Be inspired:Free Art

From now on I will be trying to post inspiring projects from myself and others.  If I come across something on Pinterest, around the blogasphere or if you would like to send in an idea. It must be something you would like to share to help inspire others to make their home lovely.

I've been known to frame my share of pretty note cards I receive from friends and family members. I also like to frame pretty calendar pages.  Today I will share a couple with you.  It's an easy, usually free, piece of art work if I have an extra frame lying around.

Several years ago my cousin sent me this pretty card.  What to do with a pretty card you don't want to throw out? Put a frame on it!

Or how about tearing out one of your favorite monthly pictures from a calendar

(pink flowers on the left).

And this nice card my mother in law gave me.

Be inspired.

Cinnamon Apple Bread

 First, let me start by saying that I only post the recipes that received rave reviews in my house.  Not just any old recipe makes the cut for the blog.  They all must audition first. Then after careful thought and consideration, I post them to share with you all.

I found this one at Two Peas and their Pod.   Gotta give credit where credit is due.

Cinnamon Apple Bread

Ingredients~

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups chopped apples, skin removed (we used Granny Smith)

Topping:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 4 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, all spice, and cloves. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add in oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Next, add the sugar and mix until well combined.

4. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until flour is barely combined. Gently fold in the apple chunks. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

5. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter in the loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until loaf is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen sides and remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack
 before slicing.

Giani Granite Paint Review and Give Away

For the past two years, I have been greatly considering painting our cheapo-fake butcher block counter tops.  We obviously could not afford to get what I really wanted, which was marble.  So I decided to try the next best thing, paint!  I had seen the Giani Granite Paint before and thought it was really cool..  But not sure it was for me.  I put it on the back burner.  Well, low and behold they contacted me and asked if I would try it out and review it on my blog… I felt like it was meant to be. (They are extremely nice folks over there.)
I started the project last Thursday and wrapped it up on Saturday.  There is a lot of waiting time involved. I knew I had to get rid of sticky fingers that would be touching the wet paint,  so off went my 2 year old to her grandparents.
The steps are clearly noted on the web and the DVD they send you, so I’m not going to repeat what you can already find.  I will how ever share with you some of the videos I watched on You Tube that helped me.  This one and this one about veining.
They say you don’t have to be a creative person to make this look good, but I disagree.  It does help the paint look more real if you spend extra time and a bit of creativity on your project. 

1. My first tip would be to find an example of the type of granite you wish to recreate for your kitchen.  Giani offers 3 different kits.  The out come is really up to you.  There are so many different ways of doing it.  I wanted a lighter color so I chose the Sicilian Sand kit.  I used a lot more white paint near the end to achieve my desired look.

 2. Make sure you watch the DVD included several times to really understand how to paint it on .  Use the internet to search out all the other bloggers who tried this.  Also watch You Tube videos, there are many.

 3.  Follow all the steps.  It really does make a difference if you miss one...not that I did, oh no not me....

 When I first started, I thought I had made a mistake in doing this.  But everything started to come together once I was half way around the kitchen.  I began to feel more comfortable and started being more creative.  And then the paint started to take on a life of it's own :)  Over all my husband and I are very happy with the end result.  I think once I finish my cabinets and paint the wall it will look like a brand new kitchen at a fraction of the cost.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

GIVE AWAY IS CLOSED

Link Parties~

Domestically Speaking

Primitive and Proper
The Sasse Life 
Finding Fabulous

Today

Today I'm guest blogging over at Primitive and Proper.  Cassie is a wonderful girl who also does furniture re-dos.  She is very creative and sweet, so hop on over there and check out my cool tips for staining a dresser top.

 Also.... here is a little sneak peak of the project I've been working on.

 10 points to whoever can guess what it is....

Be my guest:Lesley Graham

I've accidentally posted this twice. So sorry for the confusion...
Today I'm having my first ever guest blog post. Lesley Graham is a dear friend of mine and a very talented seamstress and blogger. Please head on over and check out her amazing creations in her new Etsy shop.

Hello Between Blue and Yellow readers! I'm Lesley. Kathleen and I go way back to high school (actually middle school, but we weren't friends then). When she asked me to guest post, I was a little stumped on what to talk about because she is miss DIY (her furniture pieces amaze me) and I'm DIsometimesmaybe. One thing we definitely have in common is that we are both working from home while raising kids. This year I'll be putting all of my extra energy into my new shop, Tiny Fete, while keeping up with my three year older daughter, Matilda.


Carryall available here.


