Keep Calm and Chalkboard On

Don’t you love bloggy trends?  Keep Calm posters, chevron, buntings, chalkboards, etc.  You know, the trends that get blogged into the ground.  Just when you think that you can’t see another _____ (insert least favorite trend here), a blogger goes an does it again.

That’s me and chalkboards.  I love them.  A lot.  I can’t get enough of them.  I know they make some cringe…like when I see a bunting in a room other than a nursery.  Buntings. Bleh.  Nothing against you bunting lovers.  We all have our thang.  Chalkboards are mine.

I’m too much of a commitment-phobe to paint an entire wall with chalkboard paint (even though I drool over every one that I see) but I have made room for a smaller board in our house. Once I made my first board, I was hooked. I recently discovered chalk pens (thanks Ashley) and the need for another chalkboard arose.

A $3 Salvation Army print/frame turned chalkboard was just what my mudroom was looking for. It just may not have known it.

This is what I see when I walk in the door every week night at around 5:20PM…

Makes me smile every time.

What’s your favorite bloggy trend?  What’s your least favorite? Do those Keep Calm posters make you smile or do you want to set every poster you see on fire? Do share!

Chalk pens are fabulous.  They are easy to write with and are very bright. I purchased mine at Michael’s Print a 50% off coupon from their website before you go! 

Before Chicago Was Cool

Last Friday, Nate and I took an afternoon trip to Galena, Il.  Galena is a town rich in history.  It was hopping back in the day when Chicago was still a swamp.  Although Chicago clearly moved up in ranks, Galena is still a great town to spend an afternoon or week-end.

Some of our Galena favorites include:

The historic main street that is home to lots of shops and restaurants.  (Our favorite is Procento’s pizza)…

The beautiful views seen around town…

The old homes…

And the home of Ulysses S. Grant’s home…

On the way there we stopped at a few scenic overlooks and Palisades State Park to enjoy the fall scenery…

And what do I do with my short attention span while Nate practices up on his photog skills?  Bust a move, of course…

What’s better than a Friday afternoon off of work spent hanging out in a fun town and soaking up some scenery with this dude?…

Not much.

Where’s your favorite day destination?  How do you entertain yourself while your significant other/friends pursue their passions?  Please tell me I’m not the only one getting down my bad self…

Mudroom Art

Remember our mudroom that I talked non-stop about for an entire week?  It’s baaaack!

We last left the mudroom looking like this…

Prettier but still needing some life.  Bring on the picture frames…

Ike is digging the dog shrine.  (He also loves that he can easily slam his dog food dish against the bench.  It’s one of his favorite past times.  Don’t let that pretty face fool you.)

I decided to stick with some classic black and white photos of the family Ike, a pencil sketch of our house (edited in Picnik), and a couple of prints that I had pinned on Pinterest that I whipped up in Photoshop.  The frames are either from Target or our basement.

The room is definitely starting to feel like home instead of a dirty room that we had to walk through to get to the rest of the house. 

I have one more project planned for this room.  Guess you’ll just have to wait in suspense.  Or stop back later this week.

Anyone else have more photos of their dog in their home than most people do of their children?  Don’t you just love when rooms start to feel like home?  Even if your beautiful dog likes to take mouthfuls of food and spit them all over you newly finished room’s floor.  I guess that’s how you know you’re home, right?

Reader Window Headboard

Sometimes (or most of the time) when I write posts for this blog, I forget that people may actually follow our instructions and make the projects that we have tackled. Weird. 

This point was brought to my attention when a lovely reader, Courtney, sent me photos of her West Elm headboard copy cat that she made following our instructions (see them here)…

Here’s what Courtney had to say…

“We just followed your directions and made the west elm headboard!! I was so excited! I wanted to tell you guys thanks! I took pictures throughout the process and am really happy with the result! My husband did the cutting and building- I helped with the painting. It ended up costing about $80 since we had to buy some tools. But it was totally worth it. The instructions were simple and we are thrilled. Thanks!!”
~Courtney and Tats (her awesome hubby who did all the work)

Phew.  Our instructions made sense to others.  And it’s good to hear someone else survived painting this beast.  I almost didn’t make it. Seriously.  It was a close call.  And how awesome is the headboard paired with a white pin tuck duvet? 

Thanks to Courtney for sharing her project with us!!

Cowl Complete

I have this bad habit of starting something and then never finishing it.  I like to try different things to see if I can do them.  Once I realize that I can do them, I get bored and quit.

Not this week.  I am super proud of myself for completing the Crochet Along hosted by the lovely Rachel over at Maybe Matilda.  Not only did I complete the project but I completed it on time…as in I finished it yesterday.  I’m amazing. And totally not a procrastinator.

Rachel gave great step-by-step directions to walk us through the cowl making process.  (We used this pattern.  You can start your own cowl here.)

