Birdie Branching Out

A really good sandwich

2012-01-11T23:06:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, all I want for dinner is a really good sandwich. They're easy and filling, and you can just add a simple side dish and call it a night.

Enter: Pioneer Woman's Marlboro Man sandwich. I've been wanting to try it ever since I saw her make it on her show. Plus, I knew with 100% certainty that Anderson would ~~like~~ love it.

The Pioneer Woman

We just did the original version with nothing but meat and onions, and it totally lived up to my expectations. I may have just been really hungry, but I couldn't stop saying "yum" the whole time I was eating (which is really bad manners when you're the cook, but it was just the two of us).

Anderson fired up the grill and roasted some corn on the cob, which we covered in butter and rolled in Parmesan cheese. Have you tried this? If you haven't, it's the best way to eat corn. No lie. (Thanks to my friend Scotty for introducing me to this.)

I'm already dreaming of the next time we make this sandwich and adding either swiss cheese or provolone.

A new year

2012-01-08T16:15:00.000-06:00

Source: Jose Villa Blog via Joy Thigpen

Happy (late) New Year everyone!

We spent ten days over the Christmas holiday traveling to Anderson's hometown and then my hometown to spend time with our families. It was wonderful seeing everyone and getting to spend some quality time with them.

But after such a long time away from home and work, it was pretty hard getting back in the swing of things last week. I concentrated on unpacking, cleaning, doing laundry, and putting away Christmas decorations, so the blog took some time off.

I know it's a little late, but I figured I'd write down some of my goals for 2012. They're not really resolutions...just some things I'd like to do this year. And I think I'll be better about tackling them if I put them out there for everyone to see:

Drink more water (that's not in the form of sweet tea).
Make our house more colorful.
Read. Read. Read. First on my list is One Thousand Gifts.
Paint our master bathroom and the entryway off the garage. The dark green is starting to drive me crazy.
Grow a fruit or vegetable in our backyard. I'm not sure what will grow back there, but it's time to make that space good for something other than Lucy's poops.
Go camping. We registered for a tent when we got married. It's been 3 years...time to break that puppy out.
Sew a piece of clothing and something that requires a zipper. My sewing skills are still very basic, so this one's a little intimidating.
Host a party. We're not big entertainers, but I really want to host some sort of party and go all out with the decorations, food, favors...everything.
Visit these canyons.
Last, but not least, take a vacation...a trip for just the two of us that involves a travel agent and/or plane tickets.

Only 5 more days!

2011-12-20T21:24:00.002-06:00

Via Revelment

My favorite thing to do lately is turn off all the lights in our house except for our tree and the garland on our bookcase and sit in my comfy chair wrapped in a comfy blanket. It's the best. Christmas trees and lights really should be a year-round decoration.

Saturday Snapshot: Our Christmas tree

2011-12-10T22:14:00.001-06:00

Finally, a picture of our tree in all of its blue and brown glory...

O Christmas Trees

2011-12-09T18:37:00.000-06:00

Here's a round-up of some of my favorite ideas for decorative trees, using those styrofoam cones you can find at the craft store. And I'm hoping to get pictures of our real tree up very soon.

1. Yarn Christmas Tree from Pretty Ditty
2. Fabric Wrapped Trees from Landee See, Landee Do
3. Twine Wrapped Trees from The Thrifty Crafter
4. Moss Covered Christmas Trees from Posy the Porcelain Pig
5. Yarn Wrapped Trees with pom-poms from One Pearl Button
6. Crepe Paper Trees from Creative Chaos

Christmas table

2011-12-08T21:15:00.001-06:00

On Monday I left work at 5:15 p.m., drove home like a mad woman, and baked 48 red velvet cookies with cream cheese icing for a cookie exchange that started at 6:30 p.m. It was craziness. Picture me juggling 2 boxes of cake mix, 4 eggs, 3 baking sheets, 3 cooling racks, and a tub of icing...all the while kicking myself for waiting until the last possible minute to do this.

Of course, I was 15 minutes late to the party, and the cookies looked like a hot mess since the icing didn't have time to set. In fact, as I was driving there, I almost turned around and went home (twice) because my cookies looked so pitiful in their ziploc bags smeared with icing.

For anyone who hasn't been to a cookie exchange, the general idea is that everyone brings 6 bags containing 6 cookies each. And you bring an extra dozen on a plate for people to sample. Everyone walks around and tastes the cookies, and then you pick 6 bags to take home. So you come with 36 cookies and leave with 36 cookies of different types.

I was so embarrassed, but I didn't want all that work and stress to go to waste, so I made myself go in. It ended up being fine. I wasn't the only one who was late, and the cookies tasted good even though they didn't look great. AND...I did come home with some pretty tasty cookies made by other people.

All of that to say that this time of year is full of fun yet stressful events, which keep me from blogging as often as I want.

And now for the purpose of this post...to share some pics of our Christmas table decorations.

The runner is extra wide mesh ribbon. We used it to decorate our tree, and we had some leftover. I just laid it over the same curtain panel that I had on the table for fall. Everything else (the trees, ornaments & picks) I've bought on sale after Christmas over the past couple of years.

Our colors are pretty non-traditional...browns, coppers, champagne, and very, very light teal. It's hard to get an idea of how they look together in this picture, but they look good in person. I'm not sure why I like brown so much, I just do. Can't get enough of it.

Christmas tree hunting

2011-12-05T00:27:00.001-06:00

We got all of our Christmas decorations up yesterday, including our tree. It didn't take us long to pick one out, but we probably should have spent a little more time looking around. Once we got it home, we realized it was a little crooked. Oh well, maybe we'll get it right next year.

I figured my green flannel shirt was appropriate for bringing home a Christmas tree, even though we didn't actually chop it down. (And I have no idea what I'm doing with my hand. I think I had sap on my fingers.)

Hopefully, I'll have more to share about the rest of our decorations later this week.

Peanut butter sandwich cookies

2011-12-03T11:45:00.001-06:00

I feel like I've been posting a lot about pastries lately, but my sweet hubby made these for me yesterday as a surprise. And I couldn't pass up an opportunity to brag about him and these cookies.

They're a little extra work because you have to bake two batches of peanut butter cookies and make the filling, but they are worth it if you love peanut butter, cream cheese, and chocolate chips. Yes, you read that right. Peanut butter. Cream cheese. Chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
2 bags of peanut butter cookie mix (prepare according to directions)

12 oz. cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 - 1/2 bag of mini chocolate chips

Bake the cookies according to the directions and let cool. Mix the cream cheese, peanut butter, vanilla and confectioner's sugar together. This is much easier if you have a stand mixer (thanks Ganny!), but not impossible to do by hand...I've done it before. Just make sure the cream cheese is very soft. I wouldn't recommend a hand mixer because the filling is super thick.

After mixing well, add in your chocolate chips. We usually use about 1/4 of the bag, but just go by sight. Then, just spread filling on your cookies and make the sandwiches.

Thanks, babe, for making these for me!

Apple Pie

2011-11-30T21:17:00.001-06:00

Becky Luigart-Stayner - Cooking Light

The other day I had an urge to make an apple pie. I've never made one before, so I thought I would just google "apple pie recipe" and get started. Wrong. There are about a million and one ways to make apple pie, all of them slightly different. I had no idea where to start. Do I use 5 apples or 8? Do I add flour or cornstarch? Nutmeg or allspice?

After about an hour of comparing various recipes, my head was spinning. I had to force myself to stop looking because I was quickly losing my motivation to make a pie at all.

This is the recipe I ended up with. I'm not claiming this is "The Best Apple Pie Ever Made" or anything like that, but it tasted good to me and Anderson. So, if you're in need of a pie recipe and don't know where to start, here you go...

Apple Pie

2 ready-made pie crusts
5-6 apples (use two or three different kinds like Granny Smith or Gala)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp. butter
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 425. Peel, core, and slice apples. Toss with lemon juice and vanilla. Mix sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Toss with apples until well coated and juices start to form. Pour into crust. Dot with butter. Place second crust on top and seal the edges. Make 4-5 slits in the top crust. Brush with egg wash. Place pie on baking sheet and bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Remove the pie, and line the edges of the crust with foil. Bake at 350 for another 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

DIY Advent Calendar

2011-11-30T00:12:00.001-06:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas craziness can officially start. Am I the only one feeling a little overwhelmed already?

I've seen so many great ideas on Pinterest and other blogs, but now I feel like I have too many ideas.
There are so many decorations and gifts and recipes I want to try...and I don't have enough time!

I have gotten one thing done, though—my advent calendar. At first, I was looking for a box of some sort to make a more traditional calendar. Then, I saw this post over at Creature Comforts and got inspired by example #3 and #9. The cones seemed easy enough to make, and I thought it would be pretty festive to hang in our foyer. Plus, I knew I could do it all absolutely FREE, which makes everything better.

I used Christmas wrapping paper (layered with a piece of regular printer paper for sturdiness) to make the cones, and I placed a small ornament in each one and stuffed it with tissue paper. I printed the numbers at home and used a circle punch to cut them out. Then, I just tied them all to a long strand of yarn.

It did take a while to make all of the cones, but Anderson is working nights, so I needed something to occupy my time anyway.

And in case you're wondering, the little ornaments came from my mom and are probably about as old as I am. I plan on adding them to my tabletop tree each day.

And of course, I had to throw a few chocolates in there, too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Via Tiny White Daisies

There's only one thing wrong with this table...there's no food on it!

Hope everyone has a delicious holiday!

Semi-homemade cinnamon rolls

2011-11-20T16:40:00.001-06:00

Um, does it get any better than this?

I don't think so.

Technically, these yummy, gooey cinnamon rolls aren't "from scratch" because I used Bridgford Ready-Dough. But since I usually buy Pillsbury in a can, I'm considering them homemade.

I just followed the instructions on the back of the package:

1. Let the dough thaw and then place it on a flat surface dusted with flour.
2. Roll dough out to a 10x12 rectangle. (At this point, I realized I don't own a rolling pin and had to resort to a can of cooking spray wrapped in parchment paper.)
3. Brush 2 Tbsp. melted butter on top.
4. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tsp. cinnamon.
5. Sprinkle all over the dough, leaving about 2 Tbsp. for later.
6. Roll the dough up tightly like a jelly-roll.
7. Cut the roll into 12 pieces and place in a greased cake pan.
8. Brush the tops with the remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
9. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

After they came out of the oven, I drizzled this glaze on top:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 Tbsp. milk

Honestly, I should have been making myself a salad instead of these cinnamon rolls, but I couldn't resist. Oh well, the holidays are coming soon and I'll just end up eating a ton anyway. The salad can wait until January.

