My Little Cottage on the Hill

What a good Laugh?

2010-03-09T15:43:00.002-04:00

Hello!! I just wanted to share a really hilarious post I just read over at Ana's blog
If any of you aren't familiar with Ana, she is the wonderfully talented builder who gives us easy plans to build beautiful furniture for little money. You won't believe the letter she received today in the mail.

You can read it for yourself HERE

Good grief...Commercialism at it's best! Maybe, just maybe if their prices were actually affordable for the general public this wouldn't be an issue.
All I can say is THANK YOU ANA!!!

Valentine's Project...for the kiddo!!

2010-02-12T13:50:00.003-04:00

Hello Hello Hello Sweet Valentine Friends!

Hope everyone is keeping warm today. We're just sitting and waiting on the snow/rain. For some crazy reason, central Georgia is suppose to get more snow that us mountain folk. Oh well guess we will have to wait and see.

On a non-weather related note, I have been helping my sweet little man decorate his Valentine box for school. He being such a huge Sponge Bob fan, we just had to get Sponge Bob Valentine cards. So I had a great idea to decorate his box in the likeness of Sponge Bob's humble abode...the pineapple under the sea! Using materials from around the house, I came up with this little number.

Isn't is great to be a crafty mom!!!

Sorry I had to use the forbidden camera FLASH. It's kinda hard to utilize the natural light at 6am!! heehee.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

OH my goodness...

2010-02-03T09:15:00.000-04:00

Well Howdy there...long time no talk. I've been such a bad bloggy mom...neglecting you so! But alas I do have a reason...I have been battling the ahhhhh chooos. First Hubbie got it...then my grandmother...then my son...now my sweet little baby girl and to top it off I think I'm getting it...goodness! My baby girl's sickness has manifested into a severe ear infection...so you know what I've been doing all night.

Since the weather has been so bad...ice, cold temps, rain...I've been unable to start many of my New Years projects (most require painting!!). So to stay busy I've been cleaning and organizing. I have to profess that I am a closet hoarder. That's right, I said it!! When I started diggin junk out of these tight spaces, it looked like a popcorn machine exploded...junk everywhere and no idea what to do with it! So I've been on the hunt for inexpensive ways to store my beloved junk...that is the junk that I want to keep! Here's what I've found so far... Ikea $14.99...GRRRRReat for the home office and craft room and there are two other styles available. This would look so cute painted and shabby.

Ikea...super cute! Think this one was $9.99ea. I would paint it a bright color...maybe even use chalkboard paint inside the little embossed square. Easy way to identify the contents of the container.

Really easy bench for the foyer made from kitchen cabinets...maybe the kids would actually use it instead of the dining chairs!

An old heating grate repurposed into a mail slot. I really like it...but I think maybe a rescued ceiling tile would be better (weights less).

I love this idea sooooooo very much! Using three prefab bookcases, this make-shift wall is great to section off an entryway and provide storage for coats and books. I could see this in a family room to make a little office nook or a reading nook.

Cute inexpensive way to store bathroom items. HUMMM I'm thinking in the kids bathroom maybe. Each child has a planter with their name on it.

Well that's all I've got so far...now I've got to go shopping. Hopefully I will be back later to show you my progress on the laundry room. (fingers crossed) :)

Photos above from Ikea and BHG

Sparkling Clean Tub

2010-01-15T11:38:00.004-04:00

Do you have one of these in your bathroom???

http://www.brycecanyonproperty.com/

This is not my tub by the way...However, I do have a corner style jetted tub in my master bath. I thought it would be so great to have such a luxurious spa-like retreat only steps away. A place where I could fill up my glorious tub with hot water and lavished bath salts. My stress would drain from my mind and life would be peachy. WRONG, WRONG AND WRONG AGAIN!!! If you have one of these monsters, I bet you know why I have such a dislike for this thing. Every time I fill my monster up with water and turn the jets on, particles of blackish-brown gunk come rushing into my crystal clear bath water! Yes this thing is haven for all things gross and nasty...a regular bacteria farm! You see, if you do not use your tub on a regular basis (like at least two to three times a week...hello water bill$$$) the stale water that is left in the jet hoses from the previous bath starts to grow nice, slimy bacteria! This can make you very sick! Let's think about this for a moment. We get in a hot bath. Dead skin cells, bacteria from our skin and dirt are all deposited into the bath water. Once the water is drained, some of this nasty water stays in the jets because there is no way to expel it. I have even tried to turn the jets on after the bath water is drained to get this excess water out of the jets. This only causes damage to the pump and a mess to clean up. Which brings me to the point of this post....How to keep the monster clean? I did a little research and found this receipt.

Fill the tub with HOT water three inches above the jet.

Turn off the air induction valve.(this keeps the fumes from the bleach from knocking you off your feet)

Pour 1/4 cup of powdered dish detergent in the water

Pour 1/2 cup of household bleach in the water

Run the jets for 10-15mins on high pressure.(please note you need to ventilate the bathroom during this process...Trust Me!)

Drain the tub and refill with clean COLD water (three inches above the jets)

Run the jets 10 mins as a rinse.

Drain Tub and wipe down with a cloth.

Do this about twice a month to keep your monster sparkly clean and avoid the bacteria confetti.

Talk to you soon!!

