Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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Reviewing Pinspiration: Stenciled Newspaper Canvas

   Hey you guys! What’s up? I have been craving some artsy-craftsy fun lately, and it occurred to me that I actually do have one project to share with you. Early in April, my friend Erica drove out to the farm for some creative camaraderie  We scoured our Pinterest boards, surveyed what art supplies were readily available in the upstairs Apartment, and got to work. Play. Whatever. Here is what we did!

   Erica was preparing gifts for a couple if special women in her life. I wanted to pump up the volume in the artwork for my downstairs blue bathroom. We settled on canvases. I already had one ginormous canvas, and by ginormous I mean this beast is about four feet wide and three feet tall, painted in several broad, bold colorful stripes. Some time ago I had started hand painting random song lyrics to it and was ready to do more. For Erica’s project we found inspiration on Pinterest. And we learned a few valuable lessons worth sharing.

Just for fun how many of my song lyrics do you recognize?

   My project is so random it barely warrants discussion, but I have enjoyed cramming song lyrics into the colorful bands. It hangs where you cannot miss it, so I always leave the powder room singing one fun thing or another. How many do you recognize? Are you singing anything yet? Bonus points to you if you know any of the artists.

   Erica’s project is what I want to talk about. The idea is more than stenciling letters on canvas.  The idea is first covering the canvas with newspaper then stenciling letters on and painting a solid color. All in an upstairs Apartment that is very likely haunted.

   It was slightly less easy than we expected.

   1.  Okay. First, I suggest you dive right in by adhering newspaper smoothly and fastidiously to the canvas. Do this before you even spend time deciding on your words or paint colors. Getting the newspaper flat and dry will take a bit of time, and you can think about the other fun stuff while your first stage dries. We used mod-podge; I am pretty sure plain white glue would also work.

   This stage is important, because if it bubbles up too much then you are destined to cry and use swear words and kick empty boxes across the room when your letters have weird edges later. A blistered newspaper base makes the letters extra weird later. One more tip here: Do take care to not display sad things on your canvas, just in case the paint later seems transparent. Example? Erica and I accidentally drew sheets from a section of obituaries. Sad. Terrible mojo for a birthday gift for her sweet sister. Erica caught it in plenty of time, by the way, just a head’s up for you.

You can probably see some blisters in the newspaper here. 
By this stage in our project, it was too late to repair.
It turned out pretty cool, but you can be better than us!

   Okay.

   2.  Once you are satisfied that your layer of torn and cleverly oriented newspaper is dry, it’s time to lay down your message. We used a set of reusable vinyl letter stencils I’ve had for a while. They are plain block shapes and not expensive. But I want to say that while they are technically reusable, they do gradually lose a bit of stick over time  This is another good reason to make sure you papered canvas is really truly bone dry  before you lay down stickers; they are more likely to stick to a flat, dry surface than a damp, bumpy one. In fact, as it dries, you might scrape a flat edge against the paper layer. I think it would help.

   Erica and I discovered that the longer the quote, the higher the chance you’ll have to reuse some letters. We know this because we are smart like scientists. It made for a funny rotation of arms and hands, a comical sticker-paint-sticker-again process. Not a big problem, but something to consider if you’re going to the craft store anyway and can afford to buy two sets of letters.

   Okay.

   So your canvas has been papered with cool looking black and white newspaper and it is dry like a desert and flat like farmland.

   You have placed your vinyl letters in such a smart and witty way that you almost want to leave it just like that. You love your quote You love it so much. Time to paint.

   3.  Now just choose a gorgeous solid color and paint it.  But don’t go all crazy on it! Paint it evenly, gingerly, with extra attention paid to the edges and corners of those fussy little vinyl letter stickers. They have a maddening way of peeling up invisibly and allowing paint to seep into exactly where it does not belong. It may not seem like a big deal at first; but as your finished product is unveiled you will chagrin so many blurry edges that cannot be fixed.

   So paint. Paint slowly. Use a straight-edged foam brush if you have one. Paint with Zen and peace in your heart. Paint while breathing in through your nose and out through your gently pursed lips. Engage your core and focus. Breathe. Paint. Breathe some more.

   Depending on the color you choose and your personal taste, you might want to allow time for a second coat. The canvas we painted with turquoise turned out really rich with just one coat because that paint had a base included and is meant for furniture. This red is simply red craft paint, I guess acrylic. It showed a bit more newspaper through its veil of color, which you may or may not groove. Your call.

Bonus points to you again if you can name the movie and character for this quote!

