The Chair Reveal
This is it! It’s not perfect. Not by a long shot. But I did it and it’s finished. I reupholstered this chair. I learned a few things…and I had a good time doing it. Such a good time, I just might tackle that other chair that is begging for a redo. But that will have to wait until the fall.
Just to remind you…here is the before and after. I’m pretty pleased. It’s not falling apart. It’s fully covered {with fabric from this millennium, no less.} And it’s sooo much more comfortable that it was before. Coming soon…a big long post on how I did it.
Amy
Bold Built-Ins
Remember when I told you about my recent project overlap? Well…both are done. Yes, I am a certified Project Finisher. {I think we should have T-shirts made for all of us who are…} Today I’m showing off my beautiful built-in cabinets. Last week I painted the inside of the cabinets a lovely, poppy teal. I love the added color!
You may know that I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat when it comes to bold color. Inside my house I tend to stick with white, white and more white. Only off set by light subtle neutrals. But this is my summer of adventure, so I went bold. The inside of cabinets is the perfect place for a bold touch. It’s a small space and since it’s enclosed the darkness will help tone it down a bit.
Getting the job done was pretty easy. I primed with the best primer ever: Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Zinsser. You can read my rave about it here. Then I painted. To be honest, the toughest, most time consuming part was taping off all the glass. Remember to use these tips if you take a project like this on yourself.
Now, you wanna know something awesome? Who am I kidding? Of course you do. I painted all the color using only a sample carton from Sherwin-Williams. Which means this makeover only cost me $6!! {Since I had tape and primer on hand.}
If you love the color…it’s SW’s “Intense Teal.”
Now, you really want to see a change? Let’s compare the way the dining room looked when we first moved in….and the way it looks now. It’s so extreme! I simply love it.
Tomorrow I’ll show you how my chair turned out!
When Bad Things Happen
I teach the high school Sunday school class at my church. For the past few months we’ve been going through the book of Revelation. A task that was pretty intimidating for me as a leader…since the book itself isn’t exactly a summer beach read. My co-leader, Ben, just finished our last lesson yesterday. A few weeks back, though, I taught a lesson on Chapters 15 and 16. I hadn’t known exactly what to say, or what portion of the text to focus on. But as I studied the words the Holy Spirit took hold of my heart and showed me what to zero in on: Responding to bad times.
If you ask me there is no book of the Bible that describes worse days than Revelation. As my Dad would say, “Sounds like a bad day at the office.”
There are plagues and beasts and wars all over the place. If you haven’t read it in a while, I’ll refresh you. After a short bit the believers are taken away from the Earth, leaving those who have not put their faith in Jesus. Time goes on and things really take a turn. Angels line up with bowls of wrath…ready to be dumped on the world. Yeah, not a good day at the office.
So the wrath starts coming. Boils break out on the skin, salt water turns to blood, fresh water turns to blood, the sun’s heat is unmasked from the Earth making things hot and dangerous.
From the text it seems obvious what is happening. God is working. He is making known His greatness. He is bringing the justice He has long promised. In my mind, the natural thing to do would be submit under the wrath. Acknowledge the Lord and repent. If I didn’t believe in God…you bet your burnt buns that’d get my attention.
But that is not the reaction we see in Revelation. Chapter 16 tells us that the people blaspheme His name. They refuse to repent. Others curse the name of the Lord.
I can just imagine the world…going to hell in a hand basket years from now. Technology that we’ve never dreamed of is in the works, science has come leaps and bounds. And between the two…science and technology, the people of the Earth can explain away everything that is happening. They can blame the water on red algae, the heat on weather patterns. They take these awful hardships with an even stonier heart.
As much as I wish this was true, being a Christian does not mean your life will be sheltered from trouble. There is no easy fix for hardship. Difficult, draining, even tragic moments will crop up in this life and there is nothing we can do to stop all of them from happening. What we can do is control our view of trying times. We can allow tragedy to turn our attention back toward the Lord. Let it soften our hearts. We can trust that evil, awful thing that happen in this life are not always created by God…but they can always be used to glorify Him.
At then end of a day full of hardships we have a few choices to make. The first is whether we choose to grip on tight to the trouble, own it and make it our own…or whether we will turn the hardship over to God with open hands. Knowing that He can spin even the darkest of moments into an opportunity to show His glory.
