Tickled Pink

I was invited to join Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound. You just have to post about something pink.  I love linky parties!  Here are a few pictures of the pink stuff that I own.  I also have a very lovely, red-headed, 4-legged assistant who goes by the name of Ruby who just had to show off her pink scarf. 

Some of my other favorite pink items are the quilts that my grandmother made and gave to me. I love the pattern on the first quilt. I don't know what the pattern is called but I know it takes a lot of time to create. She gave me the quilt that has the little girls in bonnets for my bridal shower. Unfortunately, she died a week before I got married. This was the last gift she ever gave me. It is a very special quilt for me.

The final picture is my cupcake charm.  My friend bought me a Juicy Couture charm bracelet for my 30th birthday.  I got this little cupcake charm from my in-laws for Christmas. 

More Weekend Treasures

I had another successful weekend of garage sales. The next town over from where I live was having their annual town wide garage sales. Needless to say I was in garage sale heaven!  Here is a breakdown of the costs:

(3) light fixture = $2.00

Owl Coaster = $1.00

Pear = $.50

Stampin Up Stamps = $7.00 ($4.00 for 1 set and $3.00 for the other)

The Outdoor Patio Table = $5.00

Total Cost = $15.50

I was pretty excited about the $5.00 table.  It needs some TLC but it has a lot of potential! I hope you all had a great weekend. Also, I wanted to say THANK YOU to all of my new followers and for all of the sweet comments. You all have so many wonderful ideas and I love reading your blogs! 

I am linking to:
http://www.reinventedkb.com/2010/06/trash-to-treasure-tuesday.html

Letter Organizer

I bought this letter holder last week at Goodwill and decided that the pink flowers just had to go. They were cute but just not my style.

Here is a before picture of the letter holder.

I spray painted the holder with Krylon, satin ivory paint.  The old cabinet knobs came from our kitchen.  I spray painted the knobs with Krylon, oil rubbed bronze paint. 

 

I secured the knobs to the holder with Loctite Putty Epoxy.  You can find the putty at any hardware store. I was pretty amazed at how well it worked.  I also wanted to label the holder somehow but didn't want to commit to something that would be on it forever.  So, I thought that I would make these little tags that could be switched around.  I used scrapbook paper and paper punches to create the shapes of the label and the 2 holes on the top for the ribbon.

I am very pleased with how it turned out and can't wait to start using it.  The best part is the only cost was that of the letter holder.  The knobs, paint and labels came from stuff that I already had. I find that I am more creative by using things around the house instead of buying more or new things.  I try to use this rule with almost all of my projects when possible. You should try it sometime if you haven't already.  I think you would be surprised by how creative you can be. 

I am linking to:

 

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-Ups

I wanted to share with all of you one of my favorite recipes. I love Italian food and I think lasagna would have to be in my top five for favorite foods.I found a recipe similar to this from The Food Network  and my Betty Crocker cookbook. I have tried different ways to make it and I think this is my favorite so far.  Also, did I mention that this recipe is a healthier version of lasagna. So, don't feel guilty when you take that second helping.

Ingredients
1 lb. container of low fat cottage cheese (small curd)
1 egg
1 tbsp. Oregano or any Italian seasoning
1/4 c. of Grated Parmesean Cheese
1 - 9 oz. Package of Frozen Chopped Spinach
1 - 6.5 oz. Canned Mushrooms
8 to 9 -Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (you may only need 8 noodles depending on how you stuff the noodles)
2 C. Low-Fat Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