DIY Project: Projects Yearbook.

Screenshot, via iPhoto.

The other day I had the idea of compiling a photo book of the projects I've completed, a year book of sorts. I made and ordered it the next day, via iPhoto, and every since I've been eagerly anticipated it's arrival. Today it was finally, FINALLY delivered to my front stoop.

Very happy to have my project yearbook in hand!
via my Instagram

As soon as the book was delivered, I looked through it for typos/mistakes/print quality/etc., just as I always do when receiving a printed product such as this. And I'm pretty happy with the quality of the book, for the most part.

Notice anything odd?

The binding is well made, the cover and dust jacket are both gorgeous. The quality of the photo printing was so-so. The pictures in the book came out darker, and less clear than they do when the pictures themselves are printed. That is a bummer. But the biggest downer was the couple of pages of the book that have been printed upside down. Yup, that's right. Up. Side. Down.

The book had several places where pages had been inserted upside down. 

I really, really love my project yearbook idea! Even though this particular copy isn't perfect, it's been really fun to have a tangible collection of all the things I made last year. I am really looking forward to getting the correctly printed replacement book! In fact, I've already started working on this year's book, although I'll be using another printer. I hope it will be a lot easier and more convenient to fill in each project as I finish it, versus spending hours on end adding, editing, and proofing everything in one sitting at the end of the year (or, as in this case, at the beginning of the next). Also, I hope the next one will print correctly, and more true to the images, on the first try. 

DIY Disaster: Touch-Up Paint Fail.

I'm currently in the midst of redoing my office, and figured I'd repair all the old nail holes and touch-up any scuff marks on the walls while I'm at it. Great plan!

So, very late last night (I had planned to do it in the morning, but since I hate waiting, I figured it would be much better to do it right then, and have it dry while I slept), I started filling all the holes with spackle, and the Husband retrieved the paint from storage in the garage. While I waited for the goo to dry, I started touching up the rest of the house as well. Before long, both the Husband & I were walking around the house, paintbrush in hand, determined to erase years of wear & tear off the walls. As we stumbled to bed several hours later than planned, I noticed that the areas that had already dried didn't look better at all, they looked worse! As if instead of erasing the flaws, we had sprinkled glitter on them to make them stand out. Oh hell, what now?

Yeah... So, as it turns out, ass-u-me-ing that you're working with the correct paint is not better than making 100% sure you're working with the correct paint. Who knew? (Really wish I had a sarcastic font right about now...)

Just typing that, I want to slap myself in the face.

The full scale of this DIY Disaster is hard to fully appreciate in the photos, but I've included this anyways. For laughs. (I'll be the first to admit, I find this particular snafu rather hilarious. Annoying, but hilarious nonetheless.)

If you've every wondered what glosse-white-on-matte-white chickenpox would looks like, now you know.

You're welcome.

And if you will ever need to touch-up your walls, now you won't forget to make sure the paints match.

You're double welcome.

Wow. I'm so glad we did every. single. room. instead of just my office. (Yeah, I'm really going to need that sarcasm font...)