Desk Transformation DIY

Well, it only took me a few days and I am FINISHED!!  The desk is done!  When I get excited about a project I get a little one track minded and just want to get to the end.  Now before we get into specifics I must preface this post by saying I honestly had NO idea what I was doing.  The paint was probably wrong, and I probably didn’t sand it down as much as I should have.  BUT I had free supplies and they worked and I’m so happy with how it turned out. 

To begin, let’s look at a before and after shot. :)

Before

After

I started by sanding down every part of the desk.  As I always do when I have a DIY project, I called my dad.  He’s my go-to guy for all things DIY!  He said to sand it down so the gloss was gone, so that’s what I did.  Then I put a coat of primer on it and let it dry for a little while.

 

Sanded, primed, and ready to go!

After the primer dried, I painted the desk with my mint green paint.  Once the first coat was on I realized it doesn't look as green as I thought it would.  A second coat probably would have fixed this, but I’m impatient and I also liked the vintage look with only one coat so I left it.  

My mint green (sort of) desk!!

It needed something more so I went to my other DIY go-to…Pinterest!  That’s where I found a lovely bird silhouette that I loved.  Since I’m poor I decided to skip the stencil and just freehand it.  I think it turned out pretty nicely!

That’s it!  I have some improvements I want to do later on.  I think these drawer pulls would look great on the desk!

And this stenciling would look really cool in the recessed boxed areas of the drawer if I got a darker mint green.

For right now, I am a poor soon to be newlywed and must stop myself before I go spending more money.  Don’t you hate when that gets in the way of projects?  When I’m working and have an income I might make those changes to the desk, but for right now I am enjoying the fruits of my labor.  Now to just get a classroom to put it in!

Long Time, No Blog

Hello friends!  It's been awhile since my last post, and I'm feeling so bad!  Fear not.  I am back with PLENTY to update you about.  Since I saw you last I went on a road trip with my family and got to practice my photography skills.  My skills have improved but I have a long way to go.  Until I can set up a montage of my favorites, this cute face (and one of the pictures I'm proudest of) will have to satisfy your curiosity.

Things have been crazy since I came back to Albuquerque.  With a wedding approaching, showers to attend, and an apartment to move to I've been busy as a bee.  This past weekend my lovely future mother-in-law (pictured below) threw me a bridal shower.  It was beautiful!  I am so grateful to be marrying into such a wonderful family.  We were showered with gifts and felt so loved.  I think my little apartment is going to burst!

With the preparation to move to the new apartment this weekend, I've been trying to figure out what to do with everything.  Some stuff is going with me, some will be given away, and some may be thrown out (hello 2 year old receipts!).  However there is one item I have chosen for a special project.  Presenting...

My new DIY Project!!!!

A family from my church gave me this desk when I moved out of the dorms and in to a house, and it has served me well.  There won't be room for it in the apartment, so I've decided I'm going to give it new life and move it into my new classroom...when I find out what I'm teaching of course.  I cleared everything out today and took out the duck contact paper which won't quite fit the style I'm going for.

Tomorrow I'm going to sand the desk and give it a coat of primer.  The plan is to repaint the desk with some mint green paint I got for FREE when I was student teaching, get new hardware for the drawers (maybe some unique stuff at an antique store?) and then paint the top of the desk with chalkboard paint.  Perfect for a classroom!  It will be good for writing notes to myself so I don't forget things.  I can't wait to see how it turns out, and it's not going to cost much because I got a lot of the supplies for free!!  Woohoo!!  I'll keep you guys posted on the progress and post when I'm finished.  Hopefully it will turn out how I'm imagining in my head! Until next time....

Food and Fun

What a week it's been!  There's been some good and some bad.  The bad first.  I ate sweets!  I know, I know.  Tisk tisk.  The reason for my lapse in resolve was a Chopped Challenge Party.  Here's the short version:  Everyone makes a dessert that includes 4 required ingredients.  Our required ingredients were blackberries, wonton wrappers, caramel chews, and bacon.  Sounds crazy, right?  We had three competitors and the results were fantastic!  Sean and I entered the competition together and came up with our own recipe.  We were incredibly proud of ourselves.  We mixed blackberries, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and cinnamon together with some bacon.  Then we wrapped it in the wonton wrappers, fried it, and melted the caramels to drizzle over the top.  Delicious!!

