All I can be is me.. Whoever that is.

Nectarine Raspberry Galette

2013-06-17T14:09:00.000-05:00

Last week we had a couple over for dinner and I planned to make a simple galette for dessert. In my words, a galette is simply a deconstructed pie. Whipping together a pie crust is easy peasy and I think every gal should know how to make one. Homemade pie crust is the difference between a yummy pie and a delicious treat that tempts you to eat the leftovers for breakfast. Of course- I did.

Here's what you will need for this EASY pie crust recipe:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cold un-salted butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
6-8 tablespoons ice water

In a Cuisanart or large bowl, add dry ingredients and pulse (or stir). Cut in pieces of butter (I slice mine in rough tablespoons) until mixture resembles rough crumbs. Add cold water one tablespoon at a time until dough starts to come together. This is when I turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and try to form a ball. If it is too crumbly, add a bit more water. Voila- Pie crust!

Here's what you will need for Nectarine Raspberry Galette:

Pie crust (if you are in a hurry and you don't have time, pick up a refrigerated pie crust, if you MUST)
3 nectarines
1/2 cup ripe raspberries
Juice from one lemon
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon corn starch

Steps:

1. Turn refrigerated dough onto parchment that has been lightly dusted with flour.

2. Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness

3. Take your fruit and slice into thin pieces

4. Add nectarines to large bowl and pour the lemon juice over fruit. Add dry ingredients and stir together lightly. Once fruit looks covered, drizzle the honey over and then add the raspberries and LIGHTLY stir without smushing them too much. Smushy raspberries are just sad. Very sad.

5. Spoon the fruit into the middle of the pie crust and fold over edges so they overlap the fruit. Press edges together. Brush dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar if you life. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until edges are golden.

Finished product. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Delish!

Excellence Playa Mujeres

2013-06-12T10:36:00.001-05:00

We got back into the good ole US of A late Sunday night. Riddle me this: We had to fly all the way into Charlotte, NC to get back to Little Rock, AR.. In case you are as bad at geography as me, that is around 750 miles to the EAST of our destination. Hmm...

Anywho- We had a great time and an even greater time in customs. Seriously, we had a long layover so we were in no rush and got to experience some man get his ass handed to himself by security.

Scenario:

Creepo guido man on cell phone in customs line... Big no-no with the feds. He gets scolded by a nice young security guard and immediately mouths off LOUDLY to him probably thinking to himself how "BadA" he is.. Honestly, I think it was the same man that is making the rounds on social media and the Today show for mouthing off about his cheating escapades on the train to Philly. Identical people.. and personalities I'm sure. Enter big black man who obviously doesn't take any lip from any one. He enters the line and quickly puts him in his place and guido man yells, "You aren't scaring me". Big man: "I'm not trying to. If I were you wouldn't be in line anymore."

Score 1 for the Feds. Duh.

Score 0 for stupid jerks.

And now for the photo montage of us at Excellence Playa Mujeres.

My romper has pineapples on it so it was more than appropriate to wear in the pineapple garden.

Our room. I have to post a pic of the room right? Or is that inappropriate?

#nofilter

Brady requested this picture. Not gonna lie for his sake.

Deep sea fishing wiht our new friends Charlie and Karen. More on that later... And ps- Brady is holding my fish. I actually caught the largest.

B got bored with me doing the above picture alll thee timee so he decided to act like we were honeymooners. It was more than funny to watch everyone walk by and try to "read" what was written. DeClerk people.. DeClerk.

Thanks for the vacation hubs! We had a great time and will definitely go back. Anyone want to join next year?

Vacay!

2013-06-05T06:35:00.001-05:00

We are sitting in the airport here in LR waiting to board our flight! Woop woop! See you on Sunday friends! Ill have an awesome vacation recap for your next week so check back in Monday. Hope you all are having a fabulous week!

Five For Friday

2013-05-31T09:40:00.002-05:00

1. A yummy Prosecco with a cute label has me brainstorming Ann Potter Baking's rebranding.

2. Loving our herb garden and the abundance of fresh basil we now have in our fridge.

3. Excited to borrow this cookbook from Santa Fe. It has me super excited for our New Mexico vacay in July!

4. Catching up on some sewing projects and finally completing these pillows inspired from Furbish Studio.

$20 scrap fabric instead of $300. Win!