   Taking your time with each step of your project will pay off.

   4.  What should happen is that once every speck of your solid paint color is about 97% dry, you then gently peel away every letter sticker.  What remains visible is the newspaper, with crisp colorful edges. Perhaps you can see here that we had so many blurry edges we decided to give them some muscle by hand-tracing the letters with a black Sharpie. Not Erica’s first choice, not exactly her artistic vision, but she’s a trooper.

   Sometimes with new projects, as with life, you just have to find ways to make it work. And as far as I know the gifts were delivered with love and joy! That counts for much more than perfect edges.

   For us, from top to bottom, I bet we spent a couple of hours doing two such canvases plus my lyrics board. But that was rushed, and I know for sure each step could have dried longer before we moved on. So I really suggest allowing yourself lots of time for one canvas. Maybe even complete one stage each day until it’s done. Be relaxed about this and enjoy the process. It’s not difficult; it’s just fussy.

  Our evening may or may not have ended with Erica seeing one of our farm ghosts. She kinda left in a hurry, quite pale even with her gorgeous Creole complexion, and rumor has it she prayed the whole way home.

   Thanks for a lovely evening, sweet woman! 
I hope you had as much fun as I did, despite the ghost,
and I hope your sister and Mom enjoyed their gifts!

   Have you tried a project like this? Do you have tips or maybe a photo to share? Please feel free to comment away and post it to this blog’s Facebook page.

   Go forth and create!

“Every child is an artist. 
 The problem is how to remain an artist 
 once we grow up.”
 ~Pablo Picasso
xoxoxoxo

Pinspired in the Kitchen

   Hey you guys! (By the way, sometimes when I say that I do it long and drawn out and super loud, like on Electric Company. Remember that awesome show?) This summer I have collected more gorgeous, tempting, and inspiring ideas on Pinterest than is probably healthy for any one person. One day I was even (politely) kicked off of the site by the Pinterest Powers That Be for displaying signs of being a Spammer. I Pin you not. They actually thought I was Spam. I am not Spam. But I do love me some Pinterest.

   Anyway, it’s been a while since I posted Pinterest experiments here on this blog, so tonight I’m just gonna offer up half a dozen recipes drawn from that deep, glorious, digital well of brilliant ideas. The only photo I am using here is my own. And I have linked you to the original posts then included my notes for each.

   Ready? Okay! (Say that like a cheerleader.)

Cooking hot dogs in a slow cooker:
Crock Pot 365 blog
WAHOO, this works pretty great! They really did taste like the roller-cooker style hot dogs you might buy at a gas station.

Muffins that taste like donuts:
Stylish Cuisine blog

   Okay. These. Are. Delish. They are tender, soft, and yummy, and the buttery-sugary coating is just so good. Downside? This recipe is tiny. I mean, it doesn’t make very many individual servings. I made mine as miniature muffins, and they spilled over so far that the muffin tops ended up looking more like cookies. Not a disaster, unless presentation counts for you. I had made these to send to Handsome’s office food day, but they were rather ugly, so…we ate them all. We are martyrs in that way.
Suggestion: use muffin papers and double the recipe.

Zuchinni Tots
Curious Country Cook blog
Oh, yum. These were very, very good. I made them on the recommendation of our friend Steph. Even Handsome loved zuchinni tots, which is fantastic! Any new fresh-vegetable dish we both enjoy is a score. And these are fast to make, too, with few ingredients. Try this recipe!

English Muffin Bread
One Good Thing by Jillee blog
Another easy recipe with big returns on flavor and homemade goodness kitchen Karma. Do you love English muffins? This bread has that fab texture on both sides when you slice it. And as with most homemade bread, the lingering aroma pretty much doubles the work pleasure.
Suggestion: Make this in triplicate. I shared some with our neighbor as a thanks for inviting our horses to graze on his rye grass meadow, and he loved it too!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Tidy Mom blog 
I made this for Handsome on a night I was absent for book club or beekeeping or something. I thought it would be super satisfying for him, kind of a comforting, spicy, guy’s dinner for playing video games or whatever. I served it with a big bag of tortilla chips and wished him luck. It turned out okay, but he was not crazy about it.
Suggestion: Use less of something liquid, maybe the ranch dressing, or maybe add more chicken. I think it would be flat out delish and addictive with a little more substance. Or maybe my guy was just sad I was gone all night.

