Garden Birdhouse

I found this decorative birdhouse at Goodwill the other day. Though with the Christmas lights attached, it was ugly, but I knew it had awesome potential.

So I took off the Christmas lights and gave it a good coat of spray poly...

made a stake by cutting angles using a miter saw, then attached it to the bottom using wood glue...

stuck it in the ground in my corner garden, and BINGO! I love it!

And that's why you always buy something you love. (If it's a good price!) This bugger only cost me $3. The poly, stake, and glue I already had.

Notice the crazy plants that invaded my garden? It's sunflowers! From my birdfeeder. Though I will love having boquets of sunflowers in my house in a few weeks, I'm hoping that I get my post-light next summer to avoid this in the future.

Growth Chart

Here's a cute little idea if you have kids:

You know how people mark their children's heights onto door frames?

<----Isn't this cool? It isn't aesthetically pleasing to the eye (terrible yellow!), but it gives the room a quirkiness that I will love and cherish as I watch my children grow, my grandchildren grow, and hopefully my great grandchildren.

Growth Chart

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This can be done on any straight surface. Doorways and walls are your best bet.

• Glue
• tape
• flexible tape measure (find in the sewing section) ***You will probably buy the 10' one, and you will need to cut it down to the size of the surface.

1. Put a dab of glue on the backside of the tape measure, placing it at the bottom of the doorway with inch #1 at the bottom.
2. Keep running glue on the backside of the tape measure, going up the doorway, while placing tape at intervals to keep the tape measure secured to the wall while the glue dries.
3. Let dry for designated glue time.
4. Start marking the kids' heights!

I have a some how-to's (lattice door, roll pillow, pocket pillow), some home-improvements (garden birdhouse, closet hardware, new mailbox redo, more faux muntin windows and doors, and new curtains). It's going to be a busy week, but luckily I will be doing Challenge #1 on Sunday, so I'm not worried! Have YOU been planning for your Challenge Day yet? Better be!

From Flea Market Finds to Savvy Storage

From Flea Market Finds to Savvy Storage

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From Flea Market Finds to Savvy Storage

From Flea Market Finds to Savvy Storage

Shared via AddThis

Ham and Cheese Chowder

I have this awesome chowder in the crock right now, and since it's pouring out (hence I can't get any outside projects done) I might as well do up a post on tonight's supper.

Ham and Cheese Chowder
--------------------------
-6 cups water
-8 russet spuds
-2 lbs. ham, cubed
-2 stalks celery, diced
-1/2 large rutabaga (or use 4 carrots, sliced. I just want to get rid of my rutabaga that refuses to go bad)
-large yellow onion, finely chopped
-bit-o-salt
-bit-o-pepper
-2 lbs cheese, cubed (I'm using Colby, but variations of cheddar and American work well, too)
-3/4 cup parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup butter
-1/2 cup flour
-3 cups milk

Combine the potatoes, onions, celery, ham, water, salt and pepper in a 6 qt. crockpot. Cover and cook on high for about 5 hours. In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the flour to form a paste. Add your milk and continue to heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Add parmesan and your other cheese to the sauce, stir until dissolved. Pour this cheese sauce over everything in the crock, stirring well to blend. Reduce heat to "warm" or "low" until you're ready to serve.


Want to hear something cute? I have the cutest little squirrel out in my "Gazebo Bird Feeder" right now! Poor guy is waiting for the rain to stop.

Faux Muntin windows!

Here's the big reveal!

I have wanted these windows on my house FOREVER! I finally got them for a fraction of buying a whole new window! This project cost me under $20!

This isn't the original window, but I didn't take a "before" picture, and this window is almost exactly like the one I redid. (Note the cute cottage shutters? How-To soon!)-----

After------

Cute, eh?

Faux Window Muntins (or Grilles)

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It used to be more economical to use smaller panes of glass in the old days. It was cheaper to manufacture and replace.

-1/2"x 3/4" trim

-Gorilla glue***

-stain

-polyurathane

1. Measure across your window and divide by 2. This is where you will make your mark on the top and bottom of the existing window frame.

2. Cut a piece of trim to the height of your window. Be precise!!

3. Follow the directions on the back of the bottle of Gorilla glue to prep the surfaces.

4. Glue the trim to your window, using a level to make sure everything's straight. You will need to tape the trim in place for 1-2 hours.

5. Take the height of the window and divide that # by 3. This measurement will be your new markings down the sides of the existing window's frame. (This way it cuts the window into 3rds)

6. Measure from the window frame to the first verticle trim for your measurements on the crossbars.

7. Repeat step 4.

8. Mask off the window and stain your trim, follow with a coat of polyurathane so that you're not replacing this trim years down the road. The hard coat will help a ton! (Or you can stain the wood before you glue, your choice!!)

9. Repeat this whole process on the inside of the window!

***You can also use automovite tape, but it's $10 for an 8' strip, and that's WAY out of my budget!

----------->

Here's a picture of the front of my house after the window was done. Doesn't seem like a big difference, but with the change to the outside AND my dining room, it really adds a lot of punch!

I will be continuing this project on my back window (the one pictured above), and my patio doors. I've always wanted french doors, and now I can have them!!

