Sharpie Plates

It's November which means is time to start on my super long Christmas list. That combined with my recent obsession with the dollar tree, lead me in search of pinterest ideas for dollar store DIY. I have been wanting to try the sharpie project for a while! A few weeks ago, my super sweet husband actually went to Michaels and picked out craft supplies for my birthday. One of the things he got was a super big pack of sharpies. I hit up the dollar tree in search of something pretty and white to draw on. I though these bowls had a nice shape, and I grabbed a bunch. I decided to make a little set using a few different fashion quotes.

I quickly cleaned all the bowls with alcohol. I free handed my quotes thickening the letters in certain areas. Alcohol on a q-tip works great as an eraser. Once I was happy with the result, I baked them at 325 for an hour. I shut the oven off and let them stay in to cool down. I made a bunch at one time and will say the greens and yellows came out a lot darker after baking, but overall the colors stayed true. I also started on a DIY topiary and Christmas village redo. I'll share those as soon as I'm done. I read that it's best to hand wash these, but I guess we will see how they do.

The dollar tree can be a little overwhelming but there are certainly diamonds in the rough if you have a little vision. Looking forward to some more dollar store DIYs!

 

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The Secret To Nitrous During A Dental Appointment.

 

As a dental phobic dental wife, I get the benefit of my husband trying everything possible to make me a happy camper in the dental chair. From magic mouthwash to help my sensitive teeth during cleanings to special compounded numbing gel to make the shots not hurt, we have tried it all! But the best thing by far is Nitrous. I have tried nerve pills in the past, but I still had a limit. After fifty minutes in the chair, my shirt is drenched with sweat and tears are rolling down my cheeks. So when we built our office with built-in nitrous, we took time to find just the right levels to make me comfortable and easy to work on for once. So after much personal success I offer the very anecdotal and unliscenced medical professional version of:

The Secrets to Nitrous

First, it is really important to breathe through your nose. Breathe through your mouth and you are wasting precious pain killing, nerve calming, tingle inducing happy gas. So suck it down through your nose and suck it down like its your job. You will be on cloud nine in no time. If it starts wearing off a bit, you probably started breathing through your mouth again. So a few strong pulls through your nose and you will be back to cloud nine no problem!

Second and perhaps most important, DON'T FIGHT IT! It is possible. Have you ever been tipsy and sobered up real quick after your parents showed up or the cops started checking IDs at a tailgate? Mind over matter. This level of sedation is pretty light, so if you convince yourself it's not working, try hard to pay attention to everything going around you, or focus on trying to anticipate pain, you really are cheating yourself out of cloud nine happiness. So, instead, focus only on your breathing, the sound of the gas flowing, and the tingle of relaxation flowing over you body like a blanket. When my toes start to tingle I know I am there and really let go, but I'm sure it's different for everyone.

Third, most people will develop a tolerance to the gas after 30 minutes or so. I think it really varies person to person. It is ok to tell them that you are not feeling it as much anymore so they can adjust the levels.

Lastly, it also important after the procedure is finished, and they have dialed it back down, to stay on just oxygen for a bit so you don't get a headache.

I seriously shake, sweat and tense up moments after getting in the chair. I think it is still a subconscious reaction to super painful and traumatizing dental experiences as a child. Five minutes on Nitrous, and I tell my husband to go ahead and do whatever he needs to do. I can hardly get in the chair without it! Although, Allyson's amazing and recently managed to clean my teeth sans nitrous and magic mouthwash!

People call me all the time asking is it safe after they have read scary articles on the Internet. The main thing to know about nitrous is that only works as long as you are breathing it in. If you are going to have any side effects, they will occur while you are in the chair with a Dr. right there to help you. However, nitrous is not for people who are pregnant. The scary bad problems some articles talk about are the effects or nitrous inhalation without proper levels of oxygen. In our office, if the oxygen levels aren't high enough, the unit will shut off. It is literally impossible to breathe in just nitrous gas using our system. Those warnings are more for people who somehow get a tank and start sucking off it which is a really bad idea!

So really and truthfully, with virtually no side effects and complete relaxation, Nitrous Oxide sedation makes dental treatment so much easier and more comfortable for me. Talk to your Dr. to see if its the right option for you. Remember I'm not a dentist! Just married to one. So ask your Dr. If you have any questions!

 

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Sweet Succulents

 

I stopped by Walmart yesterday to pick up some alphabet letters for a project later this week and saw a tube of jungle animals for $3. I couldn't pass these sweet little ones up. I also picked up a few succulents for under $10 at lowes.

About six months ago my grandparents stopped by the office and dropped off a mixed succulent arrangement. It's so pretty, and I have managed to keep it alive. So I decided it would be relatively safe to try to grow some at home too!

Supply list:

1. Container, vessel, or in my case an old glass square vase that is completely impractical for flowers.

2. Rocks of some kind ... i.e. fish rocks or river rocks/pebbles.

3. Potting soil.

4. Succulents ... If you are clumsy like me I recommend the sturdy looking ones because they break really easily.

5. Plastic toys ... I used zoo animals but dinosaurs would be fun too.

6. Gold sharpie.

Put an inch or two of rocks on the bottom for drainage. Fill 3/4 of the vessel with potting soil. Delicately plant the succulents. Make sure to leave room for them to spread out a bit. Lightly pack soil to hold plants in place. Cover soil with rocks.

