Days of Chalk and Chocolate - All Post

Our Wedding

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Our 8 year anniversary is today, August 7th.  I thought it might be fun to go down memory lane and post some pictures from our day!  Jim is the best and I dig him in a big way!  It was a beautiful day filled with friends and family!

Oh,  and remember, I'm a Jersey girl 100% so it was a techno, 90's freestyle dance music reception. We did get introduced in our reception to some Metallica song because, well, let's just say Jim and I wouldn't have been friends in high school. 

I made my ring bearer pillow. Should have started a blog back then!

The reason I bought this dress

My sisters were my matrons of honor.

hubba hubba

Goin' down the aisle with my daddy.

Gettin' er done

And done!  Mission accomplished! And it kills me that my ring bearer there on the end is now 16, a life guard, and buff.

A little toast

I love this picture except that my pit cleavage is lapping over my dress. Thanks Mr. Camera Guy for helping me out with that.

Not sure what to say. Parking lot. Sign. Me. Jim.

The grounds of our reception hall (which is almost near The Brownstone for all you RHONJ fans!  But they were way out of our price range.)

Mint julep cups, hydrangeas, and little boxes filled with chocolate. Perfection!

I asked for a dark chocolate cake and I got beige. Eh, cake is cake so it went down alright. And I wanted a natural cake topper but this was just too, let's say, bulbous.

Bringing the beat back with my favorite guy who was an outrageously good dancer in his day despite the fact he was a metal head in his youth.

Double french bustle!

I got my girls, a disco ball, some beads, and a husband somewhere around there!  The best way to celebrate!

Then we scatted out to Hawaii for 2 weeks and had the time of our lives! 

Hope you enjoyed my little wedding tour! 

Cheers!
Jenny

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Where Have I Been?

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I'm feeling whiny tonight.  And I don't have any pictures to post. So since the only one left reading is my mom...hi mom.

We need another computer. Jim works from home much of the time and I can't ever get on the darn thing to do anything. I'm over it and frustrated. Of course I know he needs to use it and his job is priority #1.  He has dibs. But I feel disconnected from y'all, from my blog, and, as dramatic as it may sound, from the world.

What to do?  I feel like we are hemorrhaging money lately. We replaced our electric system, our AC system, and a bunch of other stuff. Do we really need to buy another computer?  Such a first world problem, isn't it?  And yet it feels huge to me right now.  This. is. my. issue.  And then I feel a little sheepish about how annoyed I feel about having only 1 (working, I should say) lap top.  AND, I'm pretty sure the Real Housewives of NJ is NOT new tonight. The injustice of it all!

So let me change the subject. We still have 4 weeks until school starts. We go back on Sept. 4th. Despite having sent out resumes I haven't gotten a call. Or even an interview!  ACK!  It's like not being invited to the prom. Which I wasn't. But that's a whine for another day. So on the one hand, I feel a bit sad that I won't be putting together a classroom and feeling excited about all that. And on the other hand it gives me a whole year with Ellie!  It will be the first time she and I will be together every day without Molly. I am looking forward to more one-on-one with her.  Another plus to being home longer?  I won't have to write names on 25 spelling workbooks. Can I get a holla!!

Ok, so hopefully tomorrow I'll more interesting things to post about.

Cheers!
Jenny







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Long Weekend, Pear Painting

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Hi Friends!  We took a long weekend and went to Ocean City, MD. The girls love it there because the boardwalk has tons of rides that are just right for Molly. It's a fun, short vacation.  Since I'm a Jersey Girl I find I prefer our beaches but that being said, Ellie enjoyed the ocean and Molly built sand castles. Really, what more do you need?

Here are some pics. Molly rode the rides. Ellie ate pizza.






Then we came home and I painted a pear.

 



I know it's a little small for the space but I like it there and I may do a second, companion piece. Maybe an apple?  Two pears?  A partridge in a pear tree?  HA!

