DIY: Gradient Chevron Canvas

Hey guys, I wanted to share with you how I made 3 gradient chevron canvas's a few months back. It was extremely simple, and a lot of fun. Except the waiting for paint to dry part because that is just pure torture.

(1) LOCATE CANVAS(S)

I found a really great deal at Michael's. When I bought these it was actually my first time in a Michaels. OMG, That store is really dangerous because I want to buy EVERYTHING. 

(2) PURCHASE 2 TUBES OF PAINT

You're going to need 1 white and another color of your choice.

I went with this turquoise blueish color.

(3) TAPE UP YOUR CANVAS(S) IN A CHEVRON PATTERN

I apparently do not own a ruler or a pencil. I know, wtf right?

So I winged it and it took forever.

I think it came out pretty good but I would not reccommend it.

If you don't feel like winging it I've located a very good tutorial for you that I found here.

(4) MIX YOUR PAINT

Take your white paint and put it on your cardboard or whatever you're using in 4 places.

Then add a little of the other color of your choice, more on the next pile of white, and so on. You should now have 4 different colors that go lighter to darker. Your fifth 'pile' of paint should be just the color of your choice.

(5) PAINT YOUR CANVAS

I'm not even kidding when I tell you that I used a old foundation MAKE UP brush to paint my canvas's. We were at Michael's looking at paint brushes when my boyfriend was like, just use one of the million brushes you already have. I couldn't think of a reason why I shouldn't.

(6) WAIT FOR PAINT TO DRY AND THEN PEEL OFF TAPE

This was my first time attempting to do anything with a canvas and I love how it turned out.

That wall had been bare for months after we moved in and it was driving me crazy.

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial of sorts.

Thanks for reading! :-)

Free Custom Subway Art

 

 I've seen so many subway prints on Pinterest and I just love the simple look of them.

I adore how you can customize it for so many things:

Places you've lived, spots you've traveled to, favorite quotes, your children's names..

The possibilities are literally endless!

My version was inspired by everywhere my boyfriend & I lived together.

3 states in 4 years is pretty nuts so I just love showing it off.

 

I would LOVE to make a custom subway print

for any readers who would like one.

It can be any size, any color, and say anything. If you're not going 'house-themed' I will obviously change the graphic to be more appropriate for your theme.

Please leave me a comment with the specifics if you're interested

or email specslifeblog@yahoo.com

Thanks so much for reading! :)

Shit My Boyfriend Says: Part 1

 

If you're a woman living with a man that has a great (and sometimes weird) sense of humor then I'm sure you already know what this on-going series will be about.

I'll be jotting down all the weird and funny ass shit that comes out of Shot's mouth.

I've always wondered if I'm the only person who finds his random sense of humor absolutely hysterical. Haha

 _______________________________________________________

• Now there's a pressure of a series I'll never be able to say anything funny again

• I will allow you to upload the lyrics of my changs spicy feast jingle

• Million dollar idea: Chipotle on ice, the musical

• Let's go inside this restaurant and ask if their better then the one next door.

• After seeing I bought a giant fake flower just to cut off some of the petals:

                    Shot: You better find a use for this stem or it's going straight up your ass

                    Spec: Only if I get to stick it up yours after

                    Shot: That would be taking our relationship to the next level: Sharing Ass Stems

 _______________________________________________________

OK, The last one was a bit graphic but I found it pretty damn funny.

I hope you enjoyed some of the humor of my everyday life living with this weirdo.

I would love for you to comment with some of the weird stuff your spouses or friends say!!

Thanks for reading!

Easiest Coconut Shrimp w/ Orange Ginger Sauce

I've made coconut shrimp before the hard way. You know, with flour etc.. Well this is nothing like that. I guarantee this is the easiest batter you've ever made. I imagine you can even use it for chicken.

I started out thawing my shrimp. I bought precooked but I've also made this recipe using raw. Tastes the same but I just hate worrying if it's cooked all the way.

Take your pancake mix and add beer instead of water (I used around half a bottle) and stir until it's a batter consistency. Then take your shredded coconut and put it in a bowl or plate.

Add a good amount of oil into a frying pan. While you're waiting for the oil to heat up gather the ingredients for your delicious sauce.

Add about a cup of orange marmalade, 2 heaping tablespoons of dijon mustard, a teaspoon of ginger and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Mix up and add a splash of lemon. Ok you're done. Back to the fry-down.

Batter your shrimp dipping first into the pancake mix and then into the coconut. Beware, this will get messy. Then place shrimp in your good-ol frying pan and fry at medium-high heat.

Fry until golden brown on the bottom, flip (I find a fork or tongs is easiest to use) and brown on the other side. Fry all your shrimp until golden brown and serve with Orange Ginger Sauce. I've made these as appetizers for parties and it has ALWAYS been a huge hit. And I think my boyfriend wants to bathe in that sauce. I've seen him put it on potato skins and mini-quiches. But yet again I've also seen him put sriracha on a twinkie so the weird shit he does doesn't really surprise me any longer.

If you try them please let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!

Deck/Patio Design

When we were apartment shopping after moving from Maryland to South Carolina I called the person who made a listing on Craigslist about a loft for rent. We were able to immediately stop over and were shown the place we currently live in. Let's just say that after seeing the view from the deck we were sold.

I knew that I wanted the color palette neutral with a pop of bright color. It's still a work in progress as I would love to add some greenery and possible a hanging herb garden, but here is the progress. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

 

The chairs were around $10 each at Home Depot and were the first things we purchased.

The umbrella was purchased from World Market for $30. Sadly I do not see it on their website anymore.

 

Both the rug, $99.00 and pillows $40.00, were purchased from Overstock.com

Now that I'm looking up these prices for you all, I'm asking myself.. did I really spend $40.00 on 2 throw pillows? I must have been so overjoyed I found cute pillows that matched the umbrella that I had debit card tunnel vision. Or something.

I searched up and down for a umbrella table for what seemed like forever. There are not many options out there for umbrella side tables rather then dining tables. I finally found one on brylanehome.com for $140.00 here.

Unfortunately the umbrella was a tad smaller then the hole in the table.  I found fish tank rocks at Walmart and poured them in so now it doesn't budge. I obviously have very poor judgement on how many rocks were needed because I bought 3 bags and only 1/2 a bag was needed. The rest are sitting in a cabinet under the sink. Maybe I'll convince Shot to get me a fish so they don't go to waste. Who am I kidding? I can barely take care of myself. Never mind.

Above is the view from inside, sitting on the couch, my favorite place aside from the deck.

And below is a fish-eye view from standing on the deck. Tell me you wouldn't be sold on that view before you knew how much rent was. 

My friends the ducks and I hope you liked our deck design. If you've done your deck send me the link, I would love to see what you've done. Thanks for reading!