Wine Cork Cork Board

Do you have lots of wine corks laying around? While I don't drink wine, my mother in law does and she provided the corks for this project. You just need some sort of frame or in this case I used a cork board and painted the trim red. 

 Then get the trust glue gun out and start gluing. These happen to fit nicely across horizonally .

 Add some pretty ribbon. Of course I chose roosters. I used a staple gun to attach the ribbon.

 So easy!

Linking to:

Savvy Southern Style

Tip Junkie

All Thingz Related

Polly Want a Crafter

Sue Loves Cherries

Todays Creative Blog

The Brambleberry Cottage

Beyond the Picket Fence

The Shabby Nest

My Romantic Home

Whew!!

Yesterday...

Yesterday, I was given a couple of hours to just do what I wanted, so first I went and got one of these

 and then I picked up one of these

and then of course I had to go here (heaven on earth)

where I found these on the clearance rack and had to have them

then off to the nursery for some of these (love that mushroom)

and then to the hardware store to get some of these (project-share soon as it is coming out so cute)

whew I'm pooped so with the rest of my free time I did this...

inspiration.


Linking to:
An Oregon Cottage
Coastal Charm
A Southern Daydreamer
A Beach Cottage

Blue Monday

I have been wanting very much to take part in Smiling Sally's Blue Monday party. Lest ya'll think I only have variations of red in my house, I thought I'd show some of my blue. My den is in blues and of course reds, and I'll have to share soon. Here is a peek of some of my faves. The large crock found at the thrift store for $3. I almost had a heart attack and grabbed it so fast my daughter wondered what I was doing. Guess they don't know what crocks are worth here. The small crock with the swirl was only $8 at an estate sale full of wonderful old kitchen tools.

I love the tiles on this old English pine washstand. All of them intact and none broken when we found it at an antique sale 20 years ago. First antique we ever bought as a newly married couple.

Joining:

Smiling Sally for Blue Monday

House in the Roses

I Heart Naptime

A Delightsome Life

A Stroll Thru Life

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

It's So Very Cheri

2nd Time Around Tuesday

Easy Peasy Grandma

Happy to Design

Frugal Challenge Update and Disney Store Huge Sale

A little of this and that.

Wanted to give anyone who is interested a heads up that the Disney Store is having a huge online sale. Use code BONUS25 to save an extra 25% and then the code SHIPFIFTY to get the cheap shipping. I bought 15 items for a total of $134. That's with tax and shipping. Less than ten dollars and item and I bought King sized sheets (too cute) and tons of gifts for  next Christmas. Check it out. Supplies were still good. Here's the link Disney Store. I also shopped thru MyPoints so I would get more points towards gift cards. Ask and I can send you the referral on them. I earn gift cards to CVS (among other stores) to use for my deal shopping.
As for my other frugal endeavors. I cooked all day yesterday to send my hubby a weeks worth of food to eat while working out of town. He has a kitchen in his hotel room so he can just heat and eat. Healthier as well as thrifty.

Hit our nursery for spend $20 get a flat of flowers free. You know what I'll be doing today.

Rr Rr Rrrr!

Lame I know. But I didn't know what else to title this post. I have had a love affair with chickens and roosters as long as I can remember. My mother had two in her kitchen that I always loved. This is just a sampling of my beloved friends.

They even help me plan my meals.

They season my food.

They help light my home.

They even hold my creamer.

What's not to love?

Linking to:

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

Sundae Scoop

The House in the Roses

Little Red House

Dittle Dattle

Me Crafty?

Let's just say I am not crafty. When helping my oldest daughter to draw a bird when she was little I had her draw four legs on it. Kept wondering why it looked wrong. I am not artistic whatsover. I can cook, clean, garden like a mad woman, but I don't sew or draw. I've been so moved by the creations of Creative Breathing, that I felt inspired to make something. I grabbed some odds and ends from my scrapbooking supplies and looked at Creative Breathing's site and just started adding layers and came up with this.

I love it and thought it would be cute to hang on my youngest daughter's door for Valentines. It is simple and not as awesome as so many of the wonderful paper crafts I see online, but for me it is MAJOR. My family kept asking, "You made that?" Told you. Don't laugh but I wanted to share my little creation. Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Don't hate me but it is shorts weather here today. Can't believe it. Going to the nursery to buy flowers.


Linking to:
Along For the Ride
Be Different Act Normal
Bargain Hunting With Laurie
Boogie Board Cottage
Under the Table and Dreaming

Painting, Painting

Spent the whole day in my jammies. There's the proof above. No, I wasn't lounging on the couch or surfing blog land, I was painting. I have been trying to get my two girls room painted. This is a super cheapo room re-do so I have to be creative. Here's a peak.

The old color is a sort of aqua blue from a previous surf themed room. New color is called Sunbright.

This wall is done and switch plate on.
Cute so far.

Here are the sheets bought on clearance at Target. My second favorite store.

Some inspiration rooms from Potterybarn Teen.

