My Super-Awesome Craft Table (AKA- Worst DIY Tutorial Ever)

Last week, I mentioned that the Chavo was helping me to build a craft table right out of my imagination. Well, it is complete!!!

"But Ginger Spice, that is a framed chalkboard!" Oh, but it is not JUST a framed chalkboard. It is pure magic. A craft table that folds down, and looks like a beautiful picture when up? Genius, I know.

I wanted to share this magic with everyone, especially considering that Chavo and I could not find a tutorial on something like this. We found one, but it totally sucked. And I am not about to waste my life building a sucky craft table with directions that I don't understand, so we made our own directions. Like bosses. Here are all the magical instructions that you need to build a wicked sweet craft table like mine.

Step 1: get supplies.

Chavo and I planned for this to be a 2' by 2 1/2' table with about 4" depth for cabinet space, so we got all the junk for it. That junk being 2 pieces of wood that were 2 ft long, 2 that were 2 1/2 ft. We also went ahead and got the wood for the frame, which was just wood moulding and some rod- looking like things, in the same dimensions. We also got a 2 by 2 1/2 ft panel that was thick enough that it won't break if I put my sewing machine on it. Also got 6 Small hinges. Don't worry too much about measurements, because they will get all screwed up later and you'll just end up eyeballing it anyway.

Step 2: Make a wall box.

Get the whole family involved, if you have to. This is not the frame, this is the part that is mounted to the wall, which also serves as a little space to hide a bunch of crap. Whatever, just screw the pieces together. If you are like the Chavo and me, the wood we got was super-hard (hehehehe) and took forever to screw together.

Step 3: attach the panel to the wall box.

Find some sort of magic fairies that will help you line the panel just right so you can put the hinges on without it being all crooked. We used 3 hinges, just for good measure. Two would probably work fine, but we don't know what we're doing.

Step 4: Make the frame!

A problem that Chavo and I faced was that we couldn't find moulding that was sturdy enough to serve as table legs, so we went a different route: we cut a frame out if slightly smaller wood that was sturdy enough, attached the hinges to that, and then glued the pretty frame on with wood glue. 

Your craft table is now ready to be put up!

Step 5: Mount that mother to the wall!

This is by far the hardest part. I wish there was an easier way to do it, but I have yet to figure it out except to drill serious holes before screwing it into the wall, make sure you charged the heck out of your screwdriver, and try not to get into a fight with your husband. He will win this one, because he has the power tools.

Find some way to mount this thing to the wall. If it takes you less than 3 days, congratulations, you were faster than us!!

Ta-da! The table is done!

Now slap some paint on that bad boy!

I wanted to try an antique-ish look on the frame, as well as have a chalkboard. So I painted the frame and then used homemade chalkboard paint. 

Side note: homemade chalkboard paint is simply 1 tbsp of Nonsanded tile grout for every 4 oz. of acrylic paint. Color doesn't matter!! I got the Nonsanded grout at Home Depot. I went for a simple black chalkboard though, because I'm boring.

Now, all you need is a way to keep is closed when you're not using it! I went for a super easy eye and hook latch. You only need one. How do I know that? Because I broke the second one. Go me! 

And voila! Your table/picture is now complete! 

See you next Wednesday!!

An Exciting Change of Pace

I cannot believe I am even able to say this out loud, much less post it on my blog.

I opened my own business!

It's true! It's true. "Ginger Spice and Everything Nice" is no longer just a blog. It is an actual business. I am doing something that I truly love, making things with my bare hands. It also helps that I have the ability to watch TV while doing all of this. I am making handcrafted items, focusing mainly on jewelry and home décor. My current favorite is metalwork rings.

I have to say, that I could not have done this without the Chavo. Even as I type, he is outside, on our balcony, cutting a wooden frame for my craft table, with a handsaw. He has sat next to me, gone over every point, every doubt, every tear, and believed in me. He saw what it was like for me to be unhappy with my job, and he is now doing everything in his power to see that I am happy with my work and enjoying being at home. That also includes building me the most awesome craft table from my wildest imagination. He truly is my biggest cheerleader, my #1 fan, and my most loyal supporter.

He's also pretty sexy.

With that said, I would love for my first customers to be some of my Ginger Spice and Everything Nice Blog-Readers. I set up my Etsy store, but I got a little bogged down with all of that, so keep your eyes out for new things to crop up at my store. I will try to post my new things weekly. GSEN will also be going on the road for craft shows, so you may get an opportunity to buy my stuff in person! I'll also try to keep in touch with where Chavo and I will be for craft shows, so people can come out.