Inspiration...Where to find it

2010-01-05T14:26:00.003-04:00

What inspires us when we decorate our homes? When posed this question, most of us think...magazines, books, television, blogs or even the latest trends. Sometimes we overlook the obvious places for inspiration (I've done it). We've all been told to pick something small and start from there...a vase, a rug, a work of art, a beautiful accent fabric, etc. But what about nature? Take a look at these pictures and tell me what you think.

Picture 1

www.igougo.com

A beautiful autumn day.

Better Homes and Gardens

The bright wall and sofa color are similar to the glowing orange leaves in the picture above. The pale blue sky is mimicked in the ottoman and throw pillows. The dark wood tones of the tree trunks are seen in the trim and furniture. The fireplace surround mirrors the color of the asphalt road, and lastly the green that accents the room can be seen in the surrounding trees and grass.

Picture 2

www.sodahead.com

A field full of golden yellow sunflowers.

Better Homes and Gardens

The luscious green of the sunflower leaves is duplicated in the wall color, table cloth and upholstered dining chairs. The rich chocolate brown of the flower centers can be seen in the wood flooring, dining table and chairs, as well as the oil rubbed bronze light fixture and drapery rod. Finally the brilliant golden yellow of the sunflower pedals is picked up in the drapes and the tableware.

Picture 3

www.bohol24.com/

Your gonna hate me for this one but...A glorious, sugary, sandy white shoreline!

Coastal Living

Sorry but it had to be done! The beach is very inspiring when it come to design. I know most of us are freezing our burlap off right now. But at least we can dream of warm summer sun!

Now back to the beach picture. That creamy white on the wall and slipcovers duplicate the sandy beach. The grey and taupe of the fabric and accent furnishing mimic the colors seen in the rocky shoreline, the wet sand and the trunks of the palm trees. Last the pops of turquoise in the throw pillows and accent pieces are pulled from the shimmering blue/green water.

Well there you have it. What do you think? Is is possible to design a room from nature?

DIY Lamp Shades

2009-12-28T14:49:00.007-04:00

Whew!! That was a whirlwind of a Christmas holiday! It came as fast as it went. Yesterday I battled our semi-dried out tree and took down all the decorations. After hubby hauled the shedding beast out the front door, I got the honors of vacuuming up the precious needles. There were so many, my vacuum cleaner staged a protest! It took me 20 minutes to unclog the vacuum head and wand attachment. I never knew a vacuum cleaner could have three separate clogs! If you look at it logically, the first clog should have pretty much stop the flow of air...so how did it get three clog??? Oh well, next year I plan on avoiding this sort of debacle by starting my decorating the beginning of November. That way it will take me until February to take the stuff down...Heehee

Now that I have my living room and dining room back to normal, I had the overwhelming urge to decorate something. Being that I have a gazillion (is that even a word?) projects around the house that need to be completed or started for that matter, I thought it best to choose something rather easy. I grabbed some fabric, left over wrapping paper, spray adhesive, hot glue gun and a lamp shade from my dining room Chandy.

First things first, I used a piece of red wrapping paper to draw a pattern for my little shade. I added 1/2" inch to all sides of the pattern. This was to accommodate lapping of edges and folding of the top and bottom.

I used my pattern to cut three wedges of my decorative fabric. Typically when I recover an "A" shaped lamp shade, I lay the shade down on the fabric as a guide and cut out what looks like a giant donut shape. But this time I had to do something different because the fabric I choose just wouldn't work that way.

I took each piece and folded one edge down...about 1/2". I made sure to only spray adhesive on one piece at a time. To insure permanent contact, I had to spray the shade as well. Now...here's the most important part! WEAR RUBBER GLOVES AND TAPE OFF THE PARTS YOU DON'T WANT EXPOSED TO ADHESIVE OVER-SPRAY!! I ended up looking like one of the Sticky Bandits from Home Alone 2.

I used the hot glue gun to glue the edges around the top and bottom of the shade. Now that its complete, I think I will go to the fabric store and pick out some vintage looking trim for the bottom of the shade.

Back to work...one down five to go!!

I'm linking up to Met Mondays

Talk to ya soon

I just wanted to say...

2009-12-23T15:10:00.002-04:00

Thank you so much for being my bloggy friends...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Teacher Gifts...and a Funny Story

2009-12-17T20:09:00.007-04:00

My little man has two of the most wonderful teachers!

He loves them and their class so much that he begs to go to school on weekends. We wanted to give them something they could use in the classroom. So I started racking my brain and of course looking in Blogland to find a cute project that wouldn't break the bank. Then I remembered that Chris over at Just Beachy had recently shared some of the handmade gifts she had purchased on Etsy. One of which was some cute as pie appliqued hand towels. Well my little brain automatically linked these little towels to my monogrammed purse from several posts ago. I decided to make each teacher a monogrammed hand towel. Well I found out the teachers' favorite colors and off I went to Wal-Mart. This is what I purchased:

Two Hand Towels $4.50ea.
Accent Fabric $2.00

My son was very pleased...but I think I will added some cutesy ric-rac trim or ribbon next time. Total cost was $5.50 ea...can't beat that!

Here's the funny story...even though they turned out cute, I did have some anger management issues I had to work out with my dinosaur of a sewing machine. It seems that the little light bulb located over the needle/pressure foot has melted...Yes I said melted...and tried to drip down before cooling in a most bizarre form. I had to wear a head lamp on my head while I sewed...I looked like I was trying to deer hunt in the house! "Watch out deer, I'm pack'n a sewing machine"!!!