My goofy guy cooking away

The three desserts.  They were fantastic!

Us with our creation.

Since Sean was out this week we went to Yosemite to see Half Dome and the waterfalls.  This is where the good comes in.  I got to work on my photography skills!  Well, I took some pictures.  I don't know if it exactly qualified as working on my skills, but a girl's gotta start somewhere!  Here's some sample shots.

I can't wait to work on my photography skills some more!  I also got to (almost) finish the DIY project I'm doing with dad for the wedding.  We have the frame built for the picture display and all I have to do is thread the rope and add pictures.  I'll post a photo when it's all put together.  Dad's also using his awesome laser cutter to make our cake topper and I can't wait to see the finished product.  A big thanks to my incredible dad for making my day even more special!

The side boards for the frame.

The prototype for our cake topper.  How awesome will that look?

Hopefully this next week I'll be better about my sweets.  Hope you all have a blessed week!

Busy Doing Nothing

Why is it that whenever summer begins, I miss school time?  Don't get me wrong - I absolutely LOVE having time off.  After all the craziness of life my body definitely needs some rest.  But my days are usually full, which makes it difficult for me to really enjoy the laziness of summer.  Does anybody else have difficulty finding that balance?  The one where you're not insanely busy but you're not shamefully lazy either?  It seems to be something I have difficulty doing.  Maybe one day I'll get it right.

The invitations are out and the wedding is less than two months away.  Everything is starting to feel so real.  Sean is coming to town tomorrow and I cannot wait for him to get here!  After all the time away and the crazy wedding planning it will be nice to see him again.  Unfortunately the poor guy has to brave the awful Fresno heat.  Which, if you know him, means he must love me a lot. :)

This week Dad and I have been working on some DIY projects for the wedding.  It's so exciting to see everything coming together!  We're working on a picture display, and Dad is even making our cake topper!  I owe him BIG time.  He's so good to me. :)

The beautiful carving of the side panels!!

Daddy hard at work :)

The first week of the Contentment Challenge is over and I have mixed reviews.  I have been great about not having sweets, which has been somewhat difficult but doable so far.  I haven't made much progress on my other goals though.  I haven't started my books, and I have not experimented with photography yet.  I've also been awful about spending time with God lately (full disclosure here).  Somehow it is SO much harder to do all these things when I have plenty of time.  Is that not the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard?  I seem to work much better with a schedule.  When I have time I waste it.  Hence the desire to get back on a schedule.  

My goal for the next week of the challenge is to start reading my Bible first thing when I get up in the morning.  If I don't do it right away, I won't do it.  So if that means getting up a bit earlier, that's what I'm going to do!  I'll check in next week to let you all know how it's going!

Contentment Challenge Kickoff!

Well before we get down to business I am SUPER excited to announce that Sean and I have found our apartment!  It's not official yet, but he's going in tomorrow and hopefully it will be official.  I'm so excited!  It's so crazy to start making all these decisions and seeing the new life we're going to have come together.  Yay!

Today my friend Jessica's Contentment Challenge begins!  Time to learn to be content with what we have and enjoy life.  I've decided to modify the challenge a bit.  The thing that I am going to be giving up for this Challenge is sweets.  I absolutely LOVE chocolate.  And ice cream.  And pretty much any other type of sugar.  So I'm deciding to say no to the junk.  It might make me feel good in the moment, but the weight it adds on doesn't make me feel good about myself.  Plus it doesn't help my health.  Time to take care of myself and find joy in bigger, better things.