5. Laughing at kitty Oliver and his new haircut. Less shedding makes for a happier house wife. I promise we buy him toys but straws, pipe cleaners and trash is more his style.

Mexico Must Haves

2013-05-30T08:46:00.001-05:00

With our Mexico vacay just a week away, I am starting to think of outfits and realizing that last year's summer wardrobe options are supa boring. Isn't that the way it always goes? I'm sure Brady is going to read this and think "greattttt".

Here are some things I am currently coveting:

Tracy Reese Drop of Watercolor Dress

Neon The Shore Sandal

Mara Hoffman Cheetah Embroidered Bikini

JadeTRIBE Clutch

Red Feather Print Dress

What are your tropical packing must-haves?

Five for Friday

2013-05-24T08:36:00.002-05:00

1. Practicing my "double unders" with my new speed rope.. Obviously a Brady present- at least he got me pink! :) #crossfitter???

2. The traditional gift for your second anniversary is cotton and Brady of course couldn't abide by the "no gifts" restriction.. Our trip to Playa Mujeres is present enough!

3. Loving these Champagne Mangoes from Sams.

4. Enjoying this easy read from my Dad's library. One of the simple joys of going home- getting book recommendations!

5. Laughing so so hard at this self-timed anniversary picture that Lily Potter felt the need to photo bomb. Silly dog!

Gotta have an anniversary pic!

And I have to include a sweet Zoe pic!

Home Sweet Home-Fayetteville

2013-05-22T09:55:00.004-05:00

Today is my first Wednesday as a "baker". Bear with me, it's the little things people.. We had a great weekend at the river house with friends and then I stayed a couple of extra days in Fayetteville so I could spend time with my family. It was glorious and these pictures are just a few of the reasons why. I caught up on sleep (minus Monday night when the storms rolled through), did a little shopping, ate delicious food and drank wine on the pavilion with my parents. Sigh...

Peonies just about to bloom.

Admiring my pedicure while walking around the garden.

A great lunch date with mom and Meghan finished off with the most divine dessert imaginable. Maple bacon brittle ice cream? Yes, puhlease!!

Fresh Arkansas strawberries for breakfast.

A sweet "Congratulations!" present from my momma and sister. Pine Cone Hill summer robe.

I am back in Little Rock and back in action. Shipped some cookies this morning, now onto errands for my business. Happy Hump Day!

Life Lately

2013-05-17T12:27:00.002-05:00

Day two of baking "full time" is going great! I'm trying to catch up on some things including business stuff, home tasks, and life in general. For the time being- Here are some of the projects I have completed.

Second Anniversary

2013-05-14T09:45:00.001-05:00

Wedding anniversaries are so much fun! They are the perfect excuse to peruse through your wedding photos fondly, thinking of the tight abs and thin thighs that you so painstakingly worked towards for that fateful day. Ha- I kid- but seriously- I need to meet up with Jillian Michaels and become bff this spring. Happy Anniversary hubs Brady! I am so lucky to have you in my life.. These are some of the main reasons:

You are patient. Super duper patient.
Thoughtful doesn't begin to cover it- picking me up donuts when you know I need them (maybe you are to fault for loose abs), making me coffee and breakfast every morning, playing tennis with me even though you are tired. Selfless man you are!
Happy. You make me happy daily and can always change my mood when I'm struggling, frustrated or tired.
I get to laugh daily with you and you are super funny even when you aren't trying, especially when eating large bites of food or getting caught doing something you aren't supposed to be doing.
You take care of me and everything else in our life- the dogs, kitty Oliver, our electric appliances and doctors appointments. What do I do? I'm really not quite sure..
You teach me daily and show me that I need to be and am capable of being a better person, wife and friend. As the know-it-all that I am, I need these lessons and I am grateful that you are the person teaching them to me.
We bond over silly games including scrabble, The Kevin Bacon game, and Rock Paper Scissors.
I can always rely on you in times of need, especially if I were on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and had a movie trivia question.
In this little life we have you allow me to follow my dreams and are my biggest support- cue shameless Ann Potter Baking name drop.

All jokes aside- I am one lucky wifey and love being married to this man.

Can we please get re-married? Such a fun day filled with family, friends, and love!

