Cottage Apartment...An Epiphany!

Do you ever just get bogged down by options? I do. I am an "over-thinker" a lot of the time and will analyze more than take action.

This is an issue for me in the area of decorating.

I go to places like Ikea and see sophisticated, modern, sleek decor and think of myself in some fabulous high rise apartment in New York City (they're doing their job, huh?) and I want to buy everything from Ikea!

Image taken from http://www.coolhunting.com/design/the-ikea-phenom.php

Then I go into an antique shop or a quaint bed and breakfast and seem to long for the things of a time gone by. The elegance and simplicity of the furnishings take me away to a Thomas Kinkade painting of a Victorian mansion with lace curtains on the open windows a piano in the corner and ornate velvet covered furnishings in every room.

Image taken from http://wallpaperbit.com/thomas-kinkade-wallpaper-for-computer/page-7 

Then I think to myself, "No, that's too fussy for me." If ya'll know anything about me, you know that I am the classic example of a Type B personality; laid back, chill, not in a hurry or rush to do things and I don't get too worked up if things aren't perfect or "right." In fact, I like things a little sloppy and imperfect (not everything...just some things).

But in the midst of my cluttered mind, I had an EPIPHANY!

In a basket, nice and neat, saved over many years, I saw a stack of magazines and books on decorating and I finally knew my style!!!!

I LOVE COTTAGE and COUNTRY DECORATING!!!

Do I have even ONE book or magazine on modern design? NO

Do I have even ONE book or magazine or even ONE Thomas Kinkade painting in my home depicting the Victorian area and antiques? NO...not one.

But what do I have?

I have STACKS of books and magazines on country, cottage, shabby-chic style decorating. I have a big garbage bag full of hand embroidered vintage table clothes and table runners that I just can't bring myself to get rid of. I have lots of quilts and throw them all over everything! I love the messiness of a table or picture frame with chipped, shabby paint and have them all over the place.

I like "imperfection."

I like "casual".

I like "laid back."

I like "inviting."

And guess what? What was in front of me has reflected this the whole time! Why was I ever confused?

So, I'm going to get busy making this apartment of mine into a dream cottage!

Here are some inspirations....

Image taken from http://www.piersidegallery.com/artists/kinkade/tk90-05.htm

THIS Thomas Kinkade cottage is more like it....

Image taken from http://moderfurnituredecoration.blogspot.com/2012/10/cottage-living-room-decorating-ideas.html

I LOVE me some turquoise! And I adore that rug. So pretty!

Image taken from http://yourdecoratinghotline.com/pillow-power/

Mixing different colorful prints and piling on the pillows and quilts just says, "Come, sit a spell!" Oh, and I ADORE this rug too. But I probably wouldn't let anyone walk on it. ha!

Image taken from http://www.alicescottage.com/cottage-decor.aspx

I love me a cafe curtain!

Image taken from http://www.dolalak.com/brightness-awesome-living-room-decorating-design-ideas/garden-cottage-livingroom-decorating-design-ideas

Smaller scale pieces grouped closely together feels cozy and inviting. 

Image taken from http://pinterest.com/smither1/cottage-country-decorating/

My favorite color palette again...turquoise and red. I love mixing stripes and florals.

Image taken from http://fakesororitygirl.tumblr.com/

Cottages love a pop of apple green! 

Image taken from http://www.homerevo.com/sunroom-design-decorating-ideas/

Ahhh....my kind of sun porch. 

Image taken from http://kootation.com/cottage-decorating.html

Fun colors and prints.

Image taken from http://diychichome.com/cottage-decorating/tiny-shabby-cottage/

Shabbilicious!

Image taken from http://www.cottagestyledecorating.net/1145/most-viewed-posts-of-2012/

I'd love to snuggle up on that red checkered sofa with a cup of coffee and a good book. 

Stay tuned for the before and afters in my new decorating posts called, "Cottage Apartment!" I can't wait to get started!

Don't Ever Throw Away Another One of These Pumps

That's right...

Your own foaming hand soap is so easy and cheap to make that it's LUDICROUS to throw out the pump that's often expensive, but crucial in the production of the foamy stuff!


I read a long time ago on Heather's blog Want What You Have, that she makes her own foaming hand soap and I thought that was just so genius! So, after many, many months of using the soap I bought on clearance at Bath and Body Works, for the express purpose of trying out this frugal recipe! Now, I FINALLY got to try it and it works beautifully.

The soap I used was some generic cucumber melon scent from Walmart that cost like $.88. Half a container of this $.88 soap has already made 2 bottles of foaming hand soap, which as you know, lasts forever as well. So, that $.88 is going to go a long way!



