Sunflower Watercolor

My Grandma has always had a watercolor painting of a sunflower in her bathroom, which I have loved since I was little.  So last spring, when we helped them move out and down size all of there household items, I asked my Grandma, Mom and Aunt if I could have the watercolor, provided my Grandma didn't want it at their new place.  And I received a "Yes"! Woo Hoo!

I figured it would look awesome in the kitchen, but the only walls in the kitchen have my bulletin board and my bird wall, so I had to find another location for it, at least for now.

The hallway to our bedroom has nothing on the walls, so I figured it was a perfect place.  Plus there is no direct sunlight, which I figured was probably a good thing for the painting.

 

 

The watercolor had a older mat and thin gold frame, which I wanted to update, so I headed to Michaels to check out the custom framing options.  At first I couldn't find what I wanted, but then a few weeks later I went back with a open mind, and looked again.  At that time, I was able to find some good options, and with the help of the salesperson, we got a frame and a double mat picked out that really compliment the painting nicely. 

Normally I feel I can do better than the sale people at Michaels in terms of design, but despite looking like a D&D master, this sales dude had a good eye and I appreciated his help. (Design Snob Anyone???)

 

 

 

 

 

After a little back and forth, I went with a burlap inner mat, a simple cream main mat, and a distressed green frame.  And then once we picked it up, Colin got it hung for me!  So now we have art in our hallway and my beloved watercolor refreshed and ready to lighten up my home. 

 

 

 

 

Now I just need to have my Grandma over to see if she likes the new mat and frame!!!!

Crazy Thankful

Most people know I am slightly obsessed with the show Fixer Upper, and everything Joanna Gaines and Magnolia Homes.  When checking out her online store, I saw a sign I loved and quickly bought it!  Then I started to think about my purchase, and how small the sign was, and decided that I could make it myself, and make one larger, so I canceled my purchase.

 

link to the store in general, I didn't see specific item on the site anyone

 

Then I starting thinking about how to make it and how to get my hands on some pallets, only to remember I work at a landscape construction yard, so getting a pallet was no problem! haha  Then I checked in with some of my fellow crafty-fixer-upper-loving-friends Nicole and Kaity and we planned a lady day to make our signs.

I got masonry pallets so the wood was really thick and I picked out ones with a nice gray weather to them.  Colin worked HARD taking those things apart, I am surprised he didn't dump me over it, there might have been some bloody knuckles and a lot of swearing, but eventually he got the job done and I showered him with a gazillion Thank Yous!

I thought about getting boards from Home Depot and staining them so the sign was more of a brown color, but I am glad I stuck to the pallet wood.

The ladies picked out their boards and arranged the size and shape of their signs and Colin got to work building them for us with his power tools (and some of his Dad's power tools) in our old man garage.  He just used random scraps wood to brace them together on the backside.

(Old man garages come with scrap wood when you buy the house)

 

 

I had pre-printed on cardstock our text in various sizes and fonts, which we picked from and cut out to make a stencil, then traced around the letters with a pencil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The plan was to paint together, but the forecast called for snow (snow, hard to remember snow after the heat wave we just had!) so we divvied up the paint and brushes and all painted at home.  We just used regular craft paint in black.

 

 

 

Everyone's sign came out a little different and they call came out awesome.

Here is Nicole's:

 

 

Here is Kaity's:

 

And here is mine:

 

 

 

 

The boards are a bit warped, which I am assuming is due to making them outside when they still had some snow on them, then them drying in the warm house, so at some point Colin might take it apart and reassemble, but it doesn't bother me, so no rush. (Ladies, we can do the same with yours if yours warped too!)

I am so glad we made them ourselves, since we had a fun day and I am really happy with the outcome. : )

CL Fair Day Loot

What did I buy at the County Living Fair you ask? (if you missed that post, re-read here)

Lots of signs, what is what I bought, lots of signs!

 

See below!
But 2 of those signs are gifts and one is painting, not a sign..so, it isn't like I went too crazy! ha!

 

No this one was not one of the gifts, this one was for me! ha!

