A Broken Commandment

You know that commandment that says "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house?"  Well, I kind of broke it.


And by broke I mean that I smashed it to little bits.

You see, this weekend I visited my sister-in-law's house and oh my goodness is it ever beautiful (totally worth breaking a commandment for).  In fact, one of these days I'm going to do a full-on John and Sherry style house crashing tour but today you'll just have to settle for a sneak peek of some of my favorite elements.



Element #1 is the giant chalkboard in her kitchen:

(I had a hard time getting a good photo so I'm including two...)

My sister-in-law had the idea and my father-in-law helped her execute it.  He built a frame out of molding and attached it to the wall.  Then they filled in the center with magnetic chalkboard paint. The picture really doesn't capture the fabulousness of it.  It is huge and usually sports the artistic stylings of my three-year-old niece.  (Are you starting to feel a little envy?  I know, right?  A total commandment breaker.)  

Honestly, I would love to have one of my own.  Unfortunately, I have a weird thing about chalk dust.  (It's right up there with pumpkin guts in terms of giving me the heebie-jeebies which is a strange thing for a former teacher to admit....)   I do have a similar idea in mind though, and if I ever execute it I'll let you all know.  

Speaking of similar ideas, I wanted to show you another one of my sister-in-law's projects.  This one is in her dining room:

Again, she made a frame out of molding.  She then proceeded to wallpaper the middle.  The project isn't exactly complete; there will eventually be a console table and a mirror resting against the wallpaper.  I will definitely post a picture when the room is done.  I just know it's going to be fabulous.  

  

Here's a close-up so you can see the frame a little better:

Another room that I love is the kids' bathroom.  I wish there was a good way for me to capture the whole thing in one shot.  For now I'll just show you this:

It's only a tiny corner but this little built-in suggests just how charming and whimsical the whole room is.  Don't you love the striped paint and the punchy green color inside the niche?  I mean, who wouldn't want to be potty trained in there?

The last part of this mini-tour focuses on an adorable craft that I spied in my nephew's room.  It was made by his babysitter who also seems pretty awesome.  (Is there a commandment about coveting thy sister-in-law's babysitter?  Just call me a sinner...)  

She pinned the idea here.  (Original source and tutorial found here.) 

It's a hot air balloon mobile that hangs in the middle of the room.  The top is a painted embroidery hoop...

...and the balloon baskets are made of corks.  (How cute is that?!)

 

And if you're admiring the rest of the room, wondering about the pretty painting or the fun architecture, don't worry.  I really do plan on doing a full house tour some day.   

Until then you'll just have to covet this tiny bit.

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Linking:

http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/01/sns-171-link-up-your-charming.html

The Top Ten Things That Make Me Happy (#5)

Wanna hear something funny?

Sometimes I forget that people actually read this blog.  Silly, I know, but it's true.  And it's responsible for some of my more epic blog fails.  Example:  this summer I started a "Top Ten Things That Make Me Happy" series.

Cool, right?

Well it would have been if I hadn't stopped at number four.

It's not that I didn't have six other items in mind to write about.  I just seem to have developed a little case of blogger's ADD.  I guess I got distracted and, well, kind of forgot about it.

So imagine my surprise when people started writing me to find out what happened.  Seriously, I was shocked.  But also really pleased.  Thank you, loyal readers, for keeping me honest.  I now present you with "thing" number five:  the Lazy Susan.

Okay, it seems like kind of a weird thing to honor and celebrate, but anything that keeps me organized makes me happy.  And when I find an organizational method that continues to work long  after its initial implementation, I feel it is my duty to share it with others.  The Lazy Susan fits that bill.

Finding an open jar of jam or other condiments in my refrigerator used to be a nightmare.  The result was numerous duplicates which got expensive after awhile.  Then I decided to add a Lazy Susan to the top shelf in my fridge and all of that changed.  Now with a quick spin I can survey all of my jars.  So, so handy.

(I swear there are fruits, veggies and protein in the drawers that you can't see ;)

I had a similar problem in the cabinet where I keep unopened bottles and jars.  Some of them are really tall so those little plastic steps (of which I'm also a fan) wouldn't work.  Add a Lazy Susan and, voila! problem solved!

