For John's Birthday I Got You A Funny Story & Cat Photos

John's been sick most of this week, so party prep and life in general has ground to a halt - but you know the one upside to a miserable, sleep-deprived John?

FACEBOOK UPDAAAATES. (Remember all these during the hurricane last year? GOLD.)

Take it away, John:

 

This story made me laugh and laugh after my night of blissfully uninterrupted sleep. [evil grin]

 

John included two photos with his post, so I'm guessing this next one is after he caved and let Suki-the-Tank back in the room with him again:

 

 Look how happy she is.

Oh hey, this is an excellent time to mention that today is John's birthday! ...and I didn't get him anything. Well, I mean, technically I got him that Kreacher painting, but since I surprised him with it early I'm empty-handed today, so here I am, telling all you guys, so maybe you'll share a funny meme or photo or just wish John a happy birthday in the comments or on FOE or Facebook.

And since this isn't really a real post, here, have a few more cat pictures:

The little cat paintings are by our friend Bianca. Aren't they purrfect?

Let's not forget that Eva is the good, NON-door-shaker one. :D

Mostly because Eva prefers jumping on top of them now:

'Puff Party Prep: A Drunk Suit Of Armor & Our DIY Fireplace

John and I have so many party projects going over here it's laughable, but I thought you guys might like a few updates! (In case you're new here or missed it: we're throwing a Hufflepuff Slumber Party this year for Christmas. :D)

First there's this guy:

I stumbled across this suit of armor on Craig's List a month or two ago, and the very next day John and I drove three towns over to buy it. Someone had (badly) spray-painted it gold, and it's pretty banged up, but c'mon. IT'S A SUIT OF ARMOR.

First I spray-painted it back to silver:

Then, my favorite crafty thing ever: AGING.

I painted on a heavy coat of brown-black craft paint, then quickly wiped it off again. As I went along I also stippled on a few "rust" spots with bright orange and burgundy paint.

Here's the top half done:

And a full body Before-and-After:

We plan to tuck a wireless speaker inside the helmet, so our armor can drunkenly sing Christmas carols and perhaps recommend a few items on the buffet, since he'll be stationed near the dining room. We've already tested the speaker, and the echo inside the metal helmet is A++.

*****

We're hoping to make a few magical plant specimens for our Hufflepuff Common Room. This one's still in process, but it's the beginnings of a Mimbulus Mimbletonia: 

 John used an assortment of foam balls held in place with toothpicks and small wooden dowels to make the structure. After that he covered the whole thing in spray foam, but that did NOT go as planned. (FOAM EXPLOSION, lol)

John was ready to chuck the whole thing, but I'm trying to save it. First I've carved off most of the foam: