Gold Rush

You guys have probably figured out by now that I really love gold. I mean, I've only blogged about stuff that I've gilded here, here, here and here.

Well...my gold obsession (and, I suspect, the gold trend) isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The latest victim of the 'gold war'?  A simple, white bowl that I picked up for a few bucks at Pottery Barn Outlet.

I used my favorite liquid gilding to free-hand a simple design on the inside of the bowl, and painted a solid triangle of gold on the outside edge.  

My unsteady hand and the paintbrush resulted in imperfect lines and finish, but I kind of like that!  It gives the bowl a hand-made vibe.

To be honest, I kind of love ALL metallic accents.  Gold, copper, chrome...I'm there.

What about you?  What's your fav metallic finish?

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I Do (Love My New Wood Burning Tool)

On Friday I promised to show you one of the fab projects that I'm working on with my new wood burning pen, and with wedding season just months away, wood burned bride and groom hangers seemed like the right one to show off!  I made these for one of my my best girls, and hope they end up being useful to her when her big day arrives this summer!

Creating this simple, but pretty gift was a breeze with my new toy.  Luckily for me and my unsteady hand, Mr. M. gave me a set of alphabet hot stamps to go along with my wood burner, so I used those to burn bride and groom onto two cedar hangers.

For the groom's hanger, I used 5/8 inch black satin ribbon to create a tuxedo bow that can be slipped over the wire hook....

...while the bride's hanger got a feminine touch with ivory satin ribbon tied in a simple bow.  Adding a coral flower seemed like a perfect finishing touch.  

It was such a fun gift to give!

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Friday Favs 25

What a strange week it has been.  The extreme cold temperatures gave me another day off from school this week, and also gave me the opportunity to discover quite a few of my Friday Favs in my unexpected free time.

Fav #1

Almond milk.  I won't lie, I didn't really get the appeal of this stuff for a long time.  I don't drink milk.....well, ever. So basically all that I use it for is cooking or cereal (which, let's be honest, TOTALLY counts as cooking on busy days).  I'm not really even sure why I decided to give almond milk a try, except for the fact that it gets a lot of hype and has a much longer shelf life.  Suddenly, I get it.  It's SOO good!  It does taste like almonds!  And while I expected that to be weird...it's delicious!  I actually drank (almond) milk this week....something I haven't done in years.  My bones will thank me for giving them calcium from something other than cheese. And anything that convinces me to eat less cheese is a good thing. #cheeseaholic

Fav #2

One Tree Hill.  Where the hell was I when this show came out?!  Oh yeah...I was 21, in college, and had other.....priorities.  Rectifying that situation.  Right. Now.  Bonus points for casting my girl Moira Kelly from the 2nd greatest of movie of all time as Lucas' mom. #iloveyounetflix

Toe pick?

Fav #3

This fabulous, brand-new console table that I picked up at Goodwill this week for an equally fabulous, single-digit price!  Don't mind the crappy I-phone pic or the haphazard styling.  I just bought it yesterday and haven't had the opportunity to pay it proper attention.  I'm so excited to use it create a 'drop zone' inside our front door, something I've always craved since we lack a proper foyer.

Fav #4

The amazing wood burning tool that Mr. M. put in my stocking for Christmas.  I've been experimenting with it this week and have so many great ideas!  I didn't have any wood available to try it out on at first, so I practiced on our wooden spoons.  Here's a sneak peek out how they turned out.

I have so many great project ideas for this baby!  The first one is coming at you on Monday, so be sure to stop back to check it out.

 Walnut Hollow Creative Woodburner Value Pen 

Fav #5

The return of movies to our town through The Twin Valley Players Colonnade.  You guys.  This is amazing!  It's hard to say how many people besides those that actually know me even read this little blog-endeavor, but if you don't know me personally, you may not know that I live in my hometown.  It's pretty small....like 'we-don't-have-a-drive-through-restaurant-or-even-a-red-light' small.  And while small-town-living has its perks, an abundance of stuff to do is not one of them.  Growing up, one thing that we had going for us was the Colonnade, a single-screen theater that showed box office movies on the weekends.  Name an 80's or 90's movie, and chances are that I saw it there.  The Little Mermaid?  Check.  Titanic?  Double check.

Unfortunately, the original Colonnade closed in 2000 and had to be torn down, but a new theater has just opened and I'm excited to see a movie in town for the first time in at least 15 years!  Mr. M. and I are going to see Catching Fire this weekend, and I can't wait!!

I hope you have a great weekend too!

Kitchen Dreamin'

....on such a winter's day.

