apartment tour

i figured i would give you all a tour around my quaint, yet charming apartment. it is QUITE feminine, BUT, i figure that i will only be able to have a place decorated like i want once in my life, so WHY NOT?!?

 i hope it will give me some accountability for some DIY projects that i want to accomplish this year.

living room:

my mom and i made the pillows on the couches (i am hoping to post a DIY blog about those in the future)

the coffee table was also a project that i completed and hope to post about soon!

*the knitted/felted bowls (above and below) are also something i will post about soon.  SUPER easy for even the amateur knitter!

LOVVVE all my vintage pyrex that i have accumulated over the years!!!

entry way:

 kitchen:

 bathroom:

extra bedroom:

master bedroom:

 it feels like i have been on a year long search for a new dresser/cabinet to put this TV on, the black matches NOTHING in my place!

 my mom refinished my dresser.  repainted/covered the fronts of the drawers with wallpaper! LOVE!

one project that i would like to accomplish this year is a headboard.  i have been quite indecisive about whether i want to use an old door or make one myself.

so, there you have it! that is my place.  if you saw something that your interested in knowing where i got it or how i did it, please comment or send me an email!  also, if you have suggestion on how to make it better, DON'T hesitate to offer opinions! it is a constant work in progress and i am ALWAYS changing things around!


dont forget that you can follow the blog via EMAIL now! SOO easy! in the top right hand corner, just put in your email address! :)

emily

giveaway WINNER!!!!!!!

i am happy to announce that the winner of the giveaway is..........

Megan Palmatier!!!!!!!


megan, message me on facebook or on here with your address and i will send off the knitted dish cloths to you!!!!


ENJOY!

cup cozy

i am soooo loving this new cup cozy that i knitted today!  the pattern is super easy, only 2 different stitches!

supplies:

size 7 knitting needles (or any about that size, not significantly larger though because it will be too loose in the end)

yarn (any color or style will do)

needle to weave in ends and sew seam

pattern:

K-knit

P-pearl stitch

k2tog-knit 2 stitches together

cast on 39 stitches

row 1: K1, [p1, k1] to the end

repeat row 1 until piece is about 2" from the beginning

decrease row: K2tog, p1 [k1, p1] to end

next row: [k1, p1] to end

repeat last row every row until piece measures 3" from beginning.

bind off

sew seam and weave in ends

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!

hey all faithful readers, i am going to do a GIVEAWAY! 

okay, okay, nothing super huge, but none the less, still something FREE! and who doesn't like the possibility to win something FREE!

i am going to give away 4 hand knitted dishcloths (i posted about them here)!!!!!

get yourself in the running:

become a follower of the blog (you can in the top right corner of this page) 

*if you are already, then please disregard*

**also, you cannot "privately" follow the blog, you have to be public, so i can see you in order to enter you in the drawing!**

thats IT!!!!! super simple, i will keep this giveaway open until Sunday night 2/5/2012 at 10pm and then i will announce the winner and mail off your dishcloths!!!

feel free to share this with your friends via facebook or email!

emily <3

DIY canvas flower tutorial

have an old poster frame / canvas, spray paint, scrapbook paper and mod podge?! well if you do (or want to buy) you can make this adorable flower wall art!

supplies:

scissors

scrapbook paper

post frame or canvas 

mod podge

spray paint

tutorial:

i first started with an old poster frame i had just laying around because i didn't like the picture that was in it anymore.  i took it apart and used what was originally the backing of the frame for my new canvas.  i spray painted with pink spray paint (took several different light, somewhat even coats)

**if you are using a canvas that you bought (under $10 at michael's *use a 40% off coupon to get it for cheaper*) you can leave it white, or spray paint the same way.**

i then raided my scrapbook paper collection and found some paper that all went well together.

with one odd size paper that i had in my collection, i made some templates that i could use to trace the "petals"

i made sure to do them in lots of different sizes so i could have smaller "petals" as well as larger ones.

after cutting the templates, i just went to work on cutting out the "petals" out of all the paper that i had picked out.  this took the longest time, but nothing that a good episode of TV and a glass of wine cant help with :)  after i got quite a few cut out, i started arranging them on my spray painted back.

