6 Shades of Shades

Have you ever had an idea, and then just can't stop thinking about it until you've completed the task? 

That is usually how I roll. One thought, and then I just HAVE to get it done! Normally this involves cleaning something random at 10pm  after I notice it when I'm getting ready for bed. 

My recent "I need to cross this off my list!" moment has been about installing roman shades in our kitchen. I love our new white cabinets, but with white trim and white blinds (that are pulled down 90% of the time) there is a LOT of white going on. 

Solution to this white-out? Beautiful shades to hang over our windows! 

Image sources: here, here, and here

These are some of the inspiring photos I found poking around the inter-web, and the one on the far left is actually a fabric design I've been eyeing. 

For our kitchen, I think I want to create a fake version of a roman shade, one that simply hangs in front of our already existing blinds. The reason behind this is our windows are quite tall, and if we made the version that pulls up and down all the way with our blinds, that may be A) more fabric we'd like to buy, and B) too much pattern for one wall. 

So far, I've found 6 fabrics that I'm leaning towards. Most are from Fabric.com and are very reasonably priced. I've ordered swatches so we can see what they look like in person before placing a final order, but for now (through the power of Photoshop) we have a preview! 

These of course are just to give us a quick idea how the color/pattern would work. The end pattern will have a lot more repetition, but for now it's a cool little sneak peak! Right now I kind of have a couple I'm leaning towards more, but really I have no clue. Hopefully once the fabric samples come in, we can break down our choices easier and find one that we are head-over-heels for.

Once again, our shade contenders are:

Which one do you like the best? Have you ever made your own shades before? Do you have a sewing machine I could borrow if I can't complete this without one??? 

So many questions J 

Have a great hump day! 

Getting Crafty: Gold Dipped Basket

IT'S FRIDAY!!! 

Today I just wanted to share a quick little craft to kick off the weekend. 

Remember in this post, I talked about having plans for that little $2 basket I picked up at the thrift store? Well after the white paint was dry, I decided to tape off the top section of it, and give the bottom a little something something. 

Gold and GORGEOUS! 

I ended up using Rust-Oleum Metallic Gold spray paint, because I read somewhere that it had the best gold-like finish. Less brassy undertones, and I agree that it is beautiful! 

You may now find me running around my house, randomly painting things gold. Just call me Queen Midas, woman with the golden spray! 

This shiny new basket found a home in my closet, holding my ever growing collection of pole shorts. Which until yesterday were in a super messy pile, so having a place to stash them is just so nice!

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Frametastic Thrift Store Finds

Last Friday, I spent my lunch break browsing the aisles of the local St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. I did have a list of things to look for, but usually during these trips I just wonder around and see if anything strikes my fancy. Does anyone else enjoy just walking around stores, not aiming to buy anything in particular? I find it incredibly therapeutic sometimes. 

This trip though did turn out to be a success! Pictured bellow are my spoils: three picture frames and a cute little basket. 

$7.00! Can't beat those prices.

Thrift stores are the absolute BEST place to find picture frames. I could go to Kohls and spend $20 to get a brand new one, but this way I only spend a buck or two, can paint them whatever color I want, and I doubt anyone else will have a frame quite like it. 

After wiping everything down, I gave them all a light coat of spray paint primer. 

Since it's so cold outside, I had to resort to setting up a little spray station in our basement. My caring husband even brought down a fan so I wouldn't pass out because of paint fumes. He's so great. 

After an hour or two of drying time, I went back and painted the frames with Rust-Oleum Metalic Silver spray paint. The basket just got a coat of classic white, I have bigger and badder plans for him later. 

Once they were completely dry (I let them sit overnight just to be safe) I was able to fill them with some pieces I've been saving. I am overjoyed with the end results! How absolutely stunning is the ornate frame on the bottom right?! That particular print was designed by my wonderful friend Michaela from Happy Apple. Be sure to check out her Etsy shop for other adorable prints and cards. 

The frame on the left is a collage of sketches I did while traveling abroad in Italy, and the card on the top right is from a care package my mom sent me Freshman year at BSU. 

Slowly but surely my little gallery wall is taking shape! I think the mix between white and silver frames will give it a nice cohesive, yet eclectic look. 

Anyone else find a treasure at a thrift store that brought an extra bit of pizazz to your home? 

First Floor Painting Complete!

The downstairs painting (except for the doors and trim) is finally complete!!! 

Last week we were able to put the second coat on our foyer walls, thus completing the final room we wanted to paint on the first floor. This room took a few sample pots to find the right shade of light brown/khaki I was looking for. My original color choice ended up looking too light, and we were afraid once the trim was painted white the whole room would be washed out. For this room I wanted to go with a warmer color to balance out the cool grey and blues we've been using in the other three rooms. We decided to go with Bristlecone, from the Pittsburgh Paint line at Menards. This particular shade of brown is light enough to really brighten up the space, but also feels warm and inviting. Of course the photos don't do it justice, but if you need to compare just look at the door color, that was what the walls looked like before. 

