Vanity Tray

Over the weekend, I took this drab $2.00 thrift store mirror and turned it into a fancy little vanity tray.

Before

After

The first step I took in this transformation process was to paint the frame with primer. Heavy bleed through was occurring, so I primed it a second time. I then applied two coats of Reflecting Pool by Behr. The raised corner pieces were painted in Paris Gray. To protect the tray, I gave it a good coat of clear wax and added dark wax for an aged look.  

I also removed the hardware from the back and hot glued a piece of felt on.

I love how the sand paper created a gold color on the raised areas.

Linking up to: The Charm of Home , Six Sister's Stuff, Domestically Speaking, Cow Girl Up, Kammy's Korner, CraftOManiac, DIY Show Off, Polly Want A Crafter, My Romantic Home, French Country Cottage, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Faded Charm , A Bowl Full of Lemons, Today's Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Savvy Southern Style

TGIF

 

Happy Friday y'all! 

How to make a wine cork birdhouse

Congratulations to Little Lady for hatching her sweet babies this week. She's a hard working momma!

xoxo

Linking up to: Funky Junky Interiors 

Shabby Chic Kitchen Table and Chairs

 Finding time to paint furniture has been impossible recently! Here and there I've been repurposing an adorable dinette set. Nothing too fancy. Just Annie Sloan's Old White, 3 coats of clear wax and a touch of dark wax in the distressed areas. 

Here's a before shot

This set belonged to my boyfriend's parents and was actually their first dining set as a young married couple. With no use for this table, I was given the go ahead to paint and sell. I must say, it's a little bitter sweet....

 

Three more chairs and a leaf are included but not pictured. 

New Pictures: Here

Linking up to: Isabelle Thorton, Cow Girl Up, Polly Want A Crafter, Faded Charm, Tattertots&Jello, Domestically Speaking, Miss Mustard Seed, The Shabby Nest, Common Ground, French Country Cottage, My Romantic Home, Savvy Southern Style

Thrift Store Redo

Remember this little beauty that I found at a thrift store??

Well, I gave her a makeover....

I simply repainted the cabinet in Annie Sloan's Louis Blue and gave it a coat of clear and dark wax. The front panel was created using a new piece of scrap booking paper and Mod-Podge.  

This would even work as a medicine cabinet...

Linking to:  Funky Junky Interiors, Cow Girl Up, Faded Charm , Today's Creative Blog, Tatertots&Jello, Serenity Now, Common Ground, French Country Cottage, My Romantic Home , The Shabby Creek Cottage

Cherry Strudel Recipe

Recently, we've had the most amazing weather here in NC. I'm not sure what happened but it was 60 degrees and rainy today. 
BURR.

I was in the mood to bake a warm comforting treat this evening.

Austrian Sour Cherry Strudel

1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups pitted fresh sour cherries or 2 15-oz. cans water-packed tart cherries, drained
1/4 tsp. almond extract, optional
6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
6 Tbs. vegan margarine, melted
(You could also use regular butter or margarine)
1 | Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

2 | Stir together breadcrumbs, almonds, and sugar in bowl. Combine 3/4 cup breadcrumb mixture and cherries in separate bowl. Add almond extract (if using).

3 | Unroll phyllo, and keep under damp towel to retain moisture. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface, brush with margarine, and sprinkle with 2 Tbs. dry breadcrumb mixture. Top with second phyllo sheet. Repeat layering with remaining margarine, dry breadcrumb mixture, and phyllo sheets, leaving last phyllo sheet bare.

4 | Brush 1-inch border of margarine around edges of phyllo stack. Spread cherry mixture in center of phyllo stack inside margarine borders, using hands to pack filling into smooth cylinder. Fold short edges of phyllo stack over filling. Carefully roll phyllo around filling burrito-style into large log. Place seam-side down on prepared baking sheet. Brush strudel all over with melted margarine, and sprinkle top with remaining dry breadcrumb mixture. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until strudel is golden-brown. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

PER SLICE 256 cal; 4 g prot; 13 g total fat (4 g sat fat); 33 g carb; 0 mg chol; 210 mg sod; 2 g fi ber; 18 g sugars
**This recipe is from Vegetarian Times**

Linking to:  Savvy Southern Style, A Bowl Full of Lemons

Junkin'

 How was your weekend? I sure hope it was great! I spent the weekend in Columbia, SC and hit up some awesome thrift stores! 

