DIY Cooking at Home

I've been bit by the Instagram craze! Hey, I'm not a photographer but this thing makes me look like one. Between my new iPad and now Instagram , I'm a discombobulated mess trying to figure out how to fit this technology into my already busy life. It's a really good thing I don't have a new camera yet or I'd really be a wreck. For now, Instagram will do the job just fine. Anyway, I was inspired by the stenciled window shade I featured earlier this week. I've been thinking the window in our entryway needed a little something, so I decided to hang an actual birdcage there instead of stenciling one on the shade. Then I put a plant in it because that window gets a lot of natural light. I love it! It's just what that space needed. Actually, several hanging in a group would be really cute, too, but I didn't want the space to look too crowded. Here are some more pictures of birdcage decor to inspire you.  

How cute is this idea from Country Living ? What a great idea for a window you don't want to cover with a busy window treatment! I personally think the bird cage is perfection, but you could certainly choose something else suited to your own tastes. Oh the power of paint!

Hey all...thanks for all of your support lately! My post on wallpaper has received a lot of attention (thanks to Better After ) and several of you left such sweet comments. Muchas gracias! Have you all heard of The Graphics Fairy ? It's an amazing site full of free clip art and project inspiration. I made this little picture for our entryway shelf by super-imposing a bike silhouette from Graphics Fairy onto a .jpg of an ikat print I found using Google Images . Then I just popped it in a floating frame. I like it a lot...and it was so inexpensive and easy to do. DIY Bicycle Art Nap Rating = less than 1 Materials Computer with image-editing software (I used Picasa ) Color printer (or just take it to a kiosk) Floating frame Steps Search a site that has free clip art (like Graphics Fairy ) Once you locate an image you want to use, right click it and save it to your computer. Silhouettes work best if you plan to use superimposing. Search a site that has free clip art or ju

Oh for the love of Sharpies! I was inspired to write this post after seeing the awesome monogrammed pillow below on Simple Details. So pretty, and like her blog says...so simple! Here are a few more things you can make with your trusty Sharpie: Stenciled Pillows Wit & Whistle Cellar Door Stories Live Love DIY DIY Lampshades Young Wifey A Little Glass Box Inspired Furniture Fashion an old table into a vintage-looking crate like this one from Curbside Collector. Table Decor Don't have placemats? No problem! Draw your own like Kim did on Today's Creative Blog. Or make your own tablecloth inspired by subway art like this one on Blue Cricket Design . Wall Art If you really want to get crazy, draw on your walls with Sharpies to create cool murals and faux wallpaper. Are you brave enough to do this ? Or this ? How about this ? Probably this... Blue Cricket Design. Inspired yet?

You may have seen a pin or two on Pinterest illustrating the "marble in the muffin tin trick" to making heart-shaped cupcakes last Valentine's Day. Welllll...we tried it. And here's what I have to say about that: a picture is sometimes NOT worth a thousand words. So here's a word to the wise for all you Pinterest junkies out there. If you want to try something, take 2 minutes to follow the pin to its source in order to get full instructions. But in this case, it seemed pretty self-explanatory. Stick a marble between the cupcake liner and muffin tin, and voila! Heart-shaped cupcakes to delight the youngsters! I didn't have marbles so we balled up tin foil instead. Then I filled the cups too full so that when they baked, the heart shape was totally lost. I didn't even take a picture because why bother staging the photo and worrying over lighting for a total flop? (Afterwards, I Googled the idea again and came across this site that gave some helpful

I thawed some ground beef for burgs on the grill tonight but what to have for a side? My inner dialogue went something like this: "Hmmm...(fridge opening and shutting about 3 times)...sick of frozen veggies...(opening pantry about 6 times)...what to have, what to have? Do I have any potatoes to roast? Shoot, they're all sprouting and wrinkly. I could peel them for mashed potatoes. Nah, not with hamburgers. Oh yeah! Scalloped potatoes! And I even have some leftover bacon!" This is one of those "recipes" handed down in our family that's really never been written out, but we all just know how to make it. Do you have any of those? You kinda take them for granted and think to yourself that everyone knows how to make XYZ...but then again...maybe not. So that's why I'm sharing it with you. Please forgive the in-exact measurements and instructions. That's just how I roll for ol' hand-me-downs. Measuring everything out in exact quantiti

