Travel Edition: Chile

*This was imported from my previous blog, Organized Magnolia*

Hi everyone! I know I created this blog to talk about my creative organization and decoration ideas, but a blog should change as a person's life changes right? So every now and then, depending on how much I travel, I'm going to write a 'Travel Edition' post. I'm going to cover different challenges that I have had to encounter while travelling to Chile and now moving to Belgium. Yep you heard right ladies and gentlemen. For 3-6 months, I will be living in Belgium for work! I'm so honored to be given this opportunity. 

My first view of Chile from the plane

So for my first edition, I wanted to give some advice and hints about Chile, since this country is a little different from the rest of South America.

Santiago at night

Most of Chile is in the Eastern time zone. During the Northern hemisphere's summer/Chile's Winter, both are on the Eastern Time Zone. However, during the Northern Hemisphere's Winter/Chile's Summer the time is different by around 2 hours because of Day Light Savings Time.

View of the mountains from Puento Alto

The water is fine to drink in Chile. All of its water comes down from the mountains. I stayed down here for 5 weeks in a row and never encountered Montezuma's Revenge. 

This made me giggle too much. Drive thru for McDonalds

Santiago is a lot like San Francisco in weather and the atmosphere. It is a very artsy kind of town and full of young people. 

The "River" that flows through Santiago

One of the best things here is that if you don't speak Spanish, its ok. A lot of people are very friendly and will still help you out. Watch out for cabs though. They like to rip tourists off sometimes and charge higher rates.

Expresso!

If you want to learn a little bit of Spanish, Doulingo is a great app to get you started. It can teach you basic words to full sentences.

It rarely ever rains here because Chile is a thin slice between the ocean the mountains. This creates a perfect climate for wine though!

Me at the Undurraga Winery

Chile is often called the Europe of South America. I think it is because it is the most urbanized and stable country. There is even a district called 'Sanhattan' because that is where the wealthy people in Santiago live.

Me at the Concho Y Toro Winery

The biggest difference from the US is that waiters/waitresses are not allowed to take your credit card away from the table. They bring little tiny credit card machines to you and swipe the card in front of you. Watch out though because they do ask if you want to pay for your dinner in installments. 

View from my hotel

Its also customary to always tip 10%. Giving a smaller tip is considered rude. 

Pisco Sour!

Finally, drink a Pisco Sour! Pisco is a South American brandy and it is really good!

Happy Travels!

Kate Spade-esk Champagne Sign

As I said before in this post, I have finally decided on how to design my dining room. My first challenge, the gallery wall. I started with some easy prints to create! The first one is a very popular sign "but first, CHAMPAGNE". Seems perfect for my dining room. I whipped out my gimp program and started creating!

Michael's happened to have a wonderful 40% off sale on frames when I stopped by, and I grabbed this cute and simple frame! 

Put them together and voila!

Isn't it just so cute?

Happy Crafting!

 

Bubba Keg Painting

*Please Note: This post has been imported from my previous blog, Organized Magnolia*

Ah summer time. Makes me love being out by the pool, beach, lake, and the river. In Georgia, you have easy access to all of them. One of my favorite things for summer are bubba kegs. When everyone thinks of a bubba keg, they unfortunately think of an alcohol storage cup. Don't be fooled! This thing is amazing for all kind of drinks that need to be kept cool. I use it for water a lot of the time! If cleaned and cared for correctly, they can last a long time. Unfortunately, they don't always come in the best colors. So here is how I made mine look so cute!

I implemented the method I wrote about here. That includes the spray paint, ModPodge, and MinWax.

My method is awesome. I applied multiple thin coats of the MinWax and it has held together so well!

My friends have even declared that I have to paint them one for their Birthdays. Oh well. I guess the demands will never end.

Happy Crafting!

How to Paint and Seal a Cooler

*Please Note: This post has been imported from my previous blog, Organized Magnolia*

Back in college, all of the sorority girls would paint their formal dates a cooler. Its a really great idea, if you A) really know the guy or B) like to paint and craft. A lot of girls actually hated painting the coolers because it took so much time and effort for something that was probably going to chip off in a day. I, however, have figured out the way to make paint stick to coolers. It takes some commitment and a couple of days. BUT it sticks! 

I have painted three coolers with this method and every single one has the paint still on it with little to no chips. Here are a couple of images from the coolers I did before:

So after seeing all of this, my mom decided I get to make my grandfather's birthday present this year. Mind you, his birthday was in the middle of February, but since this will be intended for football season, I don't think he will mind waiting. 

