DIY Mirror

When I remodeled last year I wanted a large mirror in the living room - but I wanted one with character - one of those times where I had Champagne taste on a beer budget - after spending thousands on a nearly total renovation, I couldn't stand the thought of spending hundreds on a mirror ~ not only that, I just couldn't find what my mind saw.  After a conversation with my friend Lorrie, we decided to go for it!!  I absolutely LOVE this mirror - it is full of color and whimsy and it fits my home's character and personalilty perfectly!

 I looked for a large mirror - this one is 4 1/2' x 3 1/2 ' - what I really wanted was a WIDE, somewhat flat frame that I could decoupage on ~ I found this one at our local Garden Ridge for $89! It was a steal to me, and had the exact frame that I needed. It was a copperish gold color - which is perfect with my copper accents throughout my home.

Next I looked around for the paper that I wanted to use to decoupage ~ I found copper color and leopard print at Hobby Lobby, and a really cute vintage French print at Aaron Brothers.

We began tearing pieces of each paper, wadded up the pieces, unwadded them and literally stuck them all over the frame with Modge Podge - I cannot tell you how easy this was to do!  When we were done, and the paper had dried, I put a coat of thinned antiquing over it just to brown it up a bit and darken the white of the papers.  I absolutely LOVE my mirror!

What I learned was that if you can't find what you're looking for, don't give up ~ make it yourself! 

I wish that I had taken some pictures along the way, but trust me ~ you can do this!!!  Use ANY tissue paper or artists paper that you love, a bottle of Modge Podge, and BE BRAVE - if you hate it, it's only paper and glue - take it off!!  But if you go with the things that you love ~ you will love it and have a one-of-a-kind unique accent for your home!  ENJOY!

The Cardinal is Nesting!

Sweet Cardinal Nest


The beautiful little mother cardinal has been working so hard, and her nest is coming out beautifully.  Daddy stands guard in the trees above ~ they seem like a happy couple!
I can't wait to finally see little eggs, but for now, I enjoy watching her flittering in and out of the bushes, bringing little twigs and tid-bits to complete her nesting project.

Mac and Cheese - Pinterest success

My cheesey Pinterest success!!

It's just Honey and I at home, so the likelihood of us having a dinner that includes Mac & Cheese isn't real great - however, when I saw a picture on Pinterest, it just got me CRAVING the stuff!  The kids are long gone from home, so it was nice to have this glorious, cheesy, somewhat adult version ~ homemade - not out of the box.  I served it with Chicken Cordon Bleu and a side salad.

Just delicious - take a look around Pinterest ~ I bet you'll find something that you have a hankering for also!!

You can find this delicious recipe here:  http://elizabethsedibleexperience.blogspot.com/2008/11/turkey-day-troubles-installment-2.html

Springtime in Keller!

Love my daffodils ~ welcome Spring!

It's Springtime in Texas!

Honey and I had a glorious weekend getting the yard, deck and pool ready for Springtime.  We absolutely love to grill and have dinner on the deck, and we love to have friends over on a hot summer day to enjoy the pool.

We are also so fortunate to have a nice lot with about 20 oaks on it.  It's just a normal sized lot in Keller - North of Ft. Worth - but it's an older neighborhood.  Although we love our home, really what caught my eye was the established garden and the many trees.  The hostas, the daylillies, the irises ~ they are all pushing up!  I cannot wait for the peonies to start showing themselves ~ they are my absolute favorites!

For a few days now I have been watching, and HEARING, the male cardinal with his very loud song, and the female cardinal with her persistent clicks.  This morning, I found the nest!  It's right outside of my living room window.  I cannot wait to keep an eye on her as she lays eggs, and eventually the little baby cardinals arrive.  The male is keeping a constant song vigil - I wonder what it means?  Is he marking his yard?  He starts early ~ too early for me!  I'd like to be a late sleeper, but that's not possible with him around to claim his territory!!

I'm happy that he decided to call our home his home!!

He looks so beautiful against the vivid blue Texas sky!

Pinterest Success Stories!

So I am one of those self-admitted Pinterest addicts!  The imagination and ingenuity shown on that site is a constant source of inspiration to me ~ I am often able to find something ~ no, many things ~ that catch my eye.  I am pretty good at "copying" ~ I am not quite so good at "creating."

This is one of the little things that I "copied" ~ copying being loosely used here.  It really was just an inspiration to me, and I hope that I did it my own way.  I just love the outcome!!

The final outcome of my herb wall!
I absolutely LOVE it!!  Thanks Pinterest for this great idea!!!

I had purchased some herb markers some time ago and had them in my "hope chest" - they work perfectly for this!

We put 3 down and 2 across.  We set the straps on the wall with one screw, got them all aligned,
then installed the 2nd screw to tighten it up.  We had to loosen the strap to put the jar in, then tightened it back up.

This is one of the jars - the angle is great - when it rains, the angle will prevent water from overflowing the jar
and washing out all of the dirt, but yet I can still water quite well - the jars are in full sun!

These are the little hose clamps that we secured to the wooden fence with screws.
We used two screws and that made them nice and secure.  We also set them on an angle.

Gathered up a nice assortment of herbs that I love - particularly basil!!

Gathered up all of the essentials, including quart jars and some plumbing hose clamps -
 those were affixed to the wall to hold the jars

So this is what we started with ~ this wall of fence encloses our pool equipment.  Certainly nothing much nice to look at!