Our New Look!

Hi there!  We are so glad you stopped by.   I am so excited to share our beautiful new blog design with you.  Isn't it beautiful!   I have to tell you, I really struggled with hiring someone to design our blog.  After all, I'm a craft/decorating blogger.  For cryin in the rain, I should be able to design my own blog, right?  Wrong!   I started looking around for someone to do it for me, but the prices were just more than I could fit in to our budget.   Well, one day, while I was doing one of my favorite things in the world, blog surfing, I found a post about blogging, on a Link Party. The title caught my eye, so I read it.  To my great surprise, I found out she also designed blogs.  When I saw her prices, well let's just say, she had me at the dollar sign!   Let me tell you about the talented lady, that made it all happen.   Her name is Diana.     You can find her, and many of her other creations, over at Custom Blog Designs.       http://customblogdesigns.blogspot.com/   You can also find her at, another one of her blogs, Diana Rambles          http://www.dianarambles.com/     Seriously, this is one talented lady.   She designs blogs She writes blogging tips She crafts She cooks She is raising 3 kids   I'm tired just thinking about everything she does!   Oh, and did I mention her pricing is unbelievable? It is!   Or that she's great to work with? She is!   If you are thinking about starting a blog, need a blog makeover or just want to follow her on her adventures, go check her out.  I promise, you won't be disappointed.   Thanks again, Diana!  You rock!
 

Chicken Fiesta Soup!

Hi there!  I'm so glad you stopped by!  Since this is my first official post on this blog I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes!  I am a huge fan of slow cooker meals, mexican food, and having very few dirty dishes in the sink when I am done preparing dinner.  My husband doesn't like soup.  I usually get an eye roll or a "peasant" comment whenever I tell him soup is on the dinner menu.  This meal impressed him.  A lot.   CHICKEN FIESTA SOUP  

  What you'll need:  4 bonesless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded) 1 can corn (drained) 1 can black beans (drained)
3 10oz cans red enchilada sauce
8oz chopped green chiles
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 14.5oz can chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
  Mix all the ingredients together in your crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  I serve this with sour cream and mexican blend cheese. It's also great with tortilla chips.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!
Linking up to:

Meet Tiffany!

Hi there!  I'm so glad, I mean WE, are so glad you stopped by!

I have some very exciting news.  

My daughter Tiffany, is now going to be blogging with me. I am beyond ecstatic. 

Isn't she a beauty? 

And, she's talented too!

This is something we have talked about for a while and we finally decided the time is right.  

We talk on the phone everyday, bounce ideas off each other, love shopping together and just plain ole' love being together. So, why not blog together.

She is newly married, to a very handsome Marine, with 2 beautiful children.

She is blessed to be a Stay at Home Mom.  

She is going to be sharing recipes, crafts, decorating on a budget and "Everything In Between".

Here's a little something she whipped up at our "Mommy and Me" craft day. 

She had all of these things on hand, so the cost was, Zero!  And, it was VERY easy to make.

Here's what she used: Picture frame, Mod Podge, Glitter, Sponge brush and scrapbook paper.

The scrapbook paper matched the glitter, exactly.  Score!

All she did was brush the Mod Podge on the entire frame.............  

Sprinkle it with glitter...............

She laid the glass right on the paper, where she wanted the "Love" portion to show through

 and cut it.............

Put it all back together, and that's it. Done.

Super easy and ready for Valentine's Day!  

Later this week, she will be adding one of her favorite recipes to the blog. Please stop by and check it out.

Thank you so much for stopping by and meeting my beautiful daughter/blogging partner, Tiffany.

It means the world to us.

Valentine's Day Hutch

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

Yesterday I had plans to clean my house. 

That did not happen.  

I started by dusting off a table I was going to put a few things on and the next thing I knew I was in the dining room decorating my hutch.  How does that happen?

Does that ever happen to you?  Please tell me it does.

Here is my hutch all decked out for Valentine's Day.............

Here is what it looked like before I started. 

I have a few places in my house that I change for the seasons.  My fireplace mantel, my front porch and my hutch. I would love to go all out and decorate every room, but seriously, who has time for that?  I say that because it takes me forever to do each area.  I put things on them, stand back, change it, put more or different things on it, stand back, change it again.........you get the picture.

Remember this picture? This is the one I re-did last week.  This was my starting point.

On Saturday, my daughter and I had craft time.  I took these wooden hearts and changed them to coordinate with the picture.

This is my daughter, Tiffany. 

She is going to start blogging with me and I think this should be her profile picture. 

She is going to be bringing great recipes to share with you.  

Well, if I can get her to put the Mod Podge down!  

Sorry, Tiff.  I had to.

And, I'm thinking this should be mine.

I know you're wondering............no we were not drinking.

Okay, back to business.

Because I needed something for the bottom shelf, to pull it all together, I made this. 

I took a frame I have had for years, cut out a new mat, with a coordinating background and hot glued these hearts in the openings. I love how easy it was and how cute it turned out.  

I can even use this after Valentine's Day.  Score!

Here's how it looks on the shelf.

See that cute little tray in the background?  I bought it at Decor Steals, and it came in the mail today. 

I thought it would be perfect on this shelf.  

If you haven't checked out Decor Steals, you need to.  They have great stuff and their prices are fabulous. 