A few things I've learned in my first week of working from home:

Don't count on naps.

Clean as you go so you aren't spending all of your time at night cleaning. This makes watching things like Vampire Diaries a lot easier.

GET OUT. In the winter cabin fever tends to sneak up on us and kids feel it too. Even running morning errands is good for everyone.

Try and keep working hours. I find that having a set start to my day is really motivating. The alarm still needs to go off at a certain time each day.

These two things make me feel pulled together, even if I'm totally not: 1. Getting dressed right away and 2: Making my bed.



Did I leave anything out that some of you pros want to school me on? I'm ALL ears. - Lesley



Thanks, Kathleen!

Garlic Potatoes

These potatoes....seriously so good

you must try, if you don't mind consuming a bit o' butter.

Countryliving.com

• 1 pound medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, for potatoes
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 ounce pecorino cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)

---

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large baking pan, toss potatoes and 4 tablespoons melted butter together. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread potatoes in a single layer and roast until golden, about 35 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium heat, melt remaining butter. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
3. Transfer potatoes to a serving dish. Pour garlic-butter mixture over potatoes and gently toss to mix. Sprinkle with cheese and serve hot.

Crafty Trade

My sister Jamie and I decided to do a trade of our services.  I offered her one of my dressers for her sweet daughters room, and she is going to help me paint my kitchen!  Jamie has her own blog where she shows off her many talents.  She creates some wonderful baby blankets, aprons and shoulder bags.  Go on over and pay her a visit.  She can make you just about anything you want!

 Here is the dresser for a very special little soon to be 7 year old.  I worked hard to make it something that would stand the test of time.  Because I can see her having this piece into her adult years.

 

I can’t wait to see the look on her beautiful, little face when we bring it to her house.

Link Parties
Sugar bee Crafts
Coastal Charm
I'm Topsy Turvy
The Silly Little Sparrow
Primitive and Proper 
Elizabeth and Co. 
The Sasse Life 
Miss Mustard Seed 
Fingerprints on the Fridge

Cold Air

**First, I have to say that I was not compensated in any way shape or form for this review.  It's just a great product and I had to share.

I don't know about you, but as soon as the weather starts to get cold so does my home.  I can feel the coldness pouring in from my old window frames.  I knew there had to be a better way to keep the cold out without having to wrap my windows with plastic, yuck!

So as I'm reading my This Old House mag, they recommended putting this stuff from DAP called Seal' n Peel Removable Weather Strip Caulk in the cracks of your windows.  I thought it made sense, so I tracked down the stuff at a hardware store near me.  The majority of the big retailers didn't carry it, shocking.  This website can help you find it in your area. 

 Here is the best shot of what it looks like on my window. 

The sealant works great!  I can really tell a difference in our bedroom where it's usually 5 degrees colder than the hallway.  And when the weather warms up again, you can just peel it off!  Genius.

B&A Friday

I’ve decided to start showcasing readers before and after pictures again on Fridays.  So if you would like one of your projects to be featured please email me your pics at betweenblueandyellow@yahoo.com.  It can be anything you want, as long as there is a before and a better looking after.

This one today comes from Jeannette at Strikes my Fancy, she did a lovely little re-do of an old trunk.

What color is more vibrant, calming, and fun all mixed into one? For me, it is a bright robin's egg blue. It can be a statement color, and accent color, or whatever you want it to be.

 

I painted the top, sides and then feet. I didn't saturate the wood with a layer of paint, cause I still wanted it to look a little old and rustic. The pictures, again, don't show it that well. I'm still learning this whole camera thing too...Then I had to decide on the detailing. As you can see, I opted for black. It is classic, timeless, and hot right now. Lets face it, I was pretty sure I was going to sell it on. I wanted something marketable.  Let me know what you think of this lovely little thing! I love hearing back from you. (Oh and yes, it has already sold by the way.) Props to my love for seeing the potential in this!

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

This is one of the best soup's I've ever had. 

No, It's not fat free and no it's not ready in 20 minutes.

But the time you put in it is totally worth the effort.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 pound fresh sliced mushrooms
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked wild rice (I used a medley)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
• 2 cups half-and-half

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery and carrots and saute for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 more minutes. Then add the flour and stir well. Gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly, until all has been added. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer.
2. Next, add the rice, chicken, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper, almonds and sherry. Allow to heat through, then pour in the half-and-half. Let simmer for 1 to 2 hours. (Note: Do not boil or your roux will break.)  

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-wild-rice-soup-i/detail.aspx

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House of Grace