 

 

 I have been wanting more paintings, but real painting are pretty expensive, so when I came across this little one which was not expensive, and Colin liked it too, I bought it. 
Baby steps to collecting non-print wall hangings.

 

 

Then I go this little metal thing, I have no idea what I am going to do with it, but I like it and I will figure out some fun use for it at some point.

 

 

Then I got some metal critters. : )

 

 

And I bought some Daffodils prints.  I don't have a place in mind to hang them, but they were cheap, and I'll just wait to put them into a frame until I have a location. 
The one of the left looks just like some of the real daffodils I planted last fall!

 

 

So that wraps up my County Living loot, but I did buy some random things at the antique barn.  Things are cheap there, so I went a little nuts.

 

See the loot from the barn:

 

 

 

 

1. Little silver cream and sugar set, they had seen better days, but I thought succulents would look awesome in them, so I wasn't concerned about condition.

2. A silver bowl, which I figured was also good for plants, or maybe just snacks...

3. Umm a $3 vase! Yes Please! That is probably cheaper then the tomato sauce jars I use! haha

4. Shot glassed that I liked since they look like my grandma's water glasses.  Is that weird, to like shot glasses since they remind you of your grandparents???? Whatever, they were $1 each and we need shot glasses like once a year, so I figured of course we needed more! ha! (oh remember the days of needing shot glasses like once a week, not once a year....)

 

And I did a pretty good job of getting most of my loot set up in the house in a timely fashion, which is kind of a big deal for me, I like things to sit in piles for months until I get around to setting them up. ha!

 

The little painting, the flower sign and the metal bird found a home on the mantle.  Although it is a bit busy, I am finally happy with my mantle décor.  For the time being at least. : )

 

 

 

Zinnias

I guess I could have put these in my cutting garden post, but they are so fun and colorful, they get their own post.

 

Check these out, totally worth $4 and some miracle grow to get these cute  little bouquets each week.

 

Check out this orange one!

 

 

Summer Salad

We have a new favorite summer salad! I have made this twice now and it is yummy! Sorry for the lack of photos, but I still wanted to post this, so you all give it a try for dinner! 

 

I have made it with the dressing the recipe calls for, and with a quicker easier dressing option, which I think actually might better.

 

I found it on pinterest from the Gimme Some Oven Blog.

 

 

Shrimp, Avocado and Roasted Corn Salad

from the Gimme Some Oven Blog

 

Salad Ingredients:

2 ears of sweet corn, shaved off the cob

3 strips of bacon, diced

1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled with tails on or off

4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1/3 cup grated Fontina cheese (optional)

I didn't add the cheese

buttermilk pesto dressing (see below)

 

 Buttermilk Pesto Dressing Ingredients:

or see alternate dressing suggestion below

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup mayo or Greek yogurt

1/4 cup pesto, homemade or storebought

1 small shallot, minced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

pinch of salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

To Make The Salad:

-Heat a skillet over high heat. Add the corn kernels and let them dry-roast for about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until their edges begin to brown and caramelize. Transfer the corn to a plate to set aside.

-Reduce heat to medium-high. In the same skillet, add the bacon. Fry for about 6 minutes, stirring ocassionally, until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the skillet.

-Add the shrimp and saute until cooked and pink, about 2 minutes per side (depending on the size of your shrimp). Remove shrimp and set aside. (You're now done with your multi-tasking skillet!)

I dressed up the shrimp with a little salt, pepper and paprika before cooking them

-Assemble your salads by tossing together the Romaine, corn, bacon, shrimp and avocado. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

To Make The Dressing:

Whisk together all ingredients until blended. Season with salt and pepper.

 

 

This salad is so good! The first time I made it, I pretty much did it per the recipe.  The second time I made it, I followed it loosely and kind of just used what we had in the house.  And instead of making the dressing, I took pre made ranch, and whisked in some pesto I had and I think that mix was better than the actual from-scratch dressing in the recipe.  We like the Marzetti refrigerated Light Ranch.  So I used that plus the pesto I make myself and store in mini containers. : )

 

Yum! I wish I could eat this right now! I think we will make this quite often until the corn is out of season, it is sad day in our house when the corn goes out of season.