January 31, 2012

Fruit Bowl Turned Sculpture

I stopped by my good friend Hellitz' blank slate living room. In a corner, was a collection of things she considered donating to a thrift store. Most of it made sense to throw out but this glass fruit bowl caught my eye. You don't just go to any store and find a piece like this.


What I love the most about it is that it's interesting in every angle. 

We went to our local craft store where she picked out some paints. I love acrylic paints and we found that Decoart Dazzling Metallics worked well with glass, even though it took several layers before I couldn't see any light seep through the glass.

I lalalalove acrylic paint. I grew up on it. I've used it for ceramics, jewelry boxes, even for some picture frames. No fumes, you can use it indoors and it spreads where you want it to spread. Almost fool proof....almost.

I painted the back of the glass so that the lines and curves in the front of the bowl weren't compromised and if Hellitz or her boyfriend Pablo ever decided to fill the bowl again, the paint wouldn't get scratched. It's new home is now a built-in bookcase, it's propped up to show off its beautiful lines. 


There was also a canvas panting that she bought from one of the local big box stores. It didn't match the new color scheme of silvers, grays and blues so I suggested we paint color fields over the painting,. If you can draw a square, you can paint some color fields. 

Divided the painting in half with with black paint. 

It took a few layers of paint to cover the painting. Note to self: invest in primer. 


This Mark Rothko painting was the inspiration to our humble piece. I'm definitely no Mark Rothko but I think the painting is just right for her space.


She scored these curtains from Target. Love em! Yes, it's a cell phone pic. Promise to get better pics for the final reveal. :D 
We're still looking for a rug, wall decor and throw pillows.Ah! The hunt continues! 

What I learned:
  • Paint and glass aren't the most compatible but it helps to wait for the layers to completely dry before you move on to the next layer. 
  • Before you go shopping for the small stuff, always look around and use your imagination. Free is just smarter. 

January 26, 2012

Baby Shower Revisited

I have too many excuses reasons why I haven't been writing. I've neglected my blog for too long. Part of it is that I had a writer's block but it's also been a really busy few months. I actually had to work at the office and it was right around the time that I was trying to tie all the loose ends for the baby shower. All fun, I tell you, all fun.

Like most Torres events, there were many voices. There was my mother, sister, Wendy's sisters, and her foster mother wanting to be a part of the planning. It was a constant push to make sure that above all, mother-to-be was happy with all of the decisions made.

In the beginning, we all agreed that if it was a baby boy, that the motif was going to be building blocks. Everything else fell into place! Yea right! We had pow wows and emails exchanges. We took seven different trips to seven different stores to get everything that we're looking for. By the end of it, I knew the layouts to Joann's, Hobby Lobby, and Michael's. We had craft parties to paint favors. Mom even took trips to Orlando to get the more traditional keeps sakes, including this shoe-shaped candy holder.









The guy with the mic is my brother, he was pretending to be an emcee and yet I'm considered the dork of the family. Sigh.

In the end, even though I was frazzled by it all, I was happy with the end result. Baby-to-be is the first grandchild so having this baby shower made it all the more real. I was satisfied with the end result and I'd like to think the parents were too.

The best part of it all was:

These two are now engaged.





My brother decided to surprise everybody. When the last present was opened, my brother got down on his knee and proposed to Wendy!

Almost all of the women that were planning this baby shower, including myself, were brought to tears. It was definitely a moment that made everything perfect. 

By the way, my nephew is due February 9th. He's coming any minute now. It's Operation Wait and See right now. We're waiting for that phone call or text message from my brother or from his FIANCE (ah!) letting the rest of us know that baby is on his way.

EDIT: Wanted to thank Martinez Restaurant and Bakery  for such an amazing cake. Thanks Maria!