Add Some Color In Your Life!

Are you tired of your old decor and looking for a few things to brighten your rooms up? Well, don't  you don't have to go out and buy anything new.  Take what you have and recreate it!

Look at these two decorative items.  Pretty plain right?

Just add a little bit of color and....

and maybe a bit of whimsy...

and you will have fun new decorative items to play with.   :)

Give it a try.  

Paula

Sausage, Kale and Egg Noodles

Some of you have asked me about sharing more "quick and light" recipes.  I know....it's getting warm out and we are pulling out our shorts and bathing suits and need to get summer ready!  Here is a quick and easy pasta dish that you can have table ready in 20 minutes.

Before you freak out....let me remind you that pasta is not fattening! It's the cream sauces and cheese that increase the fat and calorie content.  This is not one of those meals.  This if yummy, filling and low in calorie.  And, if you are on a budget....it's a win/win! It is also a favorite in our house - so don't be fooled by the looks.

Use fettuccine egg noodles.  These are in most grocery stores.

Ingredients:
1 lb of ground sausage (your call - hot, medium, sweet)
1 big bunch of kale (remember kale cooks down so don't be afraid to get a big bunch)
1-2 cups of chicken stock
Pecorino romano cheese (your call here, but this is great on pasta)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Rinse and break kale into small pieces.  I usually tear off the leaf from the stalk and leave the stalks out.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1/2 tsp salt and kale.  Boil for about 5 minutes or til Kale is tender.  Spoon kale out but keep the water boiling.

Brown your sausage in a large skillet.  With a slotted spoon take the kale from the boiling water and add to your sausage. Keep your water boiling and add your pasta.  Pasta will be done in about 3 minutes.  

Strain pasta, and add to the sausage kale mixture.  Add a cup of chicken stock and let pasta cook on medium for 1 minute with all ingredients.  Turn off heat and sprinkle with cheese.   You can add more chicken stock if you like but I find that a cup and a little more works great.

Serve with a side salad and you are ready to go!  So easy and so good.

Enjoy!

Paula

Summer Pots

Today I'm comforted by the lessons taught by Mother Teresa...

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

            If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

            If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

           If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

            What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

            If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

            The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

         Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

         In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

Forgive, be kind, be honest, create, be happy and do your best.

Really trying to walk in these words....

Paula

Friday Obsessions......

So many things caught my eye this week....

Beautiful Chair....

Green Bench....

Awesome Mules and Bag....

Blue Crab Plate..

Sectional Couch....

Have a great weekend.

Paula

Patience When Painting

People often ask me where I do my painting.  I have to laugh because I paint wherever I can find room.   Sometimes it's on a drop cloth in the living room or bathroom and sometimes it's the kitchen table.  Not ideal, but I make do. We have a large garage. But in South Carolina, pieces are subject to serious humidity which is not good for painting or finishing furniture.  I have learned that on good days (low humidity) if I want to use the garage, I need to "git err done" quickly!   Enter Isabelle...

Isabelle loves to be around me when I paint.  Especially when I'm outside. I didn't think much about all the basketballs beside me until I pried two of these out of her mouth.

Then I chased her around the corner of the house with another ball in her mouth only to see these....

She would take every one of those balls out of the garage and pop them if I let her.  So inside she went...and back to work I went.  :)

Some days I need a little more patience than others.


Paula

How Do you Make Others Feel?

"People will forget what you said,

people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them feel."

                                               ~Maya Angelou

Make every effort today, to make people feel good about themselves.  You have the power to make others feel good!  Try it and see how it makes YOU feel.  It's a win win!

Paula

Bird House Whimsy

My obsession with bird houses...continues.

Brighten up your backyard this summer.  It's easy to add color and whimsy to your backyard and porches.    

Just looking at my backyard makes me happy.  :)

What you think you become, 

What you feel you attract

What you imagine, you create.

                    ~Buddha

Paula

Big Brown Armoire Goes Shabby

Remember this?  This was a great TV armoire....20 years ago.  It was in great shape, and could have stayed as is.. but I wanted to brighten this one up.  Gone are the days of big TV stands. With a paint makeover, this could be a great cabinet for blankets and pillows or a place to store games when you need a big piece of furniture in a room.

With a quick coat of soft white, the transformation was super easy.  Already it just feels different!

Two coats later and a little distressing...

And some clear and dark wax...

She is like brand new!

I love how easy chalk paint is to use and transform a piece.  Go ahead and try it!  I did this in less than 24 hours.  You can too.

Let me know if I can help.

Paula

Friday Obsessions....

Boxed flowers....

 Zebra....

Colors....

 Floors.....

 Piko Shirts!

Have a great weekend.

Paula

Cinderella Candlesticks

I like to call these my Cinderella Candlesticks because well.....we all know the story right?  A friend brought these outdated candlesticks over for me for a makeover.  So I pulled out my paints and  was amazed at how well they started to look.

With some pretty colors and a little creativity.... you can transform anything.  

Not bad for some old candlesticks.  :)

Have a great day!

Paula

Painting Lamps

A friend recently brought me a lamp to paint.  Hmm.... I wasn't quite sure how this was going to work because of all of the weaving and texture that was on the lamp.  And let's face it, if it didn't work....that was ok too.  :)

First, I gave it a good coat of primer.

Then, I used acrylics to match the little dish she gave me.

She is working on getting a new lampshade but the base came out great.  So don't throw out your old lamps....paint them!

Paula

What Pulls Me To Vintage Things....

As I've gotten older,  I've become more sentimental.  I see pictures that make me stop for a moment and reflect on memories and things from the past.  

I use to wander my grandparents row house in Brooklyn and note all of the furnishings and decorations that were laid out just so.  Old cabinets, antique liqueur glasses, hutches filled with china pieces and giant statement pieces that hovered over a room.  Ornate pictures, perfume bottles, mirrors and chests decorated each room.  Now, I did wonder about the plastic coverings on the lamp shades and couches and plastic runners on the floor that noted where you should walk to get from room to room... I thought this was odd, but later understood that this was the way Italians made sure everything new- stayed new :).   

It was a house to marvel at as a young child visiting.  So many things to look at.  

Old things remind me of that time gone by.  A history of family that has grown and moved on.  

I wish I had kept a few more things from the past. 

For now I'll treasure what I have and maybe find a few more things that remind me of my family and places that we use to visit and call home.

Happy Tuesday.

Paula

Painting Clay Fruit

A friend of mine brought me this bowl of fruit to paint. 

This is a very heavy fruit set made out of clay.  And... as I've been saying....you can pretty much paint anything today, you just have to find the right products that will allow the paint to adhere.  

Find a paint that will adhere to metal and glass surfaces.  You can find this at most craft stores.  Sometimes you can use a simple primer to get started.  Let the paint dry and test it out before you get too far into your project.

  Using a swatch to match colors I began to paint and create a bowl and fruit that would compliment cushions and colors in her house.  I used acrylics to add depth.

You might might pass by this bowl of fruit if you see it in a store, but now you know, you can change anything with a little bit of paint.  This set turned out to be just beautiful!

Paula