UPDATE: My Politically Incorrect Rant About Feeling Fluffy

This summer I set a few goals...  See the original post here.

1. 50 "mens" push-ups in a single set.
2. Ten Chin-ups
3. get back to running 5k a day.

And do it all before the end of the summer.  Summer official ends on September 23rd at 5:04am...  That means I'm running out of time. 

This is all about accountability:

1. I can currently do 25 mens push-ups...  With 30 days to go I'm pushing my luck at only 50%
2. SEVEN!!  Woohoo!  70% to goal 
3.  Um...  I have no idea becuase I haven't been out running even once since my original post.  I had better get it in gear.  I'm running the Women's Fitness Celebration..

Anyone want to run it with me?

Wish me luck... Pretty sure I'll need it.

xoxo
Cam

August: Downtown: in the 208

Earlier this week my very good friend and co-worker: Shawna: and I had a meeting downtown.  After our meeting.. and after hour hour appitizers...  we were really determined to get some professional pictures for our company website.  (Does anyone see a problem with this rationale?)

A-hem...

{These are the nonprofessional ones.}

Oh... there are so many, many things I could say about this one. 

The irony... 

Where is the question mark... 

Is her hair red, or on fire?

Are you asking or telling?

(seriously-- love me some Shawna.) 

And um... don't ask.  All I could thing was how much I wanted a little disproportionate Native American in a Native American Village wearing a dress shirt and tie...  who has no feet.  Is it me, or is this picture a bit confusing? 

Persistence...

Are we saying white man's persistence has finally paid off in eliminating the culture and heritage of the ___________ (insert your own offensive slang term here).

Pencil. 

Somebody was getting creative.

And Shawna is a hottie.

Shawna isn't really a little chinese red headed girl, She's just trying to smile REAL BIG for the camera.  I asked her to simmer down...

And this is my beautiful city: 

Les Bois!  Les Bois!

Boise!  Boise! 

Okay, I just gave myself a bit of a history lesson, Wiki style.

In 4th grade Idaho History I was taught Boise got it's name from a French guide on the Oregon Train, who when coming upon the Boise Valley, out of rather dry desert conditions, called out, "Les bois, les bois! "  Meaning "The trees, the trees!"

BUT in reality les bois does not translate into "the trees".. it actually translates into "The woods."

Further adding to the confusion is that Boise is called "The City of Trees"  when apparently it should be "The City of Woods."

To anyone who has visited Boise, neither really makes a lot of sense, as Boise doesn't have an excessive amount of trees... or woods... but if you think like a settler and consider walking to Boise... well...it might make a little more sense.

Oh and please.... It's pronounced Boy-cee, NOT BoyZee.

Yours Truely.

I liked this suit till I saw it in pictures...  the color doesn't really do much for me.

And with that I leave you with Jimmy Hendricks.  Made out of hundreds of broken shards of glass.  Apparently, he use to live in a room full of mirrors...  I'm glad he got out...

...and found his way to Boise.

xoxo

Cam

Transformation to a Cam Chair

Several months ago I came across this old desk chair in a second hand store.  One of the casters was missing, and the faux leather was ripped.

...and it was very dirty, and ugly

...but had great structure, and bones.

So I went to work.. I'll walk you through the steps.  Refinishing and upholstery work really isn't difficult, it just requires a lot of time and patience.

To start, remove all the "jewelry."  Castor feet, hardware, upholstery tacks etc.

Then strip the old upholstery fabric and foam or batting.  If your project is full upholster, and no wood refinishing, there isn't always a need to remove all the foam, unless it needs to be replaced.

Next, because my chair had such a dark finish, and I was moving to a white painted finish, I started with about 6 coats of spray paint as a base.  After the base had dried completely overnight, apply 4-5 additional coats of paint by brush, working in VERY thin layers, and sanding between coats as necessary.

I wanted a worn look so I used a power finishing sander to remove layers of paint down to the wood.  I then applied a gel stain to the exposed wood only, wiping clean immediately after application.  Finish by lightly sanding with 300-600 grit sandpaper.  Wipe clean and apply a coat of finishing wax to seal.