Our Thanksgiving reminder

2011-11-13T20:43:00.001-06:00

We didn't really have anything in our house to mark Thanksgiving, so I spent some time on Saturday making this bunting to hang in our dining area. I cut the flags out of burlap and stenciled the letters in brown paint. Then, I just hot glued them to a long piece of twine and wrapped the twine around the curtain rod.

The wreath is an embroidery hoop with strips of burlap tied around it, and I used this ruffle technique to make the flowers.

The whole project was easy, except for stenciling the letters. I didn't have any stencils that large, so I made some by printing the letters on cardstock and cutting out each one. By the end, I had to pry the scissors from my claw-like hand, but it was worth it. There was no permanent damage.

Saturday Snapshot: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-11-12T13:52:00.001-06:00

Last week, I passed the canned pumpkin in the grocery store and remembered this post from Darby about adding it to chocolate chip muffins. So I threw a couple of cans in my cart and forced myself to wait until Saturday morning to make them.

They are really yummy, and all you do is add 1/4 cup pumpkin and a dash of cinnamon.

There are only two people in our house and 12 muffins, but I don't expect to have any leftovers for tomorrow morning.

A quick accessory

2011-11-08T21:31:00.002-06:00

On Sunday, I spent about an hour going through my closet, putting away summer clothes, and organizing everything. And the more I looked through my stuff, the more I wanted an entirely new wardrobe. Funny how that can happen.

But since I'm pretty much out of luck in that department, I think I'm going to try harder at accessorizing. Maybe that will help me feel like I have new clothes without actually getting new clothes.

Maybe.

Okay, probably not, but it's worth a shot.

Normally, my idea of accessorizing is wearing the same pair of hoop earrings everyday, so this is a challenge for me. Today, I made this little ruffle flower pin to dress up a black Old Navy cardigan that I've had since college.

To make the "petals," cut your fabric into 3 concentric circles. (I used an old, striped shirt made of jersey material.) Stack the circles on top of each other with the smallest one on top and pinch at the the middle to create a ruffled look.

Then, sew or hot glue the petals to a stiff piece of fabric like felt or interfacing.

There are actually a bunch of different ways to create these ruffle flowers and a million different ways to use them. Here are some of my favorites:

Pom Pom Bib Necklace from Little Miss Momma

Fabric Flower Belt via 100 Layer Cake

Dorothy Perkins hair accessory

Candy coma?

2011-11-01T09:05:00.001-05:00

Yes. I ate waaaaaayyy too many Kit Kats and Reese's last night. We only had 9 or 10 trick-or-treaters, so we had a ton of candy leftover. I'm not sure why we bought so much. Wishful thinking?

Even though we only had a handful of people come to the door, Lucy still loved it. She was prancing around the house most of the night from excitement, and she kept trying to nudge her way between us and the door to say "hi" to the kids. I think she thought everyone was coming to see her.

When we weren't passing out candy, we were watching "The Sing-Off."

Is anyone else as obsessed with this show as we are?!! Everything is a capella, so there's no recorded music or instruments. It's amazing what they can do with just their voices. We DVR it and literally go back and watch our favorite performances over and over. American Idol and all those other shows can just call it quits as far as I'm concerned.

Saturday Snapshots: A walk to the pond

2011-10-29T14:35:00.000-05:00

The weather is so beautiful today...cool and windy but sunny. We took Lulu for a long walk around the neighborhood and stopped by the pond for pictures.

The pond makes her so happy, which makes me happy.

And I managed to capture one of my absolute favorite things...when she gets her lips caught in her teeth and looks like a grandma without her dentures.

I love this one. It looks like they're posing for a hunting & fishing catalog.

Our E-mealz experience

2011-10-24T23:58:00.001-05:00

We've been trying something new for dinner in our house over the past month—E-mealz. It was recommended to us by someone in our Financial Peace class, so we thought it was at least worth a try. And so far, it's been a good decision.

While I don't think it has helped us save money on groceries (we're pretty much spending the same amount), it has helped tremendously with my least favorite part of cooking—meal planning. Usually, I'll sit down to plan the meals for the week, and within 15 minutes, I'm stressed and frustrated. Then, I just wing it at the grocery store, and we end up eating spaghetti for the 5th week in a row. But E-mealz suggests 5 to 7 meals per week (depending on the plan) and comes complete with cooking instructions and a shopping list.

The other benefit is that our meals now have a lot more variety and balance. I'm notorious for making a big casserole and calling it a night. But E-mealz suggests a side, sometimes two, for every meal, so it's encouraging us to eat more veggies and fruits.

You pick which meal plan you want to use. They have plans for specific grocery stores or specific diets (low-carb, low-fat, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.). We started with the Publix for Two option but just switched to the Wal-Mart Family option so that I only have to go to one store, and we have more leftovers for lunch. The grocery list for the "For Two" plans is usually between $35-$45 and the list for the family plan is usually $75-$85.

The subscription costs $15 for 3 months, but if you enter "DAVE" (as in Dave Ramsey) in the promo code box, you get it for $12.50.

I wish I had some photos of some of our meals from the past few weeks, but some of my favorites have been:

-Pepperoni and Sausage Calzones with side salads
-Steak with roasted asparagus and home fries
-Greek Wraps
-Bacon Cobb Pitas
-Roast with mashed potatoes and green peas

I'm not saying it has completely changed our lives, but it has been a refreshing change from spaghetti and tuna salad sandwiches.

Saturday Snapshot

2011-10-22T16:54:00.001-05:00

Well, we pruned, we weeded, we raked, and we mulched. And five hours later we have a presentable yard. (I think all of our neighbors were very happy to see us at work this morning.)

We spent most of our budgeted money on mulch, but I did get to throw a few mums into the cart as we passed by at Lowe's. I didn't have enough to fill the flower bed, so I opted for a pop of color in this pot. And believe it or not, Anderson is the one who came up with the arrangement of the flowers. Maybe he missed his calling as a florist.

And here is our newly manicured lawn. We normally use pine straw for the bed, but we opted for mulch this time to see if it does a better job at keeping the weeds away.

It felt good to get something big done, and even though I don't enjoy weeding and pruning, it was nice to spend some quality time together. Lucy even laid on the front porch while we worked and didn't try to chase any cars or people. Good times.

Sunday notes

2011-10-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

Halloween is getting close! Here's a picture of our little pumpkin family on the front porch. Anderson's mom got these for us, and I think they're pretty much the only Halloween decorations we own at the moment. I'm hoping to add to our collection once everything goes on sale after the 31st.

This is a very close shot because if I had backed up any more, you would have seen the weeds that are overtaking our front flower beds & sidewalk. It's bad...so bad that I'm pretty sure all of our neighbors are talking about us behind our backs and ashamed to live next to us. We are "those people." But what can I say? I have to be in a really motivated mood to do yardwork, and I just haven't been feeling it lately. Maybe next weekend.

Part of the problem is that Anderson is usually my motivation for such things, and he's been working the past two weekends. It's funny...sometimes when he works, I get super busy. I clean the house, do crafts, and come up with blog ideas. And other times, I just get stuck...like I'm just waiting until he gets home to do anything.

I know that's bad, but it's the truth.

I did clean all of the Lucy slobber off our windows and doors today, so that's something. I expect them to stay clean for another 16 hours or so, and then I'm sure they'll be covered again.

Hmmm...anything else? I made a batch of pancakes. Don't worry, I didn't eat them all by myself. Lucy had one, too.

Kitchen art, Part II

2011-10-10T22:31:00.002-05:00

I wasn't quite ready to share this, but since I was completely lazy over the weekend and did nothing blog-worthy, I thought I'd go ahead and post my work in progress.

As I mentioned before, I'm working on a food-themed photo wall for our dining area, partly because I love beautiful pictures of food (cookbooks, magazines, etc.) and partly because I've always had a secret wish to try my hand at food styling and photography.

This is my wall collage so far...

The four pictures on the right are mine, and the two on the far left are torn out from magazines. I'm just using them as placeholders until I can take more photos of my own.

And here are the pictures up close and personal...I know a professional photographer/stylist would probably tear them apart, but I'm proud of them (especially considering the fact that our house gets about 9 minutes of good natural light a day.)

And here's a fun fact (not really): The bottles on the shelf above the frames are the same ones in the third photo. They're just empty Starbucks bottles that I've been hoarding.

Cake Balls

2011-10-04T20:11:00.002-05:00

These little bites of deliciousness are called cake balls, and after seeing them all over blog world, I finally got around to making some myself. I was craving strawberry cake with cream cheese icing, so that's what I made, along with almond bark for the outer coating. ("Yum" is the word you're looking for.)

I really did my research on this one because it would be a tragedy to mess up a perfectly good cake. I checked out Bakerella's tutorial here. (I'm pretty sure she's the one who made cake balls and cake pops famous.) I also checked out Pioneer Woman's tutorial, which was done with Bakerella and includes a few extra tips. And I flipped through Bakerella's book Cake Pops a few weeks ago while we were in Barnes & Noble. (You'll definitely want to check out those tutorials if you're going to make them because I am lame and didn't take any pictures of the process.)

Here are the basic directions (a combination of the online tutorials and what I read in the book):

Bake the cake of your choice according to package directions in a 9x13 pan.
Allow the cake to cool completely.
Cut the cake into fourths and crumble the pieces into a large bowl.
Mix in a little less than one tub of icing using the back of a large spoon.
Hand roll the cake mixture into small balls and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
Allow cake balls to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Heat your candy coating according to package directions in a deep bowl.
Drop the cake ball into the bowl, and use a spoon to drizzle candy coating over it.
Lift the cake ball out of the bowl with the spoon and place on baking sheet.

Sounds simple enough, but it definitely took me a while to get the hang of the candy coating process, and my version didn't look nearly as beautiful as others I've seen.