I've been fixated on dreaming up plans for updating our kitchen lately, and I don't know why.  This project definitely falls into the 'undetermined future' category, with no real plans on acting upon it anytime soon.  

Still, after more than four years in the house, I think I finally have a plan of where I'd like to go with our kitchen, once the day to make changes comes.  

Will all of these ideas actually come to pass? Who knows? With my track record, I'll probably change my mind a couple times between now and then.  Still, it's fun to dream...

To start, a few shots of our current kitchen:

And now, on to the dreams:

I guess that I should start out by saying that, when all is said and done, I'd like to repaint the kitchen gray.

Unusual Gray

Sherwin Williams' Unusual Gray gets a lot of hype, which in my opinion, is well -deserved.  It's a gorgeous shade of mid-tone gray, and might be a good option.

Anonymous

Another potential option is Sherwin Williams' Anonymous, a slightly darker gray that I believe would pair well with the wood tones in our kitchen.  Need proof?  Check out Dusty's beautiful kitchen below.

All Things G&D

Mr. M. is adamant that our kitchen cabinets will stay the same color of stained wood that they are now.  He makes some good arguments: the cabinets are in good shape, sanding them all would be a nightmare, and the lack of molding or architectural detail on the cabinets may read a bit flat if they were painted. But, I have dreams that he'll compromise and let me paint the island a soft, complimentary color.  I love the contrast that a painted island offers, and would love to paint it a shade of gray a few shades lighter than the walls. And since change begets change, I would also plan to repaint our dining room the same, lighter colored gray as the island.  The current gray in there just isn't quite what I had in mind. 

via Houzz

via Decor Pad

And since we are talking dream here, I'll go ahead and order that white marble counter top in the above picture as well.  You can just go ahead and put that on all of my counter-tops.  Thanks.

But I'd like mine topped off with gorgeous pale gray subway tile...

via Houzz

....and laid in a herringbone pattern, please....

via Houzz

Assuming the staining of our concrete porch goes well, I'd love to have simple stained concrete floors in the kitchen. Actually anything other than the carpet we have in there now will do.

And for the biggest dream of them all, I'd love to knock out the entire upper half of the wall between the kitchen and the dining room, opening the space up considerably.  This would result in losing some of our upper cabinets, but would be much more open-concept and would allow the other side of the space to function as a breakfast bar area. Obviously, we would need to swap out our oven/stove-top to something that could be integrated into such a set-up.

I have no idea what something like that would cost, or even if it is structurally possible. 

But a girl can dream.

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What We Ate {Banana Pecan Pancakes with Maple Butter}

Can't you see that it's just raining snowing?  There ain't no need to go outside.

I had a little Jack Johnson moment on Friday when school was closed for a snow day.  Inspired by some intriguing pancake varieties encountered during our trip to Erie last week, (which is currently the snowiest city in America.  Lovely.)  I used my unexpectedly free morning to create a fabulous batch of banana pancakes using pancake mix and some other yummy additions.  

They were SO GOOD.  Which is saying a lot coming from me, because I don't even like bananas very much. I'm all about the texture of foods, and bananas have a texture that is just not for me. In fact, I wanted to recreate a version of the pumpkin pancakes that Mr. M. ordered one day at breakfast. But, alas, we did not have any pumpkin. So inspired by my man Jack, I went with banana pancakes instead.  

I may not be crazy about bananas on their own, but mixed into some fluffy pancakes with banana-bread-like spices, sprinkled with pecans and topped with some yummy maple-butter?  Yum.  Count me in.  Every time. 

Banana Pecan Pancakes with Maple Butter

For Pancakes

2 bananas, mashed

1 banana sliced

 1/2 cup crushed pecans

1 1/2 cups complete pancake mix

1 1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk, but I think any kind would be fine)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus some for sprinkling

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For Maple Butter

1/4 cup butter (or margarine, which is what I used)

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Preheat griddle while mixing up pancake mix.  A very hot griddle is key to a fluffy pancake. 

Mash two bananas in a mixing bowl,  and then add in pancake mix, milk, beaten egg and spices. Stir until combined.  

Ladle pancake mix onto hot griddle, sprinkle with banana slices and crushed pecans.

Cook until the pancake has bubbles throughout the entire cake and has firmed up enough to flip.  Flip and cook other side to golden brown.  Remove from griddle and serve with maple butter and a sprinkling of cinnamon. 

To make maple butter, whip butter and maple syrup together with a fork.

Devour.  I found them to be really filling, and couldn't finish the two I put on my plate.  

I can't wait to try the pumpkin variety next!

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Friday Favs 24

Happy Friday friends!

