diy Design Fanatic

Take It Off The List

2012-02-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

Both my husband and daughter had requested an ottoman for the chair in our Master Bedroom. We watch tv in there almost every evening in the winter and I blog in this chair, as well.

I would love to have an ottoman like this one from:

The Find

or this one....


The Find

The problem is, they are VERY pricey at several hundred dollars and definitely not in the budget!

With buying an ottoman out of the question, making one was put on the project list.

Problem is...it's way down on the list!

Well, last week, Susan from Between Naps On The Porch blogged about her search for an ottoman for her newly redecorated office. She found one at for a great price at World Market. I immediately went online and ordered one that day and couldn't wait to get it. The best part about it was that the ottoman was on sale!

The box arrived and I immediately set the ottoman up in the Foyer.

Here the ottoman is all set up in our bedroom. It's perfect.

Here's Before...

...and, After:

The slipcovered ottoman was only $30 on sale. The slipcover is sold separately and comes in several colors. It was on sale for $39. I was only going to get the ottoman, since I could sew one, but again, it would be way down on the project list.

Thanks to Susan, making an ottoman for our Master Bedroom is now off the project list! Yay!

Pam

Keep Organized With Baskets

2012-01-27T07:30:00.000-05:00

I love using baskets for storage they are so functional and can add great texture to your interior decor.

I use baskets in just about every room of our home. They are great for hiding stuff you don't want to see or coralling your stuff so you can find it.

The oldest set of baskets have been used for 20+ years.

This nesting set was originally brown, then painted blue for our daughters' nursery and now it's painted gold and it holds Qtips and cotton balls in my bathroom. You can see that some of the gold has rubbed off and the previous blue finish shows through. Love that!

A square basket in our Breakfast Room keeps napkins handy.

A little basket next to the breakfast table keeps magazines and catalogs nearby.

Extra sets of keys are kept in a basket box by the door. I keep only one set of keys on the key rack and the rest go in here.

This heavy duty covered basket held my oldest daughter's books.

A larger basket holds more magazines and catalogs in the Family Room.

These cute baskets in the Laundry Room hold cleaning rags, stray socks and misc. stuff.

The linen closet in our Master Bath stays neat and tidy with the addition of these lined gray baskets

The latest additions to my basket collection are these three baskets

The three baskets add height to my vintage cabinet. I haven't decided what will be stored in them yet.

I find almost all of my baskets at HomeGoods, Marshalls or TJ Maxx. You can't beat their prices. These lidded baskets were only $6.99.

I am constantly looking for more baskets to keep me organized. My pantry and office could definitely use more of them.

Where do you use baskets in your home and where is your go to place to find them?

Pam

Ruby Red Glasses

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

There are still a couple of weeks before Valentine's Day, but I've already set the table.

HomeGoods was on the way home a few days ago and I had to stop in to see what they had. Found the red napkins on the clearance aisle and thought they'd go perfectly with my ruby red glasses. Everything else on the table is something we already had.

The sun made an appearance today and it was nice and warm at 64 degrees. Not bad for January!

The khaki placemats are too wide to put down the regular way, but they worked perfectly turned vertically.

I shopped the house for the centerpiece.

Hope you are having a good week!

Pam
joining:
At The Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday

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Wax Paper Crayon Hearts

2012-01-22T17:03:00.000-05:00

Saw some wax paper crayon hearts on Martha Stewart awhile back and thought they'd be fun to make.

Martha Stewart

I used crayons leftover from raising our two girls. Yup, still have them in a drawer in the basement.

I shaved some red and white crayons onto a sheet of wax paper, covered it with another sheet of wax paper. Then I put these two pieces between two pieces(top & bottom) of newspaper and ironed. You can read better instructions on Martha Stewart. Here hearts have less shavings and are spread more evenly.

The windows in our breakfast room is a perfect place for them.

Little wax paper crayon hearts might be fun hanging from the chandelier, as well.The big ones look so cheery on this dreary day.

Hope you had a fun weekend!

Wish I could say the same :( I'm a little distracted after hearing some news from SoCal. I really can't stand not being able to fix something. Are you the same way?

Pam

joining:
Debbiedoos for Magazine Copycat Challenge

The Girl Creative for Just Something I Whipped Up

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I Hate Cooking!

2012-01-19T12:20:00.001-05:00

There, I said it...

Anyone else feel this way?

This is how I feel when I'm thinking about what to make for dinner...

Maybe I should get this book...

I am still grateful (see last post) for the blessing of never having gone hungry for lack of food. I am hungry right now because I don't know what I want to eat. Talk about being spoiled.

Remember the sign in the Breakfast Room that I made awhile back? Maybe it should say, Eat Something Good Now!

It's not that I can't cook, it's just that sometimes it takes so long and there are so many other things I'd rather be doing...even......cleaning the bathrooms. Is it just me?

Mr. Fanatic and our youngest daughter love to cook...Well, Mr. Fanatic loves to cook; I think Jenny just likes for him to cook wonderful things for her. Sorry Jenny! I am so grateful to have a husband who loves to cook. Still, since he works and I stay home, it's my job to make dinner.

