Sand and Sisal

Bead Board Kitchen Island: Reader Inspiration Turned Reality

2012-06-01T07:14:00.001-04:00

Sand and Sisal subscriber, Pam Pierce, let me know that she and her husband were inspired by my Kitchen Island Makeover tutorial. They took that inspiration and turned it into a reality, revamping their builder grade island into a beautiful, black painted, Bead Board Kitchen Island!

Below is a picture of my bead board island after it’s makeover from builder grade drab to custom made fab!

Pam was sweet enough to allow me to share with you all her pictures. Here is a little of what she wrote.

“I knew when we put in the countertops that something had to be done about the cabinets but was trying to figure out the way to go. So, so glad I stumbled upon your blog and saw your wonderful island redo. With just a few supplies and paint we are changing the entire look of our kitchen and on a budget we can live with. So thank you again for the inspiration...I knew what I wanted was out there..I just needed to seek it out and I’m so glad I found it at Sand and Sisal!”

You should’ve seen my smile! I was beaming from ear to ear! Didn’t she and her husband do an amazing job? They even moved on to the peninsula, wrapping it with bead board and trim. Pam says their plan is to transform the entire kitchen this way and have even ordered new stainless steel appliances.

Seeing a reader be inspired by something I’ve created and demonstrated, and proudly turn that into a reality for themselves, warms my heart! Pam, you made my day! Thank you for sharing with us! Give Pam some Comment Love!

Click for the full Kitchen Island Makeover tutorial and see more projects in the DIY Project Gallery at the top of the page. If Pam and I can do it, so can you!

Kim

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How to Polish Copper

2012-05-29T16:50:00.001-04:00

Almost four years have passed since we had our privacy fence installed. Each fence post was topped with a beautiful shiny copper cap. They gleamed in the sun and made the fence look amazing. Time has passed and I seriously neglected those caps. Big mistake! Don’t neglect your copper! I needed to restore them back to their original beauty… or at least attempt to. Today I’m going to show you How to Polish Copper naturally.

See what four years of neglected copper looks like. It’s not pretty is it? I certainly didn’t pay extra to have ugly tarnished, bird pooped stained, copper caps. It was time to take responsibility and clean these babies up!

My mom used to own many copper pots and pans and I remember her trying to keep them polished and looking beautiful. She informed me that the best way to keep your copper clean is to first of all, not let it get tarnished! Ok, mega fail #1 on my part. Now what? Mom used a chemical polish and I did try one but it didn’t work well at all. It smelled horrid and toxic and I didn’t feel comfortable using it. On to plan “B”. Let’s try the old fashioned, natural way to polish copper by using salt and lemon.

Cut 1/3 off the end of a lemon and pour a very generous amount of salt on lemon.

Rub the lemon in small circular motions all over the copper, squeezing a bit of juice out as you go. Add more salt and repeat until the copper tarnish is removed. Now I will be totally honest with you all. It did not remove as much as I had hoped but I think you can see the huge difference it did make. I am kicking myself for not maintaining the copper over the years.

Just look at the difference between the two sides! After all sides were polished, I rinsed the copper cap off with some water and dried it with a towel. Then I applied a light coat of olive oil and buffed the copper cap to a warm glow.

So now instead of blackened fence post caps, I have pretty copper caps that glisten when the sun hits them! I’m excited with the results, even though it takes some effort. I did also experiment with salt and white vinegar and found it didn’t work as well as the lemon did. Besides, the lemon smells so much nicer than vinegar!

So far I have polished 4 copper caps and I only have 5 to go! Time to buy another lemon!Oh yes, I should remind you to wear some gloves. The lemon juice and salt won’t hurt you at all, but if you don’t want to have Shrek-green fingernails, then wear some gloves! How do you polish your copper? Do you have any copper pieces you love?

Kim

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$75 American Express Card Giveaway by ADMRO Ant Block

2012-05-27T08:56:00.001-04:00

My daughter’s blood curdling screams brought my family bounding up the stairs to see what horrid event was happening. I think I made it up the entire flight in 3 steps and my heart was in my throat. What could cause such a terrifying reaction? We burst into her bedroom expecting to find a stranger (at least that was the thought in my overly dramatic mind), but nothing was there. What in the world was wrong? Then I saw it, the wall was moving. Thousands upon thousand of ants were covering her windows, blinds, walls, bed, chair, pillows, and the pile of clothes on her floor. We had an ant invasion like you had never seen!

It was revolting. They were coming from high up in a tree and then across the yard and into the house. The ants seemed to love the hot and sunny day we were having, because they also made their grand appearance in the playroom, my foyer, and a few strange clusters on the outside of the house. We tried several different products but nothing seemed to work. They would return and return, except with a whole party of new found friends it seemed. This has continued for 3 years. We were losing the battle of the ants.

The folks at AMDRO® reached out and asked if I’d like to try their Ant Block® Home Perimeter Ant Bait. I said yes! We just sprinkled it along the base of the home and so far, no ants have returned. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hope that this will work!

Background on AMDRO® Ant Block® Home Perimeter Ant Bait

AMDRO® Ant Block® Home Perimeter Ant Bait kills a wide range of ant species around the perimeter of the home so they do not come inside.
The bait allows foraging (worker) ants to bring the granules back to their mound before taking effect, resulting in the entire colony, including the queen, being destroyed.
AMDRO® Ant Block® Home Perimeter Ant Bait is highly attractive to 15 different ant species, killing 50 percent more species of ants than Spectracide® Ant Shield® Home Barrier Granules.*
- *Compared to EPA labels published as of May 9, 2012.
AMDRO® Ant Block® Home Perimeter Ant Bait offers an easy and effective way to kill carpenter ants, Texas Leafcutting ants, Argentine Ants and other listed ant species.
Following application, AMDRO® Ant Block® Home Perimeter Ant Bait works within two to four weeks, killing the queen and the ants in the colony.

The nice folks at AMDRO® are giving one Sand & Sisal reader a $75 American Express Gift Card to spend where ever you like! Who couldn’t use a little extra spending money right now? Open to US residents only. Good luck!

Feel free to check out AMDRO on Facebook and Twitter too.

Kim

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Central Garden & Pet partnered with bloggers such as me to help educate us all about their AMDRO® products. As part of this program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the use of the products. Central Garden & Pet believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Central Garden & Pet’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. A winner will be chosen by random and gift card fulfillment will be handled by a third party.”

Mod Podge Rocks! Book Package Giveaway

2012-05-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*** Today is a special day and I’m so excited! How often do you get to say your friend is a published author? When Amy Anderson from Mod Podge Rocks Blog asked if I’d like to review her new book Mod Podge Rocks: Decoupage Your World, I of course said YES!

Amy’s book Mod Podge Rocks!: Decoupage Your World features over 40 simple, inexpensive decoupage project tutorials. The book starts with Amy mapping out all the different types of Mod Podge and gives us easy and practical tips and tricks on how to use the world’s #1 all-in-one glue, sealer, and finish product.

Then we lead into my favorite part… the projects! The big, bright, and colorful project tutorials leap off the glossy pages and give the reader the confidence to say, “Hey, I could do that!”. Whether you are interested in home décor crafts, wearable crafts, or holiday crafts, Mod Podge Rocks! has a project you’ll love.

