Holy Cakes

I saw these cakes on a commercial for Cake Boss and I about freaked. I thought they were so cute. I wanted to show them to Jen since we're new cake decorating (mess making) buddies. I saw them again the other night on an episode that I DVRed so I paused it, rewound it, went forwards because I rewound too far, slow-moed until just the right second, paused it, and then took a picture.



That took about ten minutes longer than it should have. But I got that highly technical picture out of the deal so it was a success.

In Hindsight

It's done! Finally, done.

www.christinemcguigan.com

It's not even that the site took a lot of work, because it certainly didn't. I bought that website. I didn't make it. Which is sort of dumb since I currently design websites for a living. But hey, whatever.

It feels so good to cross that off my list. I feel like I'm moving forward and making real progress. I've said it before, but I can't believe I've found something to do with my life that makes me so happy. I've never had passion about my work before. I feel sort of lame for not recognizing this passion earlier. When I was graduating high school I wanted to go to an art college in Chicago and study photography. I obviously didn't end up doing it, but I really wish I would have now. Looking back on the situation, it would have made so much freaking sense. I was just too young and ambivalent to commit to something like that. I didn't know what I really wanted in life - duh, I was 17. I suppose that's why hindsight is such a bitch. It all makes sense eight years later but there's not a whole lot you can do about it.

Of course the counterargument to my wallowing "why didn't I follow my heart" complaint is that it took me getting married to really drive home the idea that this is what I needed to do with my life. I wouldn't have gotten married if I hadn't met Matt. I wouldn't have met Matt if I hadn't been designing websites. I wouldn't have been designing websites if I hadn't gone to school here in Omaha... and so on.

It all comes down to the theory that no matter which path you take, eventually you're going to make it to the point where all the paths intersect and you're going to end up where you're supposed to be.

Green Eyed Monster

I think it's maybe a little obvious that I'm a very visual person and I love looking at (and coveting) pretty things. I drool over Anthropologie, Dwell magazine and apartmenttherapy.com. When it comes down to it though, I know that material things to not have the ability to make me happy. (Cute, well dressed and in a constant state of domestic bliss? Yes. But happy? No.) The things that I am sincerely envious of and crave like a rabid monkey are mostly non-material.

An Impeccable Sense of Color
People who can grab five random paint swatches and create a cohesive color palette piss me off. I can match blues with blues and reds with reds, but throwing together shades of yellow, pink and green in a way that makes sense? I do not effectively possess that ability.

Chillin On Weekdays
I have lots of friends and family who do not work on at least one traditional workday a week. For instance, my husband had today off and spent the day relaxing at home and playing basketball. I wake up every Thursday and say in my head, "But I don't want to go to woooooooork! I want to stay hooooooome!" It makes me so jealous. I would love nothing more than to be sitting at home watching a movie in my pjs right now. Unfortunately, a lot of those people I mentioned earlier work on weekends. There is certainly no envy in that...

Effortless White Balance
How in the world do some people always, always, have perfectly white photos. White balance is one of those eternal mysteries of the universe for me. I'm constantly adjusting it and even when I think I'm close, I'm never spot on. Hopefully, this is something that will come easier to me as time goes by. If not, people better get used to their pictures having a yellow glow. Thank the heavens above for Photoshop.

Yes.

Revival Home and Garden

Yes, please. Yes to all of it. Thousands and thousands of dollars worth of yeses.

A Few of Last Weekend's Pics

Sarah's Senior Pictures

I'll post more after I get everything edited and send the disc off to her.

Tax Laws?

I'm starting this lovely Memorial Day by researching/begging for help with understanding tax laws. Apparently in Nebraska, you have to pay taxes monthly. I had my very first official paying client yesterday and it's got me hot and bothered about tax laws. (obviously by "first official paying client" I mean "first client who paid me in a check - with a paper trail - and not with equipment/coffee/museum admission/a fist full of cash")

I needed an EIN back in April to open some accounts with professional photography services. I didn't really think much of it until this morning when I made an invoice for my client and I got all hung up about whether or not I needed to include sales tax in it. I'm thinking the answer is probably yes. But maybe not?

Fondant - Round 1

Jen and my first attempt at fondant:





Not too bad. Right? It turned out cute. The shape is a little wacky. The layers didn't bake up as high as I thought they would, so the cake is a little bit dome shaped. It got sent to a daycare with Jen's sister. Word is that the daycare ladies really liked it and shock of all shocks, asked if we can do birthday cakes.

I'm seeing a business opportunity here... I mean, how much would you pay for that cake?

