tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77373709615456251222024-03-05T14:58:19.611-08:00Curio ClosetSilvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-22602515982283869892013-03-13T09:58:00.001-07:002013-03-13T09:59:07.769-07:00My Kitchen or Why We Call It The Split Level Of DoomSo when we purchased this house, I was taking care of my husbands grandmother full time. She had end stage Alzheimer and we were in need of a home that had a ground level space that could be separated and used as a small apartment for her.<br />
The house we found had a perfect setup. It is a split level with half the first floor opened into one large room [about 370sqft] with a door at ground level that goes right to the drive way. All we had to do was reverse the lock into the main house and open a door to the bathroom directly from her room. It sounds a little cruel to keep her contained in part of the house, but her disease made it impossible to share a space. She constantly believed that we were strangers in her home and often hurt herself trying to "escape."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Original Tiny Troublemaker</td></tr>
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She passed in Jan 2011 and we renovated the apartment [mainly added a kitchenette] and have been renting it out for extra income ever since. The situation is perfect for us, especially now that we have added a tiny new member to the family and I went from being employed full time to working occasionally as a substitute teacher.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tiny Troublemaker v 2.0</td></tr>
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The only thing about our house [besides having to lug a 23lb munchkin and 50lbs of groceries up a flight of stairs twice a week] that I really truly and absolutely do not like is our kitchen.<br />
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I am an entertainer. I love dinner parties, and movie nights and craft days. I love play-dates and birthday extravaganzas. I used to host holidays and family get-togethers. I some how managed to do this in both my 1400sqft rental and my 800sqft apartment. Our 1900sqft house? Not so much.<br />
I blame this solely on my eat in kitchen. This is the first time in my entire life that I do not have a REAL dining room. I could handle this, if the "eat in" part of my kitchen could house more than a 2 person cafe table comfortably. Let me illustrate this for you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Kitchen Layout</td></tr>
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As you can see the entrance [which comes from the living room] is painfully narrow. Causing the whole upstairs public space to feel segmented and cramped. There is also an awkward pantry in the doorway. Finally the fridge was crammed in the far corner. This means that you are nowhere near the "working triangle" when you retrieve something from the fridge. And if opening the pantry door and blocking the entire entryway wasn't enough, you pose a major road block while browsing the fridge.
Almost immediately we added a temporary water line and moved the fridge to a new location in the back left corner.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is Your Fridge Running? Well You Better Catch It And Put It In The Corner For Being A Nuisance.</td></tr>
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This made me feel better in the short term. But with the base cabinet boxing in the front left end of the table, the pantry boxing the front right and the fridge boxing the back left, it is impossible to move around the table if anyone is sitting at it.
You could not even enter the kitchen without making someone vacate a chair. Storage is also a headache. The base cabinets and mostly deep abysses [is that even a word?] where dishes go to die. Don't even get me started on trying to find a pan in the back of a cabinet when you are 8 months pregnant. All I will say is I was stuck until my husband came to my rescue.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light At The End Of The Kitchen Doorway Tunnel.</td></tr>
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The eventual plan is to replace most of the base cabinets with drawer units and hidden trash bins. We'll open the entry way [removing the old pantry in the process] to double the width and make the whole upstairs seem more open. The fridge will eventually be moved besides the sink. To make up for the missing cabinets, we have put in a full wall unit along the "dining" side of the room.
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Right now we are stalled at this stage.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Achievement Unlocked: Entering Kitchen While Inhabited!</td></tr>
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We can not do the final steps until we have the money for a new sink, sink base and counter tops. Opening the entry also involves moving TWO multi-switch electrical boxes. And although I am married to an electrician, he is terrified of the prospect of this job and refuses to start it until he had a helper that is more help than I am. We will eventually [hopefully] enlist one of my four contractor brothers.
In the mean time here are some of the lovely bits I have finished to stop myself from crying every time I slave over a bowl of shredded wheat.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely Light Shade And The Epic Win Also Known As My DIY Built-Ins</td></tr>
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I'll go over the process of those beautiful built-ins at a later date.
By the way. I have chosen to not take lovely photos with my good camera until a have something worth showing. So process shots are done with my cellphone. The space does not deserve HD shots. I will shame it into submission.
Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-91955540340396502692013-03-08T19:55:00.000-08:002013-03-13T05:54:33.634-07:00Not New, But Relevant.So today I had the amazing honor of being featured on one of my all time favorite blogs! <a href="http://www.epbot.com/">Epbot</a> Is the wonderfully geeky brainchild of <a href="http://www.epbot.com/">Cake Wrecks</a> creator Jen.
<br />
I have been a faithful reader for pretty much always. I have also been going through a somewhat difficult time in my life and really want to get back into blogging. This is by far the best way to get pulled back.
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Here goes. I have had a couple people ask how I went about transforming the doll. So I thought I would talk a little about the process. Skip to the end to see the comprehensive list of tools I use.<br />
I picked the Liv dolls because they have perfectly pose-able bodies and very easily changed hair [they all have removable wigs].
