Monday, January 31, 2011

~back to black~

No matter how many times I re-decorate, I always go back to black.
I have to admit, as much as I love all white interiors,
they are not for me because,
well, they are not black.....
If you are a fan of black as much as I am then you are sure to enjoy these photos!


photos courtesy of birch and bird
xoxo




Saturday, January 29, 2011

~mac & cheese, it's whats for dinner~


I made this last night and it was a huge hit so I thought I'd share it with you.

It's really not as fatty as it sounds, recipe is from cooking light.


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 2 cups)
Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 slice applewood-smoked bacon
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend (such as Sargento)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded colby-Jack cheese
Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to drippings in pan; sauté 6 minutes or until done.
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.
4. Preheat broiler.
5. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
497
Fat:
17g (sat 9.2g,mono 4.7g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:
33.3g
Carbohydrate:
51.7g
Fiber:
2g
Cholesterol:
74mg
Iron:
2.4mg
Sodium:
767mg
Calcium:
368mg


Eat your heart out!


xoxo




Friday, January 28, 2011

~if these walls could talk~

As you know by now,

I like to change things up from time to time around the house.

The wall behind our sofa before was OK,

but really wasn't that striking with the cream frames on the cream walls.

I wanted a little more contrast, so out came the black frames!



I also made these signs.
I think the saying is perfect for all of our family photos.

I used a mix of new frames

&

frames that I made out of chunky wood,

painted black and distressed.




Some of the photos are done by a professional,

but most are just snapshots of the kiddos that we took ourselves.


I just got those Pottery Barn lampshades and am already wanting new lamps for them!

I have my eye on these.

But, I will have to wait till they go on sale.

These are nice too and less expensive.





Enjoy your weekend friends!

xoxo



Thursday, January 27, 2011

~new bedside lamps~

I know what you are thinking.

You are thinking, make up your mind lady!

I know, I know.

I have had so many different lamps here, but I swear,

I love these ones and they will be staying!

I found these at Target.

The best part, they were only $24.99 a piece.

In case you go there looking for them yourselves, the tag reads,
"home, lamp base, beige, 17 1/2" tall, mix and match lighting, and medium"

They have a really cool antique crackle finish~love them!

So of course getting new lamps prompted me to clean up the tops of the tables.


His side is simple.


A photo of us sitting on the dock here at the lake, the lamp, and an alarm clock.


My side has another photo of us, this fun book I got as a gift for my birthday, my favorite candle, and a new canister I just picked up from T.J. Maxx.



I think this canister was around $8.00, such a steal.

It houses my Advil, Tylenol pm, cold medicines, chap stick, lotion, and other things you might need at night but are too lazy to get out of bed to get!

{or at least, I am}




On either side of the bed I have these candle sconces,

another T.J. Maxx purchase years ago.

I think they were green, so I spray painted them cream to match the room.
A few weeks ago I made these initial canvas'.

I painted a 5x7 canvas black and then painted on our initials and a crown in gold.
When I was done, it looked a little too "new" for my taste so to age it up a bit I simply smeared chalk around the edges.


Hope you all are having a fabulous Friday!
xoxo

~new sofa pillows~

Hi there!
I thought I'd show you what I made yesterday.
I have been fascinated lately by anything union jack,
so I decided to jump on the bandwagon
and make a couple pillows for our sofa. I made 2, both Euro sized with cushy down inserts.
I made them out of drop cloth material, a vintage flour sack, and a old table cloth.


Now I just can't decide if I should leave them on the sofa,
or move them into the master bedroom.
I also just ordered one of these from my friend Teresa and I love it!
xoxo


Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

~$10 pillow sale~

I have just added a bunch of pillows to my etsy shop.
I have reduced the price to $10 to make room for more! There is a variety of vintage ticking, vintage flour sack, and hand lettered.

Click
here to take you to my shop!

xoxo


Monday, January 24, 2011

~a corner of our dining room~

Hello!
I wanted to show you a corner of our dining room that I just updated a little.
The lighting was already there.
The sconces
{one on either side of the windows}
were goodwill finds for $6.99 a couple years ago.
I made this "love" piece for this wall.
It was super easy.
I started with a 80's framed print from the goodwill I scored for $1.99.
I took out the print and glass, and painted the frame black.
Then I wrapped the cardboard back that came with
the print with leftover drop cloth fabric.
Using iron on paper, I applied the word love to the front in a
simple and small font.
I cleaned the glass and put everything back in!
Last week I made a trip to Ikea and picked up this great huge basket in gray.
Very inexpensive for this size!
I love it!
I knew what I was going to do with it when I bought it.
Do you ever have parties or gatherings in your house and run out of room in your fridge for the beverages?
Well, this basket is the perfect size to fit a cooler inside!

It is a great way to disguise a utilitarian cooler and still have a spot for extra drinks.


It fits right in there!
This would be great in a kitchen too, or on a deck in the warmer months.


Close the lid, and no one will know!

I love the closure strap on it!


Another project I did, actually last night.
I bought a wood tray at a thrift store for $3.99.
I transformed it with a little paint and using this pattern,
came up with a pretty stylish tray!


