No Luck

I went to the two thrift stores that actually have furniture but I had no luck finding a table for the "entry way". The Bargain Barn had a lot of great furniture, but most of it was either too small or too antique for the style I was aiming for. They did have this awesome 70's looking leather chair that would have been perfect for my desk area but then I realized the rest of the set was on the other side and they weren't willing to sell it separately. Christian Ministries Closet was very empty furniture wise, they did have a danish side table for $4 but only one. Then they had a set of eight 70's looking school chairs for $40 but I wouldn't know where to store them. Okay so the image above is my new idea of what I'm looking for, too bad that the buffet there is $999 at Crate & Barrel. I'll continue to look for my entry way table until I find the perfectly priced one!

Never has a house...

Actually fit so closely what I want in my future home. Here are more detailed photos from this Apartment Therapy article. Though I wouldn't have to have EVERYTHING Scandinavian but a couple pieces would not hurt. I'm seriously in love with this room, what is your style?

Make That Three!

Yes I'm sick with three different things. First it was a head cold followed by pinkeye then I woke up at 3 am today with my ears hurting and having trouble swallowing. I tried to fall back asleep but that wasn't happening. I then tried a warm washcloth which help for two seconds. Finally I was to the point I couldn't handle it so my boyfriend drove me to the emergency room. I had a double ear infection and my throat was swollen because of it. Luckily I got some antibiotics and pain killers that are working pretty good right now. I just want to get better, I've been sick since the beginning of last week and I'm so tired of being well...tired.

On a good note, even though I have to cut back my spending (by a lot) I have enough money to buy that bed frame. My other Grandparents gave me $50 for Christmas so as soon as I get the chance to go to Ikea I'll use that money to pay for the frame. I'm still not sure what we're going to do, but I think if we just assemble it now we can always go back and stain it later. I think I'm going to bake them some bread or something once I get to feeling better. Well this medicine is making me a little drowsy so I think I'm calling it a night and probably going to lay down for a bit. Goodnight!

Cute Plant Idea

These are actually suppose to be terrarium party favors but I think that'd look just fine as a plant vase minus the sticks in them. I'd really like to put them on a small little table near the front door but I haven't found one. Just a small cute table for a little "drop off area" when I walk in from a long day. I already have a little plate to drop off keys and spare change, plus a couple of knic-knacs. I think the plants would add a nice touch. Though my only concern is keeping them alive long enough to admire the cuteness of them, oh well I'll risk it. I'm going to try again at the local thrift store and see if they have the table I'm looking for then I can try this project out!

Stain or Not To Stain?

That is the question at hand or soon to be question. We have a bed frame holding up the bed but no headboard. We are on a budget but really want a nice simply bed frame. We both agreed on the Fjellse bed frame from Ikea and we love the fact it's only $50. The only thing is he wants to keep it unstained where I want to do a darker stain to it. I tried to compromise and use the stain that they have in the store where it is a color yet leaves the woodgrain but he is dedicated to leaving it be. I already have leftover dark walnut stain that has the polyurethane in it and I would love it to look like Forme-Foryou dresser/side table she stained. I do get where my boyfriend is coming from because it is a lot of hassle having to stain the whole bed. I still think it would look like we bought it from West Elm or something if we stained it. So which one do you think would look better? Without the strain or with the stain?

What a Great Christmas!

I got a nice amount of gifts and some really good belated house warming presents.

My new favorite dish towl!

Matching oven mitts. 

Holiday appropriate mugs.

Ignore the fact I took a picture of the Spanish side for I can't read it, but hand mixer is beyond awesome!

These weren't the only awesome gifts I received; my Mom made us tons of baked goods and my Aunt and Uncle got us a box of Grippos (chips only sold in the state they live in now.) Even though it went by really fast this Christmas was a good one. Hope everyone is enjoying their night and if you're already settled in that you enjoyed your day. Goodnight!

Happy Holidays

Just wanting to wish everyone a Safe and Happy Holiday!

Recent Artwork

I got really inspired to do something different with watercolor because of ambird. I was sick yesterday and finally had some watercolor paper, so of course I wanted to paint. I wanted to do something with outerspace because I saw Ambird's tutorial with watercolor. So this is the end result of my watercolor masterpiece.

I remembered the image of the cat on a keyboard floating in space so I searched it and it the text in the image said "Astro Cat will play for you the symphony of space." 

Today I started a series of awkward school picture painting featuring animals. I'm not sure if I'm like them as much as Astro Cat but it's all in good fun.