On most Fridays, I'm exhausted and counting the minutes until I can catch up on sleep...but the snowstorm hitting the northeast has allowed me to go in to work a few hours late this morning have have a snow day, leaving me rested and refreshed this Friday.

Woohoo!  I might even manage to stay awake until 11 tonight.  Good times.

What will I do with those few extra hours of consciousness on Friday night?  Probably read a book.  I know, I know...I'm wild and crazy!  Try to keep up.

You've probably figured out by now that I have a ton of self-indulgent hobbies-- decorating, DIY'ing, shopping, blog-stalking.  Well, add reading to the list.  And put it near the top.  I've always LOVED to read.  I honestly feel pity for people who don't love it as well, because I feel like they are missing out on one of my favorite things ever.  If you're not a reader....well, we can still be friends.  But I really think you should reconsider!

So this week's favs feature about some my favorite books.  I love them so much I want to share them with all of you.  I'll warn you up front....I read purely for pleasure and as an escape.  Most of my material-of-choice isn't mind-blowingly intellectual.  And I couldn't care less.

(affiliate links)

Fav #1

Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner.  I'm actually kind of in love with everything Jennifer Weiner...but Little Earthquakes is my favorite.  The story follows four very different women who share the common bond of being new parents.  Although I've read this book several times, my favorite 'reading' of the book was actually when I listened to it as an audio-book while I spent days scraping wallpaper off the walls of our home.  Audio-books are awesome for long, monotonous household projects like that!  In fact, they make them kind of fun.

Little Earthquakes (Kindle Version)
Little Earthquakes (Print Version)

Little Earthquakes (Audio Version)

Fav #2

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. The book tells the true story of Louie Zamperini--an Olympian-turned-Army-hero who endured an amazing journey in World War II.  OMG.  I am fascinated by stories of struggle and survival and I can't even tell you how much I loved this book.  Read it.  This instant.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (Kindle Version)

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (Print Version)

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption  (Audio Version)

Fav #3

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl.  Ok, I'm sounding sort-of-intellectual with this one, but stories like this just captivate me! Viktor Frankl writes about his experience in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust, and explores his purpose and the choices he has even in the midst of a hellish environment.  It is SO GOOD.  I dare you to read it and not learn something about yourself.

Man's Search for Meaning (Print Version)

Man's Search For Meaning (Audio Version)

Fav #4

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron.  Ok, you've probably figured out by now that I'm an animal-lover, so it's no surprise that I love this book. But I really think that you will too! It tells the true-story of an abandoned cat who finds a home in an Iowa public library and changes the lives of his owner and those who love him.  It's a really sweet story, one that illustrates just how much the animals in our lives mean to us.  

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World (Kindle Version)

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World (Print Version)

What are your favorite books?!  I'm always looking for something new to read. This list just scratches the surface of my all-time favs, so look for more recommendations in Friday Favs to come.  

Have a great weekend!

Happy New Year! (and 2014 Goals)

Happy New Year!!  Hope your New Year's Eve was a good time! We had a low-key NYE--dinner with friends and then drinks and Seacrest at our House in the Heights. After a 5-hour drive home from visiting family, it was a perfect way to ring in the new year!

 My favorite part was Billy Joel after the ball dropped.  I think I need to resolve to see him at MSG this year. And, speaking of resolutions, I have some 2014 goals to share!  

House Goals 2014

- Get more organized.  Our house is basically neat, but there are several areas of controlled chaos.  I have some ideas to get them more under control.

- Install a mantle over our fireplace.  I simply MUST have a mantle for holiday decorating next year.  

- Replace the carpet with tile in our kitchen, hall bath, or master bath. Preferably all 3, but I'm being real about what we can tackle in a year. 

- Finally find an 8x8 rug that I love for the dining room. 

- Turn the spare bedroom into a more functional space.

- Acid stain the concrete on our front porch (and maybe our patio!).

- Hang art on the huge blank walls in our living room and master bedroom.

-Stencil a wall in our master bedroom.

Blog Goals 2014

- Grow!  Make it to 1,000 followers on at least one social media platform.  You guys can help with this one by using the aqua media buttons on the right side of the page.

-Use social media more effectively.  I really need to figure out Twitter.

-Write 200 posts in 2014.

-Share more of my personal life on the blog.

-Build relationships with bloggers that I admire.

Obviously, I have some personal goals as well.  I should probably be sharing them with you as part of my goal to share more of my personal life on the blog.  So...the big one is to try in-vitro fertilization and finally get pregnant in 2014.  

Big year ahead, people.  Big. Year.

So what about you?  What are your 2014 goals?