Background

I got my background at ZingerBug.com

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The New Life of an Old Buffet



A couple of weeks ago, I sent my sweet hubby on a mission to find a trundle bed.
No luck with the trundle bed
but he didn't come home empty handed...
He brought me this little treasure
 He scored this lovely for $50!!
 
Obviously, it needed some TLC
and I was more than happy to oblige!
And this is the beautiful transformation...

 
I absolutely LOVE this piece of furniture!
It now holds Shelby's toys and books neatly out of the way.
 
I sanded it down a bit and cleaned it up.
Then I removed the drawers and doors and spray-painted them
Krylon Leather Brown.
Then I spray painted the buffet with
Krylon Bahama Sea.
 
Once the paint dried for a few hours, I used
Minwax Gel Stain in Chestnut to glaze over all of the painted surfaces.
I painted it on and wiped it off with an old rag
{you need to work quickly and in small areas at a time when using gel stain}.
 
 
Oh...and I Mod Podged the inside of the drawers so they are cleaner
{and prettier}!
 
Here are some close-up details...
 I added glass knobs
 
 


I painted over the pulls and dry-brushed them with gold paint.
 
Refinishing furniture is SO rewarding to me...
especially when it's SO inexpensive!!
Happy Me +Happy Budget=Happy Hubby!
That's a win in any book!
 
 
Go score a thrift store find and bring it back to life...you'll be so happy you did!
 
Have a blessed day,
Kim


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Mini Apple Pies

When we invited my In-Laws over for Sunday dinner, last week,
I chose a "comfort food" menu.
Pot Roast with potatoes, carrots, and Brown gravy
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Yeast Rolls
and for dessert...
{nothing says "comfort" to me more than}...
Apple Pie!
Well, I didn't want to make just any old Apple Pie...
I wanted something fun and different.
Then, I remembered seeing these precious little pies on Pinterest
and knew that I had to make
Mini Apple Pies.
 


And this is how I did it...
 
INGREDIENTS:
2 boxes refrigerated pie crust
6 medium Granny Smith apples, chopped into small cubes
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar + more for sprinkling on crust
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten {for "washing" the top of each pie}
 
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450.
Lightly spray muffin tin with butter cooking spray.  Set aside.
Toss apples and lemon juice in a large bowl. 
In a smaller bowl, combine brown sugar and remaining ingredients.
Pour over apples and toss to coat.  Set aside.
 
  

Unroll pie crust on wax paper {sprinkled with flour}.
Using the top to a plastic container {or any other circular item of your choice}, cut out 12 circles.

Place each circle inside each well of a muffin tin.
Shape to fit.
{You will need 2 pie crusts for the bottom of 12 mini pies}
 
Fill each mini pie with a large spoonful of apple mixture.

Using a pizza cutter, cut thin strips of the remaining pie crusts {I used 1 1/2 regular pie crusts for these}.
Cut various lengths as you need them and weave across the top of each pie.
Brush the top of each pie with egg wash.
Sprinkle the tops with sugar.
{I left my edges a little bit rustic because I prefer that look but if you want them to be "cleaner" and more uniform, you can cut the edges off with a knife and "pinch" them together}.



Reduce the heat of your oven to 350 degrees.
Bake pies for 15-20 minutes or until each pie is golden and the filling is bubbly.
 
Remove from oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes before removing from muffin tin.
 
 Aren't they just darling?
And they were SO yummy!
We topped with with homemade vanilla ice cream.  :)
 
These mini pies make such a fun presentation for your company.
They will feel very special!
 
Enjoy!
 
Blessings to you,
Kim
 
 


Monday, August 27, 2012

Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcakes

My favorite candy...in a cupcake?
YES, PLEASE!
 

I have been wanting to make these cuppies for a long time, now.
For some reason, I was hesitant...
maybe I was fearful that they just wouldn't do
my favorite candy
{of all time}
it's due justice.
Or maybe I was fearful that if I combined
my two greatest loves
{of the dessert world}
I would never stop eating them
and my battle to lose these {few} extra pounds
would seem insurmountable.
But my love for the two...
and my sweet tooth 
won me over.
I just had to give it a shot.
And I'm so glad I did
{but my waistline is not}!
 
They are DECADENT!
If you love Peanut Butter & Chocolate
you will simply
ADORE
these!
 
Click HERE for the recipe.


Peanut Buttery Blessings to you,
Kim  :)


Friday, August 24, 2012

Back to School...Apple Snickerdoodle Cookies

 
School is in full swing here in Oklahoma.
The first day of school was a bittersweet day for me...
I have loved having the kiddos at home with me!
This summer flew by way too fast!
But, being a {former} teacher, I also LOVE the
Back To School time of year!
Shopping for school supplies
New school clothes
Meet the Teacher
New friends
It's all SO exciting!
The kiddos were {mostly} excited about going back to school, too.
Here they are on the
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
 The oldest was off at Band Camp
but this is the rest of them...aren't they PRECIOUS!
{{Blessed!!}}
 
So, to celebrate surviving their first day of school, I thought I'd make them a
special treat to enjoy when they got home.

