MOVED TO WWW.THEDIYCHRONICLES.COM

I've MOVED!!! I'm at www.thediychronicles.com  Come see me and catch up with my latest projects and tourist tales!

Turning Dreams into Reality

  So...one of the many reasons for creating this blog is to generate interest in my art, crafts and creations. Soon, I will be opening my etsy shop to sell things that I've made.  Anyway, I tried blogger to see if I actually enjoyed blogging and I do, but I don't like certain aspects of this platform.  So, before I accumulate too many posts, I have decided to go with a .com.  So, my posts this week will be slim, as I'm currently knee deep in website building and about to pull my hair out.

  Soon, theDIYchronicles.com will be up and running.  There I will post my projects, tourist tales and other stories about our life, but I will also (eventually) add a shop.  I'm going to use etsy first, because it's already developed and pretty well known.  Anyway, tomorrow I'm meeting with an AWESOME local artist, who is also an incredible graphic designer to create a header and some other custom graphics for the site.  Then it's onto content there, and hopefully by the end of this week, I will be completely switched over to my own .com as opposed to a .blogspot.com.

  The following week, I hope to stock the shelves in my etsy store, and have that up and running as well.  Big things are happening in my little virtual corner...and hopefully the switch will benefit both me and you!  I've had quite a few phone calls or texts saying "I tried to comment, but I don't want to sign up with google" or "I followed you, I don't know why it's not showing".  I'm still very new to this, and figuring things out as I go, but I'm hoping having my own website will make things much easier.  If anyone is reading this blog, and has tips for me, please shoot me an e-mail.  It will be GREATLY appreciated.

  In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for me!  I'm trying to turn this little experiment into a permanent, potentially life changing business venture.  I've said I wanted to sell my art for years, but with our lifestyle, I don't want to open a brick and mortar shop.  I don't want to be tied geographically to any one place.  By using a blog, etsy and my own .com, my dreams will hopefully begin to shape into a reality!  See ya soon.

     

Tutorial: DIY Funky Hall Tree From a $10 Distressed Faux Wood Door

  First of all, here's a picture of my partially up-cycled wood, partially store bought lumber, DIY funky hall tree.  It will fit perfectly with the eventual "bohemian eclectic" decor style of the living room.  Some might think it's a little too funky, but for us it's just right. :)

 Awhile back, I was furiously thrifting in search of a hall tree.  I was sick of hanging coats, hats and hoodies on door knobs.  I couldn't find one I wanted without going to a furniture store, and even those weren't really in line with what I wanted.  I decided to build the solution to my problem.  So I scoured the internet for ideas.  I decided I wanted to incorporate a bench for storing Reed's wires musical equipment that usually ends up directly inside the door after one gig but before the next.  This is kind of what I wanted...but waaay more funky and without the $550 price tag.

JC Penney Contemporary Storage

  I figured I could incorporate an old distressed door as the back support and build a bench that resembled a wooden crate, like the one below but without the gaps.  I was going for a shipping crate look with a ton of character.  Also, I wanted it to look industrial chic-ish.  Let me explain, we don't have a foyer really...so it was going in our living room.  The eventual goal for the decor in the living room, as mentioned earlier, is very bohemian eclectic...meaning beauty in the randomness. (More on that later when I do the living room reveal)

  So I told Reed about my plan, but we hadn't even swept up the sawdust from the pallet desk project yet.  He was not happy a little hesitant, but decided to entertain my crazy whims.  We had never built anything before the pallet desk...so if we did it...ANYONE can do it.  Off we went!  I had no idea where to find an old distressed door, but I checked a few antique places.  Let me tell you, they want a pretty penny for old doors around here.  I was not paying upwards of $250 for an old beat up door...

  So, plan B, we stopped at the warehouse where I acquired my pallets for the desk, and asked if they sold doors.  Turns out they did!  They also had a few MDF doors that were busted at the bottom.  The wheels started spinning...I knew I was going to cut the bottom two feet or so off of the door anyway, so I asked to see the damaged doors.  I picked one out of their "damaged and headed for the trash" room, and paid $10 for it.  It was perfect!  Reed didn't think so, but I knew better.

Tourist Tales: Fountain Swimming

  So, my bar is in a commercial park type place...full of offices, shops and even condos.  The park is really nice, and there are quite a few fountains.  The two largest of these sit at the very front of the parking lot, and each fountain's pool forms a U around a pillar.  While they're great for aesthetics and provide the sound of running water 24/7, I'm pretty positive the water is not at all chlorinated.  That being said, I'll tell you about the night some fun loving tourists walked out on their tab...or so I thought.