Want to see my cowl?  Of course you do.  Please remember that these photos were taken at 8:30 last night after an 8 hour shift where I was verbally abused for about 7.92 of those 8 hours…and I’m horribly awkward in front of the camera…

At first I didn’t think think cowls were my thing but my inner 80 year old self is actually kind of digging them.  I initially used this crochet along as a good excuse to make myself sit down and learn to crochet.  Turns out I like cowls.  Who knew?

I have to watch my precious cowl though. Someone else in my house is loving it….

Guess I need to whip him up one of his own.  He’s requested a color that brings out his eyes.  Diva.  (The things I do to this poor dog.)

Be sure to head over to Maybe Matilda and check out all of the participants.  There is even a contest for the best cowl.  I’d love your vote but the competition is pretty impressive.  I’d take a “Yay.  You actually finished a crochet project.” vote! 

After you’re done doing that, you should check out the rest of Rachel’s blog.  She’s super talented but more importantly, she kills me.  What can I say?  I like funny bloggers.  Also be sure to check out her Etsy shop which is full of great crochet patterns and beautiful hats, headbands, etc.  You can buy your own cowl and tell all of your friends you made it.  I won’t tell.

Have you tried to crochet or knit?  Or is it too elderly for you?  Anyone else have a bad habit of starting things and not finishing them?  Who thinks Rachel rocks that pixie cut like nobody’s business?

Candy Corn Wreath

My name is Michelle and I’m addicted to candy corn.

When I saw this wreath, I knew I had to make it…

I was hoping that by the time I got done making it, I would never want to eat candy corn again.  No such luck.

I actually made this wreath last year before I started blogging.  I’m surprised at how well it held up.  I slathered it in Modge Podge (to help protect it) before I packed it away.  (And to keep myself from picking off the pieces..the last remaining candy corn in our house.  I told you I was an addict.)

I followed the directions given on the Woman's Day site…with some adjustments.  I spray painted my wreath black instead of using duct tape.  Visible duct tape on a craft freaked me out.  And you all know that I like spray paint.  This project was easy but time consuming.  From what I am reading, all wreaths are time consuming.  Totally worth it though.

I’m curious how many years it will last.  Ike and I will enjoy it while we can!

Have you made a wreath?  How’d it go? Anyone know of a good CCA (Candy Corn Anonymous) group?

White Box Challenge

Alternate titles to this post:  Why Do We Keep Buying Olympic Paint?, Second Marriages, Evolving Tastes, Hugging the Toilet, Fragile Flower, Husband Is Not Observant

What the heck am I talking about?  Good question.

This week-end I decided that I wanted to start our powder room’s make-over.  The only thing we have done to this room since we moved in is hang a mirror above the sink. I believe that took us close to a year.  Oh yeah, I added the toilet paper holder too.

Not bad.  Just not the vision I have for this room.  This is the potty everyone uses when they visit our house and I wanted the room to be a little prettier.

Cue the white paint.  Olympic’s One to be exact.  It’s official.  We will no longer be purchasing Olympic paint for our walls (We will use it for furniture.).  We’re a sucker for new things and went for the One.  It took three coats and still doesn’t look the best.  We know how to paint.  We’ve painted two entire houses. We used a good roller and good paint brush.  We were covering a light paint color.  A gallon of paint (for this tiny room) and 3 coats later and we have “meh” results.  I still have some touch up to do but this is how we ended the week-end.

Looks better, right?  Don’t you just love it?……..

Okay, it’s not done.  Just one step closer to my vision.  Or according to my husband, “one of my crazy ideas.”  He was less than happy with me when I asked for his help with painting.  I promised to do the whole room myself.  This worked until I realized that there is only so much space for a ladder in this room…and I’m short.  And afraid of heights.

And now for our alternative post titles:

Second Marriages: While crammed in this tiny room together I asked Nate if he wants his second wife to be into DIY projects/decorating.  He said it was a toss up but she definitely needed to be able to paint on her own.  I told him that was okay because my second husband will either love to paint or be a billionaire and will let me hire it done.  It’s good to dream.  Keeps the marriage strong.

Evolving Tastes:  We discussed my need to re-do our entire house.  I explained to Nate that I have “evolving tastes.”  He laughed hard on this one.  I don’t get it.

Hugging the Toilet:  Did you know that it’s hard to paint behind a toilet?  I ended up straddling it.  I’ll spare you the photo.

Fragile Flower:  Nate tried to show me how I could use the ladder and reach places that I told him that I couldn’t reach.  I have this thing called a fear of heights and anything above the second step of the ladder makes me weak in the knees.  He wanted to know what I thought would happen if I fell two feet.  I told him that I might break a hip because I’m fragile.  He then proceeded to call me his fragile flower.

Husband Is Not Observant: 

Nate (during our 3rd coat of paint): “What color was this room originally?”

Michelle: “Seriously?”

Nate: “Yes.”

Michelle:  “You don’t know the color of a room you have peed in for the past 3 years?  Seriously?”

What do you think of our white room?  Do you and your spouse paint well together? Who else has evolving tastes?