My favorite dinner is steak on the grill, baked potatoes and a salad..

Why? because there's only a salad bowl to clean up! The problem is, we can't afford to eat this 7 days a week.

I could eat the same thing for days. Cooking and eating takes us too much time. If I didn't have to eat, it would be ok with me. Did I say that out loud?

Back to grilled chicken... it can be eaten in so many ways. I love grilling up a bunch of chicken and eating the leftovers as grilled chicken sandwiches, quesadillas, chicken pasta salad, etc. It saves so much time when you cook for more than one meal.

thesisterscafe.com

Here's the Chicken Club Quesadillas I make.

Burritos and tacos are simple...

dinnertotherescue.blogspot.com

So is Italian Meatloaf.

It doesn't help that I don't like very many foods as this seriously limits what to cook.

So, what should I make for dinner????

Does anyone else have this problem???

Pam

One Word

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Layla over at the Lettered Cottage is having a This Little Word Of Mine” link party. My word for the year is how I'm feeling about life.

My word is...

thecraftingchicks.com

I saw this on Pinterest awhile back and I often think about how true it is, especially with the state of the economy of here in the US and around the world.

Ungratefulness is one of my pet peeves.

Sorry, didn't mean to make you feel bad.

bitsotruth.blogspot.com

So true.

sistersrunningthekitchen.com

I have so many things I am grateful for that if they were listed here the would go on forever. I would like to encourage you to take the time every day and be grateful to God for the big AND the little things; big things like your family and health and little things like a comfy warm bed to sleep in at night.

I hope you will be grateful all year long and every single day.

Pam

DIY: Sewing A Pillow Cover Is So Easy

2012-01-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

Pillow covers are so easy to make whether you sew them or use a no sew product. If you have several pairs of them, they are easy to change out seasonally and take up very little space compared to having several sets of pillows. Plus, if you make them yourselves, pillow covers are a lot cheaper to make than going out and buying a bunch of new pillows.

The other night Mr. Fanatic had to do some paperwork in the office and asked me to join him, so I thought I'd whip up a pillow cover with some fabric I found the last time I was at Mary Jo's.

Here it is:

I just took one of the down pillows I already had, took off the cover and slipped on the cover once it was made. I think it took me all of 30 minutes to cut out the fabric and sew the pillow cover.

I thought the newly covered pillow would look great on the gray sofa.

Then I tried it on one of the leather chairs.

The gray sofa pillows were on the leather chairs, but I think the green fabric looks so much better.

Since we have 2 leather chairs, it looks like I'm going to have to make a trip to Mary Jo's and get some fabric to make another pillow cover for the second chair.

It's been cold here the past couple of days and the sun hardly shined at all last week and I would love to just skip over the next two months and go straight to Spring!

How about you?

Hope you did something fun weekend!

Pam

joining:
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday
House in the Roses for Show Off Your Cottage Monday

What Santa Brought And A Vintage Cabinet

2012-01-11T13:56:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, January is almost halfway over and I'm just now sharing this with you....

Mr. Fanatic took a photo of me on Christmas with my new Canon T3i. You'd think that since I've been wanting one for so long that I would have opened it right away and started taking photos.

Fact is...Today is the first day I took photos with my new camera.

Thought I'd show you something else I've been hiding:

Found this on Craigslist several months ago and it sat out in the garage on the trailer we brought it home on for a couple of months. Then, it made it all the way into the living room because the Christmas tree was on this wall during December. I originally thought it would look great in my office.

Hmmm, maybe we will go back to the Tobacco Barn and get this one for my office:

I love the turned legs...

and the scrollwork on the door is so pretty.

I plan on painting this piece, but will wait until after the Family Room is painted....gotta get on that!

The photos of the vintage cabinet were taken with my new camera, but on the auto mode. I'm hoping to read up on some tutorials on how to use it and if the sun comes out tomorrow...guess what I'll be doing?

Hope ya'll are having a great day!

Pam

Spreading The Word:

2012-01-10T07:30:00.000-05:00

While I was on Facebook today Fox Hollow Cottage posted a reminder for everyone to back up their blog with a link to an informative post done by Donna of Funky Junk Interiors last January.

It was a great reminder to back up my blog, so I did immediately and decided to pass it along to all of you! I try to remember to back up my blog every week or so just to be safe.

Head on over to Funky Junk Interiors to see the instructions on how to back up your blog.

Pam

Painted Wood Sign

2012-01-08T17:17:00.002-05:00

I hope you are having a fantastic New Year so far.
Things have been slowly getting back to normal around here and I've finally caught up.
Today I even had little time to do a small project.

There are so many cute wood signs that have been posted in blogland and on Pinterest and I wanted to make one. Here are a few that inspired me:

Ana White


Shabby Love


Crafts by Amanda

I knew exactly where I wanted to put the sign...in my Breakfast Room.

Here's the before:

Mr. Fanatic had a leftover piece of 2 x 6 from another project he just finished up and it was perfect to make a sign with.

Here's what I made:

Here's how it looks in the breakfast room:

This was such an easy project and I hope to make a few more.

Have a great week!

