tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22803995424220174272024-02-22T08:08:32.036-08:00MY CREATIVE PINK!Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-49812064601841170582012-04-12T11:19:00.000-07:002012-04-12T11:19:58.217-07:00Raised Bed Garden<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>When we moved into our house I was excited to see the raised bed in the far back of our yard. Although the bed was very neglected (overgrown weeds and structure issues) I envisioned a bountiful harvest growing back there. Now six months later I am ready to set out and begin an edible garden. I was trying to figure out how I should go about fixing the structure issue and posted on one of my favorite home forums. I posted a few pictures and was told that the wood that the bed was constructed of are railroad ties and that it is not recommended. I googled and found a bunch of stuff that convinced me those have to go. The railsroad ties are treated with creosote and the EPA does not suggest using them. I have been doing a few searches on building raised bed and I am hoping to get my husband on board. I was hoping to plant the few little plants that I purchased a few days ago but that will not happen. I will just have to keep those alive in the container long enough to plant in a few weeks. Through my research I have noticed that the typical width of a raised bed is between 3 to 4 feet in width and maybe around 8 feet in length. I plan on building 2 raised beds instead of the 1 large one that I currently have which measures 15x7. If things go well maybe more. I think this will make for a more comfortable gardening experience and will avoid having to walk on the soil. I would have loved to walk back there and just plant but it looks like I will need to really work at getting the area more suitable for a healthy garden. I am exited to see if my thumb is in fact green. Here are a few pictures of the garden as it stands right now. All the wood will need to be replaced but I haven't figured out with what just yet. You can see the previous home owners put concrete blocks and I did find some gardens that were constructed out of the concrete blocks. I also found plans on constructing them out of cedar fence pickets on </em></span><a href="http://ana-white.com/2010/05/hack-natural-rustic-cedar-raised-beds.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Ana White's blog</em></span></a><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #3d85c6;">.</span> Her cost ended up being $10, I like that dollar amount and I think my husband could get behind that. I looked up the pickets at my local stores and they are $2.05 vs. the $1.59 that she spent but still I think I could construct them for under $20 each. I am going to continue to research and will let you know!</em></span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwx4eBheY0-2pGUKxAp9SRyLTdQ1EuoXzBxHKx29znigBu9dM6U7vB3v-mEZZiQkldG_Xofy8OdqFYvpHhKeXJRPxA17k_2RpZu1IYz_OSljAerwRhjHNVfKeU9Gw-ZkMA0htNVH49Rw/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwx4eBheY0-2pGUKxAp9SRyLTdQ1EuoXzBxHKx29znigBu9dM6U7vB3v-mEZZiQkldG_Xofy8OdqFYvpHhKeXJRPxA17k_2RpZu1IYz_OSljAerwRhjHNVfKeU9Gw-ZkMA0htNVH49Rw/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFihT9H6X_4GUuBdU20RLAh_C5HtjppvupzFHB0XYWlcEjnuosTjIxItzCKwcNvqFWezZJtXEPcbrdZ8STH5cr196pSLZ88FThE9P994O_Zcd9QTZPsWgHAm0bWJ7tQ5PScM7_k78mSw/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFihT9H6X_4GUuBdU20RLAh_C5HtjppvupzFHB0XYWlcEjnuosTjIxItzCKwcNvqFWezZJtXEPcbrdZ8STH5cr196pSLZ88FThE9P994O_Zcd9QTZPsWgHAm0bWJ7tQ5PScM7_k78mSw/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-20643632391394064972012-03-19T10:46:00.002-07:002012-03-19T10:54:55.586-07:00Feeling a Little Blue..<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>What do the paint colors Serene Sky, Nurture (Behr Paint), Rich Navy at 100% and lightened twice (Glidden), Palladian Blue, Tranquility (Benjamin Moore), and Comfort Gray (Sherwin Williams) have in common? Well let's take a look, shall we...(in order of what is listed above except for lightened Rich Navy)</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <img class="rg_i" height="200" name="MhirobTW2I_04M:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpEsMS34lBw7oi7vpRClW7G7xb4Z9vuN8IcJjXMOX8xJoE9OuvuFLvFpskNQ" style="margin: -12px 0px 0px;" width="200" /> <img alt="" class="rg_hi" data-height="225" data-width="225" height="200" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZ0XmkJcRv29K8FwG9DGDjbV3Lqk5A3wVJ4jfAYfqmIIzGeKem" style="height: 225px; width: 225px;" width="200" /> <img alt="" class="rg_hi" data-height="225" data-width="225" height="225" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ5LFuy3-_ODj82IzPI1XOlHoB7xTlicwI6xbE2cd7rhVejUAEs" style="height: 225px; width: 225px;" width="225" /> <img alt="" class="rg_hi" data-height="184" data-width="252" height="184" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSkYZD4z6pym_uSHcqtT0-3EmxhMx3DxNb_NycFLaL2Hc8vSQD_" style="height: 184px; width: 252px;" width="252" /><img height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=18853200" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" /> <img alt="" class="rg_hi" data-height="199" data-width="200" height="199" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQBu8tY4dc2MWylJVwsEmQg0SI3ZnM2vQlwPukDkM-vwDiTr6KKGQ" style="height: 199px; width: 200px;" width="200" /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia;"><em>Have you guest yet? Well if you guest that they are in the blue, blue gray or blue green family you guest right. Not only that but each of those colors have found their way into my house. I am not sure how it happened but I am surrounded by blue! Growing up and to this day Blue is my sister's favorite color, her room was always some shade of blue and I have never gravitated towards blues. Now, when we bought this house I new with certainly my craft/guest room would be Palladian Blue. I love this color, it was the color of my daughter's bedroom in a house we had a few years ago. Once that was painted I moved on to my younger daughter's room. I had planned on painting the top half of her room a pink color for the sky. When I was showing her the mural I would be painting and some pink paint chips, she straight out told me the sky is not pink it is blue and she wants it to be blue. She knows what she wants, so up went the second blue. My son's room is a nautical/pirate theme and what speaks nautical more then blue, so blue continued into his room. My master bedroom's bedding is an interesting shade of blueish greenish paisley pattern and after putting sample after sample the only color that seemed ot work was Nurture, okay 4th blue down. On to my dining room, I am happy to say the actual dining room is not blue it is Weimaraner by Benjamin Moore: </em></span><br />
<img alt="" class="rg_hi" data-height="213" data-width="237" height="213" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRBh5jD7k0uqw8C_xOguLkJbd3PBHwKIFMcF8jgMQiseoDpTGeX" style="height: 213px; width: 237px;" width="237" /><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I love this color, love it! It is however a strange shade that changes dramatically throughout the day. When we were painting it it looked purple, then red, then finally in the morning it looked a beautiful shade of grayish brown. Then it changed all over again, I didn't like the ceiling being white it seemed to stark for this color. I will be back in the future for a complete post on my dining room once it is complete so as not to repeat myself in the future, the ceiling was painted Tranquility! Now this weekend with the down pour of rain and a husband who does not care to be indoors while the sun is shining up went Comfort Gray in our family/kitchen. I did not intend for so much blue to be put into my house, in fact I am a little blue about it. I love color and my house has taken on such a neutral palette. My living room and entryway is not blue but they are Bleeker Beige and Manchester Tan:</em></span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZCYlBFcJxv4YLnD0rX-8v1vjPaSUaETtQk5Cju2pIgNVQboyvvA" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: undefined;"><img alt="" border="0" class="rg_hi" data-height="184" data-width="252" height="184" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZCYlBFcJxv4YLnD0rX-8v1vjPaSUaETtQk5Cju2pIgNVQboyvvA" style="height: 184px; width: 252px;" width="252" /></a><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>and</em></span> <img alt="" class="rg_hi" data-height="225" data-width="225" height="225" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRboKiAh6bXpwBAV7GmX4yIifd8kTWB7DFPVUXimkw8RJbPl23FlQ" style="height: 225px; width: 225px;" width="225" /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Where is the color in my house?? For what ever reason I have played it safe, no red no yellow just blue! I will say that while trying to get design ideas for my house I went to a few model homes and they were full of color. What I noticed in many of those homes was that the walls were all the same color but it was through the drapery, pillows, art work and furniture that the color came from. What does that mean for me? Well, that there is hope of a bright and colorful future ahead! Have a wonderful day!</span></em></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Linky Parties:</span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2012/03/you-made-that-from-what-welcome-to.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BetweenNapsOnThePorch+%28BETWEEN+NAPS+ON+THE+PORCH%29" target="_blank"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x908CSKJhI4/TUX7UBvTgEI/AAAAAAAAW7k/MVgnfNcOk7I/s1600/Pic_for_Body_of_Blog.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f136/butterflygirlms/Request/CraftomaniacMondayButton.png" /></a>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-33273112359149239622012-03-15T14:04:00.006-07:002012-03-19T08:43:18.140-07:00A Tale of Three Mirrors and a Lamp<em><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have been home bound since Sunday with the start of my little girl's fever. It has moved on to my 18 year old and my 4 year old. I am really hoping it stops there, mama don't wanna get sick and I am sure daddy doesn't either.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Yesterday was a sort of an in between period. My son hadn't gotten sick yet and went to preschool, the teen/young adult is able to look after self, and I only kept the 5 year old home to rest an extra day. That gave me an opportunity to look around at some home stores. I have been on the hunt for lamps for my master bedroom. That isn't exactly true, I have found lamps, several of them in fact but none have seemed to work in the space. I finally settled on two lamps that I really liked. The lamp shades were the same color as my bedroom walls and blended so the only thing I needed to do was find different shades. I really had no idea how expensive lampshades were. I ended up buying two cheaper lampshades, put them on and they just looked cheap. Hubby even thought so and said "we have this really nice bed, don't cheap out on the shades". Makes sense! So I returned them and bit the bullet, purchasing shades from Pottery Barn. I adore Pottery Barn but they just didn't look right with these lamps. The lamps have just been sitting there blending. While I have been trying to find the perfect lamps I have been sadly thinking about two lamps I had spotted at a TJ Max (one further away) about 2 months ago. I liked them, I even had them in my cart but I thought they were going to be too big. I really thought the bedside tables we had ordered were much smaller but when those arrived a day later they were actually quite large. I <strike>immediately ran</strike> drove a few days later to the store but only one was left. I needed two and my journey to find lamps began. Well, yesterday was a good day all around. I went to my local TJ Max and low and beyond those lamps were there, the ones I spotted 2 months ago. I grabbed them up and brought them home. Do I absolutely love them? Not exactly but I do really like them and they work well in the space, I am happy. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">My house has area's of wall space that need to be filled, some of those spaces are stumping me. I knew that I wanted a mirror or a series of mirrors for a particular wall in my master bedroom. In addition to TJ Max I went Ross where I found a mirror for my entryway and Home Goods where I finally found the mirror for my bedroom and one for my dining room. There were actually two mirrors that I was looking at for the bedroom and I all but flipped a coin to decide. I am actually pretty pleased with this mirror and it is just one more element that brings my room closer to being complete. It is amazing how in just one day I found some great decor for my house and yet I have been in these stores time and time again leaving with nada. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">I am working on a spring mantel of course pulling inspiration from others (thank you to the amazing blog community). I have a couple of things I would like to do and then it should be ready to share. It will be the only thing I share from this room, it is a long way from being viewable..</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Here are some images of my new mirrors and lamps:</span></em><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia;">Dining Room Mirror (Home Goods): adds a fun element of bling a pop!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIp-MsEnEUattHu1_mdmx44kRq8CnAFd6jICDERK9DV2rhbcn4bsDxnHyhTaXk48dtPGgmAPMLS8L0Auqp3V7NFTrwDwpu0baleOdZR6Wtpt8wzJH0CNBM_3vlirpwE71XOrPLJESKOQ/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIp-MsEnEUattHu1_mdmx44kRq8CnAFd6jICDERK9DV2rhbcn4bsDxnHyhTaXk48dtPGgmAPMLS8L0Auqp3V7NFTrwDwpu0baleOdZR6Wtpt8wzJH0CNBM_3vlirpwE71XOrPLJESKOQ/s320/004.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Entryway Sconce (Restoration Hardware) & Mirror (Ross)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;">Don't mind the wrapping on the shades (I need to take those off).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0Jii7AROhN2ERoSYcqC2Cz_IAm6TM5XeVkCe9268Z7IgVka7dFi-QWjRSvDtVUI5uzytyfYQqW-FDEHQa8gkzAlXb77Tnr0kfaSMo3-zykqoHfEAwYVwLqD3feuIs3sF62DxD-PoJw/s1600/036a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0Jii7AROhN2ERoSYcqC2Cz_IAm6TM5XeVkCe9268Z7IgVka7dFi-QWjRSvDtVUI5uzytyfYQqW-FDEHQa8gkzAlXb77Tnr0kfaSMo3-zykqoHfEAwYVwLqD3feuIs3sF62DxD-PoJw/s320/036a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Master Bedroom Mirror it's measures 36x50 (Home Goods) and yes, that would be my beautiful Colette bed peeking through! Still can't believe hubby bought it for<strike> me </strike>us!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD8E1m5X49pwIF9HUZL9VD8df78uQw-QXX-CJc8D9bmfNSm1b21TVe1fxUSgFHl_b4A-wNa1z62LciMQWsKWEyyhhKWYk4MWq14K-Bz1sBCSF75R-UIVwtphdZRJfp0K3syLW_BNMCQ/s1600/012a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD8E1m5X49pwIF9HUZL9VD8df78uQw-QXX-CJc8D9bmfNSm1b21TVe1fxUSgFHl_b4A-wNa1z62LciMQWsKWEyyhhKWYk4MWq14K-Bz1sBCSF75R-UIVwtphdZRJfp0K3syLW_BNMCQ/s400/012a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHf91ijzWS4Blyf_UxeKNGkc0Qu8kaORIXtJra7VWp48DPZUGSzCVj_R35o7d8-bhTJxVYfWRXu_lg-gDPLe61i08-cXY1l1MjnA-PwZs9JoYvoJyFeIcFzWEya8jtTSzfGcAU83GtnQ/s1600/024a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHf91ijzWS4Blyf_UxeKNGkc0Qu8kaORIXtJra7VWp48DPZUGSzCVj_R35o7d8-bhTJxVYfWRXu_lg-gDPLe61i08-cXY1l1MjnA-PwZs9JoYvoJyFeIcFzWEya8jtTSzfGcAU83GtnQ/s400/024a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Finally the lamps that were meant for me (TJMAX)! The lamp shade is linen with metallic silver threading weaved throughout. It's a soft look, not glittery. There is also a very light peacock feather in silver printed on the shade. It is so light I missed it the first few minutes I looked at these lamps. I think it's perfect since my bedding is a paisley and the shape is similar. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RzZWI1wL1XLDfARpcyBPoj3oDFXwXo2F02AuxoKo1uJFiM5-eL_zW8rnQtCVwdxf1LfFV9LZrg-c4NfORuyMY919lY5KyYUK1r353WAd3ZGf0HJOen802U4D467Bnn9GLTaxggjrxw/s1600/027a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RzZWI1wL1XLDfARpcyBPoj3oDFXwXo2F02AuxoKo1uJFiM5-eL_zW8rnQtCVwdxf1LfFV9LZrg-c4NfORuyMY919lY5KyYUK1r353WAd3ZGf0HJOen802U4D467Bnn9GLTaxggjrxw/s400/027a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;">My little corner of our Master Retreat! From this picture it looks all put together but it's not quite ready. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLPLK-zTb1W95gJVZvgcOrcZQV3i1r4v9Xx5s4GOM_xEifvfBZ1pG9fBjqasyOuEgxv0g9btb7bU0Z4mt4JB-bHxoQ2sjN8-JKXi6VpUQna5BlFVeaehJDvPUC6cNciXhUS4_q18QZg/s1600/030a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLPLK-zTb1W95gJVZvgcOrcZQV3i1r4v9Xx5s4GOM_xEifvfBZ1pG9fBjqasyOuEgxv0g9btb7bU0Z4mt4JB-bHxoQ2sjN8-JKXi6VpUQna5BlFVeaehJDvPUC6cNciXhUS4_q18QZg/s400/030a.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Thanks so much for visiting!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Georgia;">Linking to these Parties:</span></div><div align="center"></div><br />
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<center><a href="http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrT22HzwR-sx9Y3qC-g_1gbu4XEpwmvfVPYNBaT4yzfQIF7K2ZGAGyqtsnHc7GdGlUA48lcLTe2f9pqBgYkNkOExkWLXNBi6GgUwxa_0_PATIprpmPS2A7zrJMqCmN04f2iOaUxVr9hXM/s1600/1aaaeiffelgfairy.jpg" /></a></center><center> </center><center><a href="http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" closure_uid_ui7z6a="2" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRzHsYjKXHB2tcsVvCkT2ii23orH4K1JoYEH1NGEhc0LbLq5foicGvu7DSBqsoevBPCsF5nIbzKBPT_eD5oWU7cxIFZvJIFpfktMQekxpNFau4MZbKohO8qo3UZCvsWM_DeziYlHSvFpX/s200/1aaacastle-2.jpg" width="151" /></a> </center><center><a href="http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd492/Honey2805/027.jpg" /></a></center><br />
<a href="http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f136/butterflygirlms/Request/CraftomaniacMondayButton.png" /></a> <a href="http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2012/03/you-made-that-from-what-welcome-to.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BetweenNapsOnThePorch+%28BETWEEN+NAPS+ON+THE+PORCH%29" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="185" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568132835796287554" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x908CSKJhI4/TUX7UBvTgEI/AAAAAAAAW7k/MVgnfNcOk7I/s200/Pic_for_Body_of_Blog.jpg" style="display: block; height: 235px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 253px;" width="200" /></a>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-35665388504473545132012-03-12T12:17:00.015-07:002012-03-15T17:52:05.347-07:00A Project Here, A Project There, A Project EVERYWHERE!!<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I am afraid to look at the date of my last post, goodness! I have never been a consistent blogger although I really admire those who can do that. Even still I think about my blog and all things I wish I was doing that could fill up these virtual pages. The last project I completed was of course my daughter's bedroom. Since then I have been in the process of trying to complete not one, not two, but five (possibly more) different projects. My beautiful bed arrived shortly after my last post and my husband and I got busy painting our master bedroom. Right now we have our bed, bedding, two new bedside tables and sitting chairs but not much else. I need to find things for the walls, curtains etc. My son's room is so close to being done, in fact it is so close I am going to post pictures of it anyways. The thing that is holding me up is the mural, which has proven to be more time consuming then I had realized. I have taken breaks from it for various reasons (birthday party, visiting in-laws, work on the house...) and I work on it a little at a time. His room has turned out exactly how I had envisioned it all but the part about not being done yet. </em></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>We have lived in this house since November and a few weeks ago my husband decided it was time to paint a few of the main living spaces. We painted the living room, entryway, hallways and the dining room. None of these areas are complete. Each have there coats of paint on them but that is it. We had all our lower level (plus master bedroom) windows cased out and added window sills. They have added such an amazing look but this would be another project that I am needing to complete ie: fill holes, sand down, and paint. My craft room/guestroom is functioning really well as a guestroom and a catch all room but not much else. We painted it, built a work table (hubby rocks!), and I built one Ikea shelving unit, that room needs some work. I would love to snap my fingers and it all be done and avoid this constant limbo of projects. I will say I love that we got rid of the horrible flat dirty white walls even though I really need to paint all the trim and molding. The paint has made such a huge difference. I am not a home decorator and really am having a time bring in design elements for the various areas. I know it will be a process especially since we really don't have furniture. Much of our furniture is piecemeal and left over from my husbands single days. I am dreaming of the day we bring in furniture that creates a cohesive look and feel. </em></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Well I am going to pretend that my son's mural is 100% done vs. 95% and do a big reveal? Either way I will come back and post the completed mural at some point. </em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I had two inspirations for my son's room, Pirate and Nautical. I meshed the two together and these were my starting points, a pirate mural from<span style="color: #741b47;"> </span></em></span><a href="http://www.elephantsonthewall.com/lgpptreasuremap"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Elephant on the Wall</em></span></a><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> <a class="thickbox initThickbox-processed" href="http://www.elephantsonthewall.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/product_full/800-PPTreasureMap.jpg" jquery1331580049258="2" rel="uc_image_0" title="Click to enlarge Large Pirtate Pete's Treasure Map Wall Mural"><img alt="" class="imagecache imagecache-product" height="200" src="http://www.elephantsonthewall.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/product/800-PPTreasureMap.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a> </em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>and the second was this photo from HGTV but I can't find the link now. </em></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCSKO_lE7iMKT3CWOB4iiGycvFD9t5LhauRQoIX3O0wPrIOGCWUzc4pYejHlbRqwPvsYF0JVfJEvwNn37rJ16ZYS2C5p5bSf15jXs3SisyKYBeaiRReIeF_XlhxIL3QnUR_kJF8OgUQ/s1600/hgtv1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCSKO_lE7iMKT3CWOB4iiGycvFD9t5LhauRQoIX3O0wPrIOGCWUzc4pYejHlbRqwPvsYF0JVfJEvwNn37rJ16ZYS2C5p5bSf15jXs3SisyKYBeaiRReIeF_XlhxIL3QnUR_kJF8OgUQ/s200/hgtv1.jpg" width="200" yda="true" /></em></span></a><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Once the mural arrived my husband and I got to work on painting the room. My son's room is the only room so far that I spent little time picking out the color. I went to Home Depot picked out Rich Navy by Glidden (using Behr paint). On the suggestion from the color mixer person (not exactly PC..) we took the Rich Navy and lighted it up to create the 2 other colors (map background and the lower wall color). </em></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>If you have textured walls and would like stripes here is a little tip for you: 1) Tape the area off that is to be painted in stripes. 2) Use clear paintable caulking, with your finger smooth the caulking along the edge of the tape overlapping the edge and the wall. Let dry and then paint. </em></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The caulking seals the tape and leaves you with minimal bleed through and little if any touch up. You can also do this for your ceiling and transitioning between colors. </em></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The mural is Paint by number and is 8'x6', that need to be traced and then painted on to the walls. I had calluses on my fingers for 2 weeks after tracing. It was a bit difficult because of the textured walls. I just visually went back and touched up the areas that didn't trace well. I ended up not tracing out the jagged edge of the map for two reasons, one I was exhausted and two I was exhausted. I may go back and paint a straight boarder but then again I think I won't. So without further ramblings here is my son's room:</em></span><br />
