Birthday Gift

This is what I got for my Daddy for his birthday. I got him these items because he is a man that doesn't need much, and he was pretty set when it comes to stand by typical daddy gifts. For him the stand by gifts include golf balls, and golf tees.

But he does like old things. So one of the best places in Albuquerque to find cool old things is in antique stores. Duh. They always have neat, different, and unique things, and the inventories are always changing. I recommend checking them out for those of you need to get gifts, and don't know what to get.

I got him an old oil can that I cleaned the grunge off of, and an old wrench. He really liked them both.

.Birthday Gift Success. 

::A Thankful Thanksgiving::

Well I haven't blogged much lately, I have just been feeling so overwhelmed with school, and just trying to finish the semester. Sometimes it seems like life just gets to a point where each day you are just trying to make it through the day rather than enjoying it and the beauty of it. It is so wonderful to be home for the holidays 

and...

 There are so many things I am thankful for everyday. This weekend I am just so thankful of my family.

 

My Mother is a wonderful woman a couple of weeks ago she broke her foot with a fall, and even though she is limited she still does all she can for my family. Here she is cooking us our thanksgiving meal.

My Daddy, he is a wonderful provider he always makes sure that his family is taken care of. With my mother currently as she is he really has been doing everything he can to make sure that she is comfortable, and not doing to much. He has been doing everything he can for her. 

It just so happened this year that my big brothers birthday landed on Thanksgiving!!!!

He couldn't come home for the holidays :( we really wish he was here, it just isn't the same without him. I am so thankful to have him as my brother, I can honestly say that he is one of my best friends, I can't wait to hang out with him this Christmas.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Little Bit of My Casita

Here is my table in use. The side table is a stump that we had at the house that I sanded down.

 There is the table the was refinished. 

The small stain glass is one that my mom and I made. 

I made the pennant, and painted the frame and picture. 

My couch is the most uncomfortable couch.. ever (Target), but! It sure is cute. 

I figured the more pillows I make for it the more comfortable it is, and I have to admit the pillows did make an improvement.

Before::After

This Before and After is actually kinda even super neat to do because it was on the coffee table that we used throughout my childhood.  That said, It sure looked like the coffee table used throughout my childhood. There surely was some true wear on this table. It also was my grandparents they had gotten the piece with some matching sidetables down in Mexico. It was for this reason that when I asked my dad if I could re-do the table he said I could do what ever I want to it, but it was still one of my parents pieces of furniture.

 Scratched and just sad looking.

 I started out the job with a palm sander then my dad was so sweet and made my life so much easier by buying a belt sander. 

...I Love Belt Sanders. 

 The curvy parts took the longest for the tight fit areas I used a Dremel Drill with almost a gouging bit on it, so I had to kinda careful with it. 

The natural wood grain was so very beautiful that I just used a tongue oil on it. 

I very much love my table and I left a little line of the old stain because I liked the way it looked, and just to remember what it was like before. 

40 Years Balloon Fiesta

One of the biggest events that the city of Albuquerque puts on yearly is the balloon fiesta, and even though I had only lived a couple of hours away from Albuquerque my whole life this year was the first year that I had ever been to it. The Balloon Fiesta is an international event and It was to say the least simply amazing.

It was especially neat because a week earlier I had the opportunity to go on a FREE balloon ride. Even though it was only 100ft in the air tops it was still a very neat experience.

The first official balloon launched

I thought this was a beautiful balloon.

The Creamland Cow was too big to get off the ground that morning. It was easily one of the biggest balloons there. To get an idea I was standing in the shadow of the cow when I took this picture. 

Me (on the right) with my best friend.

Balloon Glow

Later that evening we came back for what is called the balloon glow. All the balloons are set up and they coordinate so that they all glow at the same time. 

Free Balloon Ride

The weekend had started out as a crafting experience, and my friend Michelle and I had been out on the look out for chairs to revamp when we turned into this parking lot to take pictures of the balloon. When we got closer we saw a sign for free rides, and seized the opportunity. 

