Guitar frame

So, I really want music to be appreciated in our home. Which is why we have a music room. And in order to encourage music, I've decided to decorate with it. I know, I know, normal people would just play the piano or guitar, but I have to beautify them, and then look at them more than play them. But playing them is phase two of my plan. Paul used to play the guitar. He actually played a lovely little number at our wedding. But since that time 7+ years ago, the guitar has come out of it's case about 10 times. I figured that if it was in plain sight maybe he would play it. Maybe I would print music and say, "You play it, I'll sing it. It'll be more fun than watching TV". But without it in plain sight, it would probably stay in mint condition in its lovely case, under our bed.

I know there are little stands you can buy, but I wanted the guitar out of immediate reach of the children, for obvious reasons. And I discovered that you can hang them on the wall. Well, if I'm going to put it on the wall, I want it to look like art and not an afterthought. And I've had this picture on my mind for a few years.

I thought it was quite intriguing to cover the wall in sheet music. So I've come up with.....

I call it, a guitar frame. Catchy name. Yes I even purchased a picture light for it.

I did a super duper mod podge of John Lee Hooker music. No he doesn't have any special meaning to our family, but his music looked very beautiful to the eye, plentiful notes, and guitar plucking, not just piano. Also his lyrics are pretty nondescript. Like, baby baby I miss you, come on, lovin...... So not very distracting. Thank you used book store. I mod podged it to handypanel? Forget the name. It's super dark brown, kind of like thin really strong MDF.

The frame is actually crown molding that I bought, painted, glued (liquid nails really is liquid nails - never used it before - very impressed) directly onto the music board. I looked into a real frame, and one like I wanted with lots of swirlies, for this huge of a frame, would've been around $200. But this cost me $24.
Then purchased an excellent guitar hanger and put the screws through the board into the wall. It's actually really big.

So the reclaimed barn wood is to make a table top for an old sewing table that will sit below the guitar and have out records and record player on it.

I've done a little planing already

and it is hard work. How hard, you ask.

Hard. This one might take me a while.

He said yes!

Because our landlord is the bomb, he let me paint. I love love love it. It's exactly what I envisioned. You can't quite decide if it's blue or green. It looks like a robin's egg color. It's crisp and refreshing.

After a long day of painting, and a longer day yesterday planing, I am pooped.

My poor husband is hoping that I can perk up for our date tonight.

I was pondering on why it's so important to me that my house is beautiful, but I care so little if I am beautiful. What I mean is, I shower on a need-to basis. I almost never do my hair. My toenails get painted once every 3 months. I don't mind if my clothes are completely average. I feel very comfortable in no make-up. Spending $20 on a flattering shirt puts me in a guilt crisis. However, if it's for my house, I drop $20 without even blinking. I consider the time spent doing my hair as wasted, but spending the better part of my day doing some beautification of my house seems like I'm pampering myself and like a necessity at the same time.

I think the reason is, my house kind of feels like my job. Some women are pharmacists or yoga instructors, or construction workers, and they come home and make dinner and bathe children, just like I do. But I stay home. So what do I do with all that time? I stay home to teach my children personally, create more time for us to spend together as a family, consistently eat healthy delicious food, and design our home to be our retreat. My job is to make my home a calm and meaningful place for my family to be. I believe that it is easier to feel the Spirit and to feel love if you are in a beautiful and clean place. Most of the time the beautification process and clean don't happen at the same time, so I try to switch off. Have a clean day, have a project day.

Also, I've decided that the girl's minds need to be more stimulated, so for the past month I've been spending 30 minutes with them individually teaching them things. Lucy is learning how to correctly hold a crayon and is learning sounds of letters. Maggie is learning how to read and do simple math. We've learned about butterflies and experimented with finger paint. We've learned how to control our crayons and color in the lines. Lucy is learning position words, and Maggie is learning to recognize numbers up to 20.

I think I feel energized and creative if I'm surrounded by color and pattern. And I'm trying to decorate in things that are meaningful to our family that will remind us of our family history, and of our faith, and of our love for each other. So I am expending a lot of energy, that Paul usually thinks is unnecessary, but I consider of the greatest importance.

And that's why if you come to my house, and I look rat nasty, and my house looks beautiful, I will be very comfortable.

I like big butts... I really do

So my latest project is complete, but I cannot post a picture of it, because it's not hanging up yet because I decided that IF I'm going to paint the music room, I want to do it before I hang this on the wall. I have my paint color chosen. I've convinced Paul that he should be ok with me doing it especially because Behr flat enamel paint is $17 a gallon right now. I'm waiting for my landlord's approval. I really, really, hope he lets me paint.

This morning I drove 30 minutes outside of Nashville to purchase some reclaimed barn wood for my next project. Yes, I said reclaimed barn wood. I am so excited. The man who sold it to me was very kind and wanted to make sure I didn't hurt myself, being gigantically pregnant and hauling around big pieces of wood.

