Simplest Ever Wall Art

At the very beginning of the summer when I was feeling all ambitious about the imagined amounts of time and energy I would possess to tackle all kinds of exciting projects (ha) I vowed to do "at least one craft" this summer.



My husband likes to remind me about this, as I sit watching 30 Rock for the fourth time through and whining about going back to school.

Source

I do, however, like to organize my stuff, and so I set about cleaning out and reorganizing my craft supplies. Which led to this--the easiest, awesomest, fakest craft-turned-decorative-wall-art a girl could ever hope for.



Just in time, since summer is (for all intents and purposes) over. Womp womp.



It all started with some pretty fabrics from Michael's (you know, the little squares they sell to quilters, bundled into little packets of coordinating color). Add some cheap-o embroidery hoops, and voila!

Instant wall art.

And when I say "instant," I mean pretty darn instant. I put the fabric on the inside (smaller) hoop, fitted the outside hoop snugly around, and tightened. Then I trimmed the excess fabric off. Then I stuck some thumbtacks in my wall (cause I'm high-tech like that) and hung them up.


All said and done, I'd say this was about 10 minutes of my life. Not counting the two minutes I spent deliberating on which fabric to put in which hoop (the biggest hoop is my favorite fabric, obviously).

My friend Liz, who has a good eye for decorating her home (which she has done beautifully, I might add) is going to do this on a larger scale with some awesome printed burlap we found at Joann's. If you I ask really nicely, maybe she'll let me take a picture and put it up here!



So, if you're looking for a super quick and easy way to dress up a room, here ya go!

Challenge Accepted! (Part 2)

Since I've already written this once, I'll keep it brief.



Pinterest Challenge, as hosted by Sherry and Katie:

Earlier today I wrote about my pin-tastic lunch, complete with homemade tomato soup and bacon-guacamole grilled cheese. 

Yum! 

The second part of my Pinterest Challenge for myself was to actually craft. I like crafting, but I'm better equipped in my kitchen, and so I channel most of my creativity and experimentation into that arena. I wanted to make myself actually do something I pinned, which really, is the whole point of the Pinterest Challenge!

Ahem. 

After checking the weather and realizing that the Greater Philadelphia area was/is in for a slew of rainy days, I decided any project that required sanding, painting, curing, etc (all of which would need to take place outdoors), would best be saved for drier weather. 

Also, I was busy. 

So I picked an easy craft. 

This was my inspiration. 

Here's the link to the website. 

Here's the link to the pin. 

And here's my take on this project: 

First I grabbed an empty frame (I have this tendency to buy frames with no particular purpose in mind, so I have a few). I liked the idea of a dramatic print on a shiny frame. 

I laid the glass over the image I chose. Dan vetoed the calla lily print I liked, but he liked this poppy print. Unfortunately, I snagged this image a long time ago and I don't have the link to the image I used. 

(It's not mine. I borrowed it, and I'm not making any money from it.) 

Anyway, I took my white paint pen, 

and started dotting away. 

My friend did a number of projects over Christmas breaks by making dot designs on coffee mugs, platters, etc, so I liked the idea. 

Once all my dots were in place, I let it dry for a couple hours and then, voila! 

Oh, please note: I flipped the glass over so the paint is on the inside. I tried flipping the image on my computer because I printed the picture, but I decided I liked it better that way. My paint pens don't stand up to Windex or scrubbing, so this way my picture is safely inside the frame and I can dust/Windex to my heart's content without damaging my work. 

We picked a red background from my scrapbook box, which pleased me because a) poppies are red and b) our living room is red, black-brown, and sand so it ties in well with our existing decor. 

It's hard to see because it's dark and this is a bad picture, but there is a string of little red stars strung around our window, and the two look really nice together. Plus it's exactly opposite our deep red accent wall, so it's some nice symmetry going on. 

Huzzah for small victories! 

So, that's my Pinterest project. Thanks, Sherry, for kicking my butt into gear and getting me crafting! 

Challenge Accepted! (Part 1)

On Friday I linked you up to the Pinterest Challenge, as hosted by Sherry and Katie.

Happy Pinning!

I rose to the challenge, and I had a totally pin-tastic Sunday. 