Here is the hutch with the tray added.  I think it was the perfect add on.

Do you decorate for Valentine's Day?  Last year was the first time I ever did.  

Here is what I had in the exact same spot last year.

  

My style, and my house, have changed a little over the past year. And, I think I'm liking it.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  It means the world to me.

Kelly

Don't like it, Change it!

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by.

I'm thinking about how I'm going to decorate for Valentine's Day.  

I have a picture that I used last year in my display, but I don't really like it anymore.  What's a girl to do?  Change it!

See that picture in the middle of it all?  I needed something to put in that spot, so I put that together. 

Well, this year, I wanted a new look. Remember, I always use a starting point when I decorate.  This is my starting point. The picture.

Because I attached the word "love" to the glass, I couldn't change that.  

I was in luck.  I had another frame that was the same size, but in black. 

I wanted to change the background, so I dug through my craft paper and found a piece with a black and shiny silver pattern. Perfect!

I also had this very cool ribbon I got at Micheal's last year to make an Easter project. It's lace with pearls running down the middle. 

The silver hearts, that I got after Christmas, didn't make the cut. Not yet anyway.  I'm going to use them when I decorate.

All I did was, take the back off the frame and switched out the paper. Put it back together and turned it over so I could add a little character.

Next, I took out my trusty glue gun and glued the ribbon right to the frame. That's it.  A little, for a big change.

I love how it turned out.  I may even use it after Valentine's Day.  The colors are working for me.

I love the black, white and silver. 

When I decorate, I will add red around it to give it a little punch and make it Valentiney.  Is that a word?  Well, for now, it is.

Stop back next week to see how it looks all decked out for Valentine's Day.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  It means the world to me.

Kelly

Winter Mantel

Welcome to my blog.  I am so glad you stopped by!

I invite you to take a look around and hopefully you will be inspired.

Today, I want to share my Winter Mantel with you. 

A few days ago, I showed you the mirror that we had hanging in our bathroom, for about 24 years.  When we did our bathroom remodel, I saved the mirror knowing that I would find another use for it.

Here is what it looked like before I painted it.

I took some left over paint I had used for our bathroom, taped it off and painted it white.

I love how it turned out. 

Because I have a very large fireplace mantel, I need a large focal point and thought this would be perfect.  I also like the idea of a mirror, because it magnifies the candlelight.

I got the twig wreath from Target after Christmas, for 50% off! I put a suction cup on the mirror, added a piece of twine to the back as a hanger and attached it.

I found the candle holders at Kirkland's, also 50% off! The large glass stems are pretty, but needed a little bling, so I added the votives.  I like to use tea lights inside votives because I don't like the mess of the candles when they melt and get wax all over. Plus, tea lights are very inexpensive.

Aren't they charming with the snowflake on them?

I added some snowflake ornaments, white and silver bulbs and some plastic snowflakes. I just keep adding until I get the look I'm going for. 

I cannot tell you how many times I walk away from something I'm decorating and come back later with a fresh idea. Sometimes, even a day or two later. 

To balance it out, I added the silver candle holders with white candles, on each side.

My intention was to do a Valentine's Day mantel, with red sprinkled in here and there, but I was loving the white and silver, so I went with it. And this way, I can keep the mantel decorated for winter until I break out the spring decorations. It's a win-win!

I feel like it has a romantic look to it, so I think it works for Valentine's Day, too.  What do you think?  Should I have added some red to it?

I hope you enjoyed seeing my mantel and I hope that it gives you a little bit of inspiration.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  It means the world to me.

Kelly

Repurpose and Reuse Ideas

Hi there!  I'm so glad you stopped by.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to 2013, with all the ups and downs it will certainly offer.

Today, I'm going to share how I take random things and use them in different areas.  I hope it will inspire you to change things up a bit.

I L.O.V.E. to take things and use them in random areas.  Such as.......

The great lights my husband found. 

They were in a building that is over 100 years old, where they make furniture. 

They were switching out these lights and they were going to through them in the garbage!  Can you believe it? Throwing these beauties away.  Insert my scream here!

So, being the amazing husband that he is, and knowing my love for reusing things and my obsession with lights, he brought them home to me. 

We added these Edison Bulbs that you can find at Home Depot, and instantly fell in love with them.

To me, they are the focal point of our kitchen/dining room.

At another remodel he was working on, a gentleman was re-doing his bathroom. 

He had 2  bathroom light fixtures that he was going to throw out.  Again, my husband brought them home for me to see what I would do with them.

I hung one of them on our deck of course!

It hangs above the table in our little sitting area.  I would show you the deck, but it is covered with snow and not looking very pretty right now. 

I love to look out our patio door and see this charming little light hanging there.

Remember how I've told you that when you decorate, especially a large space, have a focal point.  Something that you will decorate around.

Well, I've decided that I am going to decorate around a mirror that I have had sitting in the basement since I redid my bathroom. 

Remember this mirror?

Well, I'm going to use it on the fireplace, as my focal/starting point. 

Since I'm convinced I have the biggest fireplace on the planet, which makes it really difficult to decorate, I need something huge to anchor it.

Stay tuned to see the mirror face lift and how I am going to decorate my mantel for Winter/Valentine's Day.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  It means the world to me.

Kelly