Another year in Cakes

Another year of cakes.. another year of love :)

Buttercream flowers

Vegan Champagne



Luau Cake

Chocolate with a caramel frosting



Mickey

Minnie

Mickey's Clubhouse

Mickey's Clubhouse

Mickey, Donald, Pluto, Daisy, and Minnie Cupcakes

Orange Creamicle Cupcakes

Tie Dye Fourth of July Cupcakes

Coffee Filter Wreaths

One thing you should know about me is I love, I repeat LOVE roadside treasures. Which is just a pleasant way of saying I break for trash. My husband just knows if I come home with a smile on my face on trash day, that means there is something in the back of my car. My husband is just happy I don't drive a truck because honestly that is the only reason there isn't a mess of things in the barn. Anyways this project all started with a trip to the local box store. As any trash day morning when I am out and about, I keep an eye out for anything good out at the side of the road. I lived in an area with many old homes. As it just so happens one of those homes was replacing their windows. So as I pasted by I saw a treasure trove of old worn widows. I also noticed the garbage truck in my rearview mirror as well. Determine to beat them to the house, I immediately turn around in the neighbors drive and parked in front of the trash can. I proceed to fill my car with as many of the windows as I could as the garbage man drew ever nearer. I had to reconfigured them a few times, careful not to break any glass. I took about 8 windows in all. I said goodbye to the confused garbage man as I loaded the final window in, and drove away happy as a clam. My husband just shook his head as I unloaded my windows into the barn.

I knew immediately what I wanted to do with two of the widows. They had no paint on weathered  wood. They were rustic but elegant. As much as I wanted to keep the glass in the windows, they were just too heavy. Having two children under six, I was just asking for broken glass everywhere if I keep them in. I removed the glass and clean them up. I hung them up in my dining room. As much I loved how they looked, I felt like they were missing something. I've always liked the coffee filter wreaths I've seen on pinterest. I decided that I would put one on each window. After reading quite a few blog posts on making a coffee filter wreaths, I went on making my own.

Rather than buying wreath forms, I just used two round cardboard cake boards.  I always have them on hand because I consider making cakes one of my hobbies. I used a protractor to make a circle in the middle and cut it out using an x-acto knife for a clean cut. Then I placed it on top of the other cake board. Traced that circle and cut it out to be the same size.

I dyed the coffee filters by just dipping them in water with food coloring in them. I dried them in the oven at 250 and checked on them every 5 minutes, removing the dried ones from the oven until they were all dry. I found the easiest way to make rosettes by placing the coffee filter over my hand as I formed a circle and pushing it gently down with a capped marker. Then I would pinch the middle and twisted it to form the rosette.




Then I would hot glue the end to the cardboard. Its best to do the outside and inside of the wreath before you work on the middle. The closer you place the rosettes together, the fuller and tighter your wreath with be. I found it easier to apply the glue to the twisted tip of the rosette and attach it to wreath than put the glue on the wreath its self and attach the rosette.

Once I added as many rosettes as I needed to achieve the desired look and fullness I wanted, I glued ribbon to the back of the wreath and hung it on with a tack on the window.

With an added burlap bow, I'm really enjoying my rustic chic windows.. Now what to do with my other 6 windows :)

 

Dining room facelift.. Chapter One: The Corner

I knows its been a while but with 2015, a new year, equals a fresh start. My first project of the new year was the dining room. Staring at awful wallpaper and even worst molding, it was starting to really bother me. I figured the best way to brighten my winter blues was to give the room the facelift it needed. My dining room and kitchen are open concept. Order to give the room its own statement but still tie in with the kitchen, I decided to do a chair rail. Simple but elegant. Painting the top half  a sage color and carrying it through the entire kitchen. The bottom half, I would paint a cream white. After prepping the walls (cleaning, mudding, sanding, priming, the works) then came the paint. I recommend using a laser level, if you can, when trying to paint a level line around a room.

I should probably come clean about the fact my house is a double wide. At first it was hard for me to say it and I rarely told people because of the stigma around it. But as I as I make my house my home, I've embraced it. It's actually starting to become fun telling people because it really surprises them. It is a newer model, 2007, and most people just think it a modular home because it is on a full basement. Honestly I wouldn't know either if I didn't own it. The one thing that does give it away although, is the strips on the wall. With every room I do they all come down. All of the corners are covered in strips as well and are unfinished drywall when I remove them. Giving the corners that added fancy bonus will give my home the shabby chic look I want.

After talking with my Dad and a very helpful man at Lowes, I came up with an idea that would work. Neither my husband or I are anywhere near master carpenters, far from it really, lol. I needed something simple and inexpensive because there are 4 corners separating the dining room from the living room. Being a stay at home mom means everything is on a tight budget. I decided on a top piece that was made of two pieces wood from a 1x6x8 and some trim molding. The bottom was made of two block moldings that you use on the bottom of a door casing and the long boards are just pieces of baseboards. I just used some dry wall compound to fill in the gaps (mostly because it was what I had on had and it's sandable.) A couple coats of paint later and I have to say I am pretty happy with the outcome so far. On to the next Chapter. . . . . . Chair rails!

Christmas

I wanted to post some pictures of my holiday décor this year. I always have a lot of fun decorating for Christmas and making the house really festive for the kids.