I was really happy to get to use the rocks I bought for G Dub right before he went to the big fish bowl in the sky. I'm not sure I can handle having another fish after the trauma of trying to save that little guy!

Next I picked out the 3 animals from my jungle tube that I liked best, and I colored them gold with my sharpie. I was originally going to spray paint them gold, but they are so small, I colored all 3 in under 10 minutes. The sharpie worked great, covered really well, and dried quickly. I like it so much better than the faded colors the we're rocking before. Now my little friends are perking up the corner of my kitchen.

We have been super busy with back to school, but I have a few projects planned for this week. I also have to work on Dr. Steve's birthday. He is always hard to buy for... Especially on a budget! Trying to think of something I could make him, but so far I'm striking out!

 

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Book Art

I have been wanting to try this project for a while and it was the perfect little project for today.

Round up an exacto knife (to make sure the page comes out of the book clean instead of ripped), a felt tip pen (especially if your book is old so the paper doesn't rip), painters tape for clean edges and a clear ruler to make this project super easy!

1. Tape off the edges. I always stick my tape a couple of times to my pants or shirt so that it's less tacky. Super important step for delicate old book pages.

2. Outline your quote with pencil.

3. Take your straight edge ... Or in my case, piece of wood because I was too lazy to search for a ruler, and make a few guidelines. I went diagonally from the corners of the rectangle I drew around my quote. I messed up the first page I tried because I drew a line through my quote. So the second time I used tape to cover up my quote while drawing my lines.

4. Once I drew my guide lines to get the right angles, I pretty much free handed the rest of my lines.

5. Carefully remove the tape. Frame and admire.

It's the perfect addition to our gallery wall. We are trying to fill it with prints from our travels, a map of our old neighborhood, artwork, etc.

Enjoying a super lazy Saturday after a long week!

 

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Coffee Drawer

One of my favorite examples of streamlined organization in my house is my coffee drawer. In the morning, we are total zombies, but this section of my kitchen makes our morning so much easier. Cups/mugs are above the coffee maker and directly below is the coffee drawer. Anytime I get something in a pretty/sturdy box I save it. This is a candle box I got on clearance around Christmas. The candle is long gone,but the top and bottom of the box are perfect for holding our sugar packets. A sweet vintage candy tin keeps all my tea bags neatly contained. And finally a white ikea bin keeps our k-cups accessible. In the very back of the drawer I have a box of hot chocolate which fills the last bit of space.

I woke up early on Saturday and decided to deep clean my kitchen. I also decided to deep clean my Keurig. I washed all the removable components by hand and ran a resevior full of vinegar water through it followed by 3 rounds of regular water to flush everything out. It hasn't been making quite as much noise while brewing which I think is a sign that it worked!

I also made a banana bread mix this weekend. The package said to add a banana and chopped nuts for added flavor. It turned out really good! Not quite as good as from scratch but really close! I missed not having Friday for house work, and I am behind on my goal to do something creative everyday. But, on the plus side, I have been making a lot of progress at work lately so I feel pretty good about everything!

 

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Car Key Makeover

Last night while painting the bobby pins I decided to slap some polish on my key and it turned out so cute! It made me want to makeover my whole key situation. I say situation because my key chain had recently exploded. I had my house key tied to my key chain with ribbon but that came off and my jump ring broke .... So really I have been keeping a handful of keys in my purse for 3 weeks. I am shocked I haven't lost one yet! This was necessary!!! First the key make over....

First I cleaned the key with nail polish to get off any oils so the nail polish would stick better. I did three thin coats of the glitter polish and it dried really smooth. Then I gathered all the components. Two of my favorite waxing poetic charms with the sweet little keys to my luggage went on a ring with my new glam house key. I finally got to make use of a lucky number 3 keychain I picked up almost a year ago in downtown Brunswick. And finally my car keys all on a big ring that has a easy open/close ball.

Who knew car keys could make me so happy!

Trying to stick to one small project each day, and I have to say it's definitely something to look forward to! Speaking of .... Looking forward to a couple of hard apple ciders and an early bed time after a big day of insurance claims. I wonder if not having a free Friday is going to catch up with me next week. Probably! But a least a cider induced coma is calling my name tonight!

 

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Painted Bobby Pins

Today's craft was super easy and took about 5 mins. It is Another Pinterest find I remembered while cleaning my bathroom earlier tonight. I am a bobby pin addict. I hate having hair in my face when I'm working, so I have tons! My favorite way to store them is in a round magnetic canister I got in the target dollar section forever ago. So easy to keep them contained because the magnet scoops them up!

The tins are the best. Im hoping I might be able to find some more for cheap!
Random side note of the day: I clicked on a Lumosity pop-up and thought I would give it a try. The games were actually fun and challenging! Who knows if it will make me smarter, but it can't hurt to give my brain a little work out everyday. If it doesn't work, at least I will have pretty bobby pins to make my head look cuter!
Normally today would be my Friday, but we are buckling down and working a few Fridays to manage the back to school rush. But a later start time means there might be a chicken biscuit in my future!

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