I used to journal… a lot.

I have a box in the attic filled with spiral bound notebooks that chronicle what I’m sure was some embarrassing teenage emotional trauma.

But when I started blogging in 2004 I stopped. While the blog is a great way to capture fun moments and some detailed stories – I don’t write every day.

A month or so ago one of the blogs I read mentioned the One Line A Day 5-year Journal.

It’s nice size – about 4×6 and an inch thick. It has a ribbon marker and gold-edged pages.

Inside it looks like this…

Each day has a space for you to write something for BRIEF – about 6 lines – for each year. So when you’re done you can glance at a page and see all the things that happened on May 31st for 2012-2017.

The small amount of space is perfect for what I wanted. I can usually fit 2-3 “sentences” or thoughts. It takes me 3 minutes to summarize the highlights of the day. Quick enough that I don’t put it off when I spot the journal next to my computer at night.

They also make a pink “Mom’s” version.

P.S. If you purchase either journal using the links above you’re helping the Kennedy’s raise funds for their adoption – an idea they got from my book

So with the new (to us) leather couch in the living room we needed a chair to balance the room out.

Walked in to my favorite thrift store just two days later and found this beauty.

Okay, “beauty” might be stretching it but the key to thrifting is to be able to see “the lines” of a chair. And I liked the lines.

The fabric was scratchy and the seat was squeaky  but the price was irresistible – $20.

I loaded it in the van, took it home, gave it a good vacuum and it’s been sitting in the living room as is for quite awhile.

The color actually worked perfectly in the current decor but I’m in the mood for change and have fallen in love with the yellow/gray combination. I had already been thinking about painting the armoire (that will eventually make it into the room) grey so I figured this was my chance.

I fell in love with this fabric at Joann’s that was $50 a yard – ouch! I kept looking but couldn’t find anything I liked as much. Fortunately the chair didn’t need much and I was able to use a coupon and get what I needed for $50 (which was enough for the chair AND a throw pillow).

The key to any reupholstery job? Take BEFORE pictures. I took pictures at every step as I took the chair apart – how the fabric was wrapped etc. Turns out my vacuum job earlier hadn’t even put a dent in the amount of dust in this thing. I was sneezing for 3 days.

It took longer than I anticipated – my sewing machine blows so I had to go get my moms; then I screwed a section up and had to resew it TWICE.

But finally it was done.

I am in LOVE with how it turned out!

RESOURCES: Great posts on reupholstering chairs 

Apparently you write one book and people assume you’re going to write more.

For a long time when asked “So, what’s your next book going to be?” I met them with a blank stare.

It matched my equally blank brain. I had NOTHING!

But during the last six months since I stopped working full time, I have been brainstorming ideas and spending a lot of time reading books about the craft of writing.

Fearfully, I think that I’m going to attempt a fiction novel next. I say fearfully because I’ve never considered myself a fiction writer. I’ve got a journalism background and I’m quite comfy in my non-fiction world.

But there is a story in me that wants to come out. I had just started writing (like 3 pages into it) when Jen told me I needed to stop and go read ”Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go”.

I’m half way through and I’m loving it. First, because it’s super practical. Second, because it’s confirming that my thought process on the novel so far, is right on target.

I’m desperate to sit down and start pounding away at the keyboard but I know that I need to finish “Hooked” first.

Not many people would look at this and see its future self…

But it had good lines. And the uglier it is, the cheaper it is, right.

There were about 3 coats of paint on it but after a lot of work it began to look like this…

And now it looks like this…

It’s a good thing that “shabby chic” isn’t really my decor style in the house or I’d totally keep this. But alas, it is for sale.

On to the next project. (If you’re in the market for a black kitchen table with 4 arm chairs (all solid maple), stay tuned.

For quite some time I’ve had this desire to do something creative – something new. It was kind of like something bubbling under the surface that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with. After I left my job in November I bought a few art supplies thinking I might do something with them, but they’re still in a box.

