Pallet Furniture Gallery: May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Repainted Foyer!

Well, I thought this day would never come but I am so happy to show you my new painted foyer!!!

Oh, before I go into this post to far, I want to apologize for missing this weeks Amaze Me Monday party. It’s been a long weekend and by Sunday night I was completely wore out! I honestly didn’t have the energy to sit and focus at the computer. The good news is that for the last two nights I slept threw the entire night (minus a few trips to the bathroom). I’m thinking the combination of finishing the poison oak medication and having this foyer done might have something to do with it!

{Before}

{After}

I know… Amazing!!! I am so smitten with the results. This has been a project floating around in my head for a long time and now it’s finally coming alive!! There is still a few things to do. We want to replace the floor, and I still need to restain the stairwell to match the door.

The color we choose is Sherwin Williams Macadamia for the wall and Moderate White on the ceiling. The trim is a Benjamin Moore match of Cotton Balls. It’s soft and warn but yet still a true white.

Don’t laugh but I know that the chandy is missing a few shades. I went to the store and bought 12 during a big sale only to get home and realize that I need 15! I searched high and low for the 3 matching ones but never found them. The 12 original have faded on the side facing the window over the years, so guess I just need to replace all 15 shades.

Let me show you more photos.

This is what the room looked like on Friday when the painters left. The colors are off in this photo but I wanted you to see the shelf. This in not what I envisioned. I really wanted the shelf to be an extension of the mouldings around the door. So in less than 24 hours I added moulding and painted out the shelf.

Trust me, I was asking myself what kind of “anal” do you have to be to repaint less than a few hours after hired professional painters leave?!?!?

But don’t you agree???

The shelf is truly amazing painted out in white!

Remember the shelf and the Google Sketch-up drawing that I showed you? Didn’t it turned out just like my sketch?!?! Love it!

Entering from the family room. I most definitely will be replacing those gold tacky door knobs with a beautiful oil-rubbed bronze set.

Here is a close up of the door casing that I created all from Lowes stock molding. This took about 2 hours to do including removing the old door casing. What an easy upgrade with such powerful impact! You can see the wall paint, ceiling paint, and the trim all together in this photo.

I added a stock crown moulding under the ledge and my father and I made the picture frame moulding on the front of the shelf using MDF.

I can open my front door with pride now! I use to be so embarrassed.

I have a few ideas on how to decorate the sides of the door and while talking it over with my parents you know they had to add their wisdom to make it even better! Now to find the time and the money.

On a personal note, my son has some really big dirt bike races coming up in this month and I will be traveling with him. I hope to keep post regularly but I am still without my own computer {it was fried in an electrical storm we had a month ago}. Oh how I miss my computer as it was set up with all the programs that I use on a regular bases. I’m currently sharing the Hubs lab top. So if you don’t hear from me just know that I am out-of-town. In fact the end of this weekend I will be heading to the great state of Texas.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Sundae Hop!

Welcome to the Sundae Hop!

Tornadoes, Tomatoes, and Tigers - Oh My!

I hate the sound of tornado sirens. First, they're really creepy. Second, they scare my son half to death, making for a very long night.

Some pretty bad storms passed through here a couple of nights ago. The sirens started going off just as my son was finally about to fall asleep. The news was warning us of softball-sized hail that was falling to the west and heading straight for us. My poor little car was sitting in the street, just waited to get pelted. But with no room in the garage and no carport on our driveway, what could I do?

Why park in a neighbor's carport of course. Surely they won't mind finding a stray Mazda in their driveway... I ran to my car in the rain and drove up and down the alleys until I finally found an empty carport. Thankfully it was a neighbor I knew, so after sprinting home in the downpour I called her to let her know. About 2 minutes after I got inside the hail started coming down. It only got to be marble-sized, but I spotted a couple of bigger ones in the yard. Better safe than sorry though! My wonderfully generous neighbor ensured that I would not have to deal with a deductible I can't afford! Thank goodness for neighbors! All the tornadoes stayed away, despite more sirens over the next few hours.

