Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Kitchen Chair Makeover

Kitchen Chair Redo8
Do you ever have one of those weeks that you just don’t get much done and really don’t have motivation to? That was last week for me. I don’t know where my head was at, but I just couldn’t focus to do a project or get a post together.
Over the weekend we went to St.George to see an airshow – the boys loved it! It was a great break from the week and I was able to come back fresh. Oh, and we got waffles!! Such an amazing treat and takes me back to the year I spent as an exchange student in Belgium. Mmmm so good!
airshow
So I was finally able to tackle a project that has been on my list for a while – giving my kitchen chairs a makeover. They were looking pretty gross with food and water marks on the cushion, paint rubbed off, and wobbly as all get out.
2014-07-22 16.57.27
I disassembled the chairs, glued them, and put them back together.
2014-07-22 16.57.34
I borrowed a friend’s paint sprayer and saved a ton of time and trouble painting them. Then I used a brush to apply a coat of polycrylic to hopefully prevent future rubbing and peeling paint.
Kitchen Chair Redo
Then recovered the cushions. I actually ended up removing the red completely so it wouldn’t show through my new fabric.
Kitchen Chair Redo2
Staple one side, then the opposite being sure to pull snuggly.
Kitchen Chair Redo3
Then reattach to the chair and you’re done. I’m actually going to go pick up some clear vinyl to cover the seat in too so they don’t get so yucky looking so fast.
Kitchen Chair Redo5
Kitchen Chair Redo7
pinterestbutton Photobucket Photobucket facebookbutton twitterbutton

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Feature Friday Link Palooza - Features!


Hello weekend! This week has flown by, but I'm not complaining. Thank you everyone who linked up last week! Here are my top picks:

http://thepinkiebean.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-ba-bee-shower.html 
 A Ba-Bee Shower by The Pinkie Bean

http://www.homemadeinterest.com/2014/07/14/family-wall-art-scrabble-edition/ 
Family Wall Art by Home.Made.Interest

http://kukaandbubu.blogspot.com.es/2014/07/viator-sant-antoni-edition.html
Nautical Bag by Kuka & Bubu

Thanks for linking up last week, be sure to jump over to Blissful and Domestic to link up again this week!


twitterbutton pinterestbutton Photobucket Photobucket facebookbutton


Thursday, July 17, 2014

Feature Friday Link Palooza #3


Feature Friday Link Palooza - www.blissfulanddomestic.com - Blissfulanddomestic.com

Woohoo, you know what this means, it's the weekend! Welcome to The Feature Friday Link Palooza! The ladies from Blissful and Domestic, Quilted Euphoria, Ode to Simplicity, Laura Sue Shaw,  Homemaker Hobbies and I have all joined forces to create one mega weekend party! You’ll only have to link up once to to be listed on all seven sites, and each of us will choose our own projects to feature throughout the week! So be sure to check with each site to see which of the amazing ideas were featured!

Here are the projects I'm featuring this week...

a yummy sugar scrub, I bet this tastes smells amazing!
Honey Lemon Sugar Scrub from Eyes on the Source

I love truffles! These look fabulous!
Salted Caramel Truffles from With A Blast

Look at this gorgeous peach salad! I want to go pick up some peaches now!
Grilled Peach Salad with Goat Cheese and Blueberries from Jodie Fitz


It’s time to link up your projects!! We can’t wait to see all your fun ideas and feature you!! Remember, you only need to link up once here to be listed in all of the sites’ parties — but be sure to check out each site through the weekend! We’ll each be featuring our own picks from all of the fabulous ideas!

Please visit and comment on TWO links above you and TWO links below you — in addition to any others that you want to visit.

{We all love comments!}

   

   


twitterbutton pinterestbutton Photobucket Photobucket facebookbutton

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

7 Ways to Save Money On Your Electrical Bill and Stay Cool

7 ways to save money on your electrical bill this summer and stay cool
I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but here in Vegas we are consistently over 100°F. I was born and raised in Arizona, so the super hot temps are nothing new to me. But what is new to me is having to pay the electrical bill during these hot summer months! haha With the temps climbing so high, electrical bills tend to follow. Here are some helpful tips to help you save money on your electrical bill while staying cool too.

Turn off unused heat producing electronics/lights: Have you ever been using your laptop and felt your legs burning up? Computers and other large electronics put off a TON of heat. Be sure to turn them off when not in use. Our tv is a big culprit when it comes to producing heat. Just walking by it I can feel the heat radiating from it. Lights are also a big heat source. Turn off lights when you leave the room and don’t turn them on if you have adequate sunlight. This can also apply to appliances – try not to run the oven if you don’t have to (use a crockpot or grill outside) and save the dishwasher for nighttime when it’s cooler.

2014-07-15 10.13.37

Close the blinds or make curtains: I’ve lived in the desert my whole life and have gotten very used to this one. Close the blinds or curtains well before the sun hits that window. Once the sun is on the window it heats the glass and transfers that heat inside. If you can afford it, install solar shades on the outside and stop the heat before it reaches and heats up the window. The more heat you can stop from entering your home, the less you’ll have to run your AC. Black out curtains are also a great way to block out the heat and don’t have to be super expensive. I made black out lined curtains from a thrifted sheet and it only cost me about $10! Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a cave, but I totally make up for it in the winter when I flood my house with sunlight and warmth Smile

    DSC05566DIY Lined Curtains from a thrifted Sheet

Open the window at night: If it’s cool enough where you live, try opening the windows at night and even putting a box fan in the window to blow in the cool air. I love doing this because the night air is so refreshing and I’m usually able to cool the house enough over night that I don’t have to turn the AC on. I was able to hold off turning our AC on until May this year – we live in Vegas so that’s pretty good. You want to check the forecast and make sure that the low will be at least 2 degrees cooler than you’d like it in your house. I’ve just found that’s it’s always about 2 degrees warmer in the house than the stated temperature outside. Then close the windows in the morning before the temp begins to rise.