Under-the-sink cleaning supplies?  Those are on a Lazy Susan too.  (A huge one--and I love it!)

So there you have it:  "thing" number five.  I promise I'll bring you numbers six through ten soon.

(And if I don't, feel free to give me a little nudge...)

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Linking:

http://organizeyourstuffnow.com/wordpress/home-decor-organizing-link-party-70
http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/

Alligator Jars

Just a few months from now a dear friend will be having her first baby, a boy.   She's registered at Pottery Barn Kids and now that my girls have outgrown that store, I was looking forward to having an excuse to go in and look around.  

But then she threw me a curve ball: "I want you to make my gift," she told me.  

This is understandable given all the the blogging and crafting that goes on over here.  But I really liked the Alligator Madras Nursery Bedding bedding she picked out at PBK, so I decided to incorporate it into my gift.  

Now I have exactly one pregnant friend at this point in my life and she knows who she is.  

Young lady, if you are reading this, STOP NOW!  (xoxo)

Some of you might remember the animal jars that are displayed in my laundry room.  After contemplating several projects I finally decided to do something similar for my friend's baby (using alligators, of course!)  

I started with these plastic jars from Michael's.  I found them on clearance a long time ago and knew I would one day use them.  I thought they'd be perfect for a baby's room as they are unbreakable.  

Then I picked up some inexpensive plastic alligators to mimic the ones on the bedding.  You can see that the one in the middle has a little ring on his nose.  I ended up cutting those off and filing them down to remove any sharp edges.  

A little hot glue secured them to the lids.  

Then I got to spray painting.  That's right, I'm a spray painting fool these days.  I still kind of stink at it but practice makes perfect.  I began by spraying the tops within the confines of this cardboard box.  

In order to spray the sides I put the lids on an old jar so my fingers wouldn't get in the way.

As usual, my spray painting is full of imperfections but I'm still pretty happy with the result.

 I decided to fill the jars with baby items like the washcloths pictured below.

I think they'll look cute sitting on a shelf in the nursery.  I also think they can grow with him, eventually holding crayons or something similar.

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Linking:

Faux Zinc Letters

If you've been hanging around Pinterest or the blogosphere, you've probably run across a few knock-offs of these fun Zinc Letters from Anthropologie.  (Like: here and here and here and here and here.)  This is understandable because, a) those letters are pretty cool and, b) they're also $18 a pop.  (Which is kind of pricey if you want to, oh, I don't know, maybe spell something with them?)

As much as I enjoyed those projects, I never really planned on making my own.  It just wasn't on my project radar, so to speak.   That is until one day when I spied these in Target's "One Spot" bins.  (Curse you, Target!  I cannot walk through your doors without getting sucked into the One Spot's vortex.)

The letters are three dimensional and made of cardboard.  They cost a dollar apiece.  The weirdest part is that there were exactly two left.  

And they happened to be my initials.  

If that is not a sign from the One Spot Gods I don't know what is.

I brought them home and they sat in the garage for awhile while I pondered their fate, but in the back of my mind I knew what I wanted to do.  You see, some friends of mine are having a little party.  It's a spray paint party.  And while I've already established that I am kind of a lousy spray painter, I also love a good party.  So I decided to start with a small project, something that would at least get my foot in the door.

How fortunate that I already had these cans of spray paint in my garage.  The one on the right is gray primer.  On the left  is a silver metallic.  

I poked some thumbtacks in the letters to keep them elevated while I spray painted.  (Yes, they left little holes.  No, I don't really care.)

Then I sprayed a thin, even coat of the primer.  Unfortunately there must have been some dry paint in the nozzle because the first spritz blasted my "E" with little flecks of paint.  I was able to sand most of them off but since part of the charm of zinc letters is their "imperfections," I wasn't too worried. 

After the primer I sprayed a few coats of silver....

And this was the end result.  (That spot on the left side of the E isn't as noticeable in person.)

I love them and can't wait to find them a permanent home.