I really don't know if I will ever be able to get that hard as rock glass out of my machine. Guess I'm stuck head-lamping it!! heehee

Merry Christmas!!!

My Christmas List...heehee

2009-12-16T17:26:00.002-04:00

I Love Christmas!!...

the gatherings, the singing, the food, the decorating, the smells of fresh pine and cinnamon, the magical twinkles in my children's eyes, and most of all celebrating the birth of Christ. Last night on my way home from work, I noticed how sweet it was to see almost every house with a brightly lit tree gracing their front windows. I wondered what it was like in those homes. What were their family Christmas traditions?...watching Christmas movies, having Christmas parties, drawing names, Christmas caroling, attending Christmas plays or recitals??

Then my mind began to travel back to my childhood. The tradition I love the most was looking through the Sears Wishbook catalog and making my Christmas list out. Oh what a glorious time...thoughts of beautiful Barbie houses and cuddly teddy bears popped in my head. What would Santa bring me??

Now I help my children with their Christmas lists every year, but I haven't wrote out my own personal Christmas list in a very very long time. So to recapture a little bit of my childhood, I decided to share with you my list.

Here goes...

Dearest Santa,

I've been a good girl this year. I would really love you too much if you were to put one or two of these under the tree for me this year!!!

Pretty Please with Royal Icing on top!!!

Sewing/Embroidery Machine

Cricut Expression

Drawing Table

OH and this table and chairs from Paula Deen's Furniture Collection!!!

Ok I'm done now...thought if I was dreaming, I might as well dream big!! Heehee

Merry Christmas!!!!

Handmade Ornament Ideas

2009-12-10T09:15:00.003-04:00

I love handmade ornaments. Whether they are my creations or someone else, handmade ornaments are treasured keepsakes...memories from Christmas' past. I remember sitting in my high school art class carving Rudolph out of a piece of balsa wood. I still have it and it's on the tree every year!

This morning as I was reading my emails, I found some really cute and easy handmade Christmas ornament ideas at BHG.com. I wanted to share some of my favorites.

Who doesn't love tassels? This one is made with simple felt, ribbons and a bead...easy for children to make. If you wanted to take it to the next level, you could use decorative fringe trim, ornate glass beads or silk ribbon.

All of us have seen those boxes of a dozen clear glass ornaments at Michael's or Hob Lob...Well here are several ideas putting those plain Jane globes to good use.

By coating the inside of the glass ornaments with craft paint, you can change the color of the ornament. Then use some cute as a button glittery stickers or appliques on the outside. Tie a sweet little ribbon on the top for a hanger and you have it made!However, if your in a lazy mood (like I'm in today) you can just purchase pre-colored ornaments. They cost a little more but you don't have to paint them!...Less mess!

Why not put those glitter pens and rhinestones to work? Use them on an glass ornament. Any small abstract design would be very cute...stars, circles, swirls, etc.

OH Boy my favorite toile! This little beauty is decoupaged with a toile paper napkin. I have seen around Blogland many ladies using monogrammed paper napkins from Homegoods to personalize/monogram white plates. How cute would that be to have a tree full of monogrammed glass ornaments?

The last idea I wanted to share isn't an ornament but a dainty little advent calendar made out of match boxes. The boxes are covered with scrap book paper and numbered on each end. They are glued together to form the outline of a tree and topped with a paper applique. Too cute!!

Well back to work!!

Merry Christmas

Gift ideas for a little girl

2009-12-05T06:34:00.006-04:00

Wow Christmas is rapidly approaching and I feel as if I have nothing done! I have been trying to organize my Christmas list and sort out what items were to be purchased online, what items were to be purchased in store and what items were to be handmade. While doing this my mine wondered back to a gift we gave my step-daughter last year. She is very into all things American Girl Doll. Now for those of you who don't know, American Girl Doll is a very cute and even educational line of dolls, books and clothing for little girls ranging in age from 2yrs+. Although be prepared to get price tag whiplash!! They aren't cheap!

So back to the gift. My step-daughter wanted a cute little bed for her doll. But we really didn't see paying $145 for a doll bunk bed. Heck that was more than the doll!!

So I started searching Wal-mart and Target...and found this for $20+.

It came with some light pink boring bedding...so I purchased some small pieces of fabric that coordinated with my step-daughters bedding. I made small duvets, pillows and mattress covers. voila customized American Girl bedding! If you didn't want a white bed, a sweet little can of spray paint could fix that! I think all together I had $30 in this gift...It sure beats $145!

Happy Shopping and Merry Christmas!!

New Find

2009-12-02T09:57:00.002-04:00

As I was surfing the net this morning, I came across a website called Wallies that sells wall decals and cutouts. My head automatically began to spin, thinking of all the ways I could use these sweet little things. And of course I couldn't resist not sharing it with you.

They offer:

Cute as a button Seasonal decals...Peel and Stick...easy peasy and easy to remove.

Pre-cut designs

How great is this...chalkboard on vinyl sheets!! This would be a great way to turn a cabinet door into a chalkboard with out actually disturbing the paint/finish of your door. Or you could cut small rectangle pieces and stick them to canisters/containers for labels. The possibilities are endless.

What a cute way to allow your child the freedom to decorate their walls. These peel and stick play decals can be repositioned.

Each element of the decal are cut separate, allowing you to place them anywhere and design personalized murals. Check out their website HERE

Merry Christmas!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-25T14:14:00.002-04:00

2 Corinthians 9:15 – "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Better Homes and Gardens

I may not have all I want...but I have all I need!!

