Summer is over, and a new DIY Project!

Hello everyone...and by everyone I mean the few wonderful people that actually read my blog!  :)   Hopefully that number will begin to grow since summer is pretty much over, and I'll be able to focus on growing my businesses and this blog.  I cannot believe how fast the past few months went by...my son will be starting 8th grade in just 2 weeks, and my little baby girl is already 18 months old!  I have loved this summer, spending time with them, but it's also had its share of drama...so I think I'm ready for it to be over, and to move forward.  Even though my son is homeschooled, we are doing a Cyber Academy this year, which means less work for me, and more responsibility for him.  Fingers and toes are crossed that everything clicks and he finally realizes how amazingly intelligent he is! 

So...I mentioned a new DIY project in my title...and I will not disappoint my readers!  I was on Facebook yesterday, as I frequently am, and a friend of mine from college who I've reconnected with posted a gorgeous new desk she had, and it turns out - it's repurposed!!!  She inherited a piece of beautiful (and heavy) marble, purchased 2 filing cabinets, which she told me were on sale (even better!), and VOILA...

I love how this turned out!  And when I commented on the chair, she told me she had found that at a junk store!  Perfection!!!!  What a great idea on how to use that piece of marble!  Oh, and Kristy - I love that paint color and the round rug as well  :) 

That's all for tonight, but I promise now that we are getting into more of a routine, that I'll be blogging more frequently...and look for new posts on my other site, http://www.so-sew-cute.com/!  It's a new site I'm super excited about - go check it out!!!

Lead by example...

I had to run to the blue store earlier today. I really hate going there but had a list of cleaning products we had run out of, and their prices are the lowest around for that kind of stuff.

I had my 13 year old son, and 18 month old daughter with me. As we passed the ladies "unmentionables" department, my son noticed a girl who was walking through the department. From the back she looked about 15, "slamming" body (according to my son), and had on short shorts with "cutie" written across the butt, a skimpy tank top (bra straps showing), and sine cute girly tennis shoes on. Long blonde hair in a messy bun...as she turned around I expected a fresh faced teenager. Instead, I saw an older woman, with a younger daughter in front of her, looking at push up bras. The young girl could not have been older than 10, and was asking to get a lacy push up bra. The mom said no, that is was too "racy", and offered the same bra, but without the lace.

I looked at my son and asked what he thought of that and he said "I don't care how good your body might be, it is NOT ok to dress like that when you are a mom". I was very glad to hear him say this, and a part of me wished he had said it loud enough for that mom to hear. Sure, I may dress like a mom, fairly conservative, my hair is usually in some sort of a headband or clip, and I either have on flip flops or tennis shoes, but he is the thing...I AM A MOM. I'm 38, I don't have the time, or the energy, to flat iron my every day and do a full face of makeup. And, regardless of how awesome of a body I might have at some point in the future, I wii never, ever, ever dress like a teenager.

The fact that this woman was telling her daughter a bra was too racy was hysterical, and sad to me at the same time. Hysterical because of the hypocrisy of the situation, and sad because she had no idea how she looks to the rest of the world, and what a poor example she is setting for her daughter. There is a saying...do as I say, not as I do. People need to stop using that as an excuse for bad behavior, and bad parenting. Grow up, take a good look in the mirror, and realize you aren't a teenager anymore. You are a grown up, act like one.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hacked!

I'm not sure anyone actually noticed that I haven't been on Twitter the past few days. I was sick, and then some very charming, sweet person decided to hack my Twitter account. I'm not really sure why this person thought it would be fun to do so, but I guess why got some enjoyment out of it.

If my account sent you anything inappropriate the past few days, I apologize...it wasn't me. I'm working on getting the password reset but Twitter seems to not want to believe that I am actually me. Sigh.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Pamper Me!!!

I recently joined the Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop, and this is my first week participating!  Last week I got the email, but sat out because I wasn't quite sure what I needed to do...but after checking out some AMAZING blogs, I now have a place to start.  This week's prompt is "Pamper Yourself".  I had to think back a while to remember exactly what pampering was, my almost 18 month old daughter, and 13 year old son, do a really good job of making sure I don't have a lot of free time...but, in a perfect world, here would be my day of pampering:

First, would be to sleep late and be able to "lollygag" in bed for a while before actually getting up...maybe read a book, watch a movie, do whatever I want with no time constraint.  Immediately following would be this:

Seriously, how could you NOT relax with that view,

that amazing tub, and the shower-bigger-than-my-bedroom

helping you start your day? 

