Pretty Little Foot Stool

My friend brought over some things last week that she wants to refinish for her daughter in college.  One of them is a foot stool that goes with a vanity.  If you have a foot stool in your house, you can transform this into something pretty in no time.  Turn your piece upside down and unscrew what is holding the pad down.

Find some fabric with a neat pattern and make sure that you have enough material on the sides to fold over and staple.

Staple evenly and pull tight.  I could have taken off the black batting fabric but you don't have to.

To perk this up, I gave it a couple coats of white paint.  

Attach the top and you are done.

I'll post a picture of this and the vanity together but wanted you to see how easy it is to recover an old foot stool.

Have a great week!

Paula

Friday Obsessions....

Color

 Great Chair....

 Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins...

 Bed Bench...

 Big Oversized Sweater....

What caught your eye.....


Paula

Chimichangas......Who Knew?

I've cooked a lot over the years.  I'm one of those people that sees a recipe and runs out to the store to get all the ingredients and cook it that night (or at least by the weekend).  I have never tried chimichangas...until this weekend.  With a family that loves Mexican food, why not?  Maybe I thought it was too hard?

Let me tell you something....these are not only easy, they are delicious! Don't let the crispy wrapper tortilla throw you off into thinking that this is hard (or fattening).  It's not.  You throw everything into a bowl, stir it up, drop a few spoonfuls into a soft tortilla, fold it up, brown in a pan and then bake at 375 for 15 minutes!  This came from Southern Living....

Ingredients

1 pound shredded deli-roasted chicken

1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (4-oz.) can mild chopped green chiles

1/4 cup salsa verde

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/3 cup canola oil

Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

And don't stress over how you fold the tortilla.  I pulled a few pix off the net so you can see how easy this is.

Fold them up so they look like this below.

Then brown them like this.

Then bake these on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes on 375.  Serve this with a side salad, salsa and guacamole and you are good to go!

Let me know what you think.

Paula

What's Up?

Here are a few things on the list this week...

This cute little vanity needs a make over.  Easy to do......  I'll show you how they turn out later this week.

What's on your list of things to do this week?

Paula

Summer is ......over.

This summer was a hard one for me, as I became a true empty nester.  For the first time in 23 years, my house is quiet.  No longer will the door start to swing open at 4, 5 or 6pm.  No longer will I hear all of the days tales and be asked to proof read one final time, a homework assignment or paper.

I'm happy for my children who have the world at their feet.  I'm excited to see where they go and where they land.  Forever more, I will be on standby; waiting to hear about their escapades, their classes, their work and their interests.  No longer am I steering the ship.  They have sailed on to their own adventures.

For me, I'm sad.  Sad that those days are over.  Sad that the house is so quiet.  I know I'll get into my own routine, but I loved the days of watching them grow up.  I will miss their chatter, their arguments, their dishes and their clothes piled up.

I will miss their laughter each day and their "good night mom" each evening.  I will cherish the past and look forward to when they are all back in the nest for holidays, summers and visits.

Thank you to those of you checking in to see if I'm still blogging and working on new things.  Yes.  I am back and ready to get into my own routine at this new stage of my life.

Working on a few new things, can't wait to show you.

Paula

You Will Never Be Forgotten

“Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven, Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



Paula

Rust....Not Ruined

If you have a piece of furniture that has rusted.....all is not lost.

We had this great little glass top table that for some reason ended up in the garage, exposed to the elements of SC for 5 years (don't ask why I didn't have this in the attic....I'm still asking myself that).

As we were getting ready to move, we were desperate to unload things we didn't want or need.  I saw my husband walking this out to the trash pickup before the movers came and I was like "wait! We might want that."  My husband laughed at me and said, "Are you serious?  This is a rusted piece of junk and we will never use it".

Steel wool is one of the greatest tools when finishing furniture.  You just have to pay attention to the grade.  Grade 3 is for things that need a strong abrasive.  The wool is course and you should wear gloves and safety glasses when using it.  When waxing furniture, I use 0000 grade which is much smoother and more like a polisher.

Using arm strength, start rubbing out your rust.  In many cases, the iron or steel will return to the original piece - unless the rust has corroded and eaten through it.  You can also add white vinegar to help cut through the rust.  You can use it on your steel wool or wipe it on for a few minutes and then buff it out.

I can't tell you how happy I am that I kept this.  It really went from trash to treasure.

Have a great week!

Paula

Stuff, Stuff and More Stuff

Have you looked around your home lately and noticed how much "stuff" you have?  Until you move and actually have to move your stuff you may not know how much stuff you actually have.

I moved five years ago and thought I did a good job of getting rid of a lot of my stuff. But, as the next five years rolled along, I continued to buy more and more stuff and put it in more and more places.

Stuff, can overtake your life.  Open your closets and take a look at what fills them.  Look in your attic and your garage.  Even if you are organized....it's still stuff.

I recently moved and did a major downsizing.  I have no choice but to get rid of some stuff, which....at this point, I'd like to call something else. :)

Getting rid of stuff isn't easy.  If you are like me, you think of how much you paid for it or how much you like it or what emotional significance it brings to you.  Or, you think at some point in time, you might want it so you store it away.  We have a problem with buying things; great deals, sale items, designer clothes in weird colors.  Things... turn into stuff.

Overwhelmed and in the midst of trying to figure out what to do with all of my stuff, I came across this book.  A gem actually.  If you are looking around at all of your stuff right now, you might want to get this.  I got so excited about the art of "folding clothes" that I had to send pictures of my drawers to two of my friends!

I've never really thought about folding my clothes before.  I fold them and tuck them into my drawers. The problem, is that I have so many clothes I can't see what's in the drawers.  Welcome to the vertical fold.

This one simple technique has transformed my drawers.  One, you will have more room and two, you can see actually see what is in your drawers. While doing this, I created piles of clothes no longer needed, for good causes. 

Like.....wow.

Marie Kondo, in her book, says you should consider your clothes...feelings. I know that's out there but work with it.  Are your clothes happy all jammed up, cluttered and stuffed?  More importantly, are you happy with how your clothes look in your closets and drawers? There is a correlation here with our things and our feelings.

Your spaces should give you joy.  Decluttering is a way of bringing joy into your life.

This one drawer inspired me.  I'm on a quest to bring more joy into my life by decluttering.  How about you?

Paula

Painting Wood With A Poly Surface

I had this old tv chest in my garage for 5 years.  My daughter was moving into her first apartment and wanted this painted black. A high glossy enamel black.   I was like sure.....no problem.  Except, I was moving in a week and didn't have time to strip and sand and do all the other things you need to do to prepare your wood to take new paint.  Now, if she had wanted a chalk paint color, there is no need to strip anything.  But she wanted a true glossy black and Annie Sloan doesn't make this color.

When applying any kind of latex, enamel or oil based paint, you have to strip or prime in order to get paint that will adhere.

There is a way to paint over poly without stripping.  Zinsser makes a cover stain primer that bonds to a poly surface.  You do have to do this outside or in a well ventilated space but it is easy and quick!

It says you don't need to sand but I always like to sand and scuff up any slick surface so your bonding agent has something to grab on to.  You don't have to go crazy but scuff it up enough so it looks like your surface met sand paper.  :)

Give it a good coat of primer, let it dry and you can be on your way.  

I asked my daughter to send me a picture of the finished chest sitting in her new apartment....  Wouldn't you know....it's covered in "stuff" and not ready for a photo.

I'll show you a picture when I can get one,  but just know you don't have to strip your furniture if you don't want to.

Glad to be back!

Have a good week.

Paula