit at a time and begin to glue the lace to your sweater.  

**Make sure this is a sweater that you’re ok with altering forever.  Once dried this will not be removable.**  

Glue down the top of the lace and then work your way down, adding glue as you go and secure the lace every inch or so into your desired shape.

Your ends will look like this when you’re done, not very pretty. 

Just trim off the excess lace with some scissors to make it look right.  

And you’re done.  

In 10 minutes you’ve turned a plain old sweater that lives in the back of the closet into brand new custom tuxedo front cardigan that now get’s it’s very own hanger.  This would also be a great idea for a tank top, a t-shirt or even a throw pillow.  The possibilities are endless. 

364 days left until next Valentine’s day.
I’m so on top of things.  

Quick Fix: Forgetting to Buy Flowers on Valentine’s Day

Whether you forgot to buy flowers this morning and are looking for a quick cover-up or you just wanted to make breakfast in bed for Sweetie, here are two quick ideas that turn regular Valentine’s breakfast-in-bed into something a little more special. 

Instead of just plopping some boring square butter onto the pancakes you’ve lovingly made for your beau this morning, why not cut them into mini hearts and then plop them on your pancakes?

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Then, using a piece of paper, a skewer (or a chopstick), a marker and some tape, make an adorable note to stick into those delicious pancakes you made.

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Viola!

Serve your pancakes on tray with some tea, juice and little paper hearts and now Sweetie thinks you are just the most thoughtful person, going through all that trouble just for them!  You shouldn’t have. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!!  

❤ mandee rae & purdy

Easy Stool Makeover: Before and After

Stool: $4 at a garage sale
Can of spray paint: $3.95
Time: 10 minutes to sand/spray, 1 hour to dry
Result: adorable new red plant stand

To keep the natural character of this stool I chose to only lightly sand the varnish off before painting it.  This way, all of the wear-and-tear and naturally acquired flaws still show through after painting and you’re left with an adorable stool that looks like it’s  always been red.    

Total cost: under $8.  Not bad.  

**TIP** If you want to make this project extra easy, set the stool and the spray paint outside and tell Liz you’ll do it in a minute.  She can’t resist!