Monday, February 27, 2012

Date Night!

Let me just start by saying that I am an incredibly indecisive person on most things. Things like what to do, where to go, and what to eat (especially what to eat!). I'm afraid some of that indecisiveness has rubbed off on Pat. We can never figure out what to do in the evenings (and sometimes on the weekends) so we usually end up watching the boob-tube till bedtime.

One night as I was scanning Pinterest I came across something that may solve our problem. Jennifer from Life in the Green House  had come up with an idea for a date night jar. Insider were different ideas for a date at different prices. Brilliant! That would take all of the deciding out of it! Just pull an idea and do it! This also allowed me indulge in another crafty idea I had been dying to try out. I've been itching to etch some glass! I found some great etching tips from Kimbo at A girl and a glue gun. Martha Stewart also has some good advice on etching.

So without further ado here is my version of the date night jar!

Materials:
  • Jar (I used the jar from a Wal-Mart candle I had used for just $5)
  • Etching cream (I used Armour Etch $20 for big bottle)
  • Clear, adhesive transparency paper
  • Popsicle sticks (sizing to your choosing)
  • Acrylic paint
  • Gloves
  • Brushes
  • Craft knife  
Step One: If you are reusing a jar like I did make sure to clean it inside and out before you get started. I had to get all the residual wax out of mine. 

Step Two: Choose the font you would like then print it on the transparency paper (I choose the Sofia font). Let it dry for about 5-10 minutes. *Make it is completely dry before you start working with it

Step Three: Using your craft knife cut out the words and use it as a stencil. There are a couple of different ways to do this depending on what type of design you want. When you are etching glass, the glass that the etching cream has come into contact with will look cloudy when it is finished. 

 
If you would like only the words on your project to be cloudy, cut out the letters. Then take the transparency paper and cute out a square around the words. Stick the tape onto the jar and it will look something like this. 

 If you would like your letters to be clear and the area around them cloudy, cut you letters out then place just the letters on the jar. Then place painters tape on the jar in the design you would like around the letters. Then paint the entire area with the etching cream. 

Via a girl and a glue gun

Step Four: Apply the etching cream and let it set for an hour or two. I let mine set for 2 hours. I have found some places say to leave it on for 30 minutes but I wanted to make sure it had plenty of time to work its magic! *Be sure to wear gloves because if this stuff eats through glass imagine what it will do to your skin!


Step Five: While your etching cream is drying paint your Popsicle sticks whatever colors you want to use.




 Pat and I decided to use this color scheme: Green for more expensive dates, pink for less expensive dates, and white for free dates (we'll be using these a lot for a while!).

Step Six: Once the etching cream has dried don another pair of gloves and rinse it off. Then take off your stencils and admire your handy work!


Step Seven: Once your sticks are dry write your date ideas on them and pull it all together! Pat and I haven't come up with ours yet (because we're do indecisive) but here are a few ideas from Jennifer at Life in the Green House.

More Expensive:
  • Bed and Breakfast
  • Dinner at a fancy restaurant
  • Hotel stay for the night
  • Auburn home game and away game
  • Concert and dinner (his choice)
  • Concert and dinner (my choice)
  • Weekend away
  • Coupes Massage 
Less Expensive:
  • Dinner and a movie (my choice and his choice)
  • Laser tag and go carts
  • Mexican night at Cocina Superior 
  • Drive-In date
  • Dessert only date
  • Window shopping for the house
  • Bowling
  • The Melting Pot
  • Coffee Date
 Free:
  • Chopped Challenge (like the television show on FoodNetwork)
  • Fondue and Almost Famous
  • Takeout and board games
  • 1,000 piece puzzle and pizza
  • Football game and nachos
  • Popcorn and a chick-flick
  • Crosswords and breakfast for dinner
  • Make a dessert together
  • Friday Night Lights marathon
  • Homemade pizzas and an Italian movie

This is the original date night jar by Jennifer:

Via Life in the Green House
 And this is my version:


I'm so happy with how it turned out! I hope this will lead to more busy, fun evenings and less worry about what to do.

Jess


Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Dog Amendment

Don't worry, we are still getting a dog! I think that's a sure thing now because we are both super excited about getting one! We are still trying to figure out which breed we're going to get. We had previously settled on the Weimaraner. These dogs are super smart, a versatile hunting/gun dog, and affectionate. The only thing we are a bit hesitant about is the fact that they are known to have separation anxiety and are prone to be affected by bloat.

Photo by William Wegman
After watching a Dogs 101 segment on the German Shorthaired Pointer we are leaning more towards this dog. The Weimy and the GSP are very similar. The Weimy was even part of the breeding to get the GSP.


Don't get me wrong, I still the think the Weimaraner is a beautiful dog and would be wonderful to own. However, neither Patrick or myself have had a dog in a while and it is said that you need quite a bit of dog experience to train one properly. That is probably the same for these as well but they are supposedly calmer and not as likely have separation anxiety. Plus, they are less likely to have serious health issues other than those common with purebred breeding. Their coat is water resistant so they are ideal for duck hunting. They may be a slightly more versatile hunting dog than the Weimy due to this characteristic, which is great for Pat.


The only draw back to this dog is that is sheds constantly. That is almost a deal breaker for me. The Weimy doesn't shed much at all (supposedly) so that is a plus point for it. As much of a dog lover as I am I cannot handle dog hair everywhere.

We are still in the process of trying to decide what breed we want for sure so if you have any input on either of these dogs or any other great hunting/family dogs please enlighten me. I will be getting in touch with a Weimy owner to get her thoughts (Curry...It's the Spice of Life). Does anyone have a GSP they would like to brag on? I'll keep you posted!

Jess