Spring Nest

I was shopping at Old Time Pottery this weekend and came across this little planter. It was only .69 cents so I bought it and figured I would do something with it. The problem is I only bought one so I need to go back and get more. Why do I always do that? Note to self: When you see a deal at least pick up a couple more GEEZ!

 I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. A sweet little spring nest to put in the sun room. I had some Spanish Moss and grabbed a handful.  I shaped it in my hand to form a nest and made a dent in the center and hot glued the frayed ends to look like this:

Oh yeah working with Spanish Moss is messy as you can see! Then I bought some fast drying white clay at Michaels for 6.50 but had a 40% off coupon so more like $3.90. You will only use a little but will have leftovers for future projects. I formed an egg-shape with the clay. Doesn't have to be perfect.

I used this, but any fast drying paintable clay will do. The eggs need to dry for at least a day before painting.

I used a turquoise blue acrylic paint for the eggs to give it some color. I used an old toothbrush dipped in brown and white paint to add a speckled look. Just run finger over bristles.

When paint is dry hot-glue to the inside of the nest. Add a little bird if you like! Too cute!

The finished product........

Happy Spring!

 

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Bathroom Makeover

When we first purchased our house the bathroom on the second floor really needed help. Both the kids used it and lived with the awful wallpaper and linoleum. The bathroom is very small so I knew it wouldn't be too expensive to upgrade a little. When my son moved out it became solely a "girls" bathroom. My daughter decided on taking it over! So being the princess she is, she needed a change.

I wondered how we could change it and still make it nice for guests. She wanted a princess girly look but was too old for Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Oh yeah and she wanted it pink!

So the wallpaper came off! It was worse than it looks! lol

I wish I took more pictures but I didn't. See the linoleum floor? We knew this had to go!

We wanted tile floor for the bathroom.We picked out a neutral tile with a dark grout.

As we started to paint with the pink it looked like cotton candy and I just couldn't live with it so I had the guy at the paint store add a little brown to it to tone it down some.

We replaced the mirror, lighting and went shopping at Hobby Lobby for some fun inexpensive accessories.

This was a plant stand that was on sale for 9.99. I turned it into a towel holder. Since the colors in the bathroom are pink and brown, I bought 4 brown towels rolled them and stuck them through the center of the "plant stand". All her bath soaps and salts are in the metal planter on top. She loves it when she takes a bath.Everything is accessible.

I found a candle holder with a crown top for the vanity. I added some pink bath salts to it and used it as luxurious spa container.

We love the overall look and grown up feel!

Before

After

Definitely deserving of my princess!

Shrimp and Linguine

I have to admit that this recipe I made last weekend. My sister-n-law and her husband came for the weekend. Since I have become a camera fanatic and take pictures of everything for my blog, I had this stored and wanted to share it with all of you. Maybe you will try it this weekend.

This has to be one of my favorite dishes because I love shrimp and pasta! It really is easy to make too!
Remember to always use fresh ingredients when you can.

Shrimp and Linguine

1	head of garlic, about 1/2 inch cut off the top to roast
1	pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1	large clove garlic
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/4	cup Italian breadcrumbs like progresso
1/4	cup + 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2	Tablespoons butter
1	pound large shrimp (16-20), peeled and deveined I used tiger shrimp
1/2	cup  dry white wine from liquor store not grocery store
1	lemon
1‑2	cups baby spinach
1/2	cup rough-chopped Italian parsley