Amy has a real gift for showing us how we can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary! If you are a beginning crafter or a self-proclaimed “craftoholic”, then you’ll love Mod Podge Rocks! Decoupage Your World.

To celebrate Amy’s new book and the 45th Anniversary of Mod Podge, the amazing folks at PLAID have donated an entire gift package for one lucky Sand & Sisal reader!

The Mod Podge Rocks! Giveaway Prize Package (Valued at over $85) includes:

Amy’s new book Mod Podge Rocks! Decoupage Your World
Mod Podge Starter Pack
Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
Mod Podge Tee Shirt
Mod Podge Original
Professional Decoupage Tool
3 NEW Mod Podge Podgeable Paper Books
2 NEW Mod Podge Podgeable Shape Packs
Pink Mod Podge Mini Tote

Enter the giveaway or click here to order your own copy of Mod Podge Rocks!: Decoupage Your World from Amazon.com. Good luck!

Kim

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Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links. I received product compensation. All opinions are mine.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

2012-05-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

May is the month for strawberries! We will be celebrating our annual Pungo Strawberry Festival here in Virginia Beach this coming weekend. Thousands will pick fresh strawberries from the fields, nibble on chocolate covered strawberries, sample fresh strawberry pie and jam. My family has been making strawberry jam ever since I can remember! Would you believe me if I told you that you can make Strawberry Freezer Jam in less than 30 minutes? Strawberry Freezer Jam is the easiest, most delicious jam you’ll ever make!

You will find the recipe listed again at the bottom of the post, but I thought I’d break it down for you step by simple step! To make Strawberry Freezer Jam all you need is some fresh strawberries. Don’t worry, you don’t have to pick them yourself to make jam. You can easily use strawberries from the grocery store. You’ll want 2 quarts of sweet and juicy strawberries. Taste them first! Make sure you like them. Great tasting strawberries make exceptional jam.

Wash and de-stem your strawberries. Quarter the large strawberries. Place them in a large bowl and crush. Crush enough strawberries until you have 2 cups of crushed berries.

Time to enter into a sugar coma. To be honest, once I started making jam myself I found that I don’t eat as much of it as I so eagerly used to. In this situation, trust me, ignorance is bliss. Ok, here we go… don’t say I didn’t warn you…. Add 4 cups of sugar. Yep, I said four. Are you still with me?

Let’s add some tartness to all that sweetness we just dumped on our strawberries. Add the juice of half a lemon and stir well. This is my mom’s secret to her jam! It really does make a huge difference and a gives the jam a fresh, bright flavor. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.

You will need one package of fruit pectin. This is the ingredient that makes the jam set up.

Dissolve pectin in 3/4 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and boil one minute. Pour the boiling pectin over crushed strawberries and stir well.

Fill your containers 3/4 full. Be sure not to overfill the containers because the jam will expand some in the freezer. Feel free to use glass jars, plastic jelly containers, or even small zip-lock freezer bags. Wipe off any spills from the edges of your jars with a damp cloth and screw on your lids. If you are using freezer bags, then try to press out excess air before sealing. Allow it to sit on your counter for 24 hours and then place in your freezer until you are ready to use it.

Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe

2 cups of crushed fresh strawberries

Juice of half a lemon

4 cups granulated sugar

1 envelope of fruit pectin

3/4 cup water

Directions: Wash and de-stem your strawberries. Quarter large strawberries. In a large bowl, crush the strawberries until you have 2 full cups of crushed strawberries. Add 4 cups of sugar and juice from 1/2 a lemon. Stir well and allow to sit 10 minutes. Dissolve pectin in 3/4 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Pour boiling pectin over crushed strawberries and stir well. Fill each jar 3/4 with the jam. Wipe off any spills from the edges of jar and screw on the lid. Allow to sit for 24 hours then place in the freezer to store until ready for use. Recipe makes approximately 7 (8oz.) jars of jam.

You can store the jam in the freezer for 6 –9 months. When you are ready to use your strawberry jam, simply allow it to thaw in the fridge or on your counter for 15 minutes. After opening your strawberry freezer jam jar, be sure to store the left overs in the fridge. Once you see how you made your own homemade strawberry jam in less than half an hour you might never purchase store bought jam again!

Check out more recipes on the Kim’s Kitchen tab up at the top of the page!

Kim

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Destination Summer Vacation: Newport Beach

2012-05-18T13:57:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by Newport Beach. All opinions are 100% mine.

Summer is approaching so quickly, which means it’s time to start planning for summer vacation. Ever since I was a very small child, Newport Beach, CA has always been a very special place for me and a favorite family vacation spot. I lived in southern California when I was was a little grommet and went to college in Santa Barbara where I met my husband. He grew up here, just blocks from the beach, and this is where we visit each year. It is a little bit of paradise! Whether you’ve been to Newport Beach before or are considering vacationing there for the first time, I highly recommend visiting the Newport Beach website.

You will find just about anything and everything about Newport Beach on the website. It offers city information, detailed maps, shopping information, restaurants, community events, and hotel and flight information and booking even. It’s really a one stop shopping/planning site. My hubs has used it for the daily surf report even! If you aren’t sure what you can do in Newport Beach, then look at the “To Do” tab. It lists attractions, arts & culture, boating & yacht tours, beach & parks, events, camps, TV & film locations, concerts, shopping, and so much more!

Our favorite, must see location is the tide pools. My kids have been exploring the sea life in the tide pools since they were toddlers. It is a magical place to discover and learn. Local wildlife experts are there every day to help teach how to take care of the tide pools and reef and they have a beachside tent set up to teach the kids what to look for in the tide pools. Be sure to ask for a tide calendar for the best low tide times to visit the reef. Newport also offers hundreds of camps for kids ages 3 and up, with activities from surfing to sailing and everything in between!

If you are looking for shopping then Newport Beach is THE PLACE to be! Visit the infamous Fashion Island for hundreds of boutiques and shops set along gorgeous outdoor brick pathways, lined with beautiful fountains and overflowing flower planters. Ladies, trust me, it’s a shopping paradise!

Then after an amazing day of shopping, hit Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and explore Newport’s restaurants for a special date night. If you’re a “foodie” you will love all that Newport has to offer. The picture below is of my hubs and I last summer heading out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, The Rusty Pelican.

Newport Beach has the freshest of seafood that enters it’s port each day! The restaurants line the harbor, so you sit deck side and watch million dollar yachts come and go. You can even charter a boat for a sunset cruise. It will make for a very memorable anniversary or romantic getaway.

We stay with my in laws when we visit, but a I recommend staying at the Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel. They are running a family special right now: Buy one room at full price and get an adjoining room for kids 18 and under for 1/2 off. For a family my size, that is exactly what we’d need! The Hyatt Regency is a resort style bayside location set on 26 acres, all with 3 pools, whirlpools, ping pong, shuffle board, a 9-hole and par-3 golf course. You can call 1-800-233-1234 and mention the Family Plan to snag the vacation deal.

Here’s a little video that shows more of what Newport Beach has to offer.

Do you see why we love Newport so much? What would you like to do if you could visit Newport Beach?

Kim

Framed Fabric Art

2012-05-17T05:29:00.001-04:00

Making framed fabric art is some of the simplest art you’ll ever create and can make a graphic statement! Designers are creating gorgeous fabric patterns and why not use them on our walls? The fabric art I’ve created for my newly made over laundry room is made out of an old frame and a shower curtain! Yes, you heard me right, a shower curtain.

