How to Paint a Metal Cabinet

 DIY: Furniture Redo! Painting metal

 I found this cabinet at an estate sale for $10.00.

 But it was ugly. And gross. And old.

 But I had a vision for it and figured I'd just give it a makeover so I could use it in my craft room.

 So here are the steps for painting metal... This goes for file cabinets, metal boxes, mailboxes, etc.

1. Clean (I had to scrub the you know what out of this thing) thoroughly.
2. Sand with 100 or 200 grit sandpaper. If there is any rust, sand it all off.
3. Wipe down so the surface is free of dust.
4. After putting a drop cloth down, spray entire surface with metal primer. This makes it possible for paint to adhere and prevents future rust. I bought 2 cans of it since this was a big project and I wanted to make sure rust wouldn't take over.
5. After the primer is dry, you can paint with any kind of paint. Some say to get the metal proof spray paint, but they didn't have the color choices I wanted, so I got the $5 paint samples from Sherwin Williams and love the outcome. The colors are Tantalizing Teal and Butter Up Yellow, and the two of them mixed. I put 3 coats on the outside and 2 on the inside.

That's it!!

 So you may be thinking, that looks silly... why would Sarah choose such bright colors (and different colors)? Well because I like colorful things and I knew that the only place I could get away with it is in my craft room.

 And because it looks way cooler when it's filled with wonderful craft supplies. And organized :)

 I still have to find some good handles for it, but I love how it doubles as a magnetic pinboard. What better place to display things that inspire me than on my supply cabinet?!

It will end up costing me about $35.00 after I get new handles. A small price to pay for the amount of storage and happiness I get out of it. 

If you have an old ugly file cabinet or anything metal that needs a facelift, give it a try. It's worth it, and satisfying! I enjoyed having this project to work on and enjoy it more now that I cleaned up junk that previously made my craft room look like a war zone. 

I Carry Your Heart With Me

 e.e. cummings

This is one of my very favorite poems, and will for sure be included in my wedding some day. So today is the perfect day to share it.

 I love Valentine's Day. I'm not one of those people who thinks it's just a commercialized holiday. Valentine's Day to me is a wonderful excuse to celebrate everyone we love. I am so lucky to have so many wonderful family members and friends- so I really enjoy this lovey dovey cheesy gushy glorious holiday. Why do we get off for Presidents' Day but not Valentine's? Doesn't make sense to me.

Here are (some of) the Valentine cards I made this year. 

I went all out and made each one unique.

  The main reason I want to post on Valentine's Day, though, is this man.

 My Valentine, musician, scientist, viking, egg-cooker, companion, and best friend.

He got a heart shaped omelet this morning. (I used a cookie cutter)

Then I made his lunch with these tags attached to his food:

"We're quite the pear!" -on a pear

"Bean my Valentine" -on bean dip for his chips

"I'm nuts about you!" -on his bag of nuts

"Because I love you" -on his Salmon wrap I picked up at Trader Joe's (i don't care for salmon)

"For your eyes only. 'Luncheray'" -get it? ha ha

So I'm a little cheesy. Hey, it will make his lunch a little more interesting today!

 What would I do without him? I don't know. And I don't have to know. 

When I asked him to be my Valentine, he said he would be mine forever. 

What more could I ask for?

(sneak peek) The craft cabinet above is my latest DIY project that I'll be posting about soon. 

It's decorated for Valentine's right now.

beautiful picture above was made for me by a very cute 5-year-old

Happy Valentine's to ALL... 

Love Sarah

Kaleidoscopes

I have always had a dream of owning an art studio called Kaleidoscope Studio. I don't know what it is about them, but I find kaleidoscopes to be magical, whimsical, and just plain fun. Perhaps it goes back to the fact that colors and colorful things are therapeutic.... I don't know. I just love them.

 Boston Craftworks is the company that I've been working for, and I have been enjoying it immensely. I am sharing about it because we are building a new website and updating the whole business (a revamp), and I get to do the product photography for it. I never really thought I was that interested in this kind of commercial photography, but I have had a blast with it!

We sell kaleidoscope kits and parts, pen kits and parts, and almost anything associated with polymer clay that you can think of.  I am learning how to run a small business, getting comfortable with business etiquette, understanding how online commerce works, and keeping in touch with my ever-so-important creativity.

  I love what I do, and feel like this a positive direction to move in. Having a flexible schedule and the trust and respect I need from my boss is worth the world to me. It has had a wonderful impact on my well-being, and I feel lucky to have the opportunity. I still get to do some portrait photography and Photoshop/photography tutoring on the side- as well as babysitting (I can't live without little imaginations enriching my life.)

 I am planning on running workshops this summer for kaleidoscope building. I'd like it to turn into a crafty day camp for children, but there are still plenty of kinks to work out.

So, there's my explanation of what I've been doing lately... if you ever need any kaleidoscope or polymer clay supplies, you know where to go!

"May your world be full of color and your crayons never melt." - Tymm 

Looking Back [3 years ago]

I came across these photos from February of 2009 and decided to have a flashback post.

We made a mosaic border on our back porch. It was really cute! I loved the house I lived in during college. My room was always a complete disaster though.

(I think it's been long enough since then that it's safe to post it without getting lectured by my mom or mom-r)

 My teeny tiny bathroom

 And our lovely college friends. This must have been when Danielle and Yocco came to visit.

 My honey

and the goofy boys

Ha ha It's so fun to look back and remember how fun and crazy our college days were. :)

Always the D.J.

Cutest couple.... this was after they had moved to Atlanta- they were visiting this weekend.

 Ahhh I miss that bed

 Katie Bug with  a yummy strawberry waffle. She was over at my house often :)

 Chad trying to get out of a picture with me. Some things never change!

 I look back and remember my house, garden, friends, social life, schedule, and happy times...
I really miss those days, but oh how far I have come since then! It is very nostalgic to see what life was like 3 years ago and how much everything has drastically changed... But!! I am happy to be moving along. I miss the relationships I had and my college lifestyle, but life goes on, and I have many many things to cherish right now.  I have far from lost these friends, we just have a few (thousand) miles between us. We will make a way to get back together again- I'm sure of that.