Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Lightening Things Up!

I don't know if it's the weather or what but I am so ready for spring! We have had the strangest weather in Pennsylvania lately, two days ago it was 9° and today was in the 60's with 100% humidity. I'm craving light & bright.

Like these guys!
The Pink Lantern


I've been looking for throw pillows since we got our sofa LAST January. I found these Ikat pillows at HomeGoods, these colors are perfect for our living room. I saw these one day but didn't buy them. I went home and thought about them, dreamt about them and went to buy them first thing the next morning. I got the last set!

The Pink Lantern


This weekend I went into Philadelphia for Clover Market. I wasn't able to make it to any of their outdoor markets earlier in the year so I wanted to check this smaller indoor version out. I didn't find too much, just a few small things.

The Pink Lantern The Pink Lantern


This cool wooden candle holder, stamped taper and teeny-tiny clock are all from Mae's Market.

Enjoy the rest of your week!
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Monday, January 28, 2013

Cheeky Valentines for Grown-ups

Cheeky Valentines for Grown-ups


I always have a hard time coming up with manly Valentine's Day gifts but I've learned you can't go wrong with food. I also love that Valentine's Day is an excuse to get silly and break out those cheesy pick-up lines.
I used my favorite photo editing site PicMonkey to whip up a few funny Valentine tags to tie on some classic guy foods.

"Nice Buns Valentine" on some sweet honey buns:

Cheeky Valentine's for Grown-Ups


A line from a classic (not quite love) song:

Cheeky Valentine's for Grown ups


What man would turn down a case of beer?

Cheeky Valentine's for Grown-Ups


Thanks for joining me for my 1 Pinterest Project Per Week - Week 4 post!

The Pink Lantern


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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Chalkboard Clock Makeover



Thrifted Clock Re-Do


That last 2 weeks have been a blur of DayQuil/NyQuil, Etsy orders and fffreezing cold weather! My Etsy shop has had an amazing amount of orders this month. I feel so blessed that I am able to have a job that I love so much!

The Pink Lantern on ETSY


Somewhere in the middle of everything I managed a fun project - this thrifted clock makeover! I found this ceramic clock a few months ago and I just loved it. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, I just knew I wanted it! This poor little thing needed some love, even the woman working at the thrift shop asked "Why are you buying this thing?!?" The inscription on the back sealed the deal for me:

The Pink Lantern


It is also signed "To Grace, All My Love, Harry". So sweet...I couldn't bring myself to paint over that so it's still on the back! I removed the clock hands and mechanism and gave the entire clock a few coats of Antique White latex paint. Then I painted the face with black chalkboard paint.

The Pink Lantern


I very carefully removed broke off the original handle. Apparently it was for looks, not carrying the clock. Lesson learned. The clock was missing the little piece to cover the screw for the clock hands. I got some cool vintage buttons from my mom and this one was the PERFECT finishing touch.

Thrifted Clock Re-Do


I love how it turned out! Eventually it will have a home in my office - an office makeover is Project #1 for February!

Thrifted Clock Re-Do by The Pink Lantern


I'm linking up with Design, Dining & Diapers.

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

DIY Valentine Wreath with Felt Flowers

DIY Valentine Wreath with Felt Flowers

Today I want to share my new Valentine Wreath with you! I put this together in about two hours using only a few inexpensive supplies.

Yarn Wrapped Wreath Supplies


Supplies:
Wreath form -I used a 14" form
Yarn - I used about a quarter of my skein
Felt
Hot glue gun
Ribbon (I ended up skipping this)

I tied the yarn around my wreath form and started to wrap the yarn around, and around, and around. Since I wanted the yarn to look nice and uniform I wrapped it really tight. The wrapping took about an hour, good thing I had a handsome helper!

Valentine Wreath
How am I doing, Boss?


I searched around for felt flower tutorials and the best one I found is from The Crafted Sparrow. Using her easy Looped Mum tutorial I put together different sized flowers. These were so easy to make, I can't wait to try the other styles she shows!

Valentine Wreath Felt Flowers


I made a little pennant banner from leftover felt and yarn scraps to finish it off!

Valentine Wreath with Mini Bunting


DIY Valentine Wreath with Felt Flowers

I'm linking up with: Design, Dining & Diapers, Clean & Scentsible, Tatertots and Jello, bloom designs

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Monday, January 14, 2013

Organizing Under the Sink for $7 - Week 2



1 Pinterest Project a Week for 52 Weeks


What is it about January that makes everyone & their mother want to clean, organize and throw stuff away? I'm not sure, but I've seen so many great ideas on Pinterest and it inspired lit a fire under me.

Aside from a small medicine cabinet this under-sink cabinet is the only storage in our bathroom. No drawers, no shelving, no linen closet - this is it. For a year we've been living with a growing pile of junk. Shove it in & quick close the door! First I pulled everything out and wiped down the sides and bottom of the cabinet. Then I sorted through everything, throwing away anything that hadn't been used in the last 6 months. I found these stacking bins at The Dollar Tree, along with the plastic tote. I got 3 pink bins for me and 3 blue ones for my husband (although I quickly realized my things filled 5 bins and his filled 1). My daily hair products are in the pink tote, which is perfect because I can easily access everything yet it's nice and contained!

Dollar Store Under Sink Organization

Now every morning I am greeted with a lovely, organized cabinet...Ahhh, it really is all about the little things!

I'm linking up with the Winter Project Challege!

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Crustless Spinach Quiche

Crustless Spinach Quiche


This is one of the go-to recipes in my dinner rotation. Not only is it healthy, quick and cheap - it is delicious! One of the best things about this recipe is how versatile it is. Do you have some tomatoes you need to use up? Dice them up and toss them in! Want to spice it up? Add red pepper flakes or hot sauce. My personal favorite is to add some feta cheese...mmmmmm!

