Go number six! Go number six!

Daaamn this has been a busy few weeks! I was doing a decent job of photo documenting all the happenings for future updates (still can't seem to make my blog ever keep up with real life) but then my computer experienced some sort of technical disaster and I lost a month's worth of photographs! How frustrating! Fortunately, the most important thing I wanted to share didn't get lost.

Most important thing = WINNING!

This sentiment may come as a surprise to those of you who know me as a good natured and laid back person. The truth is, I have a wild competitive streak that I no longer even try to hide under an air of dignified calm. I can't stand fighting but I love love love competing. I play Scrabble with narrowed eyes and lip-biting fervor. Nobody shit talks like I do when putting around the mini-golf course. I promise, bringing an irrational level of intensity to these games makes them so much more fun (for me).

I bring this up because I'm currently in the throes of contest-induced passion. I entered The Ready Aim Redesign furniture makeover challenge sponsored by the heartwarming Dwell With Dignity organization. I decided to participate because I'm always dragging junky furniture off the curb and into our garage while promising to fix it up but I needed a contest to motivate me to get it done. The best part is that the top ten finalists were selected by a handful of impressive people like my absolute favorite designer Jonathan Adler and favorite design blogger Grace Bonney of Design Sponge! I know I use exclamation points generously but I really meant that last one.

So, holy crap, I found out that my chair makeover made it to the top ten finalists! Now the winner is decided by popular online vote. I've been checking the vote counter like a spider checks it's web and I'm currently in a three way close running for third place.

This is the part where I ask you for a favor...

If you want to indulge my win-centric nature or maybe vote against me because I once sunk your battleship, please head to the official contest page, click over to the voting area and pick your favorite. My entry is number six.

If you are are not easily moved to vote and want to be convinced that my entry is worth your vote, I'll tell you a little about my chair and why I think it deserves to win. Also, voting is easy and you don't have to sign in or anything.

chair story:

I was walking home from work and saw this bedraggled chair on the side of the road waiting to be picked up on trash day. Despite the fact that it looked like it had been partially devoured by squirrels, I picked it up and carried it home on my back (+1 for being tough).

I gave it a thorough washing, sanded the wood and stripped off what was left of the cushioning and upholstery and gave it multiple coats of bright chartreuse paint. (+1 for color bravery?)

I have a habit of hoarding any upholstery scrap fabric bigger than a dinner plate that my boss is throwing away so I saved three pieces of gray wool for this project. (+2 for trash saves)

I wanted to make the chair as unique as possible to get the judge's attention so I decided to embroider the wool before upholstering the chair with it. I learned how to do french knots and I spent hours creating a barnacle-like pattern with the knots using pale blue thread. (+1 for imparting a tedious process?)

I'm very proud of the way it turned out. I love the lines of the chair and that I got to save a nice sturdy piece of vintage Drexel furniture. Hope you like how it turned out and I double hope you still like me after finding out how competition crazy I can be.

Adrenaline Rush

I have recovered from the sick spell and my body rejoices! Honestly, I don't know when I've ever felt so vivacious. Perhaps I just feel amazing in comparison to before but I seem so much more bubbly and energetic than usual. I had a very long day today full of uncharacteristically hyperactive behavior and now it is nearly 3am and I still have no desire to sleep! Very strange.

I'm generally a rather mellow and slow moving creature like a wooly bear caterpillar; but since the moment I sprung out of bed, I've felt like a hummingbird or a school of twinkling silver fish. I don't know what to make of it. Perhaps my body sent me a nice gift of adrenaline and endorphins to make up for how badly it made me feel for the past few days.

I tried to wind down by browsing Etsy and sipping chamomile tea but then I came across a shop that ruined my attempt at relaxation! This shop was such a thrilling find that I'm full of electric excitement and urges to spend.

I found Vintage By Crystal using Etsy's shop local search tool (she lives in the Boston area too). I'm generally so inspired and impressed by sellers on Etsy that I come to each shop with high expectations. I realized that I'm so saturated with great stuff that it takes a lot to surprise me. When I got to Vintage By Crystal's Shop, I felt a giddy sense of wonderment and delight. She makes these inexplicably special little figurines that remind me of my mother's vintage Christmas decorations combined with Maurice Sendak and glitter. I love that they have the vintage feeling paired with a little bit of contemporary quirkiness. Sometimes they are made of salvaged bits and pieces like a skirt made from streamer paper. I love them.

I must say, whimsical doll figurines have never been of interest at all. I actually had a hard time understanding why they are such a popular collectible until I found these. My family's prized Hummel collection has always been puzzling and undesirable to me and I thought I'd never ever let myself become a grown woman collecting little people. Alas! I've met my match. I want them. I want MANY of them in a little cluster on a display shelf with a doily!!!

I wouldn't strangle a snake

... unless it threatened me.

I went out yesterday with an old friend. We went to a cafe, ate sushi, strolled on the beach and at the end of our date, I strangled a snake in a cheesy photo studio tourist trap in Salem.