I was strolling the aisles at TJ Maxx/ Homegoods and came across this beautiful paisley shower curtain for $13.00! Now if you’ve priced shower curtains lately, you know what a steal that is! I love snatching up bargain shower curtains because you can find the most amazing prints and fabrics. You can check out my No-Sew Ruffle Pillow I made from a ruffled shower curtain. It looked like ruffled silk! The best part about using shower curtains is quantity of fabric you get for the price. You can make all kinds of items with it!

How to Make Framed Fabric Art

You will need:

A frame with glass and cardboard backing

Spray paint and primer (optional)

Fabric

scissors and masking tape

Find an old frame. I’ve had this one with a very faded print shoved in my attic for years. I needed a white frame though. What do we do if we don’t like the color? We simply spray paint it! So I removed the cardboard backing, print, and glass and took it out side and laid it on a tarp. The frame received a light coat of spray primer and then a few coats of white spray paint with a satin sheen.

Step 1: IRON- I recommend ironing your fabric first. You don’t want any wrinkles.

Step 2: LAY & POSITON- Lay your fabric or in my case, the shower curtain, out onto the floor. Position your frame over the fabric. Reposition it until you like the composition of the pattern inside the frame.

STEP 3: CUT- Cut the fabric around your frame.

STEP 4: WRAP & TAPE- Flip your fabric onto its back side. Place the cardboard backing over the fabric and fold the fabric over the edges of the cardboard. Make sure it is pulled tight and smooth and then secure with tape.

STEP 5: REASSEMBLE- Place the glass inside the frame and then insert the fabric covered cardboard. Bend down all the securing pins around the frame to hold the cardboard back in place.

That’s all there is too it. If your frame is already the color you like, then you could complete this craft in under 20 minutes! Here’s a little tip, be on the lookout at thrift stores for old frames that you can reuse (just try to ignore the hideous art that is normally inside them). And also look for nice patterned fabric remnants at fabric stores that you could use. You can get beautiful designer fabric for a fraction of the original cost.

Some options for fabric wall art are to find to coordinating fabrics and make several framed pieces that you can group together. You could also make a photo display by positioning multiple black and white photos onto the fabric before placing it in the frame. Really the possibilities are endless! Have you used fabric in art ever? Do you think you would give Framed Fabric Art a try?

For more ideas check out the Décor Crafts tab up at the top of the page.

Kim

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Laundry Room Makeover

2012-05-15T09:57:00.001-04:00

The one household chore I despise is the laundry, ok maybe the dishes too. My house if filled with two messy teen girls, two dirty, sweaty, little boys, a hubs who never unrolls his gym socks (gag), and then me, “Laundry-Ella”. The constant piles of clothes are never ending and rather overwhelming. I’d walk by the ugly laundry room, void of any character or color, and just shut the door in disgust. I couldn’t take it any longer! If I had to spend such a large amount of my time in the laundry room then it had to at least be beautiful! It was time for a Laundry Room Makeover!

Ta-da!!!! Isn’t it gorgeous? Giddy doesn’t even describe how excited I am with how the room turned out!

Now don’t get me wrong, I was very grateful to even have a laundry room. Our last house didn’t have one and doing the laundry in the unheated garage was no picnic. This laundry room was a decent size for one person to work in, but wow it was plain-Jane boring. Just look at the before and after pictures.

The first thing we did was Install a Bead Board Ceiling and crown molding. It added instant character! Then we installed this beautiful seeded glass pendant fixture from Ballard Designs. You can read my tutorial How to Install a Light Fixture to see how manageable it can be.

The room had to be a happy color. I didn’t want a sophisticated neutral color, I mean who the heck feels sophisticated while doing laundry? The color needed to be cheerful yet not so cheerful that it was obnoxious and distracting. I ended up painting the room…. twice. The color I first chose was nice and bright, but it clashed with the rooms adjacent to it, so we repainted the room in Rainwashed by Sherwin Williams. Paint is inexpensive and I seriously believe that if you don’t love the color then you just need to change it! Yes it takes some time and effort, but painting a room a new color can completely transform it!

It was time to create a Sorting Station! One of my best friends, Tiffany, has the most amazing laundry rooms I’ve ever seen and she had a huge sorting station. I thought how clever it was and knew I had to have one also! We installed two shelves, painted them white, and gave each member of the family their own basket.

It was time to retire the name of “Laundry-Ella”…

and I’m not Superwoman. My kids are old enough to help out with the laundry and I believe every child should have responsibilities and learn how to contribute to a family. When the dryer is finished, who ever is assigned “sorting duty” opens the dryer and sorts the clean clothes into the respective bins. No folding required, just toss the clothes in the bins. Then each member of the family has to take their bin of clean clothes to fold and put away. Of course I help my preschooler with his laundry. This has really helped to make laundry more manageable, and piles of clean clothes no longer sit on my couch for a week, waiting to be taken care of.

To clear the clutter off the washer and dryer, we made semi-floating shelves, two on each side of the window to hold the detergents. I’ll show you later this week how to make these shelves yourself. We buy detergent in bulk, but those containers are so ugly! I wanted EVERYTHING to be pretty, so why not use creative containers for the detergent and softener? Just refill the bottles once a week! They work great, are easy for the kids to use, and look beautiful! The baskets, bottles, jar, and vase were all found at TJ Maxx/ Home Goods.

Time to accessorize! I’ll show you soon how easy it is to make this paisley framed art.

The shell prints were found at Target. I placed them high above the top shelves to draw the eye upward toward the bead board ceiling.

To hide the fabric softener sheet box I placed the sheets in a pretty basket. The small planter of succulents requires minimal watering which is great if you don’t want a ton of plant maintenance.

I love walking by the laundry room now! The door is rarely ever closed either.

Well, because I can’t get it closed with all the dirty laundry on the floor!

Yes, the laundry room may be pretty now, but it’s still a laundry room that looks like the picture below 75% of the time. (Sigh) Welcome to my home!

I hope you enjoyed my Laundry Room Makeover!

For more ideas check out the DIY Project Gallery tab up at the top of the page!

Kim

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Melted Ice Cream and Lonny Eye Candy

2012-05-11T15:44:00.001-04:00

Note to self: If you are sick, do not attempt to go grocery shopping, but if you do, please remember to bring the groceries in from the car.

It’s just going to be one of those days I guess. There is an elephant sitting on my chest, my head is in a thick fog bank, and my groceries made it in the house a few hours later than planned (minus a melted container of ice cream). I could really use a bowl of that Edy’s Double Fudge Brownie ice cream right now. What’s a girl to do except crawl back in bed with my laptop and catch up on my emails. That takes too much effort and my head hurts, but one email stood out today and it didn’t require any intelligent thought processes! It was the latest digital issue of Lonny Magazine!

Ahhh, pretty eye candy had arrived to cheer me up! Pour a cup of green tea, pull up the blankets and let’s take a look-see… I promise not to breathe on you.

All pics via Lonny Mag

I hope you enjoyed a teeny taste of that luscious eye candy! There are 243 gorgeous pages to oooh and ahhh over. If you want your own free online subscription to Lonny Magazine just click here and they’ll send it directly to your inbox.

Ok, this sick girl needs a nap. Hopefully tomorrow will be a healthier day and I’ll be able to work on some great projects to show you!

