Little Injustices

There are many large injustices that make me very angry. Greed. Poverty. Unfairness. But there are little ones too.

Like the man who stands across from the bus station every day asking people for money. To him, I have a few points to ponder.
1. Why there? Usually, if someone is using the bus, it's because they can't afford a car. The also will most likely use that change to ride the bus. So why are you more deserving of it than them?
2. What are you going to use it for? There are food banks and a soup kitchen within walking distance of where you're standing. The few pennies you get probably won't buy you much in the way of food.
3. Do something. Don't just ask people for money, offer them something. It bothers me as much as when people fundraise. Offer the people something. Give them dinner, a show, rake their lawn, bake them pies. Do a fair trade, don't just expect people to give you money.

On that note, it's also the same as OSAP. My husband and I are both students which means money is pretty much always tight. We basically live on welfare. To get a good job that you might even enjoy, you need a $4,000 + piece of paper. Doesn't matter what your marks were, just that you passed. So if you put in five hours a week or fifty, there isn't any difference between pieces of paper. If I have a 4.0, and my classmate has a 2.0, there's no difference in extra funding for the extra time and effort I've put in. Nor do purchases with these monies seem to get checked. Once, Dave and I spent almost $1,000 of my OSAP money on a camera. This year I'm shooting two weddings and have my photos in two different stores. I guess I'd call that an investment. Many of my classmates? Check some LCBO reciepts. Or new hockey gear.

I'm just frustrated by this me me me mentality. Give me things because I deserve them. Sometimes I wish I was brought up not having as much as I do. I have more than six pairs of shoes. Granted, some are for different occassions, but I have at least two or three that could be worn from late spring to late fall. Dave and I each have a computer. I have boxes. of books. Not one box, many. I have objects in my house that I never use.

I am so looking forward to downsizing and getting rid of stuff I don't absolutely love. Some has to stay for now, as while we're in this scenario it is needed. But my, am I excited to get rid of the stuff that isn't needed.

Things I love...

That I can throw my shoes outside while I wash the floor.

That I can hang laundry outside after I wash it in my bathtub because I don't have enough to make a full load.

That I have some itty bitty plants growing. And some large ones from Em!