$40?

$80?

$3.99?

Before and After: Office

I've given up on waiting until the office is clean to photograph it and post it. In the past 14 months we've lived there, it has never been cleaner than it is right now as evidenced by the following photos.

Before:





After:





I've realized throughout the course of this blog that I am terrible at taking pictures of the inside of our house. I'm terrible at taking pictures of lots of things, but this is probably the worst. I don't know what it is. You can tell me to take a picture of a kid or a plant and I get it. Tell me to take a picture of a room and my brain goes, "What? What do you mean? How? Huh?"

Whuuuuuuut?

Remember how I said I thought the living room needed more texture and maybe some more color? (You're probably thinking more color isn't the answer.) Well, I found what I was looking for...

I just mentally spent about $500 at French Bull. Where was this when I was registering for wedding gifts last year?

Among my favorites:

Delight Full / Queen Duvet Set
Mosaic Platter
Multidot Fellini Bowl
Robot Square Plate Set
Pink Paisley Runner



If I had my way, our house would be so triptastic by the time we moved out that the whole place would have to be power sprayed with white. I really admire people who can decorate their houses in whites and neutrals and make it look warm and inviting, but unfortunately I am not one of those people. I'm addicted to color. Ugly, nasty, burn your eyeballs, make you dizzy color.

Speaking of, the office has been put back together and I'm excited to take pictures of it.

Not so Lazy Tuesday

I think if the range could go on strike if would have last night. I made baked mac and cheese, boiled some eggs, baked a couple layers of chocolate cake and monkey bread. I cooked from 6:00-9:45, only taking a break to go to my parents' house to pick up a spring-form pan.

A little aside here... I understand that when you buy a package of spring-form pans, you get three different sizes. That makes sense. But it's also inconvenient when trying to make a layer cake because the layers won't match. You either have to cut the extra inch off the bigger layer OR buy two sets of the same size pans. Instead of packages of three they should be sold in packages of six.

Ok. Moving on.

Tonight Jen and I are going to use the cake to practice our fondant skills. My big mouth got me stuck making an "Ace of Cakes" style birthday cake for my friend in July. Needless to say, that is something that I am in no way qualified to do. It's going to take a little bit of practice.

Step One - Learn how to use fondant.

Step Two - Learn how to make fondant because OMG, that garbage is expensive.

Lazy Sunday

I woke up pretty early this morning, considering I ended up drunk off of Hoegaarden last night. You have to watch it with the Belgium beers apparently. They sneak up on you.

Two pints of Hoegaarden = Hello You're Drizzunk.

Matt's band played at a neighborhood block party type thing in Dundee last night. It was supposed to be the "Spring Fling" but it was like 40%deg; and everyone was wearing coats last night.

I got up this morning and repainted my office. I'll go ahead and admit that I'm really bad at picking out paint colors. The last color was dark gray, the current one is sea foam. The sea foam is a huge improvement. It's still questionable, but undeniably better.

I'm so proud of myself for beginning and finishing a project in one day. I rewarded myself for the accomplishment by ignoring some freelance work and watching TV in bed this evening. Ringo joined me. He was more interested in watching the neighbors than watching TV though.

Summer Cooking

One of the unfortunate things about Spring and Summer is that some days it's just too hot in the house to do majoring cooking in the kitchen. As soon as we pick up a new tank of propane, we'll be busting out dinner on the grill. But in the meantime I'm trying to come up with delicious meals that require little effort. Because of the heat, yes. But also because I'm lazy sometimes.

For instance, tonight I made a delicious salad plate of tuna salad, mixed lettuce with vinaigrette, chopped tomatoes, cheese, olives and a few baked chips. Light, yummy, doesn't require me to stand in front of the stove.



I've found out that the trick to really good tuna salad is to make your own relish. Don't use the garbage in the jar. Mix together chopped pickles, onion, dill and garlic and you've got yourself better relish than Heinz will ever make.

A couple of days ago when it was cold and rainy I made Runza pie. (Trust me, it's good.) I couldn't make it in a regular pie pan because mine disappeared, so I had to shove it into an oval shaped pan. I had a few scraps of the pie crust leftover and I didn't want to throw it away... So I made a quick and easy leftover dessert. Mmmm. Leftover dessert. Doesn't that sound awesome?

I pressed the leftover dough into little circles and baked them in ramekins. I only had enough for two, but pretend there was an entire pie crust there and I made a dozen.