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaylee doll I made for a later swap</td></tr>
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The first thing I did was take sticky tack and cover the eyeballs with little blobs. I removed most of the face paint with acetone polish remover. Some residue is always left and I use a multi-side nail buffer to keep removing more until it is mainly fresh faced.
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<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5095648158_37f484b7fb.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
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The next step was to carefully carve the face with multiple sizes of very very sharp xacto knives. I smoothed the edges with nail buffers and dremel grinders.<br />
Once the face was an appropriate shape, I began painting. I used basic acrylics and for some pits mixed them with matte mod-podge for a more translucent finish.<br />
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<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/5095049837_907b3418d2_z.jpg" style="width: 425px;" />
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I will say this. The Liv dolls have a very childlike, doe-y look to their face inherently. This means that they lend themselves to people who are also childlike and doe-y. This is evident by how much better the River doll came out than the Kaylee doll.
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Supply list:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Sticky tack or tape for eyes. I actually used a kneaded eraser.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Super-Nail-Acetone-Polish-Remover/dp/B000E9FXZO/">Acetone nail polish remover</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tweezerman-Shape-Shine-Nail-Tool/dp/B002HK2GWG/">Nail buffer</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Xacto-X5282-Basic-Knife-Set/dp/B00004Z2UB/">Xacto knife with multiple size/shape blades</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/SE-82331TF-pieces-8-Inch-Diamond/dp/B000P49BX8/">Dremel sanding heads</a></li>
<li>Acrylic artist paints</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plaid-Mod-Podge-Matte-Finish/dp/B000HWY6EM/">Matte ModPodge</a></li>
</ul>
Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-15667606763832495922012-11-27T06:04:00.001-08:002012-11-27T06:04:30.820-08:00It's a whole new life.Some major things have happened in my life since last I updated.
The biggest of which is this:
<img width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTlMhwqgZg_NKz52nyMQD-rUn_0pikOaVdsiu471dDbGNaRtJvXVTOwgMwrnLA1jiF5ysuMRgKYf8b-Yj3hN6s7X9vOem92OXS_IH_guCNNhRogeQKvnx2oGpUPgce2ijfKBxQ1fCQl1F/s400/IMG_20120712_081137.jpg" />
<p>
His name is Silas and he will be 6 months on the 8th of December.
His journey into the world was a hard one and his early days were even worse. It is only recently that life has picked up and I am so happy to finally feel like myself again.
I have SOOO many things to share. Here is a little peek at what has been happening around here.
<img width="400" src="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/303696_10101180082961143_2015766649_n.jpg"/>
<img width="400" src="http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/526864_10101044287236863_311432215_n.jpg"/>
<img width="400" src="http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/559435_10100981153053273_948618900_n.jpg"/>
<img width="400" src="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/525389_10100875725196543_1389227518_n.jpg"/>
<img width="400" src="http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/298396_10101224694299663_334247516_n.jpg"/>
<img width="400" src="http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/76489_10101329704179023_1531767971_n.jpg"/>
<img width="400" src="http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/387592_10101291319342543_1195507423_n.jpg"/>
<img width="400" src="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/533932_10101295014741933_2003230305_n.jpg"/>
Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-31547356371428811792011-06-24T19:54:00.001-07:002011-06-24T19:56:58.132-07:00Just Hit a Wall Made Entirely of Creative BlockI am working on a redesign for my portfolio site and I am feeling so uninspired.<br />Anyone have some input?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg415X27ekTRN42OLld3DQL-8vgdZ7o6qOM4QufUhLLcEOHo_zyfAXPLwnJnwFpyUD1bBPn8Z-S4DvqPb0PWfQOjRlHEoU9pFXCdx1PtFiUFK3WidfekPs8Bj_w_K0G9kD6TL-CETnjR-j6/s1600/newsite.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg415X27ekTRN42OLld3DQL-8vgdZ7o6qOM4QufUhLLcEOHo_zyfAXPLwnJnwFpyUD1bBPn8Z-S4DvqPb0PWfQOjRlHEoU9pFXCdx1PtFiUFK3WidfekPs8Bj_w_K0G9kD6TL-CETnjR-j6/s400/newsite.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621985709146460530" /></a>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-51256320397005204252011-06-18T17:02:00.000-07:002011-06-18T17:47:17.149-07:00Many Shades of Nude.<center><img style="width: 425px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDl7mwE4isCRT9Lzgvszr02TYSJ7YreskhcEFcm4oex2FlnTLe0ko_S6PioIG_p7IrnqbtpC0WRoiWi08EC1g-gPwPsVecNwNDsQbhbslR0G9xvAqrJwjEAeRm9ro8vIkr0U0gC8vEuVeB/s400/OLIVE.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size: 10px;">My skin - Tan right?</span></center><br />So as anyone who has ever tried to buy foundation before can tell you, there is no such thing as the color "nude" and in a much deeper and more socially aware sense it bothers me a lot when I see things labeled nude but that is way besides the point.<br /><br /><center><img style="width: 425px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVQlDaTWv2PFVq4O4iddHGfY8QYJAllhZoN3SAjGjI79MUsUApt_HQUR1yDlOZSi6p435lm0fW0UqLE25XNvOs7AYEsxVErGc88OmovL-jaXDk8DL35AUsHdNTlr8ZauA1EMXZ3SZ8Y1J/s400/GOLD.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size: 10px;">My friends skin - Also tan?</span></center><br /><br />I am olive toned, which I like to call green. I really am green. Mostly when I am a little tanned. Yes I have pinkness to my skin in some places on my body.<br /><br />The thing is, if you take my skin, and put it against my sister in laws skin she is pale pink, and I am straight green.<br /><br /><center><img style="width: 425px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkNHn0DNV1t07frX3PiEBY6VZVMUfVlNtOs2sNiNM4N73A4L6hoWmj3-Do0PqK2Vr_otqUDCaI1BQyXCaNqcVdTLxf2QFY9Fxt-yC0PZZqJ-essBRtreP6nhUwnhI4TkzkLJ1KdI1woAU/s400/PEACH.