I thought about calling it "I wasn't ready yet!" 

I know you can't see it but the fox has braces.

This isn't my usual style but I enjoyed working with it, I wonder if this will sell in the Etsy store?

My Apologizes

Sorry for the recent explosion of post but I was simply moving some of the old post from the old blog. Not all post were moved over but the ones that mattered did. I do have more personal post but those were left behind on the old blog. I'll be posting new things soon, feel free to check out the old post and leave comments as you would like.

I am in the process of creating my own Etsy store. It will mainly be jewelry but I'll also have some artwork and other things. I have almost everything ready I'm just waiting on some of the jewelry pieces so I can make the items. I won't have much at first but once I get started I'll add more. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!?! I'm sick with the pink eye...not fun and since I can't work and don't want to infect the relatives me and Dustin will have our own Christmas Eve event at home. I'm not sure what we'll do, maybe finish wrapping gifts, get take out, and watch movies. Regardless of what we do I know we'll have fun being together!

I also was thinking about switching host but I'm still debating it. If I use the other host I have more chances of being notcied and having better networking. Other than that it's just the hassle of moving all the post over and the images as well. Like I said though I'm still debating it and if I do use the other host I'll let everyone know.

Well I'm going to go paint some more, it makes me feel better. Goodnight!

What You'll Need:

• Ribbon
• Scissors 
• A glass or jar (for tracing)
• Pattern Cutting Scissors *optional
• Tape
• Glue
• Colored Paper
• Patterned Paper
• Present Bows

Here we go:

1. You'll want to open up a word document on the computer and pick at the size, style, and color of the font and print it out on the solid color paper. Make sure you space out the letters so you can cut a circle around each one.
2. Flip the paper with the letters over and trace a circle around the of each letter using the glass or jar as a guide.
3. Cut out the circles using either the pattern cutting scissors or regular scissors.
4. Glue each letter onto the patterned or different color paper, leaving room to cut 1/4-1/2 inch around each circle.

5. Take the ribbon and lay it out on the floor and lay out the first word. Leave about an inch at each end and roughly space out each letter. Go ahead cut the ribbon to size.

6. You're going to "flip" the banner horizontally and lay the ribbon on the back of the circles. Remember to star the first letter to the right and spell it out backwards so when you flip it over it's read correctly.

7. Take the tape and place it on top of the ribbon and circle. Make sure that both the ribbon and circle will hold.

8. Hang the banner with tape and add the present bows. Just to be safe tape the bow at the bottom as well (just like you would on a present) so it does not fall.

There you have it an amazing banner you can hang anywhere in your space for the holiday!!

Linked: Crafty Canadians

This lovely shop called Crafty Canadians is ran by two sisters that are dear friends to me. They are just starting out but they have really cute keychains, hair clips and cross stitched home decor. They have great ideas to come and they provide great service. This is a great place for Christmas gifts for those close friends, plus it's easy on the wallet.

Matching Knobs

I went to the mall Monday and ran into Antropologie and picked up those door knobs for the desk.

Before:

 

 After:

 

They look great, I just have to scrap off the silver I painted around the key hole and it'd be perfect.

Now if only I could get it organized so I can actually use it, but one project at a time.

Decorating for Christmas!

So far this is all we have out for Christmas but I really want to go all out. Unfortunately I don't have anywhere to put things, except for the coffee table or the kitchen table. So I'm thinking of some ideas that I can do asides from placing Christmas type knick-knacks around the house. Plus I want to make as much home-made as I can. Stay tuned and I'll put up some d.i.y projects for the holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving

I always loved watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving because it showed that you don't need a fancy display or gourmet food to have a great Thanksgiving.

I'm thankful so much for my family and friends but also my boyfriend and all the things that made me who I am today. I'm also thankful for cappuccinos, Target, Forever21 and chocolate cake but  I'll put that on my et cetera list.

What are you thankful for?

Preparing for Thanksgiving

(image from Design*Sponge)

If you're the "lucky" person who is hosting the Thanksgiving dinner then cooking food isn't your only worry. You also have to think about cleaning the house and prepping for all the relatives. Here is a simple list (with some easy cleaning tips) to make today a little less stressful.

• Drop off area
  Designate an area for relatives to drop off their coats and purses either by placing a table in the entry way or just an area in the living room
  
•  Cleaning If you have carpet don't waste money buying a carpet cleaner. Try sprinkling a little laundry detergent on the carpet then vacuum it . This gives the carpet fresh scent without all the hassle.
  
