Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing

Hey y'all. 

It's been a little bit, but I guess that's to be expected with everything I have going on. I made it through the first week of classes, and I think I'm really going to enjoy my OTC/non-prescription medication class. 

I'd be lying if I said this week was a cake walk. I had a ton of meetings (which went fine), but Thursday brought a series of mood shifts on the funk. And by funk, I mean depression. I've never been one to say that I've felt depressed. 

In a bad mood, a funk, just bla - yes. Those I've felt, but never depressed. I don't think this will be a chronic thing, but I know I've never felt like I did on Thursday (and never want to again). I think it's a culmination of worry and stress. When things like that happen, I try to calm myself down because I get angry rather than emotionally upset - tears, yada yada, the whole nine. I say things over and over in my mind and I pray. I pray about it because I know things will happen like they should, but I need that little convo with God and myself - talking myself down from anger, from words I can't take back, from the emotional stress of it all, etc. Sometimes, if I need that extra boost, I jump on Pinterest and look at my Words To Live By Board (call me crazy). Words can have such an impact. For real, for real. It's why I have a whole wall of them in my room. Songs do the same thing for me. Couldn't help but listen to this old SHeDAISY song on Friday, circa 2006:

Life is funny, life's a mess

Sometimes a curse, sometimes a blessing

Don't worry 'bout a thing, don't worry 'bout it.

Life gets sticky, life can bruise

Sometimes you win, sometimes you're losing

No matter what it brings

Don't worry 'bout a thing.

Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing - SHeDAISY

To help remedy my mood, I picked up my camera this afternoon. I haven't touched it since my pancakes. Seriously.  Even though these pictures may look slightly crummy, they've helped my mood ten fold. The natural light in my bedroom at the beach is CRUM.MEE. (Oxymoron - poor light at the beach? I know, but my room is on the back of the house and I have just one window. Story on the white walls here.) It is what it is though, and I've been dying to share this (gave a little peak on Instagram).

Y'all know I bought some antique Virginia license plates a couple weekends ago in Staunton for a little wall art that I had in mind. I must say, I LOVE it when things turn out just like I imagine them (I apologize for not having more pictures of the how-to process). 

 

Antique License Plate Wall Art

Things You'll Need

• Antique license plates (how many is up to you)
• Hemp Cord, twine, or thin rope of your choosing
• Hot glue 
• Scissors
• Hook for hanging

How To Make It

• Gather your plates and clean them (mine were yucko!).
• Thread rope/cord through plates as you choose. I cut four pieces (two for in between each plate), all the same measurements and hot glued the ends together. You won't see the hot glue because it hides just behind the plates.
• Then I threaded the rope through the holes on the bottom plate and tied together on the backside (kinda wanted everything to look cohesive - as if the rope were threaded through each hole). I trimmed the cord to make sure nothing was peeking out. 
• I did the same for the top, making sure I left some so that I could hang it. 
• There are a million ways to thread your rope/twine - play around with it before committing to anything. Do what works for you!
• Finished! Now hang from a cute hook and enjoy (got this hook on sale for $2.99 at Hobby Lobby - can't beat that!). 

This is the first thing I see every morning - totally in love.

I guess I could file this one in the #enjoyingthesmallthings category. I'm trying to enjoy them because they're all I've got right now. On the flip side, I'm super excited for next weekend to get here. I'll be in Richmond for some down time, and on Sunday I'll be at Byrd Park for the JDRF 5k (my twelve year old cousin was diagnosed with Type I when she was nine).  I hope that a cure for diabetes (and HIV) are discovered in my lifetime. If you're interested in donating/walking, email me!

-Suze

Wake Up Little Susie

Did anyone have one of these bad boys growing up?

This girl right here did and she loved it. Mine didn't have dual microphones - mine only had one (my parents probably planned it that way haha). I remember taking this thing everywhere with me, singing songs I knew and some I didn't! I had those Wee Sing - Sing Along books and tapes and those were  my best companions. I'd select which tape I wanted to listen/sing to, pop open my Playskool tape player, put my tape in, and sing. Sing all of the songs from the book. I actually had this exact book with tape.

The most memorable book I couldn't locate on the internet, but I remember it having 50's sock-hop like songs on it. My favorite? Wake Up Little Susie by The Everly Brothers. I can't imagine why it was my favorite? I used to sing that song until I was blue in the face, and my mom would sing it to me in the morning at an attempt at waking me up for the day. Eventually I grew out of this song. I no longer sing it, and no longer carry around my tape player everywhere I go. 

It's still very near and dear to my heart though. Yesterday, I shared I how I made the cutest darn banner, and I mentioned promised to share what it was hanging from. This cutie will be hanging in the large, bla spot above my dresser and could't be more excited! Here she is.

(Screaming like a little girl over here!) Totally love it. Has a little bit of an OCMS feel. Anyone? 

Wanna make one inspired by childhood memories? This project took off because I was inspired by this girl's canvases with quotes from her dad - I tweaked mine a little (no Mod-Podge, books, etc.). Heres how:

Wake Up Little Susie Canvas

What You'll Need To Make It

• Large Canvas (I used 20" x 20")
• Spray Paint (At least two colors, a base color and another to spray over your letters. I used a flat metallic silver for my base and a glossy bahama sea color for my top coat. Both were by Krylon. I have used their paint in the past - I think they have done something different to it. The glossy was a complete and total mess. Still satisfied with the appearance though.)
• Vinyl Letters (If you need more than one U, buy two packages. Yes, I had to go back out for another.)
• Sandpaper or Scotch Brite Pad
• Stain (The Minwax I used was the same color/can used by my dad to stain the trim of our house . . . 19 years ago. Yea, it's old. They still make the color I used though.)
• Gloves
• Old Rag (Use to apply stain.)
• Clear Sealer
• An Inspired Quote or Saying

How To Make It

• Start with a fresh canvas.
• Spray your base coat color all over and allow to dry.
• After drying, apply vinyl letters as you please.
• Spray other color over base color with applied letters in place and let dry.
• Once dry, peel away letters.
• Use sandpaper to roughen edges and sand down any rough areas surrounding the letters. Sand some of the surface all over, exposing some of the base coat.
• Put gloves on and dip small portion of old rag in stain. 
• Wipe stain all over canvas, making certain to cover the roughed up areas. This doesn't have to be methodical. It's supposed to look a little old and messy. Let dry.
• Once dry, spray with a clear sealer and allow to dry.
• To attach your banner, use thumbtacks. I pushed them slightly into the back of the canvas, wrapped the bakers twine around the thumbtack several times, then pushed the thumbtack firmly into the canvas securing the twine and trimmed any extra.
• Hang to display and enjoy it by drinking a cup of coffee in a chair next to it. Instant good day!

Things you'll need.

Spray your base color all over your fresh canvas.

Apply letters like you want them, spray top color all over, and let dry. I'm not sure if it was the gloss paint or my letters not being applied well, but the edges on some of the letters peeled up after spraying - may have been a combination of both. I kinda like it though. Once dry, peel off your letters.

After peeling off your letters, you'll have something that looks like this. The middle picture shows some of the rough edges on a few of the letters. Not all of them were like this, but I kinda liked it. I did smooth them out some with sandpaper so that they would pick up the stain better.

Dip your rag in your stain and begin to spread all over. You can try for something uniform, but I wanted it a little messy and a little darker in some areas. (Make sure you're in a well ventilated area for this.)

Let stain dry, apply clear sealer, then hang your banner from it!

There she is again! Love!

-Suze