Here's what I figured out during the process:

Don't rush. I know it's tempting when the cake smells so good and the tub of icing is calling your name, but make sure the cake has plenty of time to cool before you crumble it. And make sure the cake balls have a couple of hours to chill in the fridge before you try to coat them. I did mine in two batches so they wouldn't have to sit out too long.
Make sure the candy coating is nice and hot. If it's not hot enough, it gets too thick and is difficult to work with.
Use a small soup spoon while coating. I started with a tablespoon, but it was too big and too much icing was pooling under the cake ball.
Pioneer Woman mentions tapping the spoon against the side of the bowl after you dunk the cake to create a smoother look. I tried that, but cake particles kept sticking to the side of the bowl and getting mixed in with the almond bark. Tapping the handle of the spoon against the top of the bowl (a downward tap instead of a sideways one) had the same result and kept the cake from getting into the almond bark.

So that's that. I'm headed to the fridge now to eat another one.

Saturday Snapshot: Fall table

2011-10-01T23:52:00.000-05:00

It's late in the day, but it's technically still Saturday for 10 more minutes, so I'll go ahead and share my snapshot for the weekend.

This is our dining table, newly decorated for fall. Usually it's covered in fabric scraps and other crafty junk, but I felt like it was time to dress it up a little bit. Plus, Anderson's dad and stepmom sent us this pretty fall wreath for our anniversary, and I wanted to put it to good use.

The runner is actually just an extra curtain panel that we never got around to hanging (see, procrastination can be helpful sometimes), and the bowl in the middle was a wedding gift. The placemats, napkins, napkin rings, and plates are all from Bed, Bath & Beyond...also wedding gifts. Now, we just need a turkey and some sweet potato casserole to finish off the look.

Kitchen art

2011-09-30T09:08:00.000-05:00

This little project is part of a photo wall that I'm working on for our dining area. All of the pictures on that wall will be food-themed, so I wanted to make something else to complement them.

I love the look of botanical prints, so I printed some pictures of herbs on cardstock using my home printer. I just typed the name of each herb at the bottom using a handwritten font (because my own handwriting is horrible).

Then, I dabbed a tiny bit of green paint (in various shades) on top of the prints to give them texture. I wanted it to look like they were real herbs that had been pressed and framed, or at least real paintings of herbs instead of printouts.

I'm hoping to share more of the "food" wall once I make more progress.

Three years ago...

2011-09-27T00:24:00.000-05:00

...these two crazy kids tied the knot.

I know this isn't my most flattering picture from our wedding day, but I love it. I'm having a ball, and Anderson looks like he can't wait to put me down. (I blame it on the 30 extra pounds of lace.)

I wish I could commemorate our anniversary by writing down all the things I've learned over the past three years, but that would be impossible because:

1) I've learned more things than I could ever possibly count.
2) I still know absolutely nothing about marriage.

How is that possible?

One thing I do know is just how much Anderson loves me. I knew this on our wedding day, but there is something about someone wrapping his arms around you while you are in the process of yelling at him that really proves how far that love will go. Or having someone tell you how pretty you are while you sit like a blob on the couch, polishing off an entire bag of potato chips. That's love, people.

I could think of a thousand more examples, but instead I'll just say...
God knew exactly what I needed in a husband, and He gave that to me in Anderson. I am blessed beyond measure.

I love you, babe, and I'm looking forward to figuring this marriage thing out over the next 60 or so years.

Check out Lucy's new page

2011-09-24T09:44:00.000-05:00

This girl takes up the majority of our attention, so I figured it was about time she got her own page on the blog. Right now it's just a bunch of photos, but I'm hoping to get some videos up soon.

She's either the cutest dog in the world or the world's hairiest child...we tend to treat her as both.

Alabama wreath

2011-09-19T09:47:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'm going to do my best not to enter obnoxious fan territory with too many posts about Alabama football...but this one has legitimate DIY information, so keep reading. All you need for this project is yarn and a basic wreath. (I used our twig wreath from this post.)

Anderson's mom sent me a picture of a really cute Alabama wreath last year, but of course, I'm just now getting around to making one of my own. This one is inspired by those yarn pom-poms I mentioned a couple weeks ago. (Find a tutorial here.) You can use anything of a uniform width to wrap the yarn. I just grabbed the first thing I could find, which happened to be the TV remote. It is 2 inches wide, so you can see the size of the pom-poms that created. I wrapped mine 80-100 times, and I learned that trimming the ends with scissors makes them poofier (yes, that is the technical term).

I printed the "A" on our computer and traced it onto a piece of cardboard. Then, I wrapped it in yarn and hung it from the top of the wreath. I was going for the look of this letter wrapped in yarn, which I pinned on Pinterest, but I have to say it was more complicated than I expected. I even had to break out the glue gun to hold the yarn in place near the ends of the letter. My best tip is just to be very methodical and create even layers of yarn. I think this is definitely a project that takes a couple of practice runs.

After I made the pom-poms, I just used more yarn to tie them to the wreath, creating the finished product.

And since I just can't help myself...Roll Tide!

Saturday Snapshot: Birmingham reunion

2011-09-17T11:51:00.000-05:00

These are actually from last Sunday, but I had to share them. My friend and former roomie Allison got engaged last weekend and her sweet fiancé emailed me to see if I wanted to surprise her at lunch on Sunday while they were in Birmingham. It was great! I hadn't seen her in forever, and the look on her face when she saw us was priceless. We had lunch at Rojo and went to see the statue of Vulcan afterward...a great afternoon, but it made me realize even more how much I miss her!

Coffee...yum

2011-09-14T09:13:00.001-05:00

Via Typeverything

The perfect way to start a mid-week morning...Coffee! I know my obsession is well-documented by now, but I've never shared our method for getting the perfect iced coffee drink. It took some trial and error, but Anderson now has this down to an exact science. Most mornings he'll do the first part for me since he gets up earlier. Then, I just add the ice and milk when I'm ready to walk out the door. Fair warning...once you try this, hot coffee will never be good enough.

And make sure you drink it through a straw. It's just more fun.

Homemade retro apron

2011-09-12T23:30:00.000-05:00

I made this apron a couple of weeks ago, thinking it might make a nice bridal shower gift. I really like the fun fabric, but the more I look at it, the more I see all of the faults. It was my first time sewing rounded corners, so they're a little jagged. Plus, I feel like the apron itself is too simple.

I could pair it with a pretty cookbook and maybe a few fun kitchen utensils to distract from the homemade aspect. Or I could just keep it for myself and buy a gift from the registry. I don't know...

Sorry I don't have many how-to details. I didn't even use a pattern because I'm lazy like that. I just laid the bottom half of my own apron on top of the fabric and traced around it for the body of the apron. Then, I cut 4 strips about 36 inches long and 2 inches wide for the ties and two 6 inch x 8 inch pieces of coordinating fabric for the pocket.

Saturday Snapshot: Sunset

2011-09-10T18:25:00.000-05:00

A peek at the sun setting through the trees in our backyard, taken with my new favorite app— Instagram. I'm really not a huge picture-taker, but this thing is so easy. You just apply different filters to give your pics a vintage, artistic look. Believe me, this app can make anything look beautiful.

Happy weekend

2011-09-09T18:06:00.001-05:00

Via Revelment

This week we had our first taste of (slightly) cooler weather. You'd think I'd be overjoyed as much as I've been complaining about the heat. But now I find myself getting sad about the end of summer. Make up your mind already, Brittani.

Anyway, I hope your weekend is as beautiful and bright as this picture.

Fabric flowers

2011-09-06T08:52:00.000-05:00

My holiday weekend was pretty low-key. I spent most of it cleaning the house and doing laundry while Anderson worked 12-hour shifts all weekend. I always get a little bummed when he has to work, and the gloomy weather certainly didn't help. But this project, inspired by these fabric flowers by Alabama Chanin, helped lift my spirits.

I couldn't find a tutorial online, so I just used an old t-shirt and a method similar to the one for making pom-poms out of yarn. The t-shirt was made of a really thin jersey material, which I think works best for this because it stretches easily and creates those curly ends on the petals. I just tied the finished product to floral wire and voila...a simple bouquet that will never wilt.

Saturday Snapshot: Can I get a Roll Tide?

2011-09-03T16:55:00.000-05:00

Lucy loves Alabama football, but she's not a big fan of the shakers. She humored me just long enough to get this picture.

The Envelope System

2011-09-01T23:56:00.000-05:00

Since January, Anderson and I have been following Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover so we can pay off our debts (a.k.a. student loans) and get ourselves on track financially.

More on that to come in future posts...For now, I want to share how we pay for things these days. Dave (yeah, we're on a first-name basis) recommends using cash for everything, and I mean EVERYTHING.

It's a great way to stay accountable to a budget. There's something about handing over a $5 or $10 bill that makes you question whether you really want that delicious iced coffee. (Wait, I should have thought of a better example. I never question getting iced coffee.)

Anyway, the downside is that you have to keep all of that moolah organized. That's where the envelope system comes in. It's basically just a set of envelopes where you store your cash according to category. Each envelope has space for writing down every transaction, so you keep track of what you're spending.

Dave sent us his nifty organizer when we signed up for Financial Peace University (a 12-week course that outlines his plan for budgeting, saving, etc.), but the cover was made of a very un-nifty fake leather. Yuck. Fumbling through envelopes of cash during check-out is embarrassing enough without having to pull out the ugliest wallet in the world.

Luckily, I had some super cute polka dotted fabric that my friend Lisa had given me for my birthday, so I used it to make my own cover. I'm so happy with the way it turned out...it almost takes the sting out of using those precious dollar bills.

It's good to be back

2011-08-30T01:11:00.000-05:00

After a year off from blogging, I'm finally back (thanks to some encouraging friends and family members who kept urging me to post again). And to celebrate the fresh start, the blog has a whole new look.

This time around, I've decided to share more of our daily lives instead of focusing so much on crafts and household projects. Don't get me wrong, there will be plenty of that, too, but I don't want to put so much pressure on myself to always have a project in the works.

I plan on doing my first official post this weekend, but until then, a pretty photo to kick things off right.

Tara Guerard Soiree

Suburban oasis

2010-09-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

We finally got some outdoor furniture for our screened patio thanks to Anderson's mom and grandmother! They came down for a visit last weekend, and Ganny got it for us as a combo birthday/anniversary present. It took some wrangling with two different Lowe's stores, but we finally got it for the best price.

And it's a good thing, too, because we've been spending a lot more time out there because of Lucy. Of course, we couldn't leave her out of the fun. We got her a new bed for the patio, so she can be comfy, too. So far, it's been a great place to just sit and relax, and once the temperature drops, it'll be even better.

