DIY Camera Case - my version

A couple of years ago, Matt bought me a camera for Christmas. It came with 2 lenses and we bought an inexpensive camera bag to store it in. It's nothing fancy, but it did the job. Then, one day, a friend of mine posted a link on Facebook to a camera bag giveaway. I followed the link and was shocked by how pretty & functional a camera case could be. I fell in love with the Kelly Moore B-Hobo Bag, but I just can't imagine spending $169 on a purse. I am way too cheap for that. I liked the Kelly Moore Facebook page and whenever they do a bag giveaway, I enter the contest (along with probably about 20,000 other people...) hoping I'll be the lucky winner. Anyway, at some point in the last year, I saw this pin on Pinterest, showing how you can make your own camera case out of a purse. Later, I saw another pin with much easier-to-follow instructions, so I decided to give it a whirl.
I bought a cute purse from Winners with the intention of making a camera case out of it.Then, it hung on a hook by my back door for 2 months while I procrastinated. I tend to do that.
Finally, I got sick of seeing the bag sitting there and I decided to get it done. It took me a full day (with all 3 kids around to "help") and then a few hours the next day to hand-stitch the new purse lining in. It probably would have taken me less time if I knew how to hand-stitch. Ugh. That was the worst part, by far.

Here's how it looks. I love it! I love that I can adjust the foam dividers to fit my lenses, my wallet, whatever. Thanks Pinterest for a fantastic idea!

Home again, Home again, Jiggity jig

Dear Old Light Fixture,
As soon as I saw you, I knew I had to have you. I knew that underneath that hideous exterior, was something very special. You were alone, neglected and unloved, but your time has come! You will be stunning again....

Over two weeks has slipped by since I last blogged and promised to show you what my plans were for my fabulous friend, shown above. Let me just say, it has been crazy busy, but the transformation is complete!

This light fixture was all held together with a rod through the centre and a bolt on either end. I just removed the chain and took off the bolts to slide the spindle piece from the light fixture.

 I bought a can of black satin spray paint, and then one night at about 10pm, I started spray painting all of these yard sale finds. I'm not sure why I start these projects at such a crazy hour, but it seems like that's when I get things done. My neighbors probably think I'm a nut, out on my front step until 11:30...

I found this little number at a thrift store. Isn't she a beaut!

I bought this tiny bottle of Gorilla Glue. It says you're supposed to clamp everything together, but I couldn't figure out how to clamp it, so I just stacked a bunch of heavy stuff on top. A little bit of glue still managed to escape between the pieces, but it's not really in a noticeable spot, so I just left it. The base used to be a wire fruit bowl with a wood bottom. Of course, I forgot to take a picture of it before I put it together.
Ready to see the finished product??

Ta-da!!! Isn't it lovely! I made a three of these babies on which to serve dessert for a friends bridal shower. Wanna see them in action?? Notice the three small bowls at the centre of the table. Those were painted black too. We weren't sure how food safe the spray paint was so we broke out the doilies to save ourselves from poisoning. As if the food wasn't unhealthy enough!

Mmmm! Just take a look at all that scrumptious unhealthy stuff. The backdrop is made by wrapping a piece of funky fabric around a piece of plywood and stuffed into a borrowed frame. I didn't want to wreck the frame, so it's precariously positioned and held in place with painters tape. As a side note, painters tape doesn't stick very well to fabric. Not very well at all...       
           

Here's some of the cookies. Two of my good friends and I got together to decorate these. My favorite is the leopard print. Yowza! This was a really fun project. Congratulations Christy and Dave!!

Anyone have any ideas for the other spindle pieces on the light fixture?

Painted Stones

We got out the paints yesterday and let the kids loose in the backyard. Dangerous idea?? Maybe so, but they had so much fun. Since the garden is all planted, I was hoping to make some plant markers like these. These are what we ended up with.

Not quite what I had in mind, but great nonetheless. My little artists had a great morning. We used a silicone muffin tray for the paint. I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner. It worked really well.

The best part was that there was no ruined clothes. It was a miracle, really. I've given up on trying to prevent it, since it was the source of much frustration. We had some painted hands and arms, but the clothing was spared. Hallelujah!

Q wanted to see what his sisters were up to, but was more interested in playing with his rock than in painting it. Give him another couple of months and I'm sure he will be right in there with them.