Kim

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Wine Crate Storage

2012-05-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

Psst! I have a secret to tell you. If you are super-duper sweet to the nice manager at your local wholesale warehouse or wine store, and you ask with a sincere smile, they will happily give you their wine crates… for FREE! Ok, it might help if you first buy a few bottles, but it’s not mandatory. Those gorgeous crates are headed for the dumpster unless you save them from their future demise!

Don’t you just love the beauty of wine crates? I find each one so interesting, imported from all over the world and marked with different fonts and graphics. Using wine crates for simple storage is a great alternative to baskets. What is nice about wine crates is that they are quite sturdy. Think about it, they are made to hold 12-15 bottles of wine! Today I want to show you how to take your brand new wine crate and transform it into a vintage looking, wine crate storage box with handles for easy transporting.

How to Make a Wine Crate Storage Box

The first thing you need to do is get yourself a wine crate. Flash those pearly whites! The wine crates are very fresh and new looking and we need to age them up a bit. So let’s gather our supplies and get DIY-ing!

To make your wine crate storage box, you will need the following: stain, gloves, foam brush, wood glue, 4 paint sticks, box cutter, sand paper, a rag, and 2 cabinet handles.

I recommend working outside since you’ll be sanding and staining. The edges of your crate are most likely quite sharp and rough. Take sand paper (I used 100 grit) and sand every edge, inside and out, until they are slightly rounded and smooth.

Next, you apply the stain. Chose any color of stain you like. Be sure to stir your stain well. I chose a new stain by Minwax called Weathered Oak. It has a nice gray tone and will surely help your crate look aged. I applied the stain with a disposable foam brush.

Allow the stain to sit for several minutes. The longer the stain sits, the deeper the color will be. I wanted just a subtle tone difference to blend with my décor.

With a soft rag, wipe off the stain.

Now your hardware comes with screws which will most likely be longer than you need. You need to fill the gap, so we’re going to use paint sticks. This box required using 2 sticks for each end of the crate. Measure the interior width of your crate and mark that on your 4 paint sticks. They can be easily cut with a box cutter. Just score each side and then snap the end off.

Place wood glue on 2 of your sticks and then place the remaining sticks on top.

Here is a trick on how to mark where your hardware go. Generously rub chalk on the holes where the screws will fit and then press it on to your crate. (Yes, I’m holding the hardware between my knees. It’s hard to take a picture when you need both of your hands!)

See the small white chalk marks? That is where you will drill your holes. You can mark it with a pen now incase your chalk blows away in the wind. Go ahead and drill your holes now. Use a drill bit that is the same size as your hardware screws.

Apply another bead of glue on to your double sticks and press against the crate where your screw holes are. Now drill through those same holes again, this time going all the way through your sticks. Screw in your hardware and voila! You’re finished!

You can now use it to store blankets or toss pillows next to your sofa, or perhaps fill it with magazines.

Mine is being used to hold rolls of fluffy towels next to my soaking tub in my master bathroom. I might decide to store my bubble bath and bath salts in there to create a bath spa storage crate.

Go get a wine crate for free and create your own Wine Crate Storage Box today!

Check out the DIY Gallery & Décor Crafts tabs up top for more ideas.

Kim

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Organic Gardening with Whitney Farms®

2012-05-08T19:54:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by Whitney Farms. All opinions are 100% mine.

Now that the warm weather is rapidly approaching, I’m working hard at getting the last veggies planted in my garden. This year I decided that growing an organic garden with organic fertilizers vs. other conventional fertilizers would be best for family. It was perfect timing when the wonderful people at Whitney Farms®

asked if I’d like to try out their organic plant food! Three cheers for going all natural! Who wouldn’t want to try it?

Whitney Farms® products, such as their organic soil and organic plant food, have some nice features which make them ideal such as:

-low to no dust

-no manure odor

-they contain special microbes

-they have specially designed protein-based blends providing your plant with the correct nutrients.

I love planting different types of tomatoes and they have an organic fertilizer specifically for tomatoes. I just sprinkled a 1.5 cups across a 25 foot span.

The fertilizer will really help boost root growth and I won’t have to fertilize again until the tomatoes first bloom.

You don’t have to have a huge space to have an organic garden. I only have a narrow 3 foot strip running along my fence. It might not look like much now but look at how large it grows by August! Those tomatoes will reach almost 6 feet tall!

I’ll feel better about gardening organically not only for my children’s health but we also have a pond right behind our yard and chemical run off can be quite hazardous to all the wildlife living in it.

Would you like to try some Whitney Farms® Organic Plant Food for yourself? They are offering a $3 coupon that you can download and print straight from your computer! Just click the visit sponsor site to get your coupon in seconds.

KIM

The Ultimate Crab Cake Burger

2012-05-07T10:59:00.001-04:00

It was a gorgeous weekend here this weekend. The weather was in the high 80’s with a slight breeze and big puffy white clouds dotted the sky. We did something we’ve never done before. We let the kids play hooky from school on Friday and headed to the beach! I think I just heard my mother gasp from across town. That was never allowed in my house growing up and the one time I did play hooky, I got caught, but that’s a story for another day. What does this have to do with The Ultimate Crab Cake Burger you ask? Well a perfect day at the beach deserves an amazingly, delicious dinner on the deck. How does a succulent, lump crab cake resting upon a juicy, grilled, angus beef grilled burger sound? It sounds perfect to me!

Before we get to the Ultimate Crab Cake Burger I’ll show you a bit of how we love to spend our day at the beach. Three of my four kids surf but the middle too love to do it the most. My younger daughter is still trying hard to get some kind of ride out of that tiny wave.

My son could stay out in the water all day long if we’d let him. I think his lips were blue when he came in. The water is still cold! No way was I even putting my toes in the water this weekend!

And there is my surf dude. Now that boy can surf. He grew up in Huntington Beach and has been surfing since he was a little grommet. Do I surf? Ummm, no. I tried a few times, but I think the movie Jaws has scarred me for life. There are sharks out there and I know they would find me delicious! Sharks are my greatest fear. We did have a moment when my daughter and a few others came bolting in from the waves. They saw a fin and a back riding in the wave 10 feet from them. My oldest saw it to, but didn’t tell her sister is was just a pair of dolphins riding the waves. Whew!! My heart was pounding for a few minutes there!

I enjoyed the view of the ocean from the beach with my baby who loves to dig for crabs. He finds a crab hole and just starts digging away. He thinks if he catches one, then we’ll take it home. That’s not going to happen.

What an awesome day it was! Now let me show you how to feed some hungry surfers!

The recipe is listed at the bottom of the post, but I’ll show you a few steps and how easy it is to make them. You take all your ingredients and put them into one large bowl, and gently mix it all together. Be gentle so you don’t break up the crab too much. You want nice big chunks of crab meat. Oh, my mouth is watering as I write this! After you mix all your ingredients, shape the crab meat into patties and place on waxed paper and then chill them for a bit.

I served them with a side of sweet potato fries. I could eat an entire plate of those myself!

These crab cake burgers were finger licking delicious! The kids gobbled them up.

My son was not too pleased I was taking photos of him eating, but he did tell me after dinner, “You make the best crab cakes mom! This was the best day EVER!”

That was music to this mom’s ears. Sometimes you just have to live a little and enjoy these precious moments and create some memories. Trust me, this will be one burger your family will never forget!