I hope everyone has a warm and blessed Thanksgiving!!

Monogramed purse

2009-11-22T21:00:00.001-04:00

Recently, a dear sweet friend of mine celebrated a momentous birthday. I wanted to give her something that would be very special so I decided to make her a monogram purse.

I purchased:

1/2 yard of fabric to use for the outside (face fabric) of the purse (the black polka dot)

2/3 yard of fabric for the lining of the purse & monogram (the red print)

1/2 yard of white felt for quilting

Decorative ribbon 1-2 yards
1/8 yard of coordinating fabric (will be used for the monogram)

Copy of a letter printed from the computer

I cut out my purse in both the face fabric, the lining fabric and the felt.

Next I pinned the face fabric to the felt.

And quilted these together using my sewing machine.

I then printed a large "b" from my computer and cut it out in two sizes. I used two coordinating fabrics, one for the smaller "b" and one for the larger "b". I hand stitched these two letters together using a decorative stitch. Finally I stitched the double letter to the face of the purse. I added decorative ribbon to the background.

Once the detail work of the purse was complete, I stitched the purse to the lining and attached straps.

The end result:

I think it turned out pretty good...and my friend loved it!

**Today I'm linking up to Met Monday's at Between Naps on the Porch**

Talk to ya soon!

Loads of Laundry

2009-11-18T20:37:00.005-04:00

Laundry Rooms!!!
To be honest with you, I have never considered decorating my laundry room until I started blogging. Yes I had seen beautiful laundry spaces all organized and accessorized in magazines or online but never really got the urge to decorate my own. In its current state, my laundry room is a "junk jail" that happens to house the washer & dryer! It's amazing, things in our house that are "homeless" will find refuge in the laundry room. So I decided to bite the bullet and get it done. Besides, having a beautiful place to work always helps the work go a little faster...Right!!

Like all good designers do...I began an inspirational hunt for ideas I could utilize in my laundry haven. Then the fun part of clearing out the space will come next. That means finding a home for all the homeless items and removing those annoying metal shelves. Sound like a helper job...Oh kiddos!!! teehee

My Inspiration

I found this wallpaper at Waverly.com and absolutely fell in love with it. Instantly I thought of beadboard paneling with this vintage looking paper above it. And what girl doesn't love pinks and browns! :) Now that I have a color scheme...its off to choose the other elements for the room.

This laundry room has several element I would like to use in my own...the chandelier, wallpaper and the cute vinyl lettering on the wall not to mention the cabinetry above the w&d.

I like the compartment shelves...maybe it would make staying organized easier.?? (fingers crossed)

Definitely need a place to hang wet clothes...thats a must!

I do need a decorative shelf above the washer to help hide that water supply box. However, mine would need to be considerably lower than this one.

This last picture is just for kicks. I only wish I had a new washer and dryer that I could enclose within cabinetry. Great idea for a w&d that is located in a heavy traffic area. Also, the large glass canisters are a great idea for detergent and clothes pins.

Well guess I need to put on my work gloves and dig in! I'll keep ya updated!

**All the above pictures excluding the first are from Better Homes and Gardens**

Talk to ya soon!

Lunch Break Find

2009-11-17T14:29:00.006-04:00

I was having such a blah day at work yesterday, I decided to go do a little retail therapy! First I hit Ross and found this darling little white candy dish which I love love love. I think I will place it on a small decorative plate and house my kitchen sponges inside it...or maybe take the lid off and put a little tea candle inside it. The possibilities are endless!

Next I stopped by the fabric store and picked up a yard of this beautiful country yellow fabric. I've got a few projects in mind for this little pretty as well. I'll share those projects in a few days!!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day!!

Talk to ya soon!

A little late...My window treatments

2009-11-11T11:49:00.001-04:00

I had all intentions of linking up to Funky Junk's "Saturday Nite Special-Window Treatments Party" However, things just didn't work the way I had planned. So...four days late...here is my kitchen window treatments.

Like most women out there, I have a little bit of a rooster theme going in my kitchen. So when I found this cute farmhouse inspired fabric...I just had to get it.

I wanted a simple treatment that was easy to remove and didn't require permanently attached rods. My plans are to one day install a continuous cute-as-a-button little country shelf above all three of my windows in my breakfast nook. The window on the far right of the nook was turned into my plate display shelf (Click HERE to see that project). I don't have before pics or during pics...just finished (this was a pre-blog project).

I started out by measuring my windows and adding six to seven inches to my width measurements. This is to accommodate the slight swag in the top. Next I measured 1/3 of the way down from the inside top of the window. I used these measurements to draw and cut out a pattern on a $5 discounted white bed sheet. I know what your thinking..."why is she ruining a perfectly good sheet to make a pattern?" Well, once you use the pattern to cut out your decorative fabric...you can use it as a lining for the back of the treatment.

After cutting out the body fabrics, I cut several strips of plaid fabric on the bias to make the piping trim. Now I know there's another name for it other than piping...but I can't think of it right off hand. Anywho, I stitched the bias strips of fabric together making one long strip of fabric which was then folded around the piping. I sandwiched the fabric covered piping between the right side of the decorative fabric and the bed sheet lining, stitching these layers together. Please note..the piping should be turned inward when you sandwich it between the top fabric and lining. That way when you turn it right side out the piping will be on the edge of the treatment. Make sure you leave a small opening to allow for turning the treatment right side out. I used the same plaid fabric to make three little tabs and two decorative ribbons. I sewed the tabs to the top of the treatment and tied the ribbons around the ends. I know this was kinda hard to explain without step by step pictures...but if you have any questions you can leave it in the comments or send me an email.

