Thursday, August 4, 2011

Epic fail

Subway art.  It's everywhere, and I've been hankering for a little bit of subway in our new house. (Hah!  You didn't even know we'd moved again, didja?  I figured I'd bored you enough with my previous tales of packing and unpacking ---sorry for the WKRP reference; I'm a child of the '70s---and this time my sainted husband did the hard part while the kiddos and I were at camp.  Thanks, Jess!)
  Right, so I read the tutorial, I drooled over the pins on Pinterest, and I purchased my spray paint and vinyl sticker-letters.  I trakced down some old shelves to upcycle, and I listed all of the places we've lived since Jess and I got married back in 1994.  Four rentals, four of our own homes, from Miami to Rochester, to Des Moines, and now to Milwaukee.  I primed, I measured, I stuck-on, I sprayed, and I peeled.  And I realized I'd forgotten to include a residence.  And that one of the addresses I'd listed was---well, not someplace we'd lived.  There were fuzzy spots where the stickers hadn't adhered entirely.  (Did I mention that I was doing this whole shindig after hours, whilst the wee folk slumbered?  That's my excuse du jour, and I'm stickin' to it.)  I attempted to repair my strokes of idiocy, and blundered once more---the spray paints I'd chosen were flat, and the acrylic "repair-paints" glossy.  So I scrapped it, and started from scratch.


Those of you who know me well realize that I must have really wanted this subway art.  Because I am not a "try, try, again" kind of girl; I'm more of a "what-ever---let's go have some chocolate," kind of girl.  This time, though, I re-primed, re-measured, re-cut,  re-stuck, and re-painted.  (There was a little re-swearing in there, too, but as I said, the wee ones slumbered.)  My diligence was rewarded.

You think I'm going to make this into some kind of cheesy story about how you can always achieve what you put your mind to, don't you?  Or, perhaps, a cautionary tale about the evils of mixing concentrated spray paint fumes with Excedrin and late nights?  Nah, it's just me again, too cheap to shell out cash for something I really, really wanted.  And it's going on the mantel before I unpack my first suitcase.  So there.

4 comments:

  1. I really love this idea... it ended up looking great! My man is military so we also move a lot... I just might have to copy you a bit. :) Sea Marie

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  2. this is everywhere here too but probably realted more to buses and trams than subways - I do love it!

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  3. Btw that was from me Adam Swartz

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Thanks for taking the time to comment...it makes me feel a little less like I'm talking to myself again.