Month: June 2014

Motivational Monday Link Party #5

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Happy Monday Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Thank you once again for joining us at Motivational Monday! So glad you are here! I’m enjoying these parties so much…. a chance to see all your wonderful DIY! Last week’s party was fabulous with many different and fabulous projects shared. You ladies never cease to amaze me! In case you missed it, you can check out one of my own projects that I made this past week- a DIY Cupboard Door Turned Chalkboard Frame. Now, welcome to this week’s party!

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Hosted by: Joy In Our Home, Burlap and Babies, The DIY Mommy

Party rules

Ready to share what motivates you? Link up a picture or post of something that motivates you (or others) to create or just be awesome! Our goal is for this link up to focus on craft, DIY & home posts. Each week, each hostess will feature their favorite from the previous week. Please do not link Etsy, or other stores, giveaways, or other link parties. Link party goes up Monday and ends at 5:00pm PST on Friday.

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I love this beautiuful summer home tour from April at House by Hoff!

I also love this beautiful kitchen makeover by Christy from Confessions of a Serial DIYer. You have to see the before and after pictures of her kitchen- amazing!

And, now it’s your turn to link up and share! Thanks so much for coming by!

An InLinkz Link-up


DIY Cupboard Door Turned Chalkboard Frame

// 14 Comments

Happy Sunday Everyone!

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am that summer holidays are here! School was just done on Friday and I feel like a little switch in my head just switched to relax and no-routine mode! I love it!!!!

Today I want to show you a chalkboard I made for less than $5! I love visiting the Habitat for Humanity Restore. You just never know what you’ll find, plus you’re supporting a great cause. A little while back I found these new, cabinet doors. There were different sizes and they were all $2 or $3 dollars. I bought three, thinking they’d be perfect for a number of different projects!

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So pretty, isn’t it?

The only materials I used were: 1 cupboard door, Folk Art Chalkboard paint (from Michaels), 1 foam paint brush (from Dollar Store or Michaels), and Frogtape (from Home Depot).

Because they were new, the doors were in perfect shape and since I didn’t mind the color I didn’t need to paint the frame. Easy, peasy, right? The first thing I did was use Frogtape (that stuff is the best!!) to tape the inside so my chalkpaint wouldn’t run to the outside of the frame.

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I gave the frame 3 coats of chalkpaint. (Follow drying instruction on paint bottle). I love painting with chalk paint! It goes on so nicely and a little goes a long way!

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I love how they turned out! I have the one pictured above on our back deck! It looks so summery as it reminds us of some of our favourite things to do this season!

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I look forward to changing it up as the seasons come and go! Have you ever used cupboard doors to make something else?

As always, thank you so much for stopping by! I love hearing from you and appreciate your comments so much! Hope you have a very wonderful week!

Kendra

 

Linking To: Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop, Work it Wednesday, Grace At Home, Enchanting Inspiration, Hit Me With Your Best Shot,

Motivational Monday Link Party #4

// 12 Comments

Happy Monday Friends!!

It’s hard to believe we are almost halfway through the year!! And with all the summer fun ahead, the days will just fly by! I feel like I want to savour and truly enjoy each day… making time for the most important things first! In case you noticed, (well, I’m hoping you did), I was unplugged from my blog this past week. We had a refreshing and relaxing time away!

So, welcome back to another Motivational Monday. I am so happy to co-host this party with two fabulous ladies and bloggers, Amanda from Burlap and Babies and Christina from The DIY Mommy. SO glad you are here and thank you to each one who linked up last week. You can catch it here if you missed it! There were so many fabulous DIY projects shared… the perfect motivation I need to get working and posting some projects after my week away.

Host picture

Hosted by: Joy In Our Home, Burlap and Babies, The DIY Mommy

 

Party rules

Ready to share what motivates you? Link up a picture or post of something that motivates you (or others) to create or just be awesome! Our goal is for this link up to focus on craft, DIY & home posts. Each week, each hostess will feature their favorite from the previous week. Please do not link Etsy stores, giveaways, or other link parties. Link party goes up Monday and ends at 5:00pm PST on Friday.

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I am loving this bedroom makeover by Krista from The Happy Housie! Just look at that floor to ceiling board and batten!!! If you’ve never checked out her blog before, you have to go see all her amazing diy!

You have to check out this (almost) entirely thrifted dining room from The Queen and Her Court. I love this window box Amber rescued from the side of the road and found a home in her beautiful dining room!

And now, it’s time to party! We can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to!! We’d love for you to stick around as well and visit some other linkers and leave a comment or two (we know we all LOVE encouraging comments, right?) Grab the link up button below and let’s party!

 

An InLinkz Link-up


Motivational Monday Link Party #3

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Happy Monday Friends!

Hope you all had a wonderful Father’s Day weekend! We ended ours with a steak barbeque with a bunch of sweet friends. Both mine and my husband’s dads live far away from us, so we don’t get to spend this day with them. It’s weekends like this that make me thankful all the more for friends who have made us a part of their family!

Thank you SO much for each one who linked up last week! There were so many great projects and I loved looking at them all! Thank you for sharing with us… I am looking forward to seeing all your awesome DIY this week! Now, let’s get on with the party!

Host picture

Hosted by: Joy in Our Home, Burlap and Babies, The DIY Mommy

Party rules

Ready to share what motivates you? Link up a picture or post of something that motivates you to create or just be awesome! We would love to see your craft, DIY & home posts. Please don’t link Etsy stores, giveaways, or other link parties. Link party goes up Monday and ends at 5:00pm PST on Friday.

