I've Made a Few Things

In between working outside, cleaning house (which you all know what that means) and helping my son with a few end of the year school projects, I found some time to make a few things.

I made this blanket crane for my bedroom. I found this Family Heirloom Weavers throw at Country Gatherings in Berlin last week and really loved it, but wasn't sure where I wanted to put it. I've always wanted a blanket crane, too. I had a huge area of wall going into my bedroom that was bare and knew that would be the perfect place to hang the crane.

I've also been redoing things in the main bathroom. I made this towel holder because I didn't like my old one and also because I bought these towels that I thought would be perfect in this bathroom and needed something nice to hang them on.

I also made this little bench to sit on the bathroom counter to put my wonderful lantern on that I got from Primitive Keepings. I think I need something to the left of the lantern but don't know what. Any suggestions?

And I made these fabric stack boxes to sit on my t.v. next to this new lamp I bought yesterday from Primitive Keepings. If you remember from my previous post, I wasn't happy with the other lamp. Does the pineapple look stupid on top of the boxes? I thought it needed a little something but not sure if this is it.

I also made these fabric boxes to sit next to the $17 lantern I got from Lisa's favorite antique shop in Amish country.

And this is a little display I put together on my living room coffee table. I went to an antique store around the corner from me to look for some old books and thought it was pretty ironic that one of the books I bought had the name of someone from a family I knew from where I grew up at and also had my dad's high school (which later became my elementary school) listed inside the front cover! Pretty neat, huh? My dad then told me that the person listed in the book was actually related to us somewhere down the line (I got lost in the translation!).

I have been doing some major tweaking lately. Ideas have just been coming to me that I'm so excited about. I have a lot of makeovers that I want to do and the list of things I need to make keeps getting longer and longer (not to mention the list of things I want to buy at Primitive Keepings!). It's frustrating because I want it all done yesterday! lol And with the weather finally getting nice, I want to be outside! Like I said in an earlier post, "I need the days to be longer!"

Well, I need to start tackling those things on that list! :-)

Chicken Recipe and Lisa's Birthday Giveaway Goodies

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great Mmorial Day weekend. Here in Ohio the weather was absolutely gorgeous - sunny and mid 70's! We got so much done and yet had plenty of time to relax and just enjoy the beautiful weather. It was just fabulous!


We cooked on the grill everyday, which I love, because my hubby does the cooking (although I'm the one that makes the marinades that give them the flavor!). I want to share a great recipe for Tequila Lime Chicken. It is definitely YUMMO! I just want to make a note that sometimes I don't get the full amount of fresh juice called for in the recipe, so I always have concrentrate on hand to make up the difference. I also grate the lime and orange peels and add to the marinade because they add a lot more flavor. This is one of our favorites to cook on the grill and I hope you enjoy it!

Tequila Lime Chicken

• 1/2 c. gold tequila
• 1 c. freshly squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 limes)
• 1/2 c. freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 T. minced fresh jalapeno pepper
• 1 T. minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all the ingredients and add chicken breasts. Refrigerate overnight. Cook on the grill.

A great side dish is to thinly slice up yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, onions, red and yellow peppers and put in a shallow disposable foil pan. Drizzle with olive oil and then season with salt, freshly cracked pepper and about 2 T. Italian Herb seasoning and toss all together. Cook on the grill or bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes. YUMMO!

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I also want to share with you the great goodies I got in the mail on Friday from Lisa's (Prims From Above) birthday giveaway. I absolutely love everything!! Thank you so much, Lisa!

I apologize for the pictures. They're not that great - I couldn't get the lighting right and I wanted to hurry and get pictures posted to show you all the wonderful goodies.

She gave me a cute towel holder with a gold cotton dish towel.

I hung it in the corner of my living room above my "prehistoric" television along with a Family Heirloom Weavers table runner and a couple of hand dipped candles. I changed the lamp on top of the t.v. with this one, but I don't think it's staying there. I absolutely love the lamp, but it's kind of awkard to decorate with because the lamp shade is offset and, to me, looks funny wherever I put it.

Another thing Lisa sent was this cute little "FAITH" sign. I tried to take a picture with the candle lit to create a warm glow, but that was NOT a good idea! If you look closely, you can see a little spot above the candle where the flame scorched the paint.

And last, but definitely not least, is this wonderful sign that Lisa made. I will always treasure it, Lisa! Again, thank you so much!

I placed it on my bench in my front entry way so everyone will see it when they enter my home.