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll know that I love to cook. Mostly I like to cook things are deceptively simple, things that taste like a million bucks but aren't really all that complicated. Things like my crockpot roasted chicken, garlic lemon chicken, pesto salmon, henrich-style alfredo, etc. 

But every once in a while, it's fun to do something that requires a little more effort. 

Enter these beauties: 

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese

And some of this goodness:

Creamy Tomato Soup

I've been craving grilled cheese and tomato soup all week, so I was really excited about this meal and got started right away when we got home from church. It was actually nice--usually we go to the in-laws for Sunday lunch/dinner, and as much as I love that tradition, every once in a while it's good to have a break and have a Sunday of rest at home. 

Anyway, I made both of these in about 40 minutes! I was super busy the whole time, and I could have taken my time and been more relaxed (or if I wasn't as confident of my skills, I would have taken more time), but we're always starving after church. 

You can find the original recipes linked above, below each picture, but since the Pinterest Challenge is about putting your own spin on things, I wanted to give you a quick recap of what I did. 

First thing was to chop up my onion, celery, and basil (I used fresh, since it's growing on my windowsill anyway). 

The recipe called for diced tomatoes in puree, but since neither Giant nor Trader Joe's carried such a thing, I just made sure I had a can of tomato paste on hand for thickening and adding an extra kick of tomatoey goodness. 

Saute those veggies in butter, then toss in the tomatoes. 

I was puzzled as to why the recipe called for flour on top of the veggies, because you need straight up butter to make a true roux, but add the vegetable broth and baking soda and hold tight...

I let it simmer away while I worked on prepping ingredients for bacon guac grilled cheeses. 

I always cook my bacon in the oven...super easy, the splatters don't cause a ton of smoke, and all the pieces achieve the same consistency. Plus cleanup is a breeze.

And please be insane like me and make sure all your sandwich ingredients are neatly lined up for easy assembly: 

I used jalepeno jack cheese, and mild cheddar. 

Normally I'm a sharp cheddar girl, but I thought the mild creaminess would be nice against the spicy jack. 

Back to the tomato soup. Again, this is just my experience talking, but I figured once the soup was complete it could just hang out on the back of my stove and stay warm, while the grilled cheeses cooked. That way both things would be done and hot at the same time. 

Anyways, I tossed about 3/4 of the soup into my blender because I'm a nut about texture and I don't like baby-food-puree. Then I added 1/2 cup of half-and-half, and 1/2 cup of milk, because calories don't exist this weekend. Lastly, I mixed in a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste and stirred until smooth. 

Can you hear the angels singing? 

This was beyond heavenly. I didn't always like tomato soup, and I still don't really like it out of a can (or even those fancy boxes). But between the fresh basil, fire-roasted tomatoes, and the incredible creaminess, this was just amazing. So.much.flavor and texture. 

As stated above, I stuck this dude on the back burner (as low as my hot-burning gas stove would go) and attended to those bad boy sandwiches. 

This is my little trick for getting the cheese to melt before the bottom of the sandwich burns. Hold your biggest pot lid over it to catch some of the heat. 

More angels. 

In its plated gloriousness. 

Now...here's the thing. 

Both of these food items were totally awesome. Tons of flavor, and suuuuper rich and filling. But honestly, the two together was a little much! Dan ate all of his sandwich, but I only ate half, and neither of us could finish the soup. I absolutely loved both of them, but there will a little too much going on in one meal. I think the soup with a plain old-fashioned grilled cheese would probably be a little less overwhelming, and I really think these sandwiches can stand alone. Plus, all the cheese-and-guac-and-cream was pretty rich. 

Still totally worth it. 

Part 2: Craft Edition coming soon!

Finally!!

A truly productive day. There's just something about waking up when the alarm goes off, getting a shower, and leaving the house right away to put me in that "I'm going to accomplish things today" mindset.


I visited Jarrettown today, which was really fun. The best part of leaving for a week is that, upon returning, you are a rock star. The kiddos pounce, hug, cheer...you can do no wrong!!


It's awesome.


I also went to Elcy's Cafe today, which is one of my favorite places to just sit and chill. I got lunch and a coffee, and I worked on some job applications. Woot! I shall find a job.


Then I came home and kept right on truckin'...until tragedy struck.


Our first casualty of Christmas 2011.


Cue the sad music.

Dun dun dunnnnn. And the culprit?

She seems wholly unapologetic. Stupid tail.


Anyway, I didn't let that stop me. I strung up the lights and garland outside:

And I had an inspiration this year. For the last two years I've wrapped the lights and garland around the metal rail (only a plumber would find it convenient to use a huge mental pole as a handrail), but when it gets snowy and icy the lights and garland make holding the rail rather treacherous. And our stairs are fairly treacherous as it is.

So this year I wrapped the decorations around the wooden part, below the actual handrail. Still pretty and festive, but much safer. I'll take some pictures after dark when it's all lit up, it's a very cozy effect.


Lastly (so far) I attacked the attic.


I know this sounds dramatic.


But our attic will be the death of me.


If the stairs don't kill me first.


I'm a neatnik, an organizer, and a pretty minimalistic person. I love a plethora of food and books; other than that, I only need one or two pairs of jeans, enough sweaters to not wear the same one twice in one week, and I was perfectly fine sharing a car (which we did, until just recently). Our attic does not conform to any of these standards.


The reason for this is pretty simple. When my parents moved, I took everything that I thought I might want to keep; thus, all of my sentimental, don't-really-use-it-but-can't-bear-to-get-rid-of-it crap is in the attic. Then, when Dan and I got married his parents indiscriminately packed up his room and dropped it off at our apartment.


So our attic is a dump.


I'm slowly and surely purging it, every few months I throw away a couple more boxes of stuff. Over the summer I donated about six trash bags of clothes we hadn't worn since high school, and the next to-be-donated collection is my old books. I'll keep Laura Ingalls Wilder, but the rest are going to the local library.


So today, I got rid of this:

It doesn't look like much, but let me tell you, it made quite a difference.


And no, you won't be seeing photos of the attic anytime soon.


Nice try.

Far As the Curse is Found

I loooooove Christmas.


Thanks, Mama. Yes, you can laugh.


Truth is, I will always say that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's simply and entirely about my two favorite things in the world--family and food. Yes please.


However, it is also my favorite because it is the gateway to my next favorite time of year, which is undoubtedly Christmas. I don't really care about presents or Santa or even Nativity scenes where the actors are freezing their *bleeps* off and everyone is trying to feel sappy and spiritual but is really just shivering. What I do care about is that feeling of warmth, of safety, of community, of thankfulness, of recognizing all that we have and celebrating in humility the wonderful gifts we have been given (both under the tree and otherwise). I have this very Norman-Rockwell-esque picture in my head of a cold wintry night, and the bright window of a house shining out with lots of people inside, staying warm and enjoying each other's company and laughing and talking. That's my Christmas.


I also love Christmas because we get trees.


I love trees.


I love them in general. And for some bizarre reason, during this time of year, we are invited, even encouraged, even looked-down-upon-if-you-don't-do-it, to bring a big wonderful smelling tree inside our homes.

(I wanted pictures of us decorating it too, but I couldn't find my camera. Turns out I left it at school, so you can just enjoy the finished product. I love the way the light streams in through the branches in the morning.)


This tree is kind of funny to me, because my mom always wants the biggest tree she can find on the lot, and there's always some crazy, good-natured argument about whether or not it will fit. This has happened every.single.year in my living memory. I, however, just like a medium-sized tree, big enough to fill the space without overwhelming my small living room, big enough to hold the ornaments without looking crowded, or empty. This tree looked great, but it was a little bigger than I anticipated once we got it in the actual space, but oh well. It looks nice, and we'll take it down a notch next year. I just have to remember that the stupid tree stand adds several inches.


Otherwise, though, I'm super happy with the way our holiday decorations are turning out so far.

The baker's rack Kate gave me as a wedding gift looks great, too!

I'm succumbing somewhat to the Henrich style of decorating. My house will always be a little brighter and more colorful than a true Henrich, but I like the rustic touches and earthy colors.


Even Lily is getting into the spirit!

Next up: finish student teaching (three days to go!) and decorate the outside. Oh, and Christmas shop. That's very important.