Then I whipped together equal parts softened cream cheese and Cool Whip. Again, I happened to have about 3 ounces of cream cheese sitting in the fridge, but lets say I had a whole package and mixed it with about half a tub of Cool Whip. Then I beat in powdered sugar until it tasted sweet enough - but not to sweet. For a whole batch I would try a 1/4 of a cup and go up from there. I scooped that on top of the crust...



...Then covered it with fresh strawberries.



Mmmm. Delicious.



After I took that picture I drenched them in extra Cool Whip. I didn't take a picture of it because it's embarrassing. I recommend you do the same though. It was so delicious.

P.S. Who else thought of Family Guy when I mentioned Cool Whip?

Here's a sort of recipe if anyone wants to make these:

Package of premade pie shells
8oz block of cream cheese (you can use the light or fat free kind)
1 tub of Cool Whip(you can use the light or fat free kind)
Powdered Sugar
Fresh strawberries

1. Make small circles out of the pie crust (maybe with a cookie cutter?) and put them in the bottom of muffin papers. Bake crust according to directions on the box, but keep an eye on the time since these are a lot smaller.

2. Whip together the cream cheese and a cup to a cup and 1/2 (depending on your taste) of the Cool Whip. Beat in the powdered sugar according to taste. Try starting with a 1/4 cup. Drop spoonfuls into the muffin cups.

3. Cover the cream cheese mix with fresh strawberries.

4. Add a spoonful of Cool Whip to the top if your heart desires. And I'm guessing it will.

Awesome Color Combination

I'm kind of in love with this color combination. I saw it on a Design*Sponge before and after post. She used it in a nursery, but I'm thinking it would look awesome in my office... I started redoing it but then sort of trailed off. The grey I painted it turned out pretty awful. Working at my desk is like sitting inside a galvanized bucket. It's about as inspirational as that too.

Looks like someone might be taking a trip to Lowes this weekend...

I think it would really look good in there since I already have an orange sitting chair and I can make cushions out of this fabric that was left over from my failed attempt at recovering chairs. We also bought a really cool navy blue "Summer of Love" print in San Francisco that hasn't found a home yet.

I'm practically half way there! Really, all there is to buy is paint. And paint is generally the cheapest part of any room makeover. Does anyone want to help me paint white and sea-foam over industrial gray this weekend? Doesn't that sound like a total blast?

My Guide to Wack Proof Skin

Taking care of my skin is very important to me. It's the only epidermis I get and I intend to take care of it. As I'm sure we all know, skin damage in your twenties creeps up in your forties. I don't know about you, but I will do everything in my non-surgical power to stay looking like a nineteen year old until I'm sixty.

I have some of the most sensitive skin known to mankind. It's fair, dry, acne prone, rash prone, burn prone. Pretty much everything. It took a loooong time to find products that work with my skin type. I'm pretty anal about using only these products. Any old hand lotion is usually okay, but the rest of my skin is such a mess that I don't risk it. So here you go:

My Guide to Wack Proof Skin



1. Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion

I spent years looking for a lotion that would take care of my itchy, Nebraska winter skin while NOT giving me hives. It was tough, but after countless rashes I made my way to the Aveeno. Problem solved! I've been using it for several years and it never fails me even in the dead of January when the air is about as dry as Death Valley around here. It contains oatmeal which is a natural moisturizer somehow or another. I don't know the science, I just know it works great.

2. Vermont's Original Bag Balm

Ever since I was a child, the back of my hands get so dry that they crack. Gross? Yes. Inconvenient and painful? Double yes. When your hands get that dry, most lotions you find in drugstores burn like hell. As a kid I used to have to put on some crazy prescription cream and then wear tube socks over my hands around the house. Not exactly cool when you're seven. This stuff works wonders on dry, cracked skin. I wrote about it here. It's also fantastic for the bottoms of your feet, minor burns and scrapes, and you can use it on the dog.

3. Keri Renewal Serum

Yet another area of my body that gets ridiculously dry: My face. Except my face has that really awesome combination of dry yet zit prone. (Hooray for being 25 and still breaking out like a teenager! Seriously, when is this going to end? I've put in my time. Thirteen years of breakouts is enough already.) So, that's what I'm dealing with. I need a substantial moisturizer that isn't heavy and greasy. This again was trial and error. Oh heavens, the errors... My dad actually told me about this stuff. Go figure. The last person on Earth who I would ask for beauty advice and he's the one with the answers. This stuff leaves my skin moisturized and feeling clean year round.