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. On a small piece of foil, place the garlic head and drizzle a little oil on it. Wrap the garlic tightly in the foil and place in the oven. Roast for about 30  until nice and soft
3. In a small baking dish or baking sheet put the tomatoes in one layer. Add the garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to coat. Roast 10 minutes in the same oven as the garlic. Remove pan and shake -- tomatoes should just be bursting. Roast another 5 minutes, shake and add the breadcrumbs. Roast another 5 minutes.
4. While the tomatoes roast, set a large pot of salted water to boiling. When the water boils, drop in some salt and the pasta.
5. Heat a large sauté pan. Add the two tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When butter foams, add the shrimp in one layer, lightly salt. When one side is pink and cooked, turn and salt other side.
6. Your pasta should be close to al dente. When the shrimp is almost finished cooking, add the wine and allow to bubble. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze some juice into the pan. Let the sauce cook for another minute. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
7. Remove the pasta from the cooking water and add it to the pan, cooking and turning with tongs so the pasta finishes cooking in the wine and shrimpy juices
8.  When the juices are absorbed, turn off the heat and scrape in contents from the roasted tomato pan. Open the roasted garlic and squeeze the garlic cloves into the pan, no peels. Add the baby spinach and chopped parsley. Turn all to coat well in the sauce. Serve immediately. Bon Appetito!

Lamp Re-Do

Remember the lamps I got from the first sale of the new year! They were only $15 each. I thought I could use them but when I brought them home I felt like they where too dark for my sun room. They really are nice but not for in here.

So I first decided to cover the dark shade. I bought a drop cloth yes I said drop cloth and covered the shade. They are a cheap alternative for a great look.

The first thing you need to do is lay the shade on its side and roll it to trace the shape. I cut the fabric leaving an inch around the pencil line. Next I clipped it tight to the shade.

Go hear to see the inspiration.

Ballard Designs

This is the Pottery Barn/Ballard Design inspired shade. I used a glue gun to glue the top and the bottom to the inside of the shade and down the folded seam. After placing it on the lamp I noticed the base was still very dark.

So I added a creamy eggshell paint and brushed it on to give it a plaster look. Kinda shabby but cool texture!
Since this room is so bright I think it did a wonder for the look and it matched with the rest of it. I use a paper towel to take off the paint and smear it around.

I wanted the underneath color to come through. I also wanted to give it more texture.
It already had all the fun details!

I finished it and added the lampshade. I might put a painted pattern on the shade later. I really like the overall look.

This is the before:

This is the after:

It sure did lighten the look and I already had the paint and the material was under $10. I have a lot more left to do pillows for the sofa. Yay! Another project!

I love your comments so don't forget to leave one!

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Painted Hutch Decorated

I spent a lot of time thinking about this hutch. I know it is strange to have it in an entryway but I really like it there and I am all about doing things a little different.
I went through every room looking for objects to use in it. I am sure over time it will change but I like the way it came out. I am glad that I keep the things that I do. It helps when rearranging. It is always fun to freshen up a look with objects hanging around the house.
Yesterday I posted the before and after of the painted hutch. That got me motivated to decorate it to show today. I hope you like it.

This is the picture before. Never to be seen again......hopefully!

This is the now! Without the door.

Ta-Dah! With the door attached. I used antique dishes and books and mixed in some new. I love the color of the Evening Hush. It makes all the pieces stand out. Now I have to put something on top of it. I am trying to keep the colors mustard, red and turquoise as accents.

It really doesn't look like the same hutch! Hope you don't get sick of seeing it. Tomorrow I will post the top decorated.....I hope! Enjoy and if you like it press the follow button on the top right. Oh and thanks for all the great comments! You know I love them!!!!

Painted Hutch Before and After

Well I finally got it done after all the decisions I made back and forth on what I wanted to do. If you remember I posted this picture of the hutch before I started.

I got this hutch for nothing. I was going to put it upstairs but it was too heavy to climb all those stairs so it settled in the entryway. The walls are painted gray and the color of this wood just didn't work. I thought I would have to paint the walls but I like it now after the paint job on the hutch. It took me a while to decide if I wanted black or red. Since I have a few black pieces already I tried the red.

From the moment I started painting I knew I chose the right color for me! I did a little each day till I was satisfied with it. The color is Red Delicious. After the front was painted I made the decision to change the color of the back and paint the shelves red. I painted the background Evening Hush. I love the way it turned out.

I only changed the nobs to a clear crystal. It adds the right amount of light to the piece.

After I painted it I stained it with a walnut stain. I still have to put a wax coat on.

Ok so Leave me a comment and let me know what you think? Much better than before? I think so! Now I have to fill it! Pictures will post tomorrow!

Updated 2/24/11:

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