Dough Bowl Rack and New Goodies

Okay, I'm in big trouble!! I've rediscovered a store that is only 10 minutes away from me and it's my new addiction! I've been there 4 times in the last 3 weeks. It's called Primitive Keepings and it's just amazing! I hadn't been there for about 2 years. At that time they carried mostly upholstered furniture and bigger wood items and very few little items. It's on a main road on the north side of town, but I usually take back roads to where ever I go so I don't pass by it. I have stopped on 2 or 3 occasions in the past, but they weren't promptly open at 11:00 and after waiting 10-15 minutes, I left. Another negative is their opening time at 11:00. I'm a morning person, so I'm out the door by 7:30-8:00 and home from my errands by 11:00-12:00. I've been doing some major tweaking lately and needed alittle inspiration so I thought I'd give them another try. Well, let me tell you! I was in heaven!! They have so much stuff now that you would have to spend a whole day in there just to see everything. Check out their website and on the left hand side, click "Our Gallery" and then click on each picture to enlarge it. They have much more than what is in the pictures, if you can believe it! There are things tucked in every little nook and cranny! My last couple of trips there, I've had certain things in mind that I was going to purchase and end up having a new list of things that I'd have to come back to get later. It's becoming a weekly stop!

Here's what I've bought.


I've been busy making several things. Like I said before, I've been doing some major tweaking which usually involves building and painting things. I've been wanting to make a dough bowl rack for a long time but wasn't sure where I'd put it. Well, I found a spot in my dining room. I was never happy with what I had there before and I think the rack looks good there. I'm not happy with the way the bowls are displayed, I'll pobably change them when I figure out what I want to do. And the black one's a little too shiny! I guesss I shouldn't have waxed it!

Well, that's all for me this morning. I have more stuff I'm hoping to get done this weekend and will post pics later.

Sneak Peak of Outside/Grungy Candle Tutorial

Wow! I can't believe it's been over a week since I've posted a blog! Time is flying by too fast! I've taken some pictures of my outside. I've planted some flowers, but I have a lot more to plant. I'll post more pics later when I'm all done.

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Does anyone ever pay a lot of money for grungy candles and then don't want to burn them because you've spent so much on them? Well, I'm going to show you how to make your own.

Option 1

Supplies:

Candles - Dollar stores have candles cheap. I've gotten pillars for $1.00

Modge Podge - matte finish

Instant coffee

Spices - cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coffee grounds

1 1/2" spade drill bit

Regular or battery operated tea light

First, you'll want to make your modge podge mixture. Add equals parts modge podge and water; then add instant coffees until you get the darkness you want. I make it in a pint jar and put plastic wrap on before screwing the lid on to have on hand for future projects. Mine has lasted a couple of months so far.

In a resealable plastic bag, mix together whatever spices you want to use - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger - whatever. I also add dry coffee grounds.

Using a 1 1/2" spade drill bit, drill a hole in the candle deep enough to fit a tea light. (Save the shavings, you can use them later.)

Sprinkle some of your spices onto a foil-lined cookie sheet. Using a paint brush or foam brush, apply the modge podge mixture to the candle in sections. I usually apply about a 2" stripe and then roll it in the spices. As it's lying face down, paint more modge podge on candle and then roll in spices. Keep doing this until the candle is completely covered. I usually let it set for about 1/2 hour and then do the top. Let candle set for another 1/2 hour to an hour to dry. tap the sides to remove excess spices. You can finish it two different ways. You can apply another coat of modge podge to seal the spices in or you can spray the entire candle with matte finish sealer.

When the candle is completely dry, you can add your tea light. If your candle sits on a shelf where the top can't be seen, use a real tea light. You'll get the effect of a real candle and you'll only have to replace the tea light instead of the whole candle.

The candle on the left just had matte finish sealer applied and the right one had the modge podge mixture applied.

Option 2

This option is a little messier.

First off, the wax you use to melt can be the blocks of wax you buy at a craft store, but I buy the cheap tapers for $.25 at the Dollar stores. Just break them into pieces, making sure you remove the wick. Toss in your wax shavings or any candle "stumps" you may have lying around.

Put the wax pieces into a metal container. You can use a coffee can, but I invested in an actual container used for candlemaking - also found at a craft store. it has a handle so it's easier to hold on to.

Place the metal container in a pan with about 1" of water. Bring water to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. While the wax is melting, sprinkle out spices onto a foil-lined cookie sheet and spread some wax paper or foil on the counter or another cookie sheet.

When the wax is melted you can add color if you want. Craft stores sell wax dyes, but I've used Crayola crayons in a pinch. How much you use depends on how much wax you're melting and the depth of color you want. Paint stir sticks work great for mixing.

When your wax is ready, take the metal container out of the hot water. Stand over the cookie sheet with spices. Hold you candle by the wick and dip it into the melted wax, tilting the metal container enough so that the entire candle is coated. Depending on the look you want, quickly either roll in the spices or just sprinkle some onto the candle. Dip the candle back into the melted wax to seal in the spices. You can leave as is or sprinkle more spices on. After dipping a couple of candles, put container back in hot water to keep the melted wax hot.

These cool down quickly enough that I've been able to lay them immediately on the wax paper to finish cooling without marring the candle.