4. Aveeno Active Naturals Continuous Protection Sunblock

Sunburning and sunblock are a never ending problem for me. Going without sunblock is never an option for me. Honestly, it shouldn't be an option for anyone, but stupid Coco Chanel accidentally got tanned on a cruise and ever since it's been chic to give yourself sun damage. The problem for me isn't finding a sunblock that works. Pretty much any brand of sunblock will do the trick. The problem is finding one that doesn't give me hives or a breakout. I figured that since the Aveeno lotion worked so well, the Aveeno sunblock should too. And it does!

5. Neutrogena Healthy Defense SPF 30 Daily Moisturizer

The only negative thing about the Keri Renewal Serum is that it contains some kind of alpha-photo-whatever that makes your skin prone to burning easier. For me, that's the equivalent of rubbing my face directly on the surface of the sun. Really, we should all be using sunblock on our faces so it was just another reason to start doing it. I researched some moisturizers and ended up going with this one. Again, it does what it's supposed to do without feeling greasy and giving me pimples. It's a broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunblock and a believe it's approved by the American Cancer Society.

6. J.R. Watkins Apothecary Red Clover Hand and Cuticle Salve

I like to have nice nails and nice cuticles. This stuff is great for mini manis at home. It makes my cuticles look great. It's pretty greasy and takes a while to absorb into the skin (it even says that on the label) so I usually use it at home while I'm watching TV. And the smell of it? Insane. I want perfume that smells like this stuff.

Vacation!

Here's a quick recap of our quick vacation. We went down to Clearwater, Florida (in the Tampa Bay area) for a few days. Matt grew up there. Or at least he "grew up" there as much as a military kid can.

It was nice. Hot, but nice.



For lunch one day we went to a burger place called Five Guys. It was ridiculously good. Everyone should find one close to them and go try it out. They have buckets of peanuts all over the restaurant for customers to snack on. Apparently word got out about the nuts because this guy was hanging out outside the front door.



Even though the year round humidity and subsequent sweating suck, the gardens are fantastic down there. The family we stayed with grows fruits and veggies in Earth Boxes. The plants were just exploding everywhere. In Nebraska, you plant for veggies in May, they fruit in July, and then by October they're dead. It's early May and look what they had out of their garden already:









It's funny because I ended up with about ten pictures of the beach and then twenty pictures of vegetables and thirty pictures of their dogs.

We really didn't do a whole lot other than drink beer, hang out with friends, drink beer, see a Kings Of Leon show, and try to avoid sunburning. We succeeded in all areas.

Slumdog Millionaire

Matt and I finally caught up with the rest of the country last night and watched Slumdog Millionaire. Neither of us knew anything about the movie going in except for OMG it's the best movie of 2008.

I really liked it and it was very moving and touching at certain parts... but... I don't know. I wasn't blown away by it. It was visually stunning and the way the story was told was very unique. I like stories that aren't linear. It makes it harder to see what's coming next. There's nothing more irritating to me than a predictable ending. But the movie left me thinking, "That was good," not, "That was amazing." It's still definitely a movie that I would buy. I really want to see it again in Blue Ray.

I think my problem is that the movie was so hyped up. I already had expectations for it going in. Hype can kill a movie experience. The Dark Knight? Crash? Death by hype. I think the worst example I've ever seen for a hyped up movie being not worth it was Life Is Beautiful. I seriously hated that movie when I saw it. Maybe I would feel different if I watched it again... but I doubt it. Roberto Benini annoys the crap out of me.

New Chair

I think I'm addicted to spray paint. Not in the bad, "huffing in an alley" kind of way. But in the good, "as intended by the manufacturer" kind of way.

My favorite paint to use has been Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gloss. I've used it on metal, wood and ceramic so far and it's worked great every time. The colors are awesome and it does dry glossy and smooth, making it appear that it's the original paint.

I bought this stool at an antique store last weekend for $9. The paint was scratched and scuffed. It looked pretty haggard. I slapped a couple coats of paint on it and it looks as good as new.



I also used it to paint the two green chairs.

That Feels a Little Bit Better...

Sometimes when misfortune craps on you, fortune shows you a little pity. I booked my first senior portrait session today! I'm really excited. I get to bust out all the cool shots and angles and filters. We're going to start in the Old Market (naturally). I also want to try to find an open field somewhere. I loved shooting photos yesterday of my nieces and nephews playing in the flower (aka dandelion) field yesterday. I'm not well informed on good places to go that will appear secluded like that though.