What rocked as well is that it was outside an antique mall that had some totally awesome stuff in it. It was all in all a Score!

The balloon that I got a ride on doing it's thing at the Fiesta

Ten Things About Me.

1. I am afraid of grasshoppers, and crickets I believe it has something to do with the unpredictability about their jump.

2. I love the state I live in NM, I think it is a beautiful place in it's own way. 

3. I grew up in a town known as "The City of Natural Lakes," and I can not swim. 

4. My favorite medium for creating art is watercolors. 

5. I choose my apartment because of the high ceilings, and natural sun light. 

6. I'm short, but I'm ok with that.

7. I'm somewhat of a Jill of many trades, but a master of none. 

8. I haven't posted on my blog for a while because I was suffering from bloggers anxiety. :)

9. I take a nap almost everyday, sometimes it is only for ten minuets. If it is Friday it might be a little longer.

10. At my house our pets are part of our family. 

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A little Can go A Long ways

It is amazing how little adjustments can make pieces look so much better.

For instance: Just having my pictures in frames makes them look better, and a little primer paint and tape can make blah frames look entirely different. (I need to remember to take before pictures) I chose for the frames to look like a set but still be a little different just to add a little more visual interest. 

I am so happy with how this project turned out. These will hang nicely on the side of a large window in my living room.

-Serah.

Arrows

This is a piece that I created for the purpose of creating a screen print to create cup towels with but when I was done I liked it so much that I decided to paint it as well, and display it in my apartment. Truth be told the painting came out better than my screen. I love the colors, and hope you do too.

-Serah.

Hispanic Contemporary Market

Ok so this happened last weekend I just haven't had a chance to post it. It was so much fun, it was held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and there were tons of booths with so many unique pieces of art work.

 

  I loved the colors of these pieces of furniture.

There were quite a few artists with pieces that had a Dia de los Muertos theme going on, they were very interesting

I loved that the artist of these used natural rocks that were already so beautiful with the moss and colors, and he didn't alter the natural beauty but added to it with the cute little birds perched upon it. 

1). I like Giraffes, and 2). I like when unexpected supplies are used.

As my mother and I were walking she was looking for her cousins name that she had met a couple of weeks ago,  for the first time since childhood. My mom was able to spot her because she recognized some of her art that she had shown her when my mom visited. 

It was a nice day, and even the weather was on our side it was a little overcast with some nice cloud cover so it wasn't even a scorching day. 

Before :: After

Before

Middle

After

1. Old night stand- Free 

2. Primer (I had from a previous project)- Free

3. Grey spray paint- Home Depot- $4.00

4. Handle- picked up at the Jackalope store in Santa Fe- $5.00

Grand Total= $9.00

I am getting ready to move into an apartment and for the first time live without a roommate. One of the best parts about this, is that I get to design the space exactly how I would like it to look. The catch is, is that I am on a budget. Lucky for me we have extra pieces of furniture here and there and with a little tweaking I don't have to sacrifice my design aesthetic.

Snuggles

Little Benny doing what he does best making mimi's and looking cute.

Gone FIshing

We have a fishing boat, but all summer the it was in the shop. So just recently got it back, and my brother and I took it out on the lake. While we didn't catch a thing we did see this Great Blue Heron, and he was having much more luck than we ever did with the fish.

Rango

In the summer at my house we tend to have all kinds of wildlife and this little cutie was the smallest lizard I had ever seen. I had been cleaning off the porch of paper mache from a project that I had been working on (Hopefully some pictures soon)and went inside for a second and when I came back out this little guy was getting a drink of water from the puddles.

At the Range

In the month of June I turned 21 and for most this is a grand milestone in their life. An opportunity to get smashed and buy booze, well I don't drink so my twenty first birthday was just a birthday celebrated with my family. But one perk of coming of age was that I can now purchase my own handgun, and that was a perk that I exercised a week after my birthday with a combative Colt .22 Scout. I must say I am very happy with my purchase and it is just beautiful.