Use fans: Get a couple stand up fans for around the house. Blowing air helps to keep you cool and takes less energy than your AC unit. Turn off fans when you are done in that room as they don’t actually lower the temperature in the room, only the perceived temperature. So if no one is in the room, it doesn’t need to be on. You can even get creative and place a bowl of ice in front of the fan for an even cooler sensation.

Use a swamp cooler: Go one step further and consider using a swamp cooler. I know a couple people who do this here in Vegas and they are very comfortable with just this until about July when temps get well into the 100’s on a consistent basis and summer storms bring humidity. This is a picture my friend let me use. On the left is what her projected monthly bill would be while running her swamp cooler and on the right is one week after they finally turned on their AC!!  Over $120 difference!!
save money in the summer run a swamp cooler
Dress like it’s summer: Now I’m not endorsing nudity or anything like that, but don’t hangout in sweatpants and complain when that it’s hot and blast the AC. haha. Transition to seasonally appropriate attire to avoid over running your AC.


Dry clothes outside: Instead of using electricity/gas to run your dryer (and heat up the house), find a nice hanging rack to hang clothes out in the heat. Take advantage of mother nature’s fiery wrath and dry clothes quickly! I got mine at Ikea, but it is very similar to this Wire World Vulcano Dryer
2014-07-08 15.56.29
So there you go. My tips for staying cool and saving money on your electricity bill this summer. I hope they help you.

What is your favorite way to stay cool in the summer?

twitterbutton pinterestbutton Photobucket Photobucket facebookbutton

Friday, July 11, 2014

Homemade Cherry Hand Pies

Homemade cherry handpies19
I’m am totally not a ‘reader.’ I need to be, I should be, but I’m not. I have gotten into a few books series, but generally I don’t finish books. So it might surprise you that I am part of a book club. lol.

I hosted book club last night at my house and of course we have treats! The other ladies are super creative and usually make a treat to match the book in some way. Well I have been totally horrible at this in the past so I put a double effort in for this book.

I chose the book, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma. It is the third book in the series and we had read the other two at some point over the last couple years so I figured we’d finally finish the series.

I loved these books! They are fun adventures with great kid characters. They are also great for kids to read. Probably why I like them so much
Smile
Anyway, one of the characters is a former circus strong man and is also an amazing cook. He is well known for his pies. So I decided to make cherry pie!

I didn’t have a recipe for cherry pie, so what to do? Search Pinterest and my fellow food blogger’s pages, of course! I found the recipe for the filling at Oysters and Pearls.

I don’t have a cherry pitter so I just cut the cherries down the middle and pulled the seeds out.
Homemade cherry handpies

Then you cook the cherries down with sugar, vanilla, and a tiny bit of salt. Then you add a cornstarch/water mixture and bring to a boil. Turn the heat off and allow to cool, stirring occasionally.

Homemade cherry handpies3

Then you gotta make crust. I got my recipe from Crazy for Crust. I’m not so great at crusts…so they aren’t too pretty. I used a bowl to cut out

Homemade cherry handpies6

Once the circles are cut, you carefully fill with the cherry filling and pinch the sides closed. With the tines of a fork you make the the crimped edge.

Homemade cherry handpies4

See not so pretty…Give each pie a brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with a tiny bit of sugar. Then poke holes to prevent the pies from exploding (haha too late!)

Homemade cherry handpies7

Bake and enjoy, once cooled of course! They turned out fabulous. They don’t taste like canned pie filling, which is great. I don’t like bright red cherry pie. These ones were perfectly tart and sweet.

Homemade cherry handpies18

What’s your favorite kind of pie? Or are you more of a cake person?

Check out Oysters and Pearls for the cherry pie filling and
Crazy for Crusts for the pie crust recipe
 
pinterestbutton Photobucket Photobucket facebookbutton twitterbutton
MondayBWS tips buttonSkip To My LouPieces by Polly
Home Stories A2ZWatch Out Martha The DIY'ers Tuesday My Uncommon Slice of SuburbiaTuesday Talent Show Link Party at Chef in Training! It is held weekly and has some amazing link ups!nap-time creations photo 100_3353aaabbbb144copy_zps0998a8b5.jpgWednesday</p><p>http://www.thethriftyhome.comworks for me wednesday at we are that familyAdorned From Above Blog HopFine Craft GuildThursdayBeyond The<br />Picket FenceAll Things with Purpose Thrifty Thursday Linky Party at LivingWellSpendingLess.com!birdsonwire1
Endlessly InspiredNancherrowFridaylink-party-palooza-buttonThe Shabby NestThe 36th AvenuesshbuttonChic on a Shoestring DecoratingFriday Flash Blog on The Jenny Evolution PhotobucketRooted In ThymeThe Best Blog Recipes
Inspire Me Please SixSistersStuff.comSaturday It's OverflowingPoofy<br />CheeksSerenity youlink party buttonSundayThe Chicken ChickThe Girl Creative
Baking in Pyjamas
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...