So here's how you do it....



Fill an empty foaming hand soap container (has to be this kind of soap dispenser or it won't foam) a third of the way full of any kind of regular hand soap you like. Then fill the rest of the container with water. Gently tilt back and forth to mix, and it's ready!!!

There you go..cheap and easy!

Wilton Castle Cake Tutorial

I had a LOT of comments here and on facebook about this cake and a lot of disbelief that "I" actually made it. Yes, I did make it...TWICE! The first one wasn't seen or enjoyed by anyone because the party had to be canceled due to widespread flooding in the area. But the second was seen and loved and enjoyed...and that made me feel sooo good! I think the birthday girl was sneaking a taste here in this pic!!!

This cake is doable and isn't really super hard. You'll see once you start reading how I did it. I didn't even use a piping bag for heaven's sake! It will take time and a LOT of patience...but you too can do it just like I did!

First you will need the Wilton Romantic Castle Cake Kit. I purchased mine at Walmart and it was $18. It comes with plastic castle pieces and specific instructions on how to put it together, as well as an icing and cake recipe. You will also need to purchase a 10" and a 6" round cake pan. The instructions called for you to make like 200 royal icing forget-me-nots, but there was no way in hades I was doing that! haha. But I did go to a cake decorating specialty store and I purchased 100 of them for 10 cents a piece, so $10 for all of them. And they really add a lot to the cake, so I encourage you to find some. Or of course, make them yourself if you have the patience. Instructions are in there.

I also purchased a sturdy piece of cardboard and purple foil to wrap it with for the base of the cake. I think it added a lot and was really pretty. Also, at the cake store, I bought purple sanding sugar. Since I used almost all of it on the first cake last year, I had to buy more. All I could find was a coarse purple sugar at Walmart, but it ended up working just fine. And of course, you will need to make butter cream icing. I noticed that Walmart also carries Wilton butter cream frosting in tubs. I made two batches and it was the perfect amount to do a crumb coat and the final coat on the cake.

For the decorations, I used...get this....frosting in those squirty cans!!! I'm not kidding! I didn't have a piping bag or tips, so in the 11th hour I decided to use those cupcake icing cans. One, because they came with different tips and 2 because they came in different colors. And I'm actually REALLY glad I did. They were sooo easy to use and I didn't have to fool with tinting icing and and piping from a bag. My only regret is that I assembled the cake with the towers before I added the green borders, etc. And it was nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get those cans in the tight spot. Oh well, you live and you learn.



Ok, so here are the steps.

This is the hardest most time consuming part! Trying to ice and sugar all of the plastic pieces! That's why I did this the day before and allowed them to set in the fridge until I was ready to assemble the cake completely.

Again, follow the instructions and look at the pictures and you'll be fine. For the towers, windows and doors I used white cookie icing in a tube with just a plain round tip to act as glue for the sugar. Then I spooned the sugar from a paper plate over the icing. I then added the green canned frosting using the star tip and pressed on the little flowers and placed them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet to dry and set.

This is the worst part by far...icing and sugaring the turrets! I guess it's the cone shape that makes them difficult to roll around. Not to mention that you can't touch it...yeah...not fun. But I just used spooned sugar on the parts that didn't get enough. I also tinted the icing for the turrets purple so that if the sugar didn't adhere completely, that you wouldn't see a stark white and purple contrast! So first, ice the turrets with your purple frosting in a thin, even coat. Then roll them around in the sanding sugar. That's pretty much it...but like I said...not easy!

The next day (or the same day...but freezing them overnight), bake your cakes (hey...don't tell, but I just used a boxed yellow cake mix...but with an extra egg per cake mix, so the cake would be a little more dense) with a piece of parchment at the bottom so that it will come out easily and allow them to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, level off the rounded parts so that they're flat. Place small pieces of wax paper on your cake base (this is so that when you ice the cake you won't get icing on your pretty foil base! You will slide them out from under your cake when you are finished icing it), then stack your cakes, layering them with icing in between. Then pile on your frosting and ice the cake as smooth as you can. This first coat is called a "crumb coat." It's not meant to be perfect and it's not meant to be really thick. It's meant to give you a smoother base when you go to really frost it. After you apply the crumb coat, put the cake in the fridge for a little while, to sort of chill and set. While the cake is chillin', you can either take a breather and chill yourself or you can make another batch of frosting for the final layer of frosting. I will admit that my final layer was not smooth perfection, but it was pretty good. I just figured that since so much of the cake is covered by the plastic towers and little plastic windows and flowers and green icing, that a perfectly smooth white layer of frosting was not necessary. So, I iced it as best I could and that was that. When you're finished pull out the wax paper from underneath the cake...and voila! Your base is clean and beautiful!

