Another over-ambitious project

5 years ago, I inherited my Great-Aunt Corinne’s dresser.  It was a beautiful dresser – solid wood, intricate details…so I painted it black (HOLLAH Emma and Mishc!).  I just prefer black furniture!

Anyway, after 5 years, it was looking a little hashed - so I thought instead of just giving it another black coat, I would get a little crazy (stupid Pinterest).  I love the idea and I love the end result, but this dresser was NOT easy.  See all the “beautiful” curves and molding details?  Yeah, they’re a pain in the butt to paint.   If any one wants to attempt this project (which why wouldn’t you? It’s awesome!), I would suggest using a dresser with FLAT surfaces.

Here's the BEFORE:

Taping it was one of the hardest parts, so naturally Brody had to help with this :)  The paint liked to get to underneath the tape on the curvy parts - boo

AFTER!!!!!:

Friends Quote:

[Scene: Chandler and Joey’s, there is lumber all over the apartment]

Chandler: Hey-hey-hey. So what happened? A forest tick you off?

Joey: No. Y'know how we’re always saying we need a place for the mail.

Chandler: Yeah!

Joey: Well, I started building one. But then I decided to take it to the next step.

Chandler: You’re building a post office?

Joey: No, an entertainment unit, with a mail cubby built right in. It’s a one day job, max.

Chandler: Okay. (notices that Joey is wearing some really tight jeans) My word! Those are snug.

Joey: Oh yeah. These are my old work pants, Sergio Valente’s.

(Chandler goes to his bedroom and opens the door. However, only the top half opens, and he trips into his bedroom over the bottom half.)

Joey: Power saw kinda got away from me there.

Owl Pillow

This post is for Jacque :) I made an owl pillow a few weeks ago - the fabric is a kitchen towel I bought at the Mall of America with Missy! Ahh...owls and chevron...
Friend's Quote:
Chandler: Hi, my name’s Chandler. I just moved in next door and I was wondering if you would be interested in battling me in a post-apoplectic world for control of the galaxies last remaining energy source?
Joey: Sure, neighbor come on in.
Chandler: So, is Janine around?
Joey: Uh, no, she’s at dance class.
Chandler: Can I check out what she did to my room?
Joey: Yeah, but, hey look, don’t go through her stuff. She gets really mad.
Chandler: (The room is filled with flowers and a floral print sheet on the bed.) Oh my. What is th… it’s like a guy never lived in here. Look, you’ve got to be careful. This girl thing is dangerous. (Looking around the living room.) It’s spreading already.
Joey: (Looking around the room.) It is???
Chandler: (Picking up a pillow.) Yeah, is this your pretty pink pillow on the couch?

Books I Read This Year

Here we go again! One of only 6 post this year :)... Books I've read in 2011:

• Fallen by Lauren Kate
  
• Building You Paparazzi Business by Ryan Daley
  
• See Jane Date by Melissa Senate
• Wicked Games by Jill Myles
• Start Something that Matters by Blake Mycoskie
• Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder
• Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
• Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
• Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
• Delirium by Lauren Oliver
• In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
• Bossypants by Tina Fey
• Divergent by Veronica Roth
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling
• City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
• Way to Be! by Gordon B. Hinckley
• Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
• Deceit by Brandilyn Collins
• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
• Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Condrad

Favorite book of the year: Divergent
Favorite re-read: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I cry every time)
Most influential book: Start Something That Matters (Read it! You'll want to change the world)

And now I'm looking for book suggestions for 2012! Go!

Copycat

I am a total copycat. I fell in love with this mirror from IKEA:
Isn't it AWESOME?!? It is also $129, whomp whomp....
SO, I conned Brody into helping me make one! I took an old floor length mirror that I've had forever (the frame was held together with Duct tape - HOT) and chucked the frame:
This is the back view of the mirror (photographing mirrors is hard!) Then Brody made me a sweet frame:
And I bought the most amazing orange paint at Home Depot (did you know you can buy sample jars of ANY color for $2.95???) And WAHLAH:
It's so pretty!! And I love the reflection of my alphabet picture in the background (also an IKEA find) :)

Yes, Traci went Camping

We had a lot of fun in Moab with Brody's family over the Memorial Day weekend.

We went 4-wheeling...
And hiking...

Found a giant hole...Did NOT almost fall in, thanks to me...
and stood on top of an arch!
And we got to experience all types of weather.
SUNSHINE
80 mph WIND...

and when we got home, SNOW...boo

And I got to read!!! If you liked the Hunger Games - read "Divergent" by Veronica Roth. It's awesome. And here's a Friends quote about books and wind!

Friends Quote:
MONICA: Rachel you have to read this book. It's called Be Your Own Windkeeper. It's about how women need to become more empowered.
PHOEBE: Yeah and oh, and but there's, there's wind and the wind can make us Goddesses. But you know who takes out wind? Men, they just take it.
RACHEL: Men just take out wind?
PHOEBE: Ya-huh, all the time, cause they are the lightning bearers.
RACHEL: Wow.
PHOEBE: Yeah.
RACHEL: Well that sounds kinda cool, kinda like The Hobbit.
MONICA: It is nothing like the Hobbit.