Thanks, One Spot Gods!

Linking:

Nothing but Net

... dot.net, that is.

That's right.  I recently made a little change to the blog.  Thanks to my brother, a software engineer who is kind of the bomb, `a casarella's new URL is:

www.acasarella.net

You can omit the "www" if you want.

(We like to keep it casual around here...)

If you're used to typing in my old blogspot domain, don't worry.  Through the magic of the internet you will be automatically redirected to the new address.

And just to keep things neat and tidy, my email has also changed.  You can now reach me at elena@acasarella.net.

I feel like such a big girl blogger.

Thanks, Bro!

xoxox

Mediterranean Chicken

With school in session I'm betting that there are a lot of parents who are looking for quick and easy dinner recipes.  Below is a recipe I shared over at The Frugal Girls last spring.  It's one of my go-to dinners and I thought I would share it here in case you missed it back then.

I consider it a "go-to" because I frequently need quick and easy weeknight recipes.  In fact (and I'm a little embarrassed to admit this) sometimes I don't even know what we're having for dinner until about five minutes before I start cooking.

This is a shameful thing for a mommy-blogger to admit.  C'mon, you guys are on Pinterest, you know how organized we mommy-bloggers are supposed be.  I should have a cute, dry erase calendar made from paint chips and modge podge that proudly displays my dinner plans for the next month.  And it should be cross-referenced with the contents of my uber-organized pantry.

But to be honest, that's not exactly how things go down at my house--though I do have a pretty well-organized pantry.

And in that pantry I always try to keep the dry ingredients for today's recipe, a little something I call Mediterranean Chicken.  (I know, it needs a better name.  I'm taking suggestions.)

Here's how I make it:

First I gather the aforementioned pantry ingredients, seen here:

 

Then I reach for one of these, a Rotisserie Chicken.

 

I try and pick up at least one Rotisserie chicken a week.  I use them in all sorts of recipes. They tend to be less expensive than uncooked chicken breasts (and they certainly meet that quick and easy criteria).

 

I simply remove the skin and carve out the breast.

 

Then I shred it up with my fingers and set it aside in a bowl.  And lest you think that I waste the rest, be assured, it all gets used.  I save the wings and legs for my daughters to eat and frequently make soup stock from whatever remains.  

Next I slice up some Kalamata olives.  (The amount depends on how much you like them.)  Now I know the jar says "pitted," and I hate to be a negative Nellie, but do not trust them!  The jar of pitted Kalamatas frequently contains at least one pit--and I have the crown to prove it!  So take the extra two seconds to slice your olives and double check for pits.  Your teeth will thank me.

Next I drain a can of artichoke hearts.  I buy the ones that are sliced into quarters.  

Then I add the Kalamatas and set them aside.

While those are draining I pour a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes into a saucepan.  I don't drain them, though I suppose that you could. 

Next add the artichoke hearts and olives to the tomatoes.

If you've ever visited my other recipes, you know that I come from a long line of non-measurers.  Today I have decided to be polite and at least attempt to measure my spices.  First I add roughly a tablespoon of dried oregano...

...then about a teaspoon of garlic powder.

I also put in a little freshly ground pepper but that picture seemed to have disappeared.  

(I don't add salt because the other ingredients are pretty salty on their own.)   

Next I add some capers 

(a task I could not do without the little jar opener doo-hickey pictured below).

Want your own doo-hickey?  See the "Products" tab above.

I'd say that was one heaping teaspoonful.

Then I stir the ingredients over medium heat until they're heated through.  

Yeah.  I probably should have used a larger pot...

While those are warming I make a cup of rice.

At this point I gather the rest of my ingredients: the chicken (which I reheat) and some feta cheese.

 I put the rice in the bottom of a large bowl...

...cover it with the reheated chicken...

...add the tomato mixture...

...and sprinkle with Feta cheese to taste.  (I'm from Wisconsin; I like a lot of cheese.)

And that's it!  Dinner is served.

 It's quick, it's easy and most of all, it's tasty.  

So perhaps you might consider adding it to your paint chip calendar?  I'd be so pleased if you did.