Lucy Loo

2010-08-30T04:26:00.002-05:00

I know you didn't ask for them, but here are a few more pictures of Lucy. Just humor me, people. I promise this won't turn into a pet blog, though I feel there's a ton I could write about the things we've learned already. (I thought we were going to be teaching her, but sometimes I feel like it's the other way around.)

I know owning a dog is nothing like raising a child, but everyday is a new adventure, and there are lots of mistakes along the way. I feel pretty confident in saying that parenthood is probably the same way. The good thing is that you get to start over each day.

Lucy's training has been good so far. Most of the time Anderson and I are just feeling our way around and figuring out what works and what doesn't. She can sit, shake, and down (when she's not distracted), and she's usually pretty good walking on the leash. She's also really good around other people...no barking so far, and she has mastered doing her business outside with only one accident in the house.

But we've discovered that she scares really easily, and every day it seems like we have some new fear to overcome. Here's the list so far: ice machine, grill, vacuum, vet's office, Pets-Mart, end table (because she accidently knocked it over), vase of potpourri (because of the smell), scooters, garbage cans, and tonight it was the guest bed that suddenly fell off its risers when she leaned against it. Oh, Lucy!

Mini fruit pizzas

2010-08-23T19:40:00.001-05:00

I made these for our Sunday night Life Group, and they were a big hit. I like them because they look really pretty, but they're not much harder to make than a regular cookie or cupcake.

Ingredients
1 package Pillsbury Ready-to-Bake Sugar Cookies
1 container lemon icing
2 cups strawberries
1 cup blueberries
2 kiwis

Bake the cookies as directed. While they're in the oven, wash fruit and chop strawberries and kiwis. Once the cookies have cooled, ice them and top with fruit. I put 3 blueberries, 3 slices of strawberry and 2 slices of kiwi on each cookie.

I've also seen recipes that use 8 oz. of cream cheese, 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar and 2 tablespoons of limeade concentrate mixed together for the icing, but I opted for regular icing instead. You could also buy a flavored cream cheese if you want something less sugary.

Meet Lucy

2010-08-16T18:37:00.001-05:00

She's a 6 1/2-month-old blue Great Dane. She's 74.6 pounds. And she's ours!

Anderson and I have wanted a Great Dane forever. My roommate in college had one, and we fell in love with her. But we were waiting to get a house with a fenced yard before we took the plunge into pet ownership.

Since we brought Lucy home on Saturday, she's had zero accidents (knock on wood). She's also learning how to sit, how to walk on a leash and how to get in and out of the car. We're really proud of the progress she's making already, but doesn't everyone think their pet is the best?

I'm pretty sure everyone thinks we're crazy for getting a Great Dane, but after these past few days with her, I can't imagine getting any other dog.

Gotta have it

2010-08-12T21:03:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know I'm totally behind the times here, but you might be, too. Have you seen this Japanese washi tape? It's basically masking tape that comes in all sorts of pretty patterns and colors.

The Greeting Farm

Cute Tape

Happy Tape

You can use it to decorate almost anything from glass jars and vases to clothespins to gift bags and tags.

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

Boy meets grill

2010-08-05T21:41:00.000-05:00

And it's love at first sight.

He's been wanting a grill since we moved in, and he finally broke down and bought one (after researching the best and cheapest option, of course). It was delivered yesterday, and when I came home today, he was firing it up. What is it about a metal bowl filled with charcoal that can make a guy so happy?

I have to confess it makes me happy, too, because grilling out means I don't have to cook. (Not that I've been doing much of that lately anyway.) Tonight we had bass that Anderson caught himself, along with grilled onions, squash and zucchini, and pineapple for dessert.

This is a total tangent, but does anyone else have a problem spelling zucchini? I can never get it right on the first try.

Second guessing

2010-08-03T22:28:00.007-05:00

I was determined to make an upholstered headboard for our guest bedroom. I've always liked the look of them, and from what I've read, it's a pretty simple project. I even went so far as to get the wood supplies from Home Depot.

Then, today I saw these vinyl decals that are made to look like headboards. You just stick them on the wall. How easy (and cute!) is that?

Blik $40

Etsy, $35

The lazy person inside of me is very tempted to go this route. Anyone want to weigh in on the decision?

A simple tote

2010-08-01T22:01:00.004-05:00

For those of you thinking my pillow covers were a one-hit wonder, I attempted my second sewing project yesterday. So there!

I was set on making a tote bag but soon realized I didn't have much fabric in the house. So, it turned out to be more of a mini-tote. I used this tutorial to make the bag. It's very simple, but I did have a few setbacks (like having to rip out all of my seams and start over). Note to self: Don't start trying to alter instructions until you actually know what you're doing.

Anyway, the final product isn't perfect, but it looks okay from far away. We'll see how it holds up to all of the junk I normally put in my purse.

New life for glass bottles

2010-07-30T12:40:00.001-05:00

I like coffee. Well, I take that back. I like caramel and milk and ice and a little bit of coffee, also known as an iced caramel macchiato. Anderson usually makes them for me a few times a week at home (because he loves me and because he knows I would spend our life savings on Starbucks if given the chance). But he was gone this week, so I was forced to buy the bottled Starbucks drinks from the grocery store. (Okay, okay. "Forced" is probably not the right word, but they just taste better when he makes them.)

Anyway, I have 4 cute glass bottles left over, and I'm debating what do with them.

I think I might use them as bud vases like these...

Images courtesy of Mary Ruffle

...or like this set from Urban Outfitters.

And here's a neat idea for using glass bottles as picture frames from Design*Sponge.

Image courtesy of Design*Sponge

Sew hooked

2010-07-28T18:20:00.013-05:00

I tackled my first real sewing project (on a sewing machine) last night, and I am hooked. Check out the fruits of my labor...two new covers for the throw pillows on our couch.

Not owning a sewing machine has kept me from attempting a lot of projects. But my mom is visiting this week, and she was nice enough to lug one with her all the way here. After she showed me how to thread the bobbin and the machine, how to adjust the length of my stitches, and how to keep them straight, I went to town on a piece of scrap fabric. Then, as soon as I felt comfortable with the machine, I started on my pillow covers.

Mom suggested I do a sham so that I wouldn't have to mess with zippers or buttons, and it turned out to be a great idea. Here's what the covers look like from the back side:

Okay, I'm going to attempt to explain how I did this, but since I was kind of caught up in the moment and working without a pattern, it'll probably be confusing.

I started by measuring the cover that was already on the pillows, which was 19 in. x 19 in. I decided to give myself 2 extra inches of width for seams and 3 extra inches of length to allow for the overlapping folds of the sham. In the end, my piece of fabric was 21 in. x 44 in.

Next, I ironed the fabric to get rid of all the wrinkles. I also folded each of the short ends over about a 1/2-inch and ironed a crease in the fabric...

...which gave me a straight edge for my hem.

After doing that, I folded both ends toward each other, overlapping them by about 2 1/2 inches to create a 19-inch square. With the fabric inside out, I ironed the edges to create more creases marking the edges of my pillow.

Next, I pinned the fabric together on the left and right sides of the square and sewed the edges together. (Mom's tip: Be sure to place the pins facing away from you, so it's easy to pull them out as you sew.)

Finally, I turned the whole thing right side out and stuffed the pillow into the sham.

The hardest part was definitely the prep work: measuring, marking, cutting and ironing. But using the actual machine was pretty easy. The key is to follow the guides, so you get an even stitch.

I'm already itching to sew something else. Curtains maybe?

Foyer photo wall

2010-07-23T00:11:00.001-05:00

You may remember this picture of our very empty foyer soon after we moved in...

Well, get ready to feast your eyes on our new photo wall...

And it only took us 10 months in this house to finally hang some pictures! (I told you, I have serious skills when it comes to procrastination.)

Most of the frames are filled with wedding photos, but we do have a few engagement pictures, a photo of us at the Grand Canyon, one of Anderson rowing on the crew team, and a couple that he took himself of the UA campus.

We just uploaded our pics to Adorama and got them in the mail about a week later. Let me tell you...they are a thousand times better than Wal-Mart. They have great prices and lots of size options, and they do color correction for free.

The goal is to keep adding to the wall until we get something that looks more like these inspiration pictures:

We may not be there yet, but I think we've got a good start.

Reinventing my roses

2010-07-20T19:51:00.004-05:00

They're still going strong! For the past few days, they've been in a crystal vase in our kitchen, but since the petals have opened up more, I decided to shorten the stems and split them into three smaller bouquets. Now, they're adding a pop of color to our foyer. After they fade, I think I'll do something similar with fake flowers, so I can have a fun arrangement our console table year-round.

Art for the bathroom

2010-07-18T22:00:00.006-05:00

I think I've mentioned my love for anthropologie before. If I could live inside one of those stores, I would. So it's no surprise that my latest project—some artwork for our guest bathroom—was an attempt to recreate that eclectic, nature-inspired style.

I started with 3 Ikea Ribba frames like this one.

I wanted to use them in the bathroom, but I wasn't sure how to incorporate them since they were black, and our color scheme in there is blue, brown and cream.

I thought about spray painting them, but it's so miserably hot right now that the thought of doing anything outside (while sweating like a pig) did not sound appealing. My solution? Cover them in fabric.

My original plan was just to cover the black frame, but midway through, I realized they looked pretty neat completely wrapped in fabric. They reminded me of small art canvases.

And I already had the perfect thing in mind for the artwork. A while ago, I bought this really beautiful calendar full of 18th-century bird and botanical prints. So I picked out some of my favorite prints, cut them out to fit the frames, and glued them on top of the fabric. Then I used twine to line the prints and really make them stand out.

What do you think about the finished product? Does anyone else have a favorite store like anthropologie that inspires them?

My sweet hubby

2010-07-16T20:58:00.006-05:00

He had these roses waiting for me when I got home today. How did I get so lucky? I truly don't deserve him.

Oh, baby!

2010-07-13T23:37:00.011-05:00

Before anyone gets too excited, the title of that post doesn't mean that Anderson and I are pregnant. (Sorry to disappoint!) However, we do know several happy couples who are, and I spent this past weekend designing baby shower invitations for one of them. They're expecting a baby girl later this year, so here are two of the options I came up with:

I originally did the top one in pink and green, but I thought yellow would be pretty, too. And the second one was inspired by a photo from the wall hanging above my desk that I wrote about a few weeks ago. I guess it's doing its job!