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size: 10px;">My sister in laws skin - Tan again?</span></center><br /><br />My skin is awesome! Please do not misunderstand, this is not where I bust out in a chorus of "its not easy being greeeeen!" But seriously, it's not easy being green.<br /><br />The world seems to thing that people come in two basic hues: pink and gold. Yeah there are all the shades in the world of those two hues. But how does that help the odd green girl out?<br /><br />Because of this anomaly of skin shade, I have the HARDEST time doing two things. Finding foundation and finding nude nail polish. When I am super pale I can usually get away with a neutral light shade. Something right above porcelain and right below medium. Nail polish is even harder. Every pretty beigey polish no matter how neutral it looks in the bottle, comes out peachy pink on my nails.<br /><br /><center><img style="width: 425px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtw8pUw2zf0xAF-LEVwJ6wY0bPB_EbQxingAeUEK4qTVami1ClGoxyR3WWo8FaeT67S42sh9pvg90NDEBFdW_OISiFIw9PMVixitvIlmA-kHMJL7r19yX0sDKU9EZLEp5q5bApQG4iL25S/s400/OLIVE+GOLD.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size: 10px;">Me + Friend - NO! Lies!! The true greenness is revealed</span></center><br /><br />I finally found a polish a few years back that was nearly perfect. It was called Bare It In Trafalgar Square by OPI and was more of a greige.<br /><br /><center><img style="width: 425px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeWEpSXgkuHVQD7r6-Vl91UjZPvnNY6V0Lin7dWbLzUeSjpakS50uy-U4P6MRNRI5nFF-M7RJi3dhj_Ygnj6zmOIXryWRf9dZb7lU0rsW3cSUK5L-9XN3VLUybJixywunJLanQ31-BABg/s400/OLIVE+PEACH.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size: 10px;">Me + SiL - OH My freakgreen green!</span></center><br /><br />Sadly, it was discontinued. The other day I found an awesome replacement. It is an Essie resort collection color called Playa del Platinum. I looove it!<br /><br />It is a very warm toned beige and it makes my greenish skin look much more gold.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 10px;">Disclaimer: images are gross misrepresentations of our skin tones created for the dramatization of my issues</span>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-73808695268737085812011-06-18T16:19:00.000-07:002011-06-18T16:23:25.776-07:00I Love My CatShe is so ridiculous. We are getting her spayed this Thursday and I have been trying to make sure she does not get out before then. We don't need any kittens in this house.<br /><br />But of course she takes every chance she can to escape. The only up side is she is a wussy and wants in within minutes. Sometimes I don't hear her screeching meow right away so she has developed this skill. Keep in mind, this cat has been out side the house around 10 times total.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zNKqyCNUsXc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />I know. She is awesome.Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-87884601628898525762011-06-13T19:00:00.000-07:002011-06-13T19:06:03.080-07:00Today I Made...Some logo sketches. I am not super in love with it. I just needed to doodle with purpose.<br /><img width="425px" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/5831216120_6127eff831_o.png" /><br />Against the color of my current portfolio.<br /><img width="425px" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3373/5831216188_22b7741a50_o.jpg" />Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-42429277789093500532011-06-08T08:13:00.001-07:002011-06-08T08:19:06.046-07:00By Far the BEST Blog Giveaway Ever.Jordan at <a href="http://ohhappyday.com/">Oh Happy Day</a> is gonna make one of her readers VERY happy!<br /><a href="http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris/"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 69px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks5vI1-8wD7vrR5qAALYxOK8skiLwD_KvX_uOBrhwgaoXCeUrJlWPK07HV8iSsEdmfn7sDpTiwT7CgtuQws_Lw4dj-texwyI-YEOo5PUt21kC13J88qzi-6NYiipZTU0RUJhAix8JiiRf/s320/Oh+Happy+Day.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615867886465995250" /></a><br /><br />She is giving away a <a href="http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris/">7 day trip to Paris</a>! She and her husband recently relocated there from San Francisco.<br />Oh Happy Day indeed!!<br /><br />Everyone should head on over and check her out. Even if you don't win, her blog is adorable and so worth the read.Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-87015869830111187612011-06-06T17:11:00.000-07:002011-06-06T17:41:40.231-07:00Today I Made...<div>My in laws very very happy.</div><div><br /></div>So I have always loved to photograph people but never had a good chance to test out my skills. This weekend however, that chance came along.<br />My sister and brother in law will be celebrating their 5 year anniversary in August and they wanted to FINALLY get some special couple photos [they never had a wedding] that they could have to show at the anniversary party.<br /><br />I still have not upgraded to a DSLR from my little Canon S2IS but the shots still came out pretty great if you ask me.<br /><br />Here are some of my favorites.<br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2729/5806056595_fdbfe554cb_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/5806054107_066541b583_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/5806049563_c41148c103_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5039/5806612184_39ce65166f_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5806609266_2f1e97e0b7_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5076/5806041969_a29e0af824_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2792/5806606240_e0a403c05b_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/5806608334_ecd1a2a201_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5276/5806610368_ba0d79534c_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/5806047851_9791f287ef_z.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 425px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2145/5806617296_7e98ed833b_z.jpg" /><br /><br />They were wonderful to shoot because they are so darned cute and in love. We had an awesome time and ended up with lots of great shots.Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-11920392671048625652011-05-20T11:27:00.000-07:002011-05-20T11:33:20.613-07:00Such a Little Big StepI have been planning, meaning, about to set up a portfolio site for months now. Really longer, but only seriously lately. <br />I feel scared to do it because I struggle with feeling like a fake. How dare I make a website all about me and my body of work?!?<br /><br />Well I finally did it. For all the scary, overwhelming feelings I have had it was relatively painless.<br /><br />The design is laughable, the structure juvenile and yet, I am happy it exists. There is so much work I need to do on it but I am sure some day it will be awesome and an asset to my career.<br /><br />So without further ado, I present:<br /><a href="http://silvanakathryn.com">SilvanaKathryn.com</a>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-84517232304547292012011-05-15T12:53:00.000-07:002011-05-15T13:22:46.677-07:00Crazy Coupon LadySo I have ALWAYS been a couponer, and a clearance checker, a price haggler and occasionally a discount demander [no I don't want the one thats not broken, I want this one half off!].<br /><br/>Lately however we of the crazy coupon clippers are getting more publicity. This both gladdens and worries me. I am glad more people are being thrifty and taking advantage of good deals. I worry that if too many people start doing it the stores will make stricter rules.<br /><br/>Too good to be true discounts are still profitable for businesses because they know most people will not bother to take advantage of the savings. It is like the mail in rebate phenomenon. Most people that purchase something with a mail in rebate never actually send in for the money. If the store had discounted the item at the register, they would lose more money in the long run.<br /><br/>Anyhow, enough with the blabbing. I thought I would share a little coupon shopping in did this morning at Walgreens. With a combination of in-store discounts, manufacturer coupons, and register rewards [instant rebate certificates that print at the register] I saved 75% off my total purchase.<br /><br/>To visualize:<br /><span style="font-size:30px;"><br /><br /><img style="height: 200px;" src="http://www.silvanakathryn.com/images/coupondeal.jpg" /><font size: 40px>+</font><br /><img style="height: 200px;" src="http://www.silvanakathryn.com/images/coupondeal2.jpg" /><img style="height: 200px;" src="http://www.silvanakathryn.com/images/coupondeal2.jpg" /><img style="height: 200px;" src="http://www.silvanakathryn.com/images/coupondeal2.jpg" /><font size: 40px>+</font><br /><img style="height: 200px;" src="http://www.silvanakathryn.com/images/coupondeal5.jpg" /><img style="height: 200px;" src="http://www.silvanakathryn.com/images/coupondeal5.jpg" /><font size: 40px>+</font><br /><img style="height: 200px;" src="http://www.silvanakathryn.com/images/coupondeal4.jpg" /><font size: 40px>+</font><br /><img style="height: 200px;" src="http://www.silvanakathryn.com/images/coupondeal3.jpg" /><font size: 40px>+</font><br /><img style="height: 200px;" src="http://www.silvanakathryn.com/images/coupondeal6.jpg" /><font size: 40px>-$40 = $14!</font></span>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-90868747759597833822011-05-15T06:03:00.000-07:002011-05-15T06:04:25.045-07:00Where In The World Is Silvana Kathryn!The last few months have been pure insanity. I know I make that excuse every time I disappear for a while. But I promise this time it is true!<div><br /><div>As you know in December I went through the overwhelming process of moving Alice [my husbands grandmother whom I cared for full time] into an assisted living facility. I had finally finished all the paperwork and transition steps and brought over her last things when she somewhat expectedly passed away a month later. This then started another somewhat overwhelming process of emptying her space, filling out more paperwork, and being there for my in laws while they made final preparations. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then came February I barely remember that month at all. I was trying to start a business doing something I thought I would enjoy but after a little over a month I realized I was making a mistake and had to re-evaluate. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>This lead me to March where I made a huge decision about my future and my career. At this point I should have been set. Things should have been on a good path and settling down. However the big career/life choice I made meant that I was going to be a little bit broke for a while so my husband and I were brainstorming for ways I could make some extra money while I built up clients.</div><div><br /></div><div>This brings us to April. On April 2nd I posted status on my facebook saying "Anybody wanna rent our basement apartment?" Two days later I got a text from my sister in law asking if I was serious about renting the space. I was, sort of, serious, though it needed alot of work to get it rentable. She proceeded to tell me about her co-worker that needed a place by the end of the month and the insanity ensued. </div><div><br /></div><div>In less than a month and on a budget of $1500 we completely renovated our basement into a studio apartment complete with a kitchen and all new bathroom fixtures. We tore out walls, ran new drains, new water, and two new circuits for kitchen appliances. I put down new flooring, painted the entire space and installed TWO sinks with minimal assistance. We ended up paying my brothers [the general contractors] to do some of the work running drain because it was just a bit over our heads.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was pulling 16-18 hour days while still trying to focus on that new career venture. </div><div>So when I say things have been insane, I truly mean it.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now that all the blah blah blahing is over I can let you know the good stuff. I somehow forgot to take photos of the apartment before it was filled with the new tenants things. But when she has unpacked the last few things I will take some furnished photos.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you are thinking tl;dr, than stay tuned for the fun post to come, complete with visual aids!</div>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-18372062267668850682011-03-26T16:01:00.000-07:002011-03-26T16:05:11.779-07:00Reblog"<strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(122, 122, 122); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; ">You are missing an opportunity to help stop the bad guys.