Dining Room Week - Free Wall Art

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I've already changed my DIY book page wall art.  I liked it, but the fact that some of the images were dark blue and I could not figure out how to print them black was bugging me.  The main reason I changed them was because I found a great site that has free downloadable image sets.

I fell in love with this set and I didn't even notice at first that two of the cities were Indianapolis! (our town) Bonus!  I am pretty sure I did an air fist pump when I opened the downloaded images.

All I had to do was open them, print them, and slap them in the frames.  I love that free wall art means I can change it again whenever I feel like it.

I hate photo disclaimers, but I just have to put one for these pictures.  They are located in two dark corners beside a window and are impossible for me to photograph!  I love them so much and wanted to share the fabulous free art website I decided to post them anyway.

On this other wall, I hung several things I found at Home Goods.  The total I spent on this area was around $40, so while it was not free, I can change it without too much guilt later on down the road.

For now, I like that it keeps with the neutral theme I am going for and also combines the different textures.

Dining Room Week ~ Dresser Details

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Today I want to focus on the details of the dresser turned buffet that is in the dining room.  When we first moved into the house, I begged my hubby to paint our old bedroom dresser coral.  I quickly learned that a little coral goes a long way.  After about a month he (a little uncheerfully) repainted it light aqua for me.  If you are looking close, the bottoms of the feet still need a little touch up.

Aaahhh....much better.

I wanted the dining room to have a mostly neutral feeling.

  My goals for the dresser area were to mix textures and finishes.  The mirror and candlesticks are ornate the linen runner and lavender bundle are more rustic...you get the idea!  I also wanted to have a spot where I could change things easily and put out seasonal decor.

Arranging areas and tabletops like this can be overwhelming so I created a "Vignettes" board on Pinterest to give me ideas on what arrangements look best.  You can see follow my board by clicking here.

I would still like to hang the mirror instead of just leaning it on the dresser and add plates or something around the mirror, similar to these rooms I found on Pinterest.

The inside of the dresser is still coral and a fun little surprise when you open the drawers.  I use the drawers to store candles, extra linens, and small decor items I am not using at the moment

The knobs are from Hobby Lobby and cost about $40, but that's not bad considering I needed 16 knobs for this dresser!  Knobs and pulls are always 50% off at Hobby Lobby and I love scoping out that aisle every time I am there to see what they have added.

The large mirror was a $15 garage sale find.

  I painted it white and sanded a few spots to reveal the gold underneath.

The linen table runner and lamp were Home Goods finds.

The candlesticks were on big time clearance at Pottery Barn.  The little bundle of lavender or herbs...not sure...was on clearance in the Smith & Hawken garden section of Target.  I also picked up the little candle in the same section for $4.50.  I love the simplicity of the candle and the way it reflects on the candle sticks when burning.

The ceramic pheasants were a Goodwill find that I was unsure about, but my BFF insisted I buy them and I am glad she did.  :)

Happy Birthday, McKinley!

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I had to interrupt dining room week to celebrate my son's 11th birthday!

Just like Evie's birthday, we celebrated with family and cupcakes.  McKinley couldn't really give me a list of anything he wanted this year so he got mostly cash...but we surprised him with tickets to the Colts game on Thursday night.  I know he will have a blast going with Dad!  Although I wish I was going too, I love football.  ;)

Happy Birthday, McKinley...I love you!

Dining Room Week

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I had an entire post typed and published this morning about my dining room progress so far... 

While I loved "revealing" the whole family room at once, I felt like I couldn't fit everything I wanted to say about the room into one post and I ended up skimming over things.  I might revisit them, I might not.  To avoid having that feeling about the dining room...I deleted my post and it's officially dining room week at Tattered Tulips.  

Here is a sneak peek, please stay tuned...

{aka}design feature

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I was super excited to see the DIY dry erase board I shared over at the {aka}design DIY linky party was picked as a feature for this week!

Take a peek:  CLICK HERE

In Progress Functional Gallery Wall

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The wall above my desk has been slowly coming together.

  It's transforming into a functional gallery wall that I can easily add more to when I find items I like.

The wire basket over the printer holds paper and labels within close reach.  The chalkboard is ready and waiting when I need to jot myself a note.

  Do you remember when I picked up this metal thingy at Midland Antiques?  Little laundry clips and magnets make it easy for me to save and change whatever is speaking to me at the moment.

This morning, I heard a song called "I Was Here"  from Beyonce that I had never heard before and this song is what is speaking to me today.  I made a little printable to clip up on my screen to remind me to be "here" for my family today.  Sometimes it's easy for me to get caught up on blogs, Pinterest, Facebook...whatever else.  It's good for me to have a visual reminder that I can mean something to my kids lives today.

 

I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time
Know there was something that, meant something that I left behind
When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets
Leave something to remember, so they won't forget

I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I've done everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here

I want to say I lived each day, until I died
And know that I meant something in, somebody's life
The hearts I have touched, will be the proof that I leave
That I made a difference, and this world will see

 

DIY Dry Erase Menu

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My best friend. over at room*6, has a lot of practical organization tips.  Unfortunately, organizing solutions just do not come natural to me and I copy her ideas whenever I can!

  One tip is her method for menu planning.  Instead of planning what she will cook each specific day in advance, she makes a more flexible menu plan of 10-12 dinners than she can cook anytime over the two weeks between grocery trips.  She leaves her menu on the counter so it is easy to see for both herself and the family.  After each dinner item is prepared, she simply crosses it off her list.

On my last trip to the grocery store I lost my list and my menu I had written for myself.  I decided it was a good time to put her tips into practice for my own home.  Plus, I had a large empty wall between the cabinets and the back door that happens to be very visible when you enter from the front door.

AHA!  It was the perfect place for a functional and beautiful menu.