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<em><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia;">I was able to find a few "almost" before pictures on my phone. It doesn't show the room in the color that it orginally was or the doorway that went to the master bedroom. The previous owners used this room as an office. The picture quality isn't the best but it gives you an idea:</span></em><br />
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<div align="center"><em><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia;">Taping off for the navy blue stripes</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NmuAZ81U81NCVsq91kDkq0JVhJEolDRqBaCl-0O6Or7JBRa8mYxrS_0PQqTTYlbo4VJqKYkIg-FArorW9Rrahs2k5OhBoZNmhosLkfsWFWfFbOpJaVEM-J5iB6Gopy-EXdtVGe3Y1w/s1600/IMAG1081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NmuAZ81U81NCVsq91kDkq0JVhJEolDRqBaCl-0O6Or7JBRa8mYxrS_0PQqTTYlbo4VJqKYkIg-FArorW9Rrahs2k5OhBoZNmhosLkfsWFWfFbOpJaVEM-J5iB6Gopy-EXdtVGe3Y1w/s320/IMAG1081.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> 8 foot x 6 foot sectioned off for the map</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEireeXxWnWhGuQF_GYDch3YxL73zRAzbtTuI3sKBxZxbfLylhCjo-2U70ONJY9aEEVjHyl-VlNNNdaXWUUG4HTQHm-16ULwoJJRC112h29wV48jp1p1B3iNukyswE7eKkFaXjmlAWlf0A/s1600/IMAG1083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEireeXxWnWhGuQF_GYDch3YxL73zRAzbtTuI3sKBxZxbfLylhCjo-2U70ONJY9aEEVjHyl-VlNNNdaXWUUG4HTQHm-16ULwoJJRC112h29wV48jp1p1B3iNukyswE7eKkFaXjmlAWlf0A/s320/IMAG1083.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <em><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hours of tracing ahead</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6FH_KGHEpw11LJ8GRSxobfBB8mAZ6bOlnppmpciVL1p26prjcDE3BOBhwBXQ5RlfmEMnzSpyrWkfI2RsnJW3ii0SvsBLnj7TMoGt_PNV7IC2lH4xhDZ4Mx9-otWB3EYpupbIjK65ZQ/s1600/IMAG1101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6FH_KGHEpw11LJ8GRSxobfBB8mAZ6bOlnppmpciVL1p26prjcDE3BOBhwBXQ5RlfmEMnzSpyrWkfI2RsnJW3ii0SvsBLnj7TMoGt_PNV7IC2lH4xhDZ4Mx9-otWB3EYpupbIjK65ZQ/s320/IMAG1101.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>After:</em></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>We are pretending his race car bed is a boat!</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeLJNAPf3uEN49SnLrr2JNcOVZ9Svfm4ixO5yVn3D8dC-1HPdq0wJI4PT2r-qN7nI6xLEz-52LZdgMejeTr9vH7xa-FazGGvCazREqXvYuTIDpBwqmLVSCnwSqyuRDN0zzvVT4L7TPA/s1600/134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeLJNAPf3uEN49SnLrr2JNcOVZ9Svfm4ixO5yVn3D8dC-1HPdq0wJI4PT2r-qN7nI6xLEz-52LZdgMejeTr9vH7xa-FazGGvCazREqXvYuTIDpBwqmLVSCnwSqyuRDN0zzvVT4L7TPA/s400/134.JPG" width="400" yda="true" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> The mural is very close to being done just one big section (upper middle) then little details.</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F2Nwoy9C_Rhu7hvzS5ud5w8fz4ZCJK4ezHKsqxZvFKaru5s9iM5uA5k2VhESuSZojfzDXEYApVbeA6VGB3eCvHrzuKsDDBB5-HhM-21XpiI2QW-2wK_PaSdDyT6J9uC3L2Mv2dVwLQ/s1600/131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F2Nwoy9C_Rhu7hvzS5ud5w8fz4ZCJK4ezHKsqxZvFKaru5s9iM5uA5k2VhESuSZojfzDXEYApVbeA6VGB3eCvHrzuKsDDBB5-HhM-21XpiI2QW-2wK_PaSdDyT6J9uC3L2Mv2dVwLQ/s400/131.JPG" width="400" yda="true" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> Detail:</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KIdfVrhB6_-X10ZdFD6Y12-U-xyu-o1UQnQCwYKxJueVgJhu8lEtPkd3pyv8NAY6smIhhqchfQyXk5GogKFAXNdXZ5ejGTNpTxvwy-xJUeVa7-qC8LsWPhhTxALLBS7QHUNw2Sa7Tw/s1600/140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KIdfVrhB6_-X10ZdFD6Y12-U-xyu-o1UQnQCwYKxJueVgJhu8lEtPkd3pyv8NAY6smIhhqchfQyXk5GogKFAXNdXZ5ejGTNpTxvwy-xJUeVa7-qC8LsWPhhTxALLBS7QHUNw2Sa7Tw/s400/140.JPG" width="265" yda="true" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> Detail:</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWo7ofM2by-bMqPGlGA1V1zCrWjxwo_mhKefzG_j5ws9sSgNWOWqZe6qAcr9gAv5gibE0VJDgXb7wiM06i5PQ28Rkqsv-BibuvUFKUXV5xgOE4xgG84yMz5mYvfkLdTHN7atqbOi6H3g/s1600/141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWo7ofM2by-bMqPGlGA1V1zCrWjxwo_mhKefzG_j5ws9sSgNWOWqZe6qAcr9gAv5gibE0VJDgXb7wiM06i5PQ28Rkqsv-BibuvUFKUXV5xgOE4xgG84yMz5mYvfkLdTHN7atqbOi6H3g/s400/141.JPG" width="265" yda="true" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> Pirate Ship we found to complete is room, he LOVED it!</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLfA-F5VvCeisRTWUexq_BSevk7OmDqKijCXfPAJKicRctj9J0mV2r0jgdaZfA3dW41UbGGtAP4ACM7YjI7oIVVYEWxwhAh6_84-DsYYNf182gOrTvek3ZrEwcoqOsVQW0TLkCwg4zw/s1600/137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLfA-F5VvCeisRTWUexq_BSevk7OmDqKijCXfPAJKicRctj9J0mV2r0jgdaZfA3dW41UbGGtAP4ACM7YjI7oIVVYEWxwhAh6_84-DsYYNf182gOrTvek3ZrEwcoqOsVQW0TLkCwg4zw/s400/137.JPG" width="400" yda="true" /></em></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61CpoZy6_SVlk1reF95L6yB4k5_2vGQ9XkMkjCDpCWTOIrKtHQU7YmH_U9URiDgzBzBn0xMOzOW6YpNfo2zkkR9QjeoqSyYAFltL3nS4za53uKDGghhp4OwAqLpncrJWZMxkwFBtfPA/s1600/136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61CpoZy6_SVlk1reF95L6yB4k5_2vGQ9XkMkjCDpCWTOIrKtHQU7YmH_U9URiDgzBzBn0xMOzOW6YpNfo2zkkR9QjeoqSyYAFltL3nS4za53uKDGghhp4OwAqLpncrJWZMxkwFBtfPA/s400/136.JPG" width="400" yda="true" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> Ikea Trofast, love the storage..</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ91Y7mtWTlKqEJZ3s5iQ8w7NaRv63-C9Fm_ONDk2wv5yByiZQiXtSZUogz-c4SmUKwXZrq4-Fwpzghji7DvjUPz6ZFFP2MsWbU5fVEcakaU6h8XwQjYlL5t9P3wIXJWTTlGS6o8Ypfw/s1600/139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ91Y7mtWTlKqEJZ3s5iQ8w7NaRv63-C9Fm_ONDk2wv5yByiZQiXtSZUogz-c4SmUKwXZrq4-Fwpzghji7DvjUPz6ZFFP2MsWbU5fVEcakaU6h8XwQjYlL5t9P3wIXJWTTlGS6o8Ypfw/s400/139.JPG" width="400" yda="true" /></em></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I am not sure when I will be back to share another completed project but in the mean time I am linking up to these link parties:</em></span><br />
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<a href="http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/"><img alt="" border="0" height="253" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307998390695560178" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x908CSKJhI4/SanMadHBA_I/AAAAAAAAFn0/qe6qcaF9MaA/s200/Pic+for+Body+of+Blog3.jpg" style="display: block; height: 253px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 272px;" width="272" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f136/butterflygirlms/Request/CraftomaniacMondayButton.png" /></a></span></em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://makingtheworldcuter.com/blog/">http://makingtheworldcuter.com/blog/</a></span></em></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/" title="Sumo's Sweet stuff"><img alt="Sumo's Sweet Stuff" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexgEJhPTXeEzTOoMlfKXPFcNATVYWfODBYOQIxAIsj5u2r5cbn1_zSe5NI2LT-JIs8qYdIg-Hlqq7f-j9SQOKRIZb9DmRQlK-i8FD7icxxnF0Da_QgVeGSANeRolCag8GTjq5PE6djLDT/" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" /></a></div><a href="http://www.craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Keeping It Simple" border="0" height="150" src="http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad206/kaysinerwt/KISmmm-001.jpg" width="150" /></a> <a border="0" href="http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KHThpO675__f3MnVaBy9JTEsL7X2BtfymFQI1lvISSEDLnTiMJk0CwnvqzekOU-f_oeW_UIdt32t8DBt9AdfV7TTBeeykeff9seCuXbnkqyzH0wNBz7BjGQg79UZeCrV10qfISHvFX0f/s800/takealookbutton.png" /></a> <a href="http://todayscreativeblog.net/things-to-craft/">http://todayscreativeblog.net/things-to-craft/</a> <br />
<a border="0" href="http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u87/auntdoi/TuesdaysTreasuresbutton.png" /></a><a border="0" href="http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u87/auntdoi/SavvySouthernWOWButtonReverse.png" /></a> <a border="0" href="http://cleanandscentsible.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee455/simplyklassic/Clean%20and%20%20Scentsible/CleanScentsiblePartyButton.png" /></a> <a href="http://firefliesandjellybeans.com/search/label/Show%20Off%20Your%20Stuff%20Party" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfLgoTeLr9ySDN2MA6dWZYVB3tVZB-NPyga0D8NCkisFqSs2WQS0FcX6qSPlLVzarlUXQhvLnSm2AMgghnJ76MHruJABIojAqhvA91rtz2Qd1E7RF26CIK8hRW76h7IaycOVV5yH6wvY/s200/Show+off+your+Stuff+party+button.JPG" width="125" /></a> <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.the36thavenue.com/" title="The 36th AVENUE"><img alt="The 36th AVENUE" src="http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae80/desireecampbell05/36thbutton-1.jpg" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" /></a></div><br />
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<center><a href="http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrT22HzwR-sx9Y3qC-g_1gbu4XEpwmvfVPYNBaT4yzfQIF7K2ZGAGyqtsnHc7GdGlUA48lcLTe2f9pqBgYkNkOExkWLXNBi6GgUwxa_0_PATIprpmPS2A7zrJMqCmN04f2iOaUxVr9hXM/s1600/1aaaeiffelgfairy.jpg" /></a> </center><a href="http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" closure_uid_kaqi2r="2" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRzHsYjKXHB2tcsVvCkT2ii23orH4K1JoYEH1NGEhc0LbLq5foicGvu7DSBqsoevBPCsF5nIbzKBPT_eD5oWU7cxIFZvJIFpfktMQekxpNFau4MZbKohO8qo3UZCvsWM_DeziYlHSvFpX/s200/1aaacastle-2.jpg" width="151" /></a> <center><a href="http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd492/Honey2805/027.jpg" /></a></center>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-12809389534367021082012-01-16T00:00:00.000-08:002012-01-16T09:49:00.192-08:00Home Progress & Decor Dream Come True !!<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div><br />
<em><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">(I would love some color advice from you all, which is sought after my ramblings, thanks!)</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<em><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today is most certainly one of my favorite days, minus the fact that my younger daughter is sick with an ear infection and possible sinus infection. Why is today such a favorite day? Well for starters 2 1/2 rooms are done in my house, soon it will be a total of 3. Well actually the guest/craft room was just painted so that room is also on it's way to being finished. My two daughter's rooms are done and the 1/2 finished bedroom is my son's. I have been working on his Nautical/Pirate room but it is taking some time. His mural is a pretty detailed paint by number one which requires tracing the image on the wall then going back and painting. It is going slow but I am making progress. I have to say his room will probably be one of my favorites in the house (second to mine of course)! I will come back with a full picture post of his room soon. I wish I had daily projects that would give me something to blog about, I could of course come on here each and every day and tell you how I painted stripes, that I painted the pirate boy's hair, now his eye patch, okay today I painted boots, today I made an Ikea trip and here is my haul... yeah, I don't think that will work.. BUT today, today I do have something fantastic to share. I have dreamed about the Colette Bed from Crate and Barrel forever, okay not forever but I have dreamed about having an upholstered platform bed for a long time. Once I saw the Colette, I knew it would be the bed that would fullfill my dream. I have talked about this bed to my husband and God love him, he never once said "women, you're crazy!" He just smiled and said it was nice, and he never squashed that little dream for me. Well, the work in my son's room is mine to finish and my hubby wants to get started on painting our room. In order to do that I had to find a duvet cover to set the color tone and I invited him to join me for a browse at Pottery Barn, he couldn't wait! I selected the new Lewis Paisley Duvet, and the Silk Channel quilt in Ivory. I can't quite figure out the base color of the duvet, but it in the blue-green color with beige/tan/greige colors.. so pretty! My husband is very particular about bedding weight, he doesn't like anything heavy. We looked a a few of the quilts and he liked the weight of the Silk Channel quilt. This quilt was also displayed with the duvet. Unfortunately it was sold out in their store, other local stores and when they looked on-line it is on back-order until April. That is a long time! Fortunately they located one at an out of town store, which will be shipped this week. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Lewis Paisley Duvet Cover & Sham" height="288" src="http://rk.pbimgs.com/pbimgs/rk/images/dp/wcm/201152/0011/img86o.jpg" width="320" /> </div><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>This made my day, it was exactly what I wanted for our room, I was going home a very happy girl.. BUT then we went to Crate and Barrel to look around. I also wanted to show my hubby the Colette bed, he has only seen pictures. Never in a million years did I think I would be walking out of the store an owner of my dream bed: Colette!!. My husband decided differently, of course the deal was this purchase covers all potential gifts for the year through Christmas. I am okay with that, in fact he could have said for the next <strike>5 years,</strike> okay maybe not that long! So starting on Sunday the quintessential bed of all beds for me will reside in my bedroom.. I would be lying if I said I didn't jump up and down in the middle of Crate and Barrel, so I just won't go there. (Security, there is a crazy lady acting like she just won the lottery on second floor).. again I am not going there!</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Now, I am trying to decide on colors and I would really appreciate your help on this. I go between wanting a cozy spa like feel to the room to wanting it light and airy. I found two Behr colors called Verdigris and Silver Sage which look lovely against the duvet: </i></span><img height="200" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQhIYrR44mAtXamhSi3aGec-z8AXbzgyjDznhtBzxv2r3lmB7lF" width="200" /> <img src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTgKoq36GEvQgaQMOx5XT3gXIVBEj6DqfqJGTL61fzv-yc81zga" /><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>These ones are various tans:</i></span><br />
<img height="200" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQU-w8amgh-kifZ6m8cwtqwb5TMmI9X5vnXgrclk-yDynf9VxSXjQ" width="156" /> <img height="200" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOtPgEPHSEPQqt9ucSz6MXJfGwBDcaWGG49TMAdfJVqEkvSEkwZg" width="200" /> <img src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGcfWWcz2pPgmLPbJ4PreLcEJ3loVaojtSYqTgcJRds3uqDdQR" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>This is Colette!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="http://images.crateandbarrel.com/is/image/Crate/ColetteBedroomCllectnFI2F11?extend=110,110,110,110&$web_zoom$&wid=598&hei=598" width="320" /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em>This is our bedroom (picture from the listing), the doors on the right were taken down and walled off. It lead to my son's room, which he thought was great. </em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5l5bCESJuaBe4gmHZOfhrNDhG62W4sB-Pz2LWXa23s_BeDf_M-KL-_PwBkq0VI2c2-Qrnb8kR9e5BHGaCMgALxYvY2EUPRO0AU9rq-YOghwZZ5OuTa04FnHGLL_mw4SSkkdWcvk-7WA/s1600/110002335_8_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5l5bCESJuaBe4gmHZOfhrNDhG62W4sB-Pz2LWXa23s_BeDf_M-KL-_PwBkq0VI2c2-Qrnb8kR9e5BHGaCMgALxYvY2EUPRO0AU9rq-YOghwZZ5OuTa04FnHGLL_mw4SSkkdWcvk-7WA/s320/110002335_8_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8vm6B1ZbsfJZDAd5MjuCpsmVco43767Nbvr6-EH7cc4Poy5-6ZLiLHWyxN2I7giGyzAFTDe5mPIwBk7I6kOtCp5iwh5YMxGw7g8ZiVWrgQEMw8gjTF_yoVWhaBjk9ugF6oQ3g8BsPg/s1600/110002335_7_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8vm6B1ZbsfJZDAd5MjuCpsmVco43767Nbvr6-EH7cc4Poy5-6ZLiLHWyxN2I7giGyzAFTDe5mPIwBk7I6kOtCp5iwh5YMxGw7g8ZiVWrgQEMw8gjTF_yoVWhaBjk9ugF6oQ3g8BsPg/s320/110002335_7_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I think the top colors have the more serene spa feel to it. I also really liked the way tan/greige/ivory colors looked and I think this would give the room a different feel. The bed is a natural linen color and I don't want it to blend into the wall. One idea I had was to paint the room a Ivory/tan color and the master bath the blue/green color. My call out to you is to ask where you would go with color. I also need to select drapery so any thoughts on that would also be appreciated. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you for visiting my blog</span>!</i><br />
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<em><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia;">Linking To These Parties:</span></em></div><br />
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<center><a href="http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WzPdfImjyJ8/Ti3RiAl7TrI/AAAAAAAAbsk/EOZi_5qvP7o/s1600/One+on+sidebar.jpg" /></a></center><center><a href="http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f136/butterflygirlms/Request/CraftomaniacMondayButton.png" /></a> </center><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://makingtheworldcuter.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Making" border="0" src="http://i367.photobucket.com/albums/oo119/tiffhewlett/plain-button.png" /></a></div><div align="center"><a href="http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/" title="Sumo's Sweet stuff"><img alt="Sumo's Sweet Stuff" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ituGXqzA50Hvhp8s5up09tJuchgM0rIhXzVodmOpxU4FMk14ok4DIre6BSFnQpD6XPzp1JkQFYifLC3k26pUJNXGSvLeOmS3Qs0ID-5wo5K5EXVk6F9N2ToyhxMffJwu3_iOzP7lh-0i/" style="border: none;" /></a></div>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-77337643131018832822011-12-07T15:53:00.000-08:002011-12-08T15:07:00.428-08:00A Princess's Kingdom!<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am so incredibly pleased with how my daughter's room turned out. She slept in her room for the first time since I started this (3 weeks ago) and I asked her today what she thought of sleeping in there. She said " oh mommy, I loved it! I felt like I was in a fairytale!!" </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I know I gave what was suppose to be a sneak peek a couple of days ago, <a href="http://mycreativepink.blogspot.com/2011/12/princess-room-big-sneak-peek.html">here</a>. Of course I was a bit picture happy and showed you the whole room minus the furniture. Today I will show you the room complete with furniture. I had in mind to purchase a brand new bedding set but wasn't having much luck find the perfect one. Well as it turns out her current bedding was perfect for the room. I was lucky enough to find curtains at Bed, Bath and Beyond. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">Just a quick recap: </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">The mural was created using a stencil kit from <a href="http://www.mywonderfulwalls.com/princess-girls-room.html">My Wonderful Walls</a>. I added shading details and the special detail to the princess's dresses. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">Wall Color: Serene Sky (Behr) Peridot (Behr), hills faux painted using glaze and craft paint. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">I added a clear protective coat made by Valspar because the hills seemed to wipe off during touch ups. This added a sheen to the stenciled images (craft paint is matte) and makes me feel more comfortable that all my hard work is protected</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">Toy Storage is the Trofast from Ikea and I LOVE them!</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;"><em>My Wonderful Walls is offering my readers 15% off of their entire purchase now thru December 31, 2011 just use coupon code: </em><span style="color: black;">Mcp15</span><em> </em></span><br />
