Sunday, February 28, 2010

A MacKenzie-Childs inspired mirror

I love MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check designs, especially the pottery. The enamelware is also beautiful, but if I had my choice, and the money, I would buy all of the pieces in the pottery line. I love how the paint is dragged thru each individual check.
This bowl was the inspiration for this mirror transformation. I had an old maple mirror and I painted it white:
I made a pallette of creamy white, plum, green and banana acrylic paints and began to paint the individual white checks. And then I went back to paint the black checks. I have been to the M-C plant in Aurora, NY numerous times and this is how I remember them painting their checks...
And this is how it turned out:
I wanted a mirror by my front entry....and this is doing the trick!
I also like how the reflection of my dining area shows up in the mirror:
Now I need a taller lamp - Isn't it funny how one project leads into another???

Today I am linking up with Made It Mondays at the Persimmon Perch and Make it For Monday at Cottage Instincts and Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Saturday, February 27, 2010

A quick change...

Remember the chairs I got at the Rescue Mission? I covered them with drop cloth fabric, which was a quick, inexpensive change, but too "blah" for me.
Today I covered them with a beautiful paisley tapestry:
They look so much better...
And they just brighten up the morning room!
I love how a little bit of fabric can give a whole new look to a room. Two snow days off from school this week - its amazing how many things I have accomplished!

LAST CHANCE to win the giveaway...click here I'll pick a winner tomorrow night

Friday, February 26, 2010

Pansy Tapestry

See the chair in the corner? The brown stripes didn't seem to do anything for the chair.
BUT, this fabric certainly does:
It makes a big difference and the tapestry matches the purple and plum accents in the room.
I t takes only a few minutes to recover a chair seat - and the change can make such a difference!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Goodwill, Pillsbury Sweet Rolls and a Giveaway

A quick trip to Goodwill cost me only 49 cents for a cute, small silver tray...
Now, most of my blogger buddies would have left it tarnished, but...
I can't seem to do that...so I polished it up:
And I couldn't wait to use it! It just so happened that MyBlogSpark sent me a Pillsbury gift pack which included a coupon to try Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls...
and included 2 photo books which can be stored in this frame. So...
... I made them for Sunday brunch and they were so yummy. And they looked delicous and mouth-watering on my lovely new silver tray!
Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls are warm, fresh, and ready to serve in just minutes. With an ooey-gooey texture and a delicious orange icing, Orange Sweet Rolls have a mouth watering aroma that is sure to bring your family together like no other breakfast! Packed with the love and flavor of a treat made from scratch, but without the time and cleanup, Orange Sweet Rolls are the perfect addition to your family's Sunday morning traditions.
Is your mouth watering yet? If so, enter my giveaway:

Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark is sponsoring this GIVEAWAY(coupon and photo album/frame)... just leave a comment and tell me how you would serve these rolls and I will pick a name on Sunday, February 28th..."follow" me for an extra chance!!

I'm joining Trash to Treasure Tuesday at Reinvented and Thrifty Thursday at Bloggeritaville - - Hop on over to see other thrifty finds!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

A Great Find...but what can I do with them?

While helping my mother clean out her garage last week, I came across these keys:
I'm not sure what I should so with them...
Some have some intriguing shapes...

You might remember what I made a few weeks ago:
Now I need a new idea for all these keys.....any sugggestions?

I'm joining Made It Monday with Persimmon Perch - please visit to see some clever ideas!

I'm home...

I brought some sunshine back with me.
Florida was cool, in the 60's -70's.
But it was a nice change of pace from snowy NY.
Now, back to the daily routine!

Monday, February 15, 2010

The Monstrosity

My husband decided to buy a new TV for the great room. Now, as you know, we just moved into this new home last June and our old TV was just fine...in the corner...where it looked like it belonged.
I just finally got this room arranged the way I liked it...and along came a 46" monstrosity...

...and because it didn't look best in the corner where our old TV used to be....
the "rearranging" began...which actually turned into a major production (I love to add drama to all changes that occur in my life)...
...but, I did end up with a cute little corner by the window which I didn't have before...
When I ret'n from vacation I will post pics of the "monstrosity".


Sunday, February 14, 2010

Friday, February 12, 2010

Valentine Candy

Here's a quick-to-make recipe for a delicious candy:

2 11oz pkg Giradelli white choc chips
1 cup chopped macadamis nuts
1 cup dried pineapple, chopped
1 cup crushed corn chex cereal

Put last 3 ingredients in a large bowl and pour melted white chocolate over it. Spread out on parchment paper and cool to set. Break into bite size pieces.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

I'm on vacation...

I'm off to Palm Beach, Florida for some well-needed sun and sand...and leaving the laptop at home!!

I am hoping my flights won't be affected by the snow in the mid-atlantic states...yearly I am challenged with weather, flight delays, airline cancelations or de-icing during February break. It's always a crapshoot! But once I get out in the sun, it's all forgotten!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

A "Key" Idea

GW had a 44% off sale for Super Bowl weekend and I bought 2 frames for $2.44.
I have a small blank wall and these keys - can you see where I'm going with this?....

A little bit of black spray paint....
And a quick arrangement for my blank wall:

I'm joining Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville and Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch...hop on over to see some great ideas people have to share.