Creativity lessons from my Dad

13th June 2013

With Father’s Day around the corner, I can’t help think about the guy I get to call Dad and some of the wonderful things he’s sent my way. I honestly think I could write an entire book (maybe I’ll tackle that some day) about the unconditional love, lessons and purpose my parents have both given to me in my last 24 years.

But for today, I want to brag on him and his incredible talents for a few minutes. Some people get their inspiration from Pinterest, others consult a magazine, some hire a professional. I’m lucky enough to have lived with all three, in one man, for the last 24 years. Since I can remember, my Dad has been what you would call a maker, a modern-day DIYer if you will.

Let’s just take a look a few of his best creations that now find their homes in my apartment.

This guy, now serving as a coat rack (but really for aprons), was the result of a recent hike P and I took along the Chattahoochee. I’m always on the lookout for a great plank of wood for projects. Barns, beaches, paths, I keep my eyes open at all times. I came across a piece of driftwood washed ashore from a recent storm which was a little less than five feet in length. P very clearly let me know this was only coming home with us if I carried it the entire hike back. So I did. I brought it home to my parent’s house and a little less than two weeks later, I came home to this. My Dad negotiated with a client who is an Antique’s dealer to give him four door knobs…for free.

Total cost: Free.

My headboard was another co-DIY project and might be my favorite of all time. After seeing several West Elm and Pottery Barn inspired furniture pieces that were clearly out of my price range, I sketched out a design and shared the idea with Dad. We opted for 2’4″‘s for the structure, which resulted in a lot of cutting lengthwise and widthwise, notching to ensure every “square” would have enough support, sanding too smooth it all down and a few coats of stain. You can read more on the entire process here. We are both probably more proud of this one than anything else we have ever made together (though those pillows that are a result of my recent conquering of the sewing machine are a close second ;)).

Total cost: Around $40 for wood, stain and nails

While everyone may think their parents are the greatest, and I may be a little biased, I’m pretty sure I lucked out with the two I have. I’m so grateful to have been blessed with a set of two amazing people who have taught me about love, life and who also continue to share a little creative, do-it-yourself spirit in everything we do together.

Up in the air

11th June 2013

A March birthday gift turned into a June adventure this weekend after several cancelations and reschedules, but this time the rain would not keep us away. Peachtree Dekalb Airport has always held a special place in P and I’s relationship, we’ve found ourselves hanging out there from pretty much day one. It only seemed fitting to celebrate his birthday this year by actually getting up in a plane for some flying lessons.

Even though I’ve already posted pictures to Instagram and Facebook and told just about everyone about how fun this adventure was, I couldn’t help but document it here as well (wupfh, anyone?).

American Flyers took great care of us. When I went looking for lessons, I came across these guys on Groupon and knew it was meant to be. After a quick intro video and a half an hour in the simulator, we were heading into the skies.

Pre-takeoff allowed for some pretty good selfies. #guilty

As the pilot (which I was not) you basically do everything except landing. Once we were in the air, we were given clearance to fly just about anywhere we wanted as we were below a certain altitude. This meant we made it out to Stone Mountain, over downtown and Buckhead and even up I85 for some neat spots like a giant rock quarry that neither of us even knew existed.

Another adventure in the books. If you’re looking to check out a new view on the horizon, I’d suggest giving this one a try. It’s always fun to see home from another angle 😉

Summer Bucket List: Scott Antique Market

9th June 2013

A mere several hours after I wrote this post forcefully putting my summer dreams into ~~stone~~ type, my dear friend Kristy asked about about heading to Scott’s over the weekend. It had been several months since I last visited Scott Antique Market to explore what is best known as “America’s favorite treasure hunt.” So Saturday morning, after a brief stop at the Peachtree Hills Festival of the Arts, which included King of Pops (check another for the bucket list) and free Applewood hotdogs (delicious), we ventured out to brave Atlanta traffic.

If you aren’t familiar with Scott’s, picture two separate buildings, the size of … well I’m not sure exactly … several airplane hangers each? Who knows, let’s just say it’s HUGE. There’s a $5 entry fee and that might as well be $5 to get to go the Six Flags of Antique Hunters for adults.

Here’s your cheat sheet for navigating:

North building: Really, really old and beautiful things (aka expensive)
South building: Think fixer-upper (aka diamonds in the rough)
Don’t be afraid to negotiate on prices, in fact I think it’s a must
If you can’t find a dealer, just ask the neighbors. Even sellers have a habit of getting a case of wanderlust in this place
Bring cash

So with cash and game faces in tow, to the South side we went.

Here are a few of my favorite finds:

Who needs a mummy in their house? Probably us.

I was fascinated with these bottles and their story. They sure didn’t come cheap though (around $50 for the bigger ones.)

Sometimes you see things like this.

After all of those antics and some more exploring, I finally settled on a rather simply jewelry purchase of three necklaces, for a grand total of $4. I was fairly pleased with this one, and I even negotiated, even if it was only a dollar.

So there you have it, we will be back, soon I’m certain. To more adventures and bucket list items I go.