We took this color up the stairs and down the hallway on the second floor. Helping Eric balance on a ladder while painting the lofted area above the stairs was SUPER scary fun. It did give him an excuse to buy this super nifty paint edger he attached to a broom to reach the corners easier.

So not the most glorious of transformations, but now our foyer is a light and pretty brown, instead of a dark caramel-ish brown. If only we could get all that trim to magically turn white overnight we would be set! 

Of course the minute the paint was dry, I was setting up pictures I wanted to hang! My idea for this wall, as well as the one going up the stairs, is to create a gallery of random pictures, cards, art, and whatever else we may collect. 

So here is my first little area that we hung on Sunday: the small yellow picture is the key to our first apartment together, I finally hung up the Hannah Adamaszek print I won (and talked about in this post), and after realizing we had NO bridal party pictures printed (sorry guys!) we made sure it was hung right where everyone could see. 

We also hung the subway sign my insanely talented friend, Britany, made for me this Christmas. The "unique" font is actually one that I created while in collage called Big Forehead (click HERE for a free download). I am in love with this piece, it's absolutely perfect and I know we will have it hung for years and years to come. 

Last thought of this post is about a runner for the hallway. I've found a LOT of different options online, and bellow are some of my favorites. I love the patterns of all three, and am really falling for the one on the right since it has such a variation of color. That one of course is the most expensive...so maybe if it ever goes on sale. 

Is there one you think looks better than the other? I'm sure it'll be a while until we actually make this purchase, but it's still fun to envision. 

Love and peace! 

Recipe Review

During the wintertime I find myself wanting to cook a LOT more than usual. For some reason the idea of standing inside a toasty kitchen seems extra appealing when the average wind chill is -13 degrees outside. 

Seriously, these last few days have been ridiculous. I am grateful though that we missed out on the snow, and the THOUSANDS of power outages that happened back home. 

For those of you that are stuck inside (and have power) why not try a new recipe for dinner?! These are a few that I've found, tried, LOVED, and am excited to share! 

Enjoy :)

-------- Lasagna Soup -------

Image from www.bigredclifford.com

Soups are fantastic for frigid winter nights. You can whip this up in a crock pot or over the stove. It's super cheesy, and although the noodles were a bit tricky to manage with a spoon, it was worth the extra effort. 

Get the recipe HERE!!!

-------- Loaded Philly Cheese-steak Baked Potato -------

Servings: 4  WWpts+: 8

Image from www.skinnytaste.com

Meat and potatoes....enough said. Microwave your taters, and everything else is cooked over the skillet. Whole thing takes about 20 minutes and you've got a tasty meal filled with veggies, protein, and some basic carbs! 

Get the recipe HERE!!!

-------- Chicken Divan (Lightened Up) -------

Servings: 6  WWpts+: 8

Image from www.skinnytaste.com

This dish taught me what "blanching" was. You cook your broccoli for only a few minutes in boiling water, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. This keeps them crunchy and also gives you permission to tell your hubby not to mess with you, you're "getting your blanch on". 

After eating this Eric said that we needed to remember this one. I'll take that as a good sign!

Get the recipe HERE!!!

-------- Stuffed Pepper Soup -------

Servings: 6   WWpts+: 7

Image from www.skinnytaste.com

Can you guys tell I'm a big fan of Skinny Taste? Seriously, Gina has the best recipes out there if you're looking for quick, easy, and healthy. 

This soup falls under all three of those categories. Stuffed peppers are so delicious, but sometimes take a bit longer to cook than I'd like. This is a great way to get the same flavors but in a filling soup. 

Get the recipe HERE!!!

-------- Grilled Portabello Mushroom Burgers -------

Servings: 4  WWpts+: 8

Image from www.skinnytaste.com

This was my sneaky-pete way of getting Eric to eat a burger, and also a TON of vegetables at the same time. Obviously it's not ground beef, but I still thought these were a great alternative to your traditional burger. I used our George Foreman to grill these bad boys, and loaded them with onions, avocados, tomatoes, spinach, and Swiss cheese.

Get the recipe HERE!!!

-------- Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta -------

Servings: 4

Image from www.budgetbytes.com

Wednesdays are our pasta nights, and this recipe is as easy as you can get. A creamy sauce with tons of spinach, and aside from boiling your noodles, everything is made in one pan. 

Get the recipe HERE!!!

-------- Apple Cheddar Bacon Pizza -------

Image from www.somewhatsimple.com

We eat pizza at least once a week in the Wellman house. Scratch that, we MAKE pizza at least once a week. I honestly don't remember the last time we dialed up Domino's and had it delivered. And why would we when store bought crusts are so easy to load up with our favorite fresh toppings and pop in the oven?  

Coming up with different variations of pizza has become a challenge though, so when I saw this recipe I thought "apples...on pizza? SAY WHAT?". But being an equal-opportunity-pizza-eater household, we gave it a try. 