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<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">Okay on to the complete room, you may now enter:</span></em><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Before:</em></span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjBAXwN-B7sUwwtu7R0_JOtzhyfkwCmnk727WZEPkzD1zrRK4YFfeTIWh-NuONiNJS_B1z0AuD3H5N6wjQYioihIG3MyBqGlKoCrpbwNP9MIVUA0nMdeQ0eD6EiLtkNv3Rn-BW4x_2Q/s1600/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjBAXwN-B7sUwwtu7R0_JOtzhyfkwCmnk727WZEPkzD1zrRK4YFfeTIWh-NuONiNJS_B1z0AuD3H5N6wjQYioihIG3MyBqGlKoCrpbwNP9MIVUA0nMdeQ0eD6EiLtkNv3Rn-BW4x_2Q/s320/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+114.JPG" width="212" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BgA5QjBk_zcPnSsdgn168MjUsBWoowpsJHFXOVNXrJOAma4vOSWcwIZmKP99phpVt8DdULeqcb99oOFF2b0dDcwc1dvwZSw6mM1Eet-UBtxjqqNPXOwnKZYZAsa_N4mhinJgoMOtmA/s1600/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BgA5QjBk_zcPnSsdgn168MjUsBWoowpsJHFXOVNXrJOAma4vOSWcwIZmKP99phpVt8DdULeqcb99oOFF2b0dDcwc1dvwZSw6mM1Eet-UBtxjqqNPXOwnKZYZAsa_N4mhinJgoMOtmA/s320/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+115.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After:</span></em></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbCoHjYMPIw_L77b0DSSGyDn14FyN1fFY816olAXovKBkCYkksc9qmLt0S-G5YGe9O98u9PXTBMkUx0ebTcUICUZCEsH-Zs6J5zhKfHj6hzcnPz3Wp2e7kqy0rT3CTPV-W7CL-j5Q4g/s1600/abby%2527s+room+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbCoHjYMPIw_L77b0DSSGyDn14FyN1fFY816olAXovKBkCYkksc9qmLt0S-G5YGe9O98u9PXTBMkUx0ebTcUICUZCEsH-Zs6J5zhKfHj6hzcnPz3Wp2e7kqy0rT3CTPV-W7CL-j5Q4g/s400/abby%2527s+room+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0fUHiVv2bOOSFeN-xhIVDxUo4PAv81D9XH2XjWB0l3FN9eNJSCvP9UXtYTxLTcbl_Vv8FIXduXnNW8ziaGur0Z_p8MpAcrXU_G0EaxF0ibkmOIK_YmEhZKt8aYkMPWWCqMf0SAPl6w/s1600/abby%2527s+room+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0fUHiVv2bOOSFeN-xhIVDxUo4PAv81D9XH2XjWB0l3FN9eNJSCvP9UXtYTxLTcbl_Vv8FIXduXnNW8ziaGur0Z_p8MpAcrXU_G0EaxF0ibkmOIK_YmEhZKt8aYkMPWWCqMf0SAPl6w/s400/abby%2527s+room+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hxUoc3xpK37kv0zGfk_4mjWSR5YIGcsNlN0AJ5z_XmWBXdYkQNdpHHvR9sVsB2oOiQ4u4sIXD0VYvgxWDU4aF9FWwZJWkUmSOTruQtqOFhp5KrTf2Y5Lz-fUWCYFnimSEaBDoItRhQ/s1600/abby%2527s+room+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hxUoc3xpK37kv0zGfk_4mjWSR5YIGcsNlN0AJ5z_XmWBXdYkQNdpHHvR9sVsB2oOiQ4u4sIXD0VYvgxWDU4aF9FWwZJWkUmSOTruQtqOFhp5KrTf2Y5Lz-fUWCYFnimSEaBDoItRhQ/s400/abby%2527s+room+011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> A little detail:</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr_0SuHGorBKC9Z4h67DTX0qnrWDRFxv8PIY-hjgxPPY79C7m-gHl0ewv2As26jbGDeOLnJUl17VWeFSn5VqnJelmI4jjmjnwAyCA6OpZWdYb4bh2Y60sz-yudwf0DAMiUP9ecGy6pQ/s1600/abby%2527s+room+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr_0SuHGorBKC9Z4h67DTX0qnrWDRFxv8PIY-hjgxPPY79C7m-gHl0ewv2As26jbGDeOLnJUl17VWeFSn5VqnJelmI4jjmjnwAyCA6OpZWdYb4bh2Y60sz-yudwf0DAMiUP9ecGy6pQ/s400/abby%2527s+room+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDgc9eS3iynt0qkeasN8Wm3jfe_g-XS3jWR4D2x1rYjenWrFz61gjBlDtPoO9oUpVcrAWZ6OD4YOou8K23ZZumkFBYf62SP2BZmSej4jxdoT9LC4ONMcBv9xlyNqikAfwPCn-k0817A/s1600/abby%2527s+room+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDgc9eS3iynt0qkeasN8Wm3jfe_g-XS3jWR4D2x1rYjenWrFz61gjBlDtPoO9oUpVcrAWZ6OD4YOou8K23ZZumkFBYf62SP2BZmSej4jxdoT9LC4ONMcBv9xlyNqikAfwPCn-k0817A/s400/abby%2527s+room+006.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvoP5mjiG6_kZEklKrD4X8e-WpgVfJxYJ18pm608BySMuZcxOyweXxoUKuDWCf5G7npyp4yzonHb-WekCY7tG4zejwNlJSDxXwXVJ3p3NwTKhw6HzTDqeAnJmG2Z3jyLtpMBy6J-8YA/s1600/abby%2527s+room+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvoP5mjiG6_kZEklKrD4X8e-WpgVfJxYJ18pm608BySMuZcxOyweXxoUKuDWCf5G7npyp4yzonHb-WekCY7tG4zejwNlJSDxXwXVJ3p3NwTKhw6HzTDqeAnJmG2Z3jyLtpMBy6J-8YA/s320/abby%2527s+room+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are a total of 3 princess on the wall, I posted up close pictures in my sneak peek here: <a href="http://mycreativepink.blogspot.com/2011/12/princess-room-big-sneak-peek.html">Princesses</a></span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">Thank you so much for letting you share my daughter's room. I worked really hard and it was totally worth it to see how delighted my little girl is. Next up will be my son's room which will be finished a a few weeks. </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">Linking to these Parties:</span></em></div><a href="http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy63/brockmeb/th_wowuswedparty.jpg" /></a><br />
<a border="0" href="http://cleanandscentsible.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee455/simplyklassic/Clean%20and%20%20Scentsible/CleanScentsiblePartyButton.png" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.houseofhepworths.com/"><img alt="HookingupwithHoH" src="http://www.houseofhepworths.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/HookinupwithHoHnew2.png" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="shabby creek cottage" border="0" src="http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb119/tightwadtips/SCCTTBadge.png" /></a><br />
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<center><a href="http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrT22HzwR-sx9Y3qC-g_1gbu4XEpwmvfVPYNBaT4yzfQIF7K2ZGAGyqtsnHc7GdGlUA48lcLTe2f9pqBgYkNkOExkWLXNBi6GgUwxa_0_PATIprpmPS2A7zrJMqCmN04f2iOaUxVr9hXM/s1600/1aaaeiffelgfairy.jpg" /></a></center><br />
<a href="http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/thecharmofhome/th_1aaacastle-2-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-2257093326130877032011-12-05T09:28:00.000-08:002011-12-06T09:06:49.071-08:00Princess Room a Big Sneak Peek!<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Moving into a new house doesn't leave much time for blogging but I am excited to give you a glimpse into what I have been working on the last couple of weeks. The first project I have tackled in the new house is my 5 year old daughter's room. I wanted to do something more then paint the walls and had researched DIY mural's. I was happy to find several options from paint by number, wall stickers, and wall stencils. I showed my daughter several different styles from fairy's to garden themed but she was adamant about having a princess room. I decided to go with</em></span><a href="http://www.mywonderfulwalls.com/princess_stencil_kit.html"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> <span style="color: #134f5c;">My Wonderful Walls Perfectly Princess Stencil Kit</span></em></span></a><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>, (see coupon code below) I liked the number of stencils and thought with this I could really create a "Kingdom" in the room. The stencil kit arrived very quickly and included brushes and a color suggestion chart. I changed up the colors slightly but only in the shades of the particular colors. I started out painting the backdrop for the stencils, a sky and hill scene. I have to say finding the perfect sky and hill color took me some time. I had planned on painting the sky portion pink but my daughter told me "the sky is not pink it is blue" and she wanted her sky to be blue too. Okay, finding a sky blue color that wasn't to blue, gray, or loud was a process but I finally found it and it is beautiful!! I chose Serene Sky by Behr and for the hills I chose Peridot. Once the room was painted (thanks to the help of my sister and hubby) I decided to add addition depth to the hills and faux painted them. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>On to the stenciling, I had some concerns with how the stencils would work on my textured walls. I spoke with the owner of my wonderful walls and he did say they would work but that it would had some bleed through. It did have bleed though but I had plenty of background color and it was easily touched up. I will show this to you in the pictures below. The hardest touch up was on the faux painted hills because it wasn't just a solid color that I could dab into but I figured it out. It took me quite a few days to complete the room but I am so pleased with the results. I think I would have been done sooner but I really wanted to add a little more detail to the images and I went back and added shading and detail to the princess dresses. It is not necessary to do that because the stencils on there own are loving but I do like the effect he added detail gives. If you are looking for something to make your child's room special I would recommend</em></span><a href="http://www.mywonderfulwalls.com/"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #0b5394;"> My Wonderful Walls</span>.</em></span></a><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> I am giving you just a sneak peak into the painting of the room because the room isn't fully put together yet. I havent' decided on curtains and bedspread just yet. I will be back this week with the "BIG" reveal! Once this room is complete I will be starting on my son's room which is a Pirate theme, I just order his mural which is a paint by number Pirate Map Mural. Well I hope you enjoy this little sneak peak!</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;"><em>Here is a coupon code especially for my readers: </em><span style="color: black;">Mcp15</span><em> Enjoy 15% off your entire purchase at<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://www.mywonderfulwalls.com/"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">My Wonderful Walls</span></a> until December 31, 2011. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Before:</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjBAXwN-B7sUwwtu7R0_JOtzhyfkwCmnk727WZEPkzD1zrRK4YFfeTIWh-NuONiNJS_B1z0AuD3H5N6wjQYioihIG3MyBqGlKoCrpbwNP9MIVUA0nMdeQ0eD6EiLtkNv3Rn-BW4x_2Q/s1600/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjBAXwN-B7sUwwtu7R0_JOtzhyfkwCmnk727WZEPkzD1zrRK4YFfeTIWh-NuONiNJS_B1z0AuD3H5N6wjQYioihIG3MyBqGlKoCrpbwNP9MIVUA0nMdeQ0eD6EiLtkNv3Rn-BW4x_2Q/s400/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+114.JPG" width="265" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BgA5QjBk_zcPnSsdgn168MjUsBWoowpsJHFXOVNXrJOAma4vOSWcwIZmKP99phpVt8DdULeqcb99oOFF2b0dDcwc1dvwZSw6mM1Eet-UBtxjqqNPXOwnKZYZAsa_N4mhinJgoMOtmA/s1600/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BgA5QjBk_zcPnSsdgn168MjUsBWoowpsJHFXOVNXrJOAma4vOSWcwIZmKP99phpVt8DdULeqcb99oOFF2b0dDcwc1dvwZSw6mM1Eet-UBtxjqqNPXOwnKZYZAsa_N4mhinJgoMOtmA/s400/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+115.JPG" width="400" /></em></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Painting:</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQMNL9Chu-04zPb_vMlLXUMUzhXajQjnlcmJTDOMZRXaCR4viC10780YfvhB8PzFVIYGuZ9kiyN4Z0l2hbxGZZq-1BJkbiXzqJKrQZ-tbEvnWDGm8rATXWDwK6kI3WfXLKA_8WmKbsw/s1600/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQMNL9Chu-04zPb_vMlLXUMUzhXajQjnlcmJTDOMZRXaCR4viC10780YfvhB8PzFVIYGuZ9kiyN4Z0l2hbxGZZq-1BJkbiXzqJKrQZ-tbEvnWDGm8rATXWDwK6kI3WfXLKA_8WmKbsw/s400/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+128.JPG" width="400" /></em></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Adding the faux touch:</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-mkmcrYsxZiE6wJ2xri6fNJRsBrgRfd_sxsa1Ryn6Gl-qQ4YSyRKXlTkHENVdqN1K64h2JDo747aiDs5OvrOMzZ-MK23vS7PqYkwZqTVoi6KamrRp6bWMjYInb42cNPGgtyu_r-TJg/s1600/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-mkmcrYsxZiE6wJ2xri6fNJRsBrgRfd_sxsa1Ryn6Gl-qQ4YSyRKXlTkHENVdqN1K64h2JDo747aiDs5OvrOMzZ-MK23vS7PqYkwZqTVoi6KamrRp6bWMjYInb42cNPGgtyu_r-TJg/s400/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+131.JPG" width="400" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> Bleeding Through</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43k4MI82ta3sT7_HL4d8NK1JyLbcWzyDuWZF2h_oZHIjEhq_Q1cinm4yWvOvs9pTDbNC5sqpPJIPNMTcqjajSgTlyK05njol-sDuiDfPLAScr1TQldckrhMqSUlIHghuVZa-Xz1ETUA/s1600/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43k4MI82ta3sT7_HL4d8NK1JyLbcWzyDuWZF2h_oZHIjEhq_Q1cinm4yWvOvs9pTDbNC5sqpPJIPNMTcqjajSgTlyK05njol-sDuiDfPLAScr1TQldckrhMqSUlIHghuVZa-Xz1ETUA/s400/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+138.JPG" width="400" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> Touched up</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwbBDKpeiNlLFqTZZq1wLj3iDvqp4990lEgq1YEF0uycr5pOaTXDC7yForzJKcUh3HAAvWM4tZI2pFI2mAclulzCWCh_EHrx8qQI8fDYdwR4xsDkeC9gwxb4sOF1wclr-EUs2QUhQeA/s1600/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwbBDKpeiNlLFqTZZq1wLj3iDvqp4990lEgq1YEF0uycr5pOaTXDC7yForzJKcUh3HAAvWM4tZI2pFI2mAclulzCWCh_EHrx8qQI8fDYdwR4xsDkeC9gwxb4sOF1wclr-EUs2QUhQeA/s400/Abigail%2527s+room%252C+and+misc+139.JPG" width="400" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> Finished Painting:</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtbxHTRtpkbf7fqC2QInQe0l2-Xk1WcQD0NW54uMrJpgi5MR2Xw7_wZrpkYoa6ioSwy55S5PeVLJkPYHe6UNwWnsyAIeDBw3qQnxyxCSUR1Z16_mp2inSlbZU9ktyvSoy_JNBdI00bQ/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtbxHTRtpkbf7fqC2QInQe0l2-Xk1WcQD0NW54uMrJpgi5MR2Xw7_wZrpkYoa6ioSwy55S5PeVLJkPYHe6UNwWnsyAIeDBw3qQnxyxCSUR1Z16_mp2inSlbZU9ktyvSoy_JNBdI00bQ/s400/001.JPG" width="400" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68dne5uP4vQgblQxuZbEdeLNMtbE24_W21funmRkRs-f4tF7pwkxjVoXEzDeCPHWfaUG18KiqaOtI5Lhz2DHptt6bsGlQJw2QIZ8lOxlgGN3xLX0PqTPsWjfcCQU3JwYF84nXshGnCA/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68dne5uP4vQgblQxuZbEdeLNMtbE24_W21funmRkRs-f4tF7pwkxjVoXEzDeCPHWfaUG18KiqaOtI5Lhz2DHptt6bsGlQJw2QIZ8lOxlgGN3xLX0PqTPsWjfcCQU3JwYF84nXshGnCA/s400/002.JPG" width="400" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5ChHTU0Idh9Vft9d5NnsQ2EwfVGyLBzLrrXR78uxWtFP8O4mBoTwxuNFutGJBfHZmdDKUPzweF39cJnmiQS-bEeuqroTUcAxbmYseFn81gOkF25XPl9afn_T7iU4dsYWpRFjKmxhuQ/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5ChHTU0Idh9Vft9d5NnsQ2EwfVGyLBzLrrXR78uxWtFP8O4mBoTwxuNFutGJBfHZmdDKUPzweF39cJnmiQS-bEeuqroTUcAxbmYseFn81gOkF25XPl9afn_T7iU4dsYWpRFjKmxhuQ/s400/003.JPG" width="400" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLHEKZ2XlYD9Bf3ITFH6Nbxj6SHNXxtl5BDRQH90513xveiyIr-PrzGPAnb-KvUAghPX97ZUWZNJdMkyFZWyCcX29GyiztSNGtwU0F2ya2bSgzSJAdD9iEMkVJ5tzoem3p68Wep4bvg/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLHEKZ2XlYD9Bf3ITFH6Nbxj6SHNXxtl5BDRQH90513xveiyIr-PrzGPAnb-KvUAghPX97ZUWZNJdMkyFZWyCcX29GyiztSNGtwU0F2ya2bSgzSJAdD9iEMkVJ5tzoem3p68Wep4bvg/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> Just a little detail:</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPDG-i3i86mWOeo7KTx03xoqFvuf__T33gwu714AsXQfeooHMmkv8SlQyB-a4U8STPLYAthhyphenhyphenqXk90xu2O1wUBamSX53kBjkkORhu6SAD7M1TYBmpBPbEcQd433DWn7X6iMuzQ8t2qQ/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPDG-i3i86mWOeo7KTx03xoqFvuf__T33gwu714AsXQfeooHMmkv8SlQyB-a4U8STPLYAthhyphenhyphenqXk90xu2O1wUBamSX53kBjkkORhu6SAD7M1TYBmpBPbEcQd433DWn7X6iMuzQ8t2qQ/s400/005.JPG" width="400" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> The three requested Princesses all dressed up!</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s4vRqiskYu_rLLh7AscnJiDlC-kaTOF86YvLUsVzAlWm14tUvqL4UBQfFX4kD0ilFH4o2NYSAu3tsKkdSLpyxAaHjTno5X2ZxPYh397SlqliGWor-nx8OpnK7O_Rr2ivIarTt84WvA/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s4vRqiskYu_rLLh7AscnJiDlC-kaTOF86YvLUsVzAlWm14tUvqL4UBQfFX4kD0ilFH4o2NYSAu3tsKkdSLpyxAaHjTno5X2ZxPYh397SlqliGWor-nx8OpnK7O_Rr2ivIarTt84WvA/s400/006.JPG" width="265" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1S4b9BaAMAUPgFn8t0vGmFt8ww_g9AMRbdtJJHhXmiW0lk8Mi7fLGWU2AIdnbMGLc-vQkeTgpDmowzCDOZ-wgRkP8y1tIJcwkS9lrsxw-tW2U1mzCNu3QQenP3XZYs0EGgjihnwh0Q/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1S4b9BaAMAUPgFn8t0vGmFt8ww_g9AMRbdtJJHhXmiW0lk8Mi7fLGWU2AIdnbMGLc-vQkeTgpDmowzCDOZ-wgRkP8y1tIJcwkS9lrsxw-tW2U1mzCNu3QQenP3XZYs0EGgjihnwh0Q/s400/007.JPG" width="265" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoJkt7hUhE8SHFboSch6rgZDPXeLhs8ILIRy_OZU3E8X1Bs_uCcd1EOjB59VSMPsmFGdmkttEDT7RxycfSdE2izDY3daqoHA5J1Ar8R2uCW_8uZBo05lXfoVboObivTM57-ES331ALQ/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" dda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoJkt7hUhE8SHFboSch6rgZDPXeLhs8ILIRy_OZU3E8X1Bs_uCcd1EOjB59VSMPsmFGdmkttEDT7RxycfSdE2izDY3daqoHA5J1Ar8R2uCW_8uZBo05lXfoVboObivTM57-ES331ALQ/s400/008.JPG" width="265" /></em></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em></em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I hope you enjoyed looking at my blog today. I will be back in a few days to share the completed room with you!</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia;">Linking to these great Parties!! </span></em><em><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2011/12/pottery-barn-christmas-garland-tutorial.html#more"><img alt="" border="0" height="185" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568132835796287554" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x908CSKJhI4/TUX7UBvTgEI/AAAAAAAAW7k/MVgnfNcOk7I/s200/Pic_for_Body_of_Blog.jpg" style="display: block; height: 235px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 253px;" width="200" /></a></span></em></div><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://makingtheworldcuter.com/blog/">Making the World Cuter Monday</a></span>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-7302742337697425002011-11-14T10:44:00.000-08:002011-11-14T10:44:16.394-08:00All Moved In, Let the Projects Begin!<span style="color: #134f5c;">The great thing about moving is it allows you to get rid of a certain amount of junk that has been collected. I thought that I would have a difficult time doing this but low and behold, I got rid of a lot of stuff. The only thing I didn't seem to go through was my crafting stuff but I will get to that when we put my craft/guest bedroom together. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">I want to do so much to the house it has overwhelmed me. We bought our house through a short-sale and the house was not cared for at all. Every where I look there is scuffs, dirty walls, holes, leaks, an area of a window where the dog scratched straight to the metal, and the list is growing. We had quite a bit of rain and discovered a link in the roof. The good news is other then the leak most of the list is cosmetic and patch up and painting will make a huge difference. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">If we knew for sure this was our forever house we would do a kitchen renovation, new flooring and carpet but that is on hold until we are sure. The first 2 or so weeks I have sat around so unsure of what I can do in the DIY fashion that isn't going to break the bank but that will add style and value the house. I have decided that the kids rooms was a great place to start. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">One of the main things I wanted to do was figure out toy storage and buy dressers for my son. So off to Ikea I went and purchased 6 Trofast storage systems, two 3 drawer Malm dressers and one 6 drawer Malm dressers. Well actually I ended up having to build the frame of the 6 drawer twice! My older girl was helping me and lost her balance falling through the back of the dresser (she is fine). This broke three pieces but thankfully Ikea exchanged the whole thing. I don't have pictures of mine but just so you can see what I have done the last few days, most of which happened yesterday (all three dressers and two Trofast) here are pictures:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHkAq8LNCXTs4ysVfWxihRp-OExf0KXo-uWRpGm5xgwZqHf5-LmiNx7qFi12kYs0Q9Y_wG4w76xkzCw7jQ3jWDjMGYpcDwySROnxjekT58Ihn-BroUFvM52_0H5c4Oa4vg6lvEs91gA/s1600/malm--drawer-chest__74485_PE191628_S4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHkAq8LNCXTs4ysVfWxihRp-OExf0KXo-uWRpGm5xgwZqHf5-LmiNx7qFi12kYs0Q9Y_wG4w76xkzCw7jQ3jWDjMGYpcDwySROnxjekT58Ihn-BroUFvM52_0H5c4Oa4vg6lvEs91gA/s200/malm--drawer-chest__74485_PE191628_S4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbnfKDqMIcmbz326d28I6ENi5b-t1TRA352XR00S4sCshPoAfeH3ohudj7osUDKFAuXgekhKuTcUCW573000H54xzjnDIfUORIIYfolDHx-nq_touOcXIX4fMKhubBmwI8G-fJjI2yA/s1600/malm--drawer-chest__0132190_PE286970_S4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbnfKDqMIcmbz326d28I6ENi5b-t1TRA352XR00S4sCshPoAfeH3ohudj7osUDKFAuXgekhKuTcUCW573000H54xzjnDIfUORIIYfolDHx-nq_touOcXIX4fMKhubBmwI8G-fJjI2yA/s200/malm--drawer-chest__0132190_PE286970_S4.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYT91OgObKegFn2ZE06SQnV5VbT6lvUpUhgMKQIbUcoYnc70cLVzYhp2WRkmYa7APeSWfRJwysf8mxJn_dFdxCxaLvb5HDBrshGq0SOKYJxRw75OzEbPqetQP5_v37UFNC5NHDmPgOgg/s1600/trofast-frame__0092949_PE229758_S4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYT91OgObKegFn2ZE06SQnV5VbT6lvUpUhgMKQIbUcoYnc70cLVzYhp2WRkmYa7APeSWfRJwysf8mxJn_dFdxCxaLvb5HDBrshGq0SOKYJxRw75OzEbPqetQP5_v37UFNC5NHDmPgOgg/s200/trofast-frame__0092949_PE229758_S4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_kRdsho9qjiwUwtAfFkMid3GkCetp4NTdyvw-DSnUdjoC-6kZnVXvQEEE_7jyXS27KNwOHF_JofVA11f5CEKPxj5LSFLMDVdHyg8MGuqNJ_cZT1uRcAsahfO77hu1A-FM8hObbjy-w/s1600/trofast-frame__63333_PE170862_S4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_kRdsho9qjiwUwtAfFkMid3GkCetp4NTdyvw-DSnUdjoC-6kZnVXvQEEE_7jyXS27KNwOHF_JofVA11f5CEKPxj5LSFLMDVdHyg8MGuqNJ_cZT1uRcAsahfO77hu1A-FM8hObbjy-w/s200/trofast-frame__63333_PE170862_S4.