The Moon and Me

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Entertainment Center to TV Console Makeover

Helloooooo!

I have missed you!

NO, really.

And I almost feel the need to reintroduce myself......again. :)

sigh.

Anyway...we have been spending every spare minute working

on the bathroom redo and I have not had time to get this done!

I mean...it's been DONE.... but not done. You know?

So...like my new entertainment center?

Wanna see what it used to look like?

KEEP READING!!!!!! ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

SEE?????????

Here's the official Before and After...

but scroll down to see the magic in action!

First...start with an outdated entertainment center.

Excuse the husband person...I forgot to take any

pics before we started taking things apart.

It actually used to have a partition on the upper left side with a glass door...

we took that off a couple years ago so we could fit the flat screen in there.

Let's back up, shall we?

It all started when Jon decided he wanted to mount the TV on the wall.

Ugh...ok.

Then what do we do with the entertainment center?

I didn't really like any of the consoles we saw...

unless we wanted to spend gobs of money...

sooooo not necessary.

We talked about making some shelves and baskets below á la something I saw on Pinterest.

Then I had this brilliant idea to use what we already had.

I know...sometimes I amaze even myself.

So the story began...

First we removed the top...we knew we wanted to keep that part.

Then with a hand saw we cut off the vertical sides down to the bottom.

Pretty easy, it doesn't have to be pretty...just even.

See why pretty doesn't matter?

We're attaching the top piece the bottom section and it will cover any saw marks.

Unless you got really carried away and went all Texas Chainsaw on it or something.

Then I can't help you.

Once we made sure we had it centered on the bottom piece,
we used Gorilla wood glue in generous amounts and then set
some heavy things on the top while it dried for a couple days.
Oh...and we took the doors off...filled the screw holes and sanded.
Yep...forgot that part.

Once it was ready...I used some home mixed chalk paint...two coats later...

and it looks like it was always one short piece of furniture and never anything else.

This was Martha Stewart's Tidewater...

It's a little more green than aqua, but I made it work in the room.

A little dark wax and allover clear wax and you have an amazing transformation!

I searched high and low for the perfect size baskets...they were never to be found.

I found these almost perfect ones at World Market...but there was still something missing...

Besides the need to put some tools away...

my baskets needed some liners!

Perfect!!!

Not only did they unify the look, but they kept the CDs and DVDs

from leaning to and fro on the uneven seagrass weave.

I was going to do a tutorial on making liners for baskets...

but, NO...since mine didn't fit properly and I was mad at them

and just cut a slit in the back and blew raspberries at them...

I thought maybe I would pass on the how-to.

But they are pretty from the front! :)

The reason it took so long to get this out to you...

well, once we redid the TV console...the rest of the room needed a facelift.

I couldn't very well, just leave you with one little corner, could I?

This is our loft "bonus room" as it's called...but to us it's our TV room.

But since it's upstairs, it has always been the castoff room.

You know...the place you send the furniture and decor

you didn't want to use in the rest of the house?

Well, no more! I wanted it to be cozy.

We don't watch tons of TV but when we do, it's a fun family time.

I wanted it to be a relaxing place to hang out.

We did get a new loveseat and extra wide chair, but that's because we really needed them.

Then I began brainstorming decor.

I was going for cottage style when I planned the console, so I went with the whole room.

Now, I can't say my interpretation of cottage style and yours are compatible.

That doesn't matter, all that matters is we love it.

It's cozy and has a collected look...that's the story I'm going with.

It started with this big framed Rodney White print I picked

up at Tuesday Morning a couple years ago.

I have always loved it and never had a place for it.

I decided it was becoming a focal point in this room

The "frieze" above the TV came from Hobby Lobby.

You can see I moved the Barnwood Flower Box up here...I like it here even better.

But anyway...I also shopped the house and the garage.

The large star above I used to have in the living room...

The old window has been collecting dust and spider webs

in the garage for longer than I can remember.

I had primed it once, sloppily...with plans to paint it black...

then I was struck by inspiration to paint it one of the

twelve thousand samples of aqua paint I have...

genius.

But know...scraping paint is one of my least favorite things to do...
this little razor blade was the bane of my existence for several evenings after dinner.

I used my Silhouette to cut some birds on a wire from vinyl...

and I am in love with my new wall art.

I hung it sideways because it worked better in the space and with the birds.

Sweet, huh?

The clock I adore came from Decor Steals I think...I have a thing for clocks.

The blue bird is from Hobby Lobby.

