Decor

I wanted to post an update picture of how I have decorated my turqouise table I painted.
Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Target have some of the neatest finds for decorating!
This table is one of my prized DIY projects.
My room focuses on browns, teals and pops of coral. I try to stay in that main color palette even though I may toss in some metallics and bronzes too.

The table has a dahlia flower bronzed candle and tall white pillared candle from which I bought at Hobby Lobby.
The flowers are also from Hobby Lobby, the colors on these are so pretty in comparison to some of the typical cheap faux flowers.
I have my awesome Etsy wax burner in a brown color. The small silver candle holder is from Bath & Body Works, and the Silver Owl is from Ross. The mirror is also from Ross.

The basket is a nice touch because it gives a natural feel to the room, I try to throw in nature elements whenever I can.

One element that is easy to find for cheap are those dried stems and flower bouquets that are put in large vases. I can't get enough of those!



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Frame Improvement

I find myself going to hobby lobby a lot with my best friend and finding the most delicate looking scrapbooking stickers and embellishments.

After venturing down the aisle, I came across these flowers and I didn't know exactly what I would do with them, but it was one of those impulse buying moments.
I had to get them!

They were 3.99 regularly but I ended up getting them for about 2.60 or so with a coupon.

I wanted to display a photo in my room but wanted to design my own frame. Ross had a basic brown/black photo frame that was a simple wood frame but with a unique shape. (Wide on the top and bottom)
Got it for 3.99 and decided these flowers would work great with it!

Materials:

• Hot glue gun
• Embellishments 
• Frame

Just heat up the glue gun and put a small dot of glue on the back of the embellishment.
I pre-arranged the flowers to make sure I knew where I wanted to glue them. Once they are glued, good luck getting them off! :)


I didn't want to put the flowers exactly side by side, so I moved them slightly diagonal from one another.
Here is the end result. :) Have fun with it! Pin It

Addicting Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are CRISPY on the edges and CHEWY on the insides. I would use this recipe as a base for other types of cookies!


The recipe directions can be found HERE.

However, I tweaked the ingredients and will list them below:

Ingredients

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup SEMI-SWEET Morsels
• 1 cup White Chocolate Morsels 
• 
  

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Necklace Hanger

I've been wanting to make this for awhile since I saw it on DIY Pin.

I found an old piece of wood in the garage and made it out of that.
I went to Home Depot for :

• 4 Decorative Door knobs
• House Paint
• Clear paint lacquer 

I first measured out where to place the holes evenly, then my dad drilled the holes for me... :)

Next, I painted the wood a nice Coral Pink color.

After it dried, I sprayed it with the clear lacquer.

I fastened the knobs to the board and my dad drilled it into the wall for me using gold screws.

Lastly, I hung my fabulous Necklaces!

Truly, this lets me display my necklaces and keep them from getting tangled.

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Lemon Blueberry Bread

First time making this, I found it on Pinterest:

http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/2011/07/blueberry-lemon-bread.html

What I did was half the recipe and made 2 small mini-loafs to slice up a small decadent bite to go with my coffee in the morning.

I followed the recipe... and like I said, I halved it! Worked pretty good if you ask me, aren't they cute?!

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Cake Batter Cookies

Incredibly easy and addicting!


1 box (any cake mix, I chose white mix)
1 cup sprinkles
1/2 cup Canola/Vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla

That's it!

You can add anything to it, I added some mini-chocolate chips.
HAD... I HAD the ingredients, I would have added...

• white chocolate chips
• chocolate chips 
• pecans
• sprinkles
• walnuts

YUM!

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Dry-erase Labels

I admit, I am a coffee-holic. End of story.
Whenever I find myself in the grocery area of a store, a new bag of coffee might make it's way into the basket.

The question is, did I finish the one at home? Usually the answer is, No.

When I store my ground coffee, I put it in an air-tight container. For me, it keeps it fresh.
However, sometimes I forget what coffee I have in the container, so I thought of this little idea.

Today I made a Dry-erase label for my container so I can write what type of coffee I have.

VERY EASY!

What you'll need:

1. Packaging tape
2. Labels (I printed these off of Word using Smart Art, Scrapbook paper)
• 1st label is 1.5x3.5
• 2nd label is 2x4
3. Scissors/Glue

I cut the labels out and glued the first label on top of the second. 

Next, I cut off 2 pieces of packaging tape over the labels (To cover the entire label and sides)

Then, I cut around the shape of the label, slapped it on the side...and done!

Finally, I wrote with a dry-erase marker what type of coffee I had in there :)

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Frame your Bag!

I saw this idea on a interest post of a person who framed their Chanel, Mac, Tiffany & Co. and Coach shopping bags. I thought this was a cute idea! Especially because a lot of shopping bags are fairly nice!
Framing bags is truly an easy way to add some character to a room.

Simply:

1. Pop the glass out of the frame and trace it onto the shopping bag.
2. Cut 1 layer of the bag rather than both sides (when folded) you want it to be thin!
3. Slip it into the frame and secure.

I recently bought something at Hallmark and they had the cutest bag!

