DIY Cooking at Home

This week's COW is this awesome ombre-effect lampshade brought to you by Creatively Living . I love when you can achieve a very of-the-moment look with just a few supplies. Investment pieces, like furniture, are good to keep neutral, but you can go hog-wild with accessories like Katie did by purchasing a second-hand lamp, seeing its beauty, and thinking out of the box with a basic lampshade. Love it! And of course, I'm a big fan of the colors she chose. And if you can allow me to rave a bit more...I adore the modern lamp beside the traditional painting. Ok, I'm done.

I recently satisfied my need for a little retail therapy by going to Trader Joe's...is that weird? I absolutely love that place! And so do the kids because they have shopping carts sized just for them. My only problem with it is, there isn't one close by. (Sidenote: did you know that Aldi owns Trader Joe's? Since I LOVE Aldi, too, I couldn't help but be even more impressed now. However, besides the money I save by shoppping at Aldi, it's hard to feel satisfied after a trip there...I'm too hell-bent on getting what we need to feed ourselves, whereas at Trader Joe's, I meander and pick up stuff just because it looks good.) Anyhoo, here's a shot of what I bought. Bohemian Lager, which my husband really liked A bottle of 2-Buck Chuck, which I really liked 3 bunches of daffodils (they also had flowering branches like forsythia and cherry blossoms!) A sleeve of cinnamon chip scones A jar of Cookie Butter, described on the label as "a deliciously unus

I love this song lyric...just a great reminder that life isn't perfect, but it's beautiful.

Hello! It's a blustery, chilly spring day here in northeast Ohio. The girls are napping now (the Good Lord knows my limitations and blessed me with two good sleepers), so I thought I'd take the time to explain how I tufted the lid of an old trunk we put in our entryway . Oh, and by the way, I was a bit MIA last week because my mom was here for another visit during which all we did (well, SHE did) was work. We wallpapered the half-bath off the entry and there isn't a word for how much I love it. Working on getting some chair rail hung in there, so I'll show you the big ta-da! next week probably. Anyway, here's the ubiquitous before and after shot. Sans cushiony seat... And WITH cushiony seat... Here's what I did: DIY Tufted Trunk Lid Materials Measuring tape Pencil Fabric of your choice Foam in desired thickness Cotton batting Iron Covered button kits Scissors Upholstery needle Upholstery thread or fishing line Thimble Staple gun Drill and 3/8" or 1/4&q

You know how I love to repurpose! Here's a great idea from Mod Podge Rocks for turning a coffee mug holder circa 1987 into a chic jewelry holder using little more than paint, paper and decoupage medium. Couldn't we all use a little more organization on our dresser tops?

Are you guys sick of hearing about our entryway? Well, I'm almost "finished" with it...at least as finished as someone who's addicted to changing around accessories will ever be. Yes, it still needs a new light fixture and a fresh coat of paint on the trim, but we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, folks! My reason for wanting a console shelf in the entry was two-fold: to provide a place to drop keys and outgoing mail AND to have a place crying out to be seasonally decorated. Now I have a fun place to put pumpkins in the October, mini Christmas trees in December, Easter bunnies in April, and anything else that strikes my fancy during the months in between. I know a lot of people decorate their mantels, but I think that's harder because it makes me feel like I can't commit to permanent artwork above the fireplace for fear it won't "go" with my seasonal stuff. But the shelf is so accommodating! (The pic above is from last week..

Photo courtesy of Neverland Nook Pinwheels are so spring-y, aren't they? Such a simple toy--like kites--that give such a thrill to little ones and all they require is an April breeze. There's just something about the colors against the vivid blue of a spring sky, too. We flew our kite yesterday; it was a great day for it. Almost TOO windy. I love this craft from Organize and Decorate Everything because it combines the retro style of an old-fashioned pinwheel with the ever-popular garland idea. Plus, your kids can totally help with this. I couldn't, however, find instructions for how to make the pinwheels, but I figured good 'ol Martha would have a tutorial , and she did... As did Neverland Nook , which also shows how to make your pinwheels into a wreath. Go catch the breeze!

