Living Room Before and After

Hi there. We are so glad you stopped by! Last week I did a post about taking 2 bookcases and turning them in to an entertainment center. This week, I thought I would follow that up with how we turned the living room, where the entertainment center is, in to a brighter more up to date room. Come on in!

Let me start by telling you, back in the day when we bought our house, this was our 2 car garage!

We removed the door in between the garage and the entryway.   Then we opened up the wall to make it feel as though it had always been this way.  We then raised the floor so that it would be even with the entryway. The picture above, is the view from the living room, in to the entryway.

This is the view from the entryway in to the living room. When we turned the garage in to our living room, a very dear friend of ours added this beautiful fireplace.  It has always been one of the favorite features of our home.

I guess I'm not the only one that loves the fireplace. Our dog Isabelle, loves the fireplace, too. Zoom to 2013. It was time to update the garage, I mean living room! Come and take a peek at our new look.

We painted the walls a light cream color to make the space feel brighter.  It was quite a change from the deep red, but so refreshing to me. I basically turned the colors around.  Before; dark walls, light furniture.  After; light walls and dark furniture.

I updated the items on the mantle.   I think the fireplace looks better with the new wall color, too. It blends in with the room better.

The long wall to the right, when you walk in to the room.

This is a very poor quality picture, but I wanted you to see how I made the window appear bigger.   I hung the curtain rod as high up as I could and past the sides of the windows.   (This was once where the garage door was)

Here's the entertainment center I told you about last week.  It used to be 2 bookcases.  I love how it fills up this wall.

One more before picture..............

.........and the after! Isn't it amazing how changing the color can make such a huge impact. Paint is your best friend.  You should invite it over.....often. Thank you so much for stopping by my home.  I loved having you!

How To Make An Entertainment Center

Hi there!  We are so glad you stopped by. Do you ever look at something you have and just know you can turn it in to something better?  It has good bones so you don't want to replace it, you just want to update it. Give it some love. Here is a picture of my "something". 

Because we purchased a new television, I had to do an update.  This television stood on its own. Our new one would need to sit on something. I had these great bookcases, that were given to me quite a few years ago.  They are well built, just not my style anymore.  The television you see in the picture was leaving us, but I liked the idea of wall unit. Here is what we did to turn 2 bookcases in to an entertainment center that I love, very inexpensively.

I had my assistant in all things wood, add some shelves and a piece of molding across the top to make it look like it's all one unit.  I'm sorry, I didn't take a picture of the before with the molding attached. After he got them all attached, I decided I didn't like the second shelf from the top.   So, he took it out for me. Sometimes things look better in  my head!

I got some primer that will go on any finish and primed away.

I took the doors off and removed the floating shelves.    It is so much easier to paint them if they are laying flat. 

The paint I used was Sherwin Williams. The color is Riverway. 

I added some updated hardware, in Oil Rubbed Bronze finish......

And, my favorite part, I decorated it.

I love the color.  It shows nicely with the browns and greens of the accessories I used.

Here's a close up of the other side.

I knew those baskets would come in handy one day!

Here's one more picture of the before.............

And, the after, with a little love! There you have it.  An easy transformation using what I already had!   Thank you so much for stopping by.  It means the world to us.

Marinated Chicken Wings

Hi there!  We're so glad you stopped by! This recipe has been in our family for as long as I can remember.  I believe it came from my Great Aunt Jan (so I can't take credit for this deliciousness!) I am not a huge wing fan - but these are seriously amazing and they're too good to NOT share!     MARINATED CHICKEN WINGS 

What you'll need: 

5lbs chicken wings

1 C. Soy Sauce

1 C. Sugar

1/2 C. orange juice (I use Tang) 

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Ground ginger

You can marinate overnight (I don't, and they're just as flavorful)  

Preheat over to 350. 

Mix all ingredients (except wings) in a bowl.  

Put wings on the bottom of a roaster pan.  

Pour the marinate mixture over the wings. 

Bake uncovered for 2 hours.  Turn the wings and mix marinade every 1/2 hour.

I like serving these with chicken flavored rice pilaf.

These are perfect to bring along to a potluck, holiday get-together, or to snack on while watching Sunday football! 

Enjoy!

 

Fresh Apple Cobbler

HI there!  We're so glad you stopped by!  My husband had a day off this week, and I have been dying to take our kids to the apple orchard.  A few friends had referred us to go to Apple Jacks in Delano, MN. We had a blast! 

  Once we got home I wanted to make a dessert with apples, obviously.    I threw a bunch of stuff together, and about 20 minutes into the baking process I was starting to lose confidence as it wasn't starting to 'harden' like I thought it should.   When it was finished I handed it to my food critic, my husband, for the verdict.   He ate it all, and then came back for another dish!  I actually got a text from him this morning saying "I'm flying through work today so I can get home and eat some apple cobbler."   If HE thinks it's amazing, you will too!  I present to you...... My fresh apple cobbler!  

   What you'll need:  5 apples, peeled, thinly sliced, and cut into 1" pieces (I used Sweet 16 apples)  2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tablespoon vanilla  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspon ground nutmeg 1 7oz package Apple Cinnamon muffin mix (I used Jiffy)  1 stick butter, melted   Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 8x8 square or 9x9 pie pan with cooking spray Mix apples, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.  Put in the pan.   Mix the melted butter with the muffin mix.  Pour over the apple mixture.   Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.     It's going to be gooey - that's what makes it so fantastic!  Serve warm with ice cream or cool whip!