Banana Whole Grain Muffins

2013-05-13T14:48:00.003-05:00

Brady cooks breakfast every day. Let me rephrase that, he cooks a gourmet, New Orleans French Quarter restaurant breakfast every single day. I generally instagram a picture of breakfast and then act like it is my creation (ha) but the secret's out now! On the weekends I try to pick up some of the breakfast slack and tend to try out new recipes on him. I was craving muffins in a bad way so I decided to make a healthy recipe that would last us throughout the week using some very ripe bananas and some whole grain ingredients even though we generally eat Paleo on weekdays. These muffins aren't made with any oil or butter so they are low in fat and a light alternative to normal baked goods.

Banana Whole Grain Muffins with a drizzle of honey. Yum!

Here is your cast of characters:

2 Cups Cheerios (I had multi-grain in the pantry)

1 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Whole Oats

1 Tablespoon Ground Flaxseed

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

Pinch of salt

1 Egg White

2/3 Cup Milk

First measure out your cheerios and crunch up in the bowl, then add all other dry ingredients, mix thoroughly.

Add your wet ingredients to the bowl and mix on low speed with an electric mixer until incorporated.

Spoon into a muffin tin fitted with paper liners and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Be sure to enjoy your yummy muffins with baked eggs caprese style, fresh Arkansas strawberries and a yummy homemade latte with vanilla cinnamon whipped cream.

Happy Monday friends!

Fat Mama Margarita

2013-05-09T11:27:00.001-05:00

A while ago (too long to shamelessly admit) I got a fun care package in the mail with some awesome products to try out and review. Brady and I love margaritas so I was super pumped to be able to try this Fat Mama's Margarita "knock you naked" Margarita Mix. I love their packaging, promotional materials, and the concept of dump, add ice and tequila, mix and serve. Easy peasy and delish!!

My life these days. Cocktails and cookies ;)

I prefer margaritas frozen served with no salt. These babies were tangy, sour and not overly sweet- a winning combination in my recipe book and were a great pairing with our Cinco De Mayo feast. Brady likes his margaritas a bit less sour so he topped his with a splash of his fav light beer- also a yummy take on the traditional marg.

Check out their website to see a full list of fun items they carry and make sure to try out this margarita mix. Fat Mamas marg mix would be so simple to throw in your bag of lake/ party supplies instead of having to tote around Jose Cuervo mix or whatever that junk is.. Plus who can resist a drink that will "knock you naked"- not this girl!

Mango Season

2013-05-08T16:07:00.000-05:00

With Cinco De Mayo plans taking up most of last weekend, I did some hunting for a festive and delicious dessert to serve at our two events. I decided on this Martha Stewart "Margarita Cheesecake" because cheesecake is ridiculously easy to make and is always a crowd pleaser. The crust is made of crushed pretzels instead of the usual graham and the filling gets a kick with a splash of tequila and triple sec. I always make a mini of whatever I am baking so we can taste test without messing up the finished product. I quickly decided it needed some pizzazz, so I whipped up a mango compote to go over the top because mangoes are in season and mango is a mexican-y fruit. Is that wrong to say? I guess the better way to phrase it would be, "festive and tropical". Whatevs. It was delicious!

I sliced and chopped one very ripe mango and put it in a small saucepan over medium heat with 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of water, and the juice of one lime. Mash and cook until reduced of most of the liquid. Cool and then dollop on top of your cheesecake.

Perfection!

Ryan Bingham + The Wild Feathers

2013-05-07T15:33:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to The Rev Room to watch a Ryan Bingham concert. Yes, us oldies went to a concert on a Monday night. Personally, I want to talk to the person who books concerts on a Monday- it can't be good for ticket sales. I'm really good at rallying and after one vodka water I was dancing just like all the poser rednecks. ;)

Thank you Anne-Claire and William for having us join you in your fancy seats

The opener for Ryan Bingham was a great band called The Wild Feathers. They were awesome! I am notorious for liking the openers way more than the headliner and was super excited to find out that they are the band that plays that song "The Ceiling" that is making its mark all over the XM Spectrum station. They were adorbs.

The Wildfeathers

Ryan Bingham

And my souvenir for the night. The softest tshirt ever that is totes going to make me look rough, tumble and legit. The scull really makes it. How was your Monday night?

Thursday Thoughts

2013-05-02T15:42:00.001-05:00

Lately when friends/ family have asked "How's it been going?", all I can reply are the boring details of my schedule: workout, work, eat, cookies, sleep, redo. Not exciting friends. Not exciting at all. Do any of you have anything new going on? Even tiny tidbits of excitement like a vintage shirt that is your new favorite? Anything? I'm on major budget right now- hello vacation we just booked, you spent all our moneyyy!!- so nothing new in the world of accessories or home goods. Random tidbits-

I found this necklace on Pinterest but it doesn't have a proper link. And I need it.. especially before our Mexico trip in June. Help?!?