After the cake is iced, and the plastic pieces are decorated and sugared and beautiful, then it's time for the fun stuff...putting it all together!!!! YAY. You're on the home stretch!!!!

Once you get your cake frosted, then you can start putting you plastic pieces around it. I didn't use any sticks to anchor the cakes together or extra frosting to anchor the plastic towers to the cakes. You can of course, I just didn't because I found that they stuck pretty well without extra frosting. The only thing I had to do that was a little hard was I had to stick the 3 towers on the top layer quite far down into the cake to get them to stay and to keep them straight.

Then you need to add your green "grass" around the base and the edges. Like I said, you may want to do some of that before you add the towers, but don't stress...I didn't. Also add your reserved sugar forget-me-nots around the cake as you choose...make it pretty. I just looked at the picture on the box and tried my best to replicate it.

I promise that when you go to add the turrets, you'll smoosh the sugar at the top and knock off your sugar, but you can just add a little bit of frosting and a bit more sugar, gingerly, with a spoon once you get them in place.

So, here's the finished pic again.

I was soooo proud of it! But I won't be attempting this beast of a cake again for a LONG time...maybe EVER! haha
Time to start planning for next year.!

New Bulletin Board Project

I bought a regular old bulletin board a long time ago to keep at the desk at my old house. My intentions were to turn it into one of those French picture boards that are so cute. But after spray painting it white, I never got around to finishing that project.

I really needed a place to hang a calendar, so I decided to hang my white bulletin board in the kitchen to give me a place to put a calendar and other notes. But the white just looked weird.

So I decided to make it a little more exciting by attaching some wine bottle corks that my hubby had been saving. With that idea in mind, I decided to spray paint it black, and add some color.

Here are my materials...
I tried hot-gluing the grapes to the board, but they were too heavy and didn't stay adhered. So, I used some small nails and affixed a couple of the grapes to the board. Then I just stapled on some purple scrapbook paper and hot-glued on the corks...

And here's the finished product. I love the purple against the orange wall. All I need now is a calendar! Too bad it's not so easy to find one in the middle of April! LOL

Sun Room Spruce Up and a Full, Thankful Heart

I often wonder why God chose to answer my prayers of staying home to raise my child by uprooting us from a home and a town and a church that we loved, and planting us in a completely different state, to a town we're not in love with yet? Why couldn't he have just given my husband a better paying job there? Wouldn't that have been simpler? But as we know, God doesn't always do the EASY thing. Well, everything's easy for Him, but not always easy for us! During this process of moving we sure have been STRETCHED! Not me so much as my husband. I've seen him grow in his faith in a way that I would have never dreamed a year ago. I've seen him, through his fears, trust God because that was the only option he had left. And he's been so amazed by God faithfulness. I find it a little easier to trust, but I've had my own challenges that God and I are working through. I still ask God, "Why here? What are your plans for us?" And although I don't have all the answers, I get little hints along the way.

There are days like today when the "whys" become a little clearer. I looked around at my beautiful, blooming backyard and it occurred to me that God has literally GIVEN me my wish list. You know, things you always whine about wanting, but never seen to get around to building or buying or making? Yeah, I have a big list of those! But some of the more constant, "wants," God has amazingly given to me and I can't understand why? I know it's because I'm His kid and He loves me. But I'm talking about SPECIFIC stuff ya'll!

I'm not kidding when I say that I've been going on about this stuff for YEARS and YEARS and YEARS and because we really just couldn't afford such extravagance, we never bought or built any of these wants. But friends, my new house HAS all the stuff I ever wanted!!!!! Why didn't this occur to me before?

We have a "porch swing" now. I had one stored under the deck of my old house for many years, begging my hubby every summer to hang it for me, but he never got around to it. Now, I have one! It's not on a porch, but I like it so much better. There are vines and vines of wisteria growing up the posts, and I'm just on pins and needles waiting to see what it looks like in bloom this summer! Won't it be so romantic? And I have a vegetable garden, already fenced in and ready for planting. I've always wanted one, but never had the gumption to get out there and put one together. Now, it's done for me. WOW! I also have a hot tub and a pool! Now, these are things that were on the "I'll probably never see this in my lifetime" list. But I always wanted them nonetheless. How did that happen? And the piste de resistance. A beautiful, cozy sun room (which I've been working on today, getting it "fluffed" for the season). Now, this was also on the list of things I never thought I'd have, but here I am, the owner of one!

