I Did it Myself: Faux Granite Countertops

I have hated our Formica counter tops since the day we moved in. To make matters worse, we accidentally flooded the kitchen 2 years ago, which caused a lovely bulge underneath the Formica next to our sink.

Recently, I had enough. The hubs was out, so I took to the bulge with a kitchen knife, hammer, and nails. Can we say Ghett-o-fied? On top of this tactful approach, I decided it was time to paint the counter tops. If it turned out tacky, so be it. I would replace them with granite after my retirement.

After some quick research, I ran to Wal-Mart and picked up some supplies. Total cost? Less than $100. This included:

This Old Frame

I like to think of myself as a semi-decent photographer. Let me rephrase. A semi-semi-decent photographer who can transform a crappy shot into something a little better using some mean design skills in Photoshop (not applicable to the iPhone photos below)! Who's with me?

Anyhow, it doesn't matter how much time and effort I may put into editing a shot if I never print, scan, frame, or otherwise share the photo. So I have taken it upon myself to scrounge up and transform some cheap old frames (I used these in my Senior Art Show back in college - What!).

My tools:
- 6 old frames with white pre-cut mat board
- Sand Paper
- 1 Can of white Rust-oleum Lacquer spray paint
- 12 Nails
- Hammer
- Level
- Pencil
- Face mask
- Tarp or newspaper
- Pavers or something heavy to hold down the tarp/paper

First, I chose two very bare walls in our kitchen (please ignore the landscaping out back...I have plans to revamp the yard very soon!).

Next I pulled out 6 old frames that were 4 photos deep (okay, so I used to be good about framing photos, not so much since the kid came along).

After measuring my nail marks on the wall with the level and pencil, I removed the backing, foam, photos, and mat board from each frame. I then numbered each frame to correspond with the placement of each frame (1, 2, 3...). I had to do this because the hooks were not in the same location on each frame (like I said, el cheapo).

Next, I jumped into some scrubs and took the frames, spray paint, sand paper, and mask out to the driveway. I set out some tarp, and held each corner down with some random pavers we have (plans for these in the future as well:). I highly recommend doing this on a calm day. If there is much wind, it may blow grass, dirt, etc. onto your wet paint.

Then I took my sandpaper and very quickly sanded the surface of each frame (only where I would be spraying the paint). I literally spent one minute or less on each frame.

Then the fun part! I sprayed each frame thoroughly and I only used one coat. If you want more than one coat, you will need at least 2 cans of paint.

Since it was such a sunny day, the frames dried quickly (I gave them about 45 minutes). I brought them inside, placed the mats and photos inside each frame, and hung them on the wall! Voila!

As for the wall on the right? I cheated and found this already-framed-art at BB&B for $30 (with a coupon). :)

Nixing the Niche

Ad by Mercedez-Benz. Source: adsoftheworld.com

Graphic Designer. Web Designer. Social Media Specialist. Photographer. Illustrator. Animator. Underwater Basket Weaver. It's insane how many avenue's we 'right-brainers' pursue all at once.

For the longest time, I promoted myself using all (minus basket weaving) of the above descriptions. I wanted potential clients to know I could do everything. And anything that wasn't listed on my resume, I could learn with my hands figuratively tied behind my back.

Oh, I could cringe thinking back to my beginner days, fresh out of college ("fresh meat" they called us). My portfolio was a conglomeration of photographs, sketches, design work, and then some. There was no consistency. No niche to capitalize on.

I had dreams of being a one-man show... of taking on a position at an advertising agency as a Graphic Designer, Photographer, Journalist, and Video Editor. So you can imagine how disappointed I was when my first job out of college was at a sign company laying out signage and applying vinyl letters to placards.

Thankfully, the signage job didn't last long. Let's just say it was an extremely motivational season of my life. I knew I would get my portfolio together and make it consistent, or die trying.

{Fast forward to present day.}

In the blog world, it seems as though the above does not apply so long as there is a distinct common thread that appears from time to time. In fact, with this blog I hope to rabbit trail on a weekly basis. I plan to return to my first-loves: Animation, Videography, Audio Mixing, You-Name-It.

My hope is that many of you 'right-brainers' will join me in utilizing this blog as a creative outlet. No doubt, it will be therapeutic! Post links to work that you pride yourself on, art that you wish you could create, or ideas that need further brainstorming...even if they are worlds away from your specific niche.