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I love this outdoor serving station Christine from Little Brags shared! I am all about spending every free minute outside and this would make such a lovely addition to our deck! There is nothing like lemonade on a hot summer day!

Anyone that knows me, knows I love a great deal! That’s why this incredible DIY Brinkley Beveled Mirror Knockoff from Tamara at Provident Home Design caught my eye! Doesn’t it look amazing in that dining room?

Thanks for coming to “party” with us… let’s start!

An InLinkz Link-up


Best White Bread Recipe

// 4 Comments

Hello everyone!

Do you get excited when you’ve been looking for the perfect recipe and then finally, you found the one that’s not only delicious but is easy to make and makes the perfect quanity? Well, we do! For quite some time we’d been looking for a delicious bread recipe that doesn’t make 6-8 loaves. Our family doesn’t eat a ton of bread, so this recipe is perfect for us… a loaf to enjoy right away and one for the freezer!

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My husband loves baking with our little ones. Whenever the Cuisinart mixer comes out and he calls out “who wants to help me bake?” they both come running. Making bread was a big highlight for our daughter and they can’t wait to do it again!

Best White Bread

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 6 cups bread flour (I used unbleached flour)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. Mix salt and oil into the yeast.

Using dough hook, mix in flour one cup at a time until dough forms a ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a cloth, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9×5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30-40 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

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Thank you so much for coming by and I hope you give this recipe a try soon!

Until next time,

Kendra

 

Linking to: Inspire Me Please, Grace At Home, Crafty Frugal Home Blog Hop,

 

Source: Plain Chicken

Motivational Monday Link Party #2

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Happy Monday everyone! I have some very, very exiting news to share today!

Amanda from Burlap and Babies has asked Christina from The DIY Mommy and myself to co-host her link party with her! They are both fabulous ladies and I know you’ll find lots of inspiration on their blogs! Please stop by their blogs and say hi to them!

Host picture

Hosted by: Joy in Our Home, Burlap and Babies, The DIY Mommy

Party rules

Ready to share what motivates you? Link up a picture or a post of something you have proudly created. Our goal for this link up is to focus on craft-diy-home posts so please try and remember that when linking up. Each week, each hostess will feature their favorite from the previous week. Please don’t link up Etsy stores, giveaways or other link up parties. When linking up, you give your hostess’s permission to repost your pictures as features. And we’d be extra thrilled if you’d follow our hostess on some social media!

Link party starts each Monday and will end at 5:00pm PST on Friday.

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I love this Anthropologie Inspired Jersey Rosette Quilt that Anna from Home, Heart & Hands shared! It is fit for a princess and you have to check out her tutorial!

 

Thanks so much for coming to link up! Let the fun begin and grab the link up button below :)

An InLinkz Link-up


Triple Layer Caramel Brownies

// 16 Comments

Hello y’all!

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Today, I’d love to share the yummiest brownie recipe ever! Plain brownies just don’t cut it anymore… not after you have one of these! They are lip-smackin’ good, with a creamy caramel center. This is the recipe I turn to when I need a sweet treat for a potluck, for after school snacks, camping trips and it’s a must for our Christmas baking!

Don’t let the three different layers intimidate you…. it really is easy and quick to whip up! I know you’ll love it!

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First Layer:

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups flour

Mix sugar and cocoa together. Stir in butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well with an electric mixer. Add flour and salt and mix just until blended. Line a cookie sheet with greased parchment paper (you’ll thank me later, when it’s time to cut them and remove them from the pan!) and spread batter evenly on entire cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

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Second Layer:

1 cup butter

4 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. corn syrup

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Melt all ingredients in a pot on the stove. Bring to a small boil. Pour mixture over first layer while first layer is still hot. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

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Third Layer:

Chocolate Icing

2-3 cups icing sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. cocoa

2 tbsp. milk

Use electric beater and beat well. Spread on cooled brownies. These freeze really well!

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I hope you give these a try! They would be perfect for summer picnics or just to have on hand in the freezer in case you need something sweet for visitors that pop in! Happy baking :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Kendra

Linking to: Do Tell Tuesday, Work it Wednesday, Inspire Me Please, Grace At Home, Link It or Lump It,

Knock-off West Elm Spheres

// 16 Comments

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend!

I’m so excited to share a super easy and quick project with you today! I’ve been noticing spheres everywhere lately…. home décor, stores, while “touring” homes online, etc. And I love them! Although I don’t like their price tag very much… heehee! Right away, I noticed the style I liked the best, seemed to be one I could try and recreate! So happy with the end result an I’d love to share the tutorial with you!

IMG_0798 The ones I really liked can be found online at West Elm . Here is what you’ll need to create my version:

* 2 sets of 7inch wooden embroidery hoops (bought with 40% off coupon at Michaels for $1.49 each set

* paint or stain of your choice; you’ll need very little (already had on hand)

* tacks (already had on hand)

First, I unscrewed the little screw that holds the hoop in place.

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Our daughter had fun helping me paint them!

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I gave them two coats of paint. I then played around with them until I had the style I liked. I would’ve liked to unscrew the little clasp thingys (not sure what they are called), but that’s what holds the loop together and I didn’t want to start gluing them so I just left them and I actually like the look of them! I did use thumb tacks to hold the ends in place.

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These are so super easy to make! The big one at West Elm costs$29 and mine came to a total of $3!!! I love a knock-off deal like that!

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Hope you have a great week and thank you so much for stopping by,

 

Kendra

 

Linking to: Get Your DIY On, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Motivational Monday, Work It Wednesday, Inspire Me Please, Show + Tell, Grace At Home, Frugal Crafty Home Party,

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