I like the feeling in photos when there's so sign of civilization anywhere and nature stretches on as far as the eye can see. That's kind of what I have in mind for the first bridal shoot I do this summer. Jen... I'm talkin about you here... I think that would look so peaceful and romantic. Just a bride and groom together, alone, with beauty all around them.

Ouch

Ouch That Hurts: Paying $316 for new tags on my husband's car... that we're due last June.

No Really, That Hurts: Paying $316 for new tags on my husband's car and paying $150 to get his car out of impound for having said expired tags.

For Real! That hurts. Knock It OFF: Paying $316 for new tags on my husband's car and paying $150 to get his car out of impound for having said expired tags, then paying another $300 when the tags are due again at the end of the month.

I have a sneaking suspicion that his 2009 renewal is going to be late. Just a hunch I have... But we learned our lesson about tempting fate for eleven whole months. You may think you're getting away with something but then one day it's going to catch up with you and your car is going to disappear from the street in front of your brother's house, only to turn up the next morning at the city impound lot.

Family Time Pics

I hung out with the family today and took some fun, Spring time pictures. It's funny how the girls are soooo much easier to take picture of than the boys. The girls just sit there and smile and stare into the camera. The boys run and move and will not look at me under any circumstances.

The Dark Side Of Oz

I enrolled back in school maybe a year and a half ago for a culinary degree. I ended up taking all of the degree requirements except for any actual cooking class because I could not find the time for them. They are 8 hour long classes and mostly offered only during the week. I couldn't exactly afford to quit my job to get a bakery/pastry degree. And what exactly was I thinking I was going to do once I graduated? Make donuts at Baker's for $6 an hour? Make croissants for the Holiday Inn continental breakfast? Do you know that bakers have to wake up at ungodly hours and go to work? These are not things that I considered when starting school... All I knew is that I wanted to be a baker for a living and that I was going to open a pastry/coffee shop and it was as simple as that. Oh, what's that? A recession? And I'm essentially broke and 25 so who would give me a business loan? Details, details...

One good thing that did come out of taking classes was that I got graded by teachers. I am a sicko about getting graded and scored. I love it. Especially when it comes to writing papers. I. Love. To. Write. You may have noticed that. I got a really good score on the reading section of my ACTs and I love to work it into conversation. You would be surprised at how little opportunity there is to brag about your ACT score after the age of 18. Really, it's like no one cares about it. Even more surprisingly is that no one outside of the Great Plains states even knows what the ACTs are. You coastal snobs and your SATs...

I ended up testing out of English Comp I when I went to college the first time around, but when I went back for round two at Metro they made me take it. I thought that was completely ridiculous. I took Comp II when I was 18, and now six years later I'm being forced to go back and take Comp I? Surely I've gotten smarter in those six years and I don't need to take it, right? Wrong. Turns out you forget a lot of the things you learned in high school by the time you're in your mid-twenties. It was a major reality check that I'm getting dumber as I age.

But I digress...

One of the papers I wrote for culinary school (humph) was about " The Dark Side of Oz." I find the whole thing pretty amusing. Whether or not it's real, it's still a pretty cool legend. I'm posting the paper here so it's out there as a resource for other people interested in it. Which is probably very few. But also to show off my college-level writing skills.

(I couldn't figure out how to add a "read more" link without adding one to every single post. So I just added the paper to a new post.)

Trick of the Mind: The Dark Side of Oz

FYI: My text formatting didn't copy out of Word and I'm too lazy to fix it. All you MLA Nazis will have to pretend that the titles are appropriately italicized.

In 1973, British progressive-rock band, Pink Floyd, released their ground-breaking conceptual album, The Dark Side of the Moon. In the early 1990s, the album mesmerized a new generation of listeners, but in a surprising new way. An early internet message board started a rumor that The Dark Side of the Moon would synch up with the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. When started at a specific time in the movie, there are moments when the music and lyrics on the album seem to correspond with the scenes in the film. The phenomenon was dubbed The Dark Side of Oz, or sometimes The Dark Side of the Rainbow, in reference to the rainbow design of the album’s cover. When viewed correctly, the two pieces of work do seem to coordinate at certain points. However, this occurrence is more likely created by peoples’ psychological tendencies rather than a carefully planned conspiracy by Pink Floyd, like some fans believe it is.

Synchronicity is a theory that explains the seemingly meaningful coincidences between two unrelated events. The two events relate to one another conceptually with little chance of them occurring together randomly. It is the brain’s way of creating a pattern of connection that may not really exist. Synchronicity appears to happen because peoples’ minds notice the things that happen, while failing to notice the things that do not happen. They process out the like events and dismiss everything else around them. This is an unconscious habit that everyone possesses. It is a normal way for the brain to sort out sensory input it receives and only pay conscious attention to the things that are likely to be the most significant. Without it, people would struggle to think because their brains would be sorting through every bit of information it comes across.

