A proud DIY moment...

Ever have those moments when you're finished with a DIY project and you step back and go "ahhh, man, I did great work!" Not that you're trying to be conceited or pompous but you just know it looks so much better than it did before and it was exactly what you had in mind. I had one of those on Monday.

First, it started with a concept. We have a very small kitchen. That's tough for someone who loves to cook and bake like I do. So we have to make every inch count. This brings me to this wall...

In case you're wondering, those big cabinet doors are to our washer and dryer - European style. Our house was built in the early 1950's when the washer and dryer were usually housed in the kitchen. Eye sore. So the people prior to us built a clever cabinet around them. Not so great when you need to service the units but otherwise fabulous. 

Anywhoozle, the counter space is great but the wall wasn't very useful. The ONLY space we had to store food was a small little cupboard. Everything else is for pots, pans, dishes, bottles, etc. and even that isn't very much space.



See what I mean? Not much space to store food. Seriously...that's all the space we really had. Let's just say I'm in good with many of the staff at our local Publix grocery store. I visit often. So I figured why not put shelves up on the other wall that would allow me to store our dishes and glasses. It would not only be practical but hopefully decorative as well.

Off to the local home improvement store we went Friday night. (yep, we're that cool) I'm keeping them nameless because I was highly disappointed in a few of the things we found. My plan was to purchase pre-cut, pre-fab shelves and the brackets to hang them. Should take about an hour or so to install and viola - we'd be done. Famous last words.

Instead I found this...

Every one of the dark shelves was damaged. And not just a little damaged. I asked the sales guy in the area why they would sell them so damaged and he wasn't too concerned. Told me "they would sell like that" and all he would do is give me a whopping $1.00 off the price. Seriously? Ummm no thank you. Hubby thought I was being a little dramatic but I'm not paying good money for something that damaged out of sheer principle.

And with that Plan B was quickly implemented. Off we went to the lumber section, Hubby rollings his eyes but trying very hard to be patient. Little peanut wasn't sure what the heck was going on. It was his first time in a shopping cart without the carrier so he wasn't sure which way to look (he's facing backwards but going forward - waaaay weird for him at first) as I cart him off across the store. But he was a good sport. 



I found the same size board in unfinished white pine and all it needed was to be cut, which they can do for you in the store. Then I could stain it and it would virtually be the same, probably better since it wasn't made with cheap MDF and laminate. I considered the furniture grade wood but it was $40 per board and I needed 2 versus $17 for both boards in the white pine.

The Oh-this-will-be-a-snap project turned in to ugh-this-will-take-all-weekend project. But where there's a will there's a way. AKA a pregnant woman on a mission. I used Minwax PolyShades in Bombay Mahogany Gloss and applied 2 coats. And little tip, I thought putting them flat to stain would be better but it turns out that the stain can drip and leave heavier color underneath. It was much better to just prop them up and stain them while they were vertical. I also put a coat of Olympic High Gloss Enamel on them to make them extra shiny and tough since I had it already in stock (see this post).

Once those were dry, it was time to install. Daniel had plans to help me but since this was taking more time than originally anticipated, I ended up installing them on Monday night. He watched peanut instead (plus he was a touch grouchy so it was probably better for the marriage anyway). It was up to me to get these installed unless I wanted to wait till the weekend. And let's face it, I've never been good at waiting.

supplies

Installing the brackets isn't that complicated. Ideally you would find studs but our trusty stud finder wasn't so trusty. When I drilled the holes to put the white anchors in, there were no studs to be found. Stud finder, to you I say "liar liar pants on fire". Oh well. I created a grid on the wall using a pencil, laser, level and yard stick. Once the grid was in place (I installed three brackets per 50" shelf to ensure they were well supported), it's easy to put up the brackets in alignment. Took me about an hour or so to get them up. I may have been able to do it a little faster had I not also been helping with Charlie and working around a giant prego belly at over 6 months pregnant. Do you know how hard it is to bend over a cabinet with a big belly? Or twist underneath the shelves to screw them in to the brackets with a belly? Yep, made you go there.

Here's a picture of the shelves once they were up, although I still had to screw them to the brackets at this point. I forgot to get short screws at the store originally. Whoops. Oh and wondering what happened to the grid? The pencil grid wipes off easily with a Mr. Eraser sponge.