A fresh start

2010-07-10T13:14:00.008-05:00

Image courtesy of Design*Sponge

I'm a big fan of fresh starts. And, believe me, I need them a lot. Like when I start the day in a grumpy mood...Anderson never holds it against me and always lets me start over. Or when I don't make the most of an opportunity God has given me. He always gives me another chance to make it right.

The past few weeks have been pretty stressful—mostly due to a freelance job I took on—and this blog has been sorely neglected while I've spent every waking moment at the computer trying to finish up that project.

That's not the only thing...some frustrations have been building up involving my stationery biz, and all that has kind of spilled over into the way I feel about everything I else I do, including the blog.

But last night I realized that all I really need is a fresh start to inspire me and help me revamp the way I approach all of those things.

First up on the list is the blog since it's the easiest and most fun to tackle. Lately, I haven't had time for any projects or crafts, but I want to come back better and stronger than ever with at least 3 posts a week.

To do that, I need some motivation. So here comes the shameless part:

I really need to know how many people are actually reading. If there's anyone out there reading the blog who hasn't signed up as a follower, could you sign up (on the right hand side of this page) for me? Pretty pleeeeeease? I know for a fact that it will be the encouragement I need to keep this blog alive and well. And if you don't want to sign up, just email me and let me know you're reading.

Okay, enough of that. I'll be sure to share some of my new stationery designs with you later this week.

Happiness is...

2010-06-22T09:02:00.005-05:00

I got to see my friend Kate for the first time in nearly 2 years this past weekend, and (as if that wasn't the best present ever) she brought me some goodies, including this awesome wall hanging from Europe. It says "bonheur," which means "happiness" in French, and it has these cute, little clothes pins for hanging photos and memos. I've decided to use it as a little inspiration board above my desk.

Blueberry update

2010-06-18T08:44:00.016-05:00

It's official. I have turned into a giant blueberry.

Just kidding...but I did make the blueberry fruit roll-ups last night, and it was semi-successful. The flavor was great—very fruity—but the consistency was...well...not consistent. Parts of the pan were dried to the right texture, but other parts were still mushy. And most of the pieces didn't come out so pretty (That's why I'm not sharing a picture.)

I blame it on 2 things. First, I don't think our oven rack is completely level, so the mixture sort of settled at the front of the pan. And of course, where it was thicker, it didn't dry all the way through. And second, I think our oven may have had a hard time keeping the temperature steady. But short of begging a friend with a convection oven to use hers for 8 hours, I'm not sure what I can do about that one.

I definitely want to try them again, maybe with peaches. Next time, I'll bake them longer, and I think I'll cut the applesauce down to 3/4 cup. It was a great addition, but it almost overpowered the flavor of the blueberries.

Fun fruit roll-ups

2010-06-16T23:45:00.002-05:00

I think I'm in danger of becoming that girl from Willy Wonka who turns into a giant blueberry. We bought a gallon of these babies for $20, and I've been eating them non-stop. We got them on Sunday and they are almost gone!

These are literally the best blueberries I've ever had. They are organic and so sweet. I'd love to make a pie with them, but that won't be happening any time soon thanks to P90X. So, I thought I'd try to make my own blueberry fruit roll-ups instead. I guess you could also call it fruit leather, but I like the term "roll-up" better. It sounds much more edible.

This is the recipe I'm going to try. It's a combination of a few I found online:

Blueberry Fruit Roll-Ups

3 cups blueberries

1 cup strawberries

1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup Agave nectar

1 Tablespoon almond extract

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Wash and dry blueberries and strawberries. Place in a blender or food processor with applesauce and blend until smooth. Stir in Agave, almond extract, and cinnamon. Pour in a large nonstick skillet and cook over low heat for 1 hour, stirring frequently, until thickened. Preheat oven to 150. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Pour mixture onto baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 6-7 hours with oven door slightly ajar until the fruit is dry enough not to stick to your fingers. Use a pizza cutter to cut into thin strips and roll-up around strips of parchment.

I haven't had a chance to make this yet, but I'm going to try tomorrow. I'll let you know how they turn out.

A whale of a time

2010-06-13T23:40:00.012-05:00

So things were pretty quiet on the blog last week because Anderson and I were in California! He had a work conference in Dana Point (very close to Laguna Beach, of MTV fame), and I decided to tag along for the ride 1) because I've never been to California and 2) because I knew I'd be worried/miserable while he was gone. Plus, I just wanted to go on vacation.

The trip was great. We had zero travel problems, which is always a blessing. The hotel and the views were both beautiful. And while Anderson was hard at work trying to stay awake in meetings, I was getting lots of beauty sleep and catching up on my reading by the pool. The picture below shows the hotel, the park in front of it, and the views of the ocean. It was amazing.

We ate at a few really good restaurants while we were there, and I got to eat avocado at every meal, which was a treat for me. There were a lot of cool things about the trip (like the little bunnies that we saw feeding in the park every evening and our short excursion to San Juan Capistrano). But the highlight was the 2-hour whale watching trip we took on Wednesday. They don't promise that you'll see anything, but we were lucky enough to see tons of dolphins swimming right next to the boat and, not one, but two(!) blue whales. We also caught a glimpse of a seal jumping straight out of the water and a sea lion sunning on a rock. It was totally worth the $30 per ticket. (And just so I don't get in trouble for not giving him credit, Anderson took all of the photos below, except for the one of us together, of course.)

For those of you who might need a biology refresher, here are a few fun facts about blue whales:

-They are the largest animals on the face of this planet.

-They can eat up to 40 million krill a day.

-A baby blue whale drinks 100 gallons of milk a day and gains 8 pounds an hour!

This is a picture of the "footprint" that the whale leaves on the water's surface when it goes down for a deep dive to eat more krill.

And here are a few videos from the trip. I wasn't feeling patient enough to try and figure out how to put all these together in one video, so I just have a bunch of very short clips, but you get the idea. And please try to ignore my annoying voice. (I hate the way it sounds on any kind of recording.)

Dolphins from Brittani Renaud on Vimeo.

Whale Watching, Part 1 from Brittani Renaud on Vimeo.

Whale Watching, Part II from Brittani Renaud on Vimeo.

Untitled from Brittani Renaud on Vimeo.

The sad "awww" at the end of this last video is because we were hoping he would flip his tail in the air, but he didn't.

The Graduates

2010-06-02T22:35:00.001-05:00

This past weekend was really special because we drove to Florence to see Anderson's brother Morgan graduate high school. That's him in the cap and gown in case you're wondering. Can you tell Anderson and I are both really proud of him?

Personally, I can't believe how much he's grown up. I know that makes me sound really cheesy, but it's true. The first time I met Morgan he was 12 years old, and now he's a high school graduate (and a great baseball player)! Again, I couldn't be prouder of my little bro.

And I can't forget my cousins, John and Marie, who both graduated high school. I'm also really, really proud of them and all they've accomplished.

Stamp it out

2010-05-26T23:00:00.002-05:00

Image courtesy of Thimbleanna

I ran across this stamped jewelry yesterday while I was searching for necklace tutorials. Designers like Lisa Leonard make customized necklaces and bracelets like this, but they can be kind of expensive.

I had no idea that it was actually easy to create something similar with these metal stamps, which you can find for cheap at Harbor Freight Tools or P.J. Tools & Supply.

Image courtesy of Thimbleanna

And you can use them for more than just jewelry. Check out these plant markers made with antique spoons.

I want my own stamping set!

In need of a necklace

2010-05-25T23:08:00.011-05:00

I've never really been into jewelry-making (unless you count the friendship bracelet frenzy that all 3rd graders go through). In fact, I've never really been into jewelry-buying either. Clothes are higher on my priority list when it comes to spending money, so accessories tend to fall by the wayside.

But lately I've been thinking about making a necklace or two. It just seems like a fun thing to do this summer and a good way to punch up some of my outfits that are beginning to feel a little boring.

Here are few inspiring projects that I've found so far...Hopefully I can get started on one of my own soon.

Image courtesy of Design Sponge

Though this corsage necklace is a little big for my taste, I really like the colors they chose and the jersey knit fabric.

Image courtesy of Creature Comforts

What can I say about ruffles? They're pretty much always cute.

Image courtesy of cakies

Again, loving the jersey fabric that she used instead of a chain or string.

I'm dying to check out the jewelry section at Michael's and maybe swing by the fabric store, but I don't know if it will happen this week. We'll see...

Going to the extreme

2010-05-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Over the past few days, something has taken over our lives here.

It's called P90X.

What is P90X you ask?

It stands for Power 90 Extreme, and it's a 90-day workout and diet program that my dear, sweet husband thought the two of us should try out together. Let me just preface this by saying that I am not a fan of exercise. Making it to the gym once a week is really good for me, and sometimes I will literally go months without doing any kind of physical activity whatsoever.

So you can imagine how "excited" I was when Anderson suggested P90X. Of course, I can't place all the blame on him since I agreed to do it.

The whole idea behind it is muscle confusion. It's supposed to be really effective because you do a different type of workout each day including strength training, plyometrics (jumping, squatting), Kenpo (boxing, punching), stretching, yoga, and something called Ab Ripper X, which is even more painful than it sounds. Think: 15 minutes of non-stop crunches and sit-ups.

There's also a diet that goes with it. But I'll have to share more about that in a later post.

So far we've done 3 days...only 87 left to go. I know this has nothing to do with crafts or home decor or anything fun like that, but it's the main thing going on in our lives right now, so I thought I'd share.

We took our "before" photos today, but I'm not planning on posting those for the world to see. Maybe if my results are good enough, I'll share my "after" pictures with you. The results would have to be really, really good, though. So don't hold your breath.

Greetings from the Land of BBQ

2010-05-18T00:40:00.005-05:00

This past weekend Anderson and I went to Memphis to see his dad compete in the annual Memphis in May World Championship barbecue festival. Our friends Barry and Lisa came with us, and despite the heat, walking a mile in a rainstorm, and slogging through mud on Saturday, we had a blast.

Anderson with his grandad and dad...three generations of BBQ lovers.

Nothing beats good BBQ, and Anderson's dad cooks the BEST! He also bottles his own sauces—Orange Blossom and Cherry Blossom—which are both unbelievably good. I'll spare you the pictures of the the two whole hogs that he cooked for the main competition since not everyone will want to see that, but here's a photo of the yummy shrimp he made on Friday.

