Sunday, February 27, 2011

goals, coming along

so this weekend, hubs and i decided to make a dent in our goals list.

1)     Buy TV stand  and TV wall mount
2)     But new shades for living room (Lowes)
3)     Organize living room closet
4)     Print, frame & hang pictures in bedroom
5)     Reorganize kitchen & cabinets
6)     Clean/organize basement
7)     New kitchen ceiling fan

8)     Get lens hood; Canon EW73B Lens Hood

9)     Get Zing SLR Action Cover
10) Start a pantry
11) Get shelving for basement
12) Buy and install fence
13) Get fisheye lens
14) Get macro lens
15) Start photography business

so we got a new kitchen ceiling fan. i didnt think to take before pictures, but just think 1970 ugly wooden ceiling fan. ug-ly. here is the new one


it is simple, but we dont need anything fancy. it is the kitchen after all. the wattage is a little bit less than we had before, but the whole package is much better looking than before. 

we also went to 3 different lowes on four different occasions in a 3 day span looking for a specific kind of shade, that we didnt end up getting. so we settled for a different kind, that was to our surprise, 50% off. score! it took don over an hour to get ONE blind hung. (and it is not even correct) not due to lack of skill or effort, of course. after much frustration, we decided to commence tomorrow. here is the progress thus far




we also bought shelving for the basement, but that will come another time, because we never got to putting it together. we are also working on building a tool bench as well, so hopefully in the next month or so or basement will be sorted out and a little more organized. 

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

QUICK CRAFT; covering a mouse pad

                            how ugly is my glue gun? looks like it is from the 70's, yet i just bought it. 

so tonight i attempted (key word) to cover an old mouse pad we had lying around the house. it was my first time, and i dont like how it came out, but i know how to make it better.


any mouse pad will do, you can get one at the dollar store. i started by covering the mouse pad, allowing approximately 1/2 an inch to hang over each side (to fold over). 


then i used spray adhesive craft glue and sprayed the front of the mouse pad completely. i flipped the mouse pad on top of the fabric, trying not to get any bubbles in the process.
                                                                                    hard to tell in this picture, but the mouse pad is upside down on the fabric

then i started folding over the edges. i started by doing the long parts first (NOTE: next time start at corners, so it gets completely rounded). 


i put a strip of glue from my glue gun and lightly adhered the left over fabric, pulling it slightly so there is no slack. i continued doing this all away around until i got a slightly better looking mouse pad, but not perfect. hopefully you can do better!

                                         notice the corners!?!?

Friday, February 18, 2011

treat; cupcake bar


tonight we went to dinner in needham at a japanese hibachi restaurant called fuji. we have been there before and it is so good. after we decided to stop next door at this cupcake bar called treat. what a treat it was. you MAKE YOUR OWN cupcakes. i bet you wish you thought of this business. what a great idea. it was amazing and delicious and i couldnt even finish mine. 


you start by picking you cupcake flavor, we both picked funfetti. then the frosting. i got chocolate and don got vanilla. then you get three toppings ranging from m&m's to jimmies to oreo cookies. i got heath bar and jimmies (only wanted two) and don got jimmies, oreos & peanut butter cups. it was served in the cutest tray with a wooden fork and knife.


all in all, perfect date night out. highly recommend both, especially if you are trying to impress. 

Thursday, February 17, 2011

rosette headband

so i tried to make my first rosette headband. i used fabric i already had and an old headband which is in horrible condition. i only took pictures of the end result, but i am very pleased for my first attempt. the only thing i dont like is there is a dried up glue gump in the middle of the orange one. now i know for next time.

it was extremely easy to make. this is a great craft for beginners. my left hand (i am a righty) hurt after doing all three. i was pushing down so hard when i was twisting them, i think i need a new approach. i will post a tutorial this weekend. i may even wear this to work tomorrow. 

front & back pics:



Wednesday, February 16, 2011

monkey bread


monkey bread is one of my all time favorite breakfast/dessert & SO easy to make.

INGREDIENTS
1/2
cup granulated sugar
1
teaspoon cinnamon
2
cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury Grands refrigerated biscuits
1/2
cup chopped walnuts, if desired
1/2
cup raisins, if desired
1
cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4
cup butter or margarine, melted


[my assistant, emmy.]

first heat the oven to 350. grease a flute pan with cooking spray.
separate all the dough. cut one biscuit into 8 pieces (shape does not matter). 


in a bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. put each piece of the cut up biscuit in the bowl and fully coat it with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.



arrange in pan. when all of the biscuits are in the pan you need to make the mixture to pour over. in another bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar (melted). pour all over the biscuit pieces. let it bake for 30 minutes. ta da. the most deliciousness everrrrr


2011 goals

so, this is the 2011 goals list:


1)     Buy TV stand  and TV wall mount
2)     But new shades for living room (Lowes)
3)     Organize living room closet
4)     Print, frame & hang pictures in bedroom
5)     Reorganize kitchen & cabinets
6)     Clean/organize basement
7)     New kitchen ceiling fan

8)     Get lens hood; Canon EW73B Lens Hood

9)     Get Zing SLR Action Cover
10) Start a pantry
11) Get shelving for basement
12) Buy and install fence
13) Get fisheye lens
14) Get macro lens
15) Start photography business


here are the before & after of the new TV stand for the living room
before:

after:

we LOVE it. we got it from bobs discount furniture in the clearance section. we bargained them down to $150, what a steal. we are going to get wicker baskets and put them down underneath to store stuff in (like emmy's toys). 


one.1

my first blog post. ever. lets see how this goes.
i will be using this blog to keep in touch on a day-to-day basis with my family who lives hundreds of hundreds of miles away from me, craft, start my photography business, vent, brag about my pup, etc.
follow along. hope you enjoy ;]