This buzzfeed "article" so reminds me of Ollie Cat. Cue the crazy cat lady comments.. but really. He's pretty cool and he sits politely and watches while I decorate cookies.

Totally normal cat behavior.

I plan on making this Margarita Cheesecake as part of our Cinco De Mayo plans that will take place all weekend. Friday night dinner at friends and then Sunday for the real deal- tennis and tamales. Not really tamales but we will be celebrating Hispanic style. Woop woop! I love the Hispanic culture and the food! I hope to recreate some favorite dishes and do them justice!

What are your plans for this weekend besides margs and cheesedip? Those are a given.

Weekend Recap

2013-04-29T10:57:00.000-05:00

I left yall last week and for that I am sorry. I will spare you the "I was swamped with blah blah blah" details and just get back to blogging. Deal? Deal!

This weekend was the first in town in quite a while. And it was glorious. Friday night we went to the Ballet Arkansas Turning Pointe fundraiser honoring Chelsea Clinton. The event was held at the Supermarine Aviation hanger and it was STUNNING! Seriously the gals who put this event together did a fabulous job- wish I had taken pictures of the setup. The airplane hanger is all white- stark glossy white floors, white ceiling, everything pristine.

Our one and only blurry event picture. I've got to get better!

Saturday I was scheduled to have a booth at the Etsy Little Rock event. Friday night we were pretty positive that it was going to be pouring down rain all day and that the event would be cancelled so we enjoyed our friends company until about 2 am.. And then woke up Saturday to just clouds. Needless to say- I was sleepy and chilled in this picture and am grateful for a sweet husband and dear friends to keep me company. Please excuse the gray tarp behind me- it was blocking the wind as well as the pretty yard from view.

My little setup. I was for sure that I would be chasing people down at the end giving away cookies with cards but people actually purchased all but maybe a dozen of them. Great success in getting my business name out there! Woop!

Sunday was a day for rest and relaxation. Brady enjoyed our upstairs back deck and the sun. I joined him shortly after, kicking him out of "my chair". We enjoyed the outdoors, went to the store and grilled out on our downstairs deck. Brady made grass fed beef sliders with grilled pineapple, bacon, and jalapenos on Hawaiian rolls. yumm! We also played board games because we love those.. Everyone loves Scrabble. And for the record- Scrabble is a board game whereas Words With Friends is not. It is an app and a cheap ploy to "rebrand" an already existing and fabulous game to a new generation. Boo whore on that cheap tactic.

Who won? Me of course- I am the Scrabble queen.

Happy Monday- Who's ready for Friday?!?!

Vacation + Announcement

2013-04-23T16:41:00.001-05:00

We finally booked our vacation today and I couldn't be MORE EXCITED!! Happy dance! We originally wanted to go mid May to celebrate our anniversary but schedules got tight and flights got booked up so we are going the first week in June. This means a one day work week for B since it is the week right after Memorial Day. Hopefully this will also eliminate crazy sunburns because we will have at least a month of sun under our belts (or a month of potential days considering we have JOBS). Wait, you go back and read that sentence about Brady only having a one day work week and you ask yourself, "well what about you Sarah?". Well folks, I won't have a full time, regular, nine to fiver anymore because beginning in June, I will be baking full time with a catering company here in Little Rock. They are allowing me to be a private, independent contractor out of their kitchen to help grow my business as Ann Potter Baking. And you all thought I was pregnant with last week's post HA! Jokes on you- or me- I'm the one who is going to be baking for a living.. Hence the need for a vacation before we go broke, have to sell our house, and then our souls to the devil.

This is all I need..

And this picture- well- I'm totally going to make Brady "recreate" this situation. Hilarious!

We're going to rent bikes just so I can meander through the lagoons and giggle joyously.

Don't these pictures look fun? Can. Not. Wait.

In celebration of my new future venture- please "like" my business page and if you feel compelled, visit my baking blog. Woop woop!

Five for Friday

2013-04-19T09:19:00.000-05:00

1. More orders!

Yes, these are Chippendales cookies.. that someone specially requested. Hilarious!