Ultimate Crab Cake Burgers

One 16 oz. container of fresh lump crab meat
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash of Hot Sauce
1 green onion minced
1/3 cup of crushed Ritz crackers
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley (optional)
3 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons canola oil
6 grilled beef burgers
burger toppings and tarter sauce

Gently combine all ingredients in a bowl (except for the last 3 bulleted items). Divide into 6 equal portions and form into patties. Lay on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes. In a large skillet, melt a 3 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of canola oil on medium heat. Place patties into hot skillet and cook for 4 minutes. Flip patties over and cook for an additional 4 minutes until golden brown in color. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate and give the crab cakes a fresh squeeze of lemon juice from a lemon wedge.

Prepare your beef burgers the way you desire. When they are finished place a beef burger on a toasted bun, top with a hot crab cake, and I recommend adding tomato slices, mixed baby greens, and a healthy dollop of tarter sauce. Top with the other toasted bun and enjoy your Ultimate Crab Cake Burger!

For more recipes check out my Kim’s Kitchen tab up at the top of the page.

Kim

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Painted Glass Vases

2012-05-04T09:37:00.001-04:00

Remember I showed you all in the post, “Martha Stewart I Love Thee”, the awesome boat loads of paint given to me by the sweet folks at Plaid/Martha Stewart? Their paint is multi-surface which meant it was perfect for glass also! Back in the winter I had come across some beautiful enamel painted vases on Pinterest by Sugar & Charm. She used them only for display, but I wanted to make mine useable with water. This week I pulled out those paints and decided it was time to experiment and make Painted Glass Vases.

I headed off to Target in search of some inexpensive vases. I was pleased to find these tall column vases for $3 each. Sometimes you know something is just meant to be. As I pass a home décor aisle this beautiful table cloth called to me, “Kim! Take me home with you!” I ignored his cries and moved on. Yet, as I walked away his cries became louder…”You need me! I’ll look awesome on the outdoor table this summer”. My resistance broke down and I ran back to quickly claim the tablecloth and take him home. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!)

Now that you know the sick power that Target has over me, let’s get onto making some painted vases shall we?

You will need the following:

Glass vase, Martha Stewart Crafts Paint, nail polish remover, disposable cups and stir sticks, parchment paper or foil, paper towel, and old cookie sheet.

The Martha Stewart multi-surface paint is nice and thick and you could just paint it on the inside of your vase, but for a smoother finish I recommend using a swirl and coat method. Now the paint says not to thin with water (but it will wash up nicely with water), so you will need to mix it with the nail polish remover.

1. For my tall vase I mixed 1 tablespoon of paint with 1 tablespoon of nail polish remover in a disposable cup. Mix the combination really well. If it seems too thick then add a bit more of the remover. I recommend doing this outside as the smell of the nail polish remover is quite strong.

2. Pour your paint mixture into your vase and swirl it around to completely coat the inside of the vase.

3. Pour the excess paint back into your cup and allow your vase to drain upside down on a folded paper towel. Place it on a parchment or foil lined cookie sheet. Allow it to drain for a few minutes and then turn it upright a allow it to dry over night. (Again I recommend you let it dry outside because of the nail polish smell).

4. The paint manufacturer recommends baking the painted glass at 350 degrees for 1 hour. I was worried about how my vase would fair in that high of temperature, so I baked my at 275 degrees for 2 hours. Do not preheat your oven. Place the vase upright on the lined cookie sheet and put it into a cold oven, then turn your heat on and bake. After the allotted time, turn off the oven and allow to cool inside. Your vase is now ready to hold water and it should be able to go through the dish washer even, according the the paint manufacturer (though I haven’t tried that yet).

This method using these paints will create a gorgeous opaque finish. If you are wanted a translucent finish I recommend you try the method I used for tinting my Glass Float Ornaments, just be sure to use Mod Podge.

The beautiful bright skittle-colored vases are perfect with the table cloth. Cheerful pops of color make me smile! Give Painted Glass Vases a try!

Kim

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AMENDMENT 5/11/12: I finally got around to washing the vases in the dishwasher, on the lower rack even, and they came out beautiful! Martha Stewart multi-surface paint rocks!

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Blue Coral Napkin Rings

2012-05-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Perusing the pages of Pottery Barn can be a dangerous past time activity in my home. I came across some beautiful cream and blue coral napkin rings. Now to be honest, we don’t often use napkin rings or cloth napkins even in my home but for some reason these pretty coral rings caught my eye. The $33 price tag also caught my attention. I can do better than that! Let’s make our own for 1/5 the price! Sound good?

These are the Pottery Barn plastic coral beaded napkin rings seen below. Pretty aren’t they?

Pottery Barn

To make your own Blue Coral Napkin Rings you need the following:

Blue coral bead strands (these were from Michaels)

1 mm Stretch Cording

Scissors

The two strands of coral beads ran around $3 each but I used my coupons and they were significantly less!

Remove the beads form the plastic cord they came on and thread them onto the stretch cording.

This is a great time to involve the little ones in your crafts! My baby enjoyed spending time with mom, counting the beads and threading them on the string. It’s great exercise in fine motor dexterity too!

The strand should measure approximately 5 inches in length.

Tie the stretch strand in a double knot and put tight. Clip the excess and you’re done! Easy-peasy! The amount shown will make 4 napkin rings and you will have a small amount of beads left over.

I bought the last two strands of blue coral that Michaels had, but I’ll be searching out the other Michaels stores for more strands because I’m thinking these would make some gorgeous bracelets!!

These beautiful iridescent blue coral napkin rings looked so pretty on my deck table! They were a perfect little piece of bling for my summer place settings!

Find more beachy- coastal décor under my Décor Crafts tab up at the top of the page.

Kim

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Grilled Artichokes

2012-04-30T08:33:00.001-04:00

If you have ever ordered the Grilled Artichokes at The Cheesecake Factory then you know just how amazing they taste. The waitress sets three large wedges in front of you and you breathe in the steamy grilled aroma of garlic, spices, and warmed butter. Your taste buds begin to salivate and you dive into the appetizer like a kid with an ice cream sundae. It’s beyond delicious.

My passion for artichokes pretty much rivals my passion for chocolate. It’s strange I know, but this bizarre vegetable has been a favorite of mine since I was in preschool. We lived in California during that time and artichokes were plentiful, inexpensive, and best of all, they were fun to eat! Anything that requires using your hands to eat is fun don’t you think?

Last spring I was very surprised to come across artichoke plants at Home Depot. I wasn’t even aware we could grow artichokes here in coastal Virginia. I purchased two plants and they grew quite large but never produced any artichokes. Because the winter was abnormally mild this year, the artichokes kept growing. Suddenly, a month ago little artichokes started appearing! Oh happy day!

I think we have a total of ten artichokes between the two plants. That’s over $30 worth of artichokes for me to eat! Woo-Hoo!!

I want to share with you how to make your own Grilled Artichokes. This recipe will serve 4-6 people.

You will need: 4 large artichokes 2 lemons, garlic cloves, salt, 3T olive oil, 1 T steak sauce, 2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning, 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar.

First, fill a large pot with 2 inches of water, two tablespoons of salt, a large lemon, quartered and a few cloves of garlic. Have an additional lemon wedge on hand. Cut off the bottom so they sit upright nicely. Next with a pair of kitchen scissors trim off the top 1/3 of the surrounding leaves. Really, this step is purely optional in my opinion. We never trimmed them when I was young. I think restaurants trim them because the tip of the leaves can be sharp.