The second choice kind of wraps its tendrils around the first. We chose how to respond. With anger, lack of faith, and curses toward God, like the folks in Rev. 16…or with a grateful heart and a submissive spirit, allowing even natural disasters to cause us to wonder at the hands of God. If we believe the latter, we can take heart, knowing that we serve a God who is just and merciful to those who love Him. Because at the end of it all, at the end of Revelation, the plagues, the beasts, the hardships…they all had to happen to bring about a greater end: a restored world where nothing will ever separate those who love God from Him again. An Earth where we dwell together with our Savior and hardships no longer exist.
Amy
Invitation Inspiration {Recent Designs}
You know I love a good party. I love going to them. I love throwing them. I love helping others throw them, plan them, decorate them. Parties are the best. And a good party starts with a good invitation.
Soon I’ll be adding a design section to amyallender.com. Which is very exciting because I’ve been designing for friends for quite a while now. In the mean time check out these recent designs churned out by the one and only Amy Allender. Maybe you’ll get a little inspiration for your next get together.
If you’d like me to design something special for you drop me a note!
Do You Gliffy?
Have you heard of Gliffy? I hadn’t until just about a year ago. And, let me tell you…it changed the way I rearrange my furniture. It changed the way we moved in to our house.
Intrigued?
Gliffy is a free program online. It’s basically draft paper that you can draw your house plans into. They have graphics for furniture, walls, windows, etc. So you can virtually rearrange things before you do any heavy lifting. Because we’ve all be there before…you think it’ll fit just perfectly…only to heave-ho and learn that the dresser is just an inch wider than the nook you had in mind.
Bummer.
Ever since our very first move Derek and I have kept a careful log of the dimensions of our furniture. That way when we arrived at our new home we could measure our rooms and decide where things would fit. When the movers showed up we’d be ready with a plan.
Gliffy takes that awesome logic a step further. It’s all saved on your computer. Well, the Internet. So it’s never at risk of being lost.
I haven’t visited my Gliffy worksheets for a long time. But all that is changing. My next type of separation therapy is on the horizon:
Destruction Therapy.
When we moved in we knew we wanted to renovate our second floor. Friends, it’s happening. May is a make-it-happen month. Hopefully by June things will look more like this: {Minus the fact that the guest room will still be there.} Still not 100% committed on where the new closet will be. The bottom line is that the wall will be gone and my furniture will fit more comfortably.
My Project Puppies
My parents like to have a dog in the house. I never remember a time when we didn’t have a dog. In fact, usually they chose to overlap our dogs. As one was on its way out we bought a puppy. It eased the transition and kept our home at ease.
Projects are like puppies in my eyes.
This is how it usually plays out for me. As one thing is wrapping up, another thing starts. So here’s where I’m at today. The upholstery thing is wrapping up {and should be done at the end of this week.} Meanwhile another small project has started.
First, the chair. Impressive, right?
I just need to add cover pieces to the arms to cover the nails there and sew the seat cushion cover.
Second, I’m going to paint the inside of our built in cabinets. They’ve already gone through a pretty impressive makeover {which you might remember}, but I am really fed up with that ugly pinkish-brown. I want my collection of white wares to pop.
So today I taped. Tonight I upholster. Tomorrow I paint. {And I’ll buy one more yard of fabric. I’m just shy. Bummer!!}
Don’t you love adventures?
Amy
Retail Therapy
As you may remember, the drive to Minneapolis to visit the Mall of America {from here on out it will be referred to as the MOA} was pretty treacherous. Scratch that. It was some of the most terrifying driving I’ve ever done. Ever. But we made it. And, yes…it was worth it. read more…
Mall Madness {90’s style}
Have you ever time traveled?
Get ready because we are going back to the 90’s.
When I was a kid my parents bought my sister and me a game called Mall Madness. I’ve talked about it to friends since then, but no one seemed to remember it. I almost thought I made it up…especially since looking back it all just seems so weird.
But alas, it did exist.
