Tuesday, June 5, 2012

(Successful) DIY Day

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm on a bit of a DIY kick right now.

And yesterday was anything but successful. Remember this?


Umm, yeah. I rest my case.

But more on that in a minute.

Today was "Charlie Gets His Teeth Cleaned Day." For those of you that don't know what this entails (like I didn't), you take your dog to the vet in the morning, they whip out the anesthetic, knock him out, clean his teeth, and you pick him up late in the afternoon. That's a lot of work to clean teeth, if you ask me.

Since I still needed to pick up some supplies for my projects, I had my sister come with me to take Charlie to the vet so we could run errands while I was out. We got to Matthew's house to pick up Charlie, only to find out that the leash was still in Matthew's car. Slight problem. But since he only works about 5 minutes from his house, we drove over, met him in the parking lot, and got the leash.

Did I mention Charlie gets REALLY excited about car rides?

REALLY excited.

And then, he saw Matt and was EVEN MORE excited.

But then we left.

Whoa, buddy.

Charlie was NOT cool with that.

He cried.

And cried.

And didn't stop crying all the way to the vet. Did I mention that we got stopped by not 1, not 2, but 3 trains on this little trip?!

To top it off, he was shaking up a storm like he had just experienced the greatest trauma of his life.

He was temporarily transfixed by train #3.



We finally got him to the vet, and he was NOT cool with that either. Scratch that. He was fine getting out of the car and walking into the building, but as soon as I started filling out the paperwork, he was heading for the door.

No, he was literally walking to the door.

And when they came to get him, it was the barking, the cowering, the pulling at the leash, the mid-air acrobatics. Like his adventure at PetSmart the other day, but not quite as bad.

After dropping my favorite drama king off at the vet, my sister and I hit Panera (home of the world's hottest coffee) before running to JoAnn's and Lowes to finish getting the supplies I needed for my projects.

I would like to point out that these were supposed to be CHEAP projects. So not the case.

I got my awesome zebra print fabric for my crate seating and the chair I bought yesterday. Then I went to get the foam for the crate seats. Thank goodness for a 50% off coupon, because that stuff is ridiculously
E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E. Even with 50% off it was still $20 for 2 1/2 yards of the stuff-CRAZY!

At Lowe's, I found my beautiful paint for my chair (and was talked into buying a gallon of the stuff-lots of painting on the horizon). I was also able to show off my nonexistent lumber knowledge base as I struggled to explain what I needed for my crate seating. But, awesome thing about Lowes, they will cut the wood for you in store.

Turns out that it helps if you get your dimensions right. I'll be visiting my grandpa and his workshop tomorrow to make my particle board fit my crates.

Oops.

I also learned that my Jetta is not built for hauling leftover sheets of particle board. Mental note made.

Since I totally screwed up my crate seats for the day, I decided to start in on my chair. Ooo-and I didn't show you my chair yesterday, did I?

You are in for a treat.


You can't tell me that that chair isn't the most beautiful chair you've ever seen! Oh, and the fabric on the seat-LOVE IT! Absolutely gorgeous!


NOT.

So this afternoon, I sanded, I tightened screws, I painted, and I reupholstered.

Behold, my new classroom chair:

Not bad, right?! I'm pretty much in love with it. 

I also salvaged my disaster of a picture frame, which now looks like this:

MUCH better.

Ok, I know this is getting long, but when I got to Matt's this evening, Charlie was still a little drowsy from the anesthetic. 

He was so out of it.




I'll post a video later. It's quite entertaining.

EDIT: Here's that video I promised. I would like to point out that a)his right eye really can't stay open and b) he's falling asleep while sitting up.

Charlie After Anesthesia from Ms. Ellison on Vimeo.



17 comments:

  1. Awww, poor Charlie!

    I love the way the frame turned out (with more persistence...way to go)!

    Don't get me started on that cool chair. I'm so jealous!

    Elizabeth
    Fun in Room 4B

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    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness, I am IN LOVE with my chair! I love it so much that I'm seriously considering making a few more so that my kiddos have a cool place to sit for small groups!

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  2. Love your chair. You did a great job!!

    And Charlie is a cutie.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, thank you, thank you! He is a handsome little dog, isn't he? :)

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  3. After reading about your projects (Awesome chair!) I need to get my butt in gear and head out to Hobby Lobby!!! I've been doing too much sitting around reading on the computer this break!

    Our dog (Bailey) also shakes like a leaf whenever I have to take her anywhere. Charlie looks too funny in his after-picture!

    Lauren
    Life in Middle School

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    Replies
    1. Target gets most of my money during the school year, but once summer hits and I need to keep myself busy-move over Target, it's time for a Hobby Lobby trip!

      What's weird is that Charlie LOVES car rides! I can't imagine how he figured out we were going to the vet!

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  4. Hi Laura,
    I love the chair. It is adorable! By the way, you have a beautiful name ;)
    I am a new follower.
    TIPS: Teach, Inspire, and Prepare Students

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    Replies
    1. Ha! Only the coolest people can be named Laura-it's a fact!

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  5. Oh my goodness...I'm so glad I found you. I'm your newest follower. You are a girl after my own heart...crafts and coffee...amen! I LOVE your zebra chair. Adorable...Today is my last day so I will have to get on some fun crafts this summer. :o)
    Vicky
    Traditions, Laughter and Happily Ever After

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    1. Oh my goodness, I don't know how I would survive teaching without my coffee!

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  6. It's the next "David after dentist" video!! ;-)

    Teaching FSL

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  7. Hey Laura! I love your chair! And Charlie's video is absolutely hilarious! I laughed so hard, my roommate probably thought I was going psycho or something! :) I love your blog, and am giving you the One Lovely Blog Award! Head back to my page to check it out! Thanks for keeping us entertained!!
    Allie
    The Gypsy Teacher

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    Replies
    1. WHOA! Thank you SO much! That's my first blog award!

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  8. I just discovered your blog today and let me tell you that I've thoroughly enjoyed reading some of your entries! I also teach 6th grade and am a HUGE animal lover (my dog is currently snuggled up on my lap as I type :)), so reading about Charlie was hilarious! Haha... I just thought I'd comment to let you know that you've gained a new follower! I just started a blog and am having such a great time discovering the ins and outs. :)

    Thanks again for the laughs!

    Sara Miller
    Ramblings of a Deaf Ed Teacher's Mind...

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    1. Yay! I'm so glad that I'm actually entertaining people (I was afraid that I was the only one who found me entertaining!)-I'm glad you found my blog!

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  9. I love your blog! I teach sixth grade & have loved reading your posts!! Check out my blog---it is just in the beginning stages.

    Emily
    Teaching With Powers

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