Mesa Temple Painting Update

So this is an update from a post I did back in June of last year.  I had some free time last summer, and I wanted a picture of either Christ or a temple up in our home, but everything that was framed was way out of my price range.  Then I got the idea to make one of my own.  The blog post from June was my drawing of it, but I am updating it here because my fabulously talented artist of a roommate, Chelsea Curran, decided to paint it right after I "done messed up."  I prefer drawing with pencil or charcoal, and she prefers painting (or at least is amazing at it!), so here is my drawing and her painting:

I am so happy to say that this work of art is now hanging on our wall, and I absolutely LOVE it!!

Music Hutch

So this post is somewhat normal... I think.  I have a tendency to start projects, like three or four at a time, and then not be able to finish them until much later.  That is exactly what happened with this one!  About a year ago I bought a small hutch off of a consignment site for about $25.  I was going to do great things with it, and I did, but the whole project took about a year to complete.  This hutch was very battered and worn.  It had no backing on it, and the former owner had painted it black because it seemed too far gone to save.

I bought this hutch to replace the drawers that I keep my music in because the drawers were full and I was accumulating music faster than I ever have, being both a choir director and taking part in another choir on the side.  The goal was to have something that I could display in my house that would look nice and go with the decor.  Then, about two months later, I decided that I always did things the conservative way and that I should shake it up a bit!  So instead of doing the olive green, sandstone tan and fiesta red, I got really whimsical and chose teal, purple and white!  Yeah, it didn't go with anything in my house, but that is what a sunroom is for, right?!  Anywho, I was able to take this hutch from all black, strip it, sand it, paint it and seal it, and I LOVE IT!


This is before:

This was the stripping process:

This was the priming process:

This was the first coat of paint:

And this was the final coat of paint, the sealant and the finished product!:

At the risk of making it look more like a dress-up closet for little girl's dresses, I added a little silver lining to the front doors to make them pop!

Even though this was fun, I don't think I will be doing such a big project anytime in the future.  But I will be posting Halloween costumes soon!

"America the Beautiful" in ASL

I am fortunate enough to use my skills in American Sign Language on a daily basis because of my job.  However, since I work in a school, my ASL skills have been put on hiatus for the summer.  I feel like I have been getting rusty, as you might see in the beginning of this video, so I decided to gloss and sign the song "America the Beautiful" (You can watch it by clicking on the link)  I have been wanting to sign to this version, sung by The Kidmans, for years, but have always been busy and had never gotten around to it.  I am glad that I had a little bit of time on my hands this year (pun intended) to get it ready just in time for America's Independence Day. I really hope you enjoy it, and I hope that this inspires someone watching it to go out and learn some American Sign Language: you will never regret it.  Also, go ahead and check out the other songs The Kidmans have done on CDBaby.com.  They have a phenomenal sound and you definitely want to see what they have to offer!

This song goes out to all of those who have served and are currently serving our country.  I appreciate you so much, and I am so grateful to have the freedoms that I have because of what you fight for.  Thank you!  Everyone needs to take a listen to this song and remember what the roots of our country are all about.  It talks about the beauty of our country, the United States of America, how it was founded, what our hopes and dreams are for it, and who fights for it every day.  Please don't take our country for granted.  Happy Independence Day!!

A Change in Me...

I feel like it's been a while since I have posted anything, and it really has been a while.  I was going to post my current project when it was finished, but it is taking too long.  So I figured, in the meantime, I would do a music post.  Since the live action "Beauty and the Beast" recently came out, I wanted to do a song from the musical version you would see on stage, "A Change in Me."  The title of this post is actually fitting because technically, this was just a warm-up recording so that I could hear myself and correct a few things, but I thought it was okay enough to share.  This was just working on one specific effect of warming up my sound when I sing because I have a tendency to sing very bright.  It definitely helps to listen to yourself when you practice.  I thank God every day for the talents that He has blessed me with, and I am so grateful for the ability to share them with others.  I hope you all do the same, whether it be music, food, languages, compassion, service, crafts, sewing, or anything else that you're good at.  Just remember who gave you those gifts and use them for good!  Here is the link to A Change in Me

Valentine's Day!

I've never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day.  Part of the reason is that I never have a "special someone" to share it with.  This year, however, I have had such fun making cards for the kiddos I help teach at the school I work at.  They are very similar to cards that I have made for kids I have looked after before and they loved them!  As did these kids.  All you really need to make one of these cards is two pieces of card stock and a piece of colored construction paper. The first thing you do is fold the piece of construction paper in half hamburger style.  Do the same for one of the pieces of card stock.  Then on the folded card stock, measuring about an inch from the side, cut two slits about half an inch long, one on either side.  Next, take the cut card stock and flip the middle section inside out and crease it so that it stays.  Put this page inside the folded construction paper and glue down the edges, pushing out the center portion so that it pops out.  With the second piece of card stock, design and cut out whatever you want to "pop" up and then glue it to the front of the "popped out" piece.  Once this is done you can decorate the card however you like.  I wrote a little note to each of my kids in these.  I usually seal the cards with a sticker, since they tend to be a little big for regular envelopes.

Two Weeks Off... What To Do?

Having two weeks off for Winter Break gave me a lot of time between semesters to do something fun, so I made a quilt!  In cleaning out the garage and putting away holiday decorations I came across my old T-shirts from high school that I have kept for several years with the intention of one day making them into a quilt.  I finally took the time to sit down over the last few days and make it!  I think it turned out pretty good.  Check it out!

'Tis the Season... to be Singing!

It's that time of year again!  There's a chill in the air, snow on the ground (except for Southern Arizona), and everyone is ready for sleigh rides, hot cocoa and cuddle buddies.  It is also the exciting time of the year when musicians are at their busiest, because everyone wants their Christmas music at their holiday-themed parties.  Most of my holiday season consists of concerts, recitals and various other performances, and one such performance is my winter recital.  This year was particularly great in the sense that I didn't get my yearly cold until AFTER I sang this year.  The two songs I sang were "Sleigh Ride" and "Chi Voul La Zingarella." Check them out here at Chi Voul La Zingarella and Sleigh Ride