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJyO5U8rWNXADNP1Lefewvv-VaLI5rQUvlereb9xXKgktqb5cIMw5hXPOkZ2cgY5XTwA-ADGAmxTBI53u-MQzFk4zt8l5IFL3a5CiCkUOsy-UDpliUHJjLXNkh4xSc6BDMzI0czee4w/s1600/trofast-frame__0092949_PE229758_S4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJyO5U8rWNXADNP1Lefewvv-VaLI5rQUvlereb9xXKgktqb5cIMw5hXPOkZ2cgY5XTwA-ADGAmxTBI53u-MQzFk4zt8l5IFL3a5CiCkUOsy-UDpliUHJjLXNkh4xSc6BDMzI0czee4w/s200/trofast-frame__0092949_PE229758_S4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <img border="0" height="200" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVs3j5PmcVDjNhxp914bz9Av9Z2Kj82m4EeUxfbtUDcuffkvVu6VI2aXLcYzPwSezMZiJNNXpLyl65Skt0Slml1I_1v8IiuPN1aGXdJSKQBV57fO1PMYpu6IkyCZ5a9uA9MXC8TAgFrQ/s200/trofast-frame__0092949_PE229758_S4.jpg" width="200" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYt_Rq2ZKB3bhyphenhyphen8676xNoybj-lF1kYiaP_mbpD89QVR0So5iniqLiw8jc5G6A_haSLOO_Xrim6m-q-HltRPMf9H26Mfu_O2vF6r8JCrXqMcksZGbcPuaTkCb6q0_CIkOkq_ibmkxA7g/s1600/trofast-frame__0092949_PE229758_S4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYt_Rq2ZKB3bhyphenhyphen8676xNoybj-lF1kYiaP_mbpD89QVR0So5iniqLiw8jc5G6A_haSLOO_Xrim6m-q-HltRPMf9H26Mfu_O2vF6r8JCrXqMcksZGbcPuaTkCb6q0_CIkOkq_ibmkxA7g/s200/trofast-frame__0092949_PE229758_S4.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">I have to say, Ikea is so easy to put together. I know it isn't top quality but I think it is top quality in this type of furniture.. okay did that make any sense? It is sturdy, cost effective and again putting it together was a cinch, time consuming but easy! </span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;">I have ordered a princess stencil kit for my little girls room and for my little man room a Pirate Map.. I am excited to get started on the decorating and painting for their rooms. I am still trying to figure out paint colors and such but the building of the furniture and has given me a boost to start doing what I can. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">I hope to come back in the next few weeks with progress reports and maybe a project or two!</span>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-6817167744615665722011-10-11T10:51:00.000-07:002011-10-11T10:51:39.526-07:00Flooring, Painting, and Kitchen's on my mind!<em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It looks like I will be moving in the next couple of weeks. Several and when I say several I mean forever ago, we made an offer on a house being sold through a short-sale. It was a house that was not in an area we had previously been considering. We decided to look at it anyways because it had the number of bedrooms we wanted and we figured it would give us layout ideas. Now, my husband and I have looked and many, many houses over the years from brand new model homes to fixer-uppers with the swap-thing living in the pool. We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted but the two main things were 5 bedrooms and a large backyard. We had been focusing on a particular area which would have moved us 20 or so minutes further north but with the location came the $$$ price. We looked at the house, the BACKYARD and then left. Over the next few days both my husband and I were thinking the same thing, should we seriously be consider that house. It has the two main things we want and it is offered at a much lower price than anything we have seen. We talked about it and decided to go take a more thorough look at the house. Even though the house is only 10 years old it needs some help. It is a house where at one time had 5 teenagers living in it and it shows. It was built with all builder grade materials with absolutely no upgrades. We looked past that and saw what we could do to make it home. Walking into the backyard is a highlight of the house, with palm trees, pool, deck all wrapped up in about 13,000 sq feet! We again questioned the area, it's not in the hood but wasn't where we planned. We had to adjust our thoughts on that, we realized we would not get anything like this anywhere else, we could put a little money into it and make it amazing, and still be in for less then what the new houses or even the older house are going for in other areas. Our offer got accepted a few months later but then we had to enter into the loan phase of things. This was the hardest part but in the end we got the loan approval and signed loan docs on Friday. We should have keys this weekend! </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia;">Although I am excited, I am also very nervous. I am so exited to move in and start the upgrading but the whole change part of moving is tough. We have money to start upgrade but the furniture part will have to wait. We will have a mish-moshing of stuff for the next couple of years but seriously if we had money to fully furnish a house we would be buying in La Jolla, so it's okay. </span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia;">We have picked out our new flooring, which I love but every time I mention my flooring selection I am met with "dark floors show everything". Here is a room scene with the flooring: </span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.georgiacarpet.com/images/hardwood/mohawk/mohawk-santa-barbera/room-scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://www.georgiacarpet.com/images/hardwood/mohawk/mohawk-santa-barbera/room-scene.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia;">It made me second guess and I went back to the flooring store to possibly change but in the end I love the dark floors and I will invest in a Swiffer! We are going to focus on the first floor upgrades only and will be adding the flooring to the entrance, walkway, family room, kitchen and dining room (leaving carpet in the living room and stairs) The best part about the flooring is we got them for 1/2 off what the normal sales price would be. In all honestly I had planned on a color a shade lighter then this but the price difference was double and it just didn't make sense. The other major upgrade will be to the kitchen, yikes! </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia;">Oh, this is what I want to be the highlight of the house. I have many kitchens pictures saved, they are all white cottage kitchens. Of course my kitchen isn't close to the size of any of these pictures but I am hoping to have a mini version. Here are a few of my saved ideas: </span></em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZPvsxCK0VEtJHuFPfG0C-frwxzgq4Ierixnj9ubfBxl5noSsWtFIY3-C2JCAWlpKBvgXJh4Mm-WOEsjxrzIQ9Ypqkf9qACCnWzkr1uc2HOpvxRBpbRWnthyphenhyphenp0W8Ai_lMXGCxXNe7Wg/s1600/1a50af718db7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZPvsxCK0VEtJHuFPfG0C-frwxzgq4Ierixnj9ubfBxl5noSsWtFIY3-C2JCAWlpKBvgXJh4Mm-WOEsjxrzIQ9Ypqkf9qACCnWzkr1uc2HOpvxRBpbRWnthyphenhyphenp0W8Ai_lMXGCxXNe7Wg/s320/1a50af718db7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnT86wmrCfXLv09-JlLCuJpvXaAl_5XoV02nvjpPRtaTalb5Za2ryyiup-CyVGAuf1lqKdpflDXjzifH3aRu_2pERFLbRnHs5doXxGfzdO7_6lE_b2BFVJLhRrcwuWva-NgW9KBqxUQ/s1600/696b55e66b03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnT86wmrCfXLv09-JlLCuJpvXaAl_5XoV02nvjpPRtaTalb5Za2ryyiup-CyVGAuf1lqKdpflDXjzifH3aRu_2pERFLbRnHs5doXxGfzdO7_6lE_b2BFVJLhRrcwuWva-NgW9KBqxUQ/s320/696b55e66b03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QOyYXfQw13-Fw0xPashKP9WqWMqgB79a5X5v-T26fWaz9PKCGH18PvDi5qCJ3LBJ1aSV1-glHIr-wcxVOFea7lZiTVy8U_xTWOMabYozlnfeqB4ZfixejOJ5gq70p7LF1I-gE0j59A/s1600/french+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QOyYXfQw13-Fw0xPashKP9WqWMqgB79a5X5v-T26fWaz9PKCGH18PvDi5qCJ3LBJ1aSV1-glHIr-wcxVOFea7lZiTVy8U_xTWOMabYozlnfeqB4ZfixejOJ5gq70p7LF1I-gE0j59A/s320/french+table.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia;">The last picture is a good representation of the actual size of my kitchen and what I have planned. There are 3 elements I am planning for the kitchen, creamy white cabinetry, an amazing back splash: </span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSguUPXy0fE98Phhn-qcuMcO2LUwn3xuoRApR_rQcLCg6n_t59F93Y_rVRizDoIvwV-5DTwX796E9XCdCWdQAmJ3NyOZSwejD2sSBWozwnxHDWSZtq321SUYHLjGZSAKi666aX6CJOQ/s1600/Arabesque-White-2-900x584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSguUPXy0fE98Phhn-qcuMcO2LUwn3xuoRApR_rQcLCg6n_t59F93Y_rVRizDoIvwV-5DTwX796E9XCdCWdQAmJ3NyOZSwejD2sSBWozwnxHDWSZtq321SUYHLjGZSAKi666aX6CJOQ/s1600/Arabesque-White-2-900x584.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia;"> An apron front sink:</span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6HHeW-OvHnQh_pIXwupizQ1zuxSv3lDGt5BPbiDxrKK6y_P7uC431ZoEQ-Z8RkbkITsdpf40QukH1B-o3571tZ6edLDuDXUaXAOBZ_0fWT7tEwUVrLy3Il4KtO0Ej48oD-NsfanKYA/s1600/sink15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6HHeW-OvHnQh_pIXwupizQ1zuxSv3lDGt5BPbiDxrKK6y_P7uC431ZoEQ-Z8RkbkITsdpf40QukH1B-o3571tZ6edLDuDXUaXAOBZ_0fWT7tEwUVrLy3Il4KtO0Ej48oD-NsfanKYA/s320/sink15.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia;"> and a nice cooking range. Of course the budget will dictate what actually becomes the kitchen but boy it is fun looking at these pictures!</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia;">Painting will take place all over the house but the one area that I have no clue about is the living room, entrance and stair area. These area's are all second floor high. Which means what ever color we paint has to be the right color because repainting will not be an option. In my last house I painted rooms more then once, one room 4 times! I want to have a warmer color or even a cooler mid-tone color. It also needs to be a color that can be considered a neutral color so that I bring colors in through accessories. I am really drawn to greys as well as grayish browns. </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia;">I have to remember that this isn't going to all happen overnight, that it is going to take time, possibly years before we get the house looking the way I would like it to look. I know decor doesn't make a home, my family makes it home and what a lovely home I have!</span></em>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-29644170387795567972011-09-24T14:09:00.000-07:002011-09-24T14:09:21.066-07:00Baked Oatmeal<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My family loves this Baked Oatmeal and I have made it several times for various morning potlucks. I found the recipe about 3 years ago on a blog but it has been a long time and I can't find the blog to credit. I had printed up the recipe and it was adapted from a Cooking Light recipe, however my family doesn't drink non-fat milk so I use 1% milk and I have used the whole egg vs. just the egg white. I also double the recipe which will fill a glass 9x11 baking pan. I hope your family enjoys this as much as my family has.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Baked Oatmeal</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ingredients</span></div><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 cups uncooked rolled oats</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/2 cup packed brown sugar </span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/3 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or any other dried fruit</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/4 cup chopped, peeled apple</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 teaspoon cinnamon</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/8 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice ( I use allspice)</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 1/2 cups fat-free milk </span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/2 cup applesauce </span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 tablespoons butter, melted </span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 egg whites, beaten (I use the whole egg)</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cooking spray </span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fresh Berries</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Directions:</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Preheat Oven to 375</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1. Combine dry ingredients (first 8) in medium bowl. Combine milk, applesauce, butter and eggs in a separate bowl and beat well. Add wet ingredients to dry and combine until moist</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpoqcY_X7t0M48k_JM-VihA-FLrIrKScUMw9Mw7l2Dben6Nrr2-Cv_ROyFf_Zpv0Sv-0ouCBLEWXAIWtWE6WQeoRTkp0z9nOT6dGk1UXz6bEtpaSzpm94kuFDucIvdkwLV0INS3urtA/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpoqcY_X7t0M48k_JM-VihA-FLrIrKScUMw9Mw7l2Dben6Nrr2-Cv_ROyFf_Zpv0Sv-0ouCBLEWXAIWtWE6WQeoRTkp0z9nOT6dGk1UXz6bEtpaSzpm94kuFDucIvdkwLV0INS3urtA/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I was so into taking my pictures that I forgot to actually mix up the dry ingrediants prior to pouring in the milk mixture..</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15de0f0oqZXABMmIQSxNJQvWJ5Vj_b7lyFhzgG7hDkjlr0LQ1pUA0Of7og5PoXm-VPc722X7CVt6SmAvmJvC3IOKb8Ap8efE7QKck4rB1Pak_nq9f31bEf0Dt3nqtNYNYGsMWVscDEg/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15de0f0oqZXABMmIQSxNJQvWJ5Vj_b7lyFhzgG7hDkjlr0LQ1pUA0Of7og5PoXm-VPc722X7CVt6SmAvmJvC3IOKb8Ap8efE7QKck4rB1Pak_nq9f31bEf0Dt3nqtNYNYGsMWVscDEg/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2. Pour mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. I use a 9 x 11 pan since I double the recipe. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes ( a tad longer if doubled)</span> <br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia;"></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY7wtbGT-qUNX7cXLSECkcUf06Cvw2PitmQVSCdkriMTlKTeyBabx7ieAdi4MiIJRh5MOYfPZYN1Ymzz8_AAzJrtXlbblCuRK2_xEsH4OwdqNxrGZYxABXaJ3jmHxLeZkUOnVn3YSZw/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY7wtbGT-qUNX7cXLSECkcUf06Cvw2PitmQVSCdkriMTlKTeyBabx7ieAdi4MiIJRh5MOYfPZYN1Ymzz8_AAzJrtXlbblCuRK2_xEsH4OwdqNxrGZYxABXaJ3jmHxLeZkUOnVn3YSZw/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS9LLUQfhvxUgFoAdEhkDIlZkzyFRb1hQ8Za-vqAIcobyc9h8oo_k40IDjRlE9DJkFYx5vqGPEdvPHZXphIWeYUNRNbcE-6aEq3oijbpTDD0nF3ALIq76dSZQDKbyvEcPDJD1pNgxVw/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS9LLUQfhvxUgFoAdEhkDIlZkzyFRb1hQ8Za-vqAIcobyc9h8oo_k40IDjRlE9DJkFYx5vqGPEdvPHZXphIWeYUNRNbcE-6aEq3oijbpTDD0nF3ALIq76dSZQDKbyvEcPDJD1pNgxVw/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3. Serve hot with a dash of milk poured over it. Serve with fresh berries</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yield: 5 to 6 servings</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGjwxYEL6rHAi5W6gOTknF3SZnu7yCvnDrp4udiQXUH7TiQ2d3zu3JJiABSwR4eHlCFQwNC_4TDrL-bS_C_fZevmz5cB0yIi-I8Gjs8kVt8Ns6DxwCoxhStexVNp4WjSArY_zF4tLDw/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGjwxYEL6rHAi5W6gOTknF3SZnu7yCvnDrp4udiQXUH7TiQ2d3zu3JJiABSwR4eHlCFQwNC_4TDrL-bS_C_fZevmz5cB0yIi-I8Gjs8kVt8Ns6DxwCoxhStexVNp4WjSArY_zF4tLDw/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Enjoy!!</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Linking:</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<center><a href="http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special" border="0" src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b243/signmakergirl/satnitenew150w-1.jpg" /></a></center>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-78502892043900272302011-09-23T10:47:00.000-07:002011-09-24T14:09:53.434-07:00Refinishing Decision and a Cane Chair<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I need to stop looking on Craigslist or I need a workshop! I see quite a few things that I would love to purchase but I have no where to store anything. As it is my den area looks reminiscent of a Sanford and Son episode. I mentioned earlier that I purchased a Henredon Table and 10 Henredon chairs off of Craigslist. I had the table and chairs outside ( shaded area) for about a week until I could make room for them in my garage but then it rained. Yes, it rained in San Diego in September. Thankfully one of my daughter's friends was getting picked up right as it started and her dad helped me get everything inside. I love the table and I have been afraid to start the refinishing on it. I contacted Henredon to see if I could get any information on the table and chairs. I sent them a picture and the numbers that were under the table. They got back to me the next day and they told me the table was from their Capri collection manufactured between 1968 and 1976. The table and the chairs are solid pecan wood and the table has a cherry veneer facing. It was so neat to be able to get that information but they stressed not to use harsh refinishing products on the table. I have been flip flopping back and forth as to what exactly I would like to do with the table. My plan was to refinish the table top with a wood stain and paint the table legs white like my Oak table however, I am starting to really love the warmth of an entire wood table offset with white chairs. This is a bit of a problem, if the table top was in great condition I would just leave it as is, even though it is has the speckled finish it is actually nice looking. There is no way I would be able to match a stain so I am contemplating trying to refinish and entire table. I know it can be done with time and patience's. I would love some input on this. </em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWayCztPnvJl2Sem7yXJsPGFzAGOenNDuoWg7TlJkMNjebQ3NxcMs6t_PAIzW2B35yGHvxca-FswqbVrDrbF1F0Ydw3752wK526zirEwpf6V8wRpvu5dBITnaYCpFznmImqGPXHdFUxA/s1600/DSCN0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWayCztPnvJl2Sem7yXJsPGFzAGOenNDuoWg7TlJkMNjebQ3NxcMs6t_PAIzW2B35yGHvxca-FswqbVrDrbF1F0Ydw3752wK526zirEwpf6V8wRpvu5dBITnaYCpFznmImqGPXHdFUxA/s320/DSCN0061.jpg" width="320" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I started to strip off the caning from one of the chairs, which is a LOT of work. In a perfect world all the chairs cane backs would have been perfect but many were broken. I really had hoped the captains chairs would have been intact but they were not. I plan to recane just the captain's chairs and then upholstery the other chairs. So much work but the whole set was $95, and I know I will enjoy working on it. Here is the picture again for reference: </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Well prior to finding the Henredon I bought the oak table and I found other cane back chairs. I finally got around to competing one of those chairs. I am happy with how it turned out. I used Annie Sloan's Paris Gray and Old White but instead of mixing the two colors together I dipped the end of the brush in each color. I used clear and dark wax and did a light distressing. I covered the seat using a canvas drop cloth. I did not sew the seat the way it was but I do plan to do that with the Henredon Chairs..</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I would really love your feed back and input as to what I should do with the Henredon table, should I go with my original plan of refinishing the tabletop and painting the rest white, or go with what I am being drawn to know a whole refinished table look? Do you have any experience refinishing an entire table and if so what advice would you give? </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Here is the before picture of the random cane chair I have:</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7CD5FzJzdhQg-mWe2ynUgffr9gVeIW5UwvrFOpB-NVLHqFY5IfpO7nPmvADBQbtMnrrnC1GLD8i4iiW8D_kYwYEGMqHQqml1q9w9GjCvo0qq3ncCLOXlPYt9Hv1ekZSXDe7FnIZruw/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" hca="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7CD5FzJzdhQg-mWe2ynUgffr9gVeIW5UwvrFOpB-NVLHqFY5IfpO7nPmvADBQbtMnrrnC1GLD8i4iiW8D_kYwYEGMqHQqml1q9w9GjCvo0qq3ncCLOXlPYt9Hv1ekZSXDe7FnIZruw/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" width="207" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> and the after </em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1GL9fgHA47vCEBrCasTnaVWS1FO_hqmTuufXS6cmiJyZQSIEZzN9qTNgYjNvhXlxtE2JxekIv5LJNcExFScxXLOl9VXr-mISFMhIiFcklI3Uqb6WqQd_bjsn_-0S53rikmoN-ZPwUQ/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" hca="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1GL9fgHA47vCEBrCasTnaVWS1FO_hqmTuufXS6cmiJyZQSIEZzN9qTNgYjNvhXlxtE2JxekIv5LJNcExFScxXLOl9VXr-mISFMhIiFcklI3Uqb6WqQd_bjsn_-0S53rikmoN-ZPwUQ/s320/015.JPG" width="208" /></em></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_Cf7aM_kdU1EFgZuR3DIQR0lAiwExPXUz4-OxKD2NwxRtFjssPvAZmErSjB1ACT65K85V1uCJNeVwzIn_69-mA1bAKaJyfNbKkWtXzqwk24kzAyGk083XW1t-JrjbIVn2IykSubsgw/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_Cf7aM_kdU1EFgZuR3DIQR0lAiwExPXUz4-OxKD2NwxRtFjssPvAZmErSjB1ACT65K85V1uCJNeVwzIn_69-mA1bAKaJyfNbKkWtXzqwk24kzAyGk083XW1t-JrjbIVn2IykSubsgw/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcOjdjgqCRqGYe403-0HbOfzJqYiLX-vWUctEWH4WW2bEdMnb8sUHY3mJhRnUQzMowOyBKL-5BTUjqsaqQ5u1moOIXWCNs7vSegSD1YDaoMZxb3o86hQgluSvMyt9szXwJnTzrpKfvw/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcOjdjgqCRqGYe403-0HbOfzJqYiLX-vWUctEWH4WW2bEdMnb8sUHY3mJhRnUQzMowOyBKL-5BTUjqsaqQ5u1moOIXWCNs7vSegSD1YDaoMZxb3o86hQgluSvMyt9szXwJnTzrpKfvw/s320/003.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZrm9Apzc1JHy81Jl5IZVcndkWEe8Y1J1mWiD19mWjZxtRy3HZsQFK4ovuU6ADgSA9AUUcz_VBV8tlOAHJfd_9PF3jMP7Q2gJM9XBCw82qzXCNoqh2HDqJyRNxc5ZmyseDNEPMsepJQ/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZrm9Apzc1JHy81Jl5IZVcndkWEe8Y1J1mWiD19mWjZxtRy3HZsQFK4ovuU6ADgSA9AUUcz_VBV8tlOAHJfd_9PF3jMP7Q2gJM9XBCw82qzXCNoqh2HDqJyRNxc5ZmyseDNEPMsepJQ/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">Linking:</div><br />
