Day off means crafting galore!

I know I just posted a few days ago, but Brent and I finally had a day (kind of) off together resulting in a lot of the crafts we have had half finished to finally become finished and hung. They are all awesome and I'm so excited at how well they all turned out!!

 First up is this bookshelf. This book shelf has followed me through every move I've made--down to Cincinnati into 4 different apartments, back home for a year, and through 2 apartments so far in Cleveland. It has gotten a lot of wear and tear through these years due to both moving and because I'm obsessed with books so am constantly taking them off and putting them on. 

 Lucy however really enjoyed the empty book shelf and thought white was a fine color :)

We used I think four or five cans of spray paint in all to finish the shelf off. That doesn't include the part where the paper covered (so all of the backs of the shelves) 

 I found fun paper at Pat Catans to go with the new black color. Brent was in charge of sticking the scrapbook paper to the shelf because he is significantly more anal than I am about anything artsy so all the dots had to line up perfectly. I would almost bet putting on the paper took more time than applying paint 10 times. We used an adhesive spray glue which worked wonders! I was amazed actually at how sticky the glue was at easy it was to use. 

 Ta-da!!! what a difference a few coats of paint make and some scrap book paper :) 

And last but not least--my prides and joys. The book shelf would be more than full if I wouldn't have went out and bought a kindle :( 

Up next is this hideous picture we found on one of our Goodwill trips. 

I just covered the glass (and some of the frame, oops) in chalkboard spray paint. This as well took quite a few coats just to ensure that it was all even and thick enough to write on)

 I then bought recycled wine corks off of Amazon---I drink wine, but this project used almost 100 wine corks--I definitely don't drink that much, or am patient enough to save 100 wine corks. I did add some of my own corks in there that I had been saving. My favorite red wine made an appearance a few times as well as a cork from a bottle we got down in Georgia called One Hope that has proceeds that benefit children with Autism, which everyone knows holds a special place in my heart. I put all of the wine corks on using a hot glue gun and only managed to burn myself twice!

It has deemed its spot on our wall which we hung using command strips. I seriously use command strips for everything. They hold wonderfully and if I get bored of the location, which I often do, I can change the location without having to worry about covering up holes in my walls. 

and if you thought we couldn't possibly have done anything else yesterday, you are wrong!

I got the idea for this project from Pinterest, of course. I thought it was a neat idea to showcase some of the neat things Brent and I have done together over the course of our relationship. I modified it, obviously, but I think it turned out pretty darn neat. It is hanging over our mantle. I didn't want to take a picture too far back to show that it's above the mantle because I took down all the 4th of July decorations so the mantle is in the process of getting redone, so I didn't want to give anything away. 

How is all of that for a day's work! I'm super excited to still be finding things I want to do and decorate. On top of that, I managed to find another delicious and healthier recipe for us to try. 

This is a healthier version of a pasta salad. It still has mayonnaise in it, but I used mayonnaise that is made with olive oil so it isn't as bad for you. 

Recipe for Broccoli Grape Harvest Salad

 http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/2012/10/broccoli-grape-harvest-salad.html

For now--xo

Plants on plants on plants

I can't believe we are already halfway through July! I feel like this summer is flying by and  I haven't gotten nearly enough accomplished. However, our days have been filled with work, making time for friends, trying new recipes, and trying to find time to run together. Sadly, I don't have many new fun crafts to post. We are currently working on 4 or 5 different things that are all more than halfway started, but need the time to finish (which we seem to be lacking). Anybody else start their day with a massive list of to-dos and then find themselves reading a book or napping or getting sidetracked by a million other things? We are definitely guilty of that. The crafts we have been working on are all exciting though, so I can't wait for them to be done so I can show them off. In the meantime, this entire blog (minus my delicious recipes) will be dedicated to the awesome plants I am growing! My favorite part of our new house is the built in office. Not only is it super helpful to have a space to put the never ending pile of books I have as well as the school stuff that continues to grow daily, but also because the office is surrounded on all sides by windows which is perfect for indoor plants! My obsession with plants started around the time Brent and I started dating. Instead of buying me flowers, he always came home with a plant. It took me killing off a couple (okay like 4...) plants before I really got the hang of how to keep them alive. My longest living plant is a Christmas cactus that I am obsessed with. It recently got repotted and has since then doubled in size! I keep telling everyone, I want to buy a house--not for normal people reasons, but because I want a yard where I can have a garden and plant flowers and have a hanging basket (I'm secretly 24 going on 90..)

So even though this post is not filled with normal 24 year old exciting things, they are really exciting to me...and because I'm so smart, I hid delicious recipes at the end of the post--that way you are forced to look at my plants :))

 Look how enormous my christmas cactus is!! and if you look closely you can see the new blooms!