  There was a table of twenty somethings having a great time, and they were hilarious.  I'm always pretty stoked when we get cool tourists in the bar.  The drinks were flowing, they were playing darts, acting crazy and having a great time.  Then they left...let me explain, we don't require credit cards from tables to run a tab...that would be weird.  So I figure, they probably went outside to smoke.  I go check, and see their group standing down at the corner.  So, I walk up to let them know that they left their tab open and I need them to pay before they leave, when I realize what's going on.  There, in the display fountain...in the pool designed to catch water that's about two feet deep...the three girls in the party have decided to go for a swim.
 
  They're laughing, laying down in the pool, which is maybe a foot wide, and having a great time swimming with all of the pennies, cigarette butts and dirt.  Don't get me wrong, the maintenance team scoops the fountains out pretty regularly, so the water is clear...but still.  Instead of walking across the street, and jumping into the Gulf of Mexico, these people chose to jump into a fountain. Now, I'm slightly germ phobic.  So, my mouth drops open in horror as I stare and stammer out something unintelligible about germs, tabs and how they have to pay me before they can leave.  The swimmers stare back at me with irritation.  Right...how dare I interrupt their dip in the germ infested fountain over something so insignificant as a $100 bar tab.  So they get out, come back to the bar, pay me, and then decide to continue their swim.

  Here's the lesson...don't walk out on your tab, and don't swim in something just because it holds water.  I never saw the tourists again, but I'd be willing to guess they spent the remainder of their vacation with runny noses at the very least.  I mean, really...if you're 100 yards away from the Gulf, just go swimming there.  It's not like I go to the mall, spot a fountain and decide to jump in and go for a swim.  WTH...that's not normal, and it's just not sanitary.  Hey, I guess when you're on vacation, anything goes, and germs that breed in slowly moving water don't exist...right?

Bar Etiquette...

  So, before I start posting stories from the bar, I feel it's necessary to cover the basics of bar etiquette.  This should let you know why certain things are frustrating to bartenders, and what is proper protocol for being in a bar.


  Bartending truly is very similar to working at a daycare.  Switch the cookies and milk for beer and bar food, and it's the same.  Think about it... children mispronounce words sometimes, and intoxicated adults slur their words.  If you take away a child's cookies, the child will throw a temper tantrum, much the same as an adult who has been cut off.  Sometimes children at day care get sick, or soil themselves.  Sometimes adults in bars do the same thing.  Children fight over toys, inebriated adults fight over each other.  Lots of times, children spill their drinks on themselves, make a mess or end up with food in their hair.  It's the same with inebriated adults.  Children argue with the teacher and act out when they disagree, bar patrons fight, scream and curse the bar staff when they disagree.  Look at all of the similarities.


  So the next time you go out to the bar to blow off some steam, keep in mind that all night, the bartender has to deal with adults who have reverted back to their toddler years.  Cut them some slack.  Below is a list of simple bar rules that you should keep in mind...


1. When walking up to the bar, understand that any good bartender knows you've approached.  We may not make eye contact, but we know you're there.  Just like the other patrons waiting to be served, you will have to wait your turn.
   
DO NOT...

• Whistle...whistling at my bar is a signal that obviously, you are too intoxicated to distinguish the difference between a human being and a dog.  You whistle at dogs, not at humans.  Clearly, I am to assume you have had too much to drink and should be cut off.  
• Wave your arms like a maniac...I understand a slight wave, and I will probably nod my head at you so that you're aware I see you.  If you wave at me like a psycho, I will ignore you.  You will be pushed further back in line.  Waving like a maniac symbols to me one of three things:
• Something is on fire
• You are attempting to control air traffic
• You think your drink order is more important than anyone else's at the bar
• Slam your drink glass down on the bar, or tap it incessantly...Once again, it's obvious you've had too much to drink if you have lost control of basic motor functions such as firmly holding onto a glass or bottle.
• Scream....If you scream at me, you are disrupting other customers, being disrespectful and quite frankly, out of your flipping mind.  This is a sure fire way to ensure that you do not get served.  I don't care if you're screaming my name, or "HEY", regardless, it's rude and you know better.

DO:

• Approach the bar and wait your turn
• Feel free to give me a head nod if we make eye contact
• Understand that you are now in a line, and when your turn comes, you will be served
• Know what you want to drink when I come to take your order
• Have your money ready to pay for your drink, or offer me a credit card to hold a tab open
• Most importantly, TIP

Tutorial: DIY Industrial Desk from Upcycled Pallets

  Hey y'all!  Hope everyone is having a great week!  Awhile back, I was in desperate need of a desk...but not just any desk.  I have a small craft room that doubles as our guest bedroom.  The room holds EVERYTHING...winter clothes, canvases, paints, sewing machine, jars, thrift store "finds", etc.  I wanted a desk with enough surface area for my computer, my paintbrushes, my markers, my tabletop easel if I feel like painting, or my sewing machine if I am sewing.  In college, I bought a corner desk from Wal-Mart that would fit in my house.  It had just enough space for my laptop, and I hated that desk from the moment I brought it home.  So I decided to build my dream desk, and to make it the perfect size for both me and the craft room/guest room/office.

Here it is after 7 months full of crafts and paintings.  

  I started googling for inspiration, and the industrial look struck me as perfect for the purpose of a craft room.  I also wanted a desk that would be fine, if not look better, with a few paint spills.  I was also intrigued by the up-cycled wood craze.  The fact that we were strapped for cash, combined with my love of the look prompted me to search for pallets.   


****DISCLAIMER:  I did a ton of research into all of the warnings about using pallets for decor.  I encourage anyone thinking of using pallets for indoor use to do the same, and decide if you are comfortable with the idea after reading over all of the possibilities.  I decided I was ok with using heat treated pallets for building my desk.  I am an adult, fully capable of making my own decision, and this is the conclusion I reached.  If you disagree, or if you're not comfortable with up-cycling pallets, then don't do it.****


  Now that we've covered that...here's the tutorial on how to build this desk!  


Time Required: 2 days...you could do it in one if you were really determined :)
Skill Level:  Intermediate
Tools Required: 

• Hammer
• Crowbar
• Circular Saw
• Electric Drill
• Orbital Sander
• Boyfriend who's super excited anytime he gets to use power tools :P

Supplies:

• (4) Two by fours cut to 32" tall 
• (2) One by fours cut to 53" long
• (2) One by fours cut to 30" long
• (4) Heat treated pallets
• 1 box of wood screws
• 1 box of 3/4" nails
• Sandpaper pads that fit your orbital sander
• Lacquer

Chronicle #1: DIY Life...My Story

(Sorry this post is so long)

  Hey there!  I'm Jaime, and I am CONSTANTLY doing DIY projects, reading DIY blogs and scouring the net for inspiration.  So I figured, why not start my own blog and post my adventures (and misadventures) with DIY projects and with life.  This is my first blog, and I'm not too tech-y, so I'll be figuring this out as I go...kind of like life. :)  
  
  First, I'll tell y'all my story so you'll know what kind of person is administering this blog.  I'm a 20 something year old from Southeastern Louisiana.  I was born and raised on the North shore of Lake Pontchartrain, which borders New Orleans.  That's all what I like to refer to as my "past life".  I love New Orleans, and will someday own a home there full of DIY projects.    I was a completely different person in Louisiana, two years ago, when tragedy struck.
  
  I'll leave out as many details as I can, without taking away from chronicle number 1.  My brother Brandon was involved in a car accident when I was 15 years old that left him paralyzed.  He was a tetraplegic, meaning he was unable to feel or move three of his limbs.  After Hurricane Katrina, with my mom's help, he was granted a waiver and allowed to come home from the hospital... if he could find a home.  


  He was able to get a home built on my dad's property, which my dad had leased to yours truly.  It was perfect!  I was next door to help him, and to put him into his wheelchair and go anywhere he desired.  My mom, aunt, and some of our family helped to get a handicapped van, and I truly believed he may finally have a somewhat "normal" life. 

Brandon and I circa 2008

  Brandon faced the same struggles as others who are wheelchair bound.  He went through times of depression, frustration, happiness and loneliness.  Every day was a struggle, and all I could do was be there for him and help him in any way I could.  For six years, we lived next door to each other.  I finished college, and planned on finding a career in the marketing field. All of my plans for my future revolved around keeping my big brother safe and with me, from vacations to building a handicapped equipped home someday.  


  In August, on Friday the 13th, 2010, at 30 years old, Brandon passed away from a heart attack.  Devastated is not the word to describe the state in which I found myself.  Brandon was everything to me.  He was the most amazing person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and loving.  The things that I learned from Brandon are the most important things I will ever learn. He taught me about struggle, about finding joy when it's tough to find.  He taught me appreciation, determination, and that it is absolutely ok to break down sometimes.  He would always say, "It's you and me against the world, J".  My heart had been ripped out, and I have never fully recovered.