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<center><a href="http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrT22HzwR-sx9Y3qC-g_1gbu4XEpwmvfVPYNBaT4yzfQIF7K2ZGAGyqtsnHc7GdGlUA48lcLTe2f9pqBgYkNkOExkWLXNBi6GgUwxa_0_PATIprpmPS2A7zrJMqCmN04f2iOaUxVr9hXM/s1600/1aaaeiffelgfairy.jpg" /></a></center><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/thecharmofhome/th_1aaacastle-2-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/">http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/</a></div><br />
<center><a href="http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special" border="0" src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b243/signmakergirl/satnitenew150w-1.jpg" /></a></center>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-39561702860743878262011-09-14T19:59:00.000-07:002011-09-19T20:24:31.154-07:00Who Made This SALAD!!!???<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wr0O4eVm5X_GOmrf5WLI4XlKJICcvAsybk2DNXgb6WHmP_NhjU6M0HpHTrcP6_FsoS_wNJkvNeomfsk9630qUn7bVPfSi16Xhiu3fb1rmF1atP77V_BTAHAjUoOg4LSAIwnNXKbR7A/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wr0O4eVm5X_GOmrf5WLI4XlKJICcvAsybk2DNXgb6WHmP_NhjU6M0HpHTrcP6_FsoS_wNJkvNeomfsk9630qUn7bVPfSi16Xhiu3fb1rmF1atP77V_BTAHAjUoOg4LSAIwnNXKbR7A/s400/012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> I have decided to make an effort to cook healthy for my family but I also want it to be fun and tasty. One of the recipes I found was for a Couscous & Fruit Salad. I made this for dinner the night before my kick-off meeting for my MOPS group and decide to make extra to take the next day. When I pulled out everything that I needed, I realized my kids had eaten all but one of the nectarines. The raspberries I had purchased just 3 days prior were molded and had to be thrown away. I had blueberries which was great, but I knew it would need something else. Luckily, I had just purchased these delicious dried white grapes from Henry's Market. These actually made that salad for me. One other modification I made was to drizzle honey over the salad tossing it, and drizzle honey again. The shallot's in the salad were very strong and the I was hoping the honey would help, which it did very nicely. Next time I will actually half the amount of shallots called for. </span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia;">How did this salad work for my family? My husband seemed to eat most of his and added a second serving, my 17 year old ate hers right up, my 5 year old did alright with it, and my 3 year old son ate the fruit and left the couscous. I loved it, and I hoped my MOPS group would too. The next morning after having been chilled over night (when we ate it for dinner it wasn't chilled and it is way better chilled) I took it to my group. I was nervous that nobody would eat it. I like different salads but I didn't know if this was too different. Then half way through the meeting I hear "Who made this Salad???" I look up and I see Susie holding up my bowl and exclaiming how amazing it was. After the meeting 3 moms came up to me asking how to make it.. I found a winning recipe and wanted to share it here with you! I will note the modifications I made in the recipe in <span style="color: #e06666;">pink</span>. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did and my MOPS group did. In a few days I will be sharing with you my Baked Oatmeal Recipe which is another favorite amongst my MOPS group and my family!</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"> Enjoy!</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Couscous & Fruit Salad</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/couscous_fruit_salad.html"><span style="color: #e69138;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia;">adapted from Eating Well</span></em></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil</span></div><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 tablespoons orange juice</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 tablespoon cider vinegar</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 cups cooked whole-wheat couscous</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 cup chopped nectarine</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 cup mixed fresh berries, such as blueberries and raspberries</span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, (see Tip) (<span style="color: #e06666;"> I did not toast mine</span>)</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia;">Honey for drizzling and dried white grapes (purchased at Henry's Market bulk section)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;"><strong>Preparation:</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Whisk oil, orange juice, vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add cooked couscous, nectarines, dried grapes, berries and almonds; drizzle with honey (twice) gently toss to combine.</span></div><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Tip:</strong></span> <br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To toast sliced almonds, heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">The recipe as is serves 4, so just double or triple as needed!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Linking to:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy63/brockmeb/th_wowuswedparty.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a border="0" href="http://cleanandscentsible.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee455/simplyklassic/Clean%20and%20%20Scentsible/CleanScentsiblePartyButton.png" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="{Primp}"><img alt="{Primp}" src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y103/amycarver3/primpbutton2.jpg" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/thecharmofhome/th_1aaacastle-2-1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<center><a href="http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrT22HzwR-sx9Y3qC-g_1gbu4XEpwmvfVPYNBaT4yzfQIF7K2ZGAGyqtsnHc7GdGlUA48lcLTe2f9pqBgYkNkOExkWLXNBi6GgUwxa_0_PATIprpmPS2A7zrJMqCmN04f2iOaUxVr9hXM/s1600/1aaaeiffelgfairy.jpg" /></a></center><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a border="0" href="http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u87/auntdoi/SuburbiaTuesdaysTreasuresButton.png" /></a></div>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-19903738653377763762011-09-07T16:23:00.000-07:002011-09-13T22:53:14.952-07:00Grain Sack Wanna Be..<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Vintage grain sacks seem to be a big part of the French country look. People are using them to make pillows, purses, framed art, seat covers and many other projects. I do not have access to vintage grain sacks and if I did I don't think I would want to pay for them. I have seen a lot of DIY'ers making their own grain sacks by using graphics from the<a href="http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/"> Graphic Fairy</a> and fabric. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia;">While cleaning up my garage I spotted a frame that I had purchased a few years back. This frame had a fun vintage like apple farm picture. It accidentally got left outside for quite some and the rain ruined the picture. I didn't want to throw the frame away because I thought maybe someday I would do something with it. When I saw it I thought the framed grain sack idea would be perfect. I do not have a before picture because I painted it before I remembered to take one. The frame was already a pretty Robin's Egg blue but I wanted it to be black, so I painted one layer of Old White Chalk Paint and over that I painted one layer of Graphite. I printed up this image from the Graphic Fairy: </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/2011/01/crafty-project-printable-french-grain.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9xQBUbQVFmk6nYRuE5I2EdC5wttHUxuTKvxTR08Bwby6tNPueOIvRqjD9WBf4YuDyw4ltBNtTPxkqtfdOCyTengQAUL3ER8RDMl9MBicny-DIW6uioWc5jh31iyY4Cvw2QpO7zaZgw/s320/grain-sack-graphicsfairysm.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you click on the image it will take you to the Graphic Fairy and a towel project, which I hope to try out. I liked the look of the grain sacks that have the lines on them, so I taped up the drop cloth I was using to section off lines. I mixed a bit of Aubusson Blue, Versailles, and just a splash of Old White to make a greenish blue color. I then painted the lines waited for them to dry and got to work on the image. I had hoped to use a Freezer Paper transfer technique like this one: <a href="http://gardenberger.blogspot.com/2011/09/freezer-paper-transfer-tutorial.html">http://gardenberger.blogspot.com/2011/09/freezer-paper-transfer-tutorial.html</a> but my printer is a laser printer. From what I have read, laser printers will not work ( I do have an old ink jet so I will dig that out for my future crafts). Instead I used a projector to project the image on to the drop cloth and painted the image using acrylic paint. This was tedious, and in the future I will back the fabric with spray adhesive and maybe cardboard to give it a hard surface to paint on. I didn't do this and the brush just didn't paint well. Learning as I go is becoming my motto! Once that was all dry I took a little bit of sandpaper to try and age it and then I stapled the cloth to the frame. This honestly was the hardest part, I could not for the life of me get it straight. So the image is a little wonky, which will drive me nuts. I will again in the future stabilize the material first, then paint. I have to say if it wasn't for the crookedness of the lines, I would be pleased with the outcome of this project. I will re-do it in the future, but not today! As always, I welcome helpful tips and tricks that you may have.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZIrxO5Tv66MNnDHk3uzpGGpu4b9Koql75n39UOqpMT0KlAd0RJIbWsS5K6GCPlbBMjREKt2fwhwPcP9JrM-47UmbTJlh9g_C_Zyz2S76Tq_rlqHP85ZvQAmQAJd0sV5nhe8rCKCupA/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZIrxO5Tv66MNnDHk3uzpGGpu4b9Koql75n39UOqpMT0KlAd0RJIbWsS5K6GCPlbBMjREKt2fwhwPcP9JrM-47UmbTJlh9g_C_Zyz2S76Tq_rlqHP85ZvQAmQAJd0sV5nhe8rCKCupA/s400/020.JPG" width="287" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If there is any doubt how wonderful this could look here is some actual Grain Sack Eye Candy for you!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bushelandapeck.typepad.com/.a/6a00e550aee38388340120a5e64205970c-pi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nba="true" src="http://bushelandapeck.typepad.com/.a/6a00e550aee38388340120a5e64205970c-pi" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bushelandapeck.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/09/vintage-grain-sack-and-a-picnic.html">http://bushelandapeck.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/09/vintage-grain-sack-and-a-picnic.html</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Dd2ZQpxhgxNq9izxQVhykntqAsyZszvdU451g64FFinmYP1SzsOvElQHEF55PANb_odA0v4NSkd_SABMoXDHWR3d8XiybREfz2uaH2IimczZmpERxCquj7gTmo4i5S-4mGlWIw0JeZRO/s1600/Pillows+-+theinspiredroom.net.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Dd2ZQpxhgxNq9izxQVhykntqAsyZszvdU451g64FFinmYP1SzsOvElQHEF55PANb_odA0v4NSkd_SABMoXDHWR3d8XiybREfz2uaH2IimczZmpERxCquj7gTmo4i5S-4mGlWIw0JeZRO/s320/Pillows+-+theinspiredroom.net.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thegrowersdaughter.blogspot.com/2010/11/reclaimed-rustics-vintage-grain-sack.html">http://thegrowersdaughter.blogspot.com/2010/11/reclaimed-rustics-vintage-grain-sack.html</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Linking to:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy63/brockmeb/th_wowuswedparty.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a border="0" href="http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img height="200" src="http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t99/tonihammersley/BFOLprojectbutton.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a border="0" href="http://cleanandscentsible.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee455/simplyklassic/Clean%20and%20%20Scentsible/CleanScentsiblePartyButton.png" /></a></div><br />
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<center><a href="http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrT22HzwR-sx9Y3qC-g_1gbu4XEpwmvfVPYNBaT4yzfQIF7K2ZGAGyqtsnHc7GdGlUA48lcLTe2f9pqBgYkNkOExkWLXNBi6GgUwxa_0_PATIprpmPS2A7zrJMqCmN04f2iOaUxVr9hXM/s1600/1aaaeiffelgfairy.jpg" /></a></center><br />
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<center><a href="http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special" border="0" src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b243/signmakergirl/satnitenew150w-1.jpg" /></a></center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://shadesofamberinc.blogspot.com/2011/09/chalk-paint-link-party.html"><img border="0" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiistUk1lnhPeNsJO4fdI78L0s70HdYBsBA-Dbul4Zug6_l9LiUsNxyw4f2Evzl92puLx0iUENByAX0czbl-8IjMEVj1XXYzZCS0xnqAUiHl3IF9C3Q8cc3H-jZehuNAi6equhc2Q_e4w/s1600/linkbutton1.png" /></a></div><center> </center>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-80925410852428738862011-09-06T22:55:00.000-07:002011-09-06T23:02:39.293-07:00My First Feature and I'm a Giveaway Winner!!!<em><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One month ago I found a wonderful blog, <a href="http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/">My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia</a>. I was so inspired by Kristin's blog and the many other blogs I found through her's. Shortly after finding her blog I contacted her via e-mail asking a few question and she was so friendly and helpful. She is the reason why I started blogging again, she inspired me to get out there and just do something. I really believe had I not found her blog I would not have done the projects that I have done recently. This has had a two-fold affect, first today my oak table refinishing project was a <a href="http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/2011/09/tuesdays-treasures.html">feature</a> (6th the one down) on her blog!! Every Tuesday My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia hosts a linky party, and a few of the previous weeks projects are featured. I linked up my table last week along with 100+ other really terrific projects. I was so honored to see my table featured with 6 other amazing features. So, where does the two-fold part come in?? Well, last night before I went to bed I received an e-mail from Brad and Amber with <a href="http://shadesofamberinc.blogspot.com/">Shades of Amber</a>. They host a link party each week to share your chalk paint projects. Last weeks party was a special link party in which every project you linked up was an entry into their drawing for 2 cans of <a href="http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/paints.html">Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.</a> If that wasn't enough the colors being given are the newest, have yet to be released colors: Coco and French Linen. What did that email say, well that I was the winner of course!!! I couldn't believe it, I was on cloud 9 all day today! The paint is currently being mixed and is expected to hit sometime this month. So, If it wasn't for My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia I would have never tried being a DIY'er nor would I have even heard about Chalk Paint. If I had never heard about chalk paint I wouldn't have had projects to link up to Shades of Amber's link party giveaway! </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is late, so I am not sure if I tied that together the way I wanted too but hopefully you understand. </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia;">Please visit both <a href="http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/">My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia</a> and <a href="http://shadesofamberinc.blogspot.com/">Shades of Amber</a>. There are many talented people who link up there projects and many take the time to share how they did it. Plus, they are great blogs!!</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia;">Many thanks to Kristin, Brad and Amber!</span></em>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-81996363278317575602011-08-31T16:06:00.000-07:002011-08-31T18:55:30.534-07:00French Inspiration Table.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bought this table about 2 weeks ago. This table was purchased primarily because I needed chairs for the oak table. When I saw the picture on Craigslist, I was keeping my fingers crossed that this table was a good quality table. The reason being is in my "design wishlist" is this picture:</span></em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBP0SAX-7Taorf802UV4m5v_QXSZtIc9OTtlcFItVIZaBXf_f61twTJx_VNCY7WoQkB4pccP1E3jO28oxkD_oQq9emERK6Teza7I49ww2lFuj0ddjaD8qNiNdP83yi43eNRddR3Vd4qQ/s1600/Design-Lines-Ltd_-Interior-Design-Raleigh-5-1024x682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBP0SAX-7Taorf802UV4m5v_QXSZtIc9OTtlcFItVIZaBXf_f61twTJx_VNCY7WoQkB4pccP1E3jO28oxkD_oQq9emERK6Teza7I49ww2lFuj0ddjaD8qNiNdP83yi43eNRddR3Vd4qQ/s320/Design-Lines-Ltd_-Interior-Design-Raleigh-5-1024x682.jpg" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love this table and it is one of the reason why I refinished the oak table in the way that I did. When I actually went to pick up the table it was a so-so quality but it came with the chairs. Now, just a few days later I came across another table and chair set. This time it was a Henredon table with 10 chairs for $95.00. I couldn't refuse, this was the quality and style that I wanted. The Henredon table is of course done in the speckled finish, so there will is ANOTHER table in my future. Here is a picture of the Henredon:</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWayCztPnvJl2Sem7yXJsPGFzAGOenNDuoWg7TlJkMNjebQ3NxcMs6t_PAIzW2B35yGHvxca-FswqbVrDrbF1F0Ydw3752wK526zirEwpf6V8wRpvu5dBITnaYCpFznmImqGPXHdFUxA/s1600/DSCN0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWayCztPnvJl2Sem7yXJsPGFzAGOenNDuoWg7TlJkMNjebQ3NxcMs6t_PAIzW2B35yGHvxca-FswqbVrDrbF1F0Ydw3752wK526zirEwpf6V8wRpvu5dBITnaYCpFznmImqGPXHdFUxA/s320/DSCN0061.jpg" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you believe it, it is beautiful and it looks like my dream picture (almost)!</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;">Okay so on to the so-so table, this is a project table for me. I am not sure what I will do with it, maybe try and sell it to at least get my money back. My idea for this table was to first do another refinish on it to get practice for the Henredon table but as I said this table was so-so quality and as I stripped it it showed. On to the next plan do a washed finish on top using Old White, then clear and dark wax like <a href="http://onenuttygirl.com/2308/annie-sloan-chalk-paint-the-table/">One Nutty Girl</a>. It didn't work out so well for me. Okay on to the next plan, paint the table top in Annie Sloan Graphite. Graphite was not my favorite to work with. It shows so much dust and such as I was painting and looked so dull even after waxing. I was also having an issue with the previous wax (from the white-wash technique) I had put on the table. I know you can paint over the wax with this paint but I wonder if I was suppose to do something first. I did try wiping as much of it off as I could. Anyways, once I added the dark wax it made a world of difference. I don't know if this is a good thing or not but if I had to describe the look of the table top I would say worn leather. It really has a faux leather look to it and I like it. I would like to see a piece in person painted by a professional ASCP expert to see the finish. If I had t guess, mine is not how it should be. I painted the base of the table Paris Gray (love Paris Gray!!), waxed in both clear and dark wax. When I went in with the dark wax I wasn't loving how dark it was so I mixed up the wax with a little bit of mineral spirits and it seemed to go on not as dirty looking and was easier to wipe off. I am still working on the chairs which will go with this table. I don't need them now, that I have 10 Henredon chairs. I am a little nervous about trying to finish the Henredon table because I know at one point this table cost a lot. Well I hope you enjoy my project table. If you have any tips on painting after having waxed please let me know. </span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial;">Here are the Beauty Shots!</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8__J8WYV2HzYp_xHHvAsFB0nd3A3KTD5Ow7AgA4Y7Ra_uava2XhRxPlo4SRD-ISaY_c3z9UNdhsdfsYRigpEUGYmZPCM9pSe4TKMOsEq3UqIhR9TWLyzCjouwXLO3F8_1NHjmt2bUw/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8__J8WYV2HzYp_xHHvAsFB0nd3A3KTD5Ow7AgA4Y7Ra_uava2XhRxPlo4SRD-ISaY_c3z9UNdhsdfsYRigpEUGYmZPCM9pSe4TKMOsEq3UqIhR9TWLyzCjouwXLO3F8_1NHjmt2bUw/s320/001.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Table Before</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1sCJwaG6VDmE3CcYxNbOrIvWxs2KGc5RTmZCOep2mmS3w6M5FTwWoUGCkersVz4VUecaKGyp_0h83IW9FINWt926HtQ62gA7PpTptrZWCRi1OrIhKXn7j_6y6mE9PXeOuf2tuo483w/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1sCJwaG6VDmE3CcYxNbOrIvWxs2KGc5RTmZCOep2mmS3w6M5FTwWoUGCkersVz4VUecaKGyp_0h83IW9FINWt926HtQ62gA7PpTptrZWCRi1OrIhKXn7j_6y6mE9PXeOuf2tuo483w/s320/005.JPG" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Linking to:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://shadesofamberinc.blogspot.com/2011/08/annie-sloan-chalk-paint-linky-party_22.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiistUk1lnhPeNsJO4fdI78L0s70HdYBsBA-Dbul4Zug6_l9LiUsNxyw4f2Evzl92puLx0iUENByAX0czbl-8IjMEVj1XXYzZCS0xnqAUiHl3IF9C3Q8cc3H-jZehuNAi6equhc2Q_e4w/s1600/linkbutton1.png" xaa="true" /></a></div>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-41720414885623194902011-08-29T14:30:00.000-07:002011-08-31T09:30:29.087-07:00$25 Oak Table Turned Beautiful!!<em><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Little Disclaimer: I think my blog should be renamed My Creative Pink's Mishaps and redo's!!! </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">IT'S DONE!!! This table is the second piece of furniture I have purchased off of Craigslist and I purchased it for $25. I bought it because of all the beautiful refinished tables I have seen and thought this would be a great practice piece. The table was actually a solid oak table, not veneer and was in good shape. I know nothing about refinishing furniture but there is so much information on the Internet that I got to work searching out ideas. I of course looked at <a href="http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/">Miss Mustard Seed's</a> information on table stripping and refinishing. I also found Lauren's blog <a href="http://gieslers.blogspot.com/2011/04/table-top-refinished.html?showComment=1312413025625#c5332845531805236152">First Comes Love</a> where she refinished a table and I used the stripper she used. I knew exactly how I wanted to finish this table, dark stained top and creamy white pedestal. There is no shortage of inspiration for this look. I went out and bought a little palm sander (I have since decided to look for a more macho sander), Citristrip Varnish remover, gloves, mask, different courses of sand paper and wood stain. I noticed that many people use Minwax Dark Walnut stain so naturally I purchased this. Things started out really well and the Citristrip seemed to really work. </span></em><br />