 The downfall of having Brent bring home random things he thinks are neat in the store, is that I have no idea what they are what they get home. I know this is a fern, but that's the extent of my knowledge 

 If you are looking at this--try not to judge the mess that is occurring behind it. The office is the last room in the house to be set up. The bookshelf is still under DIY which results in quite a few boxes of books that need put away. Regardless--has anyone ever tried to keep an orchid alive? It's impossible!!! I was told as long as the leaves are still green and alive that the plant as a whole is alive--even though the stems and branches look dead. Does anyone have any secrets I'm unaware of on how to keep this bad boy alive?

 This little fella is new to the household! I have absolutely no idea what it is but it's super fun and super bright which makes it perfect. I found the coffee pot holder at Jo-Anne Fabrics which is also ideal for my house and my obsession with coffee mugs. I bought a ceramic rainboot the same day, but have yet to find a plant that would look good in it. Anyone have any ideas? It has to be tall!

And last, my african violet..this is also taking on lots of new blooms and will need to be repotted soon! 

Seriously how awesome are they! I am currently growing a strawberry and tomato plant too, but am going to wait til they have grown a little bit more to post. You guys are gonna love them :)

Last but not least---here are the recipes of the night

Roasted Cabbage

This recipe turned out pretty good.  The recipe says 20-30 minutes, but if you want soft cabbage I would recommend leaving it in a lot longer. 

This is a weird link-but this was the recipe I followed. I combined the liquids together then using a spoon to distribute it to the individually wrapped cabbage. Then I topped it with bacon bits. 

http://media-cache-ak2.pinimg.com/originals/30/73/e1/3073e1c3c6218f4cf909ca8203f84a33.jpg

and...Peach Cobbler Cupcakes
seriously, peach cobbler in cupcake form. I'm a firm believer the world is happier with cupcakes. I don't know what it is about cake in cupcake form-but I swear it makes it better.

This recipe is kind of tedious and requires quite a few steps-but they were absolutely delicious. One of my favorite parts was buying the peaches fresh from the West Side Market!

DELICIOUS!!

http://une-deuxsenses.blogspot.com/2012/08/peach-cobbler-cupcakes.html

I have absolutely no idea where you find cardamom, nor have I ever heard of it before. I didn't add it in there, but they still turned out great!

Red, White, and Blue

I've been very patiently waiting to post these set of pictures and crafts til after the holiday, so I could dedicate a whole blog to the festive crafts and food I made. On Pinterest awhile back, I found a lady who decorates her fireplace mantle for every holiday using either DIY crafts or cheap things found in the Dollar Tree that have been modified. With how obsessed I have been with DIY crafts and finding cheap/used things and redoing them I decided to make a mantle of my own.

Ta-da!! I was really happy for all of the pieces to come together for the mantle. Some of the pieces came from family (Mawmaw painted the rabbit on the far right--which as anyone knows touches my heart deeply) the flag sheep and candle beside it came from Mom, and then flags and red vase came from Pat Catans--all were super cheap! The vase was $3 and I'm pretty sure all of the flags and tiny red/white/blue balls cost under $2 altogether. The USA banner came from the dollar tree along with the star shaped glasses which are holding red, white, and blue glass circles which also came from dollar tree. The vase holding the red and blue flowers (also a dollar tree find) I believe came from my mom, and lastly the star banner came from my mom. My mom and grandma both were super into craft stores and I was taken to more craft shows in my life than I can count. On top of that, Mawmaw was the most crafty and artistic person I know, so I have some great hand me downs--just wait til Christmas :)

This little guy was another Pinterest find. I also decided I wanted to start making a wreath for our front door for every holiday. This was super easy to make, assemble, and hang. You just need clothes pins and a wire wreath to attach the clothes pins to. I found a wire wreath at Pat Catans, but it required some clipping of excess wire that I didn't need--that actually was the hardest part and required some manly muscles. I also found the wooden stars from Pat Catans and the clothes pins again at dollar tree so this whole project cost me under $10! 

 Brent and I headed down with some friends and his parents to watch the fireworks at Lakewood park. They were by far the best fireworks I've ever seen. The finale was like all of my hometowns fireworks combined into one set. They were incredible!

I worked the morning of the fourth of July--so of course I had to dress appropriately :)

We had friends over for a late lunch/early dinner for the fireworks. I made WAY too much potato salad, but we enjoyed corn on the cob from the West Side market, awesome stuffed burgers (which you can find at Wal-mart) and these little guys! The tips of my fingers might have ended up red and blue, but look how cute they turned out! 


As we were sitting at the fireworks, I decided how much I like Independence Day. Every person, no matter how old or young or how rich or poor can enjoy the Fourth of July and the loud colorful fireworks they bring, and I thought that was pretty neat. I hope everyone else enjoyed their holiday as much as we did.