And as I slid those boards in the van next to the kids, for whatever reason, I noticed my hands, and my arms. And I thought, I love my body. I love that my body allows me to lift a heavy board if I want to lift a heavy board. I love that if I tell my body to run up stairs, it will. My body enables me to make things I want to make. My body provides me with many sensory pleasures, of which chocolate pudding is my current favorite. And in a society where it's very cool to bad talk your body, I'd like to have a thankful-for-my-body revolution. I will start with a list of all the awesome things about mine.

My body almost never gets sick. Especially if I'm eating my fruits and veggies.

My body has broad, thick shoulders, which gives me a lot of leverage in sparring and in lifting objects, children, etc.

My hair is usually shiny.

My hands are strong.

I almost always feel energetic.

My brain is really good at memorizing random facts I find interesting.

I almost never get headaches anymore. Thank you body!

My body does great pregnant, especially the last two trimesters.

My body produces excellent and abundant milk for my hungry offspring.

My heart is strong and increases in strength quickly when I exercise it.

My body is fairly flexible, and I have no constant pains.

My body craves fruits and vegetables and not candy. That's one of my favorites.

My body falls asleep easily most nights.

I could go on.

In 7 weeks and 1 day when the baby is out, and I am looking in the mirror at the damage caused to my body, and I yo-yo from sad to furious about what I see there (I know this because it's happened every post pregnancy so far), I am going to look back at this list and hopefully feel grateful for my body. Because in all the really important things, my body comes through for me. Love for my body is not based on it's appearance (how shallow), but based on it's ability to be a vehicle for my spirit, enabling me to experience and learn.

I love my body. It is a gift from God and from my parents (thank's for the shoulder's, Dad, and the veggie cravings, Mom). After all it's done for me, bringing up the cellulite on the back of my thighs, or the relief society arm I'm packin', seems petty.

I encourage all of you to join my revolution and be grateful for your amazing body. Which means, fuel your body appropriately, exercise it, and don't bad talk it. Even when your friends are bad talking theirs.

Because being thankful, is a good way to be.

Please feel free to leave a comment about your incredible body.

To decorate the couch

has been so much fun!

This was the last pillow I just purchased the fabric after school, and couldn't wait to get it on the last pillow. It's some kind of Japanese fabric, that I love. Look at that elephant. Perfect colors.

This one was very fun. It was my first adventure with covering buttons with cloth/buttons in pillows. The pillow is out of corduroy, sewn together with the whale going in different directions.
Anna Maria horner prints; her drawing room line has been discontinued and is very difficult to find the last remaining pieces. Luckily I found someone who had a yard. (They don't have it anymore, so maybe I cleaned them out! Ha!) The fabric on the right was my color pallete for my design ideas for this room, and of course, the pillows.
How it will usually look, picture taken with usually dirty camera lense. Thank you peanut-butter-fingers trying to pry open the camera cover.

I must take a moment to thank Melinda, without whose junk pillows, these would have been much more expensive. She was getting rid of a bunch of old pillows that were all matted and flat, and before giving them to Goodwill asked if I'd like them. Don't mind if I do. They've come with me on the last two moves, and every time Paul really wanted to throw out those useless looking pillows. I assured him that they would be transformed, and yes, someday I would get around to using them. He likes the pillows. I made the pillow forms first, taking the fluff out of the old pillows, fluffing it, and then stuffing the new forms. Then i could stick them on the couch and determine what sizes I wanted them to be. This is when I decided I needed one round shape and one rectangle. I love love love love them. And it makes my couch very exciting.

Camio pillow

I've been working on pillows for my new white and bright and perfect couch. So I was surfing the web a lot on the lookout for interesting pillows. The pillow below is one I decided to make. It was my inspiration.

Who's face? I thought of a lot of faces, but decided that really, I just wanted to see my sister in my music room all the time. Plus she has a great profile. In my family, we're a little chubby and may not have the best hygiene, but we have great bone structure, which is what I needed. So she agreed, and I hope she doesn't mind me posting this picture. This was taken late at night after a hard day dealing with 25 kindergartners. And she's pregnant. Look at that bone structure!

Thank you photoshop.
Here I changed the pony tail and added body below the neck. That's it. I didn't change the face or head AT ALL, Heidi, and look how beautiful it is. I knew my sister's profile would be perfect.

My first little experiment with freezer paper. Loved it. Hot iron temporarily adheres the paper to the fabric. The lines were very clean, no bleeding. I did a tester, very pleased with my fabric and paint.

Viola.

And it really looks like her. Thanks, Heid.

This song is dedicated to

Annie. I heard this song on Pandora and it made me:
1. miss my sister
2. be thankful that though she is now so skinny, her bottom is still amazing

	The Band - The Weight
	Found at skreemr.org