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</div><em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Once the table was stripped I sanded the table smooth and I got out the wood stain. I started to apply the stain with a rag but I didn't do it exactly right. As I was applying the stain I was also wiping it off vs. applying it liberally, letting it sit, and then wiping it off. Either way it looked good. The next day I went back and applied the second coat as per the directions, leaving it sit over night. This is where things went wrong. I wish I would have saved the pictures I had taken to show you but basically the table wasn't looking so great. First I could see variations in the way the stain was taking and I could see sanding marks. Not scratches but the marks from the sander itself. Then to make matter's worse the stain was weeping out of the chevron's in the grain. All over the table it looked like I had taken a spray bottle and sprayed stain all over the table. What?? I wiped it away, went on-line to figure this out, and found some instructions on Minwax to use a clean bristle brush with mineral spirits and scrub up the stain. I can't find the link now but that is what I did. I waited a few more days and it still seemed to still be doing this, not as much though. To top that off I was disappointed in the the color. It seemed dull to me, not the rich look that I had seen on other's projects and the end grain (the lip of the table top) was so much darker. Now what? I decided to take the leaf from the table to Rockler a woodshop hardware store. They were very helpful and when I told them which stain I was using 2 people on 2 different days said it wasn't a good stain. I said that can't be, everyone uses it and they said it was a well advertised. They directed me to use <a href="http://www.generalfinishes.com/retail-products/oil-base-wood-stains-sealers/oilbase-gel-stains">General Finishes Gel Stain</a> and although this is my first time ever re-staining a table and I am no expert, this stain was a huge difference right from the get go!! It was amazing, but before I could see just how amazing it was I had to sand so much.. so tiring. Finally the reward of applying stain. I applied the stain with a rag and it went on so smooth like butter and wiped off just as smooth. The first coat wasn't enough and so I ended up applying 3 coats of the Java color, but I knew with the first few swipes of Java that this was a rich, beautiful color. Once the table was stained I had my husband unscrew the table top so that I could paint the pedestal base. I used Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint. Of course if you have read my blog, <u>NOTHING</u> goes smoothly for me. The first coat dried and I was able to see various small cracks in the pedestal (nothing that hurts the stability) so I went back with wood filler. I also was able to see little dots of bleed through from the pedestal underneath.. seriously!! Now if your are reading this and aren't familiar with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint then you should know it is fabulous!! What makes it so? No sanding, no priming, just grab your brush and go. It covers over everything but occasionally there will be a bleed through and well if it is to be, then it would be so with me. I went back and sanded in those areas, repainted, only to see the bleed though again. I then went in with some clear wax, waxed, repainted, and the result was only a small area still showed through. I finished the table with a few more coats, waxed, distressed, dark waxed, and finished!! </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia;">Well not quite, I still needed to apply the top coat on the table top. If this post seems like forever, it is because this table feels like it took forever! When reading other blogs you see the transformations but not the many hours behind those transformations. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia;">For my top coat I used Polyurethane Gel Wipe-on Satin Clear Coat purchased at <a href="http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=24520&filter=wipe%2Don%20satin">Rockler</a> and I have applied 5 coats. This is a very helpful instruction that I found on how to <a href="http://www.hardwoodlumberandmore.com/Articles/ArticleViewPage/tabid/75/ArticleId/5/Wipe-on-Varnish.aspx">apply wipe-on poly.</a> Read it if you plan on using wipe-on.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia;">I finished that last coat last night and will apply a clear wax in a few weeks for added protection. I will have recap at the end of this post but first enjoy the beauty shots. </span></em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh163QuJuOlaFhKqCQP0t1yXJVGWd5GYpSFAXU1jZJGaMDApFcE-m7OLxJn9suUtuC0c6OVoDOqB8yklvUsfhqGvpq8Zy7Jj3fVF85B6AKvHDQ3pqKDpBGwwh76sFtLExVPVihiDxJIiQ/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh163QuJuOlaFhKqCQP0t1yXJVGWd5GYpSFAXU1jZJGaMDApFcE-m7OLxJn9suUtuC0c6OVoDOqB8yklvUsfhqGvpq8Zy7Jj3fVF85B6AKvHDQ3pqKDpBGwwh76sFtLExVPVihiDxJIiQ/s400/012.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><br />
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<em><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Here is a recap of what I have learned and maybe it will help you with your project: </span></span></em><br />
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<ul><li><span id="goog_2123676436"></span><span id="goog_2123676438"></span><span style="color: #e06666;">It is very important to make sure the previous varnish is completely removed. It may look and feel as though it is but make certain.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #e06666;">Clean the table thoroughly with Mineral Spirits using a stripping pad or fine steel wool to remove any remnants from the stripper. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #e06666;">Sand, Sand, and Sand some more. I was working with a solid oak table and didn't have to worry about a veneer. Please keep that in mind when working with a veneer top. I used 80 grit, 100 grit, 120 grit, 150 grit, and finally 180 grit.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #e06666;">On the last sanding (min was with 180 grit) sand by hand using a sanding block. This will sand away the various palm sander marks. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #e06666;">Clean away all the sanding dust with a tack cloth, I also went back in with a cloth slightly dampened with mineral spirits.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #e06666;">Seal the end grain of the table, this will always stain darker. I used the Polyurethane gel on recommendation from the guys at Rockler. I wiped it on the lip end of the table and let it dry. it prevented it from getting too dark when the stain was applied and the table top matches perfectly. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #e06666;">Read directions, and read them again. With everything I read, when I went back to double check the instructions I caught something different. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #e06666;">I strongly suggest reading the link above on the technique to applying the varnish. </span></li>
</ul><span style="color: #e06666;">With the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="color: #e06666;">Cut the paint with water. I didn't do this with this project or my chair and the can of paint went very quickly. I did this with my secretary and got beautiful coverage using less paint. It may take a few more coats but it is still using less paint. This stuff is expensive and it is awesome it can be stretched with water. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #e06666;">Clean older pieces more then a dusting. Older stains can seep through. I used paint thinner when cleaning my secretary and this was a much older piece. There was no bleed through. If I had done this with the table maybe the bleed through wouldn't have happen or maybe it would have. </span></li>
</ul><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;">Misc. Bullet Points:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="color: #e06666;">Just because it worked for everyone else doesn't mean it is meant to work for you.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #e06666;">It will take longer to complete your project then it was to read this post, I know hard to believe!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #e06666;">And Lastly, enjoy yourself. It might be frustrating and you might discover you have super hero strength when you pick up your project and heave it across the room but the end result can be very rewarding as is my brand new table. </span></li>
</ul><span style="color: #e06666;">and just to prove just how fun this is:</span><br />
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<div align="center">Stay tuned!</div><span style="color: #e06666;"></span><span id="goog_2123676439"></span><span id="goog_2123676437"></span><br />
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<em><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia;">I didn't mention it above but with the secretary I just filled in the split wood with wood filler and nailed it together where I could. You can see a line but that is okay. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia;">Here are the pictures of my Secretary. I am still trying to figure out waxing with both clear and dark wax as well as the distressed look. I want it to look naturally distressed and in some areas it does look like that but in others not so much. I would love your feed back and tips. Currently I have Annie Sloan's clear wax and Fiddes and Sons Clear and Ruggar Brown wax. Okay while on that topic, I want to give a shout out to <a href="http://johnmillenhardware.com/">John Millen Hardware</a> who I bought the waxes from on recommendation from <a href="http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/">Miss Mustard Seed</a>. I ordered it and it was to me in 2 days! </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia;">I am still trying to figure out linky party etiquette so if you could also give me some tips on that I would appreciate it! </span></em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjAJwjccY8kBrejCpnIruXkEkAyxKU1H7mrynJdWgazchDN7lzbsCI4MfpsskH0DHPjmlNGBcZM-yzDzlGTuLFStEHjIGuXpBrLUdpoUftxP_c83YAe4xYUEAzsDvPHbmgMbOdAAuoQ/s1600/Upcycles+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjAJwjccY8kBrejCpnIruXkEkAyxKU1H7mrynJdWgazchDN7lzbsCI4MfpsskH0DHPjmlNGBcZM-yzDzlGTuLFStEHjIGuXpBrLUdpoUftxP_c83YAe4xYUEAzsDvPHbmgMbOdAAuoQ/s400/Upcycles+003.JPG" width="220" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMtWrEY32951y5MjvjxPYGLqg3R21PR9VRbHg-OoN5cfLjYExronPYo03jthJZ8fKVrhHMZt_arRva6i3ngoY2Nz3aA3I4ZjCHf99Oy4JKYb6RgxvjJ4vGHgPDd29K3sMT0zrTadM2g/s1600/Upcycles+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMtWrEY32951y5MjvjxPYGLqg3R21PR9VRbHg-OoN5cfLjYExronPYo03jthJZ8fKVrhHMZt_arRva6i3ngoY2Nz3aA3I4ZjCHf99Oy4JKYb6RgxvjJ4vGHgPDd29K3sMT0zrTadM2g/s400/Upcycles+010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paris Gray's feeling a little Blue!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82cXgUQV08EX3p0zBj8MU2aM_AydN7LXkGPlB52MfLnzBLwcc4xfpi799BUBsjTmzFviJDaVobNzsFumQS1f1Gmqiw4L4Ahx8BmEbdZn_nq4vzWGA24C-Gpapg81XKr_Mb-on93F8sA/s1600/Upcycles+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82cXgUQV08EX3p0zBj8MU2aM_AydN7LXkGPlB52MfLnzBLwcc4xfpi799BUBsjTmzFviJDaVobNzsFumQS1f1Gmqiw4L4Ahx8BmEbdZn_nq4vzWGA24C-Gpapg81XKr_Mb-on93F8sA/s400/Upcycles+006.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mommy's helper!</div><br />
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Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-43801383899776649252011-08-18T23:25:00.000-07:002011-08-18T23:40:38.205-07:00Stocking up!<em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">New hobbies are incredibly expensive and time consuming! The problem with me, okay it isn't a problem per say but when I decide I want to try something I go all in. For instance sewing, I have sewn off and on over the years and I am more then a novice at this craft but still a long ways from being an expert, well since I sewed I had to have a serger (Anniversary Gift). I like to make cards and do paper crafts so I bought a Cuttlebug and well since I had one of those I needed a Cricut Expression (also an Anniversary Gift) and lets not forget to mention the time my Abigail was 5 months old and I just had to have her wear bows and headbands. Yes, I had to go out and buy every e-book tutorial on how to make bows.. Do you see where I am going with this??? So here I am trying my hand at being a DIY'er and it started off easy enough (have I met me?) I heard about Annie Sloan's chalk paint and really wanted to try it out. I went to pick up Old White and Paris Grey and walked out with 2 additional colors. Now I found a really sturdy vintage desk on Craigslist but it is in great shape and I worried about messing it up, so I had to find a practice piece. That steal of a desk turned into a side table (which I actually sold !) that side table turned into <a href="http://mycreativepink.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-first-reupholstery-is-done.html">2 chairs</a> (1 finished), those chairs turned into a secretary desk (still shaking my head at that purchase, I may just give it away), the secretary turned into a <a href="http://mycreativepink.blogspot.com/2011/08/dining-table-progress-and-sneek-peek.html">table</a>, and well that table turned into 4 more chairs (1 is primed and it is sticky, what's up with that?). </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now each one of these items were purchased through craigslist and the most I paid for a single item was $25 or less. The little hiccup in my budget was that I had absolutely nothing, nada, zip, zilch, with regards to supplies. We rent, not much fixing up and painting going on here. So off I went since having blogs upon blogs of inspiration, Craigslist furniture and no supplies just wouldn't do. Yeah, supplies really add up especially since I had to buy an air compressor and pneumatic upholstery staple gun. (Did I mention, I jump in feet first, head first, etc.) I do have to preface the fact that I have really bad wrists and I gave it a valiant effort to use a manual and electric staple gun but I literally ended up with my wrists in my braces and Motrin for 3 days. I wonder if we could write those off as preventative medical expenses? Okay I digress, so I am armed with supplies and then there is the table fiasco (mentioned in another post, but bad stain job, stain weeping back up etc.) , which by the way has turned around nicely thanks to a nice man at Rockler Woodworking Store. I ended up taking the leaf of the table to this store and he told me hope was not lost. I just had to put on my "big girl panties" (okay he didn't say that!) but what he did say made me happy and I will post all about it in my Table reveal post. </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia;">So, I am not quite sure where this post came from, oh wait I remember now. So I am working on this table and I have 4 chairs. Hubby is really loving the progress on the table and asked how many chairs I have, well he wants 6 chairs and not mismatched. He said check Craigslist and if I find chairs in a set then we could just dump the table (I snickered at that!). This was actually music to my ears because I had my eye on a beautiful table and chair set on Craiglist for over a week, the table is very similar to Miss Mustard Seed's <a href="http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-dining-table.html">new dining table</a> and the chairs were all cane back chairs. I had no money in my budget to buy this set with all my other furniture purchaseses but it was a good lesson, wait until it's just perfect, not because it's cheap. When I saw the add for this table I really kicked myself because it was a beauiful table and was a full set whereas my table (it is a nice table) and the 4 little chairs is are not. The kicker, this set cost only $20 more, again I saw it as a lesson learned. With hubby giving the go ahead and look at Craigslist (he may block this site in the future!), I immediately checked and the table was still posted, I made contact and it is still available and they will sell it for $75 which is now $5 less then my original set. I am going to look at it tomorrow and most likely buy it. I will also be faced with a dilemma. If this table is indeed nicer then the oak table I have pretty much poured my crafting heart and soul into, what do I do? I still have a ways to go on the current table, poly coating and painting the base. Maybe I will sell that one when it is finished. All I know is that I have never worked this hard physically, man it is hard work refinishing a table. I actually sweat (Carol Seaver "I do not sweat! I glissen!" Mike Seaver exit's room "Glissen like a pig!!" Carol Seaver Growing Pains..) when I am working but I truly have enjoyed it and when I wake up in the morning I look forward to finding time to work on these things. I will update on the new table and chairs as well as the old "new" table! </span></em>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-84176021861688971392011-08-15T11:57:00.000-07:002011-08-26T15:35:45.708-07:00My First Reupholstery is DONE!!!<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I don't know how all the DIY'ers do it. I am amazed at how many projects they have done and seem to do overnight. Me, well my little project turned into what seemed like forever. I painted, repainted, and then started the upholstery part but with my weak wrists stapling became a "wear your brace, take three Motrin's and check back in the morning" kind of deal. My husband already had a manual staple gun but I knew I would need something with a bit more power so I purchased an electric stapler. For every 10 staples I shot, 8 of them had to come out. I also couldn't hold the fabric tight and hold down the gun very well. I was so frustrated after all that I have put into this project to come to this road. Hubby called me at the tail end of my discovering I just couldn't do it with the tools that I had. I broke down in frustration telling him my woes and the fact that I have discovered from various blogs that pneumatic is the way to go. Bless his heart, he said "well, I guess you will have to get one". So with hubby's go ahead I went out and purchased a pneumatic upholstery staple gun and air compressor. I first purchased one from Home Depot (just a basic pneumatic stapler) but it had way to much power and shot those staples clear to the other side. That just won't do so I did a search and it seemed that upholstery guns need to be purchased online. I kept searching and actually found a local tool store that had one in stock. I immediately returned the first gun back to HD, and then bought the upholstery gun from Tool Up. The night before when I had the first gun I found this post </em></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>about<a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2011/06/upholstery-basics-tool-time.html"> Upholstery Basics:Tool Time</a> which walks you through getting your air compressor and staple gun all hooked up. I have to say the instruction manual for the air compressor scared me crazy and I feared I would get blown up. So see this post it took the scary away (sort of) and I followed those instructions again with my new staple gun. I immediately noticed a difference with this gun, the size was more comfortable and I could just tell this was the right one. The first time I shot a staple through the upholstery gun it was such a huge difference, it had just the right amount of power to drive the staple into the wood with out blowing through the wood. With in 10 minutes I had the back of the chair completed and was so happy, I had to run in the house and give hubby a big kiss!