You Had Me at Free......I Mean Pillow

I love me some pillows and Kathy over at Creative Home Expressions is giving one away!  All you need to do is leave her a comment  here to be entered to win.

This cutie is courtesy of AllModern.com and will look soooo good with my collection, don't you think?

 

With Love, I Give Thee Drapes

My husband, Dave, works as a School Psychologist which means that every summer I get him home with me for 8 weeks....Every time he goes back to work, I cry.  It takes me two weeks to get used to him being around all the time and then two more weeks to adjust to his absence.
This past August, I was whining and complaining about needing wanting new fabric for the drapes in our living room.  I came home with the swatch I had gotten just that day and, lo and behold, it was the EXACT fabric I had envisioned for the room.  Dave feigned interest in my plight....as per usual.  I even showed him how they would coordinate PERFECTLY with the other fabric I planned on using for the Fall.

The coveted fabric...plaid in top photo

I stopped talking about it, kind of, and instead put all of my mental energy into how I could raise the funds needed to purchase said fabric.
A few days later, after a rough day of parenting and being sad and grumpy about his return to work, Dave surprised me with a gift.  As I got into bed that night, I pulled back the covers to find 6 BEAUTIFUL YARDS of the beloved fabric. I think he was hoping for the reaction Debra Barone gives Ray when he starts vacuuming the drapes.   
Debra: You are going to do the drapes?
Ray: No, silly, the Humm Vac is going to do the drapes. I'm just going to take the credit!
(Ray starts vacuuming the drapes)
Debra: I have never been more attracted to you in my entire life.
Instead, I cried.  
How is it possible to teach the lesson of not rewarding bad behavior when I received such a gift?  Thank God for Grace.  Thank God for Dave.  While I was treasuring and hoping the fabric would make me happy, it was the simple act of love and devotion on Dave's part that made me happy.  I was astonished that he picked out the right fabric and the right amount.  He was listening.  He does care about the stupid small things in my life that may not affect him, but definitely affect me.
So, while I write this, I am reminded of the husband who would buy me fabric because he knew it would make me happy.  And, I wonder, what am I doing for him that is seemingly insignificant to me but means the world to him?  I pray that I am showing him that he is the treasured thing in my life that I want to show and tell.

Have a wonderful weekend treasuring those in your life......
Shared with Cindy at My Romantic Home and Melissa at The Inspired Room.

Fettuccine with Prosciutto and Peas

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is having a recipe party!  I am a little late in getting this posted, but I thought I would share a new recipe tried just this week.  And, you may have noticed that I didn't use Fettuccine.....so, you can use whatever pasta you have on hand.
Cook 12 oz. of pasta according to package
Melt 1 TBSP. butter in pan. Add 1 shallot, diced and cook until soft.
Add 2/3 c. heavy cream to the pan. Next, add your 8 slices of prosciutto that has been cut into small pieces.
Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Add 1 TBSP Lemon juice and zest.  Stir in 1/2 c. Fresh Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Pour mixture over your pasta and you're good to go!

This recipe was so quick and easy....Great for a weeknight meal.  Serve with a green salad and garlic bread...YUMMY!

Be sure to head on over to Rhoda's for a few more inspirational cooking ideas!!

Time's Up: Laundry Room Reveal

Can you believe the TWO WEEKS are up?  The time has flown by....and I have to admit, I am a little glad it's over.  My confession from this experience is that I LIED.  I actually don't like a deadline.  The only way I like a deadline is when everything goes my way.  Very realistic, don't you think?  So, even though I cursed and cried my way through this project, I am THRILLED with the results!

Just a reminder of what I started with......

Very drab, very boring back door.  Cluttered shelf practically disappearing into the wall...AND, the biggest crime of all....NO ACCESSORIES!!  How to change a boring door into one you LOVE: Add CHALKBOARD....and ask your very talented sister, Deanna, to paint sweet birds for you.

 

Deanna used acrylic craft paint to fill in the pencil drawing she did first.  I think it took her all of ten minutes.  Yes, it's ridiculous, really.  The girl's got talent.  After she painted, I distressed them with  fine sandpaper.  I love their faded look!

Then, if you're like me and don't go near the power tools, you ask your husband carpenter (AKA Dave) to install trim. 

 

And, of course, Dave will run into the garage and whip out his OWN trim from some random pieces of wood on the side of the house.  Hopefully, with any luck, you will end up with something like this....

 

 From DRAB to FAB!  This is probably my favorite addition being that I see this from the hall.  I LOVE how the trim changes the door and the black chalkboard against the cream.  (FYI: wall color MARTHA STEWART: Everyday Green, trim color MARTHA STEWART: Butter White)

 

The disappearing shelf came alive with a coat of flat black spray paint.  I had originally planned on re-painting the walls, but after doing the shelf in black, I decided the green walls looked perfect with it.  I added the #'s on the pegs with a paint pen.  Sweet bunny in his place of honor:)  The bottle was wrapped with jute, thanks to Sarah@ThriftyDecorChick.  I added a simple fleur de lis to coordinate with the art work I added on another wall.

I used a wood frame from the closet and applied more of the same flat black.  A little distressing and you've got yourself a new frame for your burlap work of ART.  The burlap was wrapped around the existing cardboard backing just like in the Fancy Pear project.  I used a stencil and colored in the design with a black SHARPIE....I know it's genius.  Unfortunately I can't take the credit for it and I can't thank the person who really is the genius.  So, if you know the blog where she made burlap place mats and used a SHARPIE, be sure to let me know!