Crustless Spinach Quiche


Crustless Spinach Quiche
Ingredients:
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic (I usually use garlic powder - because I'm lazy)
10 oz frozen spinach
1 cup light cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Thaw spinach - I just pop it in the microwave for about 6 minutes on defrost. Mix all ingredients together and stir. Spray pie dish with cooking spray. Pour mixture into pie pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. ENJOY!
Makes 8 servings.

Now I know Weight Watchers has changed their Points system but years ago I calculated the points of this dish. Using the old system a serving has ONE point! ONE POINT (which is good because I could eat the whole dish)!

Let me know if you try it out!

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Sunday, January 6, 2013

One Pinterest Project a Week for 52 Weeks - Week 1

one pin a week with The Pink Lantern


One of my resolutions this year is to try more Pinterest projects. It is too easy to just pin, pin, pin and never look back! I'm making it my goal to complete 52 Pinspired projects, one each week for 2013. Each weekend I'll feature a project, recipe or idea - but first here is a look back at some projects from 2012!

Glittered Chevron Canvas

GLITTERED CHEVRON CANVAS - My original pin came from Southern Bells. Normally I would switch things up but the original colors were SO perfect for my office I stuck with them. The original pin only leads to a photo but it was easy enough to re-create. I simply cut a chevron pattern (I wanted more points than the original), traced it onto the canvas with pencil and painted the pink stripes. Once those were dry I coated the sections I wanted to glitter with Mod Podge, poured on the glitter and let it dry. Once everything was dry I shook off the loose glitter, gave it a full coat of Mod Podge AND a quick spray with clear Krylon. It's been 6 months and that glitter isn't going anywhere!

The Pink Lantern Chevron Canvas

Vintage Book Monogram

VINTAGE BOOK MONOGRAM - My original pin came from Ashbee Design. This was the easiest project ever! I simply picked out a vintage book at my favorite thrift shop, cut a paper template and handed it to my dad. And, POOF - there you have it, a vintage book monogram! Oh wait, you want to know how he did it? He taped my template to the front of the book, making sure to tape the front & back cover together to hold the book closed. Then he used a scroll saw to cut the template. (See, it really was easy!)

The Pink Lantern - Book Monogram


So, without further ado I present this week's PIN:
One-Pot Macaroni and Cheese made without butter or added thickeners. It's been so cold & windy here this week, I figured comfort food was the way to go! I also added chopped green chilies & taco seasoning to spice it up.

One-Pot Macaroni & Cheese


There are so many variations of this recipe floating around Pinterest, the one I started with can be found on Macaroni & Cheesecake.

The Pink Lantern


One-Pot Macaroni & Cheese with Green Chilies

Ingredients:
2 c. dried shell pasta
2 1/2 c. skim milk
1 c. hand shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
4 oz. chopped green chilies
1/2 tsp. taco seasoning
(Dijon mustard is called for in the original recipe but I decided to leave it out.)

Combine milk & dried pasta in saucepot and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook pasta until soft - about 20 minutes. Add cheese, salt, green chilies and taco seasoning. Stir, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Now, the original recipe stops here but I was raised on hearty Midwestern mac & cheese and this was way too soupy for me. I poured the mixture into a baking dish and popped it in the oven for 15 minutes at 300*.

The above recipe says it feeds 4 but I doubled the recipe for 4 people (my hubby and dad count as double!) and we had no leftovers. I thought there was a gritty texture, possibly from cooking the pasta and not draining it. I still prefer baked mac & cheese but overall everyone gave the dish a thumbs-up.

I snuck back into the kitchen to take a few more pictures and this is what I found...it looks like I'll be making this again!
The Pink Lantern


I'm linking up with Design, Dining + Diapers!

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Thursday, January 3, 2013

What I'm Thrifting For - Winter 2013

I don't do well at furniture stores. Most of what they stock I only kind of like. And what they want you to pay? I just can't do it! In my house I have 2 (yep, 2!) pieces of furniture that were bought new, at a real furniture store. Now thrift stores, garage sales, antique and resale shops? THOSE are my friends.

Here's what I am hunting for this winter!

A secretary or tall bookcase for my office. One of my goals is to really get my office organized. Ideally I want something with drawers on the bottom and open shelving on top.


{L}: My Old Country House {R}: Better Homes & Gardens


A server/buffet/dresser to use as a new tv console. We are planning to (finally) move into the current century and purchase a new flat screen tv in the next few months. That means our old entertainment cabinet won't work any longer since its one of those sweet '90s models made for square, wideback tvs. I would love to find something with three drawers across and 2 or 3 rows of drawers down. And in a perfect world it would have bun feet. If all else fails I will kidnap the buffet masquerading as our dresser and replace it with something a bit smaller.


{L}: Sweet Pickins Furniture {R}:Two Twenty One


I always keep an eye out for frames (especially ornate ones), apothecary jars, old books, dessert stands and pretty glassware.

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Tuesday, January 1, 2013

What I'm Loving This Week

Happy 2013 to all...let's see how long it takes to stop writing 2012!

Right now I am really loving my new winter vignette. I shopped around the house to come up with some "new" items to go alongside a few wintery Christmas decorations that I just couldn't pack away. I'll posting all about my wintery decor soon!





I'm also loving the 2013 someeards calender I got for Christmas. It hangs in the kitchen so every morning I can have a chuckle while making coffee.
My personal favorite...



I'm loving the requests my Etsy shop has been getting from 2013 brides. Its amazing how much social media has woven itself into our lives, I think this sign is a true testament to that!


If You Instagram...Wedding Sign


I'm linking up with Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday
and Emily at 52 Mantels.
This Kind of Love 52 Mantels



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