And here was my "ah ha" moment when I finished decorating and hung the art back on the wall. And yes, all this occurred on Monday night. I was on a roll. Although he won't admit it, Daniel was a bit skeptical of my project until he woke up the next morning and saw this.

Then he was a believer. Even called me a female Bob Villa. (I'm going to take that as a compliment, honey)  Doesn't it make a huge difference????  Now we have so much more space in the cabinets to store food, bottles and other necessities without them being so crammed.

Here's another picture from the side so you can see the decorate brackets. They are a bronze color to match the other kitchen hardware and cabinet knobs.

I still walk by every day and smile and say "I love you" to the shelves. Weird I know but I'm OK admitting it.  

So what about you? What home improvement DIY project have you done that you just fell in love with in the end?  Do tell!

You win some, you lose some

You win some, you lose some. At least I do when I try new recipes. This past Sunday, Daniel had to work, which is very abnormal. But he traded to have Friday off so he can have a 4 day weekend coming up. That meant after church he had to go to the gym and me and peanut went home. So what was I to do while peanut took his afternoon nap?

Logical choice: cook, bake, try something new. I have pregnancy ADD so I can't just sit and rest plus I am nesting which for me includes cooking. Well at least I think so. I've been pregnant so long now, I don't really know anymore. Side note: for those of you new to the blog, this is my second year in a row being pregnant. I like to blame most everything on being pregnant now. Especially when I bake copious amounts of desserts in a week.

I was craving peppery beef and ran across a recipe not long ago that I hadn't tried in my recipe box. I had planned on black pepper encrusted beef, roasted garlic potatoes, fresh salad and chocolate chip cookies (Daniel's favorite). Quick search on the internet found me a few potato recipes to experiment with, had my beef recipe so off to the grocery store peanut and I went. What better way for Hubby to come home than to a yummy meal? Or so I thought.

The beef was a bust.

Not only did I over cook it (Note to self: need a meat thermometer) but it was waaaayyy too salty. I mean, I ate two bites and couldn't eat anymore because my mouth was shriveling from the salt. I think the salt and soy sauce it called for was just too much. I may try it again but minus the soy sauce or minus the extra salt. Or perhaps I should just try a new recipe. This one took 3.5 hours between prep, marinating and cooking. Hard to make on a weekday. And I was SO disappointed after spending all that time preparing it and it turned out so ick.

But the potatoes were a hit!  {hands raised in victory - cue the clapping crowd}

So I thought I'd share the recipe since it was super easy.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

2lbs red potatoes (about 4-5 medium size), unpeeled and cut into chunks

1/4 cup olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped

1 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste (be generous so potatoes aren't bland)

In a saucepan large enough to hold the potatoes, bring water to a boil.

Boil potatoes for 2 minutes (you're not trying to cook them through)

In a large bowl, combine the other ingredients

Drain potatoes and add to garlic mixture, mixing gently but thoroughly

Cover bowl and let sit for 20 min up to 2 hours

Preheat oven to 450 and place potatoes in baking dish

Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered, then toss potatoes and bake another 10 minutes

A simple recipe with simple ingredients. Just what we need in our recipe box!

Bon Apetit!



 
So do you have a good black pepper beef recipe or something similar I can try? Otherwise, back to the cookbooks to find another one to try...I'll be sure to share successes (or failures) with you.

It's the little changes that make all the difference

I finally got around (mentally) to tackling some little home improvements this weekend. I have wanted to paint our cabinet in our bathroom for a while but just couldn't muster the energy. I blame it on being 6 months pregnant and also having an 8 month old, working full time and maintaining a household - you know - life. But I knew I needed to tackle it sooner or later. It was just an eye sore.

So to bring you up to speed, our one and only bathroom is what I call "shotgun style" - very narrow and long. It only has one cabinet (under the sink), which isn't much storage.

So when we moved in, we bought a small bookshelf (that's it on the left) to hold baskets so we had more storage for day to day items. It was unfinished so I just put several coats of glossy white on it and called it a day. That was 4 years ago...and apparently it's been a rough 4 years for this little cabinet.