Gadgets and Giggles

Okay, for you new and future mamas, here are just a few gadgets that we have found invaluable in the last 4 months.

Gadget #1: Ergo Baby Carrier (Performance). It is light weight, breathable, and easy on the back (unlike the Baby Bjorn which I found out the hard way). Its stylish enough that mom can wear it with just about anything (comes in gray and green), and its manly enough that dad doesn't mind sporting it.

It has a nifty rain hood that comes out of the pocket and attaches to clips on both should straps, conveniently covering baby's head. It also brags multiple ways of carrying baby (and toddler): front, back, or hip. A++!

Gadget #2: Sophie the Giraffe. Sophie is a teether that was invented in France in 1961. It is extremely popular, and I see why! Brady has been using it since 3 months (granted, I had to stick Sophie's neck in his mouth at first, but Brady has caught on since then and can do it himself). Sophie also squeaks, which makes Brady (and Spalding) smile. Its made of 100% rubber, so its safe for them to chew on and doesn't taste all that bad. It also sports contrasting spots, so Brady loves to just stare at it!

I give this little guy two thumbs up! The only down side? Sophie isn't all that cheap. She can run up to $20! Thank you, Patricia, for buying this gift for Brady! It has been a life saver.

Gadget #3: Leacho Cuddle U Nursing Pillow. Okay, it mayy seem like your normal boppy, however, this pillow comes with a harness which makes all of the difference. You can let baby use the pillow without it, or, when they are smaller, it helps hold them up so they don't slide off of the pillow. It also doubles great as a nursing pillow, oh, and a booty pillow for post pregnancy so mom can sit on it (sorry, tmi). Dad can also use it as a giant neck pillow if you are ever on the road and he needs a good nap!

And a little PS Gadget: LOVE the Wubbanub pacifier. Brady has used this since he was 3 weeks old and loves to hold and look at the puppy! He's super easy to wash as well. Just throw the pup in the washer and voila!

Beach Bums in 'Bama

A few weeks ago, Jason and I packed up Brady (and all of his belongings) and headed south. We drove to Orange Beach, Alabama for a 7-day vacation with several of our friends and their kids from Grace Church. In fact, there were more kids than adults: 12 adults, 13 kids. It was like daycare on the beach!

Brady couldn't quite figure out the sand, but he LOVED the water. We put his feet in the ocean once, but the rest of the time we had him 'swimming' in the pool. I would have taken him back into the ocean, except the 12" jellyfish that swam by me told me to stick to the pool.

The ocean was beautiful, however, and full of marine life. We saw dolphins and fish jumping and showing off, cranes, crabs, and of course lots of jellyfish.

Our condo was fabulous! We were on the 12th floor of the Tradewinds, and could see the beach from both sides of the condo. Plus, we got to stay there with some of our closest friends, Chase, Brittany and their adorable munchkin Madison. She and Brady had quite the time having in depth conversations. Sadly, none of us could translate.

One super cool move the parents' made was to take turns watching each others' kids so each set of parent's could have a date night! On our date night, Jason and I went to dinner at Grazzie's, an Italian restaurant, AND the number 1 restaurant on TripAdvisor (we swear by TripAdvisor)! We split a Margarita Pizza and the Pistachio encrusted Grouper. It was out of this world. Afterwards, we hit up Brusters for some amazing ice cream and then headed to the pier. We spent the rest of the evening playing Phase 10 on the pier and watching the cranes beg the fishermen for their catch. It was odd not having Brady with us, but we did our best to avoid all baby talk :)

Below are a few last shots to explain. Photo 1 shows the super sweet contraption that the Minton's let us borrow for the pool. Brady loved this float. He would kick himself across the pool in it! He was finally mobile. Such an independent. Photo 2 has him showing off for the camera and sporting Joel Minton's hat (sorry for any drool, Joel). This was taken in front of Lambert's Cafe. What! And photo 3 catches Brady in the act of gathering all the sand he can before heading home. I had no idea that sand could find its way into a baby's diaper, just by setting him in the sand for a second. With all of this said, it is past my bedtime so I'm out!

 

A Simple Birth Plan? My Birth Story

So this is a long time in coming, but I've been asked by several people about my birth story.