Our loveseat and chair came with some hideous throw pillows.

I mean, so ugly, even a mother would have a hard time, you know?

That was an easy fix, I just picked up some fun coordinating fabric

and sewed some super simple envelope covers for them.

{Almost} instant makeover.

{***I found the link above for you because she made hers almost exactly like I made mine,

but know this...I detest ironing and would never do such a detestable thing to something

I'm going to be mashing up against on the couch! :) ha ha}

I found the aqua button pillow at HomeGoods and wish

I had gotten it's large square counterpart.

My mom warned me...she said I'd be sorry...and of course, she was right.

Dangit.

The fun sunburst mirror I picked up at Hobby Lobby...on sale, because, really.
The chunky cable throw was 80% off...because I wasn't going to pay $80 for it!
Crazy. I bought 2 of the 3 they had...and should have gotten all 3.
And my last crafty contribution...I made the LOVE sign
with some scrap wood, some chalk paint, vinyl, and some fabric strips.

And there you have it...
A whole room change because of one man's desire to wall-mount the television.
In the end...it was a good decision. :)
Thanks, love.

There's still a side table you didn't see beside the oversized chair that I need to paint,

but it's basically a done deal.

It's fun and cozy to hang out here and lounge around.

To me it feels much like a vacation cottage or something.

Eclectic and collected, just like the rest of my life. :)

And like this print I mentioned above:

"We tend to seek happiness...when happiness is actually a choice."

See why I love it so?

I spent about $40 for paint, baskets, and fabric...
which is a bargain when you consider most of the
new consoles we saw started at around $300...
that's a $260 or more savings!
Yay me!

Well, the bathroom I bought the paint for a year an a half ago...
we've made tons of progress on...but it's kinda slow going.
I'd say we're over half done...I think the hardest part is over.
I need to get it done, so I can put the toilet back in there.
We keep hoping no one drops by unexpectedly.
:)

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there...
whether by birth or by love...
Have a great one!!!

Sharing here:

I Should Be Mopping the Floor

The Chicken Chick

DIY Showoff

Natasha in Oz
Kitchen Table Art
Dwellings
The Gunny Sack
A Stroll Thru Life
The Dedicated House
Kammy's Korner
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
My Craftily Ever After
Home Stories A to Z
Upcycled Treasures
Cedar Hill Farmhouse
HomeComing
My Life of Travels and Adventures
My Savvy Southern Style
Life With the Crust Cut Off
Ivy and Elephants
The Happy Housie
Lamberts Lately
Living Well Spending Less
Live Laugh Rowe
Saving 4 Six
Embracing Change
From My Front Porch to Yours
Nancherrow
Redoux Interiors
Craft Dictator
AKA Design
Love Bakes Good Cakes
The Golden Sycamore
Crafts a la Mode
Love of Family and Home
The Idea Room
Horrific Knits
Put a Bird On It
Remodelaholic
Will Cook For Smiles
Serenity You
Made from Pinterest
Reasons to Skip the Housework
I Heart Naptime
Six Sisters Stuff
Fluster Buster
Glitter Glue and Paint
Funky Junk Interiors
Life on Lakeshore Drive
Thrifty Decor Chick
Ella Claire
Remodelaholic (again)

Saturday, April 12, 2014

How To Make A Fondant Bunny

I don't do a lot of "decorating" for Easter...

so I didn't figure I had anything fun to share...

Then myself reminded me that I had made a little Easter cake

a couple of years ago with one of these cuties on it:

Myself has a bad habit of remembering things at the very last minute...

so that is why you are getting this little tutorial

ONE WEEK before EASTER!

So sorry. :)

Most cakers use gum paste for figures...

if you want them rock hard faster, do that.

I just use fondant because I'm impatient and don't like messing with gum paste.

Satin Ice is my favorite...especially if you plan

to use it on cake and actually EAT it.

(this White Buttercream flavor is new and pretty good)

Get yourself a nice sized glob of fondant...

and cover the rest up...it dries out quickly.

Divide your fondant into 3 sections about this big.

I actually had a little too much and ended up with a chubby bunny.

Side note: did you ever play that game in youth group where

you had to stuff your mouth with as many marshmallows as

you possibly could and then say "chubby bunnies" several times?

***insert crickets chirping***

NO?

Welllllllll........me neither then, I was just checking.

Anyway...

Take your middle sized ball and start to pinch one side to shape the ears...

Just keep working it and smoothing it until you get the length you want.