Taco Soup

Hi there!  We're so glad you stopped by!  Our chicken fiesta soup has been a huge success - and I have been asked to come up with more crockpot recipes, so I present to you:  Taco Soup!!    This is SO quick and SO easy to make.  I'd make this for dinner every night if I could.    What you'll need:  1 lb ground beef 1 pkg dry ranch dressing 1 pkg taco seasoning 1 can tomato sauce 1 can corn, drained 1 can diced tomatoes, drained 1 can black beans, drained 1 4oz can green chilies, drained 2 C. water   In a skillet, ground your hamburger.  Mix in the ranch and taco seasoning mixes, cook for another minute.  Add all ingredients to the slow cooker.  Cook on low for about 6 hours.  Serve with tortilla chip strips, sour cream, cheese, and any of your favorite taco toppings!  

  If you are feeding more than 4 adults you'll probably want to double the recipe.  Between three adults and two kids we didn't have any leftovers.     ENJOY! 

DIY wall decor!

Hi there!  We're so glad you stopped by!!  It has been a while since my last post.  I haven't forgetten about you, I promise!  My family and I have been having a very busy Summer!  I have a lot of awesome things in the works that I cannot wait to share with you!  But, in the mean time.... I wanted to post a few things that were ridiculously easy to throw together.  A while back I wrote a blog post and added it to pinterest.... About an hour later I thought "People aren't going to like these..." and I took the post down.  Well, little did I know, the photos were still up on the website and I have been getting a huge response from people!  So.... I decided I will repost them and explain (very briefly) how I made them!    My daughter, Presley, turned 3 in March.  I had a rainbow/hot air balloon themed birthday party for her. 

I made the hot air balloons out of paper lanterns, Chinese to-go containers, burlap, twine, and scrapbooking embellishments.    

Above the food table, I hung a rainbow made out of glittery tulle.   After the party I needed something to do with all of my leftover materials.  I had to justify spending $80 on fabric that I hung on the wall for 3 hours.   I made a tutu for my daughter, but I still had a bunch leftover.  So I decided to hang the hot air balloons in her room and then make a wreath for her bedroom door.    

No sewing required.  I got a foam wreath from the dollar store, then I cut the tulle into strips, and tied them around the wreath.  You can make the tutu the same way.  I used an elastic headband to put around my daughters waist.    

I found a frame at a garage sale.  I spray painted it, painted a cardboard letter with acrylic paint, and put a piece of scrapbook paper on the front.  Tah-da!  DIY Wall decor... for $2!  

I made this last Christmas.  I covered the front of (already painted) black letters with mod podge, sprinkled red glitter over the top, and shook off the excess glitter.  I had this candle ring with red beads laying around the house, so I used that for the "O".  

Easy Bridal Shower Ideas

Hi there!  We are so glad you stopped by. A few weeks ago, Tiffany and I hosted a bridal shower, for my soon-to-be niece. We had so much fun planning it and coming up with ideas. The day of the shower, it was just Tiffany and I for a few hours, having mom/daughter time doing what we love.  Decorating! I wanted to share a few things with you, that we did. 

As the guests arrived, they were greeted by our "Bridal Veil" door decoration. It is super easy to make.   All it is, is tulle and fake flowers.  I made a bow, tied some long pieces of tulle to the bow and add the flowers. I ran a piece of wire behind all of it and attached it, with the wire, to our door knocker.

When you entered the front door, I had tulle with lights wrapped on the inside, going up the stairs.   This my friends, was a 2 person job.....for me. I made a bow for each post, just like I did for the front door, added the flowers and wired it to the post.

Here is a close up of the post.   Notice my little helper on the top step, Isabelle.  By the look on her face, I would say she has a definite opinion. She's so serious!

My nephew and niece-to-be are having a country/elegant themed wedding, so I wanted to incorporate that in to the decorations. My inspiration piece, a chalk board.

Tiffany is the artist.  She did the lettering and border, free-hand!   

The decorating of this basket is nothing special, just a tulle bow.  But what it is for, is what I love.   When I host a bridal shower, I like to put thank you cards and the envelopes in a basket, tied with a bow and pass it around to all the guests, while the bride opens her presents.  Each guests addresses the envelope to themselves. Think about the time you save for this bride.  All the envelopes are addressed and ready to go.  No searching for addresses.  The brides have enough to do right before the wedding.  This is my little way of helping her out.

When I think country, I think burlap and mason jars.  This is also super easy.  Wrap the burlap around the jar and hot glue it.  Tie a bow around it, add some flowers, a chalk board pick, and you're done. Tiffany also did the lettering on these little chalkboards.

The chalkboard picks have the first letter of the bride and groom's name, and in the middle, the first letter of their last name.

For the utensils, just add one more mason jar with burlap and a bow.

I saw a picture of a wedding dress cake on Pinterest and thought, "That is genius, We can do that"!   But inside, I was thinking, can we? Tiffany baked the cupcakes the day before the shower and the morning of the shower, we set them up and she frosted them.

Once Tiffany finished frosting it, we added pearls and a pin. It's that easy.   And, who doesn't like cupcakes?  Plus, there is not cutting a cake.  It's a win-win!

Here is the table all ready for the guests. Let the shower begin! Thank you so much for stopping by.  It means the world to us.