Hooray for Friday! My DIY this week is a quickie (post-wise and project-wise). On a random Target trip I found this placemat and table runner on clearance. The woodgrain pattern was textured, either velvet or flocked. I didn't really have a use for them in our dining room but loved the design. Then I got a fantastic idea!
Since the placemat and runner were backed with another fabric I thought I could simply open the seam on one of the edges and fill them with batting to make some pillows. Sure enough, it worked! I ended up cutting the runner in half to turn it into two pillows that would match the placemat size. But it was so easy, the last step was just sewing the closure closed (which can be done on a machine or by hand).
I know it probably sounds a bit nutty to turn table linens into decor pillows, but I think it turned out to be a nice set to freshen up our living room!
Would you have done it too? Are you Head Over Heels for the pillows or the project?
Sorry I have been short on posts lately, I will try to stay busy over the weekend with this blizzard thing on it's way. I imagine Alex and I will be cooped up in the house, anyone else too? Ugh, the doldrums of winter. Have a great weekend!
Cooking- it's not really my kind of thing, but with our newly improved kitchen I thought I'd spend some extra time cooking in there... or something.
I'd say my approach to cooking/food preparation is similar to Cher's in the movie Mermaids which basically means combining ready-to-eat foods and assembling them in an aesthetically pleasing way.
In Mermaids, Cher plays a single mother in 1963 going through challenges with her daughters played by Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci. Most of the meals she prepares are on a kabob or shaped like a star.
Sure, I can heat up foods that are already prepared, boil noodles, and pour cereal too but that's pretty much my range of "cooking". Any attempt I made in the past at following a recipe for a bigger meal always turned out poorly. Alex said it was probably my lack of patience and/or not following the instructions precisely- which is all probably true but I didn't care, I just hated the whole process. In the end it worked out well that the man of my dreams enjoys cooking up yummy meals for us so my diet isn't just cheese and cereal :)
Anyway, I have found that there's one thing I can make successfully and that is cookies! I guess that it's more in the baking realm but still counts right?
I'm not going to lie though, I use that Betty Crocker store bought mix (still counts as homemade) but there's one little change I make to the ingredients that I learned from a friend- and Melissa I hope you don't get mad I'm sharing it on the blog, I miss you and all of your knowledge-ness still! This tip was so wonderful I've had a hard time keeping it to myself :)
All you do is substitute the amount of butter with the same amount of shortening and your cookies will turn out so amazing, delicious, and pretty! Cookies made with butter tend to spread out more because butter has a lower melting point. All other cookies I made in the past with butter always looked burnt and icky, this shortening tip changes that! I'm not sure on the nutrition stuff with shortening vs. butter but hey it's a cookie anyway so who cares.
Hope you enjoyed the post and let me know if you try out the shortening instead of butter too!
We live in North Minneapolis. It's a simple statement but to local folks that statement often met with confusion and concern.... which is unfortunate (and a bit annoying). North Minneapolis as a whole doesn't have a great reputation- and yes some parts have certainly earn that poor reputation, but honestly there are plenty of wonderful neighborhoods that are nothing like what locals think of when they hear "North Minneapolis". One of those neighborhoods is our home sweet Homewood.
There's something incredibly special about this little neighborhood we found in North Minneapolis and I felt like sharing some it with you today. Although winter is not my favorite season (-2 today but feels like -25, yuck!) it brings out all the charm of Homewood. So, I hope you'll enjoy this "DIY" glimpse of our neighborhood through my camera lense.
Aren't the homes just beautiful? They all look so warm & cozy covered in fluffy white snow!
Farwell Park is a couple blocks from us and it looks so peaceful in the wintertime. Much different in the warm seasons when it is filled up with kids from the neighborhood! Our nephew enjoys playing here when he visits too!
Speaking of parks, just over the Plymouth bridge is Theodore Wirth Park....
It's funny to think we have a ski chalet a few blocks away, but it's a lot of fun in the winter! Theodore Wirth is mainly a golf course in the summer but in the winter it's buzzing with winter sports including cross country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, and more!
It's just so pretty isn't it? Even though I am freezing right now these photos make me feel all warm and fuzzy! I heart Homewood!
I really hope you enjoyed a stroll through Homewood with me! Are you Head Over Heels too?
Ugh! I'm so in love with the new tile! I didn't even know Alex was going to add it next to the oven (where we had the faux vintage plastic tiles before), it was such a nice surprise!
To quote Outkast it just looks "so fresh and clean" right?!?! Haha, just kidding but the song keeps coming to mind when I look at these pictures. I'm so happy with how this DIY redo project turned out!
The kitchen countertops and sink were the last big things that we wanted to fix on the main floor of our house. The laminate always felt like it screamed "I need to be replaced" and now with the butcher block it just looks fresh and updated. I finally feel like our kitchen is a space we can be proud of!
So, what do you think of the new look in our kitchen?
What new decor elements should I add to compliment the new look?
Our day trip to Macau was totally unplanned.... being spontaneous is a thrill right?!? We certainly thought so, until it backfired on us. Here's what went down on our visit to Macau...