Next start to shape the rest of the head...mine has fat cheeks...

and from the side you can see I tried to make the

bottom of his face elongated like a bunny's.

Shape your largest ball into a sort of bunny body.

Adjust size if necessary.

from your smallest ball take a couple equal pieces and shape the feet

Make the side that goes under the body flat and dab with a little

water on the end of your finger to stick them to the bottom of the body.

Use a tooth pick or the edge of a knife to make some bunny "toes."

Take two more small equal pieces and roll into arms.

Flatten the top edges and attach to top of body portion using a dab of water again.

These should be placed so that they're under the head once it's on.

Now to finish the face.

You should have a little piece left...

from that make two small flat, round pieces...cheeks

one very small long round piece...nose

and a small rectangular piece with a dent in the middle for the teeth.

Petal dust (top) is great for coloring fondant, but not always readily found.

You can get it at cake and candy supply stores and some kitchen stores.

However, pearl dust (the long tubes), is made by

Wilton and can be found at Hobby Lobby.

Attach the face pieces in this order...

Teeth

Cheeks

Nose

Using a clean paint brush, I applied the petal dust and made my nose dark,

and used a little less to make my cheeks rosy.

You can do the same with the pearl dust, it may just be lighter.

(I used the white pearl dust over the WHOLE bunny once he was done)

Using the other end of the paint brush, make two small dents for eyes...

Can you see them there?

If not, no big deal...

Use an edible food marker to fill in the eyes...

these have a nice wide pointed tip, so you could even

JUST use the marker to make the dents.

Now...comes the waiting.

As you can see, my bunny is sitting on a piece of parchment...

That is so he doesn't stick to the table.

You could also use wax paper or the shiny side of freezer paper.

Shape your bunny ears how you will want them to be when they harden.

One up, one down...both floppy, whatever.

But he needs to set up and harden AT LEAST

overnight for his ears to stay standing.

Once the fondant has hardened, place the head on the body,

you can use a little water dabbed again, to make the

body and bottom of the head sticky and attach.

(you can use a toothpick for more stability...make sure you place it

while the fondant is still soft, and make the hole in the body also.

Then allow to dry inserted into the head.)

Look at that face!!!!

Now you have an adorable little bunny

to put on top of your Easter cake.

Well, I guess that is if you MADE an Easter cake.

Little Bunny Foo Foo

hopping through the forest...

...scooping up the field mice

and boppin' 'em on the head...

OOOPS...

Wrong bunny...

Don't you just wanna pinch his cheeks?

Here is my original bunny sitting on his little cake.

I went to find him (I still have him) in his box,

and his ears had broken off! (The old one, not the new)

It was very sad. :(

The "eggs" are colored fondant, so are the rolled flowers.

And the grass was easy...just use the grass tip with some green buttercream.

Ta DA!

Doesn't he just make you smile?

He does me!

I know this is last minute, but I hope I've inspired you to

make your own little bunny for your Easter dessert this year.

Let me know if you give it a try...

and if you have any questions.

Have an awesome weekend!

Hopping along to these parties:

It All Started With Paint

Will Cook For Smiles

Crafts a la Mode

Six Sisters' Stuff

Reasons to Skip the Housework

Love of Family and Home

Love Bakes Good Cakes

Dwellings

Lolly Jane

A Cowboy's Life

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

My Craftily Ever After

Ivy and Elephants

Life With the Crust Cut Off

The Blissful Bee

From My Front Porch to Yours

Friday, April 4, 2014

Crustless Cheesy Egg and Sausage Bake

Super easy, nice & cheesy...

glad that doesn't describe me!

Hee hee.

But seriously...

I've had this recipe in my binder for ages...

we use it all the time!

I cook once, we eat breakfast for days!

What's easier than that?

And it's loaded with good stuff, Maynard!

Sausage and mushrooms...

bright green onions...

blurry, sweet, red tomatoes...

wholesome, fresh eggs...

lovingly blended with some creamy cream and spices!

layer it all up...with some of that cheesy cheese...

and pour some eggs on me...

or rather on my breakfast!!!

give it a little shake...the pan, not your booty...

unless you really wanna...

bake to golden perfection...

slice it up...and chow it down!

We cut this into eight equal pieces.

That's 1 1/2 eggs per serving plus sausage, cheese, and veggies.

Since there are only two of us, we have

a ready made breakfast for four days!

My husband loves that plan...

since he's usually the breakfast-maker. :)

And since he IS the breakfast-maker...

this makes it super simple for me when he's out of town for work...

