House Tour

As promised on PoplarPenny.com and after a year of hard work I finally got around to working on my House Tour tab!!! Stay tuned more rooms to come!!!

 

 

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Howdy Ya'll!!!  So, my blog is very new and I know I am not supposed to have favorites amongst my blogs.  However, "What I'm Loving Wednesday's" is literally one of my favorite posts I get to do every Wednesday.  I must say it's a lot of fun to reach out and let you know what's tickling my fancy!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do and have a Wonderful Wednesday!!! 

I am a huge fan of anything KitchenAid for sure!  Now I have been wanting my very own KitchenAid Mixer for a very long time.  This is a big girl mixer for a big girl kitchen!  So when the day came when I was finally able to bring him home to his new digs, I was beyond thrilled.  Right away I put him to work making things from cakes to fresh pastas!  If anyone out there is thinking about making the jump, do it!  You will love it!  

Yesterday I got the knock on the door that I have been patiently waiting for for almost 2 weeks.  My baby's timi & leslie diaper bag finally arrived in the mail!  Yay!! It came filled with plenty of goodies and secret compartments.  Can't wait to use it!   

 

I recently switched my face wash after sooooo many years.  I thought it was time for something new and fresh.  I mean, lets face it, I no longer have the skin of a 16 year old :)   Now, I am very picky when it comes to face washes and lotions.  So, I wanted something gentle yet gets the job done without having a thousand beauty products cluttering my sink area.  Lucky for me, a friend of mine mentioned Mary Kay Timewise 3in1 cleanser.  I have zero complaints!  I'm lovin' this stuff!! 

Make Your Own Fire Pit!!

Hello!!!  Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far!  I know I am!  Everyday that passes is another day closer to summer!  I can not wait for warm weather and backyard bbq's!  Yay!  Recently Scott and I have been looking for ways to spruce up the backyard.  Summer is coming fast and we plan on hanging out by the pool and patio long into the night.  Not to mention we love hosting :)  It has been my long dream to be able to sit outside and enjoy the ambiance of a relaxing fire pit.  A place for us to engage in conversation or roast those yummy smores Scott loves so much.  We have seen plenty of fire pits at home improvement stores, however, they just were not what we had in mind.  We were looking for something very earthy and strong.  Nothing that was going to blow over or fill with rain everytime it stormed.  After some time of looking over dozens of models and companies who could build one, we decided to try building one ourselves.  So we cleared out the Santa Fe and off we went!  

  

Transporting the materials from the store to the car and from the car to the backyard was the hardest part (for Scott, hehe).  

The stones were in the perfect shape for forming a circle.  Depending on the height and size of your pit will determine the number of stones you will need.  Scott formed 12 around and 5 high for ours.  He left just the right amount of spaces in between for air to give breath to the fire and water to drain.  Afterwards, he filled the bottom with pebbles, set in 3 bricks  for the log grates to sit on and placed them right on top.  The construction of this fire pit took Scott about 20 minutes to complete.  In no time at all we had our fire pit!  Let the memories and fun times begin!  

 

Linking & Liking:

Sugar Bee Crafts 

Lady Bug Blessings 

Trendy Treehouse

Sew Much Ado.

Lil' Luna

New Nostalgia  

Home Stories Of A to Z

Lady Behind The Curtain

The NY Melrose Family

My Girlish Whims

Fluster Buster

White Lights On Wednesday

Ducks In A Row

Hope Studios

Crafty Confessions

Chef In Training

Fine Craft Guild

Funky Polkadot Giraffe 

Reasons To Skip The Housework

Light and Creamy Fruit Dip

Lately I have been on a really big fruit kick.  More so now that the summer down here in Houston is starting to roar into high gear.  Looking for ways to cool down, I have found myself mowing through some serious produce.  So yesterday I was looking for a fun and easy way to freshen things up during snack time.  I have seen plenty of recipes similar to mine, but packed with way more calories.  Even though I am eating for two, I still want to make sure I don't indulge too much.  I decided to whip something up for Scott and I to enjoy while we sit by the pool on a lovely Saturday afternoon.  

I was a little nervous deviating from the original recipes, but not to our surprise it was delicious!  This recipe made enough for us to enjoy and store for another day.  

  

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 

1  8oz package of light cream cheese, softened

1  cup vanilla Greek yogurt

1  cup thawed whipped topping 

assorted fruit

With an electric mixer, mix brown sugar and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.  Blend in vanilla Greek yogurt.  When mixed completely, fold in whipped topping and chill.  Serve in a cold dish with assorted fruit of you choice.  