Pam

joining:

Somewhat Simple for Strut Your Stuff
Someday Crafts for Whatever Goes Wednesday
Domestically Speaking for The Power of Paint Party

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

The Girl Creative for Just Something I Whipped Up

Asheville, North Carolina

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday Mr. Fanatic had a couple of days free, so we took a mini-vacation in Asheville, North Carolina. We've been there a couple of times with our girls to see Biltmore House, but Jenny had to work on Thursday, so we went by ourselves. We had to be back on Saturday for Jenny's annual New Year's Eve party, so we drove to Asheville on Thursday and came home on Friday. Asheville is only a few hours from our home, and it's perfect weekend getaway.

I have to tell you about two of the places we went...just in case you ever visit Asheville.

I found both of these places on Trip Advisor and highly recommend using this website whenever you take a trip anywhere...even in your own town!

The Tobacco Barn Antiques was FABULOUS!

It has over 77,000 square foot warehouse full of antiques. Mr. F. said it looked like the warehouse where the ark of the covenant was hidden in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I loved this china cabinet and would have bought it, but I already bought a similar one on Craigslist a few months ago. Haven't shown it to you because I have to refinish it.

I really love teardrop pulls and turned legs.

These tin letters were pretty cool...

The other place you need to know about is Books & Breadboard. It's a cafe/gift shop that has fabulous food. The service was great too!

Their website is very user friendly...

The menu offers some pretty awesome items. Mr. F had the "Chapter 6" and I had the "Chapter 4". It was the best sandwich I've ever eaten!

This is the "Chapter 4"...roast beef on focaccia and blue cheese aioli...Yum!

The sandwiches are served on a big breadboard and came with veggie chips and a cup full of thinly cut marinated julienned vegetables. Here's Mr. F's "Chapter 6"...definitely a fancy and tasty ham and cheese!

We are definitely going to plan another trip to Asheville very soon.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy New Year, again!!!

Pam

Happy New Year and Pillows For The Vintage Chairs

2012-01-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a fun New Years celebration. I made this banner from a download from The TomKat Studio. What a fabulous blog for party inspiration!

At the end of November I showed you how I took these two vintage chairs from my Grandmother's basement

and turned them into this:

I purchased some fabric and made some pillows, but didn't get to show them to you with all the Christmas posts.

Well, Liz (from Infused with Liz) noticed my pillows in my Christmas Decorating In The Foyer post. Good eye, Liz!

I thought I could sneak them by everyone without you noticing!

Here are the chairs and pillows up close and personal...

I photographed the chairs and pillows in the Dining Room since they looked so good against the gray paint.

The Foyer is going to be painted greige in the next couple of months. Can't wait to get that project finished!

Today's the day we take down our Christmas trees. All the other decorations are all put away and organized in boxes in our basement. Now on to projects for the new year.

I'm going to have to prioritize my list of projects to start; there are about 6 of them that I can't wait to get started on.

Have any of you made any New Years resolutions yet? Really the only one I have that's on my list is to lose a few more pounds. I lost 25 pound in 2011 and only gained back 2 during the holidays! I think that's pretty good, all things considered! I might do a post on how I finally was able to lose the weight....without exercising!

Would love to hear your New Years resolutions/goals, if you've made any.

Happy 2012!!!

Pam

joining:
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesdays Treasures

The DIY Showoff for DIY Project Parade

Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Party

Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

I just had to post one more time and show you the tree my daughter put together in our living room.

She and her sister had their own little tree with their ornaments when they were younger, and she decided to have a tree of with the ornaments she's been given over the years. The garland was the only thing I helped her with.

The angel was given to her on her first Christmas from us.

I made a her a little bear with wings the following year.

Can you guess what her favorite food is?

This ornament makes me hungry for In n Out Burger. They serve their fries in a "fry boat" like this:

Muffy Van der Bear is so cute.

It was nice to sit back and watch her decorate her tree. I think she did a great job, don't you?

So glad you stopped by during these very busy last few days before Christmas!

Pam

joining:
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

Christmas Buckeyes

2011-12-21T10:44:00.000-05:00

4 days and counting until Christmas! Are you ready???

Last weekend was a little stressful for us as we had to get the last of the baking done. Every year we give

our neighbors and friends a few of our favorite home baked goodies.

Buckeyes are on the list.

Here's our recipe:
1 lb. Confectioners sugar
1  18 oz. jar chunky peanut butter (we use all natural)
1 stick butter (1/4 lb.)

Soften the butter at room temp, cream butter with sugar.

Add Peanut Butter and mix 
completely. Form into small bite size balls and refrigerate

till firm.

This is a double batch getting chilled in the refrigerator:

 Now for the chocolate:

Melt in a double boiler:
12 oz. Semi Sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler till smooth.

I use a large mixing bowl over a

medium sized pot with about 3 inches of water in it.

This is how the chocolate looks when its ready:

I only take out 1-2 dozen out of the refrigerator to dip. It's easier to dip the balls if they are cold.

If you have a thin ice pick, it works much better for dipping than a toothpick. I discovered this when I couldn't find any toothpicks!

Then, just swirl the ball around the bowl until it looks like this:

Set the dipped balls on a cookie sheet with either waxed paper or parchment paper.

