Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Master Bedroom


Since I've been totally in the nesting mood lately, I've been playing around with different areas around the house. I decide to tackle the master bedroom this week.

I've never felt very comfortable in this room - it just never really felt like "me", you know what I mean? I think it's mostly because of the traditional dark cherry furniture, which was a wedding gift and is too nice to paint.

So I wanted to "comfy-up" the room a bit and make it more my style.


I needed an art piece to go over this tall dresser, so I was racking my brain trying to come up with something that I already had (think 0 dollars!).

I found this blank white canvas in the attic and decided to paint some lettering on it. This is one of my favorite songs right now, so I used carbon paper to trace the lettering and craft paint to paint the lettering on.

It's not perfect by any stretch, but I like how it turned out anyway.




I wanted to turn this corner of the bedroom into a cozy little reading nook and had been looking around for a chair to use. I found this slipcovered chair from Ikea and brought in the old door that had been out by the garage to prop behind it.

Oh, and I found those white tab-top curtains at Ikea for only $14 per pair! LOVE!!



The door just has the perfect amount of aging to bring some extra charm to the room!



I splurged and got some new bedding from Target that I am in love with! Again, I don't love the look of the bed, but the all-white bedding makes it a little less traditional and oozes comfyness!



Hope you enjoyed my little putterings!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Weekend in the City


This weekend I headed to Philadelphia with my favorite girls - my mom, sister Sara, sister-in-law Andrea, and sister-in-law Heather.

We've started a yearly tradition of going away together for a weekend in the fall. Last year we went to the Country Living Fair in Ohio and this year we picked Philly for our getaway.

And it was a great choice!


We literally just ate, shopped, and talked. And ate some more.

Yummy stuff like this from a French creperie called Beau Monde...


We walked the city until I thought I was going to deliver the baby right there on the sidewalk. My almost eight-month pregnant body couldn't quite keep up the pace, but I did my best!

We hit up all the fun places like Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Ikea, and of course Anthropologie!



Sigh...that store just melts me! Seriously. Check out the unique displays...


Too bad I can't afford to buy anything there! But no worries, after Anthro we headed to Plato's Closet consignment shop and bought some Anthro pieces for super cheap! Gotta love a good bargain!

I bought a bunch of goodies from Ikea to give my bedroom a mini-makeover. I'm trying to work on it today, but I just can't seem to muster up enough energy to get it done. I'll share pics of the makeover later in the week.

Happy Monday!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Some Days...

Some days being a mommy is just a piece of cake.

The kids are happy. Healthy. Playing together so nicely.


I have loads of energy to work on fun projects. The sun is shining. Get my housework done.

It just flows.

Then there are the days when I feel like checking myself into a mental institution.

The four year old has a fever and is clingy. The 20 month old is also clingy for no apparent reason and wants to be held. All day long.


And when he's not being held, he is breaking dishes. Or playing in the toilet. Or pulling out my baking supplies. Or whining for food.

And the unborn baby is seeming to be sucking all the life out of me and taking what little energy I have left.

Yes, those are the days when daddy just can't get home fast enough. I glance at the clock every 10 minutes. It's frozen pizza for supper and that's good enough.

Oh, my. Such is my life right now. One day is good and the next day is bad. But all in all, it's just the stage of life that I'm in, and I'm ok with that.

Thankfully, the good days totally outweigh the bad, and I have a husband who takes good care of me! And forces me to take breaks and just relax, which I have a hard time doing. He brings balance to my sometimes chaotic life! :)


Moving right along, I hosted a little brunch this morning for some neighbor friends (think non-stop talking and laughing! So fun!) and served up these yummies that I thought I'd share with you...


Granite Steps Country Blueberry Coffee Cake (from Paula Deen)

Ingredients
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (12-ounce) can buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Generously grease a 9-inch square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well with a fork. Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters, and dip each piece in melted butter and coat with brown sugar mixture. Arrange in a single layer in baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the oats.

Combine blueberries and sugar in a bowl and toss to coat. Spoon over oats and biscuits and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup oats. Drizzle remaining melted butter on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown and center is done. Cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

This is just the easiest and most delicious coffee cake ever!! You must try it.