Before and After

We did a little bedroom makeover this week. I've been wanting something gray and yellow for awhile, and of course my Target had the perfect thing. And my handy-man, Brody, helped recover the headboard. I think it turned out pretty great :)

BEFORE

AFTER

Harry Potter Land

It's been a month since Brody and I went to Orlando and I've finally gotten around to blogging about it...sounds about right. It was a spur-of-the-moment vacation and it was wonderful. My favorite part, of course, was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I want to live there. It was magical.
Here are just a few pictures - check out my facebook album for the rest of them :)

Hogwarts Castle

Butterbeer! Sooooo good

Hogsmeade

Blue Man Group

Books I Read This Year

Not sure if anyone has noticed my running list of books I read this year - I totally stole this idea from a friend's blog (hollah Brittney!) But I have realized that the year is now over and so I should probably start this list over...but it hurts me a little to just delete it, so here it is, preserved forever in a blog post:

• Matched by Ally Condie
• Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card
• The Confession by John Grisham
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
• Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
• Paradise by Judith McNaught
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
  
• Our Stolen Future by Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and John Peter Meyers
• Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
• City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
• City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
• Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
• Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris
• Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Favorite book of the year: The Hunger Games
Favorite re-read: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Most influential book: Our Stolen Future (threw out all my Tupperware after I read this)

And now I'm looking for book suggestions for 2011! Lay 'em on me!

Cozumel

Brody and I were lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving week in Cozumel, Mexico with my family. It was a wonderful, warm, and relaxing vacation.

XPLOR - cave swimming, ATVing, and ZIP LINES

SNORKELING

Having a little Marilyn Monroe skirt moment...

Our resort had FLAMINGOS!

and IGUANAS (didn't know they climbed trees...)

It was such a fun week! And it is SOOOO cold in Logan!

Friends Quote:
Phoebe: I think David would probably wanna hear a few lectures.
Ross: Oh, right, because he's a scientist!
Phoebe: No, no, because, you know, he's been in Minsk for 8 years and if he gets too much direct sunlight, he'll die.

Workin' on My Fitness

So my job only has one perk...discounts on fitness equipment. And I finally caved and bought some stuff!

This is my beautiful Incline Trainer! You may recognize it from this commercial.

And this Brody walking at a 29% incline - it goes up to 40%!!

And here's my shiny spinner bike! I'm so excited to not have to drive to the gym in the cold snowiness this winter!

Friends Quote:

Chandler: What’s wrong with you?
Joey: Nothing! Well, I-I got this blinding pain in my stomach when I was lifting weights before, then I uh passed out and uh, haven’t been able to stand up since. But um, I don’t think it’s anything serious.
Chandler: This sounds like a hernia. You have to—you-you go to the doctor!
Joey: No way! ‘Kay look, if I have to go to the doctor for anything it’s gonna be for this thing sticking out of my stomach! (Rolls over and shows Chandler.)
Chandler: That’s a hernia.
Joey: Why did I have to start working out again? (Looks at the weights he was using.) Dang you 15s!

Crafty Part 2

I made me a case for my Kindle...

Crafty Time

Here are pictures from the latest craft project:


My sister-in-law found this tutorial on this blog and we each started making our own set about a YEAR ago (not really, but it was many, many months). Brody, my wonderful, wonderful husband, cut out all the shapes - which took quite some time - did I mention that he's wonderful? He also helped me staple the fabric to the back and hang them on the wall. As we stood back to admire our work, Brody asked me "So which part of this project did YOU actually do?" He has a solid point. He is a large part of my crafty skills :)

Friends Quote:
Monica: Hey, how did it go with Mike, is he gonna let you keep the painting?
Phoebe: No, he really hates it. But he's gonna let me keep my box of human hair! So you got to pick your battles. But the good news is, Gladys is yours!
Monica: Wow, what's the bad news!
Rachel: Who's Gladys?
Phoebe: Oh, she's that work of art I made, you know, with the woman coming out of the frame.
Rachel: (sarcastic) Oh, and Monica gets to keep her? In her house? I am so jealous!

Autter

So I was watching Ellen today and she was discussing how it is not yet Autumn, but not quite Summer either...so she invented Autter! And since everything Ellen says is completely legit, I also think it is Autter. She also thinks "Autter" sounds like a small cute season you could cuddle with. Somehow the Summer seems to have flown by and Autter has taken me by surprise. And of course I didn't post about anything we did this summer (I'm not a good blogger), so here we go: Summer 2010.

4th of July BBQ w/ Brody's Family

It was HOT! I'm pretty sure you can see the sweat on my face in this picture...

We always play a really INTENSE game of volleyball. Brody's fam is pretty competitive, but then again so am I (thanks to my brother), so the hair came up and the shoes came off. And since I don't think anyone who played the game reads this blog, I played AMAZING, scored all the points, and obviously my team won.

Brianhead - Traci's family Reunion

This is the only picture I have from our weekend in Brianhead because I don't take pictures (my daddy took this one) - aren't the red-rocks and the red-head so pretty??

Bear Lake - Brody's Family Reunion

AND this is the only picture I have from Bear Lake. Many grueling volleyball games also took place during this weekend. And again, my team always won.

Mt. Naomi Hike

My family is WAY into hiking and convinced Brody and I to go with them to the top of Mt. Naomi (up Logan Canyon by Tony Grove). I do not love hiking, but my mom and I kept talking about how many calories we were burning and that helped :) And when we got to the top it was pretty awesome - I felt super accomplished looking at how far up we had climbed! And I had a few blisters to show for it too (note to self - do not wear hiking shoes that have not been worn in 5+ years without properly re-breaking them in).

Friends Quote:
Joey: But, okay my towels for instance. I come in to the bathroom here and my towel is not on the floor where keep it. It’s up here on some hook..and…smells different.
Janine: It’s clean.
Joey: Yeah, well, it feels different.
Janine: It’s dry.
Joey: Alright, I can make my peace with the clean dry towels…Also what is with these chips you bought?
Janine: No no no no, it’s potpourri. You’re supposed to smell it. (Joey takes a big whiff of the potpourri.)
Joey: (Voice cracking) Well that’s like summer in a bowl.