You can always trust Texas weather to be crazy, and sure enough, Thursday was beautiful! It was the perfect day for a zoo trip. Unfortunately, it seemed like everyone else had the same thought! Super crowded, but still super fun!

Apparently my camera looked delicious.

My youngest niece and her new friend.

This really would have been appropriate for Turtle Day.

My favorite animal!

After a tiring day at the zoo, I was having a serious soup craving. So I made my absolute favorite (and the world's best) cream of tomato soup. I could literally eat the whole gallon. I always make the full amount, thinking I'll freeze most of it, but we all eat the leftovers before I get a chance to!

Cream of Tomato Soup

Partly courtesy of the CIA, modified by me.

(That stands for the Culinary Institute of America. I'm unfortunately not a spy. Although I've always wanted to be!)

Makes about 1 Gallon

Be sure to read the notes at the bottom!

2 ounces bacon, diced (about 2 or 3 slices)
6 tablespoons butter or oil (vegetable or canola)
8 ounces carrots, small diced (about 3 carrots)
4 ounces celery, small diced (about 2 stalks)
4 ounces onions, small dices (about half an onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces flour
2 quarts chicken stock or broth (homemade is best, but low sodium canned {4 cans} works well too)
4 - 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 - 15 ounce cans tomato sauce
4 parsley stems (or if you're like me and realize you're out, about a teaspoon of dried)
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1 pint heavy cream

1. In a large soup pot, cook the bacon in the oil or butter until crisp.

2. Add the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic and cook over low to medium heat until tender, about 8-10 minutes.

3. Add the flour and stir well. Cook this for 12 minutes, stirring about every minute or so.

4. Blend in the chicken stock or broth. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

When you're adding the chicken stock, add in about a cup first and scrape the bottom of the pot

to get any stuck on bits. That's all amazing flavor, so don't leave it stuck there!

5. Tie up the parsley, bay leaves, and cloves in cheesecloth. Add to the soup and simmer another 30 minutes.

6. Remove the little package of parsley, bay leaves, and cloves. Puree the soup in batches, using either a blender or a food processor.

My mind is going completely blank and I can't remember the name for the little thing you pull out of the lid of both machines to be able to add ingredients while it's running. But be sure to remove whatever that thing is called! Otherwise the heat will build up pressure and your kitchen will be covered in tomato soup. Use a towel to cover it and prevent splatters.

7. At this point, put whatever soup you want to freeze in containers. Put the soup you plan on eating into a pot and add the heavy cream. But not all of it! The pint is for the whole recipe. So if you freeze half and plan on eating the other half, add only 1 cup of heavy cream, etc. The soup doesn't freeze well with the heavy cream. It will keep as leftovers in the fridge fine with the heavy cream though.

8. Bring it back up to heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy it with oyster crackers, grilled cheese, croutons, or more!

Thank you Martha Stewart - your photographers have more skill than me.

Notes

You probably noticed almost every ingredient is given by weight. It's the most accurate way of cooking. I gave the approximate amounts in case you don't have a kitchen scale handy. If you do though, measure everything by weight the first time through. Then you'll have an idea of how much 8 ounces of carrots actually looks like and so on. 4 ounces of flour is about .9 cup. So more than 3/4, but less than a whole cup.
Small dice means 1/4". But don't whip out your ruler (even though I had to at school. Ugh). Since everything is pureed, the size doesn't matter too much. Just try to be consistent. If you cut the carrots bigger, do the same with the onions and celery. You want everything to cook evenly, so aim for about the same size pieces.
The parsley, bay leaves, and cloves are optional, but really good! If you're missing one or two of those things, add whatever you do have. And if you're like me, you probably don't have cheesecloth around. Or you're even more like me and have some but can't find it anywhere! I always use a coffee filter and tie it up with butcher's twine. Any string will work fine though. Tying everything together makes it so easy to find and remove these items before pureeing the soup.