 They love Snickerdoodles
{who doesn't?}
So I made a little variation to the classic recipe...
I added applesauce
{in place of the eggs}
and decorated them to look like apples.  :)
 
They were DE-LISH!

Here's the recipe.
 
APPLE SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES
*Adapted from Our Best Bites*
 
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 large eggs (substitute 1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce)
Red food coloring/gel paste
Red Decorator Sugar (for final red "sprinkling")
Tootsie Rolls
Green candy melts (or any other green item for leaves...you could cut up green fruit rolls, too)
 
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
Combine 1/4 cup sugar and red food coloring in small ziploc baggie. 
"Smush" sugar and food coloring together until sugar is red. 
Combine with cinnamon in shallow dish and set aside.

 
Cut Tootsie Rolls in 1/2 lengthwise and then each 1/2 in half lengthwise to make 4 strips for stems.
Set aside.
Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.
Beat butter, shortening, and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
Reduce speed of mixer to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds.
Give dough final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain.


Working with 1-2 tablespoons of dough at a time (depending on desired size) roll into balls.
Working in batches, roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart.


Bake 1 sheet at a time until edges of cookies are set and just barely beginning to brown, but centers are still soft and puffy, about 10-12 minutes.
The cookies should look raw between the cracks and seem underdone.


 
Immediately sprinkle with Red Decorator Sugar while they are still warm.
Insert a Tootsie Roll strip into the top of each cookie and press lightly.
Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
Melt green candy melts according to package directions.
Spoon into piping bag fitted with small tip.
Pipe small leaves onto wax paper and let cool. {They don't have to look perfect...the more rustic the better}  :)

Once leaves are set, pipe a small amount onto the back and attach to the cookie near the stem.
Makes about 2 dozen 3-4 inch cookies.

 
The kiddos really enjoyed their 1st Day of School treat.
I hope yours do, too!! 
 
Back To School Blessings to you,
Kim



Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Texas Sheet Cake Cupcakes

I have attended countless BBQ's growing up in Texas.
One of the {many} things I miss about Texas is the BBQ!
I love me some meat!
Brisket
Pulled Pork
Hot links
BBQ Chicken
But even more than the meat, I love the desserts
that accompany the meats.
Especially
TEXAS SHEET CAKE!
The moist, chocolatey, sugary, nutty
goodness that it is!
It is not the prettiest cake you've ever seen.
It's usually served in a sheet pan
with the chocolate frosting smoothed on top
and sprinkled with chopped pecans.
Well, seeing how I'm obsessed with cupcakes,
I have been wanting to turn this favorite Texas BBQ Dessert
into a cupcake.
So I did.
And they were just as good as the original!
 
Click HERE for the recipe.
 
Blessings to you,
Kim
 

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Our Very Own Birdie's Eggs...on Canvas!

A few weeks ago, when I was watering my ferns, I found this:
A beautiful, perfect little birdie nest and perfectly light blue little birdie eggs
resting ever so sweetly inside one of my ferns.
I was so thrilled and excited I thought I might cry!
{I didn't cry...really, I didn't!!}

I knew I had to find a way to bring this little miracle,
this little piece of Heaven on Earth
into our home.

I have seen advertisements for printing personal photos onto a canvas
so I decided to give it a try.
And, since I love creating unique pieces of decor for our home...
I felt like this would be the perfect photo...

I played with the colors a bit and I just couldn't capture the blue the way I wanted.
So, I decided to go Sepia...

and I LOVE it!!!!
It's hard to capture the true beauty of it
{since I only have a cheapo camera & no quality photo editing software}
but you get the idea {I hope}.
{I got this done at Staples for $29.99}

 
I got this metal flourish at Hobby Lobby {$7.50...it was 50% off!}
and added it above the canvas.

This is a picture of Shelby at 1 year.
{My sister, Lesa took her 1 year photos and they turned out beautifully!}
{{www.y2photo.net}}


 
I also got this burlap lamp at Hobby Lobby for 50% off.
{LOVE Hobby Lobby!!}
Gotta have me some burlap, ya know! :)

And here it is...all together...
I found this dresser at an antique store nearby...
for $36.00...
it was already painted turquoise!
LOVE!!
{This is in our dining room}

If you have any photos that you're considering turning into a canvas,
I highly recommend it.

Oh...here are our birdies right after they hatched...
 
Aren't they so sweet?
They grow so fast...they flew away just a couple of weeks after these were taken!  :( 
{These pictures were taken by our sweet friend and treasured babysitter, Lacey...thanks, Lacey!}
God is the perfect artist.
I hope you find inspiration in His creation each and every day!

Blessings to you,
Kim

Monday, July 23, 2012

Silhouette Utensil Art

After weeks of searching for the "perfect" trio of artwork
that was unique, rustic, suitable for a dining room, and just the right size,
I finally gave up and decided to DIY-it.
This is what I came up with...

 I downloaded Silverware images for my Silhouette machine.
Cut them out of vinyl,
and applied them to these rustic barnwood frames that I got from Hobby Lobby {for 50% off}!
Click HERE for a tutorial.

DIY projects are so rewarding...don't ya think?

Blessings to you,
Kim