</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia;">I still needed to pull the fabric tight but no pressure on my wrists while stapling. The next night I worked on the base of the seat and it isn't perfect but for my first upholstery project I think I did really well. I used gimp to cover the staples and I burnt burnt the heck out of my forearm with the tip of the staple gun..ouch!! I do believe is going to scar. I have to say with all the trial and error my first project was a success. I do cringe at the fact that I have a whole other chair like this one to complete. The actual painting an reupholstery was not biggy compared to removing the original fabric. This was a big, big pain! I am trying to decide if I want to do the chair exactly the same or completely different. I currently don't have a spot for them in my house so these are just for fun projects. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia;">I also have 4 dining chairs to start on, these will be a much easier project with just a base seat. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia;">I wish I could update you with something positive about my dining table but this project has become worse and worse. It seemed like everything was going great but when I applied the stain it went from bad, to really bad. I talked with someone at a wood shop and they said I needed to re-sand the table. This is not going well at all. I will be taking the table leaf to the store to see if this is salvageable or if I just need to scrap it. Good thing it cost only $25 dollars. Of course that is not factoring in the cost of supplies.. I will update later! Here are the pictures of my chairs! I mentioned it in <a href="http://mycreativepink.blogspot.com/2011/08/dining-table-progress-and-sneek-peek.html">this</a> post, but my inspiration was from Marian from <a href="http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/">Miss Mustard Seed</a>, she is amazing and with how busy her blog is she was responded to my email so quickly. That made my day, well that and my finished chair!! Paint colors used: Old White as base, Duck Egg Blue all over, Paris Gray dry brushed, and clear wax</span></em><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.missmustardseed.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Furniture Feature Fridays" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0q8HaeXG1IuLuTuLV5WXVx6DQO9NSRigwu9G-TlL8W604gAj_j3j1aiQ8uqVVCsJKi0yhXsBrnt8svThH4ATN39W2p8_SZHqTkrX2ijDhmIV33tJdF2GIne1PMa_SnmUP7AyujtuhmU9v/s1600/mms_fff.png" width="125" /></a></div>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-59763981703682616862011-08-07T10:18:00.000-07:002011-08-07T10:18:12.035-07:00Dining Table Progress and a Sneek Peek!<div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have two trains of thought right now. First is, if they can do it so can I and if I can do it anybody can do it! Let's add one more thought, "they make it look so easy and it's not!" The last few days I have been paint one of the Craigslist chairs I purchased. This chair has gone through quite a few changes. I first decided to paint the chair white, distress it, and wax it with both clear and dark waxes. I only got to the clear wax and I kept looking at the chair with the "not sure" look. I love the white chair look however I felt like it need something else. I went hunting for more "drop cloth inspirations" and happened upon the fabulous<a href="http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/"> Miss Mustard Seed</a> blog and this <a href="http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2011/01/french-chair-reveal-glaze-mix-simple.html">french chair</a> and the<a href="http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2011/01/french-chairs-painting-technique.html"> paint technique</a> she used to achieve the look. I also found <a href="http://littleplacecalledhomesweethome.blogspot.com/2011/02/progress.html">Little Place Called Home Sweet Home</a> who used this same technique on a chair she had. What I really appreciated about LPCHSH's chair is she used what she had. She mixed a little paint here and there and came up with colors to achieve this look. I also posted a question on her blog and she responded right way, which really impressed me. So on to my chair, I invested in 4 Annie Sloan Chalk paints and really could not see my self spending any more money on paint. So working with what I had, I painted over the white with the Duck Egg Blue, let it dry, dry brushed Paris Gray, distressed, wax with clear, waxed with dark wax, showed it off to my hubby, kissed hubby as he headed off to bed, sat down looking at my chair for a half hour, and yes I picked up the paint brush again. It wasn't perfect! The dark wax gave it a more aged yellow look then the lovely antique look and the distressing had a hard look to it. So, I opened up more Old White and dry brushed it, and wiped it off, distressed in some areas just until the white underneath showed, then sat back and knew it was finished!!!</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia;">Yesterday I started to work on reupholstering the chair. I have read many times over that any staple gun other then a pneumatic stapler is a waste of time, however after looking at some pricing on the whole thing (air compressor + staple gun) it didn't seem like an option. Plus, not everyone who does a reupholster job has a pneumatic, right? I went out and purchased an electric staple gun and got to work. Well for every 5 staples I shot, 4 of them I took out. Not only that but I couldn't pull the the fabric taut enough and get enough strength to staple. Now figure in the fact that I have weak wrists, I have tendinitis pretty bad (at times) in my left wrist, mildly in my right. I have been dealing with this for a couple of years and there really isn't much that can be done. Not only that but when I have gone into the Dr's. since my tendons don't swell up like the typical swelling they look at me like I am crazy. Top that off with the fact that the last flare up (the time before yesterday) I had was so bad they gave me Vicodin (can't take it) for the pain, something with that flare up did something and since then I have a constant dull (very manageable) ache and noticeable weakness in my wrists, who knew being a DIY required first-aid...haha! Okay I digress, but needless to say last night I started my regiment of Motrin, ice, and brace. So frustrated! I just can't handle the upholstering with weak wrists and a staple gun that needs strength and might! I complained to hubby, God love him and all is support of my various projects! Well, I think we will be getting the pneumatic staple gun. Until then my chair/s are put on hold, but I did want to show off a sneak peek of my paint job. I am pretty happy with the results and hope I can get to upholstering them soon. </span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3_kWtKUlCJXiLrIAVS9r0n2re4qV22knhsfbLQTz10eqCDm_Fl1KM9DLnhC5zlyDZaP1-BikCotljbQgAX5HHXhS3q3UP9szMjUzuuX2W4BwtqpLO7vLeta8PUxcL0MvzOkejqbvMQ/s1600/568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3_kWtKUlCJXiLrIAVS9r0n2re4qV22knhsfbLQTz10eqCDm_Fl1KM9DLnhC5zlyDZaP1-BikCotljbQgAX5HHXhS3q3UP9szMjUzuuX2W4BwtqpLO7vLeta8PUxcL0MvzOkejqbvMQ/s320/568.JPG" t$="true" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFMFSSpQf7yuS0k45x-2B3lX1o1sGcCbZE2l9aMgFHxQxWK87jgOrwCId9I5crYghzUvmiOyMusuJ1vdduuRTqkt6QbhB590o6xJV1MtSEyqZ5e-mmO7FSGr2EhOLWuSJrbX0iBwMAQ/s1600/569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFMFSSpQf7yuS0k45x-2B3lX1o1sGcCbZE2l9aMgFHxQxWK87jgOrwCId9I5crYghzUvmiOyMusuJ1vdduuRTqkt6QbhB590o6xJV1MtSEyqZ5e-mmO7FSGr2EhOLWuSJrbX0iBwMAQ/s320/569.JPG" t$="true" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What's a girl to do when she has the DIY bug and her project is put on hold? She starts another. I bought a table off of Craigslist for $25 dollars and started sanding it down, but I ended up putting a Varnish Stripper on it since sanding the edges has proved more difficult. With the sanding I got most (if not all) of the varnish off but wanted to make sure. I sanded the table and leaf on Friday night, added the stripper to the table yesterday (leaf today) and will sand and apply stain at some point this week. My older daughter has been on a mission trip to Israel since June 22nd, and comes home on Wed. (so happy!) so DIY will be put on hold when she is back. In my search of table "how to's" I have found <a href="http://gieslers.blogspot.com/2011/04/table-top-refinished.html?showComment=1312413025625#c5332845531805236152">First Come's love and her table. </a>I posted a comment and she responded right way. I am using her tips with my table.. Here are some pictures of my progress thus far.</span></em><br />
<img border="0" closure_uid_yv38c3="464" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQ7S59FmuxiBAx0SQhneLZHUowmx2ExQT1BHzASo4tGJJbAdKGYSrK_WlxrmPNHq73sc460q5r2d0JITPUy_pkWMdIXkwOVxMS52UeCm5fn8lhuecBzLGmgu3W2uoCmDcV_Dj7gk5bA/s320/563.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Table top!</em></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjziT0wMlIxqZ9iJSSirAL3AKYKTxwWBgovF8jm3Ac2KbMGqfbnKPpnDQTccuGwE5NPDc8BXlF06IEyPufPRNaz4VwTn_dC8j0xSvEp_k0lzgBvOWeSj1rvCevEJpLWBdQutxunafffOA/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjziT0wMlIxqZ9iJSSirAL3AKYKTxwWBgovF8jm3Ac2KbMGqfbnKPpnDQTccuGwE5NPDc8BXlF06IEyPufPRNaz4VwTn_dC8j0xSvEp_k0lzgBvOWeSj1rvCevEJpLWBdQutxunafffOA/s400/DSC_0019.JPG" t$="true" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><em>Leaf with Stripping Gel</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrI3J0IfR2-Q1uZ0Tn6vyqccl6ksj4nyk9j_5y21vN9QvWbc9zgRIMuj4TTf0LZJkPer1NRntfydSaLbsnssottn-xQxllaNaQ2jE2ZmeJVPkHfHK3j0xD84Xe7I9RdDJXguLn-tU8g/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrI3J0IfR2-Q1uZ0Tn6vyqccl6ksj4nyk9j_5y21vN9QvWbc9zgRIMuj4TTf0LZJkPer1NRntfydSaLbsnssottn-xQxllaNaQ2jE2ZmeJVPkHfHK3j0xD84Xe7I9RdDJXguLn-tU8g/s400/DSC_0020.JPG" t$="true" width="265" /></a></div><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>My supplies!</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia;"><em>Until next time!</em></span></div>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-65601483732606995832011-08-04T21:40:00.000-07:002011-08-04T21:52:22.415-07:00We got the house, oh wait no we didn't!<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of the reason's I started to search out decorating blogs was because we put an offer on a house 2 months ago. Over the course of my marriage we have owned one home, sold that home, rented our current home, and have looked at a gazillion other homes. Honestly, all the "For Sale" homes should be a blur in my head, we have looked at so many. But it isn't a blur, it is very clear. We have looked at beautiful brand new model homes that make your heart race because of how beautiful they are. Of course these come with a large mortgage, and some annoying thing that raises your monthly cost some $700+/month called Mello Roos (it should be illegal). These house are amazing, they are big, beautiful and there is nothing small about those homes except of course the yard. We have looked at more budget friendly houses, some needing just paint, some needing big updates, and I think one the houses even had the Swamp thing living in it's pool (green, yucky, smelly!) In the mix of all this we went to go look at a house that was in an area that wasn't even in our radar. We had decided to look because it was a good price and we figured "why not?" I wish we would have just skipped it all together because we loved it, we made an offer, (it is a short sale house) and 2 month's later the bank just accepted it! At this point I should be so happy right? Well, for about 1 day I was and now I am disappointed. You see the house we sold was sold on a short sale, this was a good thing for us at the time however there is a law that doesn't allow you to get a new loan for 4 years. We were aware of the restrictions but at some point in the last 5 months we were given misinformation and we were told it changed to 2 years, so we started looking for a house. Well, yesterday we found out that there is a clause for the the 2 year limit and we don't qualification. So now this house can't be ours. I am sad, my heart really was set on this house. It was a house we could see being our forever house and out of all the houses we looked at, it was the only one. Not to mention I could be a DIY decorator again. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I don't know how long we will be in this house that we are renting. The truth is, I have been very happy in this house. It has a beautiful back yard, it is in a wonderful neighborhood, and whenever there is a link we don't have to pay for it. If I allow myself to remember how I felt when my husband said we were going to start looking for a house to buy, I was not happy. I don't like change and that would be a change, not to mention I was happy (am happy) in this house. I have however decided that just because we are renting it doesn't mean I can't decorate. I am limited in one respect, paint, hanging curtains, couches but there is a lot more I can do and will do. </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So with that, I am an official Craigslist addict! The great thing about that is, i have scored some great pieces of furniture for a great price. Two days ago I purchase a round solid oak table. I am so excited about this table because of the plans that I have for it, white pedestal base and dark walnut stained top. I have seen this look all over and just love it. My current dining table is also a round wood table that I purchased along with two chairs for $25 off of Craigslist 2 years ago. It isn't anything special and it has served it's purpose it isn't the prettiest thing to look at. When I take a look around my house I don't really see "me" style. In fact there really isn't much style at all. I have simply gotten into a renters funk. The house we bought when we first got married (6 years ago come August 14) I spent months, painting buying curtains and making it home. I enjoyed that so much and I miss it. My thoughts with renting has always been, why invest when it might not fit in our new home. I am changing that slightly because if I pay $25 dollars for a table and it doesn't fit later that is okay. Today, I purchased 4 cane back chairs for $55, that's $13.75/chair. These chairs have ugly corduroy fabric but the frames are solid, heavy, and in great shape. One of the chairs does have a section on the leg that is missing wood but I can work with that. That chair is also an arm chair, while the others are not but again they match. I will be painting these white to go with my table. I have found a few blogs that have given some great tutorials and once I come back with my progress updates I will share. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">I have been diligently working on my two cane arm chairs that I bought earlier this week and I really didn't realize how difficult pulling off upholstery would be. The base of the chair was quite easy, 4 screws off the the base of the chair, lots of stables and I have a base board (with mildew, yucky!), a piece of foam that has a dent ( I will fill it with something), and fabric to make a pattern out of. The backing of the chair took a lot of sweat, and might to get off. You will notice in the picture below, the chair has a groove all around the backrest, well the not only was the piping stapled into the grooves, but the backing as well. This was very difficult to pull up, I did it though. There are staples still in that I could quite get to. I will say, there has not been any tears but I bought two of these chairs! </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">I cleaned the seat board today with tsp, and Clorox and spay painted them, not mildew yucky anymore. I have been paint the chairs with Annie Sloan's Old White Chalk paint. Now, I am not a painting expert but I feel like I had to put on many more coats then others seem to have needed. I have put on 3 coats and in some areas, all I see is white but in others the darkness of the wood is poking through. I suppose it is the nature of the paint (best when distressed) and my inexperience in painting furniture. I started to distress the chair today but I am flip-flopping as to the look I want for it. Many of the blogs I have happened upon have a very distinct French Antique, French Country, or Shabby Chic style. I absolutely adore that style and there are elements of that I want to use, like the table idea I have, the drop cloth decor, the french stencils and many other fabulous elements. My struggle is merging that with the style that I have been gravitating towards, which is a Beachy Chic (not cottage), East Hamptonesque look. </span></em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBP0SAX-7Taorf802UV4m5v_QXSZtIc9OTtlcFItVIZaBXf_f61twTJx_VNCY7WoQkB4pccP1E3jO28oxkD_oQq9emERK6Teza7I49ww2lFuj0ddjaD8qNiNdP83yi43eNRddR3Vd4qQ/s1600/Design-Lines-Ltd_-Interior-Design-Raleigh-5-1024x682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBP0SAX-7Taorf802UV4m5v_QXSZtIc9OTtlcFItVIZaBXf_f61twTJx_VNCY7WoQkB4pccP1E3jO28oxkD_oQq9emERK6Teza7I49ww2lFuj0ddjaD8qNiNdP83yi43eNRddR3Vd4qQ/s320/Design-Lines-Ltd_-Interior-Design-Raleigh-5-1024x682.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkRg4echtIivOXmZqXL0Dwxne78bm-CbOoElL7B9LTaTIRVyQYnTLR2M-eZMJ_a4pdf7FFZ1kdqTPTcZVNGSPWklxIzX3xUOJCEEiGtH-kR4R1IBcp4K5ahfhNEHTlJ_GEOdjFNy_-A/s1600/Fresh%252520Look%252520in%252520a%252520Southampton%252520Dining%252520Room_xlg-92162320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkRg4echtIivOXmZqXL0Dwxne78bm-CbOoElL7B9LTaTIRVyQYnTLR2M-eZMJ_a4pdf7FFZ1kdqTPTcZVNGSPWklxIzX3xUOJCEEiGtH-kR4R1IBcp4K5ahfhNEHTlJ_GEOdjFNy_-A/s320/Fresh%252520Look%252520in%252520a%252520Southampton%252520Dining%252520Room_xlg-92162320.jpg" t$="true" width="250" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguxHx-OVJr3llMHN0ax5qQzGgHj8VZTrKNVVnsYSeA9H3xtlC1AHf1K1iA_sVI8QjpOOg4JTiLTXbI8z3UxC0PUD0woB1oPtJ8OWj6GF0TauPZuzV9IqWDpPJmaKFk_9ieMaW61_J3Q/s1600/hamptons-style-interior-design-71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguxHx-OVJr3llMHN0ax5qQzGgHj8VZTrKNVVnsYSeA9H3xtlC1AHf1K1iA_sVI8QjpOOg4JTiLTXbI8z3UxC0PUD0woB1oPtJ8OWj6GF0TauPZuzV9IqWDpPJmaKFk_9ieMaW61_J3Q/s320/hamptons-style-interior-design-71.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">I love the clean, crisp, bright white, neutral background, with the pop of color, and the dark wood mixed with white wood, swoon! I have googled search French Beach, Beach French, Beachy French, Frenchy Beach, well you get the idea. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">I would love input into the little decor conundrum. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">Well, I will say I am leaning towards either putting Paris Grey or Duck Egg Blue over the Old White and then distress down to the old white in some areas and then to the wood in others. My struggle which color? I will leave you with a few pictures of my chair progress, along with one of my newly acquired cane chairs. I am happy to say, these will be so easy to reupholster and I will be able to pull out my sewing machine to do it. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia;">Thanks for stopping by!</span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlDlLNC6AKA36BdOeI4ce-V-tSuMH-vlJcn-6bZ1MesRBo1I_yovGPokGY-09OSwx5xqBW4O0_pYyuXV_8MH3KyYixiQ2rN8FpvThvfPWQgCOgP79aZGLCBLZkVMyfs-h6_qCWsrxpA/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlDlLNC6AKA36BdOeI4ce-V-tSuMH-vlJcn-6bZ1MesRBo1I_yovGPokGY-09OSwx5xqBW4O0_pYyuXV_8MH3KyYixiQ2rN8FpvThvfPWQgCOgP79aZGLCBLZkVMyfs-h6_qCWsrxpA/s400/010.JPG" t$="true" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><em>Painted, and some distressing</em></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mh_6GYupv-rFm4Y0QFggh7aWdS-582XUdMtuL1PEh65Wv04I6DuBAxPZNadCALb_9Sv6HR1lxXUkc3PY6zradij0h6WWxaEMrBFuKPExVqVLXpzMqdoLytcqQMej4H3U0MGAYvyZQg/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mh_6GYupv-rFm4Y0QFggh7aWdS-582XUdMtuL1PEh65Wv04I6DuBAxPZNadCALb_9Sv6HR1lxXUkc3PY6zradij0h6WWxaEMrBFuKPExVqVLXpzMqdoLytcqQMej4H3U0MGAYvyZQg/s400/011.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><em>Cane chair love! Look at the leg detail..</em></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Tlqmj6pGhgGHyZCjRKlgcqJAdhcW0XI0akdIr85Fc5fZV0F4xPWH3v8RzhbzbdnjqvbnPf0pv9tGIdvR3zMllIReY7y4WIG_B2s9pf9-DnrcVlRsE2jEormDssClTzrzeOVFl0rIzw/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Tlqmj6pGhgGHyZCjRKlgcqJAdhcW0XI0akdIr85Fc5fZV0F4xPWH3v8RzhbzbdnjqvbnPf0pv9tGIdvR3zMllIReY7y4WIG_B2s9pf9-DnrcVlRsE2jEormDssClTzrzeOVFl0rIzw/s400/013.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><em>Duck Egg Blue or Paris Gray (side by side)</em></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmUOxvcXSmNSLAuxH_LUxB85wpw8LD333smStY_pDkTOBqrbwe6lIJwUtPhUCP-09K5CeMaqVCYVqSRyrkRJg_M1kpETjAX4vvPtA4D9tJmmd1YaPATm8cf66UAGYsm3iKZyAo1dNsw/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmUOxvcXSmNSLAuxH_LUxB85wpw8LD333smStY_pDkTOBqrbwe6lIJwUtPhUCP-09K5CeMaqVCYVqSRyrkRJg_M1kpETjAX4vvPtA4D9tJmmd1YaPATm8cf66UAGYsm3iKZyAo1dNsw/s400/014.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #741b47;"><em>Dry Brushed Duck Egg, not loving!</em></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I appreciate the indecision a $15 chair can affored me!</span></em></div>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-43074476096125064652011-08-02T13:25:00.000-07:002011-08-02T13:51:26.615-07:00Upcycle, Thrift Store, Chalk Paint Bug!