  If there are young children put any valuables up higher or away so nothing gets broken and no one swallows anything.
  
  Don't forget to clean between the cushions of the sofa or chairs. For a quick fabric freshener combine one part baking soda, one part fabric softener, and two parts warm water in an empty spray bottle.  

• Prep the bathroom
  Don't leave someone searching for the toilet paper and place it where it can easily be found or seen.
  
  Also to keep things "fresh" keep a lighted scented candle or place a spray like frebreeze for them to use (DO NOT place both in the bathroom.)   

• Bring out extra sittingEven if Thanksgiving dinner is done family style you'll still need extra sitting when everyone comes together after eating. Ottomans are a great for extra sitting or even simple folding chairs.  

• Stock up on medicineNot to say you're a bad cook but eating so many different things at once may cause someones stomach to be upset. Be prepared by buying heartburn relief medicine,gas relief, and stomach pain relief.
  
  *Also buying headache medicine would be a good idea too.  

• Make arrangements If you will be serving alcohol at the dinner talk to other family members who aren't drinking to either carpool or volunteer to drive those that may have had a little too much home. If not then wash those extra sheets and prep the spare room.

 Feel free to print this out and use it as a check list for today. I hope this helps!

Vidalia Onion Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped
• 1 (8-ounce) package cornbread/muffin mix
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onion until tender, but not browned, for about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the muffin mix, egg, milk, sour cream, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the salt, and dill weed. Stir to combine. 
3. Pour into the prepared pan and top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, until set and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. 
5. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into squares.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cream of Mushroom Soup 
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Dash ground black pepper
• 4 cups cooked cut green beans
• 1 1/3 cups French Fried Onions

Direction:

1. Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.
2. Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions.
3. Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large egg
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
3. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
4. Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
5. Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Casserole

not exact recipe results but similar

I usually don't watch Secrets of a Restaurant Chef but as soon as I heard her mention sweet potatos I was hooked. I haven't made this dish yet, though I will be making it for Thanksgiving day. There are a few things I'm going to do different with mine but I will make sure I note where the changes will be made. Anyway on with the recipe


Ingredients
Casserole:

• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3)
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 diced dried apricot (I'm leaving these out of mine)

Toppings:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup firmily back brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pea-size pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I'm using pecans)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Put the sweet potatoes on a sheet tray and roast for 35 to 40 minutes. The sweet potatoes might still be a little hard in the center, but don't worry!
3. While the sweet potatoes are baking make the topping. In a food processor, combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, olive oil, butter and walnuts (or pecans) and pulse until mixed comes together.
4. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Discard the skins. Put the potatoes into a large dish and add the remaining ingredients. Mash together with a potato masher until well combined.
5. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish. Crumble the topping mixture over the potatoes. Bake until the mixture hot all the way through and the topping is brown and crispy, about 20 minutes.

Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I will :) Happy Thanksgiving.

'Tis the Season

The winter holidays are just around the corner and it's time to start thinking of gift ideas. There is only one thing though, you have no idea what to get them! Never fear for I am here to help with six gift ideas for the six different type of people in your life. Oh did I mention most are around $20?

1. The Fashionista- You can never have enough purses so try pairing a simple colored purse and a matching piece of jewelry like these from Forever21.

2. The Crafter- Being a crafter myself I love looking to other sites for ideas, so why not give them a book full of ideas like this one from Mod Cloth.

3. The Baker- Baking is fun so why can't the tools be as well? Simply tie a ribbion around these beautiful pot holders from Antropologie and tuck these adorable measuring spoons from Plasticland inside. 

4. The Music Guru- Show them how much you care about their tunes by giving them an awesome poster of their favorite band like this one from Interpunk.com.

5. The Reader- Something classic for a classic person; fill their stocking with one of these amazing hardcovers of an old classic like this beautiful hardcover of Pride and Prejudice from Mod Cloth.

6. The Joker- For someone that always has something funny to say give them a shirt that shows it like this one from Threadless.com.

Desk Sweet Desk

When I was moving out of my Grandparent's house a couple of things got left behind, one of them was my desk. I started using it as my craft station but when I got my laptop I used it as an actual computer desk. Well my Grandparent's brought it over this afternoon and I'm excited to make it my desk again.

    

One thing I was thinking about doing was changing out the knobs, but wasn't sure what style. I definitely want to get them from Antropologie but there are so many choices:

       

  There are more on the site that I loved but these are more around my budget and style. Which one do you think goes well with the desk?

