MAKING Mondays….Valentine's Day Banner

It's hard to keep an old blog down!  Hi folks!  I've been hit by lightning inspiration lately and I've come to the conclusion that I'm missing this space.  Instagram is great but I miss my friends here in blog land and seeing the creative process through all of your blogs.  We live and learn all the way through life….just happy to be back!

I was looking to save money and repurpose to make some Valentine's Day decor for the house so I got busy cutting up old drapes.

Sketching out the design with pencil, stitching up the edging, painting with gold fabric paint and grabbing a stick from the yard and we now have a little love banner! 

And as for the garden I have been planning, planning, planning!  Here is where I'm getting some of my veggie seeds this year…..High Mowing Organic Seeds


As for what has been shaking over here while we are waiting for the ground to thaw…..

 winter vignettes in the garden

 bird projects with the beans

art making in the studio

 Happy Making, Baking, and Growing!  Thanks for coming by!

Girls' Room....DONE!

This has been a long time coming so needless to say I'm excited to finally be at the finish line!  I wanted this space to grow with my girls over time and be flexible and neutral enough for them to change things in and out as they age.

Here is where we started...

And here is the after....

 The antique highboy dresser, small china cabinet, and small dresser in the closet were all from a gal here in my town.  She finds old vintage pieces and refinishes them.  We were so excited to find her as I feel good about reusing what is already out there and her work is amazing!  

Visit her here at SOMETHING FOUND

This china cabinet is perfect for the girls to display all of their special treasures and we even found a note inside dating back to 1955 as this was once someone's wedding gift!

I'm very passionate about putting spaces together and this one was extra special for me!  Thanks for letting me share it with you!   

Happy Creating Friends!  

Repurposed, Thrifted, Vintage, Made

blue rug...repurposed from family room
lamps...repurposed from other rooms
tray on nightstand...thrifted
gold frames above beds ...thrifted
star catching art above beds....gift from aunt
flower art on dresser...thrifted
beds....belonged to my grandparents
chair....vintage piece from great-aunt

art in closet...made

be you art....made
flower art...made (photo taken from the garden)
art in china cabinet...made

Bought
duvet covers....West Elm
quilts,shams, baskets....Home Goods
drapes....Pottery Barn Kids
mirror...Bellacor
removable wallpaper...Amazon
book ledges...Ikea
chandelier....Restoration Hardware Baby and Child

Linking up with.....Cozy Little House...Tweak It Tuesday

Five on Friday.....

I'm excited to be linking up with my friend Amy from Love Made My Home today!  My 5 are all centered around the home as we have been cooped up for the last month with February being bitterly cold in our neck of the woods.  The beans are all bouncing off the walls and this mama is ready to dig in the dirt!

 One~Baking

Each Monday I plan out meals for the week and write them on our chalkboard that sits in our kitchen.  I make my list for exactly what we need for that week and head to the grocery.  So come Sunday the fridge looks pretty bare.  The good part about this plan is that we don't waste much food.  If you must know, I always feel guilty when I see food go to waste.  I try to teach the beans the importance of where their food comes from and how lucky they are to have it.  So with black bananas staring me down, I decided to make a loaf of...

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1/4 cup butter

8oz cream cheese

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups regular flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups ripe smashed bananas 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy and slowly add the sugar until fluffy.  Then add the eggs one at a time.  In a separate bowl combine the flours, baking soda, powder, and salt.  Sift into the butter mixture alternating the flour mixture with the buttermilk.  Stir in bananas, chocolate chips and vanilla.  Pour into 2 buttered loaf pans.  Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let stand in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.  Once out let the loaves cool for 30 minutes.  YUMMY!

I also think a lot about where our food comes from.  Sure the beans eat processed foods but I try to limit it as much as possible.  Our new favorite snack is one that is not only easy to make but works well because it only requires 3 ingredients that we always have on hand.

Sun Butter Honey Oat Bites

We have a nut allergy in our home so I changed this recipe from peanut butter to sunbutter and I was thrilled at how delicious it tasted!   

{Inspired by the peanut butter version found on Pinterest}

1/2 cup of sunbutter

1/4 cup of honey

about 1 cup of oats 

(a little more of mixture seems to wet)

~Grease a 9 by 9 pan

~Heat sunbutter and honey in the microwave for 45 seconds and stir 

~Pour in oats and stir again

~Press into pan and put it in the fridge for a couple of minutes to let set

~Cut into squares

Two~Crafting with Beans {character board}

Did I mention that we've been cooped up?!!?  The perfect time to take a trip to Michaels to buy some bits for a new project.  I've had this old sign for a long time and kept it because I knew it would come in handy one day.  The beans and I decided to turn this into our character board.

We picked up wooden hearts and stars at the craft store.  As well as magnetic strips and letters.  I wanted them to have a hand in making the pieces for their board.  The beans painted the pieces and added their names to the newly sprayed sign.

When they make good choices, show good character, and do their chores I tell them to add a star or heart to their board.   It's been such a fantastic way to highlight their positive behaviors throughout the day and a great motivator as well.