Turn your artichoke on its side and with a large chef knife, cut it into quarters if it’s very large or into thirds if it’s smaller. The inside of the artichoke will discolor in less than one minute when exposed to air so immediately rub it with your lemon wedge. Take a paring knife and cut out the hairy “choke” and it’s pink leaves. See the wedge on the left? That one has had the choke removed and it's left with all that beautiful white artichoke heart!

Place the artichokes in the pot and bring it up to a boil. Boil for approximately 8 minutes or until the heart is fork tender. Remove from heat and drain the artichokes in colander.

While the artichokes are cooking, you can prepare the Grilled Artichoke Marinade.

In a small bowl mix together 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of steak sauce, 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons of Montreal Steak Seasoning.

Drizzle the marinade over the artichokes and gently toss to coat well.

Place on grill over medium low heat and grill for just a few minutes until you see slight charring.

Serve the artichokes with additional marinade or melted butter for dipping. To eat the artichokes, peel off a leaf, dip the bottom in melted butter if desired, and use your teeth to scrape off the lower half of artichoke “meat” on leaf. Trust me, it’s absolutely addicting!

Kim

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Shell Stoppers

2012-04-27T14:53:00.001-04:00

We love wine and need bottle stoppers for them. Have you priced them out lately? They can be quite pricey. You know me. Nothing makes me happier than recreating a designer look for next to nothing and that is exactly what I’ll show you how to do today! We’re going to make some Shell Stoppers.

I save all our corks and have accumulated quite the collection over the years. To make a shell stopper all you need are real corks, an exact-o blade, a hot glue gun and glue stick, twine, and sea shells, starfish, coral or what ever sea life you like.

How to Make a Shell Stopper

Very carefully cut the lower half of a cork to form a taper. Have you ever tried to fit a cork back into a bottle? It takes a lot of effort and tapering the cork helps it fit easily. Now be careful. These blades are sharp!

Next cut a small hole in the top of the cork, approximately 1/4 inch deep. This is where you will insert your shell.

Place a dab of hot glue in the hole and insert your shell or starfish. Hold it until it is set. To hide the hot glue that has oozed up around the shell, wrap the base with a small piece of twine. Secure it with just a tiny touch of hot glue.

This is how it will look after it is wrapped. You can use twine, raffia, or any ribbon you desire.

That’s all there is to it! Place your Shell Stoppers on opened bottles of wine or sparkling waters or sodas to make your beverage service a bit more special!

I love serving drinks on the Sea Glass Mosaic Tray.

Now you could also use the stoppers as for just decoration. I fell in love with these coral topped bottles from Newport Colony last year on my trip to California. They were a tad top heavy but beautiful.

These sea life bottle toppers are from Pottery Barn and they want $83 for the set of three…. or you could just make your own for next to nothing. Hard decision I know (wink).

Pottery Barn

I placed mine on top of some decorative glass bottles and paired them with a large sea fan, books, and this beautiful sea urchin vase from Target I just picked up this week! I love all the different textures!

Think you could give these Shell Stoppers a try? Wouldn’t they make a great hostess gift?

For more sea inspired décor crafts, be sure to check out the Décor Crafts tab up at the top of the page.

Kim

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Coral Lamp

2012-04-25T10:37:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago I was wallowing in exasperated frustration because my kids had once again broken another lamp in our home. That would make a total of 8 damaged or destroyed lamps, which are now either being held craftily together with string, duct tape, rubber bands, or simply reside at the bottom of the trashcan. I came to the conclusion at lamp #5 that I would no longer spend a significant amount of money on lamps surely knowing their soon to be ultimate doom. Can anyone relate to this lamp destroying mania? The search for a new lamp began. I had to be weighty and not top heavy… oh yes and not thin glass. This time it would be a coral lamp I decided.

In my recent post Summer Design Trend: Coral, I had talked about my love for all things coral this year. A coral lamp was on my desire list. I priced out a few coral lamps online and came across this beauty pictured below, but at $501. Yeeowza! $501.. really? I mean it’s already $500 whopping dollars. Do you really need that extra $1? Oh yes, and it’s not even real coral, but resin. For that price I’d expect real coral thank you very much. It’s pretty, but ridiculous!

Lamps Plus

Time to move on and find something a bit more affordable. Joss & Main were carrying a very similar coral lamp and they had a PAIR of coral lamps for around $150 (you can click on that link if you’d like an invite to Joss & Main). That was a much better price and even that amount was a splurge for me, but they looked so pretty and I had a gift certificate too! Unfortunately, the online picture portrayed a very white coral and these were shiny and beige with yellowish-orange flecks. I was bummed but I reminded myself of my motto…

Don’t look at something for what it is, but look at something for what it can be!

Out came the paint! Well, in this case, out came some primer! Coral is not shiny, and I knew white primer would adhere to the resin coral, be the color of white I wanted, and have a matte finish like real coral does. I taped off the base used a stenciling brush to work the primer into all the little crevices. In a short amount of time I had two beautifully white coral lamps!

Since I’m not really big on matchy-matchy lamps in every room, I only placed one of the lamps in our upstairs playroom/ TV room. The other will find itself in our music room. I took all of 2 minutes and dumped some sand in a large pedestal bowl and placed in a few starfish. I love fast and easy displays don’t you. Now to keep my 5 year old out of the sand is another issue.

I think it fits in nicely with all the other beach themed décor and I love how the white stands out against the blue walls. The #1 question I get is what is that blue paint color? It’s Atmospheric by Benjamin Moore.

For now I’ll enjoy my coral lamp and will try not to worry about how long it will survive in a house of four rambunctious kiddos.

Be sure to check out my DIY Gallery & Décor Crafts tabs up top.

Kim

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Whimsical Hand Painted Planter

2012-04-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

We’ve been cleaning up the garden beds and deck, preparing the beds and planters for new spring flowers. This year I wanted a brighter punch of color and lighthearted, fun feel on the deck, so I decided to give my fiberglass planters a makeover and transform them into Whimsical Hand Painted Planters.

I was inspired by these beautiful planters in the Grandin Road catalog this spring. They look like ceramic pottery but are made from fiberglass with a poly high gloss finish. They run $169 a piece! As beautiful as they are, I simply don’t have a budget for that so I made mine for free! I like free!

Grandin Road

To make a hand painted planter, start with a fiberglass, lightweight planter. This is one I already owned. It actually has a nice patina on it, but I’m going for bold color this season, so as much as I hate to change it, I know it had to go!

Spray your planter with a good outdoor primer. Give it 2 coats.

For this project I highly recommend Martha Stewart Paints by Plaid. The sweet folks at Plaid sent me a ton of supplies to try out (click here to see the awesome loot!) These paints are multi-surface paints (glass, paper, wood, plastic, etc.) and are perfect to this type of project. I had the privilege of representing this brand in a recent post (Martha Stewart Crafts Etched Glass Vase), and have been very impressed by the quality of the products. I chose black and white and then limited myself to 3 colors. Black, white and turquoise are the main colors, and red and lime are accents.