As you can see from the box, it’s geared toward both boys and girls {just kidding}. Here is the premise as I remember it:
You set up an elaborate board that looks like a clue board, but with mall shops instead of rooms. Then you move a cool plastic person around the board. You press a button on a little machine and a weird voice tells you what store is having a sale. Then you rush there and buy things.
This is what the box says:
“Attention Mall Shoppers! The voice of the Mall has big news! Come inside and hear all about the giant sales and special bargains! Then join your friends on a wild shopping spree as you rush from store to store!
Press the console button and the Voice will tell you where to move and where to find the best sales. Hurry! Your friends may try to beat you to the bargains! See if you can be the first to buy six items. IF you need more money, make a quick stop at the bank!
To buy or bank – just insert your credit card into the slot and listen. You never know what the Voice of the Mall has “in store” for you!”
Did you catch that bit about the money? If you run out, just go to the bank. No big deal, just get more and keep shopping. Only in the 90’s…am I right?
Any time our babysitter came over we would play this game. Looking back, I really feel sorry for that. Especially since her little brother usually came along when we watched us. Andrew played a lot of Mall Madness in his day. Luckily the box came with one male character.
Anyway, the moral of this story is. First of all, that was a great game. Second, I think that was good coaching for my day today. I’ll be spotting the sales then getting there faster than anyone else.
“Attention mall shoppers, there is a sale at H&M.”
What? I’m there. Also, look out Forever 21. Storm’s a’comin’.
Amy
I Hope It’s Worth It {a treacherous drive to the MoA}
Well, we made it Minneapolis.
Barely.
Let me tell you…if warm weather late into fall is called an Indian Summer, I don’t even know what to call the weather we are having right now. Well, I know what to call it, but those words are not appropriate for my younger readers.
Okay, I’ll say it. It’s poopy. Down right poopy, I tell you.
Our day started out great. Blue sunny skies in Minot. We got coffee from Sweet and Flour {the best place to get coffee in Minot} then headed out.
But about half way the weather turned into this.
I thought for sure we’d drive out of it eventually. I thought wrong. This lasted the rest of the drive. 5.5 hours later {it takes 3.5-4 hours in clear weather} we arrived. Yes, that is the highway. Speed limit 70. Traffic pace 40 mph.
After a good dinner at the Cheesecake Factory the weather looked like this.
Poor Katie! She’s just a little California Raisin. This is no way to treat a girl on her birthday.
Good thing our hotel offers a free shuttle to the Mall of America. No more driving for us until it’s time to go home. Hopefully by then it will be over.
Seriously, this is nuts.
Amy
Purging
Okay guys. I did it. I’ve officially parted with my T-shirt collection. Which is a pretty big deal. Why do T-shirts hold such power over us? Like that 5K we walked in won’t exist if we don’t keep the T-shirt. Or we won’t remember anything about high school if we ever toss the shirt we got senior year on that marketing trip.
I don’t use my T’s any more. I used to work out in them…but since I teach so many classes these days I’ve accumulated a very nice collection of professional fitness gear. So I weeded out my T-shirts. Nearly all of them.
And I didn’t stop there…the more I put in the “get-rid-of” pile the easier it was to add to it. I really weeded the proverbial clothing garden in my closet. Anything that I didn’t wear this winter=gone. Things that don’t fit=gone. Things that I want to like, but never really do once their on=gone.
Add in the garbage bag full of clothes that Derek set aside for the “pass on pile,” our closet is looking pretty good. {It’ll look better in May…we are having some construction done!! But that’s a different post.}
Why, oh why did I pick this week, of all weeks to purge my closet? I’ll tell you…tomorrow…I head to Minneapolis…to go to the MOA! Yes, that’s right, The Mall of America, baby! I will never, ever buy more than I am tossing, but I will buy. I’ll buy things from this decade, things that fit, things that look like post-college.
Even if you aren’t going to the MOA {sorry for your luck} I bet you have some things to get rid of. And I was serious when I said it’s easier once you start. You’ll see. Try it. You’ll feel better without all that excess. I pinky swear.
For tips on getting organized this spring go check out Kuzak’s Closet. Amanda is a blogger buddy of mine and she totally rocks…her tips will have you whipped into shape in no time.
Amy
PS…this is the only kind of purging I encourage. You are beautiful just the way you are.