So it all began on the evening of May 28. I had begged Jason to go out with me that night (it was his bday and mine was the 26) for a 'last night out'/'birthday bash'. He was exhausted from a long day, but I really wanted to go to the Airshow/Sunset Symphony/Fireworks on the river that evening. He finally gave in, and we ended up having a great time, but because of the post-show traffic, we didn't get home until midnight. On the long ride home, he told me he thought it was a great idea that we went out that night. I joked that it was a good idea, as long as my water didn't break that evening (I wasn't due for another week).

That night, I slept on the couch for the first time because I could not get comfortable in our bed. Not long after I drifted off to sleep, my water broke! It was 1:50 am! I called the hospital right away and they said I didn't have to rush, but to pack up my things and head over to the hospital soon. So I thought to myself, I can take a little nap, allow Jason to sleep longer, then wake him up, help him pack (I was already packed), and make brownies for the nurses (I heard this was a good idea to keep the nurses coming to your room)!

Anyhow, I got off the phone, sat in the recliner, and realized I had already started having contractions. I began to time my contractions, and they were 3 minutes apart lasting 1 min 5 sec. Around 3:00, I woke Jason up. I was barely able to function! I have never seen him take a shower or pack so fast. Oh, and I didn't get to the brownies. 

We arrived at the hospital around 4:45, and they had me in triage around 5:30. They checked me and I was 3cm and 80% effaced. After lots of questions, they rolled me out to a Labor and Delivery room. I labored for a while, and it was definitely doable, up until 7:45. Then I asked the nurse to check me. I was 5cm and 100% effaced. I asked if I could get in the shower at this point and they let me.

I was in the shower from 8:15-9:15 and this was the absolute worst part! Jason stood outside the shower and I was pretty much yelling at him that this was the dumbest idea we ever had, and that we were adopting the rest of our children (we opted for zero drugs).

The nurse said I had to get out of the shower at 9:15 so she could monitor the baby. At this point, I did NOT want to lay down on the bed, it was so incredibly uncomfortable! I told her I wanted something, anything to take the edge off. She said she would check me and then we could see about that. After she checked me, she said I couldn't have meds because I was 9.5cm. I didn't believe her! In one hour I went from a 5 to 9.5? I actually asked her if she could physically knock me out.

Anyhow, the doctor came in, without her scrubs, and she checked me (I don't think she thought the nurse made an accurate check). While she was checking me, I yelled at the Doctor to get him out! She said that I was going to get him out because I was complete and it was time to push! I pushed for 20 minutes and the kiddo was out. The entire process took about 7.5 hours (water breaking to holding baby).
 

The nurse told me later that with a second child (provided we don't adopt the next kid), it can go almost twice as quickly. Guess I won't wait that hour in the recliner next time!

Gums and Grins (A Quick Catch Up Post)

Sorry about the extended time-out. It is amazing how your life gets flipped upside down and crazy when a baby crawls into it! It's a wonderful kind of upside down, but all the same, its crazy.

So Brady Q. arrived in May, 8 lb. 7 oz., kicking, screaming, purple, and puffy all over. He was beautiful! I just knew I would cry when he arrived, but instead, I was just shocked that this massive little human being had been inside me all this time. It definitely took a while for the shock to wear off.

After our 3-day hospital stay, we got to go home. It happened to be the same day summer arrived. We went into the hospital in fleeces, and left in tank tops! Talk about symbolic. Once home, we introduced Brady to Spalding and Lyddy, who were more upset about us being gone so long than they were curious about the new, naked puppy we brought home. The cat seems to like him, but the dog... let's just say the jury's still out. Once Brady can budge a ball, I'm sure Spalding will become his biggest fan.

Fast forward 2 weeks of no sleeping (we were total zombies). 

Here we are at his 2-week check-up! Everything went well until we had to strip him naked and place him on a freezing metal scale. I'm sure his screams were making the kids in the waiting room nervous. Anyhow, baby boy had gained back all of his weight, and then some. Note: this kid has NEVER turned down a bottle.

Brady's hearing, vision, and vocal chords (obviously), were all in good working order! Thankfully, no shots were given at this visit, and we were sent home with a clean bill of health and a baby that was super happy to be back in his clothing.

Speaking of happy babies... here we captured his first smile! All gums and grins. Dude has been an extremely chill baby (except when he is poked and prodded at the doctor's office).  ;)

We have truly been blessed and look forward to so many adventures ahead!

PS We are about to pursue CIO with Brady. He is currently sleeping in a Rock N' Play, but we are dying to move him to the crib so we can't get a decent night's sleep. If you have any tips or suggestions, send 'em on!