Both mirrors are begging for a coat of Annie Sloan

This cute little cabinet has three shelves inside.
I'll be on the look out for pretty French paper so I can
re-decoupage the door. 

Crystal lamp in need of some TLC

Bud vases


I also shopped at Hamricks for the first time. They have a fun little home section. I couldn't help but pick up these precious birds. Both items were $5 each!

Napkin holder

Salt and pepper birdies 

Linkin to: My Romantic Home , Faded Charm , A Bowl Full of Lemons

Lamp and Shade Makeover

Recently, Mini Me and I have been working on changing her room decor. She's decided to ditch the bright colors for a Martha Stewart Nantucket sort of feel (gray, navy, red, tan). Instead of Goodwilling this little lamp, I gave it a makeover. 

Before

I purchased several Hydrangea stems for the local craft store. 

I removed the beaded trim and cut the petals off of the stems. 

Starting with the top and bottom, I hot glued petals onto the shade. I then filled in the rest. 

George really wanted to be my special helper. 

I painted the lamp base with Paris Gray.
Now she has an updated lamp! What a cheap and easy fix. 

Linking up to:  Made By You Monday,Six Sister's Stuff, Time to Craft-Today's Creative Blog, Tatertots&Jello, The Crafted Sparrow, The Shabby Nest, Common Ground , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, A Bowl Full of Lemons , Craft-O-Maniac, My Repurposed Life, Chic on a Shoestring , French Country Cottage , My Romantic Home, House of Hepworths , The Shabby Creek Cottage , Savvy Southern Style

Wine Aerator

  Centsational Girl  is hosting a Favorite Kitchen Gadget  Link Party! I sure do like to party, so I decided to write a little review on my favorite gadget. 


I didn't even have to think about this. Hands down, my favorite gadget is my wine aerator from 
The Sharper Image. 

This handy little aerator is designed to sit right on top of most wine glasses. As you pour, the aerator will bring out the full taste and aroma of the wine. This is much faster than pouring wine into a large decanter and waiting for it aerate. Who has time for that?! 

This is a must have gadget if you're a wino wine enthusiast like me!

Cheers!

Linking up to: Centsational Girl

Gazpacho

 

I hate tomatoes. 

However, I do like salsa, small amounts of red sauce, pizza sauce, etc. I just can't stand sliced tomatoes. Last summer I tasted the most delicious gazpacho at a local wine bar and to my surprise, loved it. For some reason, I was big time craving it yesterday and decided to make my own. 

Gazpacho Ingredients:

 -2 28oz cans of diced petite tomatoes in puree (If they are in juice, add a small can of puree)

-1 seedless cucumber, chopped

-1 diced green and/or red pepper, chopped

-1 or 2 jalapenos, chopped

-2 celery stalks, chopped 

-Large handful of cilantro leaves 

-1 lime, juiced

-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

-Cayenne pepper to your liking. I used 3 tablespoons...I like it spicy

-Salt and pepper to taste

Puree ingredients in small batches in a food processor or blender (next time, I will puree everything even more). Adjust seasoning if necessary and chill in fridge until ready to serve. You could make this a day ahead. Honestly, it tastes better the longer it sits. 

This is some good stuff. Enjoy!

Linking up to: A Bowl Full of Lemons , My Romantic Home , House of Hepworths , Savvy Southern Style

This Little Chicadee Has A Taste For Wine

  Remember what happened when I mixed my crafting skills with my wine drinking abilities? I created a super cute birdhouse!

Apparently there is a little black and white chickadee with a taste for wine too. She's made a little nest in my birdhouse! I discovered this when I stupidly peeked into the hole and found myself looking eye to eye with this little lady. Good thing she decided not to flee the scene!


If you'd like to make your own wine cork birdhouse, read my instructions here. Drink up!

Linking up here: My Romantic Home

Vase Revamp

These two vases were purchased from Pier1Imports about 4 years ago. They don't really go with my decor any more, so what did I do? I whipped out my chalk paint. 

Before

Each vase received a coat of Louis Blue, which I just bought a sample pot of. Next came a sloppy coat of Old White. I used short brush strokes and varied the direction. After they were both dry, I gave them a good distressing. The old flower pattern started showing through, which I like. I gave each vase a light coat of clear wax and worked in a good bit of dark wax. 

 I'm still not sure if I really like them or not. Maybe a French stencil would complete them. I will take a look around on Etsy this weekend. Any ideas as to what I could put in them?? 

Linking up to: French Country Cottage , My Romantic Home , Tattertots and Jello