Stroll Down Memory Lane- Insulation/Dry Wall

It’s time to catch up with our house building process from 3 years ago.  There was about a month lag where we were finishing up wiring/electrical and waiting for someone to dry wall. 

First up. Insulation.  We chose blown-in cellulose. 

Blown-in cellulose insulation is made up of recycled newspapers. We chose blown-in insulation because fiberglass insulation tends to settle whereas the cellulose does not.  The cellulose insulation also contains fire retardants which could slow the spread of a fire (what a horrible thought) and the cellulose also repels insects.

Look, it’s our bedroom…

And laundry room…

After the insulation was installed, the dry wall was installed…

In our bedroom…

Hall…

Living room…

Our choice in dry wallers was…poor.  I want their work day…which was 3 hours.  Seriously.  This was an extremely stressful time for us.  They quoted us two weeks as a finish date…which slowly turned into four.  The dry wall was the start of us relying on outside contractors to do the work.  Up until this point it was us or our builder (who was a one man show and was super reliable). 

During this time, we were also finishing up outside…because we had nothing else to do…

We finished up the brick on the pillars and added shakes to the top of the entry.

Hey, look! People might live here someday…

There you have it!  Our 3 house years ago this week!

Who votes for a 3 hour work day??

Barn Light Electric

I mentioned on Monday that touring the Parade of Homes gave me bad ideas.  As in, I now feel the need to replace things that I just put in my home 3 years ago.  The more I thought about the pendant that I was madly in love with, I realized that it was not the right fit for our house.  We have this modern-country vibe going on and that pendant was just a little to glam for us. 

And then I ran across an exciting opportunity from Barn Light Electric…

I have previously seen some of Barn Light Electric’s products floating around on various design blogs…mostly high end designers.  Naturally, I assumed that their lights were a bazillion and twelve dollars.  Much to my surprise, the lights are super affordable. And I’m in love.  Their style is that perfect mix of modern-country…to keep Nate and I both happy.

Barn Light Electric’s Giveaway is easy and fun.  They are giving away bloggers a chance to win (1) $1,000.00 or (1) $500.00 Barn Light Electric Gift Certificate!  All you have to do is some on-line shopping and share your picks.  That I can do.

I REALLY like the Bermuda pendant.  I know that it would look stunning in our kitchen.  It’s $107.  See, not a bazillion and twelve dollars.  They do, however, have a bazillion and twelve finishes which is a great feature.  I usually run into the problem where I find a light I like but hate the finish.  Not a problem with Barn Light Electric.

I also REALLY like the School House Pendant "The Brevard".  I’m nothing if not indecisive.

Or there is the Outlaw Pendant.  Fantabulousness.  (That is a word.)

The Laramie Pendant would look mighty fancy hanging above our breakfast table.

Their ceiling fan selection is also fabulous.  Ceiling fans and fabulous usually don’t go in the same sentence.  Good work Barn Electric. I’m thinking this Ball Ceiling Fan would look perfect in our master bedroom.

Would you like to partake in this fun giveaway? 

How to Enter:

1. Look around online at Barn Light Electric and pick lights you’d love to own.  
2. Feature your lighting picks on your personal blog, and link to the lights if you can!
3. Copy/Paste these rules at the bottom of your blog article so others can enter
4. Once your personal article is up, you must email your blog link to: contest@barnlightelectric.com to be qualified to win. The contest ends Wednesday, October 12, 2011
5. Don’t have a blog? Find out how you can enter by reading the Official Rules.  And start blogging.  Because blogging is awesome.  (Barn Door Electric also has a great blog.  Check it out here.  I’m not willing to admit how much time I spent reading it yesterday.)

What are your favorites?  What’s your decorating style?  Traditional?  Eclectic? Modern?  Country? Tuscan? Industrial? Glam? A combo?

Addictive Crunch

It’s time for another deliciously healthy recipe from Decor and the Dog.

I was responsible for Treat Day last Friday.  I feel that every day is treat day at work.  Birthdays, holidays, Fridays of pay week, Flag day, etc.  but that’s besides the point.

I am always in need of a recipe for a quick treat.

One recipe that never fails me is Addictive Crunch.  It’s from Nate’s mom.  And it’s fabulous.  Can you go wrong with cereal covered in a sugary/buttery mixture?

Addictive Crunch:

• 12 oz. Crispix
• 1 can peanuts
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1/3 c. white Karo syrup

Mix brown sugar, butter, and karo syrup in a microwave safe bowl.  Bring to a boil.  Add 1/8 tsp. baking soda.

Pour over cereal and nuts.  (I place this mixture 9 x 13 casserole dish.)  Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring every minute.  Spread evenly on waxed paper or aluminum foil to cool.  Eat up!

I usually take this and Puppy Chow on the same day.  I bring cups for my employees to place the treats in.  What boss wants their employees hanging out in the break room all day?  I’m all about increasing productivity.

What’s your favorite quick treat recipe?  Do share!

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