Since I missed Saturday Nite Special, I'll be linking up to Transformation Thursday over at the Shabby Chic Cottage

Talk to ya soon!

I won!!!

2009-11-05T15:57:00.003-04:00

WooHew!!! I won my first giveaway today! I was speechless this morning when I pulled up my dashboard...almost dropped my bowl of oatmeal!! The sweet Ms. Kathy is sending me all the goodies soon. She is a very creative gal!! Click on the picture above to visit her blog.

Too Happy for words!!

A Cool Thing

2009-11-04T11:03:00.005-04:00

Holy Moly...what a time I've been having here lately. Can't get motivated to do much of anything! I have all these ideas but no spunk! Take this sweet thing I found in the latest PBteen catalog.

This is so what I need in my craft room and my kitchen and my step-daughters room. Goodness maybe I need one of these in every room!! LOL No seriously, this looks to be an easy project....trim, left over piece of pegboard, fabric, 1/4" plywood, chalkboard paint, thin dry erase board...all left over stuff we have lying around the house right? Ahha who am I fooling, it would definitely take some work but I bet I could make it for a whole lot less than $299!!! Oh well guess I'll add this to my ever-growing TO-DO LIST!

Well got to get going on that list and soon. Someone please build a fire under me! :)

Talk to ya soon!

Decking the walls...

2009-10-30T10:11:00.011-03:00

I have been so busy this week that my art room has been put on the back burner. It is so annoying because I have no place to work. I'm seeing all these wonderful ideas in blogland and can't even try anything. Well I could spread everything out on the dining room table and work...that is until little man (my 5yr old) realizes that Mommy has her fun stuff out! OH BOY!!

Even though I've been busy, I've managed to take a few pictures of my baseboard installation. If any of you have ever tried to install baseboard, you know it can be very tricky getting the inside corners to match up without leaving a large gap especially if your walls aren't straight. I'd like to show you a little technique to help alleviate gaps in your trim.

Start in the corner of the room and place the straight edge of the baseboard against the corner wall. Don't forget to mitter the opposite end of the trim (see picture at the bottom of this post). I'll explain why in a moment.

So once you have this corner piece installed, you are going to mitter the joining piece of trim that will be installed on the opposite wall. When you mitter the end make sure to cut the 45 degree angle to where the inside of the trim is exposed (see above picture).

Next you will be using a coping saw to remove the exposed wood edge. Be careful and trim the exposed wood making sure to stay on the outside edge of the trim face. If you look close, you can see that the outside edge of my trim is white. By the way...I'm right handed and its very difficult to pretend I'm cutting a piece of wood with my left hand...while my right hand is attempting to take a picture!!! Hubby was simply looking at me mumbling "you're not right!!" A little help here!!! :)

I know your probably scratching your head right now wondering why I just went through all that trouble cutting off that little chunk of wood...Well this is why....

Isn't it SWEET!!! A perfectly matched corner with little gap. This makes caulking much easier!!

Earlier in this post I had said not forget to mitter the opposite end of the trim. The reasons for this little step:

#1: it helps to disguise the seam when two pieces of trim are matched up and

#2: because it allows for movement due to settling. Have you ever seen a house where someone had placed two straight cut trim pieces up together and there was a huge gap between them? Yap I think we've all seen that at one point. Mittering helps give the trim a way to move without creating a large noticeable gap.

Well I hope this helped. I know I didn't use all the professional terminology...but hey I showed you the technique. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Talk to ya soon!

Sweet Halloween Ideas!!

2009-10-27T13:54:00.007-03:00

I found these cute Halloween receipts this morning and thought I'd share some of them. Enjoy!!

Frankenstein Brownies

1 box Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch)
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box
1 container (1 lb) Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
3 drops neon green food color
3 drops neon purple food color
36 candy corn
36 miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
Betty Crocker® black decorating gel (from 0.68-oz tube)

1.Heat oven to 350°F. Make and bake brownies in 13x9-inch pan as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into 6 rows by 3 rows to make 18 brownies.
2.Divide frosting between 2 small bowls. Add green food color 1 bowl and purple food color to second bowl; mix both until blended. Frost 12 brownies with about 1 tablespoon green frosting; frost remaining brownies with purple frosting.
3.Decorate each brownie with 2 candy corns for neck "bolts" and 2 candy-coated baking bits for eyes. Use decorating gel to add pupils to eyes and draw mouth and hair.

Peanut Butter Spider Cookies

1 pouch Betty Crocker® peanut butter cookie mix
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
1 egg
36 chewy caramels in milk chocolate
Black or red string licorice
1/3 cup (72) miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
Betty Crocker® black decorating gel (from 0.68-oz tube)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, oil, water and egg until dough forms.
2. Shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately press 1 chewy caramel in center of each cookie. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
4. Cut licorice into 8 (2-inch) pieces for each spider. Attach legs by sticking into chewy caramel. Use baking bits for eyes and black gel to make pupils in eyes.

