Walk through my gallery (wall)

So now that hubs and I have been in our house for over a year (yikes! where does the time go?!?) I thought it time to finally post some home projects. First up, the gallery wall in our office.

What really got this project in motion was a trip to the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store where I picked up a dozen random picture frames for a whopping $6.00 thanks to a 50% off sale on frames. The important thing when choosing frames at the thrift store is to look at the bones and past the dingy color or weird artwork since spray paint will get rid of all that. Sadly I was apparantly too wrapped up in the creative process to take photos of all my ugly frames!

After cleaning the frames with a Clorox wipe and using some Windex on the glass, I spray painted those puppies. When it comes to spray painting do it in a well ventilated area, use a couple coats of primer and 2-3 coats of your chosen color (I used Rustoleum in  White Satin) while keeping your hand in constant motion to avoid dripping. I also use a clear coat of poly to seal everything in.

Next up was positioning. I used a very (not) scientific method of cutting out paper to the size of the frames and taping it on the wall until I found the arrangement most balanced. I also poked a hole through the paper where the hardware was so I would know where to hammer. Before I started pounding holes in the wall I did measure the center frame to ensure it was in the center of the wall and then used a tape measure to have a 1.5 inch gap between all of the frames. But to be honest I wasn't super precise in this stage and used my favorite technique of "eyeballing it".

Once you've gotten the spacing all situated, it's time to get hammering. I used picture frame nails from The Home Depot. Since all of my frames were relatively small I went with small nails. I hammered the nails in through the holes I had made in the paper and then hung the 'ol frames up, adjusting and breaking out the level with each one.

After the hanging process I left the frames up on the wall for a good couple of weeks due to precise planning a lull in the creative process. And then I was on Pinterest one day and the creative juices got to flowing. I found all of the prints online and just printed them out on textured linen paper.

When I was choosing prints there was a lot of trial and error. I would find things I liked online but then print them out and the colors wouldn't work or it would be fuzzy or odd-sized. I did use the now defunct Picnik to make some tweaks to a few. Here's the final product.

There is some rhyme and reason to why I chose a lot of the prints. Starting from left:

           - the moon lasso picture reminds me of It's a Wonderful Life, one of my favs!

           - a former dancer, I love ballet

           - the L is our last name initial

           - a saying to live by "enjoy the little things"

           - the canvas is a DIY project gone wrong but yet working out

           - I'm all about chevron and birds and created this from two images

           - Italy is hubs' heritage and one of my dream destinations

           - who doesn't love a good ampersand

           - another saying to live by "i'm thankful for today"

           - the vintage number 18 is our wedding date

           - I've loved whales since I was a child and the watercolors are so soft

           - I'm really into buntings lately too so I made this one

              and will be adding the year of our wedding to the lower right corner;

           - lastly, I love photos and vintage things.

So that's that! And onto the next DIY project we go...

Frugal Fashionista Files: Mint Watch(es)

Let me start off by saying that I LOVE the color mint. That may be the biggest understatement of the week because I think my love is bordering on obsession. Mint is such a classic color, so cool and refreshing much like a mint mojito or a peppermint patty or a piece of spearmint gum. I’ve been scooping up lots of clothing and accessory items in this lovely hue recently and I haven’t limited it to just mint – I love all of its cousins too! There’s seafoam, honeydew, aquamarine, teal, turquoise…sigh…
Anyways, on to the fashionista files I mentioned in the title of this here blog post. The frugal fashionista files to be precise. I was on Pinterest back in May and pinned this adorable Anthropologie watch.

via

I. was. in. love.

Wanted, needed and had to have it! But alas, it was on backorder till the end of July. And it was coming in at around $70-$75 with shipping. Not too bad for a watch but still. So I decided to hold off on the Anthro watch, settling instead for gazing longingly at it through my computer screen and wishing I could find one to call my own.

Enter Tar-jay. (Another obsession of mine to be honest). On a biz trip in June I was in the Tampa area and needed to kill some time before my flight home. So I did some shopping and came upon this fun double-banded watch in a lovely seafoam hue.

via

At a mere $10 bucks, it’s great for adding some color to a casual outfit. Even with this new addition I was wishing I could find a chunky mint watch like the Anthro watch. So I did some poking around online and low-and-behold, Target had another mint watch in their midst!

This bad-mama-jama here.

via

Sold out online (at the time) I was a patient gal, hitting up the watch section every time I needed to get something at the bulls-eye store. Patience paid off and I brought home my new baby on Tuesday!! For a mere $12.99.

Oh. Yeah.