Jessica has given us a challenge for this week and a verse for this month.  Here's the info:

Memory Verse for June:  James 1:17
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

Book for the Month:  The Sacred Romance by John Eldredge (my choice)

Challenge for the week:  Find something to replace the chocolate!
I've got a few things I'm going to focus on.  First, read my Bible more.  I do NOT do this near as much as I should.  I always feel much more full when I read my Bible regularly.  I'm also going to start taking photos with my camera and working on my photography skil.  Lastly, I'm going to focus my energy on making sure I'm becoming the wife I want to be.  Because it's not just about me anymore.  I've got another person in my life.  I'm going to have a husband!  And he deserves my best.

What are you working on for the Contentment Challenge?  Are you ready to feel more content?

The Waiting Game

31.  That is the number of positions I have applied for tonight.  31 possible jobs.  31 chances for someone to  say yes to me...or no.  The worst part of job hunting is the Waiting Game.  You know the game.  You put in the applications, then you paint your nails just so you can peel the polish while you anxiously await the calls.  But you really don't want the calls because when the phone rings, your heart starts pounding at the possibility that it could be someone saying no.  Or worse, they say yes and you feel like you have NO CLUE what you're doing.  Yes, the Waiting Game is not my friend.

In my anxious post-application state I searched for some Bible verses on waiting.  Going to Bible verses instead of the ice cream is better for my peace of mind... and that wedding dress!  That's when I came across this passage:

"Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Romans 8:24-29

It's such a comfort to know that God has a plan.  In this whole job search I have no idea where I should be.  What grade should I teach?  Do I want an easy school or is God calling me to a more challenging school?  It's a difficult thing to find your place.  Like the verse says, I might not know exactly what to pray but I don't need to.  God knows where He wants me and He will get me there.

In the meantime, I'm going to busy myself with wedding excitement!  I've been glittering clothespins the past few days for a photograph display that will go on the cake table.  Plus, the Contentment Challenge begins this Saturday!  I'm thinking the hobby I'm going to take up will be photography.  I've always wanted to learn, and I just used my graduation money to buy a new camera.  Will you be joining Jessica and me in the Challenge?  What new hobby/project will you be taking on?

And It Begins...

There are going to be SO many beginnings this summer.. it's enough to make a girl exhausted!  Not only will I be getting married (finally!), I'll also be accepting my first teaching job.  As long as I get an offer, of course. I'll also be moving into a new apartment.  With new appliances!  I can't tell you how excited I was to receive a knife set at my bridal shower this past weekend.  It might sound boring, but when you've been using the dullest knives in the universe for the past year it's the little things.

With all these new changes happening, I decided to start a brand new blog to chronicle all the ups and downs of this new beginning.  I'm completely addicted to teaching and crafting blogs and decided to try making one for myself.  It's going to be a bit of a hodge podge of topics, but it will mainly feature the 4 things I love most - teaching, crafting, my family, and God.

So to start off this excitement, I'm going to share with you a chance for your own new beginning!  My friend Jessica from Just Jessica Jordana is starting a Contentment Challenge in June and I'm inviting you all to participate!  It's a great chance to help us remember to be content with what we've been given.  It's going to be a bit difficult with the wedding spending bug, but it will be a good chance for me to keep myself in check and remember what it's all about!  So here's how it's gonna go!

Contentment Challenge: June and July 2013

• For the next 3 days, prepare your heart and mind for obstacles that you may encounter, and go through your closet and your house.  Get anything that you will NEED for the next 2 months. This is not a last minute shopping spree!  
• Choose 1-3 inspiring books to read during this time.  
• Gifts are okay!  If someone gives you a gift, accept it graciously.  If you need to give someone a gift, that is fine.  However, do not hint to anyone that you need a "gift" and there will be no "gifting" to yourself.
• Necessities are okay!  By all means, if you need new underwear, get some.  But you do not "need" that dress because it would go perfectly with your summer wedges.  
• Actively pursue something--anything--that replaces your tendency to buy stuff.  There has to be something you love, a hobby you've always wanted to do, etc.  DO IT NOW.  At least start.

The kick off is THIS SATURDAY, June 1st.  Hope you guys can join Jessica and me!