this is the final layout, before using the mod podge to stick everything down

i used the mod podge to stick the "petals" down and i just used my fingers to smear it onto the paper, but you could use a paint brush (i just didn't have one i wanted to get mod podge on)

this step also was somewhat time consuming, but as in a previous step, you should have your TV and glass of wine to pass the time :)

after i stuck everything down and it dried (not too long, maybe 30 minutes) i had to cut off the few "petals" that went off the edge.

then i simply cleaned the glass and put it back in the frame :) SUPER EASY!

the whole process took about 2 hours and cost me NOTHING because i used things i had around my apartment! i hope you enjoy! :)

Pin It

bbq chicken pizza

i CANNOT believe i am giving away this recipe for my famous bbq chicken pizza....but everyone needs to try it!!!!

ingredients:

**i have always used this package of crust mix and i will not use anything else! it always tastes fabulous! if can be found in most grocery stores right by the normal pizza ingredients**

shredded or cubed chicken

sweet baby ray's bbq sauce

1 8oz can of pineapple tidbits 

onion

mozzarella cheese

method:

1. boil 2 regular size boneless chicken breasts in water until they are cooked fully, remove from heat and place on plate to cool.  once chicken is cool, shred chicken into bowl and add sweet baby ray's until the chicken is fully coated.  place bowl of chicken in refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour.

2. drain pineapple tidbits into strainer and save the juice for a yummy cocktail :)

3. cut as much onion as you prefer on your pizza into fine slices or cubes.

4. pre heat oven to 400 degrees 

 5. follow instructions on crust mix package (you will just need water and oil if you buy this particular mix)

**i have a few tricks for this mix as well....1. the package says let dough rise, it wont.  2. i mix with a fork to start and then put a little oil on my hands and mix the rest with my hands (works much better))

6.  spread dough onto a lightly sprayed cookie sheet.  

**TIP: it tastes a dough master to get the dough to spread out across the sheet without tearing initially. here is what i have found, i spread it as far/as much as i can and then i stick it in the oven for 2 minutes and then take it out and spread the rest...it will be cooked just enough to spread the rest of the way and into the corners.**

7.  after dough is completely spread out bake it in the oven for 5-7 minutes to get the crust somewhat cooked before adding your toppings.

8.  put sweet baby ray's on the crust first and spread out.  then put the shredded up chicken on next.  then pineapple and onion and finally the mozzarella cheese on top.

9.  bake to your desired "done-ness" (usually about 15-20 minutes)

10. EAT!!!!!!!!!

i promise that you will NOT be disappointed with it! marinating the shredded chicken before putting on the pizza really adds some extra flavor!

let me know how yours turns out :)

Pin It

asian chicken lettuce wraps

i don't know about you, but i LOVE p.f. chang's chicken lettuce wraps! each time that i eat them, i analyze what the ingredients are so i can make them on my own :) well...i have come up with a pretty good recipe that tastes as much like them as i can get it! i hope you enjoy as much as i do!

ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken

3 tablespoons oil

1 cup water chestnuts

1/2 cup bamboo shoots 

1/4 cup diced green onions

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2/3 cups mushrooms

"special sauce"

1/4 sugar

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons sriracha 

1 teaspoon hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

directions:

1. cook the ground chicken in a pan

2. while chicken is cooking, cut onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms and bamboo shoots

3. after chicken is done cooking, add the above ingredients and oil to the same pan with the chicken and reduce heat to low.

4. dissolve the sugar in the water, once dissolved, add the rest of the "special sauce" ingredients, stir and let set.

**you can either now add the "special sauce" to the pan of chicken and other ingredients or you can keep separate and mix in as desired to each wrap.  i usually add right to the other ingredients and let simmer for a few minutes (this is where mine are slightly different than p.f. chang's because i add the sauce in with the chicken instead of to each wrap individually, but like anything else, make them however you want!)** 

5. arrange lettuce "cups" on a plate and serve!

Pin It