Stay tuned!

Stay tuned for a project (maybe tonight?) that will completely change the look of the outside of my house.
Okay okay, maybe not completely, but I've been wanting this certain "look" since I bought my house, and I finally stumbled on a way to get the look without going broke.
Stay tuned, you won't regret it!!

Chalkboard Cabinets

When I first bought my house, I painted the two inlaid panels of the "playroom (now my son's room)" with black chalkboard paint. I loved the idea of giving the kids a way to show their creativity while saving my walls.

Years down the road, I find my lonely can of chalkboard paint. My old dry-erase message board hit the dust about a year ago, and I've been dieing for something to put my never-ending lists on again. I have very little wall space in my kitchen (due to so many decorations), so I thought "why not inside the cabinet?"

This project only takes 10 minutes, but I will love it a lifetime. I love it so much, in fact, that I'm planning on doing it on the inside of all my kitchen cabinets!

Before----

After----

Some ideas of lists for your chalkboard cabinets:

1. Appointment reminders

2. Grocery lists

3. Shopping lists

4. Phone numbers

5. Birthdays or other yearly dates

6. Favorite recipes

7. Labels of the items that are supposed to go in that cabinet (great for when my husband puts away the clean dishes!)

8. Lock combonations for kids in school

9. Tune-up dates for vehicles (or milage of next tune-up)

10. Notes of endearment for anyone who reaches in <3

Spicey Honey Chicken, Veggie Medley

Spicy Honey Chicken
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Set your broiler to high while you're making the glaze.

Glaze
-------
-1 cup honey
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-1/4 chopped onions (put it in a processor to get it really fine)
-1/4 cup ketchup
-2 tbs veg oil
-2 cloves garlic (stick this in the processor with the onions)
-1/4 red pepper flakes (more if you want more kick)

Spread the chicken out on your broiler pan and coat the chicken with a layer of glaze with a pastry brush. Put under the broiler for 5 minutes. Take it out, layer some more glaze, put it in again for 5. Keep repeating this until you get to 20 minutes. Take it out, glaze it once more, sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top, put back under the broiler for 5 minutes. Then it's done!


I made a veggie medley to put the chicken on top of.
Veggie Medley
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Zuchinni
Yellow pepper
Mini spuds
Carrots
Rhutabaga
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Onion

Heat up some veggie oil in a skillet, chop up all the veggies. Toss it in and season with salt. It's done when the veggies turn soft

Decorative Solar Light

I would never say that I'm a pack rat. When I think of "pack rat" I think of someone that has to hang onto EVERYTHING because there is emotional value. I'm not one of them.

But I do believe that I'm part of a new breed of "pack rat" that I'll term as "store-for-the-future squirrel."

What's the difference, you ask? I will find something at a garage sale or auction that I MUST have, but I have no use for. So I buy it and tuck it away into any nook or cranny in my house, just as a squirrel prepares for the winter.

But I know, just like Mr. Squirrel, that I will use these found objects some day, whatever I may use them for.

Why the story? Because today's project cost me only 59 cents! That's just for the vines. Everything else, even the light, I had. The rope, though it was no longer usable, had a charm to it (and I have no idea where it came from), and I never throw away usable wood. I stored things that I love and turned it into something cute years down the road. Now that's thrifty!

Decorative Solar Light

------------------------------

3" Landscaping Timber, treated

Rope

Wood Glue

4" screws

Spade bit

Solar Light

Decorations

Staple gun

1. Cut your landscape timber into lengths of 21" 17" 13" and 9"

2.Glue and clamp all the timbers together in decending order (reference picture). Let that dry for a day.

3. Reinforce the wood by screwing the 4" screws through the wood. Plan this ahead so that the rope will cover the screws!

4. Check the pole of your solar light. Use a spade bit the same size as the pole. Drill down into the longest timber.

5. If you matched up the sizes correctly, then push your solar light on the top. It should fit snuggly. If you made the hole too large, just put some glue in the hole, put your light in, and let dry.

6. Staple one end of your rope to the back and wrap the rope around 3-4 times. Secure the end in the back with another staple.

7. Embellish as you please! I used some vines and the end of my rope had a cool clasp on it, so I used that. Wala!

Thank you Uncle Bart and Aunt Rita for coaching me through this one!

Mailbox Redo

I redid my mailbox a few days ago. No "before" picture. Sorry, I'm lazy. But let's just say that it was a floral abomonation that I had thought was soooo cute only 3 years ago. It....was....ugly. Anyways, here's my new mailbox redone. I'm not good at freehand, so I WILL be painting over the lettering and getting myself some stencils. Things are smeared for obvious reasons. But I'm just in love with this "wine" color. I'm smitten <3

Sorry for the picture quality. This emormous "bush" on the side of my house is apparently a walnut tree. Someone planted too many seeds next to each other (or mabye Mother Nature did this) and now my tree won't grow upwards. It's now a walnut "bush." Commical, no?

P.S.-----100th Post Today!!!

Tips from Brittany's Liquor Cabinet

I had a cute post today, but after I got done taking pictures, my SD card farted, then died. So maybe tomorrow you'll see something of interest. But for tonight....