Next I attached the caster feet. Normally I would wait until the project is complete before applying hardware, but having the caster feet attached made the chair easier to work with in this case.

Next...  Upholstery.

This chair is unique in that it has no structured back, but relies on the tension of the fabric to support the back.  It's important to note that you will be working from the back of the chair towards the front, with quite a few layers of fabric.  Start by stretching tight and stapling in place the backing.  The right side of the fabric should be facing outward so the right side is visible when looking at the back of the chair.

Staples should be less placed about 1/2 - 3/4 inch apart or less.

Because I was using lightweight fabric, and I was concerned about it ripping out, I added a layer of heavy canvas after the back layer.  Staple in place exactly as the bottom layer.

Trim excess fabric from the edges after each layer.

After the canvas is a layer of felt material.

Again, for the best finish, the staples must be close together.  Hammer down any staples that don't go all the way in. 

Next the foam cushion is glued in place to the felt material, a layer of quilt batting is placed over the foam, and the top layer of fabric is stapled in place.

Trim the edge of the fabric.

Piping.

 I prefer to make my own, which allows me absolute freedom when it comes to fabrics.  Because I was working with a rather thin channel I opted to trim the unfinished edge of the chair back with piping and apply in place with hot glue. 

That was a first for me... using hot glue when finishing upholstery... 

This chair originally had upholstery tacks all around the edges on the backing and seat cushion.  Since this chair is for my art studio, I opted from something a little more CAM chic...  Vintage buttons.... hot glued in place.

When I bought these buttons a lot of them had been cut right off of clothing, so they still had the thread attached.

Vintage button rivets. 
I love you.

On the back of the chair back I glued more piping in place.  trimming the unfinished edge of the piping very short, and gluing the unfinished piping edge into the inside corner.

  To finish the armrests, start by gluing or stapling piping around the edge, then glue or staple batting  in place as shown.

Apply the top layer of fabric by carefully applying hot glue to the inside edge of the piping and then stretching the fabric; folding the unfinished edge under and applying to the glue.

To finish the seat, use a seam ripper to take the old seat cover apart.  Use each piece of the older cover as a pattern to cut the new cover.  Sew the new cover together.

And seriously.. could this even be considered a Cam chair if there was no turquoise? 

Apply a layer of batting to the foam seat base, and then fit the fabric, stretching and stapling in place. 

Work from opposite sides.... in other words: pull the fabric tight in the front, and apply one or two staples.  Then pull the fabric tight in the back and apply one to two staples... and so on.

For the best finish, the more staples the better.

Trim excess fabric and batting.

Because my chair seat sits directly on the finished wood seat, I hot glued a layer of flannel over the bottom of the seat cushion to cover the wood and staples. 

Fit the seat cushion in place and... finished!

Lube the bearings and wheels if necessary.

::I love you chair::

Beautiful Cam Chair.

The Cam Chair.
It's not for sale... and if you steal it I will hunt you down.

xoxo Cam 

Three years.

My mind gets that it's not my fault.  That there was nothing I could have possibly done to change the outcome.  My mind gets it, but my heart has a hard time believing.  I was solely responsible for the care and nurturing of my baby.  He would have been three this week.

xoxo Cam

Cam Gets Forked...

While I was in McCall, ID visiting my favorite antique store I came across a beautiful antique silver fork.  I bought it..  so I could make a fork bracelet.  I've been dragging my feet because I've never made a bracelet out of silverware... and I really wanted it to be good.  

First I cleaned all the tarnish off, then headed out to the garage, and the bench vise.

Yes, I did bend it right around my wrist...

and then realized I.. um... couldn't get it off.

I worked the metal until I had it just where I wanted it, and then...

...finally, after a long wait, I got forked.

And it was totally worth it.

Want me to fork you? 

Just let me know.

Cam

xoxo

The Thinkers Take on the Feelers... or is it the other way around?

Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in the most beautiful castle in the kingdom.  The princess wanted to live a happy life free of emotional pain and distress where no one would bother her, or ask about her feelings. 

Blah
Blah
Blah 

Myers-Briggs.
I'm an ISTJ

I am a BIG fan.  Myers-Briggs developed a system of questions designed to identify an individuals thought process so that we as humans could better understand one another. 

If you haven't tested yourself, do it.  Absolutely worth it... and don't just read the descriptions and pick which one you "think" you might be.  Do the test.  The Judging part of me would appreciate it.

WONDERCAM=
Introvert
Sensing
Thinking
Judgement.

Follow this link for a full description.

Tonight I've been thinking about two traits in particular:

Thinking, and it's opposite: Feeling.

Thinkers	Feelers
Logical - Thinkers base their decisions on rational thought and logic, and they tend to be objective. They like justice and standards. Thinkers tend to be more interested in ideas, and the reasoning behind decisions or concepts. For them, emotions are secondary, or passing, and of less importance. To Feelers, they may seem cold-hearted and remote.	Personal - Feelers' decisions are often based on "gut feelings." Their outlook is more subjective. They like harmony and often energized though appreciation and encouragement. For Feelers, emotion is more important than reasoning, rationality, or logical discourse. To Thinkers, they may seem soft-hearted and illogical.
Emotional Responses - Thinkers are as likely as Feelers to experience emotions. However, they are less likely to show those emotions; in fact, emotional reactions can be embarrassing to them.	Emotional Responses - Feelers are more likely to wear their hearts on their sleeves. However, if this preference is combined with introversion they will not share their feelings openly.

Interestingly, 60% of women test as Feeling and 60% of men test as Thinkers.  If I was a Feeler, it would bother me that I identify as a thinker....  Alas, since I am also a Sensor I find being a Thinker to be a HUGE strength over Feeling... so much so that I realize little benefit from Feeling-- in the Myers-Briggs context, that is.

I identify on the extreme side as a thinker.  Feelings are annoying, and SO embarrassing.  For real.

So the great challenge becomes how to balance relationships between Thinkers and Feelers.... and since I fall in the Judgement category... the REAL questions of who is right... the Thinkers or the Feelers?

Is it "better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all?"  My thoughts, hell no.  It's better to not have loved at all if there is the slightest chance of "lost."  AND as soon as there becomes a chance of "lost" occuring, who in their right mind continues to invest their heart. 

I mean... I know this looks like a whole heck of a lot of fun and all, but I think I'll pass.

I know all you feelers out there are saying, "But what if!!!" 

To that I say, Screw what ifs! 

You can't take "what ifs" to the bank.  I'm pretty sure bankers are thinkers.

And yet... even as I go through this rather logical thought process and convince myself how tough and closed off I am, I also wonder what I could be missing.  Don't get me wrong, I'm convinced it will never be mine...  There are those people who fall in love, Truly::Madly::Deeply.  And there are those of us that look at them and Think:

What?  I have NO IDEA how or why anyone would want to voluntarily make themselves that vulnerable to "lost". 

Although, I suppose for a Feeler it isn't exactly voluntary.  I imagine they have as much control to not feel, as I have to feel.  So who really wins?

For me, the pain and embarrassment of it all far outweighs any joy, or that's what my logical Thinking mind tells me... and my Sensing mind says...

"Right on."  (come on... say it like it's the 70's)

The following is brought to you by a Thinker:

It's so much less scary to turn away, and remove the opportunity for someone to hurt us. 

(Oh my gosh, am I running away??  Am I the emotional wimp?)

And here is you're Feeler:

(:::oh gag me:::)

For real?  I don't need to love myself, I need to prove myself. 

I'm sure I sound like a closed off indifferent heartless fool... and you know what?  I don't really care if that's what people think of me.  Just because I don't let my feeling be known... except to a few choice people I feel VERY safe with, does not mean I do not feel. 

I like me just the way that I am.  Indifference and all.  I'm convinced the Thinkers win.  At least we come out unscathed... albeit lonely.

Cam

xoxo