This was the patio furniture that the former owner left behind, but I added my old quilt to soften and comfy it up. I can't believe how perfect the colors are!

I think I could just curl up and stay here all day!

These smell sooooo dreamy!

I'm seriously blown away people! And as if God wasn't good enough, as if He didn't already think of everything, He put a wonderfully fragrant butterfly bush right outside the sliding glass door, so that sweet fragrance fills the whole room and the whole house if I leave all the doors open.

Sorry these are sideways! LOL

It's just makes me wonder, what incredibly PERSONAL things is God gonna have waiting for me at my home in Heaven? What things, that only He knows that I love, will my mansion and gardens be filled with? I can only imagine what glorious sights and sounds and fragrances await me there!

I've never actually prayed for a sweet, meandering path of phlox, but I've envisioned it before. God thought to give me a bed of phlox because He knew it would make me smile.

And a single red tulip amidst all the purple phlox. I bet more pop up soon!

For whatever reason, God chose to not only give us a house, but a wonderful testament of His love for us. Because around every corner, there is something else that just tickles me to think, He put there just for me!

Thank you Father! I have a such a full, thankful heart today!

New Look For My Treasured Window

If you've followed my blog since the summer, you might remember me coveting the windows on the other side of my neighbor's fence.

I had seen people use them for decorating, and loved it and wanted to try it myself. They ended up giving me 3 old windows and a friend from church gave me another one. I hit the old, wooden window jackpot!!!

I've only used one so far, leaving the chippy white paint, and adding some color with scrapbook paper. But I've always loved Angie's black window over at The Happy Homebody so, I decided to paint my window and put a coordinating fabric behind it. Here's the before and after.

This was how I displayed it at Christmas...it was so cute.


So here is the "After" in black.

When I get everything together, I'll post more pictures of my living room so you can see all of my projects...still working on a couple more!

A Curtain Project

Instead of copying everything here on this blog, I'm just going to put up a link to my other blog Sahmbie Chronicles, so that you can see my finished curtain project.

See it here.

So Here It Is...A New Blog...God Help Me!

I just wanted to let you know that I've started a new blog called, "Sahmbie Chronicles." You can visit by going HERE.

What is a "sahmbie" you ask? Well, I came up with that word one day while I was out driving and reflecting on how I felt inside...dead, no energy, uninterested, lifeless...like a zombie. I was thinking that as a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) , I should really be feeling happy, energetic and alive because being able to stay home with my baby is a gift and all the time I have at home could be used to do all the things I've always wanted to do...like make me a better person.

Anyway, the word "sahmbie" popped into my head and it perfectly described how I felt...like a mom zombie! That was 5 or 6 months ago. I haven't done anything to get out of "sahmbie" mode, but that's all about to change.

My new blog will be my online journal that chronicles my (hopeful) transformation from a "sahmbie" to the woman I want to be...that Proverbs 31 woman...now you know she aint no "sahmbie!"

I'm setting a lot of goals, long term and short term and am giving myself a year to do all this...starting Jan 1. Yes, it may just sound like another attempt at a new year's resolution, quite honestly I've been thinking the same thing. But by writing the blog, I figure I'll be more accountable...will ya'll help keep me accountable? Truthfully, I don't think I can take another failure. I've tried to change so many times, but just feel like I hit a brick wall every time. But I really can't live like this anymore...writing about it in this blog is my last ditch effort.

Please go on over there and read more. Today's post (the first one) is all about the ugly truth. I have to get honest if I ever want to change, right? Even if it is really scary.

And if you feel so inclined, please follow me. It will be easier for me to be accountable if I know folks are actually keeping up with me.

As for "Happily Home," I will continue to blog about my family, my home, and all the other random stuff I talk about...it's not going anywhere.

The Big Reveal!

So I guess this project is finished for now. My living room (where I plan to hang the window) has a large beige sectional, a big Pottery Barn swirly candle holder that's black iron, green and red walls, large, square, glass and iron tables, a flat screen TV on a black tv stand, and a bold patterned red and beige sisal (not sure about the spelling) rug. I'll post pics at another time, but I'm sure you can figure out that this room is not cottagy, but has more of a bold look...not necessarily soft. I'd like to cozy and soften it up, but for now, it is what it is. But like Angie at The Happy Homebody said, maybe this "weathered window" is a step in that direction.

So after a failed first attempt, I tried again and got it "about" right. I still think it could use more red, but for now, I think it will do.