One of my favorite things...the mani/pedi.  I'd pick some

super luxe spa and just close my eyes, then wake up to

immaculate fingers and toes! 

Once my feet were nice and pretty, I'd go shoe shopping (with my unlimited

budget, of course), and spend a little time with my bestie, trying

on and buying gorgeous shoes...

I'd end my day, with my wonderful husband, at Chateau Elan, a gorgeous

Castle/Hotel/Spa in Braselton, GA.  We'd have a couples massage,

a quiet candlelit dinner, maybe some dancing, and then spend

the night in a plush and super romantic suite...just the two of us. 

**big thanks to Gussy for this great prompt, after the day I had, I'm feeling relaxed after just imaging a day like this!!! 

Twitter = High School???

So since this is my little corner of the internet, and I've had a really, really hellacious day...I'm going to prop my little soap box up in said corner and speak my mind. 

I am friends on Facebook with a girl I went to high school with.  Everyone knew who she was, and everyone knew who I was, but we existed on totally different levels.  She was a cheerleader.  She was thin, gorgeous, led a seemingly charmed life, always had a date for Homecoming, Prom, National Holidays, etc...  She was one of the girls I wanted to be, or at least wanted to be a part of her crowd.  We lived in the same neighborhood.  She lived "around the corner and up the hill" from my house.  Socio-economically we were the same, upper middle class. 

When my daughter was an infant she had her days and nights mixed up.  This was something I had not been through with my first child, so I turned to Facebook for help.  Posted my problem and asked if any of my friends had dealt with this.  This one friend responded to my post, and then sent me a very long, very informative email (through FB) about a book she had read and how well it had worked for her daughter (who is about 5 months older than my daughter).  We started an email conversation and I mentioned that I go back to the "old neighborhood" often as my parents still live there...her response?  "Oh, I didn't know you lived in <insert name of our neighborhood>".  I was mortified.  It brought me right back to high school and the days where I would not dare to say hello to this girl, or anyone in her crowd, for fear that they would not know who I was.  As I told my friend shortly after this happened "I didnt even exist in her world back then".  In hindsight, I realize how silly this was...I'm friends with nearly my entire graduating class, and most of them friended me, so they obviously know who I am.  But in that moment, I was 15 again.  Shy.  Insecure.  And absolutely terrified of being "unknown". 

I'm feeling the same way tonight.  I know most of it is because of the day I've had.  But I've recently launched an online store, and even more recently begun advertising on another blog that I read daily.  Ever since I started the ad and knew there was a giveaway, my fear has been "what if no one even enters???"  Could I live with the shame and humiliation, the rejection of knowing that this little business that I've poured my heart and soul, not to mention my hopes and dreams, into, doesn't even register on most peoples radar?  That they don't even care enough about it, or are not interested enough in it to bother entering a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate?  Well...the giveaway launched yesterday, and in just over 24 hours, there are 2 entries.  Yes, 2.  As in one more that 1. 

To add insult to injury, I decided today that I need to clear some space in the store to make room for some really great stuff I've recently found, so I announced a 40% off sale through Monday.  40%.  That's quite a markdown.  Sure, not as great as 50%, but still...I'm always happy to pay 40% less than regular price.  I began tweeting about the sale this morning, asking people to retweet.  I posted it 3 or 4 times throughout the day, and not one person bothered to retweet it.  Zero.  I'm so invisible that not one person of my minor following, cared enough about me, my store and my sale, to hit the retweet button, and click send.  Two mouse clicks.  Really?  I'm that invisible?  Just when I was starting to actually have conversations with people on Twitter, and felt like I was infiltrating the cool crowd just a bit, I get kicked in the face.  I'm feeling really down.  I just spent a couple hours working on a new site that I'm hoping to launch late this week or early next week, and now I'm sitting here thinking, why?  What is the point?  This wonderful resource that we have has become so "clique-ish" that the people who get my tweets can't even bother to give me 2 mouse clicks.  All the hopes I've had that maybe this is the idea that will allow me to work for myself, really make my own hours, find an outlet for my creativity, etc...they are dashed.  Stomped into the ground.  Gone. 

