Easy Peasy Potpourri

I usually only make this around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday but hubbie LOVES the smell.


Recipe:
1 orange (I used clementines, since it's what we've been eating lately)
3-4 Cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon or so of whole cloves (about 8-10)

Slice the orange, don't worry about peeling it. Place everything in a small pot with about 1 1/2 cups of water. Let simmer on the stove, on a low temp for the rest of the day. Don't forget to add water every now and then, since the water will eventually evaporate.

My potpourri usually can last for about 4-5 days.

P.S. Cinnamon sticks can be expensive if you purchase them at the grocery store. I bought this bag at the dollar store.

Kitchen is finished!

I finished painting the kitchen last weekend. I LOVE the color of the paint. It is exactly what I have been looking for.

Think Like A Decorator

For years I have collected pages from magazines, jotted down notes and taken pictures of decorating styles. I learned in school to make a portfolio of my dream home.

I have condensed my portfolio to a small notebook so that I can carry it with me.

I include paint colors, dimensions of my rooms and furniture pieces I need or want.

The internet is so helpful when looking for ideas too. I sometimes print pictures of ideas I like and tape them into my book.

Right now (thanks to my handy portfolio) I am starting to paint:

(Kitchen--Whole Wheat) (Bathroom--undecided)

Bedding mistreatments

I love, love, love The Nesting Place (see her blog link to the right). I especially love her motto: "I doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful". Over the weekend I dusted off my glue gun and went to work.

(Before)
I have been unhappy with my bedding ensemble. The more I thought about it the more changes I wanted to make.

It is still a work in progress but here's what I was able to do so far:

Bed skirt and decorative pillow using a glue gun.
I do own a sewing machine in case you were wondering.

Feeling very inspired..

The Bathroom Wall is finished! I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. My husband was a little surprised as well. Painting a "faux" technique is not as easy as you think. Tips to remember for next time: Cut cheese cloth in sections and work in sections. Paint glaze dries faster than you think! Ask for help, it's easier (and faster) with two people ;)

On another note I am LOVING the new Pottery Barn catalog. Mixing old and new styles is my favorite. My poor catalog has notes, and folded corners on almost every page. I use catalogs as a reference for furniture and accessory placement. I very seldom purchase anything from catalogs because I know if I look hard enough I can find something similar (and more unique) than what they have.

My next project:
Re-upholstering an old chair and re-painting an old head board.

Antique Aquarium

Many many years ago B.M. (Before Marriage) I had an idea to create an aquarium out of an old television set. My first T.V. was a 1950-60's Hoffman with doors that would close to hide the T.V. I bought it at Deseret Industries and had my boyfriend (now husband) remove the "guts" so that it would operate just the way I wanted.

Today, we have a Sylvania (don't ask me what year) I think maybe late 50's. Jay has been nudging me to get the tank up and running again. So for the last few weeks I have been running water cycles in my aquarium. I have it up in our living room. It makes for a really fun conversation piece.

Hopefully in a few weeks it will be ready for fish.

(side note-this television is big enough for a ten gallon tank, right now, I have a smaller tank.)

Interior wall design

For the last few months I have been working on creating a design technique in my bathroom. The cost of buying some of the really nice decorative wall paper just wasn't in my budget. So with a little help from Letter Express It, I went to work adding vinyl to my bathroom wall.

Here is the progress so far:

It probably looks complete, but it's not. I purchased a paint glaze that I plan on adding over top of the vinyl. My finished product should give the look of a patterned wall paper.

To be continued...