People who watch The Dark Side of Oz are already aware of what the intended results should be. Therefore, they already have a mental predisposition towards picking out the synchronous events. They are intentionally looking for instances that confirm the connection between the album and the movie and are not paying attention to the instances that do not connect the two. This is known as “confirmation bias.” Confirmation bias refers to a type of selective thinking where someone tends to specifically look for things that confirm one's beliefs, and to ignore the things that do not fit the pattern. If someone were to sit down and listen to The Dark Side of the Moon while watching The Wizard of Oz with the intention of finding connections, they are likely to do so simply because they have already determined that they will find such connections.

Some fans of the The Dark Side of the Moon effect believe it was intentional on the part of Pink Floyd. The effect is created by starting The Dark Side of the Moon on CD at the beginning of The Wizard of Oz, during the credits when the black and white MGM Studios lion roars for the third time. Whether or not it is intentional, the seeming correlation between the two can be striking at times. In one scene Dorothy is balancing on the fence of a pig sty while the lyrics in the song say, “And balanced on the biggest wave.” Another strong parallel between the movie and album is when Dorothy first walks past the Scarecrow in the field. The lyrics at that time say, “The lunatic is on the grass.” One of the final connections between the two is right before the album ends. Dorothy and the Scarecrow walk over to the frozen Tin Man and a sound similar to that of a heart beating starts in the music. In the movie, the Tin Man is about to sing the song, “If I Only Had a Heart.”

Although these instances can provide for a strong argument for the intentional nature of The Dark Side of Oz, the times when the album and movie do not line up far outweigh the times when they do. If this fact is taken into consideration, it dispels any proof of a real and consistent pattern. In addition to the psychological explanations of synchronicity and confirmation bias, the technology required for Pink Floyd to reproduce The Wizard of Oz in their studio and record music in time with it did not exist in 1973. Alan Parsons, the album's recording engineer, also stated that there had been no effort during recording to integrate the album with the film. The band also denies any such effort.

Regardless of how it came to be, The Dark Side of Oz remains a legendary piece of rock history. Its legend continues to grow because it challenges people to decide whether or not they think it is real, or simply their minds playing a trick on them. When viewed with a critical eye though, it is evident that the correlation between the movie and the album is nothing more than a psychological effect created by brains that are wired to find patterns and meaning in places that are occasionally meaningless. The rumor of The Dark Side of Oz remains simply what it is, a rumor.

Q&A: Tulip Table and Chairs

Question: Is stealing this furniture from my office building worth getting fired over?



Answer: Yes. Yes, it is.

My Chairs - With a Quick Tutorial

I have been working and working and working on these stupid chairs for weeks. I had grand plans of doing a really awesome tutorial about refinishing chairs (because you obviously can't figure it out on your own). But, plans sometimes change...

I started out with this. Or rather "these." There are two of them.



I took the frames and sanded, primed and spray painted them. Easy enough...



...and then noticed that, gee, the seats are metal too.



It's kind of hard to staple fabric onto a metal chair seat. I spent a couple weeks contemplating it before I decided that heavy-duty industrial adhesives were the answer. I bought a sheet of quilt batting and adhered it to three sides of the seat. Then I frankensteined an old cushion into filling for a new one.



And glued the fourth side down.



Then stretched my fabric over the new seat and cushion I made.



Wow! How great do those look!



Oh, but wait. One small problem. I can't screw the seat back onto the frame. The fabric is stretched over the groove that needs to be touching the frame. If I try to screw it on, the fabric is going to rip. So, right now the seat is just perched there on top of the chair. I wouldn't recommend sitting on it, but doesn't it look nice?



Remember how there are two chairs? Here's what became of chair number two:



DUH! A freaking chair cushion! The obvious (and easy) solution from the beginning. I could have just put a damn chair cushion on it and been done with it. This one just happens to match everything in the house. Imagine that. It even unintentionally matched the paint on the chair. It was kismet, me and that cushion.

In summary, here is how my tutorial for refinishing chairs goes:

1. Take the seat off the frame and paint the frame.
2. Put the seat back on the frame and slap a cushion on it.
3. Go have a beer because you're done.

Hello Beautiful...

Want to come home with me?




I need to go to rehab for pillow and linen addiction.