</strong><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(122, 122, 122); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; ">You’re missing an opportunity to stop the real misogynists, the fucking sickos, the ones who really, truly hate women just for being women. The ones whose ranks you do not belong to and never would. The ones who might hurt women you love in the future, or might have already.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(122, 122, 122); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; ">‘Cause the thing is, you and the guys you hang out with may not really mean anything by it when you talk about crazy bitches and dumb sluts and heh-heh-I’d-hit-that and you just can’t <em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">reason</em> with them and you can’t live with ‘em can’t shoot ‘em and she’s obviously only dressed like that because she wants to get laid and if they can’t stand the heat they should get out of the kitchen and if they can’t play by the rules they don’t belong here and if they can’t take a little teasing they should quit and heh heh they’re only good for fucking and cleaning and they’re not fit to be leaders and they’re too emotional to run a business and they just want to get their hands on our money and if they’d just stop overreacting and telling themselves they’re victims they’d realize they actually have all the power in this society and white men aren’t even allowed to do anything anymore and and and…</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(122, 122, 122); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; ">I get that you don’t really mean that shit. I get that <em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">you’re</em> just talking out your ass.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(122, 122, 122); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; "><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">But please listen, and please trust me on this one: you have probably, at some point in your life, engaged in that kind of talk with a man who <em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">really, truly hates women</em>–</strong><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">to the extent of having beaten and/or raped at least one</strong><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">.</strong> <strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">And you probably didn’t know which one he was.</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(122, 122, 122); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; "><span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><b>And that guy? Thought you were on his side." ~<a href="http://kateharding.net/">Kate Harding</a>, "</b><i><a href="http://kateharding.net/2007/04/14/on-being-a-no-name-blogger-using-her-real-name/">On Being a No-Name Blogger Using Her Real Name</a></i><b>"</b></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Awesome excerpt. Read it. </span></span></p>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-42796674507463871652011-03-24T09:38:00.001-07:002011-03-24T11:08:23.057-07:00New Venture!My mother [the personal trainer] and I [the desperately in need of training] are starting a little project.<br />She is going to help me get fit and I, in turn, am helping her redesign her website and give her endless material to write about on said website.<br /><br />Mom is all about fitness and healthy living and would love to eventually point her career in a writing and seminaring direction. This is my way to help her get there.<br /><br />Anyhow I am messing with some site designs and this is one I came up with.<br />I am still up in the air about the background and I may go with something totally different. Let me know what you think?<br /><br />A<br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5556504000_6978f6b933_o.jpg" title="Header Ideas by SilvanaKathryn, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5556504000_6978f6b933_o.jpg" width="425" alt="Header Ideas" /></a><br /><br />B<br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5131/5556343988_ec166f2972_o.jpg" title="Header Ideas by SilvanaKathryn, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5131/5556343988_ec166f2972_o.jpg" width="425" alt="Header Ideas" /></a><br /><br /><br />C<br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5252/5556344064_69380a967d_o.jpg" title="Header Ideas by SilvanaKathryn, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5252/5556344064_69380a967d_o.jpg" width="425" alt="Header Ideas" /></a><br /><br />D<br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5174/5555759173_a5e7878882_o.jpg" title="Header Ideas by SilvanaKathryn, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5174/5555759173_a5e7878882_o.jpg" width="425" alt="Header Ideas" /></a>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-2125349217260136032011-03-16T12:25:00.000-07:002011-03-16T12:31:05.486-07:00Today I Made...A website!!<br /><br />What what?!?!<br /><br />I have been working for a month or so on a redesign for <a href="http://thehistoricinterior.com/">TheHistoricInterior.com</a>.<br />I am about to go live this week and I thought I would show you a little preview here.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5134/5532816936_3d2c9d9e9a_o.png" title="The Historic Interior.com by SilvanaKathryn"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5134/5532816936_3d2c9d9e9a_o.png" width="425" /></a><br />Click to see full size.<br /><br />This is a new experience for me and I am so excited about the progress I am making.Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-32927899907735512212011-03-16T06:40:00.000-07:002013-03-13T05:41:23.263-07:00River Tam... Can Kill You With Her Brain.I can not believe I forgot to post about this!!<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/5095051729_b3fec7b5a0_b.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
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As I have mentioned recently, I am an active member of the craft website <a href="http://www.craftster.org/">Craftster.org</a>. One of the best things about this site is their organized craft swaps.<br />