Candy Corn Cookies

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
Orange paste food color
2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted, cooled

1. Line 8x4-inch loaf pan with waxed paper, extending paper over sides of pan. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms.
2. On work surface, place 3/4 cup dough. Knead desired amount of food color into dough until color is uniform. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan.
3. Divide remaining dough in half. Gently press one half of remaining dough into pan on top of orange dough. On work surface, knead chocolate into remaining dough until color is uniform. Press over plain dough in pan, pressing gently to edge of pan. Refrigerate 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until firm.
4. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from pan. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into 5 wedges. On ungreased cookie sheet, place wedges 1 inch apart.
5. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set and edges are very light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container.

If you would like to see more great Halloween receipt ideas head on over HERE to Miss Betty's.

Talk to ya soon!

Easy Peasy Little Girls Mural

2009-10-26T14:49:00.001-03:00

We painted our baby girls room in a medium violet color. Sorry I can't remember the color name off hand...I know its by Valspar! Anyway...I wanted to paint a cute mural above her crib. Me being so indecisive as I am, I decided to do a cute and quick version. A mural that wouldn't take me long to paint but was easy to remove when I change my mind.

I used the crib as a guide. I used a pencil and made a small mark where I wanted the bottom of the mural to be (about eight inches above the top of the crib). Next I painted a large freehand oval with some left over Valspar sample paint. It doesn't matter if the oval is not perfect. You will be adding foliage around the outside that will cover up any imperfections.

I used a two colors of green (lime and forest) and a sunshine yellow to paint the foliage. Starting at the bottom, I worked my way around the oval with strokes of green with yellow highlights. After I was satisfied with my foliage, I applied these sticky back decals to the mural. "Sticky back"...can ya tell I live with a five year old!!! I digress...these decals were purchased at Walmart for $10.

I applied the flowers in such a way that it looked like they were growing out of the painted foliage. I placed the little bird and the butterfly on a blade of grass. The fairies were applied last. Once everything was in place, I noticed that the fairies had glitter on their wings. So I grabbed some Tee shirt glitter paint and brushed it on the background. Hey every fairy need pixie dust!!!

I was please with how it turned out and my daughter loves to look up at it when she's in her crib. It was easy to do and will be easy to change! I like those kind of projects!!

I'm linking up with Met Mondays at BNOTP.

Talk to ya soon!

2009-10-23T13:24:00.001-03:00

What a gloomy blah day! Ya ever have those days that ya wish ya could go back to bed? Well that's me today. Hubby was up all last night with the stomach flu and the baby thought it would be cute to wake up and babble for 2 hours. Oh she was very precious babbling away...little stinker!! Those late nights make for long days.

I'm hoping to complete my craft/art studio this weekend so I can share it with you all. All I lack is the trim work and Sheetrock/paint touch ups. I'll try to take lots of pictures of the trim installation...keep ya posted! Well I hope everyone has a blessed weekend.

Talk to ya soon!

Granite countertops

2009-10-21T09:29:00.000-03:00

Who doesn't love granite countertops? They give your kitchen a refined, upper end look as well as increasing the value of your home. Who could go wrong installing granite in their kitchen...that is until you go into convulsions looking at the price per a square foot! It's really unbelievable that a slab of granite sales anywhere from $39.00 sq ft to $100.00 sq ft. (supply and demand at its finest people). Now if I had some extra cash, I might could talk myself into $39-$49 a sq ft....but $100 sq ft....don't think so! Pigs would be flying over my house first!

After some Internet research, I found a less expensive option to solid granite slab countertops...granite tiles. You get the same look but for less and hey isn't that what we're all working towards? Take a look at the below picture. You can barely tell its tile. (Look closely to the left side of the picture). Using minimal to no grout lines and a grout that blends with the granite, one can hardly tell the countertops are not solid granite.
(Photo taken from www.easygranitetiles.com)
To see how to's on installing granite tile countertops:

DIY Network's Amy Mathews tutorial on installing granite tile CLICK HERE

OR

The Family Handyman's tutorial CLICK HERE

Hope this give you some new project ideas...I know its got me to thinking!

Have a great week!! Talk to ya soon!

Cool Finds...

2009-10-17T22:10:00.000-03:00

Hello...hope everyone is having a great weekend. My little man and I braved the wet, cold weather to go junking today. We stopped at several places and this is what we found.

I just adore this tray. It has ornate handles and little feet! I placed it in my kitchen with a little fall vignette on it...lovvvve it!!

By the way isn't that electrical outlet in my picture just divine!! It seems that my back splash has an outlet Oh every 16 inches or so! NICE HUH?

The second little pretty I picked up was this cool old screen door. Sorry I had to use the flash on this picture...it was very gloomy outside. I haven't decided what to do with it yet. If I only had a walk in pantry!! Hummmmmmm!
Well that's it for me today. Talk to ya soon!!

Halloween Tree with Ornaments

2009-10-15T11:34:00.000-03:00

This morning I told my son that we would get out our fake jack-o-lantern Old Snaggle Tooth and put him on display in our window. I normally don't decorate very much for Halloween maybe a few hand carved jack-0-lanterns and of course Old Snaggle Tooth.

My son was so excited about putting Old Snaggle Tooth out that I decided to see if I could find a cute and easy Halloween craft he could make. I found this easy idea on Better Homes and Gardens.com.

A Spooky Halloween Tree with Ornaments!!

You just can't beat a project like this...majority of the items are things you already have around the house. Maybe I'll have a scavenger hunt and let the kiddos find all the supplies.

If you would like directions on how to make this, click HERE

Hope you have a great day!