This can be made healthier by omitting the bacon and heavy cream. You could substitute evaporated milk or even regular milk in the heavy cream's place. It could even go vegan by omitting the bacon, using oil, using vegetable stock or water in place of the chicken stock, and replacing the heavy cream with unsweetened almond milk or soy milk. It's pretty versatile, so have fun with it!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Friday, May 27, 2011

I found this photo in blog land and cannot locate who it belongs go.

However, don't you love the look of it!

I do and it makes me want to paint my table this weekend.

Here is a picture of my table. It is similar to the table above and I think it would look fantastice painted out! This table is now in my front living room and we use it like a game table. So, if I mess it up...no biggie.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Before Blogging Throwback- Tuscan Wall Mural

I have several pre-blogging projects that I have been want to share with you and just love Sugar & Spice in the Land of Balls & Sticks once-a-month Before Blogging Throwback party!

In lou of having painters in the house, I thought I would share with you a little wall mural that I painted shortly after we moved into the house.

Don’t laugh now! I never said I was an artist but I really wanted to add lil’ something to this room. A Tuscan Vineyard, please. I call this room the breeze way but it’s a really a pass through area between the kitchen and the garage. Okay it’s a mudroom by most standards.

The wall color: the base is a golden yellow (leftover from the kitchen) and because there wasn’t enough to give it a complete coverage I used a brown/taupe paint (leftover from the family room) to make a glaze and washed/swirled it over the yellow base paint. Then added some random fleur de lis stamp design in copper.

To add even more authenticity to the stone arch, I added some sand to the paint. I hope you can see it.

The mantle mounted underneath is something leftover from the construction of the house. I distressed it with a hammer, screw drivers, and chains.

It’s time for a change. Once I finish remodeling upstairs, this will most likely be the first to go.

Things I find Inspiring

Gritchelle Fallesgon

Junk Market Style

Image from http://www.wscottchester.com/

This is one of our cats that loves climbing trees.

Heal My Sole Giveaway

CLOSED

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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Bigger is Better Door Casing

So this foyer project {of mine} had been dragging on forEVER! But on Monday, the painter that I met with a while back left word with me that he could come out this week. I didn’t hesitate to reply back with a BIG “Hell Yes”!

Which meant that I had to drop everything I was doing (including the other 4 projects I am working on) to get everything ready to paint. So a quick trip to the hardware store where you would find me laying out pieces of moulding out on the floor! Seriously, for all of those who think I’m so prepared and together. Ha ha. I laugh. Laugh at the even the thought of it these days. My mind is running wildly all over the place. Bouncing from project to project.

Anyways, sticking to my story, I went flying to the store with my over-all dimensions and began playing around with moulding right in the middle of the Lowe’s isle! Now that folks is how ya Get‘r done!!!

With the help of some teenagers, holding tape measures and boards and even popping off a few nails from the cordless nail gun, I beefed up the moulding around my front door and looks pretty darn good too!

Ya want to see???

{Boring Before}

{Wowzer After}

It’s only primed yet I think it really makes a statement. Plus, it helps blend into the shelf above. The cost was around $100. but so worth it! The moulding on the side are fluted and really added to the cost. I wish my Dad was in town because he could have made the moulding and saved me about $40.

The painters are here right now and it’s killing me not be in the room!

I’ll post the finished photos in a couple of days.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Turtle Day!

Did you know May 23rd is World Turtle Day?

Yeah, neither did I. But frankly, I'll use any excuse to celebrate by making cupcakes. Plus my mom's husband has a pet tortoise. Her name is Shelly. He's big on puns. So having a turtle in the household is a valid reason to celebrate, right?

My son was really into it. He put on a old pair of turtle pajamas and decorated with turtle drawings and every stuffed turtle he owns. He wanted to make something for dinner by himself, so I helped him dye canned pears green and he made them look like turtles.

