Cranberry Orange Scones

I have a weakness for scones.  I am not sure why because I never even had a scone until I was in my late 20s and was traveling in England.  Maybe that is it, though, it reminds me of the fun times I had traveling.  In any case, I love whipping up a batch of scones on a Saturday morning and eating one (ok, who am I kidding, two or three) with my morning cup(s) of coffee.

I came across this recipe on Pinterest, of course, and just had to try it because after following the trail back to the source recipe, it turns out this is one of Ina Garten's recipes.  And, as we all know, Ina is a Goddess in the kitchen.  Here is the link to the original recipe.

I made a few slight changes and skipped at least one step.  I do have to say that when I make these again, I will be using my food processor.  It makes the incorporating the butter step much easier.

Turning Childhood Toys to Treasured Art

This project was originally posted as a guest post I did on The NY Melrose Family blog.

Do you have a childhood treasure that just doesn't fit in your home's decor?  Something you just can't get rid of but don't want stored in a box forever?  If so, this may be the project for you!

When I was sorting through some boxes that had been stored in my parents basement for mumble mumble years, I came across the gorgeous guy you see below.  You see, like many women, I had been horse-mad when I was a kid.  Of course this meant that I filled my room with galloping horses, just like this one.

Now, since I don't have a horse-mad daughter and am trying not to end up on an episode of Horders, into the donate box he went.  There Black Beauty lived for a few weeks until I remembered Remington and his bronze statues of horses and their riders.  Ideas on how to accomplish something similar began to bubble and percolate in my brain.

Then I had it, I would turn Black Beauty into my own bronze statue and keep him forever!

Step 1:  Gather Materials

• Horse
• Gorilla Glue (not pictured)
• Drill and bit - bit should be the same size as the shank of the screws
• Primer
• Copper Spray Paint
• Hammered bronze spray paint
• 1x4 piece of wood - cut to the size that fits your horse
• 1x6 piece of wood - cut 2 inches larger that the 1x4
• screws - 1" and 1-1/4"
• caulk
• pencil (not pictured)

Step 2: Figure out screw placement and drill holes

• Draw circles around the hooves on the 1x4

• Draw an arrow to mark the centers and then drill the holes

• Drill holes in the bottom of the hooves

Step 3:  Attach your horse to your base (Sorry, I don't have any photos of this.  Since I don't have 3 hands I couldn't take any photos.) and caulk the seam

• Place a bit of glue in the center of each circle
• Using the 1" screws, screw into your pilot holes until the screws just poke out of the top of the piece of wood
• With the base on its side, place the horse so the holes in the hooves settle on top of the screws
• Finish screwing the horse to the base
• Set aside overnight to let the glue harden completely

 

Step 4:  Attaching the secondary base

• Set the horse and base onto the 1x6 and, measuring to make sure that it is centered, mark the edges so you can make sure to drill inside the lines

• Clamp the pieces of wood together and then lean everything over onto a couple of rags so you can screws the pieces of together.

•  Caulk the seam between the two pieces of wood

Step 5: Painting

• Prime and let dry

• Paint with copper spray paint and let dry. It will take a couple of light coats to get complete coverage.

 

• Paint with bronze spray paint and let dry.  It will take a couple of light coats to get complete coverage.
• Display!

 

Here's a close up.  I think it turned out pretty well.  You would never know he was just a molded plastic underneath.

This shot shows how the detail really stands out thanks to using light coats of spray paint.

 

I think Black Beauty now should be called Bronze Beauty!

To see where I am linking up, check out the Places I Party.

Crafting Rebellion, Type A and Better After were kind enough to feature this project on their blogs.


       

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! & To Do This Weekend 3/17-18

It's St. Patrick's Day!!!
and today,

Everyone is Irish!

Sláinte to you all!

Now raise a glass of Bulmer's, Guinness, Jamesons, Smithwick's or maybe an Irish coffee and rock out to some U2 or maybe sing along to one of the classic pub songs with The Cheiftans.

Me, I will be singing pub songs as I drink a Bulmer's (or three) as I work on my projects around the house.

Here's hoping your St. Patrick's Day is a good one and you find yourself a leprechan at the end of a rainbow with a big pot of gold.  Just make sure to send me some...I want to redo my center bathroom.  :-D

Now onto our To Do List for this weekend...

Menu Plan: 3/15-21

I have decided that D and I never eat as much as I think we will when I am doing my weekly menu plan. We always seem to have waaaaaay more leftovers than I anticipate so we end up not making all the stuff planned. That and we have started eating a lot of soup and one big pot of homemade soup lasts a while. So I am going to cut back on how many main dishes we plan each week.
Plus, at the end of last week I came down with a horrible cold and cough. Being sick doesn't make you want to eat - it makes you want to snuggle with the dog. Petting her soft ears just seems to make everything better!

That being said, here is this week's plan. Notice that basically every item was planned for last weekend.

Thursday: Crockpot Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots (a K creation)

Friday: FITF*

Saturday: Beef barley veggie soup made with the leftover roast (a D creation)

Sunday: Wasabi Crusted Salmon with orzo and salad ()

Monday: FITF

Tuesday: FITF

Wednesday: FITF

*Forage in the Fridge

Willow Wednesday

This is my chair. Don't even think about sitting here!

Plans to Make the Kitchen a Little Less Bland

We love our house. However, the kitchen is one area that we are not entirely keen on. It is big but the layout - it is a disaster.

When we moved in, it was bland bland bland and just not our style. White cabinets, white appliances, cream walls, cream counters, brass knobs and hinges.

This is one of the listing photos.

See what I mean?  It almost puts you to sleep.

Don't even get me started on the work "triangle." I put that in quotes because it is more like a work free form geometric shape.  That particular issue won't be addressed until we do a total gut job and that is still several years away. For now we are going to just make some cosmetic changes. 

Here's the plan: paint on the walls, the knobs and hinges, the countertop;  tile on the backsplash, install a new faucet and new lighting.

Mini Kitchen Makeover on polyvore.com

1. Paint:  Valspar Key Lime Pie
2. Tile:  COUNTERPARTS 3" x 6" White Ceramic Wall Tile
3. Grout:  light gray or silver.  Brand TBD.
4. Knobs and hinges: painted with Rustoleum hammered silver
5. Countertops: Giani Granite Bombay Black kit
6. Faucet:  IKEA Hjuvik (or something similar)
7. Over sink light:  Portfolio 10"W Steel 1-Light Pendant Light with Clear Shade
8. Ceiling Lights: Portfolio 4-Light Brushed Steel Fixed Track Light

If all goes well, I am pretty sure we can do our mini makeover for less than $500.  Not too shabby.

Watch for posts on our progress over the next few months as we tackle each item.

DIY Hand Stamped Coasters

This is a project that was originally posted back in 2008 on a cooking blog that I used to have.  Since I was just thinking to myself that the tiles I made back then still look fabulous today, I wanted to share this easy project on this blog.  Plus, I have been sick all weekend so that means my planned project never happened. (stupid sore throat and cough!)

DIY Hand Stamped Coasters