Porch Redo Pt 2

Five more days, bloggies! Is everyone getting their projects/crafts/recipes together for my SUMMER PARTY? Remember, you can post anything summer inspired, as long as you qualify as a newbie. Read here to see all the rules to enter.

Well, I took a break from decorating my own summer escape and finished up with my front porch redo. I didn't find any patio furniture on Craigslist that fit our budget (story of my life), so I have to make due with what we had. First, I needed a paint color on those walls. I tried to be brave and pick something different. Here were my choices: 

Immediately, hubby and I disliked the "Briquette." It was too bright for us and looked nothing like the chip card. Next, I was really into the "Grounded" when I first painted the sample onto the wall... but after an hour of dry time, it reminded me of something my kid upchucked once. TMI? Thought so. Lastly, I really loved the "Roasted Pepper" but was scared it would be too dark for a porch. So, I chickened out and went with my safe color of "Dusty Trail" by Olympic. Same color I used here for my entryway. So, here is a picture of my doorway before:

Strong, solid door in need of a paint job, welcome mat that has seen its days, and unattractive red Spanish tile. Here is the after:

My little summer nook! The window frames and door received coats of white paint. The walls are my safe tan "Dusty Trail," the doormat is new ($9 at Target), and you can read how I did my sign here and my stick arrangement here. The ceramic planter was a GW find ($3.99) and the plant was $5 at Walmart. The rocking chair and throw we've had for years and will be replaced when I find a small porch bench.

Things I still need to do here:

replace the doorknob and locks

update the dated light fixture (not shown on purpose)

replace the tile or cover it with an outdoor rug?

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Linking up with: House of Hepworths, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating , At the Picket Fence, Just a Girl

Making a list...

Yikes! I was so excited about my summer party, I completely forgot to share the news about a new, weekly link party happening over at Ordinary Days. This link party is like none other I've seen. It's called "Make a List Monday" and it's an opportunity to post up your weekly goals. What a great way to organize and narrow in on a specific task for the week!

Personally, I'm terrible at lists. I'll start one, and it quickly grows out of control with minute details. I read once that you should never focus on more than seven tasks at a time, to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Hm, I think I'll start with four for this week.

So, in honor of my friend over at Ordinary Days, here is my Make a List Monday:

1) Finish porch redo

2) Successfully re-pot a plant (don't laugh, this may kill the poor thing)

3) Create a necklace/bracelet holder for my 9-year-old

4) Find & install new towel hooks for the guest bath

If you get a chance, hop on over to her blog and check out what other people are tackling this week. Who knows, it may inspire you to get things done and that way, you'll finish in time for my summer link party in 8 days! *gasp* Perfect timing! LOL! ;)

Don't forget to help me spread the word about my link party, especially if you are, or know any newbies!

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Linking to: Ordinary Days

Summer Link Party!

Happy Monday, everyone!


I have some very exciting news...


I'm throwing a SUMMER LINK PARTY!!! Here is the best part... it will be strictly for new bloggers! This gives all you new kids on the block, such as myself, a chance to show off your summer crafts, projects, redos, recipes and get to meet fellow newbies.

Here are the rules:
1) You DON'T have to add me as a friend (although I hope we become friends through this)
2) Please add my button somewhere on your page, and/or link back to my Summer Party within your post

So, who can post to my summer party? If you have less than 100 followers, OR have been blogging for less than 1 year, then you are free to post up ANYTHING summer inspired!

Come on, ladies (and gents), let's get those projects done, so we can show off our sweet summer skills!

Please help me spread the word by posting my button! Party kickoff is in 8 days!!!






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Super Simple Summer Supper

Don't you just love that title? English major working her skills on her blog. Oh yeaah (channeling Vector from Despicable Me).

ANYWAYS...

I am nearly complete with our porch redo and I'm so excited to finally show you! Like all my room projects, half of it is still incomplete. I have a really dated Spanish tile and I'm undecided on whether I want to tile over it, cover it with an outdoor rug, or chip it apart and lay down a new flooring. As far as the ceiling, I'm waiting on a killer deal to come along so we can replace the dated light fixture. The porch will be revealed later... first, I want to share this yummy dish we created for dinner the other night. It took under 30 minutes, using only 7 ingredients (not counting salt, pepper, and olive oil). This supper fed my family of 4 and cost around $5!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp ground cumin, divided
4 cups of frozen, or fresh, corn
1 scallion, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 avocado, diced
1 tbsp of lime juice
salt
pepper
olive oil

Directions:
In a skillet, drizzle about 2 tbsp of olive oil and heat at med-high. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook the chicken thoroughly in the skillet. Once chicken is cooked, remove it and place onto a plate. In the same skillet, add the rest of the cumin and white wine. Stir in the corn and chopped scallion and mix well. You'll want the corn to be tender, so this should take about 3 - 5 minutes. In a small bowl, mix your diced avocado and lime juice. Serve your corn and chicken mixture, and top with the avocado.

So delish! The original recipe called for 12 scallions, but I substituted for chicken. Seafood makes me gag. lol! Something I would tweak for next time: the corn would have been extra yummy if I had grilled it first. I love the taste of corn that has been charred a bit. :)

Linking to: Good Life Wednesday, Christina's Adventures, House of Hepworths, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Porch Redo Pt 1

Our little home in the desert is alive with 100 plus temps, and I feel a strong desire to be OUTSIDE and working on our little porch. Is that not the nuttiest thing you've heard all day? This area hasn't been touched since the day we moved in and I want it to reflect us. Before I could begin throwing paint on the walls, I needed some inspiration to guide me. I already had this pail hanging up there, but it was a bit lonely. So, I painted a piece of scrap wood white and freehand wrote the word "love" on top.

I have been seeing these "love" signs all over blogs and I don't know who the original creator is. I don't know who to give the credit to! Well, anyhow, thank you, "insert name." So, once my sign was painted, I sanded it quite a bit to give it an old, worn look.

Next, I drilled some holes at the top, and double strung it using jute. Really, I think any kind of rope will do, but I just used what I had. 

The finished look:

So cute! It took me about 20 minutes to whip this together (not including drying times) and I had all the supplies, which made this sign 100% free! Now, my little pail has a pal (cheesy joke) and I have my inspiration set for my porch transformation.

Up next will be a new color on those walls!

Linking up with: House of Hepworths, Sisters of the Wild West, Keeping It Simple, Made By You Monday, Good Life Wednesday, Christina's Adventures, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, DebbieDoo's Newbie Party

Summer Wreath

One of my simple joys when visiting someone, is seeing a wreath hung on their door. A wreath decked out with leaves, berries, ornaments or pine cones gets me all warm and fuzzy on the inside. While my heart longs for the colder months (Tuesday will be 101 for us, FYI), I must make due with God's design plan that's outside my window. Browns, whites, greens, and blues. Plus, I needed to add a dash of color to the beige that I feel is taking over my home. So, when I saw this wreath, I knew I had to have it on my door. I just needed a couple of supplies:

The wreath was a Goodwill find for $0.99, the letter was also $0.99 from a craft store, and the flowers were $2.00 each from Hobby Lobby. Following the lady who inspired me, I stuck the stems all along one side of my wreath. The flower stems had an ugly leaf color, so I just pulled them off. I gave the letter two coats of my favorite blue spray paint and ended up with this:

My wreath doesn't look as full as hers, even though I used three stems. I may go back for more. Maybe not. Either way, I love the pop of blue on my door:

Door wreath project: $8.00

Linking up with: Thrifty Decor Chick, DebbieDoo's Newbie Party