 

 

This is the project that the glass broke just after I cleaned it up real nice and was trying to get it back in the frame.  Dave (God love him) said he liked it better with the texture of the burlap and blah, blah, blah....I have made my peace with it nevertheless.  I was thinking of taking it apart and adding cork board so I could use it as a memo board.  Any thoughts?

 

Candlestick revamped from the thrift store and painted flat black.  Dave tied these candles together and they were set out on our wedding night with many more.  I love having a touch of the sentimental....

Next up, the CABINETS.....

 

Now, if you recall, I was attempting to do the makeover  for next to nothing.  So, the first thing I did was take inventory of the supplies I had on hand.  I had two quarts of black paint; one semi-gloss and one satin.  Because I had painted my other cabinets with semi-gloss, that is what I chose to use for these.  IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING BLACK FOR YOUR CABINETS, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING SATIN.  This is just my humble opinion.  The cabinets still turned out great, but the look I was after (not quite so shiny) would have been achieved better with a satin finish. 

 

The distressing turned out better than I could capture on film....the darn things are so shiny!!  It's okay...it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.  And, don't get me wrong....You can't go wrong with black bead board.  Am I right or am I right?

Dave added bead board by cutting out the insert and nailing it to the back.  That way we preserved the design at the top.  This added instant character to builder-grade cabinets with very little effort on my part. (Looking beat down and pathetic usually does the trick...)

 

The window is a mistreated using just one yard of fabric.  Pastoral toile....so pretty.  I even have enough for two pillows on the couch as well.  I added another bamboo roman shade ( I have them in almost every other room of the house)  I really wanted to play up the rich browns and blacks against the pale color of the green.

I added a frame underneath the cabinets that was in the abyss of the guest room closet as well.  It was dark green and had a white matte.  I tea-stained the matte, added postcards given to us from my mother-in-law, and again hit the frame with paint.  The glass stayed intact:)

 

 

 

I love using items I already own....and it's even more meaningful when they are family memorabilia.  Most of the postcards had a postmark of 1915....To think they were just piled in the hope chest!  Now we I can appreciate them every time I do a load:)

 

Last, but not least, I was able to find the PERFECT rug and it was on clearance!  I know this could have been, like, 5 posts....So, if you stuck with me till the end THANK YOU!
It was a fun two weeks.  I may even sign myself up for another Procrastinator's Party......after I ask Dave, of course:)

Happy Loading!!
Shared with:

Projects, Projects, Projects

Well, I am pleased to announce that I was able to finish (apart from patching and painting a few holes) the Laundry Room Project.  My sis, Kara, took my lovely daughter for a two-night sleepover this weekend and, not only did we get projects done...we got to spend some much needed ALONE time together.  My hubby, Dave, is pretty handy and we rarely work out in the garage on projects together because one of us is usually parenting.  This weekend, however, we turned up the Michael Buble and got our PAINT on!  This is what the garage looked like......

 

 

 

 

 

The humidity has been oppressive these last few days.....We just are not used to that in the San Joaquin Valley!  So, not the most ideal weather conditions for painting projects, but we made it work.  I even managed to keep my cool when Dave used the saw right next to my freshly painted cabinet doors....Yes, that's right.  They were covered in speckly dust and I ended up sanding them down and applying a new coat.  Maybe there are more reasons why we don't work in the garage together....hmmm.....

Most of the projects were for the laundry room, but I will reveal the rest next week!  Don't forget to check back on Tuesday for the official Before and After's of the Procrastinator's Party!

Fancy Pears

They are yellow forms

Composed of curves

Bulging toward the base.

They are touched red.

(excerpt from the poem Study of Two Pears by Wallace Stevens)

 I love to use pears for decorating in the fall.  And you just can't find a representation better than the real thing.

 (Oh, and I picked up that cute little pedestal at a thrift store for just $2!  I love that almost as much as the pears!)  I came across this project while perusing the blog Shanty2Chic.

    I loved the idea and so, here is my interpretation.

    I first started with an old frame that I had in my closet FOREVER.  It was yard sale find for $2 and was originally white.  It got a couple coats of Flat Black spray paint and then I rubbed it down with some brown craft paint.  Next, I cut my burlap to wrap around the cardboard backing in the frame and secured it with hot glue.

 

Once you have it all glued, you're ready to put the frame back together.

For the candlesticks, I used two that I had on hand and then went to the DAV (Disabled American Vets) Thrift Store.  I wanted more height variation and so I looked for shapes that I liked as well as tall and short.  I gave them all a good 1, 2,3,and even 4 coats of Flat Black.

 

And here was my result....

 

I love the green and black together!  Plus, I just LOVE green....and BLACK! (As you will see in my Laundry Room.)

Thanks Shanty2Chic for the great idea and for great projects all the time on your fabulous blog!

**The pears have since reached their expiration date and have been made into to some tasty muffins.  So, the centerpiece is adorned with mini white pumpkins now.

 

  Just as cute but, I am thinking of adding a little shimmer and shine to the pumpkins with some gold and burnt umber craft paint....just in the grooves, you know?  Can't just leave well enough alone....

Happy Pear and Pumpkin pickin'!  Oh, and be sure to check out all of the other transformations at The Shabby Chic Cottage!

And on Friday for Cindy's Show and Tell at My Romantic Home!!