So for $25 bucks I was able to add not one but TWO new mint-hued accessories to my wardrobe! Great deal and as it is only the beginning of July, 3 weeks before I would have even seen the Anthro watch arrive at my door. *does a happy dance*

Berry Delicious

Fresh berries. They’re delectable in pies, crumbles and cobblers. Simply delightful with fresh whipped cream or with my latest favorite, vanilla greek yogurt, dolloped on top. They also happen to be perfectly tasty all by themselves, freshly washed and straight out of the colander. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are of course the well-known and common supermarket staple but there are a variety of others waiting to whet your pallet. Golden raspberries, boysenberries, acai berries, gogi berries and of course snozzberries if you’re familiar with Willy Wonka ;)

Not only are they tasty to eat but they’re great for you too. Packed with antioxidants and vitamins, they're also low in calories and blueberries are even considered a SUPERfood! In celebration of berries and all that is good in the world, I give you an easy and delicious berry recipe perfect for summer!

Blueberry Crisp - serves 8

Have it:
For the Filling
6 c. (3 pints) fresh blueberries
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbs. cornstarch
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. coarse salt

For the Topping
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
1/2 c. chopped nuts, such as almonds
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
6 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c. sugar

Do it:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Make the filling by mixing the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and salt in a bowl. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish.

2. Make the topping - in a medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, nuts, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer (I use my KitchenAid - love it!) on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir flour mixture into butter. Using your hands, squeeze topping pieces together to form clumps.

3. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake until filling is bubbling in the center and topping is golden brown, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy alone or with ice cream or frozen yogurt (try out my new fav Atheno's frozen greek yogurt!).

Close up of the bubbly-goodness!

There you have it - a delicious and easy dessert that is low on prepwork but big on flavor! You could even do with another varietal of berry or a mix of berries. Yummers.

Source: Martha Stewart via People Magazine from her new cookbook Martha's American Food.

Drunken Gummi Bears

These are such a fun treat to make for a party or tailgate! And if it is possible, even easier than making Jell-o shots. I made these for our St. Patrick's Day party and they were quite the hit. I'm now on the lookout for other gummi treats to make drunken, tee-hee :)

Drunken Gummi Bears - makes as many as you like

Have it:
2 bags of gummi bears
Vodka
A container with lid

Do it:
1. Put gummies into bowl.

2. Cover with vodka. When I was making this I didn't have a whole lot of regular vodka left so I substituted in raspberry and I think it was a good addition! I may experiment in the future with some other flavored vodkas too.

3. Cover bowl and place overnight in the refrigerator.

4. Enjoy!

So easy to make and fun to eat! After a quick search I found some fun other new gummies to try - gummi octopus, gummi alligators, gummi hammerhead sharks, gummi lips and gummi dinosaurs. Delish!

Source: Ehow

Happy National Running Day!

That's right, today is a National Running Day! How did you celebrate? I took a nice little jaunt through my neighborhood and it was great! The sun was starting to set, there were neighbors taking out garbage and watering their lawns and a couple other folks like myself getting their run on. And on top of that, I had a great run - felt energetic and had it not been getting dark I think I would have put a few more miles in. While I was running I was thinking about how I run and what makes a good run for me. Thought it might make a good blog post so here goes.

First and foremost are the shoes. A good pair of running shoes is critical to having a good run, enjoying your run and preventing injury. My current pair of shoes are the Brooks PureFlow shoes and I'm a big fan! These are a neutral running shoe that offer a slight cushion. I like to have athletic socks on too to minimize moisture and blisters. These Nike performance socks have treated my toesies quite well on long runs.

Keeping with the apparel I use for running, let's talk tops and bottoms. I like to wear form-fitting pants to keep everything nice and tight and to avoid any distractions when hitting the pavement. I have a variety of crops and shorts and am not really partial to any pair over another. Tonight I was running in my Lululemon Athletica crops. They are mucho-mucho comfy and fantastic but also mucho moola so I don't have a whole drawer of these babies ;) As for shirts, I am all about moisture wicking! I can't even express what a difference it has made to switch from a traditional cotton t-shirt to a moisture wicking shirt! No sticking, no bunching, no distractions. Again, I'm not partial to any brand or style but recently picked up one from Target that comes in a variety of colors and is a great price too.

On to the accessories. Or equipment? Either way, it's the stuff that completes the run ensemble for me. I always bring my phone on a run for two purposes - music and tracking my run. For the tunes, I turn to the Pandora app and I'm not ashamed to say I tune into pop music for a run. Usually it's Britney Spears, Lady Gaga or Flo Rida for some high energy music to keep me pumped up on those long runs. And for tracking I love the MapMyRun app. Been using it a few years now and love the capabilities. I can see my average pace/mile, my total distance and time and all kinds of other stats to mull over. I also like the community and the weekly emails with my totals for the week.