After perusing some ideas on Pinterest, including many chalkboard menus...I decided to use an Ikea Ung Drill frame as a dry erase menu board.  The frame is large enough to fill the wall and I like the ornate look.  It cost $29.99.

I spray painted the frame white and added ticking stripe that I fell in love with at Hobby Lobby...done and ready for menu planning!

A white ceramic creamer and sugar set place on the counter holds my dry erase markers and extra chalk for the canisters.

Check out one of my favorite blogs, akadesign, for many more DIY ideas!

Coastal Inspired Family Room

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In case you have forgotten or are new to my blog, here is what the family room looked like just a few months ago when we moved in on June 11th.

This is the first room that is starting to feel "done" to me. 
  I love that the room has a cozy feel, but can easily fit 10+ people for movie night!

I was inspired by Thrifty Decor Chick and her plank wall fireplace surround.  Luckily, her detailed instructions made it pretty easy for my husband to install the same thing for our family room in around 2 hours.  At a cost of $80, it adds a lot of detail to the room and really makes the fireplace stand out when you walk in.  (this still needs nail holes filled and painted)

Do you remember the buffet I snagged a few weeks ago on Craiglist for $25?

  It is now happily living in the family room as our tv stand.  I adored the wooden inlay that was on the drawer fronts, but the rest of the buffet was in rough shape.  I decided to sand and paint the body of the piece white and leave the original finish on the rest.  Even though there are still some imperfections on the drawers, I am happy with my decision not to paint them.

The pouf and ottoman double as extra seating and a place to put your feet up, they can be easily moved around as needed.

I am very pleased with these white Extorp chairs from Ikea.  They are comfortable and if I should get a stain on them that cannot be washed out...replacement covers are only $29!

The ottoman also has a removable lid for storage.

I picked up these lanterns on clearance in the garden section of Target

I always keep an eye out at Goodwill for interesting coffee table books.  The large baskets hold reading material that the kids are using or projects they are working on.  Remote controls are a part of life, I grabbed an inexpensive tray from Big Lots to corral them.

Source List: 

Paint Color - Sherwin Williams Upward Blue/75% strength

Large Chevron Rug, RugsUSA  

Striped Curtains - Made from West Elm shower curtains

Bamboo Blinds - Home Depot

Ektorp White Slip Covered Chairs and Ottoman - Ikea

Hemnes Coffee Table - Ikea

Corner Chair - World Market 

Coral Pouf - Privet House for Target

Side Tables - Tables that my mom was no longer using, sprayed with light gray paint and updated with pulls from Hobby Lobby

Lamps - HomeGoods with burlap shades from Target

Map Pictures - DIY from vintage Atlas
Large Round Mirror - Lowes

Accessories - Target, Ikea, Home Goods

Join the PinParty at Fox Hollow Cottage

A huge thank you to Thrifty Decor Chick and her Show Us Your House series for getting me in gear to share pictures of our new family room!  Please stop by her blog to see many more inspiring family spaces.

Last Summer Hurrah

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Visiting the Indiana State Fair and spending the weekend with family was the perfect way to wrap up summer vacation.  There is so much to do at that fair from stuffing our faces to feeding the animals...and hanging out on HUGE tractors, we had a blast!

Now that our summer vacation has officially ended, it feels like time to think towards fall decorations and activities.  It sure seems like Autumn is sneaking up on us fast this year!

Sticky Tack

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Sticky tack is great for holding nailed pictures in place so they don't go leaning to one side.  However, it does not work for simply sticking a picture up on the wall by itself, not even if it is a very light picture.  I gotta give my husband a hand for testing it out, but by morning my wall looked like this.

Even though school started last Monday, we had one last "summer" weekend in store.  Every year, my brother-in-law and three gorgeous nieces come down from Michigan for the Indiana State Fair.  I will share those pictures tomorrow and then I hope to finally share some new house room tour pictures with you next week!

First Day of School

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We have a tradition of stopping for breakfast on the first day of school.  Because we left a little earlier than normal, it was still darkish outside for our pictures

.  Like last year, I printed up some signs announcing their grades.  The kids loathe this tradition and I let them tear up the signs right after we take the pictures.  heehee.

Recipe Reviews

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Today I tried two new recipes.  

We love going to Ohana for dinner when we are in Disney World and one of their menu items is sesame noodles.  Tonight I tried the Pioneer Woman recipe for simply sesame noodles and they tasted exactly like Ohana!  (I left out the raw garlic, just not fans here)

Pioneer Woman Simply Sesame Noodles

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

4 garlic cloves minced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons pure sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil (or to taste)

4 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons hot water

4 whole green onions, Sliced Thin

12 ounces Asian noodles or 12 ounces other thin noodles

Directions: 1 Whisk together first 8 ingredients. 2 Cook the noodles as directed on package and drain. 3 Mix together sauce and warm noodles, making sure that all the noodles get well covered (or saute noodles with sauce in a skillet on medium heat). 4 Serve topped with green onions.

I also tried this vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookie recipe I saw on Pinterest.  They are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made!  In the past, my chocolate chip cookies always seem to flatten out and lose that soft thick texture.  These cookies did not flatten and are very moist.

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3.4 oz. package vanilla instant pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
2. Using a mixer, beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slight golden and set. Remove cookies from oven and let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Happy Birthday, Evie

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Today my sweet and sometimes sassy daughter turned 8 years old!

I didn't have the energy for a big party this year.  Instead we had family over for cupcakes and soda pop floats.

I found the cute little ballerina cupcake holders and toppers at HomeGoods.  

I tried this tip from Pinterest for bakery style cupcakes...to be honest I could not tell a difference.  I also cannot make chocolate cupcakes without them being dry...I tried to steer Evie towards white cake, but she said no.  lol