See what I mean? And that's after I cleaned it! It was starting to look really grundgy and I always think that when something in a room is worn and tattered, you really don't notice anything else. Sticks out like a sore thumb. Off we went to Lowe's for some supplies Friday night while I was still feeling motivated. I was already planning on another project for the weekend...you know...one of those "oh this will be quick but make all the difference in the world" kind of projects but turns out it was a "holy cow this is not going as planned" type projects. More on that in a later post.

Here's all I needed:

1. White paint - I used high gloss trim paint
2. Colored paint - I chose Chateau Brown, Lemongrass and Edamame sample colors from Sherwin Williams because they matched the color scheme in the bathroom
3. paintbrush - one regular and one small for detail work
4. circular top or stamp or anything to use as a template (or you could free hand it if that's your style)
5. painters tape

After applying 2 coats of white and letting those dry (mostly, I'm not the most patient of gals) I started on the artwork part of the project. I decided that stripes on the top would help hide the rough wear and tear that it recieves (it's wear my flat iron warms up, where I put my contacts at night, etc) So it was as simple as taking painter's tape and making the size stripes you want to make. When you pull the tape up, it's still white underneath so you can either tape it again or like I did, just hand paint the white parts the color you want. It had a straight line already defined so it wasn't that hard.

Oh and did I mention I opted to paint the shelves in the Chateau Brown? Our baskets are green but when they go in and out every day, they can scratch. And lets face it, my make-up basket is great at leaving dust all over and well, men aren't the neatest.

Then I decided for the sides that polka dots would be an unexpected, whimsical touch but done in matching colors, wouldn't be too kid-y. I took the top from a small jar of paint and dunked the tip in the colors of choice. Plastered that all along the sides in random pattern and then filled them in using the small paint brush.

I almost considered leaving the dots unpainted because they sort've looked like cool bubbles but in the end, am glad I filled them in. It didn't take long to paint it - just part of Saturday - and most of it was because I was waiting on paint to dry and entertaining little peanut. Oh and because at the last minute, what I thought was originally white paint turned out to be clear enamel (yes, that's why I went to Sherwin Williams AND Lowes), I decided to coat the entire unit in the polyurethane to give it extra luster and protection. Because of that, I let it dry over night so it was good and dry and not tacky before putting anything on it.

Here's the finished product:

Just enough color to set it apart and make it look finished. I considered painting something on the front but I think that would have taken it over the edge in to kid-y town. And in case you missed it, here's a before and after.

Much better! So now our bathroom doesn't have the Stick-out-like-a-sore-thumb-dirty-shelving unit bringing it down.

So what about you? Do you have a piece of furniture that just brings down the house (and not in a good way)? Need some artistic inspiration? Post a comment! With a little snapshot, I can give you all kinds of ideas on how to spruce it up.

Oh, and shameless plug: if you're local and don't want to tackle something like this on your own check out www.pepperpotsdesigns.blogspot.com. It's my little side hobby/business painting furniture or painting whimsical artwork.

OK, shameless plug done. Happy painting!

Berry, Berry Delicious!

I don't know about you but I just love when all the fruits are on sale during the spring and summer. I try to stock up on them and freeze what I can in my little teeny tiny freezer. {sigh... I miss my big freezer that now resides at my brother's} As you know, not a big fan of vegetables but fruit I can chow down on!

So when I saw blackberries were on sale, I just had to buy them. I'm not a huge fan of all the seeds they have but they just say "summer" to me and I figured I could figure out something to do with them. Plus, honestly, when I'm pregnant, I love to bake. Wait...who am I kidding? I love to bake. period. end of sentence.

So I started checking out recipes for blackberry cobbler. Some are too fancy, some don't have crust or don't have enough of it. Sort've like Goldilocks but with berry recipes instead of beds. Then I found one just right. Of course the Hubby was skeptical. Why is it he's always so skeptical when I try something different but almost always devours it? So try it out - I made a few modifications based on mine that I made last night to make it a little better. The original recipe called for an egg white wash over the crust but I felt like it gave it a egg taste so I took it out. It also had it baking in a more shallow dish but I think it should be thicker.

