Pendulum Painting Outside

Pendulum Painting didn't get into the Art and Yoga Camp but I hope to try it again in the one we do in August.  Easy to set up but the trick is getting the ratio of paint to water correct - too much paint and it just makes spots.  Also crucial is the distance to the paper from the paint tip - closer makes more "spirograph" lines, farther up in the air makes "dotty" paintings - both have their charms!

Big Painting

 Another go at painting on craft paper on the sidewalk - this time for Art and Yoga Camp.

Footprint Painting

This was an utterly fun activity on a hot day.  One package of fingerpaints (~$5 for 4 tubes) and a long roll of scratch paper from Ikea (also $5)  I didn't intend for the fingerpaints to disappear so quickly, I think in future I'd try the various recipes out there for fingerpaints to be more frugal.

Just dip your feet in the paint and you're off.  I tried to control running as the paints were slippery, we had no major wipeouts (hooray) then it was off to the carwash (sprinkler) and inside for a bath before dinner.  Sometimes a break in the routine just makes everything special -
we then had extra time for a board game before bed.

Whenever I see our stray footprinted sidewalk I smile.  We'll have to do it again soon.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Kitchen Color

 The Big Reveal!  Having moved into an antenna-only country area, I miss my cable home decorating shows, yes I do (the upside - all the time I used to spend watching I can now use to actually do home decorating stuff!)

 Above see my new cookbook shelf, the re-purposed kitchen cart/changing table/kitchen cart, and chalkboard from a (free!) thrift store frame and piece of plywood.  I banished the amaryllis to the basement too late last year, so this one is just about to bloom. I love having the extra workspace with that additional counter, and the extra silverware/plasticware accessibility on its shelves.

I can't say enough good things about this paint.  Thank you Soulemama for mentioning it (often) in tales of your farmhouse reno.  It is Yolo Colorhouse  in Clay .02 (avail from Amazon with free shipping for a $35 gallon).  It had no smell at all, not even a paint smell, had the consistency of custard, is practically vegan, and even the label is printed on recycled paper with soy ink.  It covered like a dream - this kitchen took 1/2 a gallon total.

 

 The door to the laundry/mudroom.  A very awkward corner.  Now a very pretty awkward corner!  At a future date we'd like to recess the giant fridge from the middle of the room into that wall (behind it is a closet)  But that is a big project for another month!

 The pantry and chalkboard list of larger projects (not in order of priority, just in order of dreaming them up)

 The new chair covers, newly organized drawers, and soon to be organized lower cupboards.  And my fabulous Christmas present - a radio/cd player/ipod dock that attaches off the shelf!  Hooray.  Now that the color is darker (and more energetic) I think I'd like to invest in an under-the-cupboard light over here.

 The awkward corner where the stairs wind up to the sewing room.  Why yes, that IS my organized tea rack!  The new dustbuster is hiding behind the cupboard there.  See what I mean about the behemoth fridge?  It is only an ordinary sized fridge but when it sticks out in the middle of an ordinary sized room it really turns into a hulking giant irritating thing.  Poor fridge.

The new vinegar and oil rack, and newly cleared windowsill (already filling up with fancy salts and measuring cups.  Well, I had the best of intentions of keeping it cleared)

So there you have it.  Half way through February, January-is-Kitchen-Month comes to a close. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Red.

Yup, still haven't painted that chair. But look what I did paint! Red!

Before and After Bike

So this is J's present to Sweet P - his old bike. Not that Sweet P doesn't love Thomas, but ...

A pink princess bike is a bit better, don't you think?

I loved getting a $3 can of "Ballet Pink" and having a fun taping, spraying, and untaping project MUCH better than buying a new bike! And J is very proud of himself for thinking it up. He is already a real DIY-er.

Summer Projects - Only a Month Left

Our porch was painted when we moved in two years ago but had already started to peel. Last summer we thought about painting it and laughed at the idea of keeping our toddlers off the wet paint. So this summer we really had to get to it - and I will say that even only half done it looks about a million times better. Thanks Mr. Sycamore for most of the work!

Little Yellow Coat Rack

This was a garage sale find for a dollar. A coat of yellow and hung vertically and we have a few more pegs for our million and one coats.

Table Redo

Yeah, it was icky. This is an old Ikea table that was a kitchen table, then an outside table, then a table we painted for showing our house (it sold, yay. Probably not just because of the cute table) then a spray painting table, then we *may* have left it outside again forgetting that I hadn't put any poly on it - because we were just painting it for showing the house, right? Three years later, we can't really eat on it without paint chips in our food. yuck.

Nice. This time I remembered the poly. White may not be the most adventuresome color choice with our porch but I thought it would be more flexible if we move it again.

Next up, the Ikea chairs that went with it.

Red? Or White?

How about a vote? Phase one of the chair re-hab has been completed (the reverse is red ticking) but now the chair looks as awful as the cushion used to!

Should it be repainted white again? Or cherry red? Leave a comment!

Fix-it Friday - Painted Cafe Table

Once again I have forgotten to take the "before" photo - believe me when I say this table had seen many summers and a couple of winters outside, and was a dry and distressed weathered dark brown. I think this caribbean aqua is just the ticket. The toddlers helped with priming (we used brushes) but were distressed themselves not to be allowed to spray on the color. After they sniffed the stinkiness of spray paint they reconsidered and retreated indoors. Better for their brain cells anyway!

Now, if it will only cool down enough in the evenings for an actual glass of wine outside watching fireflies (not as many as last year, it has been so dry and hot) swatting mozzies (many many more than last year)

Thrifted Stool Makeover

From this to this, for this little girl, who asked for yellow.