Walking through the festival was basically like walking past hundreds of outdoor restaurants. It's pretty crazy to see how far these teams will go to make a statement...like building 3-story platforms or constructing full-scale building facades.

The best part (besides spending time with friends and family and eating good BBQ) was the clever team names. Some of my favs were:

Love Meat Tender

Natural Born Grillers

Notorious P.I.G. (guess you'd need to know a little about rap music to like that one)

Squeal Street (That team was from Memphis.)

Serial Grillers

Fine Swining

And last, but not least...The Hogfather

Living with joy

2010-05-12T23:21:00.000-05:00

I'm always running across blogs that take inspirational statements and turn them into graphic artwork. And since, this week seems to be about finding inspiration, I thought I'd make one of my own. I hope everyone has a joyful week and weekend!

So where have I been?

2010-05-11T18:28:00.010-05:00

I know, I know. You don't have to tell me.

I've been a bad blogger...again.

To tell the truth, I've been lacking inspiration lately. I just haven't had the motivation to do any fun craft projects. Since I do design work all day and sometimes all night, I feel like most of my creativity goes into that, which sometimes doesn't leave much for the blog.

But enough of my excuses...since I don't have anything to share myself, I figured I'd pass along these beautiful photos all found on it's mary ruffle. If this doesn't inspire me (and you!), I don't know what will.

Brand-new bedding

2010-04-21T22:48:00.005-05:00

We've finally got new bedding in our guest room—and it only took us three tries to get it right!

I told you about our first attempt to dress our guest bed here. Then, a few weeks ago we tried again since we had family coming for a visit. After searching every store in town with no luck, we just settled on some simple sheets from Wal-Mart and a plain white comforter from T.J. Maxx.

Of course, two weeks later while in the mall, I saw this grey and yellow comforter in a display window and knew it was the one. (Apparently we had looked everywhere in town except Burlington Coat Factory.)

After some considerable whining on my part, Anderson agreed to buy it and a matching curtain panel and throw pillow as long as I returned the other comforter...which I did.

Hopefully, this won't be the end of progress in the guest room. I want to buy (or possibly make) a headboard, and I want to finally hang some decorative stuff on the walls. I promise to update you with any progress we make.

Won't you be my neighbor?

2010-04-19T11:30:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, a young couple moved into the house next door to us. They are very nice and Alabama fans, which is a double win in our book. Anyway, that got me thinking about housewarming gifts.

For me, nothing says "Welcome to the neighborhood" like a homemade cookie or brownie. Wouldn't those yummy baked goods look cute in a white cookie tin like this?

Image courtesy of The Container Store

And to dress up the packaging a little, I made these labels, which can be wrapped around the lid:

Since I'm probably not the only one with new neighbors (or at least a friend who's moving into a new home), I made PDFs of each label, which you can print on your own computer. Click here to download a template of the "Welcome" label, and click here to download the "Congrats" label.

Now you can go make some new friends by bribing them with treats!

Goodness gracious, great balls of twine

2010-04-15T09:00:00.002-05:00

I've been itching to do a project with twine ever since I saw this post on All Bower Power where Katie used it to make a homemade Christmas ornament. I even went looking for some twine at Michael's but couldn't find it anywhere in the store. So I gave up on that project for a while.

Then a couple of weeks ago, we were strolling through the $1 section in Target. (You know I can't resist the deals.) And what did I find? Balls of twine for $1!

So, I grabbed a couple along with some plastic flower pots that were also $1 each. When I got home, I spray painted the rim of each pot in a cream color and wrapped the twine around the base using my trusty glue gun to secure each row. I realized later that I probably should have spray painted the inside of the pots too, but we live and we learn, right?

Anyway, I ended up with three like this:

Right now, they're holding office supplies, but I think they'll probably end up somewhere else before long.

The BEST sandwich ever

2010-04-12T13:01:00.004-05:00

Image courtesy of Taste of Home

It's been a while since I did a food post, so here's an easy sandwich recipe that I got from one of the ladies at church. We took it to our small group last night, and they devoured it. Seriously, you have to try this:

Ham and Swiss Roll

Ingredients:

1 tube French bread (You can find it in the refrigerated section next to the crescent rolls and biscuits.)

3 stalks of green onions, finely chopped

6-8 thin slices of deli ham

6 slices of Swiss cheese

5 pieces of bacon, crumbled

Unroll the dough on a greased baking sheet. Place ham over dough, then place Swiss cheese over ham. Sprinkle evenly with chopped green onions and crumbled bacon. Roll up the dough like a jelly roll. Pinch seams to seal, and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Cut 4 slits on top of loaf. Bake at 350 for 25-28 minutes, or until golden brown. If you want to take it a step further, brush with melted butter before serving.

Wading through the weeds Part II

2010-04-09T18:20:00.006-05:00

And we thought our weeds were out of control before. Silly us. Little did we know what two weeks (just two weeks, people!) would bring. Check out our weed on steroids:

The look on Anderson's face is supposed to be total disbelief in case you can't tell.

Can you believe how big our little weed has gotten? It seemed like just yesterday, he was a mere 3 feet tall. I'm really not sure which is more pathetic, the fact that we still haven't pulled this thing up by its roots or the fact that we're measuring it as if it's our child going through a growth spurt.

And that's not the only thing growing around here...just look at the trees behind Anderson.

My mom had a good idea. She said we should have a contest to see if anyone can beat this monster. So...if you have any craziness growing in your yard that can compete with this, email it to me and I'll post it for the whole world to see. Maybe I can even send the winner a prize...like a bottle of Round-Up?

Cookie+cup

2010-04-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

Equals perfection. Now that's the kind of math I like.

My best friend Kate sent me this photo of one of her homemade, heart-shaped sugar cookies. Her mom found some special cookie cutters that create little notches in every cookie, so you can perch them on the side of your mug or your glass of milk.

Personally, I think everything in life should come with a cookie attached to it.

Easter egg centerpiece

2010-04-01T18:03:00.004-05:00

I'm making good on my promise...here are the very simple directions for this Easter centerpiece made with fabric-covered plastic eggs. This project was fun, but I kind of underestimated how many eggs it would take to fill this glass hurricane. By the 10th one, I was a little tired of using the hot glue gun. And by the 18th one, I was just plain tired.

But I really like the way it turned out, and since it only cost me $2 in eggs and $1.50 for fabric, I think it was well worth it.

Step 1:

Cut your fabric into thin strips long enough to reach from the top of the egg to the bottom. My helpful hint is to buy pastel eggs so the color won't show through the fabric.

Step 2:

Glue one end of the fabric to the top of the egg, stretch it tight, and glue the other end of the fabric to the bottom of the egg.

Step 3:

Repeat in an asterisk pattern until the entire egg is covered.

I had this glass hurricane handy, but I'm sure they'd look good in anything.

Like a woven ceramic bowl maybe?

Eggs everywhere

2010-04-01T09:42:00.004-05:00

It's almost Easter, and I kind of went crazy with the eggs this year. I'll be back later today with the step-by-step instructions for this DIY Egg Centerpiece.

Wading through the weeds

2010-03-26T21:49:00.006-05:00

Since I bragged about our front yard yesterday, it's only fair that I share the ugly truth about our backyard. And when I say ugly, I mean ugly...and scary.

We are literally growing weeds the size of small saplings in our backyard. Here's Anderson (or half of Anderson) beside one of the tallest monsters, for scale. Totally diggin' the sweatpants, babe.

And here is our weed garden. Wow, I can't believe I'm sharing this embarrassing sight with the rest of you. It also looks like we need to do a little pressure washing on the side of our house.

How does your garden grow?

2010-03-25T18:55:00.002-05:00

Ours is growing quite nicely, thanks to a full weekend dedicated to whipping our front yard into shape. Apparently, everyone else in our town had the same idea because Lowe's was packed last Saturday.

We had zero gardening tools, so we had to buy a rake, gloves, spades, etc. And Anderson reached one of the most important milestones of manhood...he bought his very first lawn mower! I was so proud. (And I'll be even prouder once I see him use it.)

Thankfully, we had beautiful weather on Saturday and mostly beautiful weather on Sunday, so we were able to get a lot done. While I tackled trimming the bushes and shrubs, Anderson raked the entire yard to pull up the dead grass and make room for our new grass to grow. Then we both spent a lot of time pulling up weeds and raking all of the dead leaves and old pine straw from underneath our bushes. We also had an unpleasant surprise when a huge, black salamander scurried right past us under our bushes. I can sum that up in one word...yucky.

Anyway, after prepping the yard on Saturday, we spent Sunday planting annuals in the two beds lining our sidewalk. We alternated pink begonias with a red plant that I can't remember the name of and a green plant called Dusty Miller.

I also want to have some flowers for cutting this spring and summer, so I planted some ranunculus bulbs and dahlia bulbs on the left corner of our house where they can get a lot of sun. There's nothing to show of them yet, but hopefully they will look like this.

On a side note, our new word for "ridiculous" is now "ranunculus," as in "Our power bill is $200! That's ranunculus!"

A cuddly craft

2010-03-22T17:31:00.001-05:00

This past weekend Anderson and I went to a baby shower for some friends of ours who are expecting a little boy in May. I wanted to make something small to include with the store-bought gift, so I decided to put my very basic sewing skills to work on this little stuffed elephant.

Of course, I used leftover fabric since that's all I ever seem to have, but it also means this project cost me exactly $0. I'm sorry I don't have any step-by-step pictures...you'll just have to trust my written directions on this one.

Step 1:

Find and print an image to use as your template. I used a piece of clipart and just expanded it to the size I needed. Something with a simple outline is best if you're a beginner like me.

Step 2:

Trace the image onto a piece of fabric with a pencil. I think they make special fabric markers or pencils, but this worked fine for me.

Step 3:

Fold the fabric so that you get two identical panels when you cut around the outline.

Step 4:

Cut a separate piece of fabric for the ear, and hand stitch it into place on one of the panels. Also, sew on a small button for the eye.

Step 5:

Making sure the pencil line is on the inside where it can't be seen, hand stitch the two panels together. The important part here is to make your stitches small, evenly spaced, and the same distance from the edge of the fabric. Leave part of the panel open, so you can stuff it at the end.

Step 6:

Fill it with fluffiness. Then, finish sewing it up.