Blackberry Cobbler

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 package of refrigerated pie crust (Pillsbury preferred)

2 12 oz packages of blackberries OR 3 1/2 cups of frozen berries

1 Tbs sugar for the top

Mix the first four ingredients in a bowl then gently stir in berries. Spoon/pour in an 8x8 baking dish or big pie dish. Cut the pie crust in to strips (you only need one of the 2 that come in the box of dough). Arrange over the berry mixture in a lattice shape OR you can cut them in the shapes of stars or hearts, whatever floats your boat. Sprinkle top with 1 Tbs sugar. Bake at 425 for 30-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and blackberries are bubbly.

Goes great with vanilla icecream or whip cream (or cool whip if you don't want to make your own like me).  You can also double the recipe and put it in a 9x13 pan for a bigger crowd.

Bon Apetit! 

Picture, picture on the wall...

I get this question all the time when I'm helping my friends decorate their homes..."where do I put this picture?" ... "but what if it doesn't match?" ... "what do I put on the wall?" ...

Ok so that's more than one question but you get the point. Artwork. It seems to be a common problem amongst those who are new to decorating. And then the next thing I see - they go buy mass printed artwork because they think it matches the room, not necessarily because they like it.

So here are 8 simple rules about how to select and hang artwork.

Rule #1: never buy art because it matches. Buy art because you love it and it inspires you. Not because it matches. Did I just repeat myself? Shall I say it again? Not because it matches. If you buy it just for a room's decor then later down the road when your tastes change (and they will), you won't like the picture anymore and you'll just throw it out begrudgingly. Or you'll hold on to it because you don't want it to go to waste but won't really like it when you look at it. So buy what you love.

For example, it could be prints from an art show, a poster you see in a store, magazine covers, album or CD covers, something you make yourself...you get the picture.

these are pictures of my great-grandfather barbequing - just blown up and framed the same for a cohesive look

I found these in a little shop at the beach and had them framed and now they are in the bathroom

an old vintage poster re-created makes a great picture for the kitchen

watercolor of a castle referenced in one of my favorite books (and yes, I had it framed but it was already matted)

Rule #2: don't have all your pictures be pictures of just the family. It will be too much to look at in a living room. Personally I suggest picking a hallway, stairway or entryway to focus a gallery of family pictures (like the one below). The other option is to pick one major wall in a room and let that be the gallery.

not only is the gallery cool but the red frames really add an element of surprise

Rule #3: when it comes to placement, it doesn't have to be symmetrical. What? You just cringed didn't you? Take a deep breath. It will be OK. They need to have a consistent line but not be the same size and exact symmetrical pattern.

Note that the top picture is all types of frames, just well laid out.

 
Rule #4: try using the same colored frames. Rather it be red, like the picture above, or all dark wood or black, etc. the affect will help them look cohesive. But remember, it doesn't have to be perfectly matched!

pretty coral frames for a punch of color

Note that they all use black frames but that they aren't symmetrically placed

here the pics are clustered but all are in dark wood frames to look more cohesive

these frames are similar (dark wood and gold) but not exactly the same

Rule #5: you don't have to use the same size frames together. Note the pictures above. They all have different sized frames. As long as they balance each other, you don't need frames the same size. To balance them, draw a line (I use painters tape on a wall to guide me) down the center or diagonally and the frames should balance along that line. See the graphic earlier in this post of the stairwell for an example.

Rule #6: become friends with your framer. I personally like using my local craft store who often has 1/2 off framing deals. It makes buying prints, posters and other "loose" pictures easier to buy. Plus you get to pick out exactly how the picture will look when it's put together.

Which brings me to a framing tip, don't feel like every picture has to be matted. Matting can be very expensive. Sometimes pictures look better without the matting.

Rule #7: if you don't have pictures or can't find ones you like, use a theme. It could be plates, crosses, mirrors or whatever you love. Sometimes this is a cheap and easy option to add style to any wall.

Rule #8: hang pictures at eye level. Ever heard this and wondered what the heck is eye level? Afterall, I'm 6'0" but you may be 5'3" - umm my eye level is very different than yours. Basically it means hang them in between the common eye level. Note in all of the pictures featured that they are all hung just above the tables or couches, not several feet above them. It's OK if the pictures are hidden just a touch - it's called layering. Just like in clothes, layer your decorating. And yes, you should be able to touch the picture if you are sitting on the couch. It shouldn't be so high that you can't see it sitting down.