2. Enjoying some new candles.

3. Loving my new copper cookie cutters I found for $2 each at an antique store. They definitely solidify my "crazy cat lady" status.

Cat, reindeer, angel, and another kittie. Love!

Ollie appreciates them as well- he's too smug to pose for a picture though

4. Loving this angel baby and her funny spirit.

5. Excited for a weekend of celebration and Razorback spring football. What are we celebrating? I'll tell ya next week. It definitely deserves its own post!

Ann Potter Baking

2013-04-18T17:01:00.000-05:00

This week has been anxiety overdrive for lil ole Sarah and I am ready for a glass of wine. To help me celebrate won't you head over to my baking blog and tell me what you think about the new look. I have some exciting things on the horizon that I can't wait to share with all of you friends but until then, make sure to check out Ann Potter Baking on Facebook as well as my baking blog.

Love, peace and cookies. Gawd remember those shirts from Jr high??

Dove Experiment

2013-04-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

This video is making it's rounds over social media but in case you happen to miss it- I think it is is well worth watching. It is a great lesson in self-confidence. Each of us has something we hate about ourselves, whether it is our "big thighs" or "pointy nose", but we all need to appreciate and focus on the beautiful. I've realized that if you are unhappy about the blemish on your face or the cellulite on your thighs, then for no reason call attention to it- most people don't notice teeny things like that and no one is perfect. Lord knows I am the worst at taking a compliment- something I am trying to be better at. Instead of diverting the attention, I am working on saying, "thank you, that made my day". Compliments have always made me self conscious or embarrassed.. I don't know why but we should all realize that the little hangups we have are just that- little.

Watch this video and I dare you to tell me one thing (or hell, twenty) that made you pretty or happy about yourself. Mine: I like my eyes- they are blue and when it isn't allergy season they are clear and bright. I also have long eyelashes that I accentuate with this.

Five For Friday

2013-04-12T09:16:00.000-05:00

1. Starting out this weekend with some fun drink recipes in hopes of recreating this baby.

Elderflower Margarita from Theo's in Fayetteville

2. Finding this post on Mashable. Too too funny! While reading through it, I definitely could think of a few people who are notorious violators- and they seem to actually be the couple of people. Are you guilty??

3. Making a delicious pizza with a cauliflower crust.

Chicken and bacon pizza with strawberries, caramelized red onions and balsamic glaze

4. Can't wait to book our vacay next week. This picture has been my zen moment for weeks.

5. And saving the best for last- I am BEYOND excited that these dear friends will be visiting us this weekend from NOLA. Welcome back to Arkansas Gingo and Antwon!

Dilated Eyes-

2013-04-10T16:13:00.001-05:00

= Not being able to see or read a damn thing! I really hope I spell all of this correctly considering I cannot read or write this afternoon. I had a great post coming to yall about cookies and a cauliflower pizza crust but.. that will just have to wait until tomorrow. Happy Wednesday folks! Let us all say a little prayer for those of us who live in Central Arkansas- our weather is supposed to be cray cray tonight- maybe I'll wake up in Oz tomorrow though.. Wishful thinking?/ Ha!

Flower Bed Rehaul

2013-04-08T16:48:00.001-05:00

This is our first Spring in the new house so we are having to do a lot of yard work to get up to my standards. We moved into a landscaped home but most of it was stock landscaping.. the occasional flowering bush (azaleas), some evergreens, and one or two ornamental plants (lavender and Japanese maple). Of course when planting a garden there are many things to take into consideration like sunlight and soil drainage but our builders/ landscapers didn't think that deeply and planted azaleas in partial shade and left chunks of concrete in beds. Yay for us! We tackled some more projects yesterday including planting some pots.

Herbs:

I planted one of my herb parts for our back deck. It receives full sun and is easy access from the kitchen. We have (clockwise) Hot & Spicy Oregeno, Thyme, Flat Leaf Parsley, and lots of Sweet Basil

Different leafy greens including spinach and romaine:

We also transplanted two hydrangeas that one of our neighbors tore out of their landscaping. They were too big for their space so they were giving them away. Worked out perfect for us because I wanted to plant hydrangeas because they need to be planted north facing- and guess what- this side of our house is! Yeah!

I ripped out three diseased azaleas. Can't wait until it start blooming!

We took out one azalea for the other hydrangea.

And to end this gardening adventure- a picture of some tulips I planted this spring. Without these babies, we wouldn't have any color in our yard- at all!