Ok guys you'll have to bear with me over the next couple of weeks. My sweet, supportive husband wowed me with an iPad for Mother's Day, so I'm spending quite a bit of time fumbling around with it and trying to become more mobile with the goal of being able to post from anywhere! In the meantime, I may not be posting as often. I'm not the quickest learner when it comes to this stuff so if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear from you! Is there a class for this kind of stuff?? Anyway, here's a quickie craft idea for you from Organize and Decorate Everything . Cute for a nursery or little girls' room, I think. Speaking of which, we recently moved our youngest from a crib to a toddler bed so I'm having fun dreaming up ideas for making her room more "big girl-ish" like we did with our oldest's . Probably a couple of posts regarding that in the coming weeks... Happy Monday!

I haven't really mentioned this project so you may be somewhat surprised to learn that we recently updated our downstairs 1/2 bathroom. It all hinged on some wallpaper with which I fell in love. I know, I know...WALLPAPER?! Isn't that the stuff most of us rip down immediately upon buying a new house? Well, if it has a border on top, yeeeesss. And if it's got anything to do with geese wearing blue bows, yeeeesss. But I'm telling you, there are some great, modern wallpapers out there right now. Case in point, one of my all-time favorite designers, Amy Butler , has her own line. Exhibit A So I found this one, and it was love at first sight. It's from Thibaut . I decided that's what I wanted for our 1/2 bath, particularly because it's right in our entryway, which needed a bit more pattern. I thought about stenciling, but was intidimated by that process. Well, truth be told, I was intimidated by the process of wallpapering, too, but luckily my mom i

Hello! Remember these framed keys from Teal and Lime ? I was inspired to create some for our entryway; they just seemed to be a natural fit next to the front door. Ta-da! Speaking of natural...I loved the wood veneer Jackie used, but I decided to save some money and use some burlap I already had. I also kept the keys their natural color. I used some thrift store frames and just spray painted them white to unify them. My frames before I sprayed them...Jackie's instructions were great. The project is pretty intuitive, though, so I really just stole her idea (thank you for the inspiration!) and did it my own way. Framed Keys Nap Rating = 2 naps (1 for spray painting; 1 for assembling) Supplies Frames Spray paint (if necessary) Newspaper (if spray painting) Burlap Scissors Hot glue gun Decorative keys (I got mine from Create for Less ) Steps If necessary, remove glass and backing from frames, lay them on newspaper, and spray paint them in the color of your choice Meanwhile, co

We spent the weekend doing some non-fun stuff like cleaning out the garage and just generally tidying up outside. Next up, buying some new perennials, edging the beds, getting a truckload of mulch...and hopefully pretty-ing up the outside with projects like this cottage door plant rack from Centsational Girl . You wouldn't have to use a door...a window would work, too. The idea is to use salvage, though. You can easily find old doors and windows at thrift stores because they're pretty popular right now. And since it isn't necessary for them to have glass or screens intact, you could probably get something for a song. What projects are you working on to beautify your outdoor space? Happy May!

Oh how I love HomeGoods! Such unique finds. Here's what I spotted this week...or who spotted me! Isn't he great? I actually brought him home with me. For only $24.95, I couldn't resist. He's still propped against the wall, unhung, though, because I don't know where to put him. I LOVE this table. The color, the shape...and the price! This ottoman is so stylish. I have nothing in those colors in our house, or I would've seriously contemplated it. It's $99. Sorry for the poor picture quality here. This chair was tucked between two other big pieces of furniture so I couldn't get a good angle on it, or find a price on it. But it's very chic, no? Love this, too. For $19.99, it's a great retro conversation piece. And finally, these bookends for $12.99 a piece. (Not sure why they're not sold as a set, but anyway...) Cute!