Remember, they don't have to look perfect! I dipped all of the Buckeyes this year and they aren't nearly as perfect as when Mr. Fanatic makes them, but nobody seems to care when they are eating them!

Once' the tray is full, put it in the refrigerator for the Buckeyes to set up. Once they are cooled, I just smoosh the hole left by the ice pick closed.

They make a really nice addition to your other gifts all wrapped up nice and pretty.

Pumpkin bread is another favorite baked good that I share at Christmas.

What are your favorite Christmas goodies to share?

Pam

Christmas In The Breakfast Room

2011-12-18T13:33:00.000-05:00

There are two rooms in our home that turned out better than I planned and I'm lovin' the way they look all decked out for Christmas. Our Foyer is one space that has never looked better...

our breakfast room is the other. I've been spending a lot of time lately in the kitchen and the breakfast room and this is what I look at while baking and cooking Christmas goodies:

I ordered the wreaths from Home Decorators.

All of the other Christmas decorations were things we already had.

I love whenever I get a chance to bring out my ruby red glasses that we've had for many years. I think I first saw similar ones on the cover of a Southern Living December issue many years ago.

We've been busy this weekend finishing up the baking and getting the last shipments ready to drop off at the post office and of course, going to a few Christmas gatherings.

Hope you are enjoying the season!

Pam

Joining:

Between Naps on the Porch

Hookin Up With HOH
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

aka Design for Doin' It Yourself Link Party

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures

DIY Showoff for Project Parade

House in the Roses for Show off Your Cottage Monday

Christmas Decorating In The Foyer

2011-12-15T10:58:00.000-05:00

I don't need to tell you that Christmas is a little over a week away...

Are you ready?

I still have so much to do and will hopefully get it most of it finished by this weekend.

At least my foyer is ready to welcome guests!!! I think this is the best the foyer has ever looked. It's a really large space and until recently, it has been pretty much empty and ignored.

The front door used to be white and I painted it black a few months ago.

Greenery from our large Leyland cypress trees were added to the shelf above the front door. I will have to find another source next year as we are having these trees removed so we can have a larger vegetable garden in the Spring.

I love glass ornaments. The Santa and Snow White are Christopher Radko. Snow White and Winnie the Pooh are part of my daughter's collection that we've given her over the years.

This snowman is my favorite Christmas decoration and I'm not sure why. I just have to smile whenever I look at him.

So glad you stopped by when I know you are so busy!

Hope you have a great day and get a lot of things crossed off your list!!!

Pam

joining:

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

Chic on a Shoestring for Flaunt It Friday

At The Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday

Super Easy DIY Christmas Stenciled Table Runner

2011-12-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

How's everyone doing this Christmas season, so far? Are you all finished with your shopping, baking and wrapping yet?

This is the week where I'm wishing I started sooner. Since we live so far away from family, we try to get our gifts and goodies wrapped up and sent off before December 15th...and my goal is to get the shipping out the door no later than this coming Tuesday.

I wanted to share an quick and super easy project that you can even do with kids (just be sure to cover the table you're working on).

Since burlap is so popular this year, I've cut a couple of runners for several of my table tops. I thought it would be fun to stencil some snowflakes on one of them

I think this project took all of ten minutes plus clean up time. I used a snowflake stencil I found at Hobby Lobby awhile back and dabbed on some white acrylic paint randomly across the runner.

That's it!

I told you it was a super easy project!

My next project is dipping Buckeyes! Yum!

Pam

joining:
aka Design for Doin' It Yourself Link Party
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesdays Treasures

A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

Centsational Girl for diy Ornaments & Holiday Craft Link Party

O, Christmas Tree...

2011-12-09T09:43:00.002-05:00

December seems to be flying by for me, is it for you, too?

I've enjoyed all the link parties and have been so inspired by all of the gorgeous and creative Christmas decorating going on. You are all really amazing.

Im excited to finally show you our Christmas tree. We've been enjoying it being lit up, especially at night.

I love opening the boxes of ornaments and seeing my favorites from years past. The following two were purchased many years ago on a trip the Mr. Fanatic and I went on BK (before kids) to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Our daughter Jenny picked out the tree this year(again). I think it's one of our tallest at over 9 feet. I could barely reach the top with our tall ladder.

I love these little blingy ornaments I found this year.

The fleur-de-lis is another one of my favorites.

Hope you are enjoying this wonderful season!

Pam

joining:

Gold Inspiration Party at 504 Main

Christmas Wreath and Front Door

2011-12-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

Hope you all have been enjoying all the parties this week! It's been a lot of fun seeing all the fabulous decorations everyone has come up with.

I had a difficult time choosing what to do for my Christmas Wreath, so I used my Fall Wreath and added some burlap, greenery, a glittery star and of course, some burlap. I shopped the house for everything to create it.

The weather was warm here today ~ 70 degrees....and this former Southern California girl is NOT complaining!

I brought some poinsettias out for the photo because it was such a wonderful day. I used to fill the porch with them back in California and did the same the first Christmas we were in North Carolina. I found out the next morning after putting them outside that poinsettias do not like the cold! Lesson learned!