Then a few weeks ago a new antique & collectibles “mall” opened on our side of town. Individual dealers rent booth space and sell their wares. Mark’s parents own a couple booths at their central Phoenix location and so they also rented one out here and said we could put stuff in it. I had a few things in the house that I put in there,  just little decor items, that sold pretty quickly. Then I started to think about some crafty stuff I’ve seen on Pinterest. I bought some really cheap wine & martini glasses that I’m putting chalkboard paint bases on (so guests can write their names).

Then my thrift store shopping got the better of me and I decided to go BIG!

I’ve always loved furniture and refinishing or painting it and I immediately saw the potential in this beauty. At $100 I couldn’t pass it up. By the time I’d walked out of the store I’d also bought four cool retro 60′s chairs that had tons of possibilities.

The problem was, I was falling in love with the armoire and already figuring out how I could rearrange the furniture in my living room to make room for it. While it’s built for a TV on top I’d just add a couple shelves and use it for storage.

I showed Mark some of the really cool stuff people are doing with vintage furniture and how much they’re selling them for (kind of amazing). One of my FB friends saw the picture of the armoire that I posted and said she had the exact same one she’d bought in a really pretty custom blue and paid $1,000 for it. Wowzers, yeah, maybe I should sell it.

I think I convinced Mark of the viability of my new obsession, because he took me out yesterday and showed me some new thrift stores that he likes.

At the first stop we headed back to the furniture section, and guess what I found?

Hee, hee. It’s a bit bigger than the other one and even has two drawers and a shelf in the bottom. Half off – $125. So one for me, one to sell

After 3 or 4 stores, we ended up with a van full of stuff and Mark had to go back and pick up the armoire and a table and chairs in his dad’s truck.

So my garage is full of stuff that is going to be revamped and made into some fun stuff. I’ll post pics as I’m finished but here’s some of the stuff I’ve got piled up to work on.

Here’s a few of my “inspiration” pieces.

If you’re the inventing type I have a million-dollar idea for you.

I want a shower recorder.

Because the shower is where I get 70 percent of my good ideas. (The other 30%? Divided equally between when driving in the car ALONE and right after I lay down at night.)

Speaking topics, blog post ideas, improvements to a web site, something fun to do with the kids…

It’s where I do my best thinking.

Ok, yes I know there are actually some waterproof recorders out there but I have ideas for a few improvements.

1. Voice-activated. I say “Record” and it starts; “Stop Recording” and it stops.
2. When I’ve finished my shower I say “SEND” and it sends an mp3 file of my recording to a pre-designated email. Because really, am I going to get dressed, get a piece of paper, come back to the shower and play the recording while I jot it down furiously? Yeah, never going to happen.
3. And, oh yeah, it needs a security code. Otherwise my kids will NEVER get out of the shower.

Where do you get your best ideas? How do you make sure you remember them?

It’s been four months since I found my way to Pinterest.

Since that time I have “pinned” no less than 284 things.

47 of them are on my “Things to Create” board.

Now I can finally say I made something from Pinterest!

I LOVE the photo canvases that are popping up everywhere. I’ve even got a company that is offering me a free one to do a review.

But until a few weeks ago I felt like I didn’t have any canvas-worthy photos. Now, thanks to my friend Kim I have a ton of great shots.

I’m finally going to have my wall with a photo canvas of each of the kids.

But, thanks to Pinterest, it’s DIY baby! (That’s do-it-yourself for you non-crafty people.)

I used THIS tutorial and in about an hour today I created two canvases. These are actually going with Mark to Ethiopia to give to Luke & Beza’s grandmother.

I had 12×16 enlargements made at Sam’s Club for about $2.50 each. I bought a 2-pack of 12×12 canvases at Michael’s for $8. I used scrapbook paper I already had for the edges and some craft paint from my supplies. Had the modge podge already too (although Pinterest has homemade recipes for that if you need it).

So for about $7 each I’m thrilled with the way they turned out!