Hopefully tomorrow I'll wake up with a positive attitude and this blah-ness will be gone.  But if not, I guess I'll gather up my backpack, tight roll my Forenza pants, throw on an Outback Red henley t-shirt, and head out the door to catch the school bus for another day at Twitter-High.  I'm sure eventually, someone will see me, and realize what a cool, smart, funny and amazing person I am.  ::crosses fingers::

Wordless Wednesday...This Little Piggy

Coming Soon...the sequel

For those of you that follow me on Twitter (@lightseyj and/or @ConsignOnLineGA), you know that a certain blue store had a HUGE fabric sale last week.  I'm not sure if they are going to be selling fabric anymore, but I couldn't resist the great deals.  2 yd. packages for $1.50, $2.00 and $3.00.  Saying I "stocked up" would be an understatement...

This is ALMOST everything I bought...but not quite.  I'm really excited to start cutting into all that fabric and put it to good use... 

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready for another week, it was crazy hot here, with the usual nightime rain showers...not my favorite part of summer, but at least it brings the temps down a bit.  Can you believe it's only a week until the 4th of July?  What are your plans???  We'll be dgoing to see fireworks Sunday night and then I'm thinking of planning a cookout for some friends on Monday. 

Coming Soon...

So given the fact that it's been insanely hot here in Georgia this "Spring" (and I lose that term loosely), I've been trying to find ways to keep us all busy and occupied indoors...when it's 93 degrees at 10:30 am, I can't even begin to think about going out and spending the day at the park, I don't care how many fountains they have going, nothing fixes that kind of heat and cools you down.  So we've been running errands, doing lots of thrifting - and incorporating economics lessons into these trips as well...bonus points for us homeschool moms!  But once the errands have been run, and the little one is napping, and the older one is happily playing video games...what's a mom to do? 

Ever since I launched my shop I've been feeling creative...seeing all the amazing ways items can be repurposed has inspired me to expand my original plan of a resale shop, and contemplate the option of adding an entirely new section, or launching a sister store - full of handmade items.  Having a long standing addiction to purses and tote bags, it seemed a natural progression for me to tap into these creative juices and start making my own items.  I've had so much fun shopping for fabrics and spent hours hunched over my sewing machine, watching pieces of material come together and form something fun and functional.  I have tons of ideas in my head, and I know I've got a long road ahead of me to get them from inside my brain, to a piece of paper, and then to an actual tangible item...but I'm so excited by the challenge!  Even though the "practice" pieces I've made so far aren't perfect, they aren't far from it and I've been surprised at how cute they are coming out.  I can't wait to share them with you! 

So stay tuned, and be on the look out for hints that might be dropped in the next couple of weeks.  We'll be working with the amazing SheyB (http://www.shealynnbenner.com/) on a great giveaway in the next few weeks...and I'm hoping that I'll be able to include one of the new items I'll be selling with that giveaway, so you might actually be the FIRST person to own one (or more...hint hint) of these pieces! 

Wordless Wednesday

Patience

I know they say that patience is a virtue, however I'm fairly sure I was not present the day they handed it out in prior to being born (I was probably reading a book or something), and if it was taught in school, I'm 100% sure I was absent that day.  I am one of the most impatient people I know.  It's not something I like, I would much rather be one of those people, like my husband, who can just sit back and let things happen on their own time.  But instead, I spend my time pushing and prodding and thinking and stressing and planning for things that haven't happened yet.  When I order something online and get the tracking number, I stalk the package until it shows up on my doorstep.  When it's something really exciting like a new phone or purse, or something super cute for Harper, I drive my family crazy saying "is that the UPS man" with every "truck" sound I hear outside. 

After talking to my amazingly sweet and supportive husband tonight, I've decided that I want to take a leave of absence from work.  I have some family issues going on, and with the timing, we also want to put more time and effort into making this whole inter-webs store thing work.  I have SO many ideas, some of which I already have working plans for, others I need to actually get on paper and figure out how to make them work.  It will be kind of tough financially, and if it wasn't for the family issues, it wouldn't be happening at all, but we both feel like we have a good idea here and it would be better to say "we gave it our all" than to look back and say "maybe if we'd put more time into it".  My end goal is to be able to leave my job permanently by 1/1/12...that is what we are working toward, but for now I'm hoping to have 3 months to really dedicate myself to my family and to my store (maybe stores...hint hint) and see if we can make this work. 