My list of supplies:

Modpodge

Polyurethren (MinWax)

Acrylic Paint

White Spray Paint

Brushes

Painter's Tape

Sharpies

Paint Pens

The first step is to take off any labels that are on the cooler. Then, use the painter's tape and tape off any spots you don't want to be covered with spray paint. Here is my grandfather's cooler with the handles and wheels covered. I didn't want to hassle with try to paint those areas. 

Next, I spray it with the spray paint. Make sure it is completely white. I don't want to be able to see any color (in my case navy) peeking out. This is kind of like priming your wall when there is a darker color underneath it. It makes a HUGE difference.

After you let that dry, its time to paint! Depending on how detailed you want it to be and what you are doing to it, this can take a couple of days. First start with sketching what you want with a pencil. Don't use a mechanical pencil because they don't work well with shading or light traces. And they can pick off the white paint. If you can't draw very well, you can always try a tracing method. KariAnne from Thistlewood Farms has a wonderful tutorial on how she traced a monogram onto fabric. You can use the same method for tracing onto a cooler. (Find it here) Here are some work in progress images:

*My grandfather is an alumna of the University of Mississippi*

A really nice tip that I have picked up is using sharpies for outlining and paint pens for writing. Sharpie has actually just come out with a paint pen! I really like it. It doesn't clot like normal paint pens do. I was able to outline the below fairly quickly and easily.

After you are done with the painting, put a layer of Modpodge on it. I buy the shiny modpodge because I like the way it looks. Lots of people prefer the matte version though. I normally put a couple of layers on because it makes me feel better, but you should be okay with just one or two.

Then, I put a layer of Min Wax on it. Make sure to coat it really well with this layer, but not too much because it has a yellow tint to it (aka white becomes cream if its too thick). This is the waterproof seal that makes sure it doesn't flake or peel off EVER. I have made three coolers with this method over two years ago and the boys still say it hasn't chipped. Let this dry for a really long time (about a day). Note: when using Min Wax, the brush can't be cleaned with normal soap and water like acrylic paints. You need to use mineral salts to clean it. Or if you are really lazy like me, buy the cheapest brush at The Home Depot, and throw it away once you are done. Go buy another when you need it. They are like $1. You can freeze the brush in the freezer in between coats!

So after you do that, feel the cooler. Does it feel sticky? If it does, add another layer of Modpodge! If not, its ready! I've been interested in trying this with ModPodge Outdoor. I just discovered it, but didn't have time to try it out. Maybe on my next cooler?

Happy Crafting!

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Decorate With Your Graduation Gear

Kate Spade-Esk Champagne Sign

Basics of DIY Blog Designing

Bubba Keg Painting

Update on Dining Room Decorations

Remember a while back when I was coming up with ideas on how to decorate my new apartment (See here)? Well, unfortunately, I had NO idea on what to do with my dining room at that time. All I knew was that I needed a bar! Well, I built the bar, but the dining room still feels like it is missing something. Then BAM! Like lightning! I know EXACTLY what to do!

A KATE SPADE THEMED DINING ROOM

but....
the catch is that I don't want to buy anything designer or extremely expensive. All of my decorations will be found on an extremely tight budget or DIY. Are you excited? Because I am super excited!!

Readers, have you tried to make something designer on a budget? Got any tips?

DIY Wine Shelf and Bar

I finally live in an apartment where I have room for a bar! AHHHH. So excited you guys. I have been trying to think of what I would want to do, and I finally decided to mimic an idea Jen from IHeart Organizing used (Cutest blog in the world if you ever need to be inspired). She used an IKEA Lack Shelf and some wine glass holders she found on Amazon and created her own wine glass storage! See it here.  Inspired by that, I went to IKEA and bought a shelf. While I was there, I found a lovely wine rack! I was so excited because it would fit perfectly on the shelf.

Then, I tricked my dad into coming and helping me install it. We followed the instructions and drew some very level lines. After that. there was some drilling and such.Before we put the shelf up we made holes for the wine rack using the drill. I was hoping to spray paint it and then put it up later on. However, I did a quick test and noticed that normal wine glasses don't fit on the wine rack. ARGH. So, I ordered these off of Amazon. I bought two and used the original holes my dad created. It makes me so happy now! My apartment is finally coming together. I just used a bookshelf I had found at Nadeau for my "bar" and put the shelf above it. Here is the bar view:

And here is a view of it standing a little farther back. I know I said it before, but isn't it pretty? I just need to order one more wine rack to go in between the two already in there and I think it will be done!