Talk to ya soon!

Tea for 2-1/2

2009-10-13T13:36:00.000-03:00

A two weeks ago my dear sweet grandmother took my 4 month old daughter and myself to a quaint tea room to celebrate my birthday. We absolutely loved it! It was such a blessing to share that special time with both my grandmother and my daughter. It was so nice to get away from the craziness of everyday life and just reconnect.

There were beautiful damask table linens draped on each table. The china and silverware were of mixed patterns and textures, giving a homey welcoming feel. The fine china tea pot sat on a brass warmer (warmed by a small tea candle).

The sweet smell of hot tea wafted through the air. The homemade breads and scones were heavenly. A small dual condiment dish was brought out with Mock Devonshire Cream and Lemon Curd...Yum Yum! If you ever find yourself in the North Georgia Mountains, you must go by and have a spot of tea at the Baron York Cafe.

As I was enjoying my tea and scones, I had a thought...why don't I figure out a way of displaying my various tea cups and saucers. So off to the net I went and this is what I found...

Wall Display Racks and Table Display Racks:

$29.95 $23.95

These can be purchased at The Tea Cup Gallery

If you had several prized teacups and saucers, display racks like the ones above would be perfect but what if you had a whooooole lot of them? I personally like this...

Better Homes and Gardens

Oh yeah...I finally found out how to take that yellow date stamp off my pictures! So hopefully from now on my pics won't have dates on them...that is if I don't forget!!

Thanks for stopping by...Talk to ya soon!

New Trash...I smell a project PART 2

2009-10-11T21:24:00.000-03:00

Today I'm linking up to Met Monday @ BNOTP

A week ago I wrote a post about these beauties that my hubby had rescued from the garbage. My plan for them included some paint, scrapbook paper, Modge Podge and a Lazy Susan. My idea was to make a much needed craft storage container for my soon to be completed art room/office.

I began by painting the tubes black on the inside and white on the outside. I allowed them to dry overnight. I was out of spray paint so I just used some left over craft paint.

Next I applied the fabric to the outside of the tubes. I had to settle for fabric because none of the hobby stores I visited had the scrapbook paper I wanted. So I found these cute b&w patterened fabrics and decided to use them instead.

After gluing myself to the table (or so it seemed), I figured out the best way to decopage the fabric to the tubes. I started with a 2" swipe of Modge Podge all the way down the length of the tube. I then placed the fabric on the swipe of glue and pressed out all the bubbles/folds. I continued to do this until the fabric completely covered the tube. If you do decide to use fabric instead of paper, you can get clean edge by pressing a 1/4" fold in the top and bottom of the fabric (this is edges of the fabric that will be exposed at the top and bottom of the tube).

Once my tubes were covered with fabric, I painted each tube with a generous coating of Modge Podge to seal the fabric. This is optional but I found it gives the fabric more duralibity.

When the tubes were throughly dry (about 4-5 hours), I glued them down to my Lazy Susan and tied a b&w polka dot ribbon around them for decoration.

This is what I ended up with.....

I can't wait to try it out!!

Talk to ya soon!!

Trying New Things...

2009-10-08T11:23:00.000-03:00

Last night my kiddos and I decided to do a little fall baking. They love to get in the kitchen and "experiment" as they say.

I had found this receipt in a Betty Crocker calendar and decided that it would be perfect for a fall family night. The only thing I didn't have was whipped cream!!

Caramel Apple Dessert

1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick mix

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 medium cooking apples, peeled, sliced (2 cups)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup boiling water

Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350F. In medium bowl, mix Bisquick mix and granulated sugar. Stir in milk until blended. Pour into ungreased 9-inch square pan.

2. Top with apples; sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Pour boiling water over apples.

3. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserts in center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream.

All in all it came out pretty well. My biggest challenge was keeping my 5yr old from eating all of my fresh cut apples.

However, I think if we make it again I will reverse steps one and two. I would place the apples, cinnamon, sugar, lemon juice and water on the bottom of the pan. Then I would pour the Bisquick mixture on top. Maybe 3/4 of the way through baking, brush the top with a melted butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture to give a nice golden crunch to the top.

Talk to ya soon!!

New Trash...I smell a project!!

2009-10-07T10:13:00.000-03:00

Just feast your eyes on these babies!! Hubby found them at work. Apparently they were used as packing material and instead of tossing them he brought them home.

Initially he had intended these to be for our 5yr old (for building toy bridges and racing cars through them, etc.). However, Mommy got'em first!! Don't think bad of me...Hubby had already brought like 10 of them home for the kiddo. So everyone is covered! ha ha

OK back to these lovely little things. What are they you might ask? These are chip board packing tubes (very heavy condensed cardboard tubes) and are about 1/4" thick...so not your average paper towel tube.

I have the most wonderful idea. It involves black paint, scrapbooking paper, Mod Podge and a cheapo lazy Susan. Give me a few days and I'll reveal their transformation!!

P.S. Doofus here forgot to turn the date function off...AGAIN!!

Talk to ya soon!

Wish'in and Hope'in and Dream'in

2009-10-05T16:32:00.000-03:00

It's a cold rainy day and I'm stuck at work...with a little time on my hands. So what's a girl to do? Why day dream a little!!!

Better Homes and Gardens

This settee is casual but elegant. I love the fact that it is a bench but yet the

pillows give it a soft cushiony feel. (Cushiony is a funny little word isn't it? hee-hee)

I think I would like to try and make this little pretty!

