I’m Moving

So, I’m moving. Not physically moving, just moving on the internet, which thankfully doesn’t involve much heavy lifting. This little site has served me well for the past year or so, but I’ve upgraded.

You’ll now find me (and this blog) over at rachelqwest.com along with my illustration and writing & editing portfolios, a link to my shop, and lots of other awesome bells and whistles. It’s the full shebang over there, and I’m pretty excited about it. This blog won’t be updated anymore, but it will stay active for a little while before being permanently retired. Everything has been transferred, so you’ll find it all at my new site. So, please head over and take a look around the new site and blog. I hope you like what you see.

Under Construction

Ladies and gents, I may be absent for a short little while. I’m currently in the process of upgrading my blog to something fancier and way more awesome. I’ll be unveiling it in the near future, so stayed tuned!

A Tiny Taste

A Little Pixelated Project

In June, I mentioned my intention to paint something to fill the large void above the green chairs in the living room.

In the time between now and then, I narrowed down the size canvas the space needed: 48 x 36 inches. This size canvas was placed really high in the store and looked huge from my vantage point below, which made me worry that I couldn’t fit it in my car. But the painting bug had bit, so I purchased a mini canvas to paint the sketch I’d done in colored pencil, and I went home contemplating how I’d get the larger canvas home. To spare you the suspense, it turns out the canvas fit in the back seat of my car without any problems at all. It was a totally unnecessary mini-freakout.

My idea (a little of which I shared here) was to create something pixelated and full of happy color.


I used this mini canvas to give me an idea how a 48 x 36–inch version of it would look in the space.


These pictures look a little ridiculous, but they helped me realize that I don’t like my original plan. It just doesn’t feel quite right and the space would have way too many sharp right angles and squares going on. So, I’m back to the drawing board, literally.

Decking Out the Deck

This is the last view y’all had of the deck.

It still looks pretty much the same.

We’ve had a couple of very busy weekends traveling, then Tropical Storm Lee popped up and we were without power for several days. All that to say, we haven’t done much work around the house, but we did get around to ordering some outdoor furniture which should be arriving in the next couple weeks.

This is what we’ve got going on so far.

Rectangular wood table from Overstock…

…with these stackable chairs…

…and two side tables that can also be used as seating. We got one of each color: green (it looks more chartreuse in the picture but we’ll see when it arrives) and aqua. I’m loving these guys.

It’s a fun starting point I think. We still have plenty of other things on our outdoor to-do list.
• Finish sealing the deck
• Finish painting the exterior (This is an ongoing project this fall.)
• Replace the shed door
• Paint the doors Valspar’s Cut Ruby, which is a beautiful deep red
• Spray paint the wicker chairs a fun color
• Build a table to place next to the grill so we’ll have a place to stash plates and grill tools while things are cooking

I’ll be sure to show y’all the results once the furniture comes in. Until then, we’ll be tackling some of this to-do list.

Images courtesy of Overstock and Crate and Barrel.

Fabric Finds

Here are a handful of fabrics I’ve found recently that have charmed me. Valori Wells’ Wildfield in Gypsy on the right just below is my favorite of this small collection. I just love the happy colors and the painted effect this fabric has.

I’m still obsessed with crosshatch patterns. These are two of my latest favorites.

All are available at Hawthorne Threads. Just click on the pictures of each fabric to link directly to the listing.

Mirror Exchange

The mirror in the bathroom has always bugged me a little. The screws and pieces holding it in the wall didn’t look great and didn’t look like they were doing a great job of keeping the mirror attached either.

Turns out I was right.

Let me back up. We’ve had this mirror sitting around for awhile. I purchased it when I lived in my first solo apartment, and then I used it in my condo.

It came with me when I moved to Ty’s house, and it sat in the master bedroom for awhile, and then it hung out in the office for a bit. It just never found a home.

Then I realized it would be much better suited to prettying up the bathroom instead of the mirror that came with the house. This one.

So, I took the existing mirror down, and I was right, it wasn’t attached very well. It came out quickly and very easily (too easily). I painted the area behind the mirror with some leftover paint we already had on hand, hung two 75-pound wall anchors (one on each side, which it a bit of overkill since the mirror weighs maybe 30 pounds), and hung the mirror. It was an easy project that took a couple hours, including paint-drying time. Here’s the improved after.

This simple change makes the bathroom feel bigger, a little less ho-hum, and more like a room rather than just a bathroom. The pictures don’t really do it justice—it’s hard photographing the narrow room and the light is definitely a little golden in the pictures (even with color-correcting), but I can assure you that it doesn’t look too Donald Trump-esque in there now as the pictures imply. It just looks better and makes me happier. It’s the little things.

Ab Fab is back, sweetie-darling!

This post on Twitter made my day (if not my entire week, and it’s just Monday):

Absolutely Fabulous is one of my most favorite shows. With the booze, the smoking, the drugs, the fashion, the botox, the terrifically off-kilter and politically incorrect jokes and dialogue, and the endless attempts to stay young and hip, watching Edina and Patsy is an addiction unto itself. The show has had a rather sporadic history, so this announcement is pretty exciting since it’s been impossible to know if and when it would ever return.

Jennifer Saunders, who plays Edina Monsoon (she also co-created it, writes it, and produces it), and Joanna Lumley, who plays Patsy Stone, are simply brilliant. I can’t wait to see what their characters are up to a few years later, definitely older but likely not wiser. They’ve already begun filming.

Until it airs, I’ll be watching my old DVDs and videos like this one to tide me over. Cheers darling!

A Brief History of Pretty Much Everything

This flipbook is so much fun. It’s definitely worth the time (just 3:12) that it takes to watch. Be sure to turn your volume up. The music and sounds effects are well worth it.

Exterior Motives, Part 3

We finished the deck! I’m actually quite in awe that Ty and his master-builder friend who spearheaded this whole operation completed it from start to finish in two weekends. They had another friend helping for part of the first weekend, but it was a ton of work for two (and sometimes three) people, and they clocked some long hours. We’ve already been enjoying it and plan to pretty much live out there once the temperature cools down.

I also finished painting the back of the house, except for the two doors, which will soon become a rich red. Here are the before and current progress shots. The before was definitely looking a little tired.

And here are the much-improved in-progress shots.



As you can see, the deck is a bit bare, and the two chairs we do have are dwarfed by the massive deck. We’re planning to acquire furniture little by little, but first up on the to-buy list is an outdoor table and chairs. I’m not married to any particular look and really could be happy with a number of options, so I’m hoping to find something great during some of the end-of-the-season sales going on. More updates to come.

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you like.