enJOY it

project 18 of 26 / big script art.

December 8, 2011

EDIT! I've gotten a lot of questions about this project and shared some extra tips here!

This project was completely inspired by this. I loved the huge size. I loved the black and white. My original plan was to make my handwriting messy and almost not readable just like that inspiration image. But then I got started and knew I would mess it up if I tried to do anything other than write my normal way.

The canvas is huge. The second largest one that Michael's sells. I "primed" it by painting it with a combination of white acrylic and water. The next night, I started writing with a mix of black acrylic and water. At first, I tried to make the words dark and perfect the first time around. And then I realized that was messing up my letter flow and it looked strange. So I went down the whole canvas with one or two dabs of paint per word. The color, of course, didn't look good, but the words appeared more naturally written, which is what I wanted.

Then I went back and retraced all my words with a good coat of black paint.

The words are lyrics from Swing Life Away by Rise Against. Long ago, when Paul and I first started dating, he had me listen to this song. Then one weekend when we were headed out with some of his friends, I slipped him a piece of paper with one of my favorite lines from the song. (I think he still has it in his wallet.) When we were in Maryland we especially liked the line "let's pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow" because of course, San Diego was the goal. This was the song we chose for our first dance at our wedding.

Of course, I didn't measure or plan (or even have the lyrics written down in advance) and so I sort of ran out of room and didn't get to fit the palm tree line into it. But I finished with maybe the most important line of the whole song : "If love is a labor I'll slave 'til the end."

It is one of my favorites. It hangs right in our front entry way area (which will make more sense when I share a downstairs tour soon) so it's the first thing you see when you walk in. It might be a little intense for for that, but I love it and happily Paul does too.

This is project 18 of 26.

I am attempting to tackle 26 personal craft projects before I turn 27 on 02.22.12. You can follow my progress here on the blog or on pinterest.

See project 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17.
a brain dump & assortment of photos.

December 7, 2011

I am settling in.

I still don't have internet. And for once, it's not user error. It's all on Verizon. I have cried on the phone with at least five representatives. Which is actually a pretty good record, considering I have talked to at least 20 over the past few days.

But the lack of internet means I have been productive. Insanely so. The downstairs is nearly finished. I just need some sort of art to hang on one wall and to recover the tragic built-in couches (fabric is on the way). It's shaping up though. Not Sunset magazine style. But E&P style.

And my office almost done. A few more frames on the wall and a bunch of plants to green it up and then I'll be ready to share.

I have completed a big wall art project that I'll be sharing here tomorrow. It's one of my favorite things I have ever made and it's going to be a present for Paul. He already saw photos and I think it made up for the fact that the office has been painted a very real shade of pink.

Yes, I cannot be too angry about the fail that is Verizon. I also can't be angry that the oven doesn't work and it's totally unlikely I'll get my 40 loaves baked by the end of the year. I cannot be angry that my brand new fridge arrived damaged and had to be replaced. I cannot be angry that the washer/dryer delivery has been delayed. I cannot be angry about anything.

I think I needed to do this move alone.

My parents have both said a few times since Paul deployed that I am handling this whole thing (him being gone, the move, etc) better than they expected. And then they are always quick to say, "Not that we expected you to break down or anything…"

Which is funny. Because The Elise Way is sort of to break down. Ask my parents. Ask Paul. Ask my college girlfriends who watched me get rejected from job after job our senior year. I usually react terribly to bad news. Then I get a grip, look on the bright side and deal with it. It's my style. And it's horrible to be around me during the breakdown, but I usually make up for it with a good attitude shortly after. No matter how minor or major the setback, I tend go through the five stages of grief in record time – totally annoying, but at least efficient.

But when you live alone, the drama, the break-down, the anger is counter-productive. Bitching about my problems to myself is exceptionally boring. No one cares. No one commiserates. No one tells me to pull it together.

Plus – and of course, this is the main point : Life is Good. Paul is gone, but he'll be home. We get to live here. We thought nothing would top San Diego and yet, internet-less, oven-less and with the most dire post office situation I have ever seen, this town and our new house still tops it.

My perspective about so many things has changed the past few days.

Most significantly, my business plan for 2012. I think I am going to dive head-first into blogging and workshop & book development. The shop/sales portion is going to take a backseat for awhile. I am working out the details and will be sure to share them, but I've realized that this blog, tutorials and projects are my passion at the moment and have been for quite sometime. It's what I want to be doing and therefore what I have to be doing to stay sane and deliver quality product.

And as for the projects on the horizon : I am currently collecting driftwood for a big wreath that will hang above our mantle. I am gathering sticks to make the frame for a dream-catcher to hang over our bed. I am dreaming about building and planting an 8×4 foot garden on our back patio next March when Paul is home. I am leaving the loft area and our bedroom pretty much empty and letting decorating ideas for those spaces come to me. I have a plan to make a fun display out of test-tubes and airplants.