So there you go. Eight simple rules for selecting and hanging artwork. Blank walls are sad. Adding artwork makes a room feel so much cozier and complete.

So Go! Shop! Buy! Frame if you have to! And hang that artwork. Be sure to share your results with me.

The joys of gardening

As you well know, I love to cook...hence why many of my posts are about recipes, cooking and other food related items. So it probably doesn't surprise you that I also have a garden. For the past 4 years we've had a garden in our backyard. I grew up on a farm where my dad and brother had a HUGE garden. I mean we couldn't even think about eating all the food that came from it. Alot of it was just fun to grow - I mean who needs 20 jalapeno pepper plants? I can distinctly remember having rotten tomato fights with my brother when we were supposed to be "working"...perhaps that's why I don't like eating tomatoes??? It's a little traumatizing.

This winter, when my parents were visiting, I mentioned that the garden spot we had just wasn't working. No matter how much compost, fertilizer or other ways I prepared the soil, it just never did very well. Plus my dogs had access...never a good thing. Stella thought it was her personal salad bar at one point. I'd pick the tomatoes and she'd carry them off in her little mouth to chew up. So I suggested building a raised bed on the side of the house along our fence line where it was sunny, bare and otherwise left alone by our 4-legged children.

Here's an old picture of the front - the garden spot is along side the fence on the side of the house

In typical fashion, I gave my dad the usual "puleeeze, daddy" look and viola...dad and Daniel built us a set of raised beds in less than a day. SCORE! I don't think Daniel was too thrilled to get roped in to it but he knew I was excited so he went along. They filled them with bags of Black Cow and Miracle Grow gardening soil and that was all they needed. They planted lettuces, spinach and onions for the early spring and boy were they delicious. Daniel was a bit skeptical...he's never had fresh lettuce and spinach before. Raised on the blacktop that one. Apparently he thought they were grown in the plastic bins I bring home every week from the grocery store. Didn't really surprise me...he can be skeptical of many of my "plans". But one bite of a fresh salad from our own garden and he was sold. He was shocked at how much more tender and tasty the lettuce and spinach was compared to the grocery store organic kind.

This April I planted herbs (basil, thyme, oregano and mint) as well as red, yellow and green peppers; cherry tomatoes; sweet potatoes; cucumbers; tomatoes and watermelon. We (and by "we" I mean Daniel...) have been watering it regularly. I plant...Daniel waters...that's how the Schrall's do gardening.  And once the plants were established, spraying it with organic fertilizer every 3 weeks or so.

Look how great it's turned out so far! It's even been blazingly hot for "spring" - staying in the mid-90's for weeks and weeks, and they still seem to be growing like crazy.

Front bed with herbs and peppers

another shot of the tomatoes and at the bottom, cucumbers and watermelon

Everything is starting to bloom, which if you garden, you know that the blooms turn in to the fruit, AKA the vegetables we eat. We've already gotten a few cherry tomatoes that are currently ripening in our kitchen window.

Oh, I learned this last year. Did you know you should pick the tomatoes when they just barely start to turn red? Then let them ripen in your window sill. Keeps the birds from poking holes in them on the vine and thus ruining them for eating. I also learned that you have to "pluck" the suckers from the tomato plants. Those are where a vine forks and a little sprig pops up between the fork. You're supposed to pinch those off. That helps them stay bushy instead of getting leggy. Obviously from this picture, it's working!

And for the record, I don't subscribe to the "water just the roots" versus the leaves philosophy. After all, what do you think happens when it rains??? So we just water with a sprinkler and let it stay on for 20-30 minutes so the ground gets saturated.

I'm most thrilled that when we harvest, I will know exactly how they were grown and what was put on them. I'm big in to organic if we can afford it. Charlie only eats organic baby food too.

Which as side bar, do you know the Top 10 fruits and veggies you should eat organic due to the high level of chemicals on or in them?

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Nectarines
4. Strawberries
5. Pears
6. Sweet Bell Peppers
7. Celery
8. Imported Grapes
9. Spinach
10. Potatoes

You can check this website out to learn why. I don't know about you but all of those on the list we eat on a very regular basis. It's soooo much cheaper to grow your own than it is to buy organic. Granted I don't have the space for fruit trees (yet) but at least I can do the rest.