Cheers!
Jenny

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DIY Mercury Glass

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I have been trying to find a store around here that stocks Krylon's Looking Glass spray paint for months now. I love all the DIY mercury glass projects out there that you all are doing and felt woefully deficient as a DIY blogger that I hadn't done one yet. I mean I mastered the tissue paper pouf, the ruffle wreath, and the monogrammed pillow, but I hadn't yet made my own mercury glass. sniff. And y'all were kinda rubbin' it in with all your "Hobby Lobby this" and "Hobby Lobby that." We don't have Hobby Lobby here. We have Taylor Ham (pork roll), full service gas stations only, and farms (did you know that? NJ is crazy filled with farms) but no Hobby Lobby. It's ok though. You didn't know.

Anyway, I finally found it at my not-so-local Ace Hardware! Oh yeah, rock on with my bad self. So I grabbed those $2.50 candle holders I bought at Target and WHOOPS. So I grabbed the one $2.50 candle holder I bought at Target and made my own mercury glass. I heard you whisper "finally" under your breath.


I used a combination of tutorials I found on the world wide web.

 Mix up equal amounts of vinegar and water. Spray your whatever with a bottle or your fingers.  I used fingers. Don't over wet your object. The drops are where the inconsistencies in the shiny parts will be.


I used 5-6 coats of Krylon's Looking Glass spray paint. This paint is thin and goes on quickly. I used short, light sprays.

Coat 1

Coat 2

Coat 4
 Then I used a few tissues to blot the droplets. The paint will come off wherever the droplets are. I also rubbed in a few areas to have larger areas where the color will peep out and look inconsistent. I then sprayed more paint here and there so it wouldn't look even.



I am really happy with it and need to get back to Target to get another.




And this paint is a ton of fun to play with!  What else can I turn into fake mercury glass?  I wonder...

Cheers!
Jenny

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Link Party # 41

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We're busy getting ready to spend the weekend in Ocean City, Maryland!  Molly adores the boardwalk and the rides. She is a huge daredevil and the faster and whippier the ride the better. Meanwhile, I say silent prayers as she whirls and flips and flies,  and then breathe sighs of relief at the end of each and every ride.  We'll see how Ellie will do. Will she be like me and be content to watch Molly (and Jim to be honest) fly around the world in a little teacup or will she be manning the wheel? 

I hope you all have beautiful, fun, feet-on-the-ground weekends! 

Now let's party!  I'm so happy to see so many familiar faces each week. If you have a friend that you think would enjoy linking up, I'd be so happy if you'd remember my little party and let them know!  : )  Ok, enough of that. Let's see your Latest and Greatest Friday Party #41 masterpieces!!






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Features!

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I'm sorry this won't be a wordy post but it's been a loooooong day. No need to go into the gritty details but let's just say that Ellie is VERY lucky to still be here to reek havoc another day!  : )

LOVED so many links this week but here are some of your (and my) faves! Thanks for linking up!

Thrifted Bedside Table




Kids Bathroom Makeover




Side Table Makeover




Scarlet and Cornish Striped Table



Bedroom Makeover




Beach Cottage Corner






Cheers!
Jenny

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Ball Fringe Pillow Tutorial

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Do you like ball fringe?  I love it!  I think ball fringe helps stuffy things not take themselves so seriously. It is a bit silly and carefree and I like to use it in drips and drabs around the house.

I used it on Molly's bed crown because it was the same fringe that is on her curtains so it worked. Plus a bed crown can be somewhat stiff and formal looking to me and this little bit of ball fringe makes it softer, sillier, more like my girl.

I was rummaging through my stash and came across some large black ball fringe I've had for probably 8 years or so. Time to get rid of it by sewing it on some pillows!  Sewing on ball fringe is a pain but it's not a hard process so go for it!


If you want to add trim to a pillow the important thing to remember is to sew it on the RIGHT side of one your fabric pieces with the trim facing the middle of the fabric.  Then sew your right sides together.

Right side of one piece of my pillow fabric. See how the fringe is facing toward the middle?


Now that it's all on, just put your right sides together as you normally would.

It's a little tricky to sew the second piece on because the balls get in the way but just push them to the side and sew slowly.

I did a simple envelope closure. I hemmed two separate pieces and sewed them on so that they overlapped a bit. I just eyeballed it all so I don't have measurements but basically I made one shorter piece and a longer piece.



I love linen and black together. I think I may put a monogram in the middle. Or maybe something for the fall like a pumpkin or leaves?  What do you think?

Cheers!
Jenny

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