I am waking up early and moving non-stop all day. I am falling into bed at 10pm and treasuring dreamless sleep. I am busy. I am happy. I sometimes feel like my life should be a movie montage or at least a HGTV Trading Spaces style show.

As mentioned, life is good.
my mantra board.

December 6, 2011
project 17 of 26 / painted pot.

December 6, 2011

I painted this clay pot over Thanksgiving and was excited to transplant my favorite plant into it as part of the unpacking process over the weekend. I used Liquitex Acrylic paint (so one step up from the cheap craft paint) and covered the whole thing in white before freehanding the black triangles. It’s perfectly imperfect and brings a fun pattern into my new place.

I no longer have any doubt I'll be completing my 26 projects. This new house is full of inspiration. Today's mission is to paint my office…

This is project 17 of 26.

I am attempting to tackle 26 personal craft projects before I turn 27 on 02.22.12. You can follow my progress here on the blog or on pinterest.

See project 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16.
a peek at the progress.

December 5, 2011

I have to say, the most exciting part of this adventure so far has been playing with the double-sided bookshelf display. I realized the full extent of my nerdiness while creating “jokes” out of the side-by-side book titles. Much more information about the shelf (and everything else) to come in the next few weeks.
magic monday.

December 5, 2011

Magic is realizing my new place is so close to the beach.

Magic is getting in my first beach run.

Magic is toasting the new home with a beer.

Magic is walking down the street for coffee.

Magic is the ocean in the morning.

Magic is laughing about a bathroom full of mirrors.

Magic is getting organized.

Magic is having my parents in town for 48 hours to help unpack, clean, paint, decorate and act as electricians.

Magic is getting even more organized.

Magic is a second run in my new town.

Magic is finding a happy note on the floor in the midst of all the chaos.

Magic is really seriously being organized.

Magic is still (and always will be) how lucky we are to live on the beach.

Magic is Christmas decorations sneaking out of boxes to join the party.

Magic is finding a super close farmer’s market and picking up a succulent.

Magic is starting a beach rock collection.

I am settling in faster than you can say, “Open that box!” Watch for more sneak peeks (from an actual camera – not a phone) this afternoon. It’s going to be pretty photo heavy the next few days. But text, so much text, is coming.
the new place.

December 2, 2011

I am over the moon.

The packing and moving day were not the greatest. But the driving to the new place day totally made up for it.

I took the 1/Pacific Coast Highway for the last 42 miles. It's the scenic route for sure. I wish I had photos but I was too busy keeping the car on the road. On that drive, for the first time since I was 16 and a new and proud owner of a driver's license, I understood why people think that driving is fun. On my left was the ocean and on the right was solid rock.

I grinned like an absolute fool for all 42 miles. And I am pretty sure the people on the road with me thought I was either manic or auditioning for a California Tourism commercial (both possibilities, BTW).

So remember how I have never actually seen the place we're moving into? Remember how I signed a lease based on photos, fun videos and obsessive stalking on google maps? Remember how sometimes I am crazy?

Happily, it all paid off ten-fold.

I got there before the property manager and walked around a bit. I walked about 200 feet and saw this :

And then both of my parents and twitter got an earful.

To be clear, (and before you consider a career in very small internet crafting and the military) we don't live in any of those houses. We (obviously) can't afford beach front property. But man, we got super lucky with our place in that we actually get to live close to this. Close enough that my first run was highlighted with ocean air and wave sounds.

Seriously. I am in love. I am in love with a town I have lived in for less than a day.

Last week, I was high on falling leaves and seasons (I know, I know, Sacramento hardly has what one could call "seasons").

This week, I remembered I am wrong (and also crazy – see above). The sun and the beach and 70* on December 1st is where I belong.

Anyway. The property manager arrived and I continued grinning. He gave me the tour and at the end I exclaimed "I'll take it!" Which was hilarious and awkward considering I had already handed him a check for December's rent plus a sizable deposit.

It's gigantic. I couldn't fill all the space if I tried. And I am not going to try. This is going to be a dream year and a half and then we will more than likely be back in an apartment for awhile. I don't know. We'll see. The point is, I thought San Diego was the dream. And now I am realizing that everywhere we go can be a dream.

When I used to fret about allll the moves we'd be doing and alllll the places we'd have to live, Paul used to ask, "Isn't a little bit of you excited?" And I would summon up my energy to find excitement, but really all I felt was frustrated that we wouldn't own a home for ages or have control over where we lived for decades.

But Blogland, I totally get it. And Paul, was right. I am excited. I am excited for the next few months as I make this space ours. And then I am overjoyed with anticipation that Paul will be coming home to this magical beach town and we get to live here together.

