Thursday, August 8, 2013

Red, White & Blue(berry) Dessert

Hi Lovelies -

Happy Fourth of July!
Thank you to all the men, women & families who protect our freedom and our country. 

In God we trust- be safe.


Red, White & Blue(berry) Dessert
by Mr. Man

In a bowl add cut up strawberries, raspberries and blueberries 1/2 cup of each, stir in 2 tablespoons agave nectar, smooshing berries to release juice.
Set aside for a moment.
In custard dish place 1 shortcake in the bottom of dish.
Take aerosol whipping cream and squirt a  small amount onto shortcake.
Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of berry medley into dish.
Add more whipping cream on top of berries forming stars of whipping cream around the inside of the dish and adding a single star to center.
if desired, add sprig of mint and dig in!!

Be Blessed ~

 
#junksterchick #Fourthofjuly #berrydessert

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Mr. Man's Recycled Wood Fireplace Door

Hi Lovelies -

I hope your holidays were safe and enjoyable.  Sorry that I was absent for the month of December.  I took a much needed break.  With the new year I wanted to share with you a project that Mr. Man built from supplies we had on hand to keep the draft from the open fireplace from creeping in when it isn't in use.
This is the finished door spruced up for the holidays with a little greenery, some sugar pine cones, ribbon and glimmery beaded picks.  Nice huh?  I know... I am lucky - Mr. Man is a keeper!

Here's what he started with...
This was my attempt at trying to label the photo (unsuccessfully I might add... I see you cant read it very well).  The first arrow is pointing to the recycled spray-painted plywood we had, cut to fit the opening of the fireplace.
 The second arrow is pointing to the cedar fence posts left over from another project which he cut a little longer than the piece of plywood so that they would completely cover the plywood.  There are six pieces of cedar fencing that are attached with black fencing screws.  Next he used scrap lumber to outline a square and attached those as well.  Finally, he added the x to complete the basic barn door appearance.
He purchased black wrought iron looking hinges and attached them (without the hinge) to the the top and bottom of the frame with screws and attached two black decorative handles so that the door can be easily removed.  This fits in snug to the fireplace opening once in place.
Once Mr. Man was done with construction I wanted to protect the wood and make it a bit more rustic looking (like an aged barn door should) and stained it with dark stain.
Here is another photo once the door was completed.  It is the perfect addition to our living room and an terrific use of materials we had laying around.  I'm just so excited how awesome this project turned out!
What projects have you made from materials you had on hand?  I'd love to hear from you so please share in the comments below.

Be Blessed ~





Im sharing this project over at the following parties:

Ms. Mustard Seed's - Furniture Feature Fridays

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Fall Themed Decor Touches

Hi Lovelies -

Just wanted to give a peek at some of the little pops of fall that I have placed around my home this Thanksgiving season.  We've had quite a few family health-related setbacks over the last two months and as a result I haven't had much time to decorate for either Halloween or Thanksgiving.  So I decided to go with a general fall theme that could be carried over both months with a few adjustments.

Take a minute and come on in...

When we went to the farm (see here) in October I tried to select different pumpkins that would last until December.  My dad was kind enough to give me some of his cornstalks from the garden again this year for a nice backdrop and I added the pumpkins that Mr. Man picked out this year together with squash from our neighbors' yard.  Funny thing... we didn't carve any pumpkins this year!  I placed an old gunny sack (that I purchased for a dollar at a vendor at the Coburg Antiques event in Coburg, Oregon 2 years ago) over my bench cushion for a little more rustic look and added a pot of plants that were out on the patio table over the summer.                                                                                                         




The wooden container I got at a terrific yard sale over the summer and housed potted yellow zinnias last month,  I love the texture of the green pumpkin and white pumpkin (stacked on top of each other with faux ivy garland wrapped around them in the back).  I got this great new
welcome mat at a home improvement box store last weekend to complete the porch.  I love the colors of the mat and its made of recycled tires which will make it durable for the rainy season ahead.





When you step inside our home the first thing that you see is the hall leading to the bedrooms...
The little chippy table I did in our hall (original post here) is decorated with a white table runner with some pretty scalloped edges, a couple of old books stacked here and there, including my Nancy Drew books again, together with my take on a canning jar lid pumpkin (seen on Pinterest).  This is one of my little ones.  I used a piece of a branch from the trees in my yard for the stem.
I cheated on these smaller pumpkins (I made 2) by only doing half pumpkins.  It takes quite a few lids to make a full pumpkin and try as I may making a complete smaller pumpkin wasn't working so I did 2 half ones...  You can't see the back any way and they fit better against the wall for me (I got these random lids at a garage sale and then I left them out in the rain where they received a terrific rusty patina).  I rounded out my little table with a candle with a cranberry/orange scent which I ordered from Mr. Man's co-worker who was hosting a Gold Canyon candle party.  This is a double wick candle that is both pretty and functional.  I bought other candles from them and so far I really like the quality of their product and its made in the USA!!!!  Gotta love that.  The candle acts as a bookend for me and it is pretty when it is lit and smells amazing.
I have a thing for clocks - Mr. Man bought me my own mantel clock last Christmas- I just love it!  It plays several different songs including a couple Christmas tunes like "Joy to the World".  It also has the standard Westminster Abbey chime that will ring on the hour and half hour.  I drove my kids CRAZY with the Christmas tunes last year and settled for the simple chime throughout the year up until the time change.  It also has a volume button on it so we turned it up a bit and put on a peppy melody for Thanksgiving.  Every hour I hear that little melody and no matter where I am in the house I smile...

I decorated the mantel with a multi-colored leaf vine that winds around a little mini pumpkin we picked up on our outing to the farm last month, together with another canning jar lid pumpkin I made.  I added a brown bottle that Mr. Man and I picked up a couple years ago at a progressive garage sale (The gentleman gave us a whole box of misc. bottles for FREE!) and a milk glass lamp that I picked up at a garage sale for free!

JUNKSTERCHICK TIP:  When at a sale, many times the last day of a multi-day sale or the hours right before the close of a sale sellers are more apt to giveaway items, put them in their free boxes or discount larger items they don't want to haul back into their garage.  It is a perfect time to negotiate.

Here is the other corner of my mantel, it includes several different textures and colors - once again I repeated many of the same elements to balance out the total look of the mantel by incorporating the little orange pumpkin, a bumpy squash from my neighbors, the leaf garland and a full size large canning jar lid pumpkin.  This one has a brown paper stem which I twisted and curled to give a more natural look.  I elevated it on a white ceramic candle pillar for some height and added the teal colored glass canning jar for a pop of color.  
Below is the finished mantel - the wood duck to the right of the clock is one of a few survivors from Mr. Man's beloved duck collection that he has collected since he was a teen.  Over the years he's cut down on his collection and packed many away for safe keeping (we have lost a few over the years due to curious little fingers).  Its the perfect fall touch.

Thanks for stopping by may your Thanksgiving Day be a wonderful time full of family, food and fun.

I am linking this to:




Be Blessed ~