I painted the entire planter white first and then I started painting all the raised areas of the planter. The easiest way to make a checkerboard pattern is to use a flat, rectangular brush. The wider the brush is, the wider your checkerboard pattern will be. This brush is also by Martha Stewart Crafts. I dipped it in the paint, then pulled the brush down one inch. I then turned my brush upside down and stroked upward, going over the little square I had already created. This ensures, nice crisp edges. Skip a brush width and repeat. Don’t worry about perfection, you aren’t a factory machine! Hand painted pieces have painterly imperfections and character, which is GOOD!

To make the large bands of color, use the same flat brush, loaded with paint, and stroke the brush width evenly around the planter. If you want a thicker band of color, consider using a larger flat brush. Different sized brushes make projects easy! A simple way to make little dots is to dip a new pencil eraser into paint and then dot it on the planter. The dots soften the hard lines between the stripes.

To get a high gloss ceramic look, spray your planter with a high gloss, non-yellowing acrylic sealer. I gave my planter 2 coats of sealer. You can find acrylic spray sealer at craft stores or big box hardware stores. I added a few bright red geranium, a spike plant, and white trailing bacopa. I can’t wait until they grow full and spill over the sides!

Save yourself $170 and try to create your own whimsical hand painted planter! I love the cheerful pop of color it adds to my deck.

Hand-painting tips: Limit your color choices & use multiple sized flat brushes.

Kim

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Guest Hosting at Home Stories A to Z

2012-04-22T11:57:00.001-04:00

Good morning everyone! I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend and a very Happy Earth Day! Today I am guest hosting Tutes & Tips Not to Miss over at my sister’s blog, Home Stories A to Z. Beth is traveling back home from the west coast today and left me in charge of choosing this week’s features! Come on over and see all the creativity from home and craft bloggers across the country!

Kim

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$75 Empire Patio Cover Giveaway

2012-04-20T09:46:00.001-04:00

******GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***** Spring is here and it’s time to clean off the deck or patio and get ready for some outdoor living! We use our deck and patio spring, summer and fall, and absolutely love lounging on the outdoor furniture on a hot summer evening. The one thing that I don’t enjoy is sitting down on a soaking wet cushion or having to scrub the pollen and dirt off the chairs and tables. What I need desperately are some outdoor patio furniture covers! The wonderful people at Empire Patio Covers are offering Sand & Sisal readers a chance to win a $75 Empire Patio Cover gift certificate!

Empire offers covers for just about every piece of patio furniture you can imagine! Perhaps you have a chaise lounge you’d like to cover or several chairs and a coffee table? They even carry a cover that will fit over your entire outdoor dining set! From spas to fountains, Empire has a cover for it.

All of Empire's outdoor patio furniture covers feature an eco-friendly dioxin free coating and a positive air flow venting system. Is moisture and mildew a problem your climate? This system ensures the best protection of your outdoor patio furniture against mold and mildew buildup and UV rays. The Signature material is made of 600 denier polyester and the Classic material is a three layer composite material, made with polypropylene and is waterproof!

Wind isn’t a worry for these covers. All of Empire’s outdoor furniture covers are equipped with a dual attachment strap and buckle system to secure the outdoor furniture covers in place.

We all know how quickly our grills succumb to the nasty elements, resulting in rust that eats away at our investment. Protect your investment and extend its life by covering it with Empire’s quality covers, so you can enjoy it for years to come!

All Empire outdoor patio furniture covers feature a 1 or 2 year manufacturer's warranty and they have incredibly affordable pricing! You will be able to get several items at these great prices.

To enter this giveaway for a chance to win the $75 Empire Patio Cover gift certificate please do the following:

1. (required) Leave me a comment telling me which pieces you’d love to have from Empire Patio Covers.

2. (Bonus Entry) Like Empire Patio Covers on Facebook. Then leave a comment saying you did.

3. (Bonus Entry) Share this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did.

Giveaway ends Friday, April 27, 2012 at 8 pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random, US and Canada only (void where prohibited) and notified by email.

BE SURE I CAN ACCESS YOUR EMAIL SO THE WINNER CAN BE NOTIFIED!

Best of luck!

Kim

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*******GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED AND WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN! ********

Lush Lawns with Scotts® Snap® Spreader System

2012-04-17T20:00:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by Scotts®. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have a confession to make. I’m a bit of a yard snob. Can I help it if I desire a gorgeous, green, lush lawn for my home? Yes, I’m one of those crazy ladies who excitedly plucks an unsuspecting weed from it’s roots if it dares to show itself. We’ve worked very hard over the past few years to create this lovely yard you see below and I can honestly say that Scotts® products have been a key to our success.

Just look at what our yard looked like before! This picture below was taken when we moved in. The grass that was there was crispy and dead and the only green you do see were weeds! It didn’t exactly win awards for curb appeal! We owned a seed spreader, but we couldn’t ever quite figure out the right amount of seed or fertilizer to put down. It was a ton of trial and error to get the yard you see above.

Do your sidewalks look like this? Do you have grass growing in the cracks?

Or maybe your side walks look like mine do? Do you realize that both these pictures demonstrate what happens when your average spreader carelessly throws seed and fertilizer on your pavement? It’s not pretty and it takes a power washer to remove! Trust me, unfortunately I know!

This is why I’m excited about the Scotts® Snap® Spreader System

The system auto-sets the proper flow rate. No spreader settings required! It also has a unique EdgeGuard feature that keeps product where you want it…. on the lawn (not on your sidewalk)!

The unique Snap Pac connects directly to the Snap Spreader:

- no cutting,

-no opening

-no pouring from heavy bags

- no spilling or waste!

And if you don’t use the whole bag, simply disconnect it, and it automatically seals itself for storing. I especially love this feature because I know my younger kids won’t accidentally get into spilt fertilizer.

This video shows you how crazy easy it is to use! I love crazy easy, don’t you?

Snap has some amazing offering running on their Facebook page!

Snap perks on Facebook

They’re giving away a Trip for two to the 2012 All Star Game and World Series as a Grand Prize and a Outdoor Patio Set in this month's sweepstakes! How cool is that? Plus if you come back to the FB page every day this month you’ll have a new chance to instantly win a $25 Wal-Mart Gift Card.

A gorgeous lawn is now easier to achieve with Scotts® Snap® Spreader System! And you can get it without the mess and guesswork. All you have to do is just Snap, Lock and Go!

Kim

Martha Stewart Crafts Etched Glass Vase

2012-04-16T08:01:00.001-04:00

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Have you considered what you will give to honor a special mom in your life? I can tell you that my mom loves fresh flowers! Though flowers are always nice to receive, how about adding a personalize custom touch to the vase? Let me show you how easy it is to make a beautiful Etched Glass Vase with amazing products from Martha Stewart Crafts by Plaid.

The wonderful friends at Plaid Crafts sent me all the glorious craft goodies below! My jaw dropped when I opened the box! The quality of these products is amazing! You will be seeing several upcoming posts where I’ll be using more of these tools, paints and stencils! Today we’re keeping it simple and using just a few items. So if you love easy, simple crafts that look gorgeous then this one is for you!

How to Make an Etched Glass Vase

Items you will need:

A plain glass vase

Martha Stewart Crafts Stencils

Martha Stewart Stencil Adhesive

Glass Etching Crème

Foam brush and rubber kitchen gloves

Clean the glass vase with glass cleaner to remove all traces of dirt and oil. Protect your surface area with an old towel.