They work like this, one person figures on a topic of craftiness to organize a swap around. This could be a type of crafting [there have been embroidery swaps, recipe swaps, postcard swaps] or a theme of crafted objects [favorite tv show, series of books, wall art, nerdy stuff, something for my kids etc]. Then users sign up for the swap and are partnered. You are then responsible for making something awesome for your partner, and they do the same for you.<br />
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I don't know about everyone, but I get a lot more joy out of making something for someone else than doing it for myself. This means I don't have to wait for birthdays and holidays to craft for someone!<br />
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Last week I signed up for a round of the Whedonverse Swap. If you don't get the reference than you <s>must have been living under a rock for the last 15 years and are obviously not interested in awesomocity</s> should look up Joss Whedon.<br />
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This is the second round of this swap I have participated in. Last round I made the River Tam [a character from the much loved and sadly missed tv series Firefly] doll pictured above. She turned out AMAZING and I am so surprised at myself for not having posted about her here. Anyhow, now proceeds my raving squee of fangirldom!<br />
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<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5095055215_ca9dcf6dfb_b.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
I started with this frighteningly made up <a href="http://www.livworld.com/">Liv</a> doll.<br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5095648924_0c42ca94b0_b.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
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Through a long process of resulpting and repainting her face I ended up with a result I am pretty proud of.<br />
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<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5095648158_37f484b7fb.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/5095648296_2a84dba5a0.jpg" style="width: 205px;" /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/5095648588_fb1a7d8ef5.jpg" style="width: 205px;" /><br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/5095049489_802f129a3e.jpg" style="width: 205px;" /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/5095049837_907b3418d2_z.jpg" style="width: 205px;" /><br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5095054465_aa94c285c1_b.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5095051577_3d476145b6_z.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/5095650856_05214a0081_z.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/5095052519_e2783a7657.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
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I even made a little box for her to send to my swap partner.<br />
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<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5095651572_2ba78c8280_z.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
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Here is a reference picture of River from the show.<br />
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<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/1039wyu.jpg" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/156bmok.png" style="width: 425px;" /><br />
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*Update* I have posted about my process and the tools I used to rework her face. You can find the info <a href="http://curiocloset.blogspot.com/2013/03/not-new-but-relevant.html">here</a>.Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-65253019809083755822011-03-11T13:11:00.000-08:002011-03-11T13:35:16.354-08:00Dois Ovos e Batatas Fritas e Uma Água com Gás, Por Favor?I am half Azorean, its the dominate half. The half that comes out in my nose shape, skin color, hair texture, voice volume, and general sense of humor.<div><br /></div><div>I used to spend every Thanksgiving [and 4th Of July, Labor Day and BOTH my dads birthdays each year] surrounded by a couple dozen aunts, uncles and cousins that spoke another language and ate alot of pork.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite that I never seemed to pick up Portuguese in a practical way. Dad was not around alot when I was a kid. He was also unfortunately perfectly bilingual and spoke barely accented English around the house. The only thing I did learn to say rather flawlessly was this:</div><div><br /></div><div>"Dois ovos e batatas fritas e uma <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap; ">á</span>gua com gás, por favor?"</div><div><br /></div><div>Its what I would order for supper when I visited the Azores as a child.</div><div>Another funny thing about me is, despite my pork loving genetics, I was a vegetarian until I was 13 and still eat only fish and a little chicken.</div><div><br /></div><div>That sentence up there is my go to meal in the land of meat with a side of meat: two eggs and fries and one sparkling water, please?</div><div><br /></div><div>Lately though I have been thinking I REALLY want to learn to speak more. I can sort-of-kind-of read it, and sort-of-a-little-less-kind-of understand a person.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, has anyone used one of those language programs? like Rosetta Stone?</div><div><br /></div><div>Does anyone have a suggestion? Besides watching alot of Portuguese Sesame Street.</div>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-87585411869426719122011-02-16T14:05:00.001-08:002011-02-16T16:43:24.547-08:00Today I Made...Bunny on the brain! This little hat I actually made a couple weeks back for a client's daughter.<br /><br />Color was the clients choice, but I rather like it.<br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5451456929_eacf6e4fd2.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5100/5451455405_41513cb2de.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5216/5452066252_82b65b330e.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5100/5451455405_41513cb2de.jpg" /><br /><br />It is even more awesome on. Here is my adorable little sister modeling it.<br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5172/5452069568_d60b3c14c2.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5451458309_166708e63a.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5452072534_5e9509b5d3.