I just toss a piece in the microwave and I'm not trying to

find time to pull breakfast together before work!

Awesomesauce!

This also works great for a brunch buffet...

and since it's totally delicious...it's always a big hit!

I would just cut it into 12 pieces, I think.

Crustless Cheesy Egg and Sausage Bake

1 lb breakfast sausage, browned and crumbled
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 large tomato, diced - or the equivalent in yummy cherry tomatoes, quartered
8 oz shredded cheese, I love sharp cheddar, but use what YOU love
12 eggs
1 cup heavy cream (I actually use 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup half & half - does that make it 3/4 & 1/4?)
1/2 tsp Italian herb seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper to your liking
sometimes when I'm feeling adventurous, I add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper!

Cook sausage and crumble, when almost done, stir in chopped mushrooms so they can cook for a couple minutes. Spread it all into a well greased or "Pammed" 13 X 9 baking pan.
Evenly sprinkle the green onions, then the tomatoes, then the cheese over the meat.
Crack your eggs into a mixing bowl, beat with a fork. Add in cream and seasonings. Beat with fork until well combined.
Pour egg mixture evenly over layers.
Bake at 350° for 35 minutes...or until set...it begins to get golden around the edges.
If serving right away, allow to sit for 10 minutes or so...otherwise, set on a rack until cool, cut into desired pieces, cover with aluminum foil and place in fridge.
Warm it slowly in the microwave and enjoy!

Recipe Printable

This is low carb and since it doesn't have a crust...technically gluten free!

It's totally yummy and good for Atkins...

Easy and convenient on busy mornings.

What's not to love?

C'mon...give it a try!

In other news...

I have actually started on that bathroom makeover

that I bought the paint for a ~~year~~ while ago.

The bad news?

I'm not sure I'm still lovin' the paint choice I made.

Oops.

Now what?

Aaahhh...my decorating misadventures...

the continuing saga...

Have a great one!

p.s. why does blogger hate ampersands?

Breaking the fast at these fine parties:

Crafts a la Mode

Horrific Knits

WhipperBerry

Love of Family and Home

Love Bakes Good Cakes

AKA Design

Anyonita Nibbles

I Heart Naptime

It All Started With Paint

Serenity You

Will Cook for Smiles

Cheerios and Lattes

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

Dwellings

The Dedicated House

April's Homemaking

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Mama's Blog Central

The Gunny Sack

A Stroll Thru Life

Life With The Crust Cut Off

The Blissful Bee

Living Well Spending Less

Ivy and Elephants

Saving 4 Six

From My Front Porch To Yours

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Sara Bakes ~ Chocolate Overload Cookies

Howdy out there in blog-land!

Well...while Sara was home for spring break last week,

she decided to do a little baking.

She found these Chocolate Pudding Cookies from Averie Cooks

on Pinterest and knew they would hit the chocolate spot!

I swear, I don't know what is up with these pictures!

They look fine on the computer, and then I load

them into Blogger and they look like this!

I even re-did them!

Grrrrr.

Anyway...you remember Sara, right?

This awesome girl...young lady...wo-man...?

Who am I kidding?

She'll always be my girl.

She just used Averie's recipe and substituted what we had or whatever...you know?

This was actually the first time she's ever baked something from scratch all by herself.

She was pretty proud of these cookies.

By the time I got around to snapping a couple pictures...

These two were all that were left!

Averie's pictures with the gooey chocolate

must have been straight out of the oven.

So Sara's don't look so messy...

Here's the recipe link again...it isn't right for me to post it

here when the subs she made are not significant.

We only had regular butter...dark brown sugar...

and not quite enough dark chocolate, so she just used extra semi-sweet.

Sara made her cookie balls quite a bit smaller and got about

3 1/2 dozen as opposed to the 17 in the original recipe.

She baked them the same, but could easily have cut a minute or two off that time.

They were still soft and chewy, and yummily chocolicious...

but surprisingly not overly so...

She gave most of them away...which was probably for the best.

Otherwise we might have sat and eaten them all with a tall glass of cold milk.

In one sitting.

What's the last Pinterest recipe you tried?

Was it any good?

Let me know!

P.S. I really am working on things...I've finally started
on that hall bathroom that I bought the paint for eons ago...

I'm trying to get the stuff hung on the walls before
I show you the entertainment center makeover...
can't have it sitting in a plain jane room now can we?

So...until then...
smooches!