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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Yellow Bathroom Saga

What started off as a simple bathroom makeover turned into quite a saga in the Luttrull household. I start so many projects with full confidence that they can be completed in a weekend. Many times I run into one hiccup or another, yet somehow I always seem to make it by the end of the weekend. (Usually exhausted and swearing I will never do a home improvement project ever again!)
But this particular SIMPLE LITTLE MAKEOVER was not one of them.
This is what we started with. Builder grade sink and fixtures and the same dark khaki walls as the rest of the house (well at least the parts of it that I haven't gotten to yet). The mirror is plain, the walls are plain, and the floors are plain. Plain and Boring...
 So, I get the bright idea to add a bright color. I love the shower curtain, so I decided to pick a color from it to paint the walls. Chickadee to be exact! And I LOVE the look of tall wainscoting and thought it would be great to trim it out with a small shelf. I also knew that the hideous vanity needed some help. Don't even get me started on the mirror that someone thought would be a good idea to just glue to the wall. So off to Lowes I went, thinking this could easily be done in a weekend.
Ha! One pulled back muscle, a stomach virus, and a upper-respiritory infection later; it is finally presentable again!

The yellow was SCARY when I first painted the top half of the room. Did I mention I had to use 5 coats to get even coverage? Did I also mention that I would NEVER buy paint from Lowes again? But as the woodwork went up, the exploding big bird feeling faded. I can't say I like it just yet, but it is growing on me. I used door trim to frame out the mirror. I used an old shadow box that I painted the trim color and then hot-glued a patchwork of crayons to it in order to break up some of the yellow. I also framed some scrapbook paper to add some more color to the walls, as if they need more color!
 I finished it off by rehanging my hooks for the girls to hang their towels on. All in all, I love the improved bathroom. By far my favorite part is the new shelf that wraps around the room. I don't know that I will ever put anything on it - I just like looking at it! I hope you enjoy it too!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Easy Pumpkin Cookies

I found an extremely simple recipe for Pumpkin Cookies on Endless Crafting. I have been itching to do some baking, however since I am on a diet, I have been resisting the urge. When I saw this, I knew it was perfect because I don't like pumpkin and everyone in my family does. 
They were so easy and I had lots of taste-testers (all the teachers at school) that gave them two thumbs up. I now know why she didn't post a picture of her cookies - they aren't pretty. My sweet friend Worth told me not to worry because they looked harvesty. Let me know if you have an idea of how to make them look as good as they taste!
1 Box of Spice Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1 Regular Can of Pumpkin
1 Cup of Chocolate Chips

You dump it all in a bowl and mix, mix, mix.
Scoop them out on a cookie sheet and Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Sweet Surprise Supper

I was so surprised tonight with my sweet daughter. Alaynah is growing up into such a sweet, responsible girl. Jason and I are convinced that her much younger sister will get married years before her because she will be way to busy saving the world, but she will make one amazing wife and mother. She loves all things creative and homey. She sews, crochets, and cooks in her spare time. Today she was inspired by our school 'lunch lady's' shepherd's pie and decided that she would take care of dinner. When she was preheating the oven she even said, "Oh my, it is after 6 and I still don't have dinner on the table" and was actually worried about it. Domestic Goddess in the making - I'm telling you. I actually think God is preparing her to serve on the mission field someplace far away where she will need to be able to sew and make things from scratch. However, I'm not thinking about that right now.
Tonight she made us all wait until Jason got home to sit down together. After I got her started she chased me out and wouldn't let me anywhere near the kitchen. I'll confess - I had absolutely no problem! When we walked out we were all greeted by a lovely set table.

No be too impressed by the cloth napkins. Those we use all the time. But I was quite impressed with the place cards.
I was most impressed by the fact that she had made menu's. The Main Course Section had 1. Shepherds Pie 2. Shepherds Pie 3. Shepherds Pie :) Silly Girl
Even her sister loved it!
I am so impressed by what a wonderful young lady she is becoming. God has been so gracious to mold her into such a precious example child of His, despite her parents. I am so grateful for her!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Oh How I Love ModgePodge

I have been searching for a chance to try out the brand new bottle of Modge Podge that I bought about 2 months ago. I began to read about different ways people were using Modge Podge and I REALLY wanted to try it. Yesterday I decided to "fix" my Fall wreath and the perfect opportunity arose. If you want to see how I made it go here.
My wreath was looking very weepy so I decided to trim up the ends so they would be fluffier. I also added a little scarecrow to dress it up. I really liked how it turned out.

While I was at it I let both girls make a small wreath to be hung around the sconces on either side of the door. Then I just used some gold ribbon I had to hang them.
I really think my front door is beginning to look put together. I am so glad, because I was not loving how sad my door was looking.
Now back to Modge Podge....
After my wreath haircut I had a pile of fabric scraps that were just screaming to be saved from the trash can.
Then it hit me. What if I made a Thanksgiving Sign for my entry table that would coordinate with the wreath on the front door? Well, I figured all I could do was try. So, I dug out a old picture frame that I liked the shape of and pulled it apart. Now, when I say old I mean 80's flashback.
Then I modgepodged the scraps onto a sheet of scrapbook paper that I cut to fit the frame. Then I printed up the 'Be Thankful' and added it on top.
I then added it to my entry table with a little scarecrow and a few pumpkins. It still needs some work but it is coming along...



If you have any ideas of ways to make this area more complete, I would love to hear them.
I really love link-up parties. I get some of my best ideas from some of these:
Remodelaholic Anonymous @ Remodelaholics
Show and Share Day @ Just a Girl
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Frugalisious Friday @ Finding Fabulous