I can't wait to switch out the scrapbook papers for the holidays...Christmas especially.

So here it is...dirty and moldy. I scrubbed it and hosed it down.


The first attempt...sort of a scrapbook look...I didn't like it. But hey, I've got some pages done!

So the finished product (for now). I like the clean black and white. I used a little color, but think it could use more. The great thing about this project is that the papers are just taped to the glass, and I can switch them out very easily.

Won't this look so awesome with Halloween and Christmas papers...I can't wait!

I'll hammer on the hardware to hang it later. Not now ya'll, it's 12:30am and the baby's asleep! lol Let me know if you like it!

Trial and Error

I won't pretend I'm crafty or do projects all the time, or even have a great sense of style. The truth is, I believe this window project of mine may take longer than I thought. I worked on it for a long time today. And after I was finished, I just didn't "LOVE" the results. And I don't want to hang this already "risky" piece in my living room until it's just right! I say "risky" because none of my decor is cottagy, country, ecclectic, or shabby. I find myself drawn to these looks, but haven't incorporated them into my home yet. My window has a real weathered, shabby, cottagy feel, and I'm just not sure it fits my living room decor, which is very orderly and symmetrical.

I thought I'd paint it black and add black and white photos to dress it up, but once I cleaned and scrubbed away the dirt and cobwebs, I began to appreciate the chippy white paint and beat-up wood. So, I've decided not to paint it.

Like I said, I'm not in love with the finished product. I decided to do each pane like a scrapbook pages, with pictures and sayings, etc, etc. But once I got them in place, it just looked junky and cluttered. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. But on the bright side, I have 8 finished scrapbook pages! Now all I have to do is find an album they'll fit into!

I guess what I'm going for is more a clean look, that happens to use vintage materials. I see this done so effortlessly in decorating magazines, but I'm not sure if I can copy it to fit my decor.

If any of you have any ideas, suggestions, links to other people's projects, etc., please let me know!

So I guess this is a trial and error process. I'll get it right, and when I do, I'll post pics. Maybe tomorrow will be the day!

UPDATE:Finally They're Mine!!!

The windows that I've been obsessing about are finally mine! It was almost divine the way it happened. I walked over with the baby (again, for support), prepared to leave a note. But as I walked up, she (my neighbor) was walking out. I introduced myself as did she, and we immediately hit it off, talking about our kids and husbands, hating yard work and our car problems. I even mentioned that we were leaving for St. Augustine, Florida later tonight. And she couldn't believe it because they had just gotten back from St. Augustine! Isn't that amazing! They've lived there for 3 years and I felt ashamed of myself for never having talked to her. I asked her about the windows, and she couldn't give them to me fast enough! They had found them under the house with some other building materials and were just going to haul them off to the dumpster. But the coolest part is, I got those windows for FREE, and made a new friend in the process.

So there you go! I'm going to do a PROJECT! I'll have to think this week about what I'm going to do with them. Maybe I'll paint them black, maybe I'll repaint them white, or maybe I just clean them up and keep the old white paint. But my DH said he didn't want our house to start looking like Sanford and Sons! LOL! I know they'll be beautiful however I decide to use them. I'm so excited...can you tell??!!!

A Little Something Blue

I was so curious a few weeks ago when I pulled in the driveway and saw something blue laying next to the driveway. Thinking it was a piece of trash, I went over to pick it up. Low and behold, I discovered it was half of a little robin's egg shell! I don't think I could've been more excited if found a ten dollar bill! Truly it was a treasure to me. It was so fragile and delicate, and I imagined that maybe even a few hours before a tiny little baby robin was pecking it's way free. I looked around for the other half, but couldn't find it. I marveled at the awesome color of this shell. The first thing I thought of was my "little blue box" from Tiffany's. I dug it out and compared the colors and they are EXACTLY the same. Luckily, the very next day my husband came in with the other half of the shell that he found in the yard. This little fellow volunteered to pose for a comparison picture. My camera does not do this gorgeous blue justice, but you get the idea.

I plan on buying some polyurathane to spray on the shell to harden it some. It's just way too delicate to handle without a sealer or something on it. Then I want to find a realistic looking nest and glue my little bird and the shell in it (although I don't think this guy is a robin...oh well). I'd like to display it in a cloche or something. Wouldn't that be pretty?

The next blue thing I wanted to post was my blue-eyed baby girl loving on her cuddly little blue Eyore. Notice her red nose. She took her first tumble face first down a couple of stairs and skinned her little nose. I wanted to cry more than her!

Daddy with a sleepy GG. Isn't she cute!