I'm nervous, and excited, and so impatient!  I emailed my boss tonight and asked him if what I'd like to do is possible, and now I'm going crazy waiting for him to reply...  I literally have butterflies in my tummy because it's all hanging on what he says and I hate not knowing.  Did I mention I'm impatient?  So for now, I have to force myself to wait and put all the plans into action. 

Did I mention I hate waiting???

Wordless Wednesday...a day late

We had some intense storms last night that knocked out our power, and totally threw off my blogging plans!  Back up and running now...

Am I Wrong???

 So here I am, sitting at my computer, working and multi-tasking like crazy...I take a quick break to check Facebook, Twitter, and I hit one of my news sites and the headlines tell me that Weiner hasn't resigned, but he has been granted a two week paid leave of absence from the House.  Ummm, wait...two week PAID leave???

So my question is this...am I wrong to be more than a bit upset that this guy, who through his own very bad judgement and stupidity got himself into a situation when his private life is now splashed across every newspaper and news-related website in the country, is now being given a 2 week paid vacation, courtesy of the US Taxpayers?  So my tax dollars, are paying for this man (and I use that term loosely since his actions resemble a 15 year old boy rather than a grown man), to "seek treatment" and deal with his pregnant wife, all because he was a jackhole and decided to send "lewd" photographs of himself to young women and teenage girls?

In today's economy, when so many people are getting by with smaller incomes, less benefits, higher expenses, etc...what does this do for the morale of the country?  What type of example does this set for the "impressionable age" kids out there, who are seeing the poor behavior of Weiner and so many others, but not seeing any real consequences?

I know there is an argument to be made for "vacation time" and all that, but...given the large amount of perks these guys already get, and the way so many of them seem to abuse them, should we really be adding to the list with this kind of "kid glove" treatment?  I'm certainly not for anyone to act as judge and jury, but it seems that the best thing for Weiner would be to have to face the consequences of his actions, and take full responsibility, rather than a vacation.

A whole new low...

My son's birthday is coming up...well, it will be coming up, right now it's still 3 months away, but being a typical 13 year old, he's been making a birthday wish list for quite a while now.  At the top of the list is an "Arena Air Soft Gun".  Supposedly the 5 air soft guns we've already purchased him are not good enough for him to use for anything other than playing with his friends in the backyard...he could NEVER actually use one of those guns at the Air Soft ranges they go to.  The one he wants costs about $225, which is more than we are willing to spend.  So I told him a while ago to keep "an eye out" and when we were ready to start shopping, about 2-3 weeks before his birthday, we'd start searching for sales/deals. 

It seems he took what I said to mean "when you find one on sale let me know and we'll rush out to buy it for you immediately".  He showed me one the other night and then pouted when I said it looked nice, but I'm not buying his gift 3 months early.  He begged, pleaded, gave me puppy dog eyes, pulled out all the usual stops...but then he sunk to a whole new low:

 Yep...he used his sister!  I laughed, gave him credit for creativity and originality, then said no again and went about whatever it was I was doing...only to hear my phone notify me of a text a minute or two later.  I ignored it, knowing it was him being his usual stubborn self.  Then I heard another notification, and another...and another.  So I reluctantly picked up my phone...

By this time, the tears are rolling down my face, I'm laughing so hard my stomach is cramping, and it's taking all my strength not to just give in...but I held strong and said that as much as I appreciated the laugh, the answer was still no.  I also suggested that he consider that going into "suck up mode" prior to getting the gun might help convince me to get it for him...of course he's still mulling that idea over. 

And yes, my son is now known as "baba".  Harper can't say Anthony yet, so that is what she calls him.  He claims to hate it, but I see him smile every time she says it, so I don't really believe him...and besides, what kid who doesn't adore his little sister would have THAT many pictures of her on his phone?

Wordless Wednesday...

