Boju Designs is Open for Business!

I am so happy to announce that I've opened my shop on Etsy, Boju Designs!  I sell travel and nature photos that have been edited and texturized to create a slight vintage feel, and fun colorful digital art for kids. 

My absolute favorite little guys:

My favorite photos:

Some more of my items are listed over there to the left.

And now see that nice little tab at the top of this page? Isn't it just calling your name? You can click on Shop Boju to visit my shop!

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DIY Stool Project Preview

A little weekend project, anyone?

We have had these counter stools ever since Andy had just moved to Iowa and was still a bachelor, about 6 years ago.  They worked fine for him in his old apartment, but then when we got married and moved to a new place, they were a few inches too tall for our new counters, so they barely got used for about 3 years.  Now in our new house, they're the right height again, but... eh...

So, as you can imagine, I've been complaining about them and begging for new stools.  He finally broke down about a year ago and said okay, it's time.  But then I became a wishy washy peep and have never been able to decide what to get.  Do you know how expensive bar stools are?  The kind with cushions and backs?  Way too expensive, that is the answer.  Long story short... er... long story long, sorry... we still have the dang stools!

Yesterday, I was checking them out for the umpteenth time and decided, we don't need no new dang stools, I'm gonna DIY the heck outta those puppies!  And so here we are.  I am way too excited about this!  If I mess it up, no harm done.  If I rock it out, we'll have new(ish) awesome stools on the cheap! 

The supplies:

Stools.  Foam.  Batting.  Fabric.  Sand paper.  Scissors.  Spray paint.  Spray glue.  Staple gun.

I am so obsessed with this glorious fabric.  Fancy me choosing a paisley print, go figure.  Major bonus:  50% off fabric sale at JoAnn today!

I think the fabric looks great with our current kitchen/ dining room surroundings.  Still a lot of neutral, but the counters and carpet are staying for now.  We really want to paint that whole area, though, and we've been thinking a green color, so the new stools will look great with the new walls.



The plan? 

1. Spray paint the suckers white(ish) to match all our baseboards and stair railings. 
2. Upholster the tops with my sweet new fabric.
3. Be super impressed with myself if it looks good.


Check back next week for a step by step how-to!

And happy weekend, of course!  I will be spending mine with my siblings in-law.  LOVE having visitors!


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Invisalign Photo Update

Hi!  So I've just started week 7 of my Invisalign treatment, which is my 4th set of trays.  I was curious how different my teeth really are, and I thought some of you might be curious, too.  Here's a photo update.  I tried to point out things I have noticed, as well as what I know is happening based on conversations with my dentist. 

I know that these differences are subtle, but I can definitely see and feel the changes.  This week, I seriously feel pressure on my bottom teeth that are supposed to be rotating. 

These suckers hurt like heck the first few days when I have to take the trays in and out.  It really feels like my teeth are being ripped out of my mouth.  The good news about this is that it's only for about 5 seconds.  So I KNOW that this is better than having braces as a kid in the 90's (which I never did).  At least according to Andy.  He tells me sick stories about getting his braces cranked tighter and tighter, and it sounds miserable.  I think one difference is that you would get your braces cranked about every 6 weeks (is that right?) and I change my Invisalign trays every 2 weeks, so they aren't changing as much each time as getting braces tightened.  Does that make sense?  Of course, I'm no dentist, so that theory may not fly. 

So as much as it hurts to take them out and chew the first few days, I really don't notice much pain when they are in my mouth doin' their thang.  Some soreness, sure.  But I kinda like that because it reminds me that yes they are moving!  Halleluia amen. 

Real smile update!

Can anyone else see the difference in my front teeth?  See how invisible the attachments are?  You can really only see the side ones, but I have them all across my front teeth!  Two on each of the front teeth!  Pretty cool I'd say.  And no, my "before" teeth aren't really that yellow, it's just a yellowy tinted picture.  Although I WILL get a free whitening treatment when I'm all done, so that is another bonus! 

If you're new here, you can check out my Archives page to see my other Invisalign posts.

Anyone out there thinking about getting Invisalign?  Have it now?  Let me know if you have questions!

 

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Hello from Baby and Pep Pep

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Design Inspiration

Last weekend, I snagged this maxi dress from JC Penny. 

When I saw it on the rack, it was love at first sight, I became obsessed, they had my size, and it fit.  This was clearly a halleluia moment!  What more could a girl ask for? 

The $35 price tag also couldn't be beat. 

Love it, too?  You can find it here.

I'm feeling inspired by the color combination, and am thinking about designing my first fabric collection using some of those oranges, corals, and hot pinks.  I love the bold navy blue, too.  I've been dying to create my own paisley print, so maybe this can be my starting point!

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Pom Poms

Hi my friends!  I want to share my newest fabric with you!  This week's Spoonflower contest theme is pomegranates.  I started with a few options for my design.  Here are the parts I started with:  a tree, a pomegranate cut in half, and some seeds.

I was a little creeped out by the seeds and cut pomegranate (I really don't like certain textures/ multiple small identical things), so I went with just the trees for my final design, Pomegranate Orchard. 

I really like how it turned out!  I had a test swatch printed, and the yellow background printed a little more greenish than it looked on screen, and I like it even better that way. 

Do you remember how Crayola had multiple crayons for the same color combinations?  Like they would have "green blue" and "blue green" and "green yellow" and "yellow green?" I think I was fascinated with that as a kid.  Is the "green yellow" a yellow tinted green or a green tinted yellow?  How is "red violet" different from "violet red?"  I want the first word to be the adjective, and for it to be called "greenish yellow," but I don't think that's always the case...  Hmmm...

*Spends no less than 10 minutes googling Crayola colors*

Wow, okay, get it together Emma.

Want to vote for all your favorite pomegranate fabric?  Just click here!  It may or may not be mine, and I'm okay with that!



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Last Class

Hi friends!

I finished my Illustrator Class!  Whoooo!

Our last few lessons have dealt with all the color options with gradients, shading, blending, and 3D objects.  It's been challenging to say the least. 

I was debating whether or not to show you my last assignment, because not everyone gets my humor. But aw heck here it is anyways.  We learned step by step how to create a pool ball, so I can't take credit for that part.  But then we were asked to make the others and create a book cover.  I just couldn't be serious about a book about billiards, so here's my "novel". 

Yes, please laugh. 

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday week! 

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