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5178/5452071846_358902bbf1.jpg" />Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-37725690020353917802011-02-12T10:11:00.000-08:002011-02-12T10:13:36.475-08:00Ah My BedBegging to be napped in.<br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/5439330122_7031b0b574_z.jpg" />Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-17586055292232492302011-02-09T09:44:00.000-08:002011-02-09T11:02:18.855-08:00Little Slow These Days.I have been so neglectful of the blog lately. So much so that a friend reminded me today of the fact. [Thanks <a href="http://whatdoyoueatvegan.blogspot.com/">Cherish</a>!]<br /><br />Well here is my update. It is filled with a little bit of good and a little bit of not so good.<br /><br />Lets go with the good first. I am super busy right now because I am working on some freelance graphic design work. Mainly a website design for a designer friend of mine.<br /><br />I also did a really lovely little project on my pantry door and a custom crocheted hat that I will be posting about soon.<br /><br />I also busied myself planning a birthday bash for my husband. It went off [almost] without a hitch.<br /><br />Now this brings me to the not so good news.<br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5252/5431691246_57df82b577.jpg" /><br /><br />The day of my husbands birthday party, his grandmother, Alice passed away.<br /><br /><img style="width: 450px; height: 337px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5431692094_9905f6983a.jpg" /><br /><br />If you remember, I cared for Alice full time up until December of last year. She had been at her new home [Emeritus assisted living] for a little over a month when she passed.<br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5175/5431691864_13a205c9a9.jpg" /><br /><br />We are all very happy she went peacefully and was able to find comfort there in her last weeks. The day she died she was sleeping while her son sat next to her holding her hand. When a nurse came in to check her vitals she had gone without his notice. It was the very best way it could have happened.<br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5178/5431083845_dde31f731d.jpg" /><br /><br />Things have been a little strange since then and I have been trying to do what I can to make it all easier on James.<br /><br /><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5431691462_155e1b4720.jpg" /><br /><br />She was 94 years old and had gone down hill physically quite alot in the last year. As hard as it has been on James and his father, we all agree that it is better for her to not be suffering anymore.<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=bf64229465&photo_id=5431718070"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=bf64229465&photo_id=5431718070" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br />I will be updating with more happy pretty DIY-ness very soon I promise.Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-31970739890614899292011-01-21T18:21:00.000-08:002011-01-21T18:55:22.350-08:00Feeling ValidatedFor many years now, I have been a [shamefully lurking] member of the craft website Craftster.com.<br /><br />Today I was told that I have the distinction of having one of my projects picked as a Best Of 2010!<br />As little as that is, it made me feel awesome!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?action=best-of-2010"><img src="http://www.craftster.org/bestof2010/images/winner_badge.png" alt="Craftster Best of 2010 Winner" /></a></center><br /><br />This is up there with time I won first and second place in the homeschool harvest pumpkin carving contest. Although second place "officially" went to my 2 year old sister whose pumpkin I designed and carved.<br /><br />So I know you are ALL wondering which fabulous DIY project made it to the top.<br />Was it the living room chairs?<br /><a href="http://curiocloset.blogspot.com/2010/03/today-i-made_30.html"><img style="width: 450px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2729/4477491216_afff1457b4_b.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The sheer roman shades?<br /><a href="http://curiocloset.blogspot.com/2010/07/pretty-privacy.html"><img style="width: 450px; height: 339px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4809543937_2f9174a874_b.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Maybe my little scrap yoke necklace?<br /><a href="http://curiocloset.blogspot.com/2010/06/today-i-made.html"><img style="width: 450px; height: 339px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4693669413_4621ba2865_b.jpg" /></a><br /><br />No! The project named among the elite few are my little teal wedding shoes!<br /><br /><a href="http://curiocloset.blogspot.com/2010/05/today-i-made.html"><img style="width: 450px; height: 339px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4578107263_853c506098_b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://curiocloset.blogspot.com/2010/05/today-i-made.html"><img style="width: 450px; height: 339px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4578737368_9fdb207860_b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://curiocloset.blogspot.com/2010/05/today-i-made.html"><img style="width: 450px; height: 339px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/4578738100_7b0efdef64_b.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://curiocloset.blogspot.com/2010/05/today-i-made.html"><img style="width: 450px; height: 339px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4578734724_eb325cce26_b.jpg" /></a>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-70995460666820107262011-01-19T10:42:00.000-08:002011-01-19T10:55:07.754-08:00Shop Update!Added another couple of sweet items to the shop today.<br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/66274213/teal-and-floral-memo-board-jewelry"><img style="width: 450px; height: 598px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5121/5370749940_42f2beeb0d_z.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/66274213/teal-and-floral-memo-board-jewelry"><img style="width: 450px; height: 598px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5210/5370749832_e6105e2628_z.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/66276065/ceramic-goose-figurine"><img style="width: 450px; height: 338px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/5370143031_dd2e28419e.