Butterfinger Chunk Cookies
Recipe Girl blog
These are so tasty, and obviously the aroma? Oh my… The whole farm smelled like Butterfingers and bread and general bakery goodness the afternoon I made these for a going-away-to-college dinner for our friend’s son. But they are not fool proof. I baked these exactly according to the recipe, but they were too crisp for my taste. As in, they stuck in my teeth. Not fun, but still tasty.
Suggestion: Under cook these bad boys more drastically than you have ever under cooked anything in your culinary life. 

So there you have a handful of recipes to try! Perhaps it seems like all we do is eat. Perhaps that is a fact.

What’s Cooking in Your Kitchen These Days?
xoxoxoxo

5 More Pinterest Experiments

 Hi there! So, the biggest “try” in my life here lately has been running at least a couple of miles every morning then staying productive throughout each day despite the heat. Sprinkle in one minor but lingering illness, regular intervals of happy guests, and intense cuddling with my guy every night, and you have a pretty good snapshot of my life lately.
 
   I know that staying mildly productive is a lot to ask of a girl whose home bears the name “Lazy,” but the good news is that I keep discovering little projects that make me a look like a much harder worker than I really am. Leaving me more time to read, entertain and cuddle.

  Care for a quick review? I have linked to the original posts for recipe and tutorial details, but the photos are my own.

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#1. Make a T-Shirt Into a Summertime Scarf:
   I made this yellow t-shirt scarf for my friend Stephanie, and I plan to make tons more. It was so fun and easy, and once you fiddle with it for a while, it looks pretty cute too. Its light weight is nice for summer, and of course “free” is a wonderful price for any craft. I think knotting the strand ends is a good idea, but you do whatever the heck you want to do.

Tutorial from PS I Made This 

#2. Incredibly Effective Bathroom Cleaning & Deodorizing:
http://askannamoseley.com/2012/02/getting-rid-of-that-boy-smell-in-the-bathroom/

   No photo, but this works. Our downstairs bathroom has both a toilet and a urinal but neither windows for sunlight sanitizing nor any kind of ventilation, so there is zero room for error in cleaning. I promise you this method works, plus you can feel good about using fewer chemicals.

#3. Paula Deen’s Gooey Butter Cake:
 
   I made this dessert a few days ago when a cheerful menagerie of loved ones was almost due here at the farm. Between bursts of laughter and slicingly smart and witty stories, my little sister Guinevere read the recipe aloud to me. There is something about hearing a recipe verbalized that kind of cements its nutritional value or, as is the case here, total lack thereof.

   This has a lot of butter in it, you guys. And sugar and cream cheese and powdered sugar. And more butter. Therefore I highly recommend this gorgeous and decadent cake. While it baked, my house smelled like a giant sugar cookie brought from heaven on angel wings under a strand of white pearls and twinkle lights. Everyone who sampled it loved it, and even Handsome approved. It has a soft cheesecake texture but is a snap to make.

Get the recipe straight from her sweet Southern website. 

#4. Edie’s Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Salad
   So far I have only loved every recipe I have tried of Edie’s, and this is no exception. Especially if you have some tomatoes and bail growing in your garden, try this recipe! A few weeks ago I took a cold batch of it to our most recent book club dinner, and since then I craved it suddenly one night and made a hot version of the sauce to drizzle over some skinny spaghetti. Really scrumptious, you guys. Give it a try.

Edie is also the author of the apple tart and chocolate chip cookie recipe #2, remember? 

#5. Mascara Rescue:
http://griffithsrated.blogspot.com/2012/03/frugal-friday-extend-life-of-your.html
 
   Sorry, folks. I do not really have a photo for this one either, but I can tell you that it does work. Surely you’ve seen the image on Pinterest yourself, right? Just add a few drops of eye solution to your drying up mascara, and it magically reconstitutes. I was able to squeeze another couple of weeks out of mine, which rocks.

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   Well, besides cooking, cleaning, gardening, and fake sewing, I have been realizing that heat stroke and dehydration are real. It has knocked me off of my feet more than a couple of times in a few days, making that little bit of sun glow or farm work totally NOT worth the sickness. Please take care of yourselves. Please work outside early or late or not at all, and keep cold water nearby at all times. 
What New Things Have You Sampled Lately?
xoxoxo

Eight Recent Pinterest Experiments

   Who has two thumbs and an excessive amount of ideas on Pinterest? THIS GUY!

   I am on the verge of feeling genuine shame over how many photos and links I have “Pinned,” knowing full well that it would take me years to actually go forth and execute them all. It all seems rather elusive and imaginary, doesn’t it? Except that some of it really is doable and worthwhile.

