Make A Simple But Elegant Brunch

Easter morning and I had all kinds of ideas for a fancy Easter Brunch.  One big problem though is I am not much of a morning person.   That being the case breakfast items don't usually come out as planned.

I decided maybe I could prepare something not from scratch but serve it up elegantly to make up for my lack of skill.

I pulled a box of mini pancakes from the freezer, a carton of Cool Whip from the refrigerator, a jug of maple syrup from the cabinet and a banana from my banana rack.
   

 
 I put the pancakes on a paper plate and microwaved them for 30 seconds.

Then I put the pancakes in a fancy dessert dish and sliced up a banana on top.

I poured on some maple syrup.

I plopped on some whip cream.

Finally, I served it up in the middle of a fancy table setting with a cup of coffee and some hard boiled eggs sitting in bird nests.   Take if from me your guests will think you slaved to make them this beautiful and yummy breakfast.  What would have made the dish even more tasty would have been some crumbled bacon on top.  Maybe next time.

To convert this dish into a scrumptious and different dessert throw in some vanilla ice cream before you plop on the whip cream.  For breakfast or dessert you could also experiment with fruit flavored syrups.   Everything store bought and ready made and your guests will never know the difference.

Simple Spring Wreath

I was late this year in taking down my Christmas Wreath.  I kept waiting for winter but it never came.  I finally gave up and started to look forward to spring.  Rather than buy a ready-made wreath or use last years I decided to make one of my own.

My local craft store had all of the necessary materials.  I picked up a 12" floral craft ring made from MDF, a bag of Spanish moss, two faux floral branches and a clip-on feather tailed bird.  Total material cost was about $13.

If you would like to make your own, follow along with me.

I started off by using Elmer's Glue to adhere the moss around the entire ring.  I love the curly texture of the Spanish moss. 

While the glue dried, I pulled the flower petals off the ends of the branches and arranged them around the ring.  Once I liked the overall look, I used my glue gun to secure each flower in place. 

Lastly I clipped the bird to the top of the wreath with its feathered tail hanging down.   I think the yellow and red flowers really pop against the rusty red of my front door.  As far as I am concerned there is nothing more welcoming than a hand-made wreath.

Painting Upholstered Furniture

Did you know you could spray paint upholstery?  It was a new idea for me.  I had dyed fabric before using RIT dye packets but that tactic obviously wouldn't work on furniture.  During one of my daily browses of the web I came across a spray painted wingback chair.  It actually looked really good so I decided to give it a try.  A while back I had purchased a barrell-shaped swivel chair at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store.  It was in good shape though a bit faded. 

I recalled reading that the paint could be found in craft stores.  So last Saturday I headed to JoAnn Fabrics.  I found a product called Simply Spray.  They carried it in 2.5 oz. spray cans.  I wasn't sure how much each can would cover but since they only had (3) packages of the Poppy Red that is what I got.  When I got home I carried the chair out into the back yard and began spraying.  After emptying the (3) cans I had only painted about half the chair.  Already knowing that JoAnn's didn't have more of the color I needed this time I headed to A.C. Moore.  There I picked up (3) more cans.  Sadly the paint was $1.00 more per can.   Once I got home I finished my chair and left it out to dry for a few hours.

I think the chair came out great.  The chair originally cost me $25 and for another $30 or so in paint I have a brand new chair.  If I had sent the chair out to be reupholstered, it would have cost me way more than that.  Below you can see the finished product in its final resting place in my living room.  The chair now matches my $5.00 vintage ottoman perfectly.  This was a really easy DIY project and one I would do again.

Design Dilemma Solved With A Barn Door

Two years ago I purchased my current home.  It is an 1890 colonial.  The house appears to have been built in stages over the years.  The front third is 2 1/2 stories with high ceilings on both levels and a walk-up attic space.  The mid and rear sections are more of a 1 1/2 story.

The master bedroom is situated on the second floor of the mid section.  It is a very large room with sloped ceilings.  To enter from the hallway you need to step down.  When I purchased the house there was no door to this room making it more appropriate for use as a family room.  In order to convert the room for use as a bedroom adding a door was a must.

Herein is where the problems became apparent.  First of all being sunken a regular hinged door would have just hung in mid air along the wall.  With the door swinging into the room it either blocked the heat register on one wall or wouldn't swing all the way open because of the sloped ceiling.  A pocket door wouldn't have worked for the same reason.  Swinging the door out into the hallway would block the stairway or impede on the entrance to the other bedroom.  So what was a person to do.  I didn't want bi-fold doors which would have made it look like the entrance to a closet.  I needed something special.

I decided a sliding barn door was the only answer.  Looking into it further I found the standard barn door hardware to be relatively expensive.  For a lower priced option I came up with hanging a sliding closet door track on the outside of the bedroom wall.  I purchased a standard door slab at Lowes along with the closet door track and hardware.  In order to secure the track to the wall at the right height I secured a two by four painted the color of the wall first.  I then screwed the track into that and added the wheels to the top of the door.  It is functional and I think it added some industrial interest without compromising anything.  Wouldn't you agree?

My Favorite Furniture Make-Overs

I love shopping flea markets, yard sales and auctions for great furniture pieces.  This past summer I came across two great finds.

One was a chipped green painted chair with a stained fabric seat.  I picked it up for $1 at a yard sale.  I saw great potential here.

I painted it glossy black with a can of spray paint.  Then with my husband's electric stapler I recovered the seat with animal print fabric I picked up at JoAnn's Fabrics.  Now this beautiful Chippendale-style chair can sit with the best of them.

The second item was a mid-century modern night table I found at the Thrift Store.  I think this cost me $5 and actually looked pretty good as it was.

Nonetheless, I decided to give it a little extra lift with a can of turquoise glossy spray paint.  Now it is a real gem.

What is great about these older pieces is that they are made from real wood and not particle board.  Of course, the price can't be beat either.

Make A Decorative Storage Rack With Repurposed Items

On my recent visit to the thrift store I looked around to see if there were any interesting items that I could make something with.  I found a pine wooden crate for 99 cents, a 6" brass pillar candle ring for 99 cents, and a package of swag/scarf rings for 99 cents.  I then headed to Kmart in hopes of finding round adhesive mirror stick-ons.  I didn't find what I was looking for but came away with a 5" diameter round mirrored candle plate and two blind spot mirrors I found in the auto parts department.

Since the mirrored plate was 5" diameter and the candle ring opening was 6" diameter I cut a piece of cardboard box in a 6" round and glued the mirror onto it using my hot glue gun.   I then glued the cardboard to the ring and the two spot mirrors onto the scarf rings. 

After staining the wooden crate with some leftover walnut stain I glued the three mirrors onto the crate.  The crate can now be hung on the wall or you can sit it on a shelf.  I found it worked perfectly to hold my CDs.  Thinking outside the box (no pun intended) I was able to make a one-of-a-kind decorative CD rack for about $10.

I would love to see what other creative types have made by repurposing found items.   Please feel free to share your projects.

How to Spice Up Bland Curtains

With the dreariness of winter upon us I decided to spice up my bland curtains.  I took the plain black curtain panel in my guest bath/laundry room and added black and white ribbon adorned with yellow buttons to the center of the curtain.  I attached the ribbon with velcro and the ribbon now serves to shorten the too long curtains as well.

A while back I made valances for my kitchen windows out of old sheets and fusible web since sewing isn't my thing.  To give them an update and tie in the color of my new antique kitchen cupboard I used a stencil and some green acrylic paint to create a vertical striped design along each valance.

Just these minor changes made such a difference.  Now my curtains are bright and cheery.