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/66275455/6-additional-pink-memo-board-pins"><img style="width: 450px; height: 338px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5124/5370143139_b3ba30cda1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/66275596/6-additional-blue-memo-board-pins?ref=v1_other_1"><img style="width: 450px; height: 338px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5204/5370750412_737b52a4e1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/66275821/6-additional-pearl-memo-board-pins?ref=v1_other_1"><img style="width: 450px; height: 338px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1421/5370143253_8633c8bc35.jpg" /></a>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-47526985042200955112011-01-16T08:17:00.001-08:002011-01-16T08:32:13.951-08:00Satisfaction GuaranteedHave you ever taken advantage of a satisfaction guarantee on a product you felt failed you?<br />Until today, I never had either. I am not a terribly picky person. I have always been able to make do with whatever I have been handed. <br />But when I feel I have been swindled I really can not sit by.<br /><br />Last week I purchased a can of Krylon Magnetic Spray Paint. I have been meaning to paint my pantry door magnetic/chalkboard and could not justify the $25 price tag on a tiny can of magnetic roll on paint. Finally I found the spray paint at Hobby Lobby and even has a 40% off coupon to use on it. I came home feeling thrifty and excited about the project.<br /><br />I brought the door downstairs, removed the hardware and prepped the surface. Then I started painting. At first it worked fine and then it started to mist. I shook the can and sprayed again. This time it was strong for a moment and then spurted to a stop. I pulled off the tip tapped it on the table and replaced it. Again it spray for a second then spurted and this time died completely. No amount of resuscitation could bring it back.<br /><br />I had only painted about 1/4 of the door and sat there looking at it in annoyance. As soon as the paint was dry a grabbed one of my favorite magnets and set it on the surface. There was absolutely no pull whatsoever.<br />While the can implies that the thicker the coat the stronger the attraction, it does not say that one coat should be COMPLETELY ineffectual.<br /><br />So this morning I contacted Krylon. I don't know what will come of it but I at least hope they are made aware that their product might need some tweaking.<br /><br />Now I am off to the hardware store to just bite the bullet and buy the tub of Rustoleum Magnetic Paint.Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-38873870992975214162011-01-10T09:09:00.000-08:002011-01-10T09:20:07.624-08:00Today I Made...Very first listings for my etsy shop!<br />I know, So Exciting!!<br />So click on over to the items and check them out.<br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65628862/dragonfly-collection-memo-board/"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5342614789_4934289b97.jpg" width="450" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65628862/dragonfly-collection-memo-board/"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5122/5343223984_7873fd9260.jpg" width="450" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65614022/bee-collection-memo-board?ref=v1_other_1/"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5081/5342614027_89eecc307d.jpg" width="450" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65628679/beetle-collection-memo-board"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5208/5343223196_8df8412b2e.jpg" width="450" /></a>Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7737370961545625122.post-48652952860081435272011-01-09T10:35:00.000-08:002011-01-09T20:10:56.057-08:00Today I Made...Fabric labels!<br /><br />I love when I discover new and awesome ways of doing things. Man do I have an awesome project for you guys!<br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5122/5340053678_6fce10d6a4.jpg" /><br /><br />Did you know you can print on fabric with your inkjet? No expensive specialty sheets or stiffening solutions needed.<br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5086/5339437477_f780834039.jpg" /><br />All you <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> need is: Fabric [basic natural fibers work the best], freezer paper, iron, and scissors or rotary cutter. A cutting mat and guide make it easier as well.<br /><br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5250/5339437949_d061233d0c.jpg" /><br />First step is cutting a large piece of fabric and freezer paper to the same size<br /><br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5008/5339438359_4b1b3bd66e.jpg" /><br />Layer freezer paper over fabric plastic side down and iron in place on appropriate fabric setting.<br /><br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 344px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5250/5340049484_a945169254.jpg" /><br />The fabric/paper piece should look like this.<br /><br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5246/5339439343_8d574f4682.jpg" /><br />Cute the fabric into smaller pieces the size of standard letter paper [8.5"x11"]<br /><br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5283/5339439723_c35cd3db7b.jpg" /><br />To be safe before printing, I press each piece one last time paper side up.<br /><br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5125/5339440153_77d610be52.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5046/5340051344_5e026b271d.jpg" /><br />Load paper into printer appropriately [this is usually paper side up] and print regularly.<br /><br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5006/5339441833_a0cac2df6a.jpg" /><br />The last step is of course, Peel!!<br /><br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5004/5339441259_665e8d2f58.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 460px; height: 345px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5206/5339442313_74e455c8f4.jpg" /><br />It is kind of amazing how finite the detail comes out on basic cotton muslin.<br /><br />PS. If you want to make sure the ink stays, submerge the fabric in white vinegar and then rinse thoroughly and dry. After that, just treat the item like you would anything printed from an inkjet [avoid prolonged direct sunlight, excessive washing and strong chemical cleansers]Silvana Kathrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00331027891301713410noreply@blogger.com6