But I digress...as I was saying...I love knowing what was put on the vegetables...not to mention how cheap it turns out to be when you can eat from it all summer long. If only I had enough room for corn and more fruit. {big sigh} If we planned on staying in the house, I'd rip out all the brush growth along that side of the house and put another set of raised beds along the house. But we're not so it doesn't make sense.

So stay tuned...when the tomatoes and peppers start coming in, I'll have all kinds of recipes for you to try. Including how to blanch tomatoes and make your own tomato sauce, yummy pasta dishes to go with the fresh tomato sauce you just made and stuffed peppers!

Do you garden? If so, any good tips for our readers?

How To: Gift's for Dad

One of the things that the Hubby wanted for Father's Day, which is his very first Father's Day by the way, was a shadow box created of his dad's army medals. He wasn't very close to his dad when he was growing up and he passed away when Daniel was just 16 from cancer. Since Hubby doesn't request things very often for presents, I knew I needed to create this for him. And you know me, I couldn't resist blogging about it since I think it's a great gift for any man in your life and can go with any hobby, interest or otherwise cool thing they like. So here you go...

Start with a shadow box, push pins (the kinds you sew with) and any favorite set of items they like. In this case, it was a set of medals and pictures from his dad's time in the service (he was a Chief Master Sergeant in the Army).

Now I was extra excited when I found the shadow box a while back because it was 50% off at our local Hobby Lobby store so I scored it for only $24.99 for an extra large one. LOVE that store!

Other options other than medals and military items could be:
Avid Reader: pages and a copy of their favorite books with a picture of them reading (add reading glasses, reading light or anything else they use frequently...well copies of them...don't actually steal what they use everyday)

Fisherman: lures, fishing line and pictures of them fishing. Antique ones are especially cool to add.

Golfer: tee's, score cards, golf balls, etc

Runner: track shoes, pictures of them running track, favorite "lucky socks", etc

Sports fan: tickets, picture at the game, patches or stickers with team's info, signed copies of anything they may have collected over the years

Pastor: crosses, sermon notes, pictures of them preaching, mini bible, favorite scripture quote

You get the picture...there are all kinds of options depending on what your man or boys love to do.

Next step, lay out everything on the board to make sure it all fits. Words of wisdom...be sure that the board is facing in the right direction so that the hanger on the back side is not upside down. I'm not saying I did this and realized it after the fact when it was all done or anything. Just saying it could happen.

After you have it all laid out, start pinning. Using the push pins found in any sewing section, simiply stick them in to the board. If they are too long, just put them in at an angle. For the medals, I pinned them underneath the first layer so you couldn't see the pins. For the pictures and paper, I used colors that matched so they blended in.

When it's all pinned in and you know it's not going to fall off when it sits upright put it back in the box and VIOLA! You have a pretty shadow box.

Here's a picture of where we ended up hanging it - in the Man Room Guest Room Anna's Office multi-purpose room.

And here's another close up of the box and it's contents:

And just for the record, this isn't all that Daniel got for Father's Day. He also got this funky artistic piece that is a frog with a baby frog riding on it's back - just like little Charlie who loves to ride on his daddy in the Bjorn. (and yes, Daniel likes funky things like this so it wasn't an "aww that's cute" but secretly saying "what the heck?")

You can't see it well but on the leg there's a blue/red baby frog holding on

Looks kind've cute and funky crawling up the wall

And he also got this blender AKA Captain Ninja a few weeks ago when ours died. Yep, I'm the wife that gave her husband a kitchen appliance for a present. He makes gross veggie/protein shakes every day to counter-act his sweet tooth after his workouts. It's the one you see on infomercials that can cut through anything (but you can get it at your local home store).



And here he is, enjoying a movie and relaxing in the quiet solace of home...in other words, Charlie was napping.

And not to worry, he wasn't painting his fingernails with the polish behind him...that was me last night

Happy Father's Day honey! You're a great dad and husband!

So have you ever created anything fun for the man in your life for Father's Day? What is the worst thing you ever made? Or got if you're a dad? Any other cute ideas you've seen?