We finished up the India leg of our trip and arrived early on a Sunday morning in Hong Kong. Being a Sunday, we didn't have any meetings lined up for work (click here for my first trip post) and had to figure out what to do with our day.... Oh the possibilities!!!
We read in a travel magazine on the flight over that Macau was only an hour ferry boat ride from Hong Kong and everyone quickly jumped on board with the day trip idea. After all, it was a whole new location to add onto our trip! We left our hotel and bought round trip tickets on the Turbo Jet ferry to Macau.
Since they sell tickets with assigned seating, we had to choose our return time when we left Hong Kong. I can't remember exactly but I think we left on the 11:30am and chose the return for 6:30pm (had to mention that part since it has a lot to do with the story).
Once we got to Macau the excitement began!
Well okay, no excitement right away. Instead, we had to hover around an island map for what seemed like an hour to figure out where to go/ what to see. Lesson learned- tis' best to have a plan or rough idea of attractions beforehand - BUT - we were taking a stab at being spontaneous!!!!
We decided to see Our Lady of Penha Chapel first.
The Chapel sits on top a of hill with amazing views of the city.
It was interesting looking out into the downtown area from the church. Sort of like looking out at the newer-modern world while standing back in an older world.
I thought every old-world detail along with the lush landscaping was just breathtaking....
... Along with the beautiful views of Macau of course!
We took in a last look of the church and then headed back down the hill to our next stop, the A-Ma Temple (and a search for lunch).
There were so many beautiful sites during our walk from the Chapel to the Temple.
This mural had to be my favorite though, it had such a fun and colorful spirit!
Have you noticed through the photos that there's a mix of Chinese and European cultures in Macau?
Turns out, Macau is a former Portuguese colony administered from the mid 16th century until 1999 when it was the last remaining European colony in China. The Portuguese influence was visible just about everywhere. The city streets in the older part of the city had a European look and feel to them....
... And I think we found the BEST Portuguese restaurant to enjoy lunch at called O Porto Interior. I don't think I've ever had Portuguese food before but oh my goodness, it was soooooooo delicious!
The Macau Blonde Ale only made our lunch more amazing! Who knew Macau's beer would be a Blonde Ale? I wonder if I could find that anywhere in the US, hmmmm?
After our tummies were full and happy, we headed over to the A-Ma Temple.
The A-Ma Temple is the oldest temple in Macau built in 1488. The entrance is a large boulder with ancient engravings.
The smell of incense filled the air as there was plenty burning in front of the main shrine dedicated to Kun Lam.
It was incredibly beautiful walking up to the top of the temple.
Nearby boulders on the walk up had red Chinese characters evoking gods or to make prayers.
The peak of the Temple was very peaceful. For being a tourist attraction I was surprised by the calm feeling I felt standing there.
When we finished our visit at the Temple, we planned to head to the old city center of Macau... and that's where our day trip turned a bit sour.
We were able to hail two tuk-tuks/trishaws (basically a pedi-cab in the US) to take us but thought they wanted to charge us $20 US for each ride. We thought that was crazy expensive and told them we would get a cab instead. Well, that was a BIG MISTAKE.
We ended up walking along the busiest street by the Temple trying to hail a cab for over a half hour until we ended up by that busted scary looking building above. We didn't know exactly where we were and weren't sure if we could find the old city center, or heck- even make it back to the Ferry Terminal in time to catch our Turbo Jet.
It was a bummer, we only got to see two tourist sites and had to give up (wa-wa). Feeling desperate, we ended up hopping on a random hotel's shuttle bus that had a sign on it that said "Ferry Terminal". We just hoped that we would end up back in time to catch our boat.
For giggles we taped this video on the shuttle bus so we could remember the moment forever! Never be too cheap to pay for a ride when you don't know where you are :)
So my visit to Macau wasn't the greatest, but I intend to have a do-over in the (hopefully) near future. We will meet again Macau!!!!
I'll have one last trip post from China/Hong Kong, then the kitchen 'after's! Alex is adding the last pieces of trim to the counter tonight!!!!
The kitchen is coming together! We're onto our last and final step in our kitchen redo- adding a slab of butcher block to the dividing wall between the kitchen and dining room! Here's a look at where we need to place it...
It really WOW-ed me when I got home, I'd love to show you all of it now but it'd be better when we can get the full 'after' effect once we finish cutting and installing this section of the countertops.
We're pretty sure this used to be a full wall separating the kitchen and dining room, I think the previous owner was the one that opened up this wall.
Even though it isn't original to the traditional Dutch Colonial layout I am glad that it is open between the two rooms. It's a pretty nice feature for modern day living and entertaining :) We weren't 100% sure that we should add countertop here or some white wood to compliment the wainscoting. But in the end, it made sense to have the wood countertops since we were used to having the laminate countertop there anyway.
The next kitchen post will be the 'after' photos and I will have some Macau & China photos next too! Hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday, anyone else going to catch the SAG awards/red carpet later today? I hope we're done working on the kitchen by then, I love the red carpet action, how about you?!?
Posts