I might put up some lighted garlands a round the door and down our railing.

Hope you'll join me at the Blogger Block Party!

Pam

and

SYS Link Party

Christmas Tabletop

2011-12-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

I wanted to join in on as many parties this week, so this is my second post for the day. The sofa table was decorated first this year with some new Christmas additions.

I love the bare branches I picked up in my yard, but for Christmas I just added some small red ornaments.

You'll see these lovelies in many of my Christmas decorating posts. I found these blingy ornaments at HomeGoods. Wish I could have found many more of these because they are so pretty!

These three decorations are my new favorites. Who doesn't love snow globes and bottlebrush Christmas trees?

If you missed my Christmas mantel, you can see it here.

Pam

Joining:
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

The Lettered Cottage

Christmas Mantel

2011-12-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

So happy to share with you the first Christmas mantel in our family room. It's the first because the mantel never got decorated because the tv and other electrical accoutrements were inside the niche and it didn't make sense to decorate in front of that...kinda like lipstick on a pig? lol!

The niche is very large and deep, so two poinsettias were perfect to fill up a lot of the space. Yesterday I showed you the burlap stockings I made.

The book-box and the poinsettias are the only accessories that I purchased. I shopped the house for everything else.

I love old books, don't you?

Remember the Blogger Block Party is going on all week

Hope you have a great day!

Pam

Joining:

Funky Junk Interiors for Mantels and Stockings Party

and

Home Stories A to Z for Christmas Mantel Party

Christmas Copycat

2011-12-04T00:13:00.001-05:00

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Mr. Fanatic and I had a big surprise waiting for us at our house when we arrived home late Friday afternoon. Our oldest daughter, whom you all know lives in California, surprised us again with a visit! This time she brought her boyfriend with her and it was very nice to finally meet him. They are flying back to California tomorrow.

Well, ya'll know it's time to PARTY! The Christmas Block Party is this week! Debbie is starting off the holiday festivities with a Copycat Challenge

My copycat isn't based on a single inspiration, but on a conglomeration of several. I'm sure you've seen some really cute burlap stockings out there.

I love the sparkly brooch and the ribbon against the texture of the burlap.

EABDesigns.typepad.com

The flower on the cuff is a nice touch.

CozyCottageCute.com

This burlap stocking has a perfectly proportioned cuff.

Etsy.com DesignsbyNancyT

Put all three together....and here's what I came up with:

You can see a peek of the mantel, but you will have to wait until tomorrow for the 2nd link party. This is my first Christmas mantel in our family room and I can't wait to show it to you.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hope you'll become a follower by signing up on the Google Friend Connect button on my sidebar.

Pam

Here's where I'll be partying the rest of the week:

DIY: Sprout Your Own Seeds

2011-12-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

Do any of you ladies (and gentlemen) out there watch Dr. Oz???

I've been watching him lately and on a show last month he talked about how sprouted broccoli and chia seeds are good for you.

Yep, chia, as in cha, cha, cha, chia!

Broccoli sprouts are full of anti-oxidants and have cancer-preventive properties and chia seeds are full of omega 3's and fiber.

Since my garden is on hiatus for the winter, I felt the need to be growing something, so

I ordered some organic seeds and screen for the top of a Mason jar. You can probably find them at a store like Whole Foods or Earth Fare.

The easy directions were printed on the screen label.

I took one tablespoon of broccoli seeds....

...soaked them for 4 hours....

...rinsed them again and tipped the Mason jar on its side in a small bowl. This is how they looked the next day.

The seeds started to sprout the following day and I put them in our breakfast window which gets a few hours of sun a day.

I continued to rinse them twice a day and on the 3rd day the jar was almost full.

On the 4th day I put them in the refrigerator.

This whole jar came from 1 tablespoon of seeds.

Chia seeds have to be dry sprouted. I put about a teaspoon of chia seeds in a terra cotta saucer. Then the saucer was put in a larger Corning Ware baking dish. Water was added to the baking dish and the terra cotta sauce wicked up the water. I also sprayed the chia seeds with water, as well.

It took several days for them to sprout.

I kept spraying them every day and adding water to the baking dish when needed.

This is day 7, and they were probably ready to eat.

I put them in the refrigerator on day 8.

The broccoli sprouts are a little bitter for my taste to eat by themselves, but when put in a salad with dressing, you can't taste them at all. The chia sprouts are not bitter like the broccoli sprouts.

Since chia seeds(not the sprouts) are really small, they can be added to many things. I'm going to let you in on something I've found out... if you mix a 1/2 of a teaspoon with a little water and wait a few minutes, they "gel" up and can be eaten by before a meal to fill you up. The chia seeds are tasteless, but the texture is a little like tapioca.

Such an easy way to get some extra fiber and omega 3's!

Anyone up for trying something new?

Pam

Comfort Food

2011-12-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

Did anyone make turkey soup with the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving?

It's so easy and tastes so good.... I'm not one for recipes, but here's what I put in my pot:

...a turkey carcass, 1/2 of an onion, 3 stalks of celery, a cup of carrots, garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil and parsley. Then simmered for 2-3 hours.