Step 7:

Stitch on any other decorative details. For the elephant, I did toenails, and I also stitched a small "A" on the back for the baby's name. I also lined all the edges with Fray Check to keep it from coming apart.

It looks like there are a lot of steps here, but this project is truly very easy and fun. It reminded me of the little sewing projects I used to do with my grandmother. Good times.

I hope you're wearing green...

2010-03-17T09:13:00.000-05:00

Image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

...because it's St. Paddy's Day, and I might just pinch you if you're not. It's also my grandmother's birthday, so to celebrate (and to carry on our theme for the week), here's another fun flower arrangement. This one is made with a combination of naturally green Prado carnations and white carnations dyed green. Now, go kiss an Irish person.

Flower power

2010-03-15T10:15:00.000-05:00

I'm continuing the spring theme this week with a couple shots of our newest tablescape. These green bottles have come in handy more than once, and they tend to move around the house every now and then. This week they're on our dining table with 4 pink long-stemmed roses in each bottle.

Spring forward

2010-03-13T16:53:00.000-06:00

Anyone else as ready for spring as I am? I may be jumping the gun a bit, but I've already put a new wreath on our front door to welcome in the new season.

And in case you're wondering, here's how our beautiful wreath came to be...

Mom and Pat came to visit us this weekend (it's their first time to see the new house), and mom brought some wreath-making goodies with her. She bought the plain grapevine base for under $3 at Wal-Mart, along with a bunch of orange, pink, and yellow artificial flowers.

Basically, we just used a pair of wire cutters to cut the blooms and stick them in the base, starting with yellow and then alternating colors until we got a balanced look.

Mom's tip: As the seasons change, just keep the base and change out the flowers for a totally different look.

Comforter confusion

2010-03-13T16:24:00.000-06:00

As you all know, we recently took on the task of finding the perfect comforter for our guest bedroom. And I thought we'd found the one in the Mandala Bedding from Target.

Maybe I'm color blind, maybe I should have zoomed in on the picture a little closer, maybe I'm just dumb. But when our comforter arrived and I opened the box, I was shocked to see that there was not a stitch of grey on the entire thing. Apparently, what I thought was grey was really a light, light brown. And that wasn't the only surprise. There was also a lot of pink in the bedding. I like pink, but it just wasn't the right fit for the room or our house.

So, the search continues...

The funny part is that I ordered the bedding at the very last minute, praying that it would arrive before Mom and Pat came to visit. I was so happy to see that it arrived on the day they were coming in, only to realize that I'd have to return it. I ended up just putting sheets on the bed and covering it in 3 different blankets...very classy.

On a side note, I know you're all completely shocked to see two posts in one day. I'm trying to make up for my shameful lack of blogging lately. To say things have gotten busy around here would be an understatement, but I still plan to continue the blog adventure that I started in January, and I hope I still have a few readers who haven't given up on me!

Curtain call

2010-03-03T08:29:00.002-06:00

We bought these curtains back in September when we took our first-ever trip to Ikea, but they've just now found a permanent home draping our dining room window.

In typical procrastinator fashion, I waited 5 months to put them up because they needed to be hemmed to the height of our window. There wasn't any sewing involved, just some of that iron-on hem tape. But the task was slightly more difficult than it should've been because we don't have a full-size ironing board. We only have a mini one that I've used since college. (I take the term "used" very loosely since I iron about once a year, if that.)

Anyway, they're up now, and I want to give credit to Anderson, who helped me by installing the curtain rod.

I definitely like the softness they add to the dining area, but they look a little bland. I want to get two more panels in a bright color or a fun pattern to frame the white ones. Something with green in it like this Woodside Block Print Curtain from Urban Outfitters:

or these Amy Butler Coventry drapes:

Guest bedroom comfort

2010-03-01T22:48:00.006-06:00

The time has finally come for us to do something with our guest bedroom/office. It's been usable so far, but we've had a couple of guests who have had the unlucky fate of sleeping on an air mattress instead of an actual bed. (Thankfully, they were very sweet and never complained.)

Some of our friends at church graciously gave us a queen mattress they no longer needed, so we have a bed now. But the only thing covering it is a mattress pad (along with random piles of junk). Time to remedy that situation.

I've been thinking of using yellow and grey in the room for a while now, but I also love brown. I wasn't sure the three could work together, but this DwellStudio Mandala bedding from Target proves that it's possible:

So, what do you think? Should we go with this set or should I stick with a simpler grey and yellow color scheme like this:
I love the second option, too, but it's actually just a coverlet. We'd have to buy the shams separately, making the total about $40 more. Plus, I kind of like the idea of having a fluffy comforter instead of just a coverlet—to make our guests feel more cosy and snug. Any thoughts?

I am a bad blogger...

2010-02-27T09:13:00.002-06:00

I've definitely fallen behind on my blogging lately. But I am working on some new stuff this weekend, and will have lots to share next week. So please check back!

Before and After: Lamp Love

2010-02-16T18:43:00.001-06:00

Finally! I have some "after" pictures to show you of the lamp that I mentioned a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be a very simple project, but after messing up the paint job (by trying to spray paint in cold temperatures), it was impossible to find a day when I had the time and when the weather was cooperating.

But this past Sunday I had a few spare minutes, it was 65 degrees outside, and it was not raining. So, here's the finished product:

I started the project by removing the black leather that covered the main part of the lamp. Then, I used it as a template to trace a piece of burlap to use as my new cover.

Next, I spray painted the brushed nickel finish with Valspar Satin spray paint in Porcelain.

Finally I used spray adhesive to attach the burlap to the lamp base. And that was it.

It's definitely not perfect...there are some spots where the touch up spray paint didn't quite cover my mistakes. But overall, I think I reached the goal of a shabby chic-meets-rustic beach cottage look (hopefully). And even if I didn't, it was a good learning experience. Next time, I'm definitely going to:

wait until it's warm to spray paint.
be more careful about spraying the right distance from the object. A couple of times, I got too close and the paint started dripping...not attractive.
do a better job of covering the cord. I think I'll try tying it up with a twist-tie and covering it with a ziploc bag or something.

Anyone else have any spray painting tips?

Reader reveal

2010-02-15T09:14:00.000-06:00

My cousin Jessica sent me some photos of her home projects that I wanted to share with you guys. She put her own twist on the bookmark by making this paisley one that I love!

And this cutie...

And here's her take on the frosted votives that I shared here.

She even took it to the next level by frosting some decorative mirrors.

Thanks Jess! And if anyone has a project to share, don't hesitate to send me your own photos.

More snow...

2010-02-12T16:41:00.006-06:00

Anderson called our snow "sad" because you can still see the grass poking through. But we'll probably never see this much on our house again, so I'm going to make sure we remember it.

Anyone else out there covered in white?

Waking up in white

2010-02-12T09:29:00.000-06:00

Well, I really didn't expect it, but this is what I woke up to this morning...(Anderson gets up a lot earlier than me, so he only woke up to rain.)

Not even close to the 2-4 inches we expect to have, but it's still snowing as you can see in the photos. And judging by the little table sitting outside, I'd say we've gotten about a 1/2 inch so far. Not too shabby for only being a few miles from the Florida state line.

To snow or not to snow...

2010-02-11T21:53:00.000-06:00

The meteorologists are promising 2-4 inches of snow tomorrow. The news anchors are announcing all of the school closings, and I'm pretty sure Wal-Mart is being ransacked as I type this.

But I'm still a little skeptical.

I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow...

Snow Magic by katmere

Made with love

2010-02-10T09:10:00.004-06:00

The blogs are swirling with cute Valentine's Day projects this week. But this little heart-shaped bookmark really grabbed my attention. I don't know if it's the fact that I love to read or the fact that this project was so easy, but I couldn't resist.

Basically, you trace two hearts, one big and one small on different types of decorative paper. You cut them out, glue them together, and use a utility knife to cut a slit around the bottom edge of the small heart. That's it!

For the full tutorial, click here.

You really don't have to have any special paper for this. I used a random red file folder for the bottom heart. And the two small hearts are made from the cover of a catalog and a piece of stationery.

If you *heart* Valentine's Day projects, here are some more to try:

Paper Heart Garland

Image courtesy of How About Orange

Crayon Hearts (another idea from Martha herself)

Image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

And little paper roses...much cheaper than the real thing.
Image courtesy of Dozi

Homemade headband

2010-02-08T09:24:00.004-06:00

I saw this braided headband tutorial here, which was originally posted on this blog. Since I love double headbands and since I had some leftover fabric from recovering my stool, I decided to go for it. It was really easy and I didn't need a sewing machine, though using one probably would have made it a little neater and faster.

Here are a couple of helpful hints from my experience:

I started with strips of fabric that were 23 inches long, and by the time I braided them, they were about 17 1/2 inches long. (I think I have a bigger head than most people, so you may not need the extra length.)
I used a piece of elastic that was 6 1/2 inches long. You'll want to sew one end of the elastic to the braids, then try the headband on to see how much elastic you need for a comfortable, secure fit. Then, cut it to size and sew the other end.

I could see anthropolgie selling something like this for $20 (I love them, but sometimes their stuff is a little pricey.). At home, it cost me practically nothing and 15 minutes.

(Me trying to take a picture in the mirror. It looks like I'm giving that headband the evil eye.)

A fashion wonder

2010-02-04T23:33:00.009-06:00

I ran across a link to the Wonder Dress in this blog, and I thought it was pretty amazing. It's basically got two long straps that you can tie in a bazillion different ways to make it dressy or casual. Not to mention it's made of washable, wrinkle-free fabric.

Images courtesy of SaveTheFarm.etsy.com

I would totally buy one except that a) I'm not allowed to spend any money right now and b) there is no way I'd be able to figure out all of those variations. I think I'd just get confused and end up wrapping the straps around my waist twenty times before tying them in a bow, which I doubt would be very flattering.

Still, I want one!

Wallet-friendly wall art

2010-02-03T09:04:00.002-06:00

I LOVE Amy Butler fabrics. They are fun and happy, and I honestly want to fill my house with pillows and rugs and drapes in her designs.

And though I've looked at her website several times, I just noticed that she makes wall art, too. Check out these bold prints:

You can buy them in different sizes here. But they're a little on the expensive side. I think it would be just as pretty and much cheaper to buy some of her fabric and put it in a few store-bought frames. The texture and pattern would be the perfect way to make a statement on one wall and a nice departure from the usual framed photos.