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn

I'll be done painting the walls tomorrow and then I have to do the trim a bright crisp white. I'd like to do some fun chalkboards out of some old frames we have. I'll share when I am finally done but as is par for the course projects take me a while with all the distractions around here. The nerve of a family that wants to eat and a two year that wants holding.

Joining:

Remodelaholic

Frugal Challenge Update and Using Catalinas

I hate to waste food. To me it is like throwing my money away. You will often find in my fridge a cup of milk leftover from some kid as I just can't bear to toss it. They know they better finish it later. Well, I had a bag of apples that were getting sort of soft so we did what all frugalistas do, we made applesauce.

Just peel, chop and add a little bit of water and lemon juice. I did add some sugar though after tasting, I really didn't need to.

Just simmer and use a masher to well mash it up and wa-la! We had it with ham and noodles for dinner.

Now as a couponer I am really trying to use Catalinas. They are just coupons or money of your next shopping trip coupons that spit out after you purchase something. I found this deal on a great site Save at Home Mommy. I did it at Vons. Hallmark has a deal if you buy three cards, the 1.49 or higher ones, you get a five dollar catalina to use on your next trip. Now here is how you use these to spend little money and trust me I am a novice. I don't spend lots of time chasing deals but I am running after kids all day so when I am near a store I pop in to do my deals. You try to roll one deal into another. I had with me 5.50 catalina from the Nature Valley deal the week before. I then bought the three cards. 1.49, 1.99, 1.99=5.47 plus .53 tax for a total of 6.00. Gave them my 5.50 in cats and my out of pocket was .50. For three cards can you believe it? AND I got my catalina for 5.00 to use next trip. Now this deal is good I believe until 2/14. Your store may have this deal too. The signs were all over the card section so you'll know. Cards for cheap or free, I love it. Now that I have bored you to death I'll apologize. It's just that I want others to know that you can save money doing these deals for very little work. I want to share right?

 AND LASTLY AND YES I AM SHOUTING HERE, THIS IS MY NEW CAR. NO IT IS REALLY FIVE YEARS OLD BUT I JUST MADE MY LAST PAYMENT ON IT AND TO ME IT IS NEW ALL OVER. NEXT MONTH I AM TREATING HER TO A DETAIL JOB. GOING TO GET HER ALL CLEANED UP NICE. I HATE CAR PAYMENTS AND I AM HOPING TO PUT MOST OF THE PAYMENT INTO AN ACCOUNT TO PAY CASH FOR MY NEXT CAR. NOW IF I DON'T RAID THAT ACCOUNT IT WOULD WORK NICELY. I BETTER GIVE IT TO MY HUBBY TO HOLD. HAVE A GOOD DAY EVERYONE IF ANYONE HAS MADE IT THIS FAR IN MY POST!!

                                                      









Joining:

Chic on a Shoestring
Finger Prints on the Fridge
Finding Fabulous
The Shabby Nest

Ahh Sun!

We are supposed to have a warm up and get to 74 today. I am so happy. We are wimpy here in So. Cal. so we like are warm days. Especially since I have a little one who likes to play outside.

Time for breakfast.

 My sweet little thrift store bargains at a $1.

My father in law brought me a big bag of avocados from their tree. Can you say guacamole? I love my first yellow ware bowl. At least I think it is. Bought it for $8. Thought that was a good price. It looks very loved with a few dings but I don't mind.

Just enjoying the sun!

Linking to:

Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday

Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingy Thursday

A Collection of This and That for Simple Pleasures

French Country Cottage

My Romantic Home

Lady Katherine Tea Parlor

Homestead Revival

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

This time of year I love casserole type dinners. Real comfort food. A couple times a year I like to make Chicken Pot Pie. Not a favorite of my husbands but every once in a while the cook rules and I make it. What is not to love about creamy baked goodness surrounded by crust. I love pie crust. It's my favorite part.  So the other  night I craved this dish but had no ready made pie crusts in the freezer. What to do? I didn't want to roll out a pie crust. I wanted easy. Off to my BH&G cookbook and found a recipe called:

Easy Oil Pastry (and it was easy and yummy too)
For one piecrust...
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tblsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. cooking oil
3 tblsp. milk
In a medium bowl stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Add oil and milk all at once to flour mixture. Stir lightly with fork. Form into a ball. Press a little more than half the dough in a 9in. pie plate. Fill and then what I did was take the remaining dough and sort of crudely rolled it out and pieced a top together. It baked up so nicely.

For the filling I used two generous cups of diced cooked chicken, half a bag of frozen mixed vegetables a can of cream of mushroom soup and half a can of evaporated milk (I was out of milk). I added some dollops if cream cheese (wanted to use it up). Baked about 30 mins at 375. I just eye balled it until it looked nice and brown and bubbly.

Linking to:
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Tales from Bloggeritaville
Miz Helen's Country Cottage
All Things Heart and Home
It's a Hodge Podge Life
Southern in My Heart
Designs by Gollum
Paisley Passions