Linking and Liking:
Mandy's Recipe Box
Fine Craft Guild
Inside BruCrew Life
Pint Sized Baker
I Heart Nap Time 
Nap Time Creations
Blessed With Grace
Crafty Texas Girls

Fabulous Finds & Things I'm Loving!

Source 

As you all know I am in love with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! However, one of my must haves when painting any type of furniture is my trusty Annie Sloan Paint Brush.  This baby is awesome!  Though I do like the traditional flat head brushes, I always find myself reaching for this guy.  The firm strong bristles allow me to get into the tightest spaces and most intricate detail of any piece.  Plus, I feel as if it holds more paint in the bristles.  This allows me to use less and spread more paint.  It gets my personal stamp of approval :)  

 Source 

A couple of weeks ago I was out with some girlfriends having lunch when I discovered the lovely Kendra Scott had brought her store to City Center here in Houston.  As soon as I entered her shop I was taken over by the amount of gorgeousness in every piece she has designed!  Her jewelry is so elegant and classy.  Best of all you get to pick whichever color you fancy from their color bar and personalize whichever style you choose. So, I just had to pick something out for my wedding this May.  I completely fell in love with the Kiri Necklace.  Since we will be hosting our wedding in the lovely Turks & Caicos, I decided to go with Mother of Pearl.  I figured it would go great with that beachy theme.   

Source

I am often asked, "Nicole, what is the one tool I have to have for my tool collection?"  I always respond with "you absolutely must have the Porter-Cable Finish Nailer!"  About a year ago I was looking at installing crown molding in my master and debated on whether or not I should invest in a nail gun or do it the old fashion way.  I asked my pal and expert Ana White if it was necessary for me to make such a monster purchase.  She said it was a must and advised me on this particular brand.  I am so glad I listened, because this guy is the bomb!  I have completed so many projects and renovations with this tool I can not imagine going into a project without it.  Instead of reaching for the hammer and nails, you just fire this thing up and you're ready to start shooting.  Besides the time it shaves, you get complete accuracy that you may not get from manual nailing.  I have used this tool on crown molding and trim, upholstery, hanging Christmas lights, and so much more.  I would say it is worth every "penny." :)

A Fancy Farmhouse Table Renovation

 

Once we were moved into our new home we decided to start filling the rooms with furniture.  I figured I would start with the first floor common areas first (this is where the fun really began).   I was torn between building my own and renovating one from second hand.  Of course I had so many styles and ideas flooding my mind it was really hard to commit.  However, once I laid eyes on the farmhouse look, I knew this was the style I had to get my hands on.  So I took to Craigslist in search of the perfect farmhouse table with the perfect price.  It must have been in the stars for me, because I found this one in a matter of three seconds and it was right down the street from where we lived!  Off we went!!!

I brought the table home and immediately went to work.  I planned on doing a stained distressed top with a cream colored bottom.  I had the whole thing planned perfectly in my mind.  I flipped the table upside down and spray painted the legs with two coats of Rust-Oleum Heirloom White.

Easy breezy huh?  Now this is where I got my muscle workout.  I had to sand the entire top of the table in order to get the glaze off and stain it that dark walnut finish I had envisioned.  Here we go!

A couple hours, several sand belts, and two tired noodle arms later I had a sanded table top!

I read up on several stains that would do the trick and decided to go with this Minwax Gel Stain in Walnut. I am loving this stain!  It was thick and full of great coverage.  Perfect for the type of texture left from all the sanding.  I highly recommend it.

I was really excited can you tell!?  We left it in the garage a couple of days to dry and started working on the chairs.  I did not sand the chairs, just straight spray paint.  Each chair took about a can and a half to fully cover.  The best part of this whole project was bringing it inside to decorate and just in time for the holidays!  Yay!  I love the way it turned out!  Don't you think so? 

I am Linking and Liking:
Miss Mustard Seed 
Beneath My Heart
Funky Junk Interiors 
Love of Family & Home

Having fun with chalk paint

 I have found a true love for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!  I mean, who likes to prime, strip, sand, blah blah blah... um, not me.  So, over the last two years I have searched high and low for a quality paint that would give me the clean bold look that I was going for.  I played around with so many spays, latex and oil based paints to fill half of my garage.  I even tried to make my own chalkpaint from a recipe I found on pinterest.  Needless to say it did not turn out well for me or the furniture.  I just could not get that muted milky richness I so desperately dreamed of for my home.  To make matters worst, I found myself drooling over my blog friends furniture all the time.  That is until one day I decided to take a chance and splurge on some quality chalkpaint!  Boy am I happy I did :) In no time I was running from room to room with my bristle brush in one hand and paint can in the other.  Painting anything I could get my hands on.  Take a look for yourself and let me know what you think.