Whew. As I write this, it's Thursday evening and am having an epiphany in this Starbucks. (No internet in the new place yet). Thank you for your patience, but I think I know why you are really reading, and that's the photos. I'll be the first to admit – they are seriously crap quality. I have the wrong lens with me, so these were taken with my iPhone. The after pictures will be better, I promise. And I have a million, billion ideas for the space. But this post is long enough so I'll share them next week.

This is what you see when you walk in. A big open space ahead and to the right with space for a kitchen table. (Those blinds lead out to a patio which is really all Paul needed to hear to agree. The man wants to grill.) The built-in couches and the fireplace are next to the door. (Yep, recovering the built-ins and taking down those lights to hang art will be projects 1 and 2.) The floor throughout the whole place is like this (Travertine tile) which was another big selling point. I hate carpet the same amount that Paul loves grills.

Kitchen! It's about double the size of our last kitchen. The frige I bought yesterday (super sale + military discount at Lowe's) will go to the left. You can walk in on the dining area side or from that big room side. (I am doing a tragic job explaining the layout of this place.)

Stairs! The space to the left of the staircase in the first photo leads to a half bath and the garage. The second photo is looking down from the second floor landing. I don't have any photos of it but it's decent size – not sure how we are going to use this space yet…

This bedroom I am planning to use as an office… unless I decide to treat the landing as that. There is a full bathroom attached and the ladder goes up to a secret storage space/hideout.

This is sort of what the hideout space looks like, but it's a bit bigger. I really wish we had older kids that could use this space. (I would absolutely love to put a climbing wall in to get up there.) How cool would a fort or something rad be up there? It is actually big enough that it could also work as an office, I can stand up just fine, but I am not sure Paul could.

This is the master bedroom. The widows on the right open up loft-like so you can see (or more likely, in our case, shout) downstairs.

And then there's a master bath with a closet and double sink. DOUBLE SINK, PAUL! We can finally know once and for all who's messier.

Seriously. The photos are not doing it justice. I'll of course take more once things start to settle and I learn how I can best use the space. Dude. I am so excited.

Thanks for letting me share! And heads up, until I get the internet working, email/comment responses may be slow. But I'll be super active on twitter and instagram in the meantime!

p.s. For privacy reasons, I am purposely staying a bit general on the location. Paul is stationed out of Port Hueneme so we are in that "area." 🙂
this is my brain right now.

December 1, 2011

But that's alright. A move is a move.

My next post will have photos of the new place. And then all the posts after that will have photos of how I'm making the new place ours. (And I'll be throwing up some bread posts and holiday book posts as well.)

Happy Thursday and more importantly, HAPPY DECEMBER! I'm buying a Christmas tree this weekend for sure. And also a refrigerator.
good bye san diego.

November 30, 2011

Hot damn, I have loved this city.

Five and a half years ago, I sat with Paul on my parents driveway at 11:30 at night. We liked each other and we were trying to figure out if we could make a relationship work. He had recently joined the military and was headed to Navy officer training in a few weeks and then would be starting med school in Maryland. I was about to start an internship that I thought I was passionate about (spoiler alert – I couldn't have been less passionate) and then go back to USC for my senior year.

We talked about our upcoming date the next night. It would be our first real date. We talked about the next year and how we'd get through it long-distance. And then we talked about what would come after med school and what his commitment would be like for the twenty years after. At one point, he brought up trying for an internship program at Balboa in San Diego.

San Diego? That sounded like a place I'd like to live.

We had been friends for so long. We had danced around the "do I like him?" "do I like her?" idea for so long. Our families had known each other for so long. Safe to say, all the cards were on the table. We were either going to commit and really try for forever or we were going to part as friendly as possible.

(Another spoiler alert – we went for it.)

I can't believe that the "San Diego" portion of our adventure – the dream portion, it felt like – has come to a close. Five and a half years ago this was the goal. It seemed like we'd never get here, but we hoped it was where we were headed.

And now, today, we're through it.

We are really and truly on to the next thing. While we hope to someday come back to San Diego (like for residency and then possibly to settle forever once Paul is out of the military), I no longer dwell on the when? and the where? and the how long?

Today, it's clear why : I found my forever one warm night in June. No matter where we live, I'm home.
40 loaves / apple cinnamon bread

November 29, 2011

Bread no. 29 : apple cinnamon bread

Adjustments : the recipe made enough for two loaves, so I cut it down to make just one. Substituted about half the flour for wheat, skipped the streusel (which I am sure is fantastic, but I am always on a mission to cut sugar) and used fresh OJ instead of lemon juice.

Notes : the plan was to bake this on Thanksgiving, but we got full too early. This recipe calls for a mixer, but I kneaded by hand and it worked out just fine.

Review : good! I probably could have cooked it an extra 5-10 minutes though – it was a bit soft in the middle.