Individual Quiches (from Rachael Ray)

Ingredients
4 slices of bacon, cut into medium dice (I used cut up deli ham)
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cooking spray
1 package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed according to package directions
Flour, as needed for rolling out the dough
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated (I used Swiss)
1/2 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 400°F and position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven.

In a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until brown and crispy, 6-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

In a large bowl, combine the half-and-half, eggs, egg yolks, thyme, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Lightly spray the muffin tins with cooking spray. Roll the puff pastry sheet out on a lightly floured work surface into a 9"x12" rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 6 equal squares and place each square into the each muffin round so that the dough extends slightly over the top of the muffin tin.

Divide the Gruyere, spinach and bacon between each of the cups and fill them with the egg custard just to the top of the cup line. Fold each overlapping corner of each square over top of the filling to enclose it. You can bake the quiches immediately or freeze and bake them later.

Pop the quiches into the oven and bake about 20 minutes until the filling is puffed and the crust is golden brown.

Again, so easy and delicious!

Enjoy!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Fresh Flowers Cabinet

Remember that old cabinet that I was telling you about on Friday? Well, it is finished and I am in *love*!

Really, I just adore how it turned out.

But first, I'll let you see what it looked like when I first got it.

But I don't know if you are ready.

Are you sure?

Because it's pretty bad. I'm talking really, really bad.

Ok, since you insist. Take a gander...


See, I warned you! Talk about filthy! And ugly. And probably was stored in someone's barn for the past 20 years.

But I saw potential in the poor, beat-up thing.

After some major cleaning and several coats of paint, here is what it looks like today...


I was inspired to paint the "Fresh Flowers" lettering from a sign that Miss Mustard Seed painted.




One of my favorite parts of it is this decorative key hole. The fresh coat of white paint really lets all the little details shine.


And here is the inside, perfect for storing dishes and odds & ends:


How I did it (and you can too):

1. Cleaned it really well.
2. Painted it with BIN primer.
3. Gave it 2 coats of semi-gloss paint (I just used leftover trim paint that I had on hand).
4. Mixed dark brown acrylic craft paint with some water (just need a little bit) and applied it to the cracks and edges, then wiped it off to give it a glazed look.
5. Printed the lettering out on paper, then transfered it onto the door using carbon paper.
6. Painted the lettering using a tiny brush and dark red craft paint.

If you have any questions about the techniques I used, just let me know!


If you are local and are interested in purchasing it, you can visit my Etsy shop. In the meantime, I am loving it in my kitchen!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

What I Wore Wednesday - Preggers Edition

Ok, so you are probably sick of seeing pictures of me and my thrift store clothes by now! And with my preggo belly hanging out, no less!

Ugh.

But I must say, knowing that I will be taking a picture for all the world to see has motivated me to be a little more creative and put more effort into what I wear than I normally would.

And I'll also say, these pictures are only on the days when I actually leave my house. On other days, you will find me in tanks or tees and running pants. And my hair will probably not be combed. And my teeth may not be brushed.

So watch out.

Anyway, here is WIWW linking up to the Pleated Poppy...


Thursday:
Blue tank: Target
Brown top: Old Navy from Goodwill
Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft


Friday:
Black tank: Target
Yellow cardi: H&M
Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft
Sandals: yard sale
Jewelry: JC Penney


Saturday:
Gray top: TJ Maxx
Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft
Sandals: yard sale


Sunday:
Purple tank: Target
Black & white jacket: Forever 21 on clearance
Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft
Shoes: Nine West from Goodwill


Tuesday:
Black tank: Target
Ruffly orange jacket: Goodwill
Pants: Ann Taylor Loft (can you tell I like their pants?? But only on clearance!)
Shoes: Goodwill

I just had to show you a close-up of these cute shoes I found at Goodwill! And brand new! Score!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Project Overload!


I just read the most hysterical post about Yardsaling 101 at Twig's blog. If you are a yard-saler (is that even a word), I think you will appreciate it too!

TOO FUNNY!

Today I should be taking the kids to the park or the library, or playing with them outside on the swing set.

Instead, I am downstairs in my dungeon furiously painting away on a little project that I am so excited about!


I'm working on an old cabinet that my mom found at Goodwill, and it's turning out perfectly! Can't wait to show you!