He was so proud of what he "cooked."

But I was really just in it for the cupcakes.

Chocolate, caramel, and pecans? Yes, please!

Tiny turtle decorations for the cupcakes.

I'm far too impatient to make tiny things like that. I had a little fan and light rigged up to dry them out more quickly. Even then, I refused to wait long enough and tried to remove them from the wax paper too early. There were a few casualties. But at least they were yummy!

My first thought for a Turtle Day entree was real turtle soup. But that just seemed so wrong. I couldn't exactly cook turtles on a day meant to protect and celebrate them. So I made a pizza in the shape of a turtle.

I almost couldn't slice through him. Almost.

Now I just have to wait for another holiday to celebrate. Thankfully tomorrow is Hug Your Cat Day. And Wednesday is Towel Day. I'm really starting to wonder who comes up with these so-called holidays. But as long as I can make a cupcake to observe it, I'm in!

Happy early Hug Your Cat Day!

Need a Seat?

I am not finished with my teenage son’s room yet. For a while now, I have been feeling like he needed some chairs or just something to sit on, and while I have been keeping my eye out for something beckoning to be made over, I haven’t found anything. Yet, over and over I kept seeing these sharp looking X Stools. They are so popular and fit well with a lot of different design styles. Do you have one in your home?

This one pictured above is from William Sonoma Home – for the astonishing price of $895!

I decided I would make a couple for the end of Austin’s bed, even though he said he didn’t like it and didn’t want it. I figured these stools will be so flexible that I could always move them in to the “teen lounge” if he really didn’t like them after all.

Now looking at this little stool, I thought it would be easy and quick and I could finish this in a day or two! Honestly, I started working on a pair over a month and a half ago!!!

It all started with me wanting to learn how to use Google Sketch-Up. I spent many many hours trying to self teach myself how to use the program. I was so excited that I finally had a pattern that I printed off a color copy and took it over to show my parents. After looking over my design, they quickly told me that it would be stronger if I notched the legs out at the center. Well, I’m all for making furniture stronger when it comes to having it in a kid’s bedroom.

Long story short, it can look really good on paper but to printout something that’s useable in terms of a pattern, then you do have to have some woodworking knowledge. I’m working on it and hope that I can design some projects and patterns that I will be able to share in the near future.

Here is where I am now. The bases need to be primed and painted and the tops need to be upholster.

Oh, did I mention that I don’t have any money invested it this!!! Just using up some scrap lumber, foam off an old chair that went to the dump, and some fabric that I picked up cheap a few months back. Love Love Love me some FREE projects!!! Have I ever mentioned that I’m ~~cheap~~ ~~frugal~~ thrifty?

Now my son has several choices to make…..

What color to make the base? White or Silver
Which fabric? Pattern or Solid

What combination would you choose?

Come back to see the finished X STOOLS!!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Amaze Me Monday #26

Hello!

I really hope everyone had a wonderful and pleasant weekend. Our weekend was filled with sunshine here in the Carolinas as the weather popped backed up to 90 degrees after a nice mild week of temps in the 70’s. I think the hot weather is here to stay and we finally kicked on our air-conditioners. If you know me, that’s huge because I’m cheap {hey, I call it like everyone else see it!}, besides, I moved south years ago to get away from the cold Northern weather. I say bring on the HEAT!

Poison Oak Update: I am feeling much better {thank you for all well wishes}. It’s down to a mild scratch and not that rip-roaring-tear-your-own-flesh-off feeling anymore!!! And if you follow me on Facebook then you know that I have been bitten by the garden bug this week. I have been planting, replacing, moving, and finally got my veggie and herb garden cleaned up and planted. All of this should have been done months ago. Can I get a Oh Yeah!!! for the slacker?

As for this weekend, I’ve been busy with a few projects over in my Dad’s workshop so I can’t wait to show you some finished projects!!! It’s going to be a great week!