The most tedious part is taking the meat off the bones.

While I did that, I cooked up 1/2 a package of egg noodles in a separate pot.

(egg noodles have protein in them)

Serve it up with some freshly made Artisan bread and you have a delicious meal!

Comfort food: it doesn't get any better than that!

Pam

DIY: Give New Life To Antique Chairs

2011-11-30T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm impressed by how many of you have already been decorating for Christmas already. I still need a few days to get in the Christmas spirit. I've been enjoying being inspired by all of your beautiful decorating ideas and am looking forward to more!

On Sunday I revealed the antique chairs from my grandmother's basement.

Today, I'll show you how I painted and recovered the seats. Reupholstering dining room chairs is

Remember, they looked were in pretty bad shape and looked like this:

Since they were already sanded, they didn't need any prep, other than to dust them off. After a couple of coats of black paint, they were looking pretty good.

The fabric was worn beyond recognition and came off pretty easily.

Cotton batting was used on the original chairs and Mary Jo's had some in stock. It is so soft!

Since the cotton batting was so thin, I used 4 layers of it. Three layers were cut the same size as the wood seat and the fourth layer was cut 2" larger on all sides.

The batting was attached with a staple gun.

The fabric was cut larger all the way around, as well.

Voila! Antique Chairs are finished!

Hopefully, there will be time to make two pillows in the midst of Christmas decorating!

Thanks for stopping by!

If you aren't a follower, be sure to click on the Google Friend Connect on my sidebar so you can follow along!

Pam

Joining:

Thrifty Decor Chick for December Before and After

Freckled Laundry for Air Your Laundry Friday
Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday

Somewhat Simple for SYS party

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursday

Shopping For Fabric

2011-11-29T07:30:00.000-05:00

Do you have a store that you like to shop at, but it's too far away to get to often? Mary Jo's fabric store is one of those places for me. I live south of Charlotte and Mary Jo's is all the way in Gastonia ~ about an hour drive from my home. I usually end up going to Hancock Fabrics which is closer to me, but they just don't have some of the nice fabrics that I love.

I had been looking forward to going to Mary Jo's for quite some time and finally made it there last Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Here's a row of upholstery fabric. They carry Waverly, Richloom, Braemore and more. Look at all those beautiful fabrics! My head was swimming as I walked up and down the aisles trying to decide what to get.

There are hundreds of different types of cording and trims for upholstery projects. Thank goodness I didn't have to choose from these...my project was just a simple seat recover and a couple of pillows.

There are more ribbons and trims the other side of the store.

Mary Jo's has a huge selection of laces for wedding dresses.

The laces were gorgeous!

This silk taffeta with pearls was so pretty.

Guess who I thought of when I saw this fabric on the upholstery aisle???? Debbie from Debbiedoos...Blogging and Babbling, of course!

I fell in love with this fabric for my family room. I resisted the temptation to buy it because I needed to focus on one project at a time. Otherwise my craft room will end up with piles of unused fabric. Does anyone else do that, or is it just me?

Here's the pricing of the fabric above. $21.95 was the cheapest that I could find it online, so Mary Jo's is much cheaper.

Here's what I ended up with for my chair(s) makeover and pillows projects.

The striped fabric and the flocked floral were $20.95 a yard. ( I know, ouch!) The fabric on the left was $10.98.

Mary Jo's also has some remnants on the end of the aisles, so definitely check them out.

OK, confession time... I did buy a 1/2 a yard of each of these Waverly fabrics...I couldn't resist. I'm hoping to make some pillow covers with them at the same time I make the pillow covers for the vintage chairs in my foyer.

Maybe it's a good thing Mary Jo's is an hour away.

What store do you have a difficult time resisting the urge to buy something?

Pam

Do It Yourself Project: Antique Chair Makeover

2011-11-27T16:28:00.001-05:00

Hope ya'll are doing well and had a great weekend.

I'm glad I get to show you this projects before all the Christmas decorating rush starts. Here's a peek at what I've been working on...

It all started when I wanted to make an upholstered bench like this for our foyer. Seems like a very simple one weekend project for Mr. Fanatic and I to do, but the problem is, he has a long honey do/project list already and I didn't want to add to it right now.

One Kings Lane

I'm a little ~ ok, a lot~ embarrassed to say that I've had these two chairs for like, forever....They've been in my basement for 11 years and I had them in my garage in California for a couple of years before that. I originally found them in my grandmother's basement a couple of years before we moved to North Carolina. I thought if I finished them both the same that I could put them side by side in our foyer and they could suffice instead of a bench.

As you can see, they've been sanded a bit, but that's as far as I got....until now.

Here's what they look like now:

Last Tuesday, I finally made it to Mary Jo's out in Gastonia. I was originally looking for a light linen, but only found this large striped linen.

I also found two other fabrics for pillows I'm going to make for the chairs. The price of fabric sure has gone up. Either that, or I have expensive taste.

The fabric on the right is flocked anywhere you see black..

I can't wait to get started on the pillows!

I'll show you how I transformed these antique chairs some time this week. If you aren't a follower, you can become one by clicking on the Google Friend Connect on my sidebar.