Hi everyone! So I'm back at ya today with the 411 on how to make a storyboard. You've seen these all over DIY style blogs, I'm sure. I think they're a pretty useful tool myself, and had been utilizing the process for awhile before I knew they were called storyboards or mood boards. In fact, they're really just a digital collection of clippings. So instead of keeping a ton of ripped-out magazine and catalog pages, you could do this. I actually do both. As I mentioned earlier , I just use good 'ol Microsoft Word to create my storyboards. Here's my process... Open a blank Word document. Select the View tab, then Print Layout. This will allow you to view the storyboard as a whole and eliminate the need to keep scrolling down and over. Choose the Insert tab and select Shapes. Choose the rectangle shape, then click and drag a rectangle to fill the page. Choose Shape Fill and select the color that most closely resembles the color you want for your walls.

If you're a regular reader of design or lifestyle blogs like I am, you've probably seen storyboards all over the place. You know, those collections of fabrics, furniture and accessories that create a visual springboard for designing a room. They're often called mood boards, too. Young House Love has made these into an artform. You can view theirs by color or room. Now, I don't have fancy-schmancy software like PhotoShop, but I do create my own storyboards in good ol' Microsoft Word. I tried doing it in Picasa, but I find the collage function on this free software to be a bit limiting. So, basically I just right click images I see around the web, paste them into a Word document and it helps me see if fabrics and colors kinda go together before I take the plunge and buy something. I guess you could use Pinterest , but I like being able to see it all overlapped and side-by-side in one place. More on my exact process later... For now, I just wanted to share my liv

So we've been working on our entryway for quite some time now. We turned a closet into a mudroom-type space, replaced the flooring, got a new front door , painted, put in new trim, and hung a mirror and shelf. Next up, reupholster a bench I want to use, accessorize the shelf, and...hopefully wallpaper the half-bath. These two crafts have to do with accessorizing the shelf. They just seem to "fit" in an entryway, don't you think? And you know I love DIY art ! Here's a framed doorknob from 320 Sycamore ... ...and framed keys from Teal and Lime . Wouldn't they look great together? And I like the idea that you could use actual doorknobs and keys from previous places you've lived and loved. Fun!

In our house, Easter is only one of the major holidays taking place this weekend. The Masters golf tournament is on, and this--not the resurrection of Christ our Lord--is the event that heralds spring around here. Oh, I jest. But seriously, it IS a big deal for my husband, and I have to admit, I enjoy watching it, too--especially on Sunday. The scenery of that course alone is worth it, like this one from the famous Amen Corner. One day Eric's gonna get to go down there to watch a round, but in the meantime, I'm going to keep making egg salad sandwiches, which are apparently quite famous as the go-to snack at Augusta National. Awhile back, I looked up the recipe and I've been making it like this ever since. Augusta Egg Salad 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced 1/2 c. mayonnaise 1/4 c. sweet relish 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped 1 tsp. mustard onion salt to taste Mix well and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar So who's going to get the green jacket?

Yes, we've had 80 degree days here in northern Ohio already this year, but call me crazy, that just felt a little freakish. I prefer seasons to feel like they should, thank you very much. This week, the wind is cold but the sun is shining, and all is as it should be in April. So, the girls and I pulled on some rain boots and jackets, and armed with scissors, my camera, and a basket, we trekked out to the back yard to cut some daffodils. As the girlies have gotten older, devoting time to my projects and pasttimes has gotten a little easier (in some ways.) That is, I no longer have to figure out how to do everything one-armed because I have a baby on my hip; however, I DO have to worry about their safety as they get braver and more independent, and I DO have to break up squabbles more often. (As in, "Mama! I sat on the counter the last time we baked. It's MY turn to stand on the chair!") But nevertheless, I love to involve them when I can, and turn my projects i

Happy Monday, everyone! I've got a simple, seasonal craft for you today. I was inspired by all the pretty spring displays I've been seeing on Pinterest and other blogs lately, so I decided to make something of my own. Our family room is a work in progress, and one of the things I have yet to do is paint the dark brown wood of the mantel. I'm also working on pictures and accessories, so our mantel has had a hodge podge of stuff on it for the last several weeks that doesn't match at all. Nothing a trip to Jo-Ann's wouldn't fix! I'll share what the mantel looks like later, but for now, here's how I made this "nesting" bowl out of...what else? "Nesting" Bowl Nap Rating = 1 nap Supplies one small bowl yarn in color of your choice artificial moss artificial eggs I used these reusable tabs by Scotch because they'll remove easily without damaging the bowl--just in case I ever wanted or needed my nesting bowl. But you could also use