That I have the freedome to clean as fast or slow as I want, and noone can tell me I'm doing it wrong.

~~~

But sometimes, I miss that my husband is home for the summer.

And the year we bought plants so I wouldn't have to wait for them to germinate.

And that I had TWO cameras then and have none now. (except the one on my phone or computer, neither of which takes very good photos).

(Little balcony garden from the first summer we were married. How I miss that little appartment and all the room and balcony and light that went with it.)

About perfection, and love

I wish I could paste this video right into this post. My limited technical skills, however, are inhibiting me. So here it is. Please watch. And Lord, teach me to see everyone as your perfect child.

http://www.godvine.com/Mother-s-Inspiring-Video-About-her-Blind-Baby-Boy-1484.html

Music through the Decades- the photos are up!!

A few weeks ago I shot an event my husband was a big part of called Music through the Decades. The co-ordinators describe the event as "Music through the decades: take a walk through memory lane with us as we tantalize your taste buds with food of the 21st century. A sense of nostalgia will surround you as dine to the sounds and sights of the 1950s onwards through the 2000’s."  

I won't go into detail about the food, but I'll just say it was well worth it to have part of my paycheck be in food.
 

Here are a few of the shots, but you can always check the rest out at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150682388338634.398383.515078633&type=1

Enjoy! And I'm sorry if you're mouth starts watering!!

  

 

Antiquing a frame/ making a jewlery organizer Part one- A tutorial

Remember when I promised this?

I didn't lie. I had every intention of posting everything. I even took pictures of all the steps. But then it happened. I noticed that ALL the photos (except the very first and very last) had somehow vanished. Until (and if) I find them, here's what you need to know.

Step one: Find a junky old frame (I recomend a thrift store), remove glass and back.

I went through the proper steps including painting the colour I wanted to show through the most first, but when I sanded I couldn't stand it and started all over.

So here's what I did instead.

Step 2: Paint entire surface whatever colour you want the grooves to be.

Step 3: Paint raised surfaces colour you want them to be. Make it messy.

Step 4: Sand the heck out of everything. Rough up all those messy lines separating the two colours. Scrape off the paint down to the wood on the corners, raised edges, ect. Really make it look beat up.

Step 5: (Which should have been step 4) Spray sealer over entire surface. Mine added a bit of gloss and mostly made up for the fact that I used cheap acrylic paint from the dollar store. It did make it run a little, so be sure to use it sparingly if your paint is water based.

Step 6: Add hardware (back, hanger, ect) back into/ onto frame, insert photo and enjoy!!

If you want to make an earring holder like I did instead, check back for part two!!

IT'S TIME!!

I'm sure if I were pregnant and ready to have my baby I would likely be writing the same title. HOWEVER. This has very little to do with babies, and everything to do with expectations and excitement.

FINALLY I have Dear0ne stuff up on shelves!! Dear0ne headbands and jewlery (earrings and bracelets) are now available at Soul Sister Creations on Oak St. in downtown North Bay!!

I'm pretty stoaked, to say the least.

You can check out Soul Sister Creations on Facebook, or at http://soulsistercreations.com/.

(PS. Want to know how I made my earring holder? Post coming soon!)

What I wore

Now, I'm not much of a fashionista, so I won't bore you with my boring clothes. Except for one significant article of clothing. See those sweet things on my feet? Aside from being the most expensive pair of shoes I own, and one of the best gifts I've ever gotten to pick out myself, it really has been that warm out this week!! Although now I've got three new blisters on each foot to deal with... oh the change into warmer weather...

There's a whole world out there

I have realized something. There is 'here' (North America) and there is 'there' (everywhere else). I want to go 'there.'

A new project!

Guess what I've been up to?! Post coming soon....

Birthday cake for ME- coupon code for YOU

Hey all!

Tomorrow I'll wake up a whole year older (amazing how that happens, isn't it?!). In honor of another year of wisdom (and being one year closer to being half-way to fifty), I'm offering 24% off anything in my shop. How do I take advantage of this fine offer? you may ask. Simple. Just type coupon code CELEBRATE24 when you go to checkout. It's like getting presents for SOMEONE ELSE'S birthday!



Eyeglass cover re-newal: a tutorial

I, thankfully, am not required to wear my glasses all the time. However, my distance-sight is poor enough that I need them somewhere around me pretty much all the time. The bigger problem? My poor eyeglass case. It's ugly. It's falling apart. And the hinge has seen better days. And no matter how hard I look, I can't seem to find a new (to me) used eyeglass case. So we're going to cover it. And fix it so my dear little eyeglasses won't fall out anymore!

What you need:

-old eyeglass case

-fabric (I used two different cottons, but you could certainly line your case with felt or fleece, or put something different on the outside. However, cotton seems to be the easiest due to the way it stays put and it relatively soft)

-Mod Podge

-CLEAN paintbrush

Optional:

-ribbon

-velcro

-embellishments

Step one: Remove nasty, ugly, broken inside.

Mine is was just a piece of fuzzy plastic molded to the shape of the inside of my case. With some gentle encouragement (I mean really gentle, I was already pulling loose pieces off in class), it came free.

Step two: Trace your case onto BACK of fabric.

In hindsight, I may have used a scrap piece of fabric or paper to figure out the right size. I guess it depends on your comfort level.

So. Tracing. Before you cut, make sure to give yourself ample room for the fabric to cover everything. I traced one side, the folded my fabric in half to cut two, but left them joined so when I glued it down it would cover the hinge. I did the inside the same way, but made two top and two bottom pieces (I'll explain later) and cut them apart (so they wouldn't cover the hinge).

Step three: (An OPTIONAL step) Sewing insides together

I knew that when I put the inside layer in, I wanted it double-thickness, and I didn't want any seams to show. I could have simply turned my edges under, but I knew this would cause me less frustration in the end. IF you want to do this, put two right sides together, and stich around, leaving yourself a small opening so you can turn everything right-side-out again. Do this twice.

Step four: (Another OPTIONAL step) Adding ribbon/ embellishments

I mentioned before that the hinge had seen better days. I remedied this by adding a ribbon and some velcro. MAKE SURE TO ADD EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU GLUE IT DOWN! I measured my length of ribbon against the width of my case (I just wrapped it around and cut it where it overlapped). If you're adding velcro, wait until the end to add it. Mine was sticky so it didn't matter, but even if you had to sew it on you could do it at the end if you were careful.

Step five: MOD PODGE!

This is one of the best steps because we get to "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" (What can I say, I was a 90's kid!) Start by 'painting' close to, but not directly on the hinge. Leave yourself a small border so you don't fuse the hinge with glue! It's best to work with thin layers- you can always add more later! As you apply the podge, pull the fabric tight against the cover. I used closepins to hold it down while it dried and to give myself an extra set of hands. Don't worry about lifting and repositioning it while it's still wet, or tugging it to fit, fabric is forgiveable!

When you've got everything nice and tight, mod podge over the part you just glued. YES OVER TOP. This will seal it, and give a little bit more stiffness. I did NOT do the ribbon, as it was stiched to the fabric. Give it 20 min + to dry, the repeat everything you just did with the other side. I could have trimmed some of my fabric from the inside, but I decided it wasn't going to hurt anything by leaving it glued under the lining.
And YES Mod Podge dried CLEAR.

*Side note. After it was dry, I actually did a second coat of podge before I added the liner.



Step six: The Liner

For this step you're going to FIRST make sure your liner piece is going to fit. (Remember, felt or fleece would work just as well for this part.) Once you're assured of it's size, podge one part of the inside, again being careful to not fuse the hinge. gently but firmly press, folding over as you go to make it fit. Because I had two layers sewn together, the top layer is only attached by the stitches, and has a bit of give. To keep the inside soft, do NOT podge the inside again! Again I attached clothespins to keep it tight while it dried. Repeat for the other side and let dry completely (I left mine overnight).

Now put those little glasses of yours in there and enjoy a (looks like new to everyone else) eyeglass case!