***Tips from Brittany's Liquor Cabinet!***
It's no secret that I enjoy a good brew. So I will share a few lessons, tricks, or tips learned from my very short years of being able to consume it.

1. Don't call, text, instant message (including Facebook, Twittering, MySpace posts), after consuming large amounts of alcohol. Nothing you say will make sense, and you could make a few enemies.
2. If any mixed drink curdles (I honesly don't care if it's SUPPOSED to curdle) don't drink it.
3. If Moonshine tastes like rubbing alcohol, then it probably IS rubbing alcohol.
4. For the ladies, heels and alcohol don't mix.
5. The slogan for Budweiser is "drinkablility" and that's probably because they stick as much water into it as they can get away with.
6. Yaegar comes in so many different sizes that you can actually make a shrine.
7. At least once in your life, you need to make up a drink that people LOVE. So far I have participated in the "Snowcone" and the "Junior Mint," and it should always be done with good friends and family ;)
8. Tallcans can actually be cheaper than the regular size. Dig for bargains, people!
9. BLOW OUT YOUR FLAMING SHOT BEFORE YOU DRINK IT!!! I've never seen a lady's face catch fire like that before.....lol.
10. Packing a cooler of beer in the car so that you can be literally drinking while driving tops the stupidity chart.

Da Yooper Pastie

We're getting back to our Yooper roots tonight, with home-made pasties. Do NOT pronounce this (Pay-stee), that's a woman's undergarment. Anyways, my Aunt Linda made awesome pasties at the family reunion, so I tried my hand at it.

Da Yooper Pastie
--------------------

Pie Dough:
-3 cups flour
-1 1/4 cup Crisco shortening
-1/2 cup water
-1 tsp. salt

Mix the flour and salt. Then cut in shortening a little at a time. Now put in the water all at once and mix with a spoon, until you have a clump of dough that stays together. This dough will be very moist, so you can work just enough flour in with your hands to make it a plyable and soft dough. Hint: Use a lot of flour when rolling, also.

Filling:
1 lb. cubed steak (round, sirloin, ground chuck, depending on your budget)
4 cups cubed pealed potatoes
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup of 1/4 inch cubed rutabaga (carrot can be substituted, but rutababas are better)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 Degrees F
Mix it all in a large bowl.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll out one at a time into a 12" circle about 1/4 inch thickness (use lots of flour on your rolling surface)
Fill each with one with a heafty size cup of the filling. Fold the crust over the mixture. (It now is a half circle).
Roll the excess edge up to meet the form of the ingredients.
Gently pick up the pastie with a spatula and place on a large cookie sheet and cook them for 1 hour.

This took me about 2 hours to prep from peeling the potatoes to closing the crusts, plus the hour to cook, so make these if you have time and want to feel like "Suzie Homemaker." IF you don't have the time that I did today, you can save about half (or more) time by buying premade pie crusts (try Crisco's), and buy pre-cubed steak, or if you don't like rutabaga, buy pre-cut carrots. So don't shy away from this recipe because it seems long and tedious. There ARE shortcuts.




I have a really cool How-To coming up that my husband thought of, and another How-To that my uncle is teaching me how to do (but I'm desperately trying to find a special drill bit)

Bathroom Remodel

Here's the pics on my bathroom remodel as promised.

The walls are canary yellow. It's a very small bathroom on the second level of my house, and I wanted something very bright and cheery to open up the space.

I was on a tight budget for this project, so I installed a white chair rail all the way around the walls and painted below it to give it a wainscoating/country paneling type look. It's much cheaper than buying the paneling and the look is about the same.

I added a big mirror (not pictured for lack of a decent angel to take a picture) on the wall behind the door to add the illusion of depth.

I didn't have enough money in the budget to install new flooring, so I painted the linoleum a bright white and put a plush pastel yellow rug over the top.

For a touch of luxury, I added a hemp basket on

the back of the "Crapper" (a little inside joke for those readers that were at the family reunion this past weekend), with soft face towels rolled in them.

Since the angling of the ceiling didn't permit for a mirror to be added to the back of the sink (unless I wanted a view of my chest every day), I hung a beautiful painting of a flower with soft pastels over it instead. The opposite wall has two similar paintings, but smaller, hanging.

With the purchase of expensive (but on Yellow Dot at Younkers, so not so expensive for me!) decorative towels, a few nice candles, fake tropical plants, and pretty tealights (that my mother-in-law made), my bathroom came together wonderfully.

Sure, there are some more things I have planned. Like changing that ugly light (that happens to be a fan that vents into my closet. Dear Lord....) with a gorgeous sconse I've had my eye on, new fixtures on the sink, and matching accesories. But for the most part, I'm pleasantly pleased with my remodel.

Sorry I don't have any "before" pictures. It was so bad. Let me explain. Floral wallpaper all the way to the ceiling. The door was wallpapered with the same crap. Then the ceiling had wallpaper (I know, absolutely stupid). But not with ordinary wallpaper. On no! With FABRIC wallpaper! Who does that?! I was in such a hurry to get this project started, I completely forgot to take "before" pictures. Sorry!