(Re) Chic

I wanted to do a follow-up of my previous post to show you how easy it is to use the same process on a mug. I had these great plain mugs I got for 99 cents at a local discount store and I decided they needed to say something cheeky. Boring Originals  So I went ahead and created a stencil using 631.  This is an example where removable vinyl or stencil material is a MUST...if you use 651 you're going to cry because the vinyl is not going to want to come off everywhere and you're just going to end up frustrated...so make sure you understand your materials before creating the stencil.   Now let's talk paint, you can use oil based sharpies on your stencil, but I already had this glass and ceramic paint available (and my sharpies are all mysteriously missing).  Keep in mind you CANNOT use just any paint as it will not stick to your mug.  This paint is made exclusively for glass and ceramics.  Then, once you're done painting you must FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.  If

I purchased these cute blank signs from Target--here's what the original item looked like.  The original item Then I created a stencil using 631-this is removable vinyl.  I chose removable vinyl mostly because I had ordered a large number of a color I didn't intend to use again and had extra, also it works great for things like ceramics where you're worried 651 permanent vinyl won't remove easily.  The key for me was USE TRANSFER TAPE.  In the past a majority of my bleeding has been from the centers of the letters because I was individually placing them by hand and they weren't sealing properly.  Transfer tape not only removes me individually placing letter centers, but it also gives you a better seal.  Just take an old credit card and burnish your transfer tape FOREVER.   I had to use two layers of transfer tape cause my roll isn't wide enough.  I mean, burnish until you think there can't possibly be any bubbles under that piece of vinyl...and the

This article on "The Mighty" really spoke to me.  It talks about people who are high functioning but still have a mental illness, like me.  I am a (fairly) productive member of society, I work a 32-hour a week job, sometimes I even work on my extra day off.  I cook dinner for our house nearly every night, (even when my husband gets home earlier #sometimesbitter).  But I suffer from depression and anxiety.  Even on days when I feel like I'm dying on the inside (or sometimes the outside) I get up and go to work, I make dinner, I swiffer up more dog hair than is possible for our one dog to shed.   So when a “high-functioning” person asks for help or admits to himself and to someone else his struggles, it takes a lot of bravery. These people have worked every single day to build a “normal” world for themselves are terrified of admitting mental illness, and when they finally do and are met with rejection, little understanding and no empathy When I tell people that I ta

"We are most fulfilled when we are involved in something bigger than ourselves" -Senator John Glenn.  This theme of something more and bigger seems to be following me around today.  When I turned on the radio this morning Elvis Duran and The Morning Show were talking about doing more .  Pick one thing in your life and do more to it, and it was really interesting because I don't really think of them as an inspirational push the boundaries radio show.  But there was even this woman who called in and said she "did more" with her family.  She took more time with her husband and her kids and how that had positively affected her family.   Then the focus in my office was all about making me more professional.  My office is also the workroom, full of files, supplies, envelopes, paper, etc.  So our volunteer helped me take things apart, clean everything, sort files, put some things in storage all in an effort to make me seem more executive.   And then there's

I know this is petty but there are just things that get under your skin.  Here's a list of things that make me want to scream and cry and throw things--In no particular order.  1. Speaker phone-Just don't use it.  I already don't want to hear your half of the conversation, why would I want to hear the other half? 2. Lip Smacking-Eating or any other time.  3. Lack of Responsibility-Just admit you were wrong, don't blame someone else.  4. Buzzwords-They don't make you sound clever, they make you sound like you don't actually know you just want to sound smart.  5. People-ok not really but a little bit.  Glad I got that off my chest. 

I've always been terrible at these, and like many other years they will probably last approximately a month and a half.  No matter how long they last I think its important to think about the year ahead and set some intentions in the hopes of moving forward in the coming 12 months.   1. Get Moving.  Josh and I are the proud parents of a very energetic five-year old fur baby.  Honestly, I let him do nearly all the walks and am therefore missing out on a lot of action that my body needs.  So its time to strap on the FitBit and get moving.   2. Write.  As part of focusing on my side hustle in 2017 I want to work on my blog as well.  I really enjoy showing off my work and this is just another avenue I can do that in, not to mention the catharsis of writing.   3. Save.  I'm terrible with money, I mean really horrible.  Costs are increasing dramatically and my raise is frankly not going to cover all the new expenses, so its time to do more with the dollars I have.  I want to