<em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I can't remember what I was searching for but about two weeks ago I happened upon a really great and inspiring blog: <a href="http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/">http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/</a></span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia;">I spent 3 full days going over her blog, looking at all the projects she has completed and wishing I could do that. Then from her blog I was directed to other inspiring blogs and became determined that "I can do that!" Now, the "I want to do that/I can do that" mentality is nothing new. I usually think that when I see something I like but at the same time I know there are certain resources needed. With these "projects" I need two things, an unwanted piece of furniture and then paint. I am happy to say I have just entered into the world of Annie Sloan Chalk Paints and upcycle furniture. </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia;">Now I tend to forget that several years ago when I moved into my first apartment I purchased some black lacquer side tables and a coffee table. I also had cheap particle board hutch type book case/entertainment centers. I was thankful to have them but boy they were real eye sores. I ended up spending a few nights and a weekend painting and glazed them. This was 8 years ago and these pieces were very reminiscent of what I see on the blogs today. The great things is I turned those things into something pretty nice looking. </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia;">Well this past weekend I searched Craigslist and hit the swapmeet. I only found a side table at the swapmeet but currently in my den I have my said finished table ($10), $25 vintage desk and chair, $20 vintage secretary (I should have skipped this one on further inspection, the side I thought was a little crack is broke straight through), and a pair of $35 French like cane chairs, and 4 chalk paints. If you haven't guest it, when I decide to do something I jump in feet first! I am so so so excited about the chairs and as the picture will show I am in for a big project. I have never attempted to reupholster before so boy oh boy, google search commence! Now I will need to work on my photo staging but that will come with time. Well with out further ado, for the side table I used Duck Egg Blue, and Versailles chalk paint. I lightly distress, waxed, and lined the drawers with matching scrapbook paper..</span></em><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia;">Before:</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTWjefffEcqotzzid1PuPmtDwXH0ZzBxVAw4lrTEeTfNe7WPOXtCx6chMgk3ZjmToQr2MKDf-hL7u-ZXikznZ38ZyMz9YuG3s-sRhRvO8_bHqQNp1NwVjwoOMnVSURm5p62j3amHWIw/s1600/Upcycles+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTWjefffEcqotzzid1PuPmtDwXH0ZzBxVAw4lrTEeTfNe7WPOXtCx6chMgk3ZjmToQr2MKDf-hL7u-ZXikznZ38ZyMz9YuG3s-sRhRvO8_bHqQNp1NwVjwoOMnVSURm5p62j3amHWIw/s640/Upcycles+003.JPG" t$="true" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>and the finished table:</em></span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVz_Iiduq_wsxNLi07-iMCvm_qqNqoOkvMpw1VTEI-XggEkPqfIeMWRJhZ8sqyM8kwarEngtbIp6SBe1g8vc7bpInQfNFmouip14GPhGwMLRzIfJlIDjDQAEfeKXLyKirQAe5Qph-eQ/s1600/Upcycles+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVz_Iiduq_wsxNLi07-iMCvm_qqNqoOkvMpw1VTEI-XggEkPqfIeMWRJhZ8sqyM8kwarEngtbIp6SBe1g8vc7bpInQfNFmouip14GPhGwMLRzIfJlIDjDQAEfeKXLyKirQAe5Qph-eQ/s640/Upcycles+006.JPG" t$="true" width="424" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMnZeKKjmHWTs8OWZ0cgb0nDuiJh4YWacaPcAdLkiOw7pgtp1mc1jIuX2zB4o59Ebiyt7_hW0Gn7ze3fwsMAQlpSiu4ce96eoaCofh8tg56cc2jEW2_bhwqYOGxq1JVq-EScw7Mo35Q/s1600/Upcycles+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMnZeKKjmHWTs8OWZ0cgb0nDuiJh4YWacaPcAdLkiOw7pgtp1mc1jIuX2zB4o59Ebiyt7_hW0Gn7ze3fwsMAQlpSiu4ce96eoaCofh8tg56cc2jEW2_bhwqYOGxq1JVq-EScw7Mo35Q/s320/Upcycles+008.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJ6pA7vyDM2BZjcasgP5WpdByIy8JNn47BSagPg8d-xNVGPlyzTyrMVIb8AHkAxXf-HXAtp2smjIn8okP-hGccp2flYQToK-uLtpInvr_E05cmt_cqv8HxiL04fWluO_-Tn4W0GhS0A/s1600/Upcycles+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJ6pA7vyDM2BZjcasgP5WpdByIy8JNn47BSagPg8d-xNVGPlyzTyrMVIb8AHkAxXf-HXAtp2smjIn8okP-hGccp2flYQToK-uLtpInvr_E05cmt_cqv8HxiL04fWluO_-Tn4W0GhS0A/s320/Upcycles+017.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lastly here is a picture of the chairs that are a work in progress. I have to say I really thought ripping off upholstery would be much simpler. The frame of the chair is in great shape but the guts are yucky! I took mesh fabric off from under the chair and found mildew on the wood seat base. I am figuring I will have to go to the hardware store and by another piece of wood to make a new base. Once I take the fabric off of the seat I will use the base as a pattern..easy right! haha.. </span></em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia;">I will be using the drop cloth that are so popular to reupholster the chair. Well, the chair is staring me in the face, so I am off to rip out more staples..</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLdseBiuJImXvHE0sOQI4945_HbDgp144rbJNTy-hg-DAFYHLzDaXpCwGTxQn6jawjxCYpF84aUNn-YEqHZI5XsvayhQW60dVPpPKFZeq_jd5r0OFLn4NNK5foSoS4SmiSPx6i9Jcpw/s1600/Upcycles+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLdseBiuJImXvHE0sOQI4945_HbDgp144rbJNTy-hg-DAFYHLzDaXpCwGTxQn6jawjxCYpF84aUNn-YEqHZI5XsvayhQW60dVPpPKFZeq_jd5r0OFLn4NNK5foSoS4SmiSPx6i9Jcpw/s640/Upcycles+014.JPG" t$="true" width="424" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-32190737658818314882011-07-30T22:01:00.000-07:002011-07-30T22:01:15.062-07:00Rag Quilts for Two Little Loves!<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> In the last week or so I have come across several blogs that have really inspired me. Most of the blogs are about decorating and furniture up-cycle projects. I was so inspired that I have purchased 3 pieces of furniture off of Craigslist and plan to try my hand at painting. That is not what this post is about but just wanted to say I am inspired, which will give me some meat for my blog in the future! </em></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Okay onto my quilt post! My sister Tiffany had twin boys a few weeks back.Gavin and Landon are such a blessing and this Auntie wanted to put her crafting skills to good use. I knew I didn't want to just go and buy a gift at the store but I had no idea what I could make. The thing with my crafting is I don't craft as much as I desire too. I sit and think about how much I would like to make a dress, make a blanket, play with my Cricut Expression but in the end I just don't do it. I think a lot of my problem when it comes to crafting is that I get intimidated by the whole process. I am self taught in most of what I do and well I am no very organized.. No matter I was determined to make something for my nephews and whatever I made I wanted it to be special and something that they could use long after their newborn days. I was searching blogs and came across this tutorial on a </em></span><a href="http://sewsara.blogspot.com/2010/05/minky-rag-quilt-tutorial.html"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Minky Stripe Rag quilt</em></span></a><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>. I looked at this quilt and just knew this was what I was going to make. I went to the fabric store and found a cute owl print fabric, came home and got to work. Not only that but I finally got my embroidery part of my machine working again (just needed a serial converter). These are the first rag quilts I have ever made and I am so happy I went with the stripe quilt vs. the square. I ran into some challenges but mmainly getting all the fabric to be cut evenly. Overall I am so pleased with how they turned out. The blankets vary slight in size but you would only know this if you laid them on top of each other. I will definitely make one of these again! She sent me pictures of the boys (they live in VA) with there blankets, highlight of my day. Here are a few pictures of the finished blankets...</em></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1k6U9Q8C4ZvztsqTJi5O8LuDQru77ZwNCnejRLJ89_o5hFIXi4yYxEPD-kAdrqDH1Bb32e0hQBVArSFo4QEz_XZFmdPAzdnx8cQ-NjpqNHPNyFSoqGhOuBkBXbIuwhILI2lMG4MD3CQ/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1k6U9Q8C4ZvztsqTJi5O8LuDQru77ZwNCnejRLJ89_o5hFIXi4yYxEPD-kAdrqDH1Bb32e0hQBVArSFo4QEz_XZFmdPAzdnx8cQ-NjpqNHPNyFSoqGhOuBkBXbIuwhILI2lMG4MD3CQ/s320/032.JPG" t$="true" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <em><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yellow Owl Print</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsqQr30RnFRjx6qA1Zt2tCxzsdRfJRaU9vG41-hkHeHyqQUm0wy4PMIRv5TNoUdxbfyZQQahvmpVvEbUAUfz9F1hY-36z8C6uoAJ6jxXpW9UpaNCf26ZAXQjqBrJUFTg11J8tTVxsdA/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsqQr30RnFRjx6qA1Zt2tCxzsdRfJRaU9vG41-hkHeHyqQUm0wy4PMIRv5TNoUdxbfyZQQahvmpVvEbUAUfz9F1hY-36z8C6uoAJ6jxXpW9UpaNCf26ZAXQjqBrJUFTg11J8tTVxsdA/s320/033.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut_ff6XKmAtnkGtPptxI4tyw-eVLWgefQBwcydl_0k2P594P1we5dyTz0O-Cbbu4DfFDvpnl4U-uPSWCHmEaEKobOkfyCHAdc_-CWN6NhaNL1mV1-ZXRMNHBOnW3ERwVeG7Nuew3bmQ/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut_ff6XKmAtnkGtPptxI4tyw-eVLWgefQBwcydl_0k2P594P1we5dyTz0O-Cbbu4DfFDvpnl4U-uPSWCHmEaEKobOkfyCHAdc_-CWN6NhaNL1mV1-ZXRMNHBOnW3ERwVeG7Nuew3bmQ/s320/034.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cX68wEfwltV9vHYBbGSBjm8oMn6BaOf3qZ7zoukjff12KI9jPgc2ENGtzkbwSW0NBPE6Jwhi_uoQ2cUEdp1wmclAgsaYRMlv5F6Jk28Vses6KIuFpD-tU4BMcUqavRXkr8wOgezsgQ/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cX68wEfwltV9vHYBbGSBjm8oMn6BaOf3qZ7zoukjff12KI9jPgc2ENGtzkbwSW0NBPE6Jwhi_uoQ2cUEdp1wmclAgsaYRMlv5F6Jk28Vses6KIuFpD-tU4BMcUqavRXkr8wOgezsgQ/s320/036.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <em><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia;">Blue Owl Print Both together</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW_o_l2w6PfKNcixgul2XmAmtjVu9nOC8FOS_Cl87h8kIMx18lKclKfBhGi7dTsE39JUgFWjFS3ycMDKqA3Q5Oq354PvoQBuIas7WYI_OF9hC0O2pgHzBnrWk6dOmDlubquOTAR_a3Q/s1600/038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW_o_l2w6PfKNcixgul2XmAmtjVu9nOC8FOS_Cl87h8kIMx18lKclKfBhGi7dTsE39JUgFWjFS3ycMDKqA3Q5Oq354PvoQBuIas7WYI_OF9hC0O2pgHzBnrWk6dOmDlubquOTAR_a3Q/s320/038.JPG" t$="true" width="212" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Both together</em></span></div><br />
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Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-46258477888058606772011-05-11T21:46:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:24:52.464-07:00Lollipop & Feather Clips and More!<strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">It is time for my once in a blue moon post! I have made several paper crafts over the last few months and just recently started to make these fun Lollipop flowers. I have wanted to make these for some time. I happened upon a fabric store that was selling satin fabric for $1.50/yard, and feathers for $1.95 plus 30% off, you can't beat that! I purchased about 6 colors and love making these. All the ones I have made so far have been for gifts but I plan to buy a cheap t-shirt and use these flowers to embellish it. I haven't yet motivated myself to start the actual sewing process however I just cut out a pattern and have gotten out the fabric to make something for Abigail. It won't be long before I actually sit down and sew. Sewing is usually like that for me, a process of preparations. Well here are a few of the things I have made, and I am seriously liking the lollipop flowers.</span></em></strong> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GrVx6vvibPf3b5GwFG9LuKOeviaZANKLH76cJWBirYFn8VSlL2eDRjOkxc7KvrkRs12hD8ryoaac4xz4TzpgRYlggo8lS25y8qKvhmC4FoJxQ0PYQaTpl6O9Tv8IyJvK_JVjRkzlRg/s1600/224393_1976088612115_1540084573_2138528_3091226_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><img border="0" closure_uid_i6xsyt="112" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GrVx6vvibPf3b5GwFG9LuKOeviaZANKLH76cJWBirYFn8VSlL2eDRjOkxc7KvrkRs12hD8ryoaac4xz4TzpgRYlggo8lS25y8qKvhmC4FoJxQ0PYQaTpl6O9Tv8IyJvK_JVjRkzlRg/s320/224393_1976088612115_1540084573_2138528_3091226_n.jpg" width="307" /></span></em></strong></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Lollipop Flower Headband made for Noelle's teacher</span></em></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMUDC5JEvGvp359dJIRy7NdeqynS-ttjywJt4PNhuVDpCuHro2yLhjCcx5nBkqx4PiFk7AgKr36dEKcq91yqwrDpvKu4e9LhQLzckvS5RSlzGI5vW-sTYoZeK5WUgLDNDUnb9wSCs7A/s1600/230412_1976083331983_1540084573_2138514_1370857_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMUDC5JEvGvp359dJIRy7NdeqynS-ttjywJt4PNhuVDpCuHro2yLhjCcx5nBkqx4PiFk7AgKr36dEKcq91yqwrDpvKu4e9LhQLzckvS5RSlzGI5vW-sTYoZeK5WUgLDNDUnb9wSCs7A/s320/230412_1976083331983_1540084573_2138514_1370857_n.jpg" width="246" /></span></em></strong></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">The flower detatches and can be worn alone.</span></em></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-873FbQo6wfSt6TEJIkriIDsZYgSxDYyWpYXbYfuRiUjixPuE2Y0t_Eo4uooD3pN18DKNIPALpjzBclyvH6vmYF71v2SWtp9uAcRes2q_7ezqpmWdso-Lxs04ODVaACObezmj-2cnCA/s1600/226542_1964894252263_1540084573_2119998_3139706_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="191" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-873FbQo6wfSt6TEJIkriIDsZYgSxDYyWpYXbYfuRiUjixPuE2Y0t_Eo4uooD3pN18DKNIPALpjzBclyvH6vmYF71v2SWtp9uAcRes2q_7ezqpmWdso-Lxs04ODVaACObezmj-2cnCA/s320/226542_1964894252263_1540084573_2119998_3139706_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></em></strong></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Made for M & A's teachers</span></em></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jaiD0boj9-OE4-gT0hY5cLh7_KQimrA-2cNxNmaQL1NS6SEuFKOKIq4GGxWq3vc6Qnuq01h3KLJQNhyphenhyphenUHlS8OuloK9G76G0QtZBXLF65ZvQEYBLzIe8AIT9uM4CXZF5JkNhYDZqNrw/s1600/222910_1964894732275_1540084573_2119999_5662770_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="191" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jaiD0boj9-OE4-gT0hY5cLh7_KQimrA-2cNxNmaQL1NS6SEuFKOKIq4GGxWq3vc6Qnuq01h3KLJQNhyphenhyphenUHlS8OuloK9G76G0QtZBXLF65ZvQEYBLzIe8AIT9uM4CXZF5JkNhYDZqNrw/s320/222910_1964894732275_1540084573_2119999_5662770_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></em></strong></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Close up</span></em></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpZFyAyz6UzSjIUi6g-4-Ii1GMSDxEBZ4PPnpow4picHwwBZ7TcULryGqRGCrBl74LpR_obeGsDalTGkhqoEqrFmX0UTDZ5hoP5c_HKXMc-FHYh87cbAgDOh3snlMHxosEdc3jhnJpQ/s1600/180928_1801759734002_1540084573_1881167_3815065_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="252" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpZFyAyz6UzSjIUi6g-4-Ii1GMSDxEBZ4PPnpow4picHwwBZ7TcULryGqRGCrBl74LpR_obeGsDalTGkhqoEqrFmX0UTDZ5hoP5c_HKXMc-FHYh87cbAgDOh3snlMHxosEdc3jhnJpQ/s320/180928_1801759734002_1540084573_1881167_3815065_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></em></strong></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">V-Day Cards!</span></em></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7RJJ9I4aBXqdJMn70did3uzUEUPgwsurMuMieDBP3S0kyGolSc5k_z61m8QIpCcH9X5HjLtZpo0-DFukDp3holhtR7tmUfNRme3On4jUxiIUC9U2Dv3SNb58V0SrD5phQ_nv_ymdQw/s1600/hbanner1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="191" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7RJJ9I4aBXqdJMn70did3uzUEUPgwsurMuMieDBP3S0kyGolSc5k_z61m8QIpCcH9X5HjLtZpo0-DFukDp3holhtR7tmUfNRme3On4jUxiIUC9U2Dv3SNb58V0SrD5phQ_nv_ymdQw/s320/hbanner1.bmp" width="320" /></span></em></strong></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
<em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"></span></em></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVZroY-Yq3OK0qajEHbYYzOYD21go6o_pU6ic5a17KMSnV2q3dXl_1s7yu-7FUQeVqjbbWDJww5e99zK113FW7OftYLoAL3BjHIOvWtiQPKHRcS-b-Xr33ntILIbEXafKJ0XnmFTs4Q/s1600/hbanner2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="191" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVZroY-Yq3OK0qajEHbYYzOYD21go6o_pU6ic5a17KMSnV2q3dXl_1s7yu-7FUQeVqjbbWDJww5e99zK113FW7OftYLoAL3BjHIOvWtiQPKHRcS-b-Xr33ntILIbEXafKJ0XnmFTs4Q/s320/hbanner2.bmp" width="320" /></span></em></strong></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Birthday Banner for my two nieces' birthday (used my Cricut)</span></em></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMmrgcS41N8iQWLdlcJNsWrOXntD4qhWlIDEV-fQ4Zuzt-m7zYXv-EYGMrWsccoMF78nA4HhMdd_ojUIf_Ew3jBMHtM6KHVlRx3PoiSi7tsDEwfxvFTvtB4McNNa20oz6Hqeyn5HRFw/s1600/cars1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="191" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMmrgcS41N8iQWLdlcJNsWrOXntD4qhWlIDEV-fQ4Zuzt-m7zYXv-EYGMrWsccoMF78nA4HhMdd_ojUIf_Ew3jBMHtM6KHVlRx3PoiSi7tsDEwfxvFTvtB4McNNa20oz6Hqeyn5HRFw/s320/cars1.bmp" width="320" /></span></em></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;">Pixar Car decor for M's 3rd birthday, used the Car's Cricut Cartridge!</span></em></strong></div>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2280399542422017427.post-6056571909096781162011-02-23T11:31:00.000-08:002011-02-23T11:32:07.783-08:00Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes!<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>When I decide to get creative with my cooking, I enjoy it! When I bake and try out new recipes, I enjoy it. I love the various food blogs that I run across and I always think I could blog about that. Of course as my little posse of followers have figured out I get an F in the blog world, none the less I do think about my blog and decided I should do my annual update..haha!</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I have yet to start crafting again even though I hear my sewing machine and serger whispering to me through out the day. I do wish I had an amazing project to share but I don't. I do however have a delicious pancake recipe. I had the idea to share this recipe the first time I made them and figured I should take some pictures. Yes, these pictures have been sitting in my camera forever but it is never too late to share pancakes! Now, I also have pictures of Butternut Squash soup, Banana Bread, and Pumpkin Bread.. those may have to wait until the Fall. </em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>So last year John and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. We went and stayed the night at a hotel and ate breakfast there in the morning. I ordered these divine Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes and could not stop thinking about them well after our celebration. I knew at some point I was going to want these again and went to search out a recipe. There were actually quite a few recipes but I chose the recipe that I found on the Martha Stewart website. I modified the recipe slightly because I wanted more of a lemon flavor, so before I folded in the egg whites I squeezed half of a lemon (maybe more) into the batter. The second time I made the pancakes I omitted the poppyseeds and decided I could go either way, with or without poppyseeds. If you are looking to make something quick these are not what I would recommend but if you want a special breakfast and can devote a little extra time, you must try these. The batter is quite different the normal pancake batter and the consistency of the pancake is also differnt so just keep that in mind. I hope you enjoy them as much as I and now my family do! </em></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxN_Tz7Z1w2loHklpQSz6PopSqt2cSiB0tGOsls3lFigECoTbUxVQhDmzo-bxQNXU_98Rx0Rtk4roKpoyLeyJCFxG2B0_UEyKcwBHFoO3f0YYLprqOfGNYzfXoIoVa-2DFZas_knpFA/s1600/DSC_1017-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxN_Tz7Z1w2loHklpQSz6PopSqt2cSiB0tGOsls3lFigECoTbUxVQhDmzo-bxQNXU_98Rx0Rtk4roKpoyLeyJCFxG2B0_UEyKcwBHFoO3f0YYLprqOfGNYzfXoIoVa-2DFZas_knpFA/s320/DSC_1017-1.JPG" width="275" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><u>Lemon-Ricotta Poppyseed Pancakes</u></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;">Makes 16 pancakes</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Ingredients</em></strong></span></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">6 large eggs, separated</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">1/2 cup all-purpose flour</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">1/4 cup sugar</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Zest of 2 large lemons (and additional lemon juice)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">1 tablespoon poppy seeds</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Vegetable oil, for griddle</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Maple syrup, warmed</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Berries, for garnish</span></div><br />
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<strong><em>Directions</em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">1.Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until they form firm, glossy peaks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">2.In a large bowl, beat together ricotta, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds. Using a rubber spatula, stir flour mixture into ricotta mixture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">3.Fold a large spoonful of whipped egg whites into ricotta mixture. Continue folding in remaining egg whites. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">4.Coat a griddle or large skillet with oil and heat over high heat until very hot, then reduce heat to medium. Working in batches, place 1/4 cup batter for each pancake on griddle, leaving space, as they will spread. Cook until golden and top begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Gently turn and continue cooking until bottoms are light brown. Transfer to a serving plate and keep warm until all the pancakes have cooked. Serve with maple syrup and berries. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe by:<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/four-seasons-lemon-ricotta-poppy-seed-pancakes"> Martha Stewart </a></span><br />
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</span>Little Moos and My Creative Pink.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08214851598153325221noreply@blogger.com0