The quote is delightful and the font is decorative :)

I painted this coral frame myself and sprayed it with clear lacquer.

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Red Velvet Brownies

Unfortunately...
After all of my exercise progress, I somehow started craving something sweet? Not strange at all?
I stumbled upon this box of Red Velvet Cake mix in my pantry and wanted to make something other than cake.

Therefore,
I googled "What can I make with Red Velvet Cake mix?"

I found this blog: http://girlmeetslife.com/
(Need to walk a few laps tomorrow...)

The recipe is:

1 box of Red Velvet Cake mix
1/4 cup milk (I used Lactose free milk)
1/4 cup Canola oil
1 egg

That's it! Mix it up and put it in a 8x8 pan.
The consistency will be THICK!

Preheat oven to 350. Grease the pan. (I took a paper towel and crisco, lightly greased the pan's bottom and sides and sprinkled Cocoa powder coating the grease)

Pop it in for about 26 min, let it cool for 30-60 min and Frost or don't!

:) DELICIOUS!

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Almond Waffles

Yum! One of my newest flavor cravings is almond.
My friend Giselle and I went to a bridal extravaganza in downtown Houston and experienced the chaos that is wedding planning. Several different bakeries were handing out samples of their most prized cake flavors. Although their were lots of flavors, only one bakery served their almond cake with buttercream frosting! (Risking the dairy in it was worth it.)

Every since then my birthday cake, pancakes and waffles have had an almond touch!
I made these waffles today, super simple!

• 1 egg
• 1 cup Gluten free/Dairy free pancake, waffle mix
• 1-1/4 cup water (substituted for milk)
• 1/4 tsp of almond extract

Mix it up!

Waffle Maker it up!

Dig in!

I use Smart Balance dairy free/gluten free butter.

So simple right?

DELICIOUS!

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Pinterest Project

I saw on Pinterest how to refinish old furniture. I bought this side table for about $30.00 at Target for my fish tank. After about 2.5 years of rough n' tough damage from the tank's edges, it scuffed up the table pretty bad. The table is most likely press wood rather than real wood, however the paint job turned out pretty nice...3 coats later!

I originally was going to sand paper the sides to give it that "distressed" look, however the sponge brush that I used gave a similar effect that I liked better. 

Materials:

• Paint from Home Depot, 1 pint- $9.00
• Clear spray paint protectant- $4.00
• Sponge brush (I already had one)- Can be found at any craft store

I bought this table in a dark espresso color, over time it was getting scratched up and not appealing at all. My room already has enough dark furniture and I figured...hmmm pop of color!

Here is the end result:

I painted a DollarStore picture frame in a coral paint and framed scrapbook paper and also bought a yellow/wood picture frame for $1.00 as well. I think it looks good against the turquoise. 

I had my Scentsy on all night (have a glass candle plate under) to test the heat it released or if it was going to melt the clear coat...Nothing! Checked this morning, I'm glad too because I love my Scentsy right there!

I placed my new photo album on the shelf above the drawer...it also has that turquoise threading on the cover.

What is it about this color that I love so much?

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Day at the Museum

Although I went to the museum this past Sunday, I wanted to post what I wore there. I felt the outfit paired well with the atmosphere of the downtown artsy community. What do you think?

Coral blazer, White lace tank, cuffed capris and nude wedges.

Turquoise bracelet from Old Navy, Orange and gold chain leather bracelet bought at the museum.

This picture simply shows the colors, patterns and textures close up.

Very comfy outfit and super colorful!

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Spicy Dinner

I had some cilantro in the refridgerator needing some attention, so I decided to chop up a quick dinner.
The meal consists of chicken, rice and a vegetable. Asparagus goes bad for me fairly quickly, therefore I substituted it for the veggie. I enjoy spicing up my meals with all sorts of flavor so I have to investigate the pantry.

For the vegetable, the Asparagus was simply tossed in garlic seasoning and olive oil. No salt, nothing else! I set the oven to 400 degrees F, roasted them for about 20 minutes. (Adding fresh parmesan is optional).

Meat, if it was my way I most likely would not have added meat to the menu, however I'm feeding others rather than just myself...

....So I chose chicken! 

I seasoned it with:

• Lime juice
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Chile powder
• pinch of salt
• garlic powder

Tossed it with olive oil and seasonings and sautéed them in the pan!

The rice was the last side dish and finished cooking as I sautéed the chicken. First, bring 2 cups of water to a boil with 1tbsp butter ( I used dairy free), a garlic clove, and a pinch of salt.
Next, I poured 1 cup of white rice into the pot, lowered heat, covered and cooked for 15 min.

Once the rice is cooked and cooled, squeeze 1 lime and add minced fresh cilantro into the rice mixture.

Finished! The sauce is optional, but definitely adds a great deal of flavor when poured over the rice and chicken. When blending, add more or less based on your preference!
Blend:

• 1 can of diced chiles & tomatoes (rotel)
• 1 can of small tomato sauce
• fresh cilantro
• fresh garlic
• Jalapeños

The sauce is sort of like a salsa you may eat with chips, not quite the way I would make a dipping salsa though.

Yum :)

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