Better Homes and Gardens
My living room would look great with raised panels. I have a vaulted ceiling and I think the white panel would help break up the height. I would have to find wood strips that were 1/4" thick. That way we wouldn't have to remove my baseboard (which I really like).

Better Homes and Gardens
Oh I could so see this on one of the tall walls in my living room. Some nice built in shelving with bead board behind it. We could make a nice little nook for the sofa to sit in!!....HUM!! OH Sweet HUBBY!!!

Better Homes and Gardens
I just love the sweet scallop design of this display shelf. Wonder how they did that?? Maybe a band saw. I would have to work up to using one of those...Don't think I want to loose a finger just yet!!! LOL

houzz.com
I have actually been trying to talk Hubby into installing pine wood floors in the kitchen so I can paint them black and white. He likes the idea...but he kinda looks at me like I've lost my mind! Oh well, guess I'll have to talk him into it. I've just about got him talked into the bead board back splash...maybe mixing in some tin as well.

houzz.com
Just about everywhere I turn, I see people using old screen doors as pantry doors like Layla at The Lettered Cottage and Aunt Ruthie at Sugar Pie Farm House. My house lacks a walk in pantry or a closet pantry for that matter. So I thought it would be nifty to hang an old screen door in my dining room entryway. It would give some separation between kitchen and dining room...but still have that open feeling.

OH Boy...back to work! Thanks for coming along with me while I day dreamed.

Talk to ya soon.

For the love of plates...

2009-09-30T12:31:00.000-03:00

I absolutely adore vintage plates. There's something about a beautiful plate hanging on the wall that makes me smile. That's the first thing I look for when I'm out thrifting.

Well as you can guess I have a good bit of plates that adorn my kitchen. Not really knowing where to put them all, they mostly stayed in the cabinet. That is until we had to remove a window in our breakfast area.

We had just added a mudroom and the window would have been sandwiched between our breakfast room and the mudroom. Now this was kind of a cute idea...but then I realized mudroom, kids junks, window, kitchen...EEK! All that junk would be seen from my breakfast room. HELLO...who wants to stare at that while your eating...

So we decided to yank it out and in its place we put a really cute 14 x 30 stain glass window I had purchased at a local shop. The mudroom contractor installed my little piece of stain glass joy. On the mudroom side, he completely closed in the original opening with Sheetrock. In the breakfast room, he left the recess opening from the original window along with its trim work. He used tongue and groove bead board planks to line the opening. My hubby said he would build some shelves to make a little display niche.

OH but thanks to Better Homes and Gardens I found a better idea!!!...My kitchen niche would be a nice little home for all my plates.

AND this is what hubby and I came up with based on the BHG pic...

Notice how the stain glass window catches the light.

needless to say I am very pleased with the end result. Oh and just ignore the dates on the pictures...I forgot to turn the date function off! Way to go huh? Anyone up for some plate shopping?

Good Morning...FALL!!

2009-09-29T13:25:00.000-03:00

Oh what a beautiful fall morning! The first real chill of the season. The North Georgia Mountains will shortly begin their spectacular display of fall color...and I can't wait. I love the cool breeze and the clear blue sky. The crisp night air and the shimmering stars. Its like heaven is covering the land with a warm brightly colored patchwork quilt...getting it ready for winters cold nap!

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

"Come," said the Wind to the Leaves one day.

"Come over the meadow and we will play.

Put on your dresses of red and gold.

For summer is gone and the days grow cold." ~Anonymous.

I'd like to thank Twice Remembered for the warm blogging welcome. I had begun to think I was talking to myself!! ha ha...something I find my self doing that!! You've given me the boost I needed to add more posts and to get my rump in gear with those projects I've been dwelling on.

Birthday Wishes...

2009-09-04T21:19:00.000-03:00

Happy Birthday to my little man! I can't believe you are five today!! Love you lots.

Kitchen Blahs!!!

2009-09-01T16:52:00.000-03:00

As I'm stumbling around my kitchen this morning at 5:00am making a bottle for my daughter, I noticed how much I dislike my kitchen cabinets. They are dismal oak stained square boxes that merely serve the purpose of housing my kitchen junk! How could I have settled for such? I remember...our builder under bid the cabinets and the painted ones were way more than we could budget. My dream of cream French Country cabinets with mocha glaze had to be scrapped for oak stained boxes. If I have learned anything, it's not to settle for things you don't like! Now I'm not saying spend a bunch of money to get what you like. I'm saying get what you like and do it on a budget. If I were thinking, I would have said: "Deliver the cabinets unfinished and leave them in the basement. I will apply my paint/glaze and you can come install them when they are dry!!" Now I fully understand hind site is 20/20. So now I have to choose: 1) paint them or 2) live with them and believe me I've been living with them for 5 years now...its time for a change! Wonder how well my hubbie will take the news? Men tend to LOVE stained wood!!!
The cabinets are not the only issue I want to address in my kitchen. I have an island in the middle of the room that is very ODD. It has a raised bar area. Now this isn't uncommon if the island is used to separate the kitchen area from lets say the living area. However, in my case the kitchen and breakfast area are one large room. So why is this "barrier island" floating in the middle of my kitchen? Note to self: things always look different on paper than they do in reality!! Guess my next project in the kitchen would be remodeling the kitchen island. Maybe I could add some bead board or ornate turned legs?? Any ideas??