Oh--I thought I would add in some recipes from food made over the course of the week as well, we tried some delicious new recipes

 This is creamy chicken and broccoli over rice which Brent and I both loved. I wouldn't recommend following this recipe unless you are feeding 4 or 5 people--it makes a lot!!! Get the recipe here: 
http://picky-palate.com/2007/12/17/creamy-crockpot-chicken-and-broccoli/

This is very similiar to pineapple upside down cake but is SO easy to make. I mean literally idiot proof. You take a can of diced pineapple and a box of angel food cake and stir it together. Seriously, that's it. Don't drain the pineapple juice and don't add any of the ingredients from the box of angel food cake. It is literally just the cake mix and the can of pineapple. You stir it together and it turns into the consistently of whipped cream. Pour into a cake pan and bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees! I topped my piece with a spoonful of cool whip and a strawberry. How easy and delicious :)



Lastly--we went Goodwill browsing the other day and found some more lamps-which I will post at a later day..and found this gem

Anyone who knows me knows my obsession with big, ridiculous mugs so obviously I had to have this one. Cost me a dollar at Goodwill and it was by far my favorite thing of the day. If you look closely, the cookie even has a bite out of it!! Seriously love him!


For now--xo

Back to Reality...

The crafting and food making has been a week long hiatus due to vacationing. Though, I would call it a trip more than a vacation. We loaded Pawpaw's van and I drove us straight on through to Georgia to spend time with my great aunt (who is successfully rocking 90 years old) and my great uncle. Georgia is a fun place to visit, but there isn't a chance I could ever live down there. Between the massive amount of bugs and heat, plus 100% humidity--my hair and I were ready to get back home. 

I  managed to read two books while we were down there--which is my favorite part of traveling. The spot I am sitting is my great aunt/uncles backyard. The pond behind the house is home to a large alligator (whom we have named Ben) as well as some pretty good size turtles, some hummingbirds, lizards, and snakes. It's like a zoo!

We spent a whole lot of time hiding out in the air conditioning mixed with everyday there spent shopping. After just two days I managed to do some damage.

I don't know who in Texas coined the phrase "Everything is bigger in Texas," without first visiting Georgia..For example

This is just 1/4 of a watermelon..maybe the picture doesn't do it justice, but it was enormous. 

And my favorite part of Georgia..

It didn't matter what kind of piece of junk car people down there drive--they all had enormous, ridiculous looking rims, and terrible paint jobs for their cars. 




Now that we are back home, it's back to crafting and cooking. I tried (both to cook and to eat) spaghetti squash for the first time. I'm not entirely sold on it yet, but it was a lot of fun to make. I'm not sure if the "noodles" needed cooked longer, but they ended up being too crunchy/chewy for me. This could also be due to the fact that I've eaten regular noodles my whole life, so I'm sure I had expectations of them tasting like regular noodles, maybe I just need to adjust and try again. 

After browsing around-the easiest way I found to make spaghetti squash goes as follows...I put the entire spaghetti squash (pre-cut) in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes til the outside became soft enough that I could cut through it. From there, the inside of a spaghetti squash looks very similar to a pumpkin. Once Some of the recipes I found said you could pick out the seeds and bake them the same as you would pumpkin seeds, I however did not try it. Also-be super careful cutting the spaghetti squash or be a little more patient than I was--that bad boy was EXTREMELY hot coming out of the oven (duh, I know). From there you just take a fork (as shown above) and scrape out of the inside. The "noodles" peel away from the edges fairly easily.

From there you transfer the noodles to a pan where you let it cook over medium for a few more minutes to let more of the water evaporate from the noodles and add your regular spaghetti toppings. I used regular spaghetti sauce and added garlic powder, salt and pepper to mine--and of course topped it with parmesan cheese :) 

Brent and I last night tried our hand at juicing (thanks to my parents) and dehydrating fruit (thanks to his parents). As Brent said last night, no wonder orange juice is so expensive to buy. We went through a bag of oranges (at $3.99) and only managed to make this much orange juice 

I'm not sure how freshly squeezed orange juice tastes- due to the fact that I HATE everything orange related including the smell, color, and taste--but Brent so bravely tried it last night and said it tasted like orange juice, so there you have it. I bought carrots which I plan to juice in the near future. If you live in the Columbus area-check out North Star and order there carrot juice..it's not actually called carrot juice, but if you read the menu you can figure out which one I am talking about. It's delicious!

Brent made dehydrated apples (with cinnamon) and bananas. This is a first time experience and are currently not done yet. Apparently to dehydrate fruit takes a serious amount of hours--who knew?  


That's it for now..I have so many things that I am patiently waiting to post I can hardly contain my excitement. Most likely Friday will be my Fourth of July post complete with lots of crafts and some red, white, and blue food!


For now--xo