I am loving the chevron pattern!

So that's it!
Some stylish storage for your gatherings, a simple and super affordable piece of art, and a stylish drink tray!
All for under $70.00!
Happy Monday!
xoxo


Friday, January 21, 2011

~I have a crush~

Did anyone catch the Nate Berkus show yesterday?

If you did, you would have seen Lizzie Carney's 1930's bungalow

all decked out in it's flea market and 2ND hand glamour!

Tell me this kitchen is not the most amazing kitchen ever?

Look at that teal fridge!

Yes, I have a crush. cute dress

{cute Nate too! I love me some Nate!}

She turned an unused bedroom in her 1000 square foot home into a closet.
Are you dying right now?
whoa.


She says that almost every item in her home is used~love that!


You can read more about her here, on Country Living.


She is a doll.



A huge fan of charcoal, she has used Benjamin Moore's

Amherst Gray on almost all her walls.


So, what do you think?

I think you have to have some serious talent to be able to take such a mish mash of things and make them look like a million bucks!

Have a fabulous Saturday!
xoxo


~Friday faves~

Today I am dreaming I had a house that looked like this. I also feel a little project coming on......
and who knew you could do such a fine little stencil project with a empty toilet paper roll!
It's another rainy day in Seattle
{imagine that?}
so I am sitting here with my Starbucks catching up on one of my favorite blogs.
This woman never ceases to amaze me.
I was going to make a few of these tonight,
but instead I think I'm making these.
I went to the craft store today and spent way too much money on supplies to make homemade Valentine's.
Speaking of Valentine's, have you seen these cute freebies?
She has many more too!
Anyway, that's what I'm up to, how about you?
xoxo


Thursday, January 20, 2011

Watch NBA All-Star Game 2011

Watch NBA All Star Game 2011The NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, February 20, 2011 at Staples Center. The Staples Center, considered one of the world’s best arenas for sports and entertainment, have been selected to host NBA All-Star 2011, marking the fifth time The City of Angels and the second time Staples Center will be the site of the annual celebration. The NBA All-Star Game is a game held annually between the top players in the Western and Eastern Conferences of the National Basketball Association. The game is part of All-Star Weekend, held every February, which includes other exhibition activities such as the Rookie Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest, and Three-Point Shootout. Never miss the fun, excitement, in watching your favorite NBA superstar like Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Paul Pierce, LeBron James and many more in showcasing their talents in basketball Watch NBA All-Star Game 2011 on February 20, 2011.

Watch The Vampire Diaries Season 2 Episode 12

Watch The Vampire Diaries Season 2 Episode 12Watch The Vampire Diaries Season 2 Episode 12 coming this January 27, 2011 on CW Network. The Vampire Diaries Season 2 Episode 12 is entitled as “The Descent". The Vampire Diaries Season 2 Episode 12 new episode tells about Rose began to show some unexpected results after she was bitten by a werewolf. Because of this she and Damon is racing against the time to find cure for Rose werewolf bite. Elena watches over Rose and the situation becomes unexpectedly dangerous, while Damon struggles to hide his true feelings about the crisis and force Jules assistance. And things get more complicated for Caroline when she and Matt try to work out their situation and Tyler surprises her with his gratitude. To make matters worse, Stefan has his own ideas about Elena’s new plan for her future. The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural–fantasy horror television. The series chase the life of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), who falls in love with vampire Stefan Salvatore. The Descent episode was directed by Marcos Siega and written by Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain.

~quite possibly the coolest thing ever~

~whoa~
Is this not the coolest diy headboard ever?
Dana from house*tweaking made this headboard out of recycled fencing!
She then hand painted the word love on it.
Can you say
L.O.V.E.? Talk about clever.
I love that ruffly yellow pillow too!

It's totally rustic,
this girl rocks.

Check out this sign she made too.
Out of a painters drop cloth!



Her blog is a must read, go check it out here!
xoxo


Wednesday, January 19, 2011

~dishes on display~

Showcasing your dishes in your kitchen is not a new concept.
Besides the common open shelving, there are endless ways to display your dishes.
I love how this plate rack takes center stage along with this antique clock.
All your dishes aren't pretty?
Hide those ones behind closed doors.

You don't have to pile your shelves high with dishes.
Here, just a few everyday items are all that is needed to make food prep simple.

However, if you are short on storage space and don't mind the look, pile it on!
Just make sure all your colors are neutral and don't compete with each other.
This will help it to not look cluttered.

I love all white dishes.
I actually just got myself some new white dishes at the dollar tree.
Yep, you heard me, and they are very nice I might add!
I have to say I love this photo.
All white with touches of wood, and it's very organized,
just my cup of tea.


You don't need to remodel your kitchen to achieve this look.
Simply take off some of your cabinet doors, and voila~open shelving!

I dream of a space like this.


This photo was featured on Houzz today.
I was really drawn to that slate blue color and the way the white dishes stand out against it.

photo credits:
1~Charlotte Crosland interiors
2~unknown
3~living etc.
4~living etc.
5~Martha Stewart
6~gast architects
7~gast architects
8~gast architects
xoxo