I chose this Martha Stewart Crafts stencil called Tendrils. It comes in a pack of 3 stencil sheets measuring approximately 8 x 16 inches each. This collection contains 10 different designs in the pack! I’ll be using the dragonfly and the tendril pattern on the right.

Step outside and spray the back side of the stencil with your Martha Stewart Stencil Adhesive. Spray your stencil well, but not so much that it’s dripping! Allow it to dry. This only takes about a minute. Using the stencil spray is imperative, because it allows you to form a tight seal against the glass. It is repositionable and removable and won’t leave a residue on the glass. I LOVE this product!

Press the stencil against the glass vase where you desire your design to be. I found it helpful to place the vase on top of an upside down bowl so it is elevate some.

This part is important! Smooth out all the bubbles around your stencil edge. You don’t want the etching crème to leak under the stencil.

With your rubber kitchen gloves on, dip your sponge brush into the etching cream and gently tab a nice layer onto the stencil. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes or whatever time is instructed on the back of your etching cream container and be sure to follow the manufactures instructions. Etching cream can be found at any store that sells crafts.

After the allotted amount of time, gently peel off your Martha Stewart Crafts stencil to reveal the design. Rinse your vase under cool water to remove all etching cream. Rinse your stencil off also. Dry your vase and reapply your stencil to a new area on your vase and repeat etching if you desire. I applied my stencil to the vase in 3 different areas and I never had to reapply my stencil spray, but feel free to add more spray adhesive if you think you need it.

Fill your Etched Glass Vase with flowers and admire the beautiful vase that YOU designed and made yourself! What mom wouldn’t want to receive something as lovely and special as this?

To really impress mom and show off your Etched Glass Vase design, consider lining your vase with a large hosta or banana leaf before you insert your flower arrangement!

For more amazing Martha Stewart Mother’s Day ideas be sure to connect with Plaid Crafts with these links below!

Twitter: http://twitter.com/plaidcrafts (@plaidcrafts)

Facebook: http://facebook.com/InspiredByPlaid

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Kim

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Martha Stewart… I Love Thee

2012-04-14T15:46:00.001-04:00

I’m a little giddy! Ok, I’m totally ecstatic! When the Fed Ex man pulls up to the house and brings me a HUGE box from “MARTHA”, my heart did a little pitter-pat. I have been selected, along with some of my bestie-bloggy friends to do a Plaid Crafts- Martha Stewart Mother’s Day Craft Challenge! My assignment, if I accept, (uhhh, duh… yes I accept!) is to create something for Mother’s Day from any of the delicious goodies they sent me!

Stay tuned for my next post which will be a wonderful Mother’s Day gift that YOU can easily create for a wonderful mom in your life!

Kim

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Summer Design Trend: Coral

2012-04-12T21:06:00.001-04:00

The summer design trend is CORAL! Coral continues to make it’s presence known in every category of home décor this season. I’ll confess I’ve had a bit of an obsession with coral for a little over a year now and I’m thrilled to see how it has surged in popularity! Would you like to add a touch of coral to your home? Let’s take a little tour of all the different ways you can add a bit of the sea to your home!

Coral Pillows

Pottery Barn’s Branch coral pillow are soft and give a graphic punch of color to your sofa. They run $39.50 each.

Pottery Barn

I found similar pillows this spring at Home Goods for $12 a piece! I snagged up the gray-blue and crimson pillows, but they also came in taupe, coral orange and turquoise. It was a bargain score!!!

Grandin Road

Pottery Barn

Coral Rugs

Splash some coral on your floor with these beautiful area rugs. This one below is an indoor/outdoor rug.

Grandin Road

Pottery Barn has a few coral indoor area rugs with partial coral or all over coral print.

Pottery Barn

Coral Bath & Bedding

Do you have a beach themed bathroom or bedroom? Try these monogramed coral guest towels.

Pottery Barn

Williams-Sonoma Home

Pottery Barn

Coral Wall

Real framed Sea Fan Coral can set you back several hundred dollars, but it is some of the most beautiful art you’ll see. The lacy coral comes in white, black, and red, and many other colors that can be dyed.

Coral Lighting

Feeling a bit whimsical? Try these coral light fixtures.

Ballard Designs

Today, the UPS man delivered a pair of coral lamps from Joss & Main, very similar to what you see below, to my home! I’m so excited! They need a bit of assembly first, and then I’ll show them off to you!

Pier One

Coral Place Setting

Invite your friends over for an evening on the deck! Pour the sangria, grill the mahi-mahi, broil the crab cakes, and serve dinner on these beach inspired coral placemats and napkins! They are so pretty and simple!

\Williams-Sonoma Home

Coral Accessories

If you love coral but are conscious of sea life harvesting, consider purchasing faux coral instead. This season Pottery Barn is offering many different types of faux coral that are so close to the real deal, you’ll be impressed AND you’ll be saving the coral sea beds!

Pottery Barn

If PB is not in your budget then try this DIY Coral by Beth at Home Stories A to Z (a.k.a. my very talented little sis). Click the link below to be taken to her post. You won’t believe what these are made from!

Home Stories A to Z

Uncommon Goods

Sand & Sisal

So are you in love with coral as much as I am? Which piece of coral décor do you think you’ll be adding to your home this summer?

Kim

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Turn a Charger into a Mirror

2012-04-09T09:16:00.000-04:00

It’s time to show y’all another project I did for the awesome readers over at Infarrantly Creative. I’m a contributor to IC so please come over and and say hello sometime. Ornate wall mirrors can be pricey and grouping several together could break your budget. Today, let me show you how ridiculously easy and inexpensive it is to Turn a Charger into a Mirror!

Most of us own some type of chargers, but let’s get real here, how often do we actually use them? For the exception of very special events or holiday meals, our charges rarely see the light of day. I say let’s bring them out of hiding and put them to good use…. on your wall!

If you don’t own any, I recommend checking out Pier One. They always have a large collection of beautiful chargers to chose from. For this project I wanted a more ornate look. I chose 2 styles I liked. One was a ruffled edge wood charger in white with a bit of distressing. Pretty isn’t it? This charger sat on the wall ledge in my daughter’s Bead Board Bathroom for months (shhh…they haven’t noticed I snagged it from there yet!)

The other charger I chose had a black iron scrolled look. I needed white though, so I spray painted it in Heirloom White. Look for shapes and designs you love then if you need to change the color, simply spray paint it.

Check the diameter of the center of your charger. Most run around 7 inches. Craft stores carry many different sizes of mirrors and they are quite affordable. These 7 inch mirrors were under $3 each!

Apply adhesive to the back of the mirror and gently press your mirror in the center of the charger. You can use any adhesive you like, hot glue, silicone, E-6000, etc.

Allow your adhesive to set up, then flip your charger mirror over and hot glue on either a saw-tooth hanger or like I used… a soda can tab! I love these things! Think UP-CYCLING people! I’ve used soda can tabs on other wall light weight art projects like my Ceiling Medallion Wall Art and it has never failed me. Just load up on the hot glue.

And there you have it, a beautiful mirror made out of a charger you were never using in the first place! How easy is that? Use one or group many together for a beautiful mirrored wall display!

You can Turn a Charger into a Mirror in under 15 minutes! If you enjoy décor crafts like this one then you might enjoy the Décor Craft tab up top!

Kim

For the latest in DIY, Décor, & Recipes be sure to join me on

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Beneath My Heart’s April’s Best DIY Projects