Pam

Joining:
Restore Interiors for Restored It Wednesday
Domestically Speaking for the Power of Paint Party

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

DIY by Design for Fall Into Fall

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesdays Treasures

A House In The Roses for Show Off Your Cottage Monday
The Girl Creative for Just Something I Whipped Up

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a very relaxing day...or at least I did.

Ok, don't hate me, but Mr. Fanatic did ALL the cooking. Yep, ever bit of it. I am a lucky girl. If it were up to me I would make....reservations. Seriously!

There were three of us this year~ the first holiday without our oldest daughter, who moved to California last May.

My youngest daughter and I set the table. I usually set the table for a holiday several days in advance, but we didn't start this year until the turkey was almost done.

Mr. F. brought home flowers for the table on Wednesday, as well as a bouquet for me and one for my daughter. Ah, so sweet!

Yum!

I took this photo with my cell phone...I know...cell phone at the table? I was texting our daughter in California and sent her this photo.

Today was a carb free for all! No counting carbs today...It was glorious!

I couldn't wait for dessert.

Mr. Fanatic made a pumpkin pie.

I bought a little apple pie at Trader Joe's, since I don't care for pumpkin pie.

I had two helpings of apple pie, ice cream AND whipped cream. It was sooooooooo good.

We had our meal at around 3 pm and watched movies all afternoon.

Hope you counted your blessings yesterday. I know I did.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Pam

Some Things I'm Thankful For

2011-11-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

Since we're celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday, I thought I'd share a few things I'm thankful for....

Family...

our home...

good food

good health, a great church, my husband's job...

...and wonderful blogging friends who inspire and encourage.

Thanks so much to all of you who stop by and leave so many wonderful comments.... and also, thanks to those of you who stop by and leave without saying hello...( sad)... you know who you are!

I'm thankful for so many other things unspoken.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Pam

DIY Log Splitting

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, you read that title right...Mr. and Mrs. Fanatic have been busy splitting wood this weekend instead of working on decorating a bedroom or working on a project for our foyer.

Way back in April, I told your about the 85 ft. tall oak that had to come down. We hired someone to drop it, but it would have been several hundred dollars more to take haul it away, so Mr. Fanatic would cut it up with his new manly chain saw when ever he got a chance. Problem is, most of it still needed to be cut up and it would have taken forever using a chain saw, so....

We rented a gas powered, 27 ton log splitter...Gotta love more power!

This powerful machine had no problem splitting the massive wood logs

And, yes, I actually got in there and split logs.(Always remember to wear your safety equipment!)

We would just split them in half, then split them again and again, until they were it useable pieces.

The pile in the foreground is oak and we split all of that, plus 1/2 of the stack behind it. There's also another stack the same size right behind the one you see, but Mr. F. cut that before this weekend.

Now ya'll know why we want to get a wood stove!

We also split a couple of small cedar trees. This wood smells sooooooo good! I might have to have Mr. Fanatic cut some of these logs up smaller to put in my drawers.

The grain in some of the oak closer to the trunk was pretty amazing.

Some small poplar trees were split, as well.

The diameter of the tree at the trunk is 3 feet across. It's hollow inside, so I thought I would use it as a container and grow some plants in it.

We saved five of the cut pieces of the logs and set them along the path to the creek. They make a nice place to sit and rest on the way back up the hill to the house.

When we were all finished splitting logs, we built a small fire and sat for a few...

Our Sammy came out to say hi. He's sitting on the deck stairs in the previous photo.

Lots of leaves to blow still, but they will have to wait til next week.

Our Japanese Maple has turned a beautiful shade of burgundy and is one of the last deciduous trees to lose it's leaves in our yard.

I'll leave you with my favorite photo of the day...The ajuga growing next to our patio looks so gorgeous among the fallen leaves.

(All photos were taken with Mr. F's Android.)

Hope you had a terrific weekend!

Pam

joining:

Homestead Revival's Barn Hop

Southern Savvy Style for Wow Us Wednesday

In Transition

2011-11-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Lot's of little diy projects going on around here at Casa Fanatic.

I was able to start on a really fun project that I am downright giddy about. I know, silly... but, haven't you ever started working on a project that's been on your list for like, forever...and after the first 30 minutes of working on it, you love how well it's turning out?

That's exactly how I felt working on it. I'll be working on this project for awhile because I need to take a trip out to Mary Jo's Fabric Store out in Gastonia, which is at least an hour away. I'm hoping to get there sometime this week. I can't wait to show it to you...

In the meantime, I worked on the table in our family room, as well...

See how purty the table top looks? It was scratched up a bit, so I put a new coat of black, then a coat of poly on it. I love making things look new again with a little paint and elbow grease...another lesson learned from hgtv Design on a Dime.

I think the last time I showed you the wall that the table is on, the artwork looked like this...

I painted over the artwork and it's in my Dining Room looking like this now...

You can see the tutorial HERE.

Here's what the same Family Room wall looks like now.

Found the artwork at at HomeGoods for a great price and couldn't pass it up. I don't know about you, but I have an awful time finding artwork that I like and won't break the bank.