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Do any manual labor like us?

A Traditional Easter

2013-04-02T13:04:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone's week is going just swimmingly. Mine is in case you were wondering. ;) We had a fabulous Easter weekend filled with family and eating too much yummy food and here is the obligatory post to prove it. Forewarning: I served as the "family photographer" for Meghan, John and Ann so I apologize now for Ann overload.

We spent Friday night socializing with some dear friends at a local pizza joint and drinking locally brewed beer. If that isn't the perfect Friday night activity then I don't know what is. Saturday we had some big plans, having invited my parents and B's parents over for the day to grill out and eat dinner. Brady cooked his "famous" chicken wings (seriously, my Dad is OBSESSED) and we got to enjoy each other's company. It is always so nice to get both sets of my parents together to hang out because usually it is one or the other and if it's Brady's family then that usually includes 8 others adults and 7 children. We of course don't have children yet so we are still a bit on the selfish side of the attention thing.. All in all Saturday was a success- and the only picture I took of the whole day was this one:

Coconut Cream Tart, recipe here. It was amazing and my thighs agree- we ate the rest of it for lunch yesterday. Heal-thy!

Sunday we woke up to a typhoon and headed out to 8 am mass at Christ the King. We then headed out to Russellville to hang out with the Teeter clan. Donna (John, my bro-in-laws momma), graciously invited us to join their family for Easter so we could watch the babe hunt eggs. Ann rules our lives and holidays, and really most days so the Ann Fan Club (website development underway just kidding) joined in on the Teeter Family Easter.

Mi Madre and Padre after church

Lily Potter and myself. The pillows are all a mess but at least I match the rug!

Total angel face

Twins!

She received THREE Easter baskets. I'm not sure it was because of good behavior or only grandchild syndrome but she sure knew how to use them.

This is the best family pic I got- Ann is was super-biz.

We pose for pictures with other people's children. But only sometimes.

Three seconds later she was screaming bloody murder. She really does love us though. I promise!

And that my folks was our Easter.

Five for Friday: Home Editon

2013-03-29T10:04:00.001-05:00

You know how I alwaysss wait until the week I am expecting company to get my projects done? This week that happened and I completely manhandled the task. Sarah = 1 point, Projects = conquered.

1. Excited about the lamps that I turned from this:

Into this:

And you would never know that the box of one of these lamps is busted.

Of course nothing is ever as it seems. These beauties were getting a fresh coat of spray paint on Wednesday and with the ridiculously bitter cold that we have been experiencing lately, I was wearing a large coat and the tail of that said coat caught the edge of the lamp and knocked it over. Shattered. Bang! all over our driveway. I don't have to tell you just how PISSED at myself and my stupidity and of course the damn weather. I blame the weather because blaming myself is just too painful. Nothing a bit of liquid nails and some perseverance can't fix though!

2. Loving these new vases I picked up at our local Sofa Mart. Yes, sofa mart sells accessories and sells them for CHEAP! These were on sale and I snagged both for $16.

3. I was all about the chairs this week.

Bar stools before:

And after:

Bistro chairs before:

And after:

The breakfast nook is slowly getting there! A new table, pair of chairs and painting are help add some life and color to an otherwise BROWN kitchen.

4. The accents really make the whole room. Who woulda thought that $4 ferns and one throw pillow could make such a difference in the look and feel of our living room?

This pillow makes the room in by opinion. It links the navy lamps and the pink breakfast chairs to the blues, pinks, and limes in our Kilim Rug, bringing the whole room together!

5. Last but not least, I can't leave out my super efficient helpers with whom I couldn't have gotten any of these projects completed without .

The man of my dreams (who is also quite handy with a skillsaw)

And the lazy one.. Acting like he doesn't LOVE the tape measure.

Thrifting

2013-03-27T17:04:00.001-05:00

I have been scouring antique and junk shops for some hidden gems and I snatched these items up this weekend. Behold...

These chairs will be coated with vibrant glossy paint and will reside in our breakfast room. I cannot wait to show you all the finished project!

I snagged this glorious lamp and its partner for $10 each. Obviously they will be painted because I don't like the look of this faux marble. Duh- It reminds me of a 1990 foyer or something..

Check back tomorrow for a look at the lamps and fingers crossed for the chairs being painted. I am still looking for the perfect upholstery but we will find something soon I'm sure!