Now to keep my phone on my bod while I run, I use the SPIbelt and LOVE it!! When I got my HTC Evo there wasn't a case that would fit on my arm without being a major drag so I trolled some chatboards and came upon the SPIbelt. For $20 buckeroos I definitely got my moneys worth. I can fit my phone comfortably into it and then its snugly around my waist and not bopping around on my arm. I have stuffed in my ID and credit card for a run to the grocery store too.

Those are some of my goods for an enjoyable summer run. In addition to the goods I like to put a little thought into fuel as well. Pre-run I like to make sure I'm well hydrated (duh.) and have a little nosh for energy. Not too much or I get cramps or an upset stomach but enough so that I have the energy to burn. I'm kind of obsessed with Luna bars and love the minis which could seriously win an award for cutest and tastiest nutrition bar. The S'mores/Nutz over Chocolate are the best hands down.

Post-run I like to reach for a little protein and am a big fan of either hard-boiled egg whites or Chobani greek yogurt. I also like to toss back some coconut water (chalked full of natural electrolytes and more potassium than a banana!) and have heard great things about chocolate milk for runners though I don't usually stock up on it personally.

So there you have it, just a few of my favorite running goodies for the summer. Lace up the shoes and hit the ground running.

via

Give me some s'more of those S'more Cups!

One of summer's favorite treats would have to be the gooey, chocolately concoction commonly known as the S'more. I have many a fond memory of sitting around a campfire with my cousins, roasting (and oftentimes burning) marshmallows before smooshing them between two crunchy graham crackers squares and a couple Hershey rectangles. Those sticky sandwiches are a delicasy best made over the crackling flames of a bonfire but I have come across a make-at-home S'more treat with all of the same delicious flavors in an adorable bite-size package. Behold, the S'more Cup.

S'more Cup - makes 24 cups

Have it:
7 graham cracker sheets (I used HoneyMaid Grahams and finely crushed them in my food processor)
1/4 c. powdered sugar
6 tbl. butter, melted
4 bars mil chocolate candy, divided (I used the ultimate chocolate bar, Hershey's)
12 large marshmallows

Do it:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place graham cracker sheets into your food processor and pulse until finely crushed. If you do not own a food processor, place crackers into a large resealable plastic bag and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to finely crush.

2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter in a small bowl.

Place 1 tbl. of the crumb mixture into a greased mini muffin pan (use Pam or other cooking spray and give a little spray in each cup). Press crumbs to form shallow cups and bake 4-5 minutes or until edges are bubbling.

3. Meanwhile, break candy bars into rectangles. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup.

Cut marshmallows in half using a kitchen knife sprayed with Pam to avoid sticking. Place one marshmallow half, cut side down, in each cup on top of the chocolate. Return pan to oven for 2-3 minutes or until marshmallows are slightly softened. Remove pan from oven and place on cooling rack; cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan. I used a teaspoon to help them along. Cool completely on a cooling rack.

4. Break remaining candy bars into pieces and place in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave on high in :30 second intervals stirring in between until melted. Dip the top of each marshmallow in the melted choclate. Turn top-side up and let stand 40-60 minutes or until set (if you can wait that long!). Makes 24 delish cups.

I made this crowd-pleasing delight for a party and they were scarfed down within 15 minutes! And my official taste-tester hubs was equally delighted :)

Source: Found via Pinterest over at Texas Cottage and originally from Pampered Chef

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

I can officially check off one of my 2012 New Year’s Resolutions as complete. I’ve been to not one, but SIX Bikram yoga classes! And I’m happy to report that I am a huge fan and will continue to be going back for more. But first I will back up a little to talk more about this unique form of yoga.

Tree Pose

Bikram yoga. What is it?

Well, put simply its hot yoga. Created by and named after Bikram Choudhury. And when I say hot, I mean HOT. To be a true Bikram yoga class, the studio must be heated to 105 degrees with 40% humidity. Yep, I bet you are sweating just hearing those stats. The reason behind the heat has to do with your bod. In the practice of Bikram yoga your body will bend, stretch and hold postures. With the heat you are able to do these things more deeply as the heat creates elasticity in your muscles and joints. In short, it warms you up.

During the 90 minute class (that usually flies by), you go through a series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises. Each pose is designed to work on certain points throughout your body. Some are restricting blood flow and I love hearing all of the things that are happening - helping your digestive organs, strengthening your immune system, the list goes on and on and its great!!

Major differences. (from the yoga most are familiar with)

Eagle Pose

In addition to the heat, the class must be taught by a certified Bikram yoga instructor and the instructor doesn’t model the postures but rather speaks consistently through the entire 90 minutes motivating you, explaining postures and encouraging you to get all of the health benefits Bikram has to offer.

That’s definitely my short and sweet "Reader’s Digest" version of Bikram yoga but it touches on all of the basic facts.

Additional reading and information can be found here, here and here.

Yoga mat from Lululemon - The Mat and I love it!