Or, for an even cheaper option, you could just buy some of the coordinating wrapping paper sold on her website. No one would be the wiser once you cut the paper to size and put it in a nice matted frame. Not to mention, you'd have a roll of really pretty gift wrap leftover for birthday and shower presents.

Thanks for the feedback!

2010-02-02T22:21:00.004-06:00

This blogging thing is still new, so forgive me...

A lot of you have been making comments, and you've probably been wondering why they weren't posting. Apparently, I activated a setting that sends all the comments to me for approval before they can be posted. They were going to a separate place in my blog account, and I just realized what was happening today. (I just thought I had a bunch of shy readers who were afraid to share.)

Anyway, all of the comments are up now, and I've fixed that setting. I just wanted to say thanks for all of your wonderful feedback. Keep sharing!

And if you have an idea for a project that you want to share with everyone, let me know. I'm sure you all have much better ideas than I do.

How do you dishwash?

2010-01-29T09:00:00.000-06:00

Since we got rid of our drying rack in an attempt to de-clutter our kitchen counters, we have a new rule in our house: If one of us is being nice enough to wash the dishes, the other has to help dry them, no matter how much they'd rather be watching SportsCenter.

Other household rules of dishwashing:

It's the man's job to unload the dishwasher. I like to let plates and bowls "rest" in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher, which annoys Anderson. So, to encourage me to be better, he clears the dishwasher in a timely manner.
There is a certain way to load the dishwasher to maximize space, and if it isn't done right, I get to rearrange everything.
The dishwasher can always hold just...one...more...thing—a little something I learned from Allison.

So, do you have any unspoken (or spoken) rules of dishwashing in your house?

By the way, this is a thinly veiled attempt to get some comments on this blog, so hit me with your comments, people!

Mishaps and miscommunication

2010-01-27T08:49:00.000-06:00

Today you were supposed to have some nice before and after shots of a lamp I've been working on for our console table. Why don't you see any after shots, you ask? I am stupid and cannot read directions.

The lamp had a brushed nickel finish, which I spray painted on Monday in a cream color. When I got home from work today, I was going to do one final touch-up coat and be done with it. But apparently you're not supposed to spray paint stuff when it's cold outside because it will turn into a wrinkly, ruined mess within seconds. Now I know.

I was ready to chuck the lamp into the woods behind our house (not really, but I was going to give it to Goodwill or something) until Anderson convinced me it could be salvaged with a little sanding and some more spray paint. He's usually the voice of reason in these situations. Anyway, my "easy" project is going to drag on a bit longer, and you guys will have to wait to see the final result. I know you're dying from the suspense.

On a side note, remember the personalized votives from yesterday? Well, Anderson's reaction to the finished product was nice but not quite the enthusiastic response I was looking for. Turns out he thought I had just bought them like that from a store...until he read the blog last night and exclaimed, "Oh, you made those?!" I guess it's a pretty big compliment that he didn't realize they were semi-homemade, but I'm wondering if we need to work on our communication skills.

Turn on your heart light

2010-01-26T08:37:00.004-06:00

I've been trying to think of a cute project for Valentine's Day, and when I saw these awesome personalized lanterns, I knew I was on the right track.

I considered doing the same thing, but the thought of doing all those cutouts seemed a little daunting. So, I settled on a few simple votives with the same feel.

I went to Michael's looking for cylindrical glass candle holders but couldn't find the right size, so I tried Wal-Mart and found a 4-pack of juice glasses for $1.92!

When I got home, I printed our initials, along with a heart, on cardstock and cut them out. Then, I used a little bit of scrapbooking glue to temporarily stick the cut-outs to the glass. Finally, I covered the entire thing in frosting spray (found in the spray paint section). If you try this yourself, just remember to cover the top of the glass with a piece of cardboard. I ruined the first glass because I forgot that step.

Once the spray dried, I removed the paper and cleaned off the glue with a wet paper towel. And this was the end result...

I think we'll use these on our table for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner, but in the meantime, I've put them on the windowsill above the kitchen sink.

This was a super easy project that you can personalize in many ways—numbers, letters, shapes, patterns, animals, silhouettes.... I think they'd even make great birthday or housewarming gifts.

"New"dles

2010-01-25T09:40:00.006-06:00

MarthaStewart.com

We eat a lot of spaghetti around here. Sometimes with meat, sometimes with just sauce, and occasionally plain noodles with butter and Parmesan cheese. But last night I was introduced to a new noodle concoction that I had to share with you.

It's called Irish-Italian Spaghetti, and it is sooooo good. One of the ladies in our church Life Group made it, and let's just say everyone cleaned their plates.

I'm not exactly sure what makes it Irish (the cream of mushroom maybe?) but that doesn't matter. I like it, and since I have Irish and Italian on my mom's side, I feel a certain kinship with this spaghetti. (Yes, it is totally possible to feel kinship with a plate of food.)

Anyway, the woman who made it revealed a few of the ingredients, so I immediately came home and found a recipe that sounded similar on RecipeZaar. I haven't fixed this myself, but I will very, very soon. And I suggest you do the same.

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 dash cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce

1/2 tsp chili powder

10.5-ounce can cream of mushroom soup

10.5-ounce can tomato soup

8 ounces spaghetti

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

In a large saucepan, brown onion in olive oil. Add meat and seasonings and cook until meat is brown. Add soups. Cover and simmer 45 minutes, stirring often. Serve with cooked spaghetti and sprinkle with cheese.

Birthday wishes for a friend

2010-01-24T16:18:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Kate! I hope you are having the most wonderful day ever!

Are we there yet?

2010-01-22T12:32:00.000-06:00

Spring has come

Today the sun came out after a few days of rain, and it made me think of spring. Too bad it's only January.

Dollar deals

2010-01-21T20:50:00.001-06:00

There aren't many things I like more than shopping at Target. And I literally cannot enter the store without taking a stroll through the $1 section. I can't help myself. It's a sickness.

Anyway, when I was in Michael's the other day, I made a truly wonderful discovery. They have a $1 section, and (can I say this?!) I think it may be better than Target's.

I found some super cute office supplies there, and lots of great future gift ideas. It was all I could do to restrict myself to $4 worth of stuff: a set of 4 file folders, binder clips, and a pack of fun paper clips.

Outside the box

2010-01-20T09:10:00.001-06:00

Sorry I didn't post yesterday! I was busy putting the finishing touches on this project, so I could show it to you today.

This is a very nice keepsake box that I received at one of my wedding showers. While I love it and it brings back great memories, I wanted to repurpose it for daily use around the house.

Inspired by some of the rustic, woven baskets I've seen online, I decided to cover the box in burlap. Here's the breakdown for Part 1, along with a disclaimer: This is really easy to do, but also pretty time consuming. It probably would have been worth it to buy a box like this instead of making one, but this blog is about trying new things so...

Step 1:

Trace the box to create your fabric panels. I traced one side, then doubled the measurements to get a piece of fabric that would cover both the inside and outside of the box for each side. I used about 1 1/2 yards of material for the entire box.

Step 2:

Cut around the traced area, leaving a 1/2 inch on each side of your marking. This extra fabric will be used to create flaps to cover the edges and corners. (However, you don't have to leave any extra room when you create your panels for the bottom inside and bottom outside of the box.)

Step 3:

Use a glue gun to secure the fabric in the corners of the box.

Step 4:

Use a spray adhesive to glue the fabric to the side panels.

Step 5 and 6:

Cut a slit in the fabric where it meets at a corner to create two flaps that can be wrapped around each other.

Step 7:

Follow the same process for the box top.

Some helpful tips:

Use a glue gun that has a cool setting. Because burlap is such an open weave, the glue can squeeze through and burn ya.
Glue the fabric to the long sides of the box first, then the short sides. As in upholstery, pulling the fabric tight on each side is pretty important.
Don't worry about getting all of your edges perfectly aligned, especially on the inside since no one will see it. Burlap is supposed to look rustic and sort of homespun, anyway.

For Part 2 of the project, I wanted to stencil a design on the outside. At first I thought about doing a big decorative "R" on the top of the box, but then this Orla Kiely pattern came to mind. I printed it out on some cardstock and cut it out with scissors to create my own stencil—much better than paying $4 for one at Michael's—and I used a stencil brush to apply lime green acrylic paint.

I'm really happy with how the whole thing turned out. And the leaf pattern helped me decide how to put my new/old box to work. I'm going to line the inside with plastic and use it as a planter...possibly for our own herb garden. I could even label the herbs by writing their names at the top of each stem! (Okay, I promise to take the herb excitement down a notch.)

Our newest addition

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I was going to share the news this weekend, but upon further consideration, I decided to save it and start this week off with a bang.

I'm guessing the photo probably tipped you off to what our newest addition might be...Yep, it's a console table! Our entryway is empty no more! Not only that, but the whole thing was a complete surprise to me.

After coming home from work on Friday, glancing through the mail, and lounging on the couch for about 30 minutes, I got up to check my email. You can imagine my shock when, passing through the foyer, I was greeted by the Canopy Anywhere Console Table.

My sweet, wonderful husband had used his day off work to go to Wal-Mart, get the table, bring it home, and put it together for me (an adventure that took a good 3 hours). He even went the extra mile and cleaned up all the styrofoam and other packaging evidence, so it wouldn't tip me off.

I can't tell you how happy I am with this table. The whole thing is made of solid wood, and it's pretty hefty. The drawers are even dovetailed, or close to it, which you don't find a lot in DIY furniture.

It also comes with two sets of knobs and a touch-up pen for any future nicks or scratches. And my favorite feature is that the drawers can convert to open shelving whenever we want a change of scenery. That also means it can easily transform to a media cabinet for the living room or a sideboard for the dining room.

Of course, I immediately got to work decorating the top of the table. After reading this post on All Bower Power about the "Short Tall Combo," I knew I wanted to follow Pottery Barn's expert example. But upon further examination of all my knick-knacks and doo-dads, I didn't think I had the right mix of things to truly pull it off.

This is the arrangement I came up with instead, and it'll have to do until I find the right items to add to the table.

Now that I have this baby for a point of reference, I'm excited to get to work on my photo collage wall. Hopefully, there will be more on that soon!

Oh, and before I end this post, I want to give a shout-out to my parents. This nice surprise wouldn't have been possible without the money they gave us for Christmas. Thanks Mom and Pat!