Nook Makeover

This little nook started out with my bridal portrait hanging above a small round table with a lamp on it.  I've been wanting a change, so after painting the room, I decided not to hang the bridal portrait where it was, much to my husbands dismayal.  Don't worry Daniel, I'll find a place for it.

I found this shelf and vase set in original packaging at Goodwill.

It was marked $12.99, but I snagged it for $6.50 on 1/2 price day!

I racked my brain trying to think of what to put in the vases. 

I knew I wanted some natural-looking items to off set the glass look.

I also wanted to try to reuse items in my house instead of buying something for them. 

(That would be too easy!)

Finally, an idea came to me. 

A few years back I made some flower arrangements for the mantle, but recently took them down in hopes of redoing the mantle. (Still working on that one!)

Here is what they looked like.....

So, I tore one of them apart and added some twine, burlap, and wooden pieces from my Lotto game find. 

Here is the finished product.....

I'm loving the way it looks now!

The lamp sits on a beautiful antique pedestal table that my mom got me for my birthday several years back.  I'm planning to make a burlap table skirt for it for protection from the little one. 

I'll post pictures when I am done.

Oh, and I've mentioned to you all that we have been getting our house ready to put on the market.  We are still doing working on that for when the time comes, but it's been temporarily put on hold until Daniel finds a job.  His program in the school system lost funding for next school year, so he is in search of another position.  Please keep us in your prayers!

 

Flaunt it Friday @ The Shabby Nest

It only took me 3 years.....

Well, actually over 4 years! 

Seriously, when we bought this house, Daniel and his dad installed this cabinet on the wall of our bathroom for storage space..... that was almost 5 years ago!  I've planned to finish it since then.

Here it is before......

See the sides?  It is pressed wood.  Now, I had planned to paint the cabinet to match the mirror, however, since the sides were pressed wood, I didn't think it would look good painted .

(not that it looks good the way it is!)

So, finally, I recently went to Lowes and had the wood guy cut two pieces out of beadboard that would fit the sides.  Daniel used wood glue and nails to put the beadboard up, and then it was ready for me to paint.

Yay!  I love to paint. 

It is amazing how color can totally change the look of something! 

Here it is finished.....

What an improvement!  I only wish now that I had done it years ago!

Here is a close-up......

Check out the handle that I found at Hobby Lobby for less than $3.00! 

I couldn't decide how to position it.... vertical....horizontal.... as you can see, I decided on a diagonal.

Do you have a project that you have been putting off?  Go ahead and do it.  You'll feel so much better!

Next up for the bathroom is the floor.  Currently, it is an old piece of linoleum.  We found vinyl tiles on clearance at Lowes and plan on doing that real soon.  The guy at Lowes said that we can lay it over the linoleum that is in there now as long as it is really clean and recommended a floor cleaner and glue to help with the adhesion. 

Any other helpful tips out there before we tackle the floor?

 

 

Are you ready for this? Snickerdoodle Muffins!

We have construction going in on our street which has been starting at 5:30am every morning. 

This morning after being woken up by the noise, I decided to go ahead and get up and make something for breakfast for Daniel and Elizabeth.  I remembered seeing a delicious-looking recipe a day or two ago for Snickerdoodle Muffins.  How good does that sound?  Now, typically, I'm not a big breakfast person.... I'm more of a quick smoothie or bowl of oatmeal kind of gal, but I thought my husband and daughter would appreciate something that took a little more time.  Especially since it is summer and my husband, who is a teacher, is home.

I saw this recipe on Oopsey Daisy.  Be sure to head over to her blog for LOTS of great ideas!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

Muffins
2c flour
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 t cream of tartar
1/4 t salt
1/2 c butter, melted
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c milk
1 t vanilla

Topping
1 cup sugar
2 T cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375.  Butter a 12 cup muffin tin or use cupcake papers.

Mix dry ingredients, except sugar, together in a bowl.  In another bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla.   Stir until combined.  Now add dry ingredients and mix lightly with a fork.

Fill muffin cups with batter.  Top each with sugar and cinnamon mixture.  Bake 15-20 minutes (Mine were ready in 15 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out clean.

These were so delicious!  The only thing I would change is to put a pat of butter on top of the sugar and cinnamon mixture before cooking to give it some moisture.

Flower Power?

I've been having SO much fun making clothes for Elizabeth!  I can't believe she's already 18 months old.... well, in a few short days she'll be 19 months.  Wow! 

Here is my latest creation for her.  So simple, yet makes a bold statement. 

The pants are the ruffle pants I showed you here. 

For the top, all I did was grab a tank out of her drawer (that I purchased at a consignment sale, of course) and embellished it.  I began by cutting two strips of fabric, narrow one edge by folding over 1/4" and press, repeat and stitch.  Next, baste the other edge, being sure to leave ends of threads long.  Pull ends of thread to make ruffle pin to the shirt in the desired shape.  I wanted to do a flower shape, so I began pinning the outside edge of the flower and sewing it to the shirt working inwards to form a spiral.  If your fabric strip is too short, just grab another one and repeat the process until the spiral forms a center point.  Once I had a center point, to finish, I just sewed a few messy circles.  So easy.

Soon I'll be adding a few of these outfits to my etsy store.