Meanwhile, if you come to my house today, you may find that the kids have rearranged my kitchen cabinets, or hitched a ride with the garbage truck, or are sitting on the roof sneaking a smoke.

Oh, you know I kid.

Ahem.


Anyway, this week I painted this sign that was ordered by my close friend Mary, and I put an
extra one in my Etsy shop, in case you are interested in having one for yourself. I think the quote is so sweet!

Happy Friday! :)

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

What I Wore Wednesday - Preggers Edition

Hi all! I hope you had a wonderful long holiday weekend! I don't have a lot of pics this week because we spent the weekend at my parents' house by the bay in Delaware and, trust me, you don't want to see me in my "beach wear". I'll spare you, thank you very much!

But it was such a relaxing time! Playing with the kiddos at the beach, roasting marshmallows by the campfire, shopping with the girls in my family, watching movies, devouring house magazines, eating way too much...you know the usual drill when you're on vacation.

So onto WIWW...

Thursday:
Blue/green tank: Target
Yellow top: Plato's Closet consignment
White capris: Gap Outlet
Jewelry: JC Penney


Wednesday:
Pink top: Target
Skirt: Goodwill
Flip flops: Gap

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Hallway Storage Solution


A few weeks ago I dragged home some huge old windows from a church that was doing some renovating, and since then I've been trying to come up with a creative yet functional way to use them.


So I came up with this idea - to use the window as a place to store coats, scarves, bags, etc. in our narrow hallway.

I found some old hooks that were laying around (previous owners had used tons of old hooks in every single closet and I love making use of them!) and spray painted them black. Then I screwed 4 of them into the window frame.


I made this simple flag banner that was leftover from a project I made for my sweet new friend Shar.

It really is so simple and no sewing necessary. I just cut out triangles from fabric and made slits for twine to go through. I found the white and gray striped fabric for 49 cents/yard and the yellow for $2.99/yard at a fabric outlet.


I also whipped up some pillow covers from the leftover fabric.


The driftwood "Beach" sign is for sale in my Etsy shop.


The bench was a yard sale find from a few years ago. It actually wasn't for sale and the sweet old lady was using it to display her yard sale goodies. I asked if I could buy it from her. She asked how much, and I said $5. SOLD!! I snatched it up and ran to the car with it before she could change her mind!

I have a thing for benches, among other things. It was green and I recently painted it white and sanded the edges so that the original green paint would show through.

Oh, and I found that wooden Cola box at a yard sale too. Love using stuff that's old and has tons of character! :)





And just for kicks and because they are my favorite kiddos of all time, here is a pic of Avery & Jack sharing a cold drink on a hot summer day.

Sometimes they are just too much! :)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

What I Wore Wednesday - Preggers Edition

I'm just a few days shy of hitting the 30 week mark and I cannot believe how fast the time is flying by!!

I'm getting more and more excited, nervous, worried, and just plain wondering how this whole "mother to 3" thing is going to work. Avery is 4 and I think she will be a big helper to me, but Jack will only be 22 months old when the baby is born and he still seems like such a baby to me! I guess he won't seem like such a little guy next to a newborn!

Oh, well, I know it will be challenging but also very do-able and totally worth the sleepless nights and all that comes with being in the "babies and toddlers" stage of life.

SO, here is another edition of WIWW linking up to the Pleated Poppy's linky party...

Thursday:
Gray top: TJ Maxx
Cream jacket: Goodwill
Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft from yard sale
Shoes: Clarks Outlet


Friday:
Green top: Anthropologie from Plato's Closet consignment
Jacket: Forever 21 from Plato's Closet
Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft
Shoes: Ross


Saturday:
Pink top: Goodwill
Jeans: Old Navy
Flip Flops: Gap


Sunday morning:
Black tank: Target
Yellow cardi: H&M
Polka dot skirt: Goodwill
Shoes: Sofft from Goodwill


Sunday night:
Hey, can't even see the giant basketball belly sticking out the front!
Black tank: Target
Pink skirt: Goodwill
Flip Flops: Gap

Tuesday:
Dress: Old Navy Maternity from Goodwill
Sandals: yard sale

I must say, the thing that allows me to wear so many non-maternity clothes is the Belly Band, which I love!

It looks like this...

I found mine at Motherhood Maternity, but I think Target and other stores carry it as well. It's an essential for me!

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