DIY Part 1

Now that my little buglet is getting a wee bit bigger, we had to rearrange her room a little and make some room for the important stuff...shoes, toys and stuffed animals!  I searched around for some sort of shelving unit that was nice, but not insanely expensive, and that would not be so huge that it would take up all the floor space in her room.  The whole point was to make room for her to be able to play.  After weeks of searching, while going through the basement preparing for a Garage Sale, I found an entertainment center that used to be in our second family room which was primary used for gaming systems.  It held a large TV and then had a number of shelves on the left side that were spaced far enough apart to hold consoles, controllers, games, etc.  It also had a nice large sturdy base that kept it from being wobbly.  All in all it was a great unit and we had gotten quite a bit of use out of it.  So I had my guys haul it upstairs and contemplated how much I could sell it for.  Then, it hit me...this was the perfect piece for Harper's bedroom.  It had the shelves I needed, a relatively small footprint, and the lower shelves were low enough for her to reach, while the upper shelves could hold things I didn't want her getting to.  The only thing was...it was ugly.  Not hideous or anything, it was perfectly acceptable for a family room/living room area.  But for a cute little girls room.  Just didn't have the look I was wanting.

One quick trip to the local hardware store later, I was ready.  I brought it one of the shelves and talked to one of the very helpful guys there and he said it was definitely something that could be spray painted, but I'd need to use the Krylon paint that was made to adhere to different surfaces.  Since Harper's room is light pink and chocolate brown, I picked up 3 cans of each color and headed home.  The base was a breeze...the brown covered the icky dark gray quickly and evenly, 2 coats and I was done and let it sit in the sun to dry.  Confident in my spray-painting abilities, I tackled the shelves with the light pink...and quickly realized it wasn't going to be as easy.  Since the pink was so much lighter than the original color, it wasn't covering evenly at all and was looking splotchy.  Also, I realized that with the pink/chocolate walls in her room, painting this the same exact colors was just too much.  So I headed back to the hardware store...and found a perfect brighter pink that would go well with the existing colors, but add a little pop at the same time.

A few hours, and 3 coats of paint later, my shelves were done and looked great!  We (and by we I mean my guys) hauled everything up 2 flights of stairs, to Harper's bedroom, and reassembled the shelving unit.  It's perfect!!!  We moved some furniture around and found the perfect spot, on the largest wall of the room under where we had placed the words "Every Child is a Story Yet to be Told".  It seemed the perfect place to put the stuffed animals, toys and books that we'd gotten her, hoping to inspire her imagination.

Lessons learned:

1.  Starting with a clean dry surface is very important.
2.  Allow each coat of paint to dry completely, then wipe the surface down with a clean/dry cloth to get rid of any dust that might have collected during the drying process.
3.  Paint the bottoms of your shelves/surfaces first.  Since they aren't visible when it's assembled, it's a good place to test and see how heavy or light you'll need to apply the paint in order to get the coverage you are looking for.
4.  Don't be afraid of color!!!

The top shelf hold her Ballerina Piggy Bank, and her many pairs of shoes.  The rest of the shelves have assorted stuffed animals, books, toys, etc.  She loves to take everything off the shelves, and thankfully is now learning how to put things back.  I wish I could say it always stayed looking neat and organized, but, well, that just isn't the case.  It does however, keep everything off the floor so things don't get stepped on and tripped over, which is exactly what I wanted.  I also love how the "new" pink on the shelves matches the bright pink in the floor run that I'd picked up on clearance at Target, but wasn't convinced it looked right in the room.  The shelves tied everything together perfectly!

I snapped a couple pictures tonight, I tried to put everything on it so it looked nice and neat, but of course Harper had other plans, and decided she wanted to be in the pictures as well.  I think she adds a certain something to the pictures...don't you?

A new addition

In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to add a new section to our store...which I do consider my baby in a strange and non-cuddly way.  So, without further ado, we are announcing the addition of a blog to our site...(pause for thunderous applause).

Since starting this store, I've become a bit obsessed with the concept of repurposing/reusing items.  I've done two DIY projects that both turned out great, and I'm now always on the lookout for things around the house, around my parents house, at thrift stores, etc...that I can jazz up a bit and give a new life to...either in my house, or someone elses!  I love taking something that was just sitting around collecting dust, and a few days later, putting it to use and saying, wow - that looks great and now I don't have to go spend money on this item!  It's a wonderful feeling!

I'll be highlighting a DIY project (either by me or someone else) weekly...sometimes they'll be simple projects, othertimes something a bit challenging and complex.  And don't worry, I'm not so proud that I won't highlight my failures when I have them...which I'm sure I will!  So keep checking back here and be sure to let me know what you think!  Oh, and if you have a DIY project, or saw one that you loved...let me know!  I'd love to include it here and give you the shoutout you deserve!!!