Amazing DIY

Little Green Notebook's Jenny Komenda has done it again! I love her use of vibrant colors and beautiful accessories! Today she's posted an incredible diy project that costs something like 10 dollars. If you've been trying to figure out how to display your sentimental photos or incorporate a more modern fresh look to your home, this is an easy, inexpensive way to "experiment". I think her LDS temple photo looks absolutely beautiful displayed that way!!!

Heart to Heart

Happy Valentine's Day!

Take On Me by a-ha, North Korean Style

I couldn't resist.

I Wish I Could Knit,

 so I could make things like this

and this

this too,

and shop here

and ride bikes like this. Anyone feeling patient enough to teach me???

Martha at Staples, YES!!!!

I've been thinking lately that Martha has overextended herself. She is everywhere and not always in the best ways. Remember my doormat story?

In this case however, I think Martha has made the perfect choice. She is the master organizer, right?! So, what better choice than to develop a line of products that will help people declutter and establish a house of beautiful order. Maybe that sounds a little over the top ridiculous, but if I do have to file, stack, label, and divide, I would like to have a pretty result in the end as well!

This is totally a good thing.

Cheddar Biscuits with crispy Brown Sugar Bacon and Apples, Oh My!

If you're needing a little comfort, a little love in your tummy, THIS is just the ticket! The combination of the soft buttery biscuit with the sweet and sticky bacon... mmmm, and throw in a fresh slice of tart apple? Um, yeah, incredible and you're silly if you don't try it.

-First make the biscuit. Now, I've heard a lot of people say they are terrible biscuit makers, but if you just remember a couple of things, you will have the tastiest biscuits ever. 1. Cold butter only, cut up. 2. Don't over work your biscuit dough. Like pie crusts and other pastry doughs, you want your biscuits to be soft and light. So you have to make sure there are still little pea sized pieces of butter when you start to roll out your dough!!!

Cheddar Biscuits:

2 C all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick of butter (cold)
2/3 C of cold milk
handful of shredded cheddar cheese

www.make-it-do.com

Preheat your oven to 450. Stir or sift all of the dry ingredients together. Then cut in the butter to pea size pieces. Add the milk and the cheese and and carefully stir til the dough clings together. Knead for maybe 10 strokes or even less. Roll it out on a floured surface to 1/2"-1" thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter, or a similar size glass. Bake with the biscuits touching for 10-12 minutes. Serve warm!!!

Brown Sugar Bacon aka fat crack:

12 slices of good bacon, not too thick
1 C brown sugar
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350. Put foil on a baking sheet with a rack on top. Mix sugar, mustard, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a gallon size zip lock bag and shake each piece of bacon in the mix. Then twist each slice and place on the rack. When all of the bacon is on the rack, bake for 30 minutes. Let it set for about 5 minutes before you serve.

While your biscuits are baking, slice a Granny Smith apple really thin and serve the three ingredients separately or sandwich style.

Very Pretty Random Photos

Sarah Richardson Design

I've got nothing.... but here are some beautiful pictures I've spotted on various sites this week. (The dresser is an IKEA redesign and the room at the bottom is EXACTLY what I want my room to feel like)

Amanda Carol at Home

Little Green Notebook

Regrets

I told some of my friends yesterday at lunch that I didn't miss having little ones around. I feel differently today. I miss my little ones so much sometimes and I miss having all my kids at home. A lot.

I miss holding their teeny little hands and being able to make them feel better in ten seconds flat. I miss kissing boo boos and having them fall asleep on my lap. I miss knowing what they were doing all the time and not being afraid when they were with their friends. I miss the Lego's and the soldiers and the pacifiers and tiny little socks.

Where has the time gone?

Korean Food: New Year Soup (TteokGuk=떡국)

Happy Korean New Year!!! Here's an easy tutorial on how to make "TeokGuk", aka Korean rice cake soup. It's like an Asian dumpling stew. If you can find the ingredients, it's incredibly easy and very delicious. 안녕히가세요!!! (good bye!)

DIY IKAT and Happy Weekend

If anyone out there is like me, always looking for a DIY project that costs like .5, but looks like $100,000,000, this one's for you!!!

I can't remember where I found the link, so I can't give full props, but Elizabeth from "The Mustard Ceiling" posted the full tutorial on "The Blooming Hydrangea".



ikat fabric tutorial...

Tomorrow I'm...

... going to try Pinkberry yogurt instead of working on my mirror project. It looks so yum, plus it's Korean.

Do you think they have kimche flavor?

My Muppet Twin, Prairie Dawn

I've always related well to Prairie Dawn.... or is it "with" Prairie Dawn. My favorite muppet though is Kermit. Is it weird to have had a crush on a muppet?

 Anyway, do you have a muppet twin?

Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

My newest unnecessary project is trying to make this $600 plus Pottery Barn mirror myself for something like $60. I found two good tutorials online and it doesn't look that hard. Famous last words right?

I'll start posting the process on Mon. I'm super nervous.

DIY
DIY

Taming Clutter, Design Sponge Style

Why didn't I think of this? Genius!!!
Visit DesignSponge for the full tutorial.... and if you haven't gotten your hands on Grace Bonney's book, Design Sponge at Home, you're seriously missing out.

Downton Abbey Fever

 Did anyone else catch Downton Abbey season 2????? Mary and Matthew make my heart ache and who else wants to vomit because Thomas is back in the picture?!

Little Glass Box's Mirrored Nightstand

You have to check out the before and after here! This talented gal made this nightstand herself with some help from her local glass company and a can of paint. So good!!!

Off The Wall- Michael Jackson

Heard this on the radio and it made me very happy. You can't not shake your stuff when you hear it. Good times.

Faux Fur Week

Go to Cotton and Curls for five free faux fur (say that 10 times) tutorials! I love this girls' blog!!! She's pretty clever.

Befores With No Afters in Sight

I am a pretty organized person, but like many others (I hope) I have a closet of shame. Inside, boxes and boxes and boxes of pictures that are in no particular order, just rotting away. Sad.

So this winter, I plan on getting them organized and in beautiful albums. I even bought bookshelves to put them on to motivate me. Empty bookshelves are lame right?








This is what I dream they will look like. Organized, bright, colorful... in my mind, my kids all excited, laughing and having a great time remembering.

Look at the potential!!! The problem is....

...this is my reality. When I ran out of room on the table, the pictures travelled to the floor. Then they travelled into the kitchen, around the corner to the living room, into the hall and ugh.

Why did I do this?

Happy New Year's Resolutions

2011 has been a great year! There has been so much in my life to be thankful for and looking back, I am seriously humbled by answered prayers and the angels that have come to the rescue, strangers and friends!!!

Looking forward, I have high hopes! No matter what happens, I am going to keep trying and be optimistic.  I am going to run this stinking 5K and NOT be the slowest. More importantly, I am going to make myself more available so at the last minute, I can serve others! That means being physically and spiritually prepared.... and WAY more organized.

I remember when my kids were all little and I was a frazzled young mom at home, there were a handful of angels who went out of their way be available, at the right times, to save my butt. I want to be that person in 2012, maybe not for everyone, but for someone. So that means I need to be more aware and more energetic. I want to spend more time with my family doing the best things. I think it's time for me to step it up, for sure! So, bring it on 2012!!!