And boy are we glad we did! This mix of crunchy bacon, sweet apples, and tangy barbecue sauce is aces. We skipped the "make and pre-cook your crust" part and just topped our already made crust (we like Boboli and Mama Mary's thin crusts) with the ingredients and cooked according to package directions. 

Get the recipe HERE!!!

-------- Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili -------

Servings: 9  WWpts+: 6

Image from www.skinnytaste.com

I first made this chili around Thanksgiving, when anything pumpkin just sounded right. Turns out the pumpkin isn't that prominent of a flavor, making this chili perfect any time of the year! I mixed mine up the night before and kept it in the fridge, then in the morning moved it to the Crock Pot, and by the the time we got home from work that evening it was perfect. 

Get the recipe HERE!!!

-------- One Pan Skillet Lasagna -------

Image from www.number-2-pencil.com

"We've got some floaters!!!"

This dish introduced us to the magic that is frozen cheese ravioli. We now keep a few bags of it in our freezer at all times whether we're making this particular recipe or not. They're so easy to just boil up, make a quick sauce, then as soon as your ravioli starts floating they're done! 

This skillet lasagna is great though. Everything is done in one giant pan, and it's just oozing with wonderful cheesy goodness. 

Get the recipe HERE!!!

Wooo! That was a long one, but take my word each, of these meals are totally worth getting crazy in the kitchen for! 

Good luck and happy cooking! 

Our hunt for new furniture...SOFA, so good!

Tell me you at least chuckled with my clever sofa pun! 

When I read the title to Eric, I got a pretty amazing eye-roll from him....what-evs' I think it's funny :)

A new year equals new beginnings. 

It also means super amazing furniture sales! 

Amongst other things we want to complete in the new year, getting ourselves a proper place to set our derrieres is top of the list. Although we appreciate the second hand couch and love-seat that graces our space now (thanks family!) they've been loved a bit TOO much, and have broken springs, lumpy cushions, and arm rests that lack sufficient "poof".

So this year, we spent our New Year's Day on the hunt for grown up furniture to call our own. We ended up visiting only two different stores, and Morris Home Furnishings was the winner. They had a great deal going on where you could take 10% off that day, or go interest free for 5 years. Eric, the money crunching machine, quickly did some calculating and we are very happy with the deal we got! 

The hardest part now is waiting for everything to come in! We purchased a couch, accent chair, and (per Eric's request) a recliner. I'm especially happy with our choice of couch. It's a little deeper than your average piece, so Eric can sit comfortably. I think it has beautiful lines and will look quite at home in our living room. 

Below is a little "mood board" that shows what we decided on, and also what fabric they are being made in. THAT was my favorite part by far, searching through all of the beautiful fabrics and coming up with a pallet that works together. 

You like? I think the mix of patterns will be gorgeous, and if we get tired of them...well they're just pillows. 

So now we sit, on our not-so-comfy couches, and wait out the next eight to ten weeks! Hopefully everything will look even better than what I'm envisioning in my head. 

Grocery Shopping Like a Boss

Heads up, this is post pretty much just me gushing about the Reisenthel Easy Bags from Reuseit.

So for Christmas, Santa gave us three of these super nifty bags to use while grocery shopping. We were being buried by all of the plastic bags we brought home every week, so we figured switching to a more "green" approach would be a good solution. 

I originally saw these bad boys on Pinterest, but you can order them from the Reuseit website HERE. 

Image from www.reuseit.com

You guys, these puppies are AMAZEBALLS! 

You just attach them to your cart and fill them with all of your stuff. 

(This is how we kept our spirits light during the snowpocalyps madness that was Kroger)

Once we were all checked out, we loaded them straight from cart to trunk and BAM done! 

One trip from the car to the house and everything we bought was right where we needed it. 

Grocery shopping is never the highlight of the weekend, but at least this way there is the perk of not having 20 bags to carry inside to look forward to. 

It's the little things in life. :)

Anyone else get something ridiculously cool this Christmas? 

Disclaimer: This is not a promotion for Reuseit.com, or any of their products. This is simply my opinion of the product. 

Porcelaine Painted Plates

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Can you believe the Christmas season has already come and gone? It all seemed to go by too fast, and before you know it, it's back to your old routine. 

As I mentioned in this post, I wanted to try and make more gifts to give to my loved ones this Christmas. So when I needed an idea for my two very best girl friends, I knew this project would be a hit. 

Porcelaine pens are a great way to spruce up old dishes you already have, or in my case to make a special gift for someone! I found my set online at amazon.com.

I simply wrote my message directly onto the plate, let dry for about a day, then followed the instructions on the pens to bake the plates so the paint would set. 

I was thrilled with how these turned out. Of course now I have this itch to paint and decorate all the dishes in my kitchen :) 

Any one else whip up something special to give to their friends or family this year?