Linked: Unhappy Hipsters

Unhappy Hipster is a hilarious take on the interior design styles associated mostly with "hipsters" the new cool kids of the uncool.  Followed by each image of an inconveniently modern room is a satire. I spent hours laughing at some of the ridiculous "scenes" depicted after each image(such as the image above.) It's an interesting site with some unusual ideas at interior design.

We already discussed decorating with three colors with tertiary scheme, next is one style of decorating using only two colors. Complementary colors are the hues opposite of each other on the color wheel. Each color brings out the other and as you would say “complements” one another. Here are a few examples.

Blue + Orange

Red + Green

The next style that only uses two colors is called adjacent colors. These two colors are neighbors on the color wheel and harmonize each other. This room is a great example of how to work with adjacent colors.

The One That Got Away

 Or the one that is always out of stock when I go to order it. The first one was much shorter for a title.

This microwave cart is the best of both worlds; its an amazing design and for half the cost of the name brands.  It has the best ratings from all the other microwave carts too. Well we are in need of a microwave cart to take the lovely red microwave we have out of the corner and give us more counter space. Unfortunately everytime I have the money to get it, they are out of stock! I know I could sign up for the email alerts but I hardly ever check my email. I guess I'll continue to stalk Target.com until it is back in stock... I just want it so bad :(

This is our little red microwave we got at Targets

Yeah I would have to say I'm a litte addicted to Targets :D

Primary Tertiary

(image via Apartment Therapy)

I haven’t done a guide in a very long time so I’m really overdue for one. Lucky for you I found some time to share with you a color guide Part 1. I know the color wheel like the back of my hand due to art class and my interior design class in high school. One of the color schemes that is easy to achieve is the tertiary. Tertiary colors are a group of three colors on the color wheel that when connected make a triangle. Today I’m going to create a room using the primary tertiary colors: red, blue and yellow. Yes, the image above inspired the room.

(ignore the Retro Chic logo it was the former name of this blog)

 I added two more frames that have just been laying around the house to the collage wall.

 Fall is my favorite season from the cooler nights and the crunch sound of leaves to Halloween..the list is a mile long. I was hoping to do a Halloween theme when it came to decorating, but when my Mom offered me some Fall decorations I couldn't say no. Here is a picture of the kitchen with those few decorations. It isn't much but it still brings in those warm, fuzy feelings of Fall.

 * The place mats looks almost quilted but with leaves in the stitch pattern

Great Deal

Today I went to the local thrift shop and found this amazing chair for only $8! The frame is sturdy and it only needs a few touch ups and it'd be brilliant. The fabric on it now is a denim material and it's worn out plus the back needs new padding. The next thing I need to decide on is what color I want it to be if I get it reupholstered? Should I stick with the dark blue or go neutral? I'm not sure. 

I've done my "dream living room" so it's more than expected of me to do my dream bedroom. I like simple when it comes to the bedroom because too much excitement and I can't sleep. Anyway this shall be my bedroom in the future house.

Right now I'm working on the current living room...which is going slow due to lack of funding.

 It doesn't mean I can't dream can I? Anyway I came across this amazing interior design blog called Making it Lovely, which inspired a couple pieces (i.e the rug and lamps) in my new living room to go along with my dream house.

Penne with Asparagus, Spinach & Bacon

 

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
• 2 bacon slices
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 cup (1-inch) slices asparagus
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups bagged baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper


1. While prepping go ahead and cook the penne noodles; drain and keep warm.
2. Cook baccon in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble.
3. Add chopped onion to dripping pan; saute for 1 minute.
4. Add asparagus and broth to pan; bring to boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender.
5. Add pasta, spinach, 1/4 cup cheese and pepper to pan.
6. Spinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and bacon.

Enjoy :D

Ikea Dresser

I seen this amazing before and after of this Ikea Rast Dresser that I had to try out. It wasn't hard but it would have been a whole lot easier if I had just finished it all on  day it was sunny instead of trying to wait the rain out. Here is what I have so far.

I used white high gloss pant on the front of the dresser, and stained it with antique walnut with polyurethane included on the sides. I traded out the wooden nobs with silver ones. I didn't get the stain as dark as I wanted it, but I can always try again later. After everything the cost for this dresser was around $50. I thought about getting another one and putting them side by side to make it look like a 6 piece dresser but that's another day and another project :)

Have a before and after you'd like to share? Send it to me at: amberupbeat@aol.com

with the title of "Before and After" and I'll post it on the site.