I am hoping that this is the sign that things are getting better. I love being home more. I love being with my dog and my husband, without worrying that neither knows me anymore. Maybe this is the start of something really good. We could really use a win right now. I know I could. It's looking mighty nice so far though.

See you next Wednesday!

Best of: Things Your Kid Says

While I was teaching last year, my students said a LOT of funny stuff, and I managed to get it all written down, hoping to write this post. So allow me to share with you. The Top 20 Things Your Kid Says.

20. "How many years has it been since the A-Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima?" Your Kid: 3958 years

 

19. Your Kid: Miss Garcia, do you know how to do this? Your Other Kid: Breaking news, dude, she's smarter than you!

 

18. Me: What can we be prepared to do if 9/11 were to reoccur? Your Kid: Invent holograms so the plane goes right through.

 

17. Me: Someone name another thing that was invented in the 1920's. Your Kid: Catapults!

 

16. "I think WWII is like a guy fight, and the Cold War is like a girl fight. Just two countries not talking to each other."

 

15. "Miss, is this how you spell 'wedgie'?"

 

14. "Ms. Garcia, how come smart people like you always use calculators to solve math problems?"

 

13. "Ms. Garcia, were you alive during the Civil War Reconstruction?"

 

12. "Is George W. Bush still alive?"

 

11. Who was the Great Compromiser? "Dr. Phil"

 

10. "Did your dad fight in the Civil War?"

 

9. "What was Henry Clay's nickname?" Your Kid: "Kunta Kente"

 

8. Your Kid: "Are you pregnant?" Me: "No." Your Kid: "Are you just fat?" Me: "Yes, I'm just fat.

 

7. "Ms. Garcia, will you help me get this pencil lead out of this bear's butt?"

 

6. Counselor: "What do you do when a stranger is at the door?" Your Kid: "Hit them with a bat!"

 

5.  "Mrs. Garcia, are you mad? I just saw your nose flare up."

 

4.   Do you always have to say "Mon" after you say "Jamaica"?

 

3. Somebody, quick! Tell me a noun! Your Kid: YOLO!

 

2.  What COUNTRY does spaghetti come from? Your Kid: KROGER!

 

1. Where was the Mayflower Compact signed? Your Kid: At the bottom.

 

 

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Well, there you have it. The top 20 funniest things my students said this year. I'm going to miss them, but I hope they give their 6th grade teacher as much entertainment as they gave me.

 

See you next Wednesday!

And we're back!

 After a turbulent airplane ride and being detained for two hours in Customs, I can finally say:

We're home!!!!!!

But most of you don't care about that, you just want to see pictures. Well, I'll give a little bit of insight into how this trip went.

We started out with our church on their short term mission trip, and honestly, I took ABSOLUTELY no pictures. For real. Chavo took them all, and he won't give me his memory card (ahemjerkcough). But then....

Chavo and I were set free, and this was the first place we went! (Not really, I just love showing people this picture.) A boob-squirting fountain, it doesn't get any better than this.

We saw dear friends.

 We saw beautiful, beautiful things.

We ate the most AMAZING PANCAKES OF MY LIFE! 

Yeah, really, that's a pancake. Chavo and I met an 82 year old woman who owned the hotel we stayed in with my parents. She was definitely, hands down, the most interesting person I've ever met. She is the only person with the recipe for these Hugonote pancakes, and I do believe that secret recipe will die along with her. Fluffiest, most delicous pancakes I've ever had.... What was I talking about?

Oh yeah, we saw some kind of fascinating, yet terrifying things too. We managed to go to San Juan on their Patron Saint Day, just in time for their procession. There was incense and fireworks everywhere!

Tell me that isn't freaky looking!

We saw a really pretty waterfall.

And we got a lot of rest and thinking done. It was a good trip. Chavo and I are thankful to be home though. We are thankful to have such a great home to come to. It makes this Independence Day so much sweeter. We are grateful to be in a place where we are not afraid to walk the sidewalks in the daytime or flush the toilet paper down the toilet. We have done a lot of thinking about going to Guatemala long term, and we still have not reached a conclusion that is confirmed by God. At this point, it looks a lot like we won't be going to Guatemala long-term, which makes me very sad.

That said, it doesn't mean that we won't be doing missions long-term, we just are not sure that Guatemala is where God wants us. I don't know. It seems like a lot of things that we wanted really are not going to go how we planned for.  But like it always goes, God doesn't care about our plans, but we know he has better ones. It's just kind of hard to look at now when all you see is that door that just got slammed in your face.

Anyways, it's getting a little unnecessarily depressing, so here's another boob-squirting fountain!

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Go flush some toilet paper and shoot some fireworks! Im'ma go get me a hot dog.