I also found a great new lamp at HomeGoods. Was hoping to find two so I could have matching lamps over by the sofa, but a single lamp looks pretty good on this table.

The burlap was just cut from a piece I already had in my cache of fabric.

I love this portfolio of photographs of our family and my dad. We took the photos last May when my oldest daughter and my dad were in town for our youngest daughter's high school graduation.

This area is in transition since I am desperately trying to choose a greige paint color for the walls (lost count of the number of samples I've tested) and the number of photos of room ideas I've searched for.
Since the project I'm working on in the foyer a few feet over is the same color, this table, or at least the bottom part of it, will have to be painted a different color. Then, of course, the baskets under the table will have to be washed with a gray paint...

One project always leads to another!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Pam

Joining:

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

Giving Thanks

2011-11-09T14:00:00.003-05:00

With Thanksgiving Day quickly approaching, I've been thinking about how blessed we are.

This week, I added to the simple tablescape I set up last week.

I was cleaning out the pantry when I came across the fall chargers that I bought at Walmart last year. Thought they'd look good with my everyday Mikasa Italian Countryside and the salad plates I found at Marshall's many years ago.

The bell peppers were picked from my garden today. The plants are producing their last little gems. I think they are works of art in and of themselves, especially the tops. (should have taken a close up of them)

They are so easy to grow and produce quite a bit on each plant. I planted two and they've provided more than enough for our family. I highly recommend that everyone growing at least one plant next year. They're so easy and are a nice looking plant.

Here's a closeup of the detail on the charger.

The glasses are vintage "Boopie" from Anchor Hocking.

It's an absolutely gorgeous day today here in the Carolinas.

Hope you are counting your blessings today, too.

Pam

Joining:

Inspiration Friday ~ At The Picket Fence

Beauty In The Midst Of The Mundane...

2011-11-08T13:19:00.001-05:00

I'm in the middle of cleaning a few rooms today...I know, so exciting... when I looked out the window and saw this:

Since the light was so gorgeous on the trees, it was time to take a break and enjoy the fleeting beauty...

because this view won't look exactly the same next week or even next year.

Living in a place with four seasons has taught me a greater lesson about life and can be summed up in Ecclesiastes 3:1...

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
Every season has special things to do in it.

Time is fleeting...enjoy the season.

Hope you are having a great day!

Pam

Inspiration Friday ~ At The Picket Fence

Pleasantly Surprised

2011-11-07T20:43:00.004-05:00

A few days ago I was running errands and stopped in at Pier One. I wish I had my camera with me because the store was filled with so many great things.

One side of the store had several great tablescapes and so many wonderful dish combinations.

The faux fruit made me do a double take. The green apples look so real...

My cell phone photo doesn't do this combination justice...

I am in love with these distressed chargers...

I'm so glad I stopped in Pier One. A few of these might make it onto my Christmas wish list.

Pam

Just so you know: I was not paid or compensated in any way by Pier One for this blog post. I just wanted to share some of their great products!

joining:

A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

Swooning Over Wood Burning Stoves

2011-11-04T07:30:00.000-04:00

Our home growing up had a REAL wood burning fireplace and I loved it when my parents built a fire when the weather got cold enough. We lived in Southern California, so it wasn't often.

I loved the warmth of the fire and the sound of the crackling embers. It was so wonderful to curl up with a cozy blanket next to the fireplace.

Needless to say, I've always wanted a home with a wood burning fireplace. The last home we lived in didn't have a fireplace at all and the home we live in now has two gas log fireplaces. I was disappointed when we were looking for a house 12 years because every builder put in fake gas log fireplaces. Flip a switch and turn it on. Very strange. The builder installed gas logs don't even warm our family room and costs us a bundle when we turn it on, so it just sits there. I wish we had paid the extra money to have the builder install a real fireplace, especially because we have a forest behind our house! (ok, not really, but we do have acres of woods)

Now to the real reason for the post....

I've learned that many homes in certain parts of Europe use wood or pellet burning stoves to heat their homes. See, watching Househunters International on HGTV taught me something! I've really been intrigued by this.

I've always thought wood stoves were ugly and smelled up the house, but they've come a long way. There are some really great looking wood stoves available.

Here's the typical traditional wood stove:

I thought all wood stoves looked like this, but many are far more modern

Candice Olsen designed a cozy bedroom to include this one:

I love how the chimney is hidden in the wall behind this modern stove.

This red one looks fun:

Anyone for a funky fireplace hanging from the ceiling?

This one is so simple:

I fell in love with this beach house rental in the UK...

With a wood stove there's a few things to consider... size of space that the stove will heat, efficiency and where the stove pipe goes.

Currently there's a tax credit given for epa approved stoves(up to $300)~ not sure for how long.

Here's a link to the EPA certified wood stoves. It lists the emissions coming from the stoves~ the lower the emissions, the less smoke that will be in your home. EPA http://www.epa.gov/oecaerth/resources/publications/monitoring/caa/woodstoves/certifiedwood.pdf

Anyone out there have a wood burning stove in your home? Would love to know which kind you have and how it fits in your decor.

So glad you stopped by today.

Pam