Three~Decorating

I wish I could say that I finished my girls' room but I'm not quite there yet.  In the meantime, I've been adding some finishing touches to my little man's room.  My pop found a vintage airplane calendar for my son so I was able to use some of those photos in his new gallery wall.  

Four~Hearts

And because I still have a ton of fabric from my old curtains I hand sewed a few hearts that hung in the house during the month of February.  Thinking I will use them as ornaments for Christmas this year.

Five~Garden

Last on the list are  2 items I would like to purchase for our garden this year.  I have an infatuation with garden obelisks.  The problem is every obelisk that I like is only made and shipped within the UK.  You all sure know how to make them over there!   Wooden obelisks with round finials are my favorite.

via-Indulgy.com

So after a lot of searching I found this one here   The price is right though I will probably end up painting it and maybe just maybe adding my own round finial to the top!  

The last piece for the garden would be a potting bench.  I like the idea of having one for all my "stuff" as well as using it to create vignettes during the cold winter months here in Chicago.  This picture (a bit fuzzy) was from a Christmas walk I went on with my mom and sisters.

I found this simple straightforward version from here

And there you have it!

 I wanted to take a moment and thank you all for being so outstanding.  This journey has connected me with so many extraordinary folks from across the globe!  You inspire me daily!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!  

*I've been informed that my comments have stopped reaching people's email inboxes.  I'm not sure why so if anyone has any advice on that please feel free to share.

on the table....vegetable chili

When it is negative 25 degrees outside (with the wind chill) it's a good day for chili!  I learned how to make this chili from my older sister.  She came to my house when I was pregnant with bean number one and we made a giant pot.  This chili freezes fantastically so there is always some in the freezer.

Veggie Chili...

~2 cans of black beans

~2 cans of kidney beans

~1 bag of frozen corn

~2 red peppers

~2 green peppers

~3 green onions 

~1 small yellow onion

~2 jalapeños

~chili powder

~a pound and a half of ground turkey (or you can use beef)

~45 oz of caned diced tomatoes

~45 oz of canned tomato puree 

The first thing I do is pour all of the tomatoes in a big pot.  Next I slice up all the veggies (except the yellow onion) and heat the corn up in the microwave.  Make sure when you're chopping those jalapeños that you don't get any seeds in the mix!  Dump all the veggies in with your tomatoes and don't forget the beans.  Then slice up your yellow onion.  Add some olive oil to your pan and throw in your onions.  When the onions are looking a little colorful add your meat and season with chili powder.  Last pour your meat into the pot.  Cook your chili on low for 3-4 hours and there you have it!  

My sister, as some of you may know, is a photographer.  Her ability to capture the essence and beauty of the world around her is quite extraordinary.  

SCOUT PHOTOGRAPHY~Elizabeth Guzaldo

Can you tell I'm proud of her!?!  

And with the brutal cold outside today I reworked the mantle after taking all the Christmas decorations down.  I left the vintage candle sticks but added some jars of pinecones and some old books.

And then came a bit of lounging in the kitchen.  The beans love to cook with me so this a typical scene.

 End of the night fire with cookies and all is good. 

Stay warm friends and a happy week to you!  

January Design Ideas....

Hello folks!  I sure hope you all had a festive holiday!   We had a great Christmas with lots of loafing around and sleeping in.  It will be shocking when next week comes knocking and we are back to zipping around and scheduled activities.  I'm not sure I'm ready for that, but are we ever?!?  

With the date reading January 2nd now,  I've been thinking about what this year will look like.  No big resolutions to speak of.  Just simple everyday goals of this and thats to be a better me.  I must admit this time of year is usually the time when I start to feel the shift.  The...which way are we going kinda thing.   For now we are here,  taking in the days with 3 rambunctious beans though this quote always rings loudly in my head.....   

So in the event that we don't move to land and we are here in this suburban house for the long haul, there are some things that need to be addressed in the garden this year.  A huge challenge for any gardener is creating a sense of depth and privacy in their space.  Couple that with a small plot and surrounding neighbors and you're left with a challenging puzzle as for what to plant.  I'm still working on creating my screen against the back fence.  I lost both diablo ninebarks this past year.  So needless to say I'm in desperate need of reworking my backdrop along the back fence.  Below you can see some gaps and the fence glaring out at you.  This will be an ongoing saga this spring so please bear with me!  

Nice mass plantings and backdrop in a garden I visited this summer...

And here is some more garden inspiration.  It is a small east coast garden from Fine Gardening. 

{photos by James Salomon}  

Besides the fact that this garden is full and lush, I am thoroughly taken with the use of conifers in the space.  The endless layering in the background is a feast for the eyes and blocks the views of the neighbors.

Switching gears now to the creating department......I have done NOTHING in weeks!   But alas, my mojo started coming back this week!  It all began when I was tucking my bean girl in for the night.  I began to look around their room and knew it was time to really finish...I mean REALLY finish their space for them.  They deserve a special spot and I'm so excited to give that to them.

Here is a shot of what their room looked like....

And though it is not completely done yet, it is almost there.  Here is a design collage of some of the room's features.  The plan is to have their space finished by the end of the month!

I hope that 2015 is your year!  

That you reach and stretch for those dreams you never thought possible and they come true! 

And as always....Happy Making, Baking, and Growing!