   Today instead of sharing things I want to do eventually,  I would like to share some things I have already done and give a snippet review of each.

   Ready?

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1. Displaying found feathers with shells, etc.

   Thanks to the plethora of birds running around the Lazy W, we have an abundance of loose feathers available at all times. The black and white dotted guinea feathers are some of the prettiest, and this is arrangement showcases them nicely. I’ve been sticking feathers everywhere. In potted plants, vases, bowls, you name it. I want to say it’s a wholly artistic effort, but really I just always have pockets full of feathers and need to put them somewhere when I come inside. Still, this counts. This Pinterest idea was totally inspirational.
2. Butterfinger Cake
   Okay you guys. This cake. I can’t remember what the occasion was exactly, but one day last month I decided rather late in the afternoon that we desperately needed a special dessert that night. I drove fifteen minutes to the nearest grocery store to buy the supplies. I forgot some of the most important supplies. So then I drove twenty-three minutes to a second grocery store so I wouldn’t have to face those employees from the first store again. I’ve done the “Oops I forgot something” sing song routine with them before, and for some reason those people are merciless. I shudder to endure that amount of teasing a second time.
   Once home, I was finally free to assemble this GORGEOUS and mouth watering cake. It was so much fun and quite delish. Handsome and I ate a couple of pieces each. We sent the remaining cake to his office the next day in order to avoid spending all of April, May, and June on the elliptical machine. Bottom line? If you like Butterfinger candy bars and you like cake, then try this recipe.
   Also, Plain Chicken is a great home cooking blog to check out. Do yourself a favor and browse her other recipes!
3. Panko Crusted Tilapia
   This was another delish recipe. Not expensive, not too time consuming, and also something a little different, at least for the two of us. The lemon cream sauce was delectable, you guys. The only change I made was to add a speck of nutmeg. Also I forgot the sugar, but I bet that would be so good.
   What makes this recipe extra special to me is that it got me to finally buy a box of Panko crumbs! I had never tried them before, although every other woman in the free world has been cooking with them for a million years. They are quite good. Very much worth adding to my standard stock-the-pantry shopping list. Yum.
4. Chalk as Stain Remover
   My big comment here is that this WORKS. Using white chalk rescued two of Handsome’s button-up dress shirts that had been stained AND already laundered. (My bad…) Keep chalk in your laundry basket. Bam. Good as new.
5. Wardrobe Images 
   This link is less of an inspiration than an illustration. I have a cropped denim jacket that came form a thrift store and has the perfect amount of thinness and fraying all over it. Really, truly, the perfect amount. When I am not dressed to work outside, that denim jacket plus a long sundress and either boots or flip flops are pretty much my standard daily wardrobe. In fact, that happens to be exactly what I wore to lunch with my friend Melissa today!
   Sometimes I will get ready to go out somewhere with Handsome and he’s like, “Oh, look. You’re wearing your denim jacket again. Cool.”
   Or maybe we’re headed to church and he says, “Oh wow, your denim jacket goes with that too. I would not have guessed that. Cool.”
   I have a lot of sundresses sort of like the one above. He sees me choose one and automatically starts helping me find my denim jacket. It’s kind of a thing. It’s nice to be understood, but I imagine that if we are ever invited to a black tie affair, my fave denim jacket will mysteriously go missing.
6. Apron Tutorial
   This apron tutorial is just great, you guys. Fast, simple, unlined, adaptable, and so fresh looking. I made one of these cute little numbers yesterday and will be making many more. It has a more casual feel than lots of other aprons, and the bow is pretty adorable. I will pass along this comment: the measurements she provides will give you an adult small, but if you want a different size it’s all rectangles so it’s simple to adjust. If you are a home sewist, give this a try! She has lots of other fun ideas too!
7. This is just wonderful.
8. Up-Cycled Tee, Drawstring Tank Tutorial
   I saved the most exciting idea for last. This tee shirt up-cycle is beyond fast; it takes less than twenty minutes to complete. It is practically FREE because you just use any old tee-shirt you can find in your closet. And it is actually wearable. 
   Some ideas look cool in photos then feel weird in real life, but this drawstring tank top is even better than expected. I have sewn up about a dozen of these since trying it out last week and I am keeping several for myself. If you have a quarter of an hour and a tee-shirt, try this for yourself. You can even do it with a needle and thread, no machine required. Imagine all the possibilities!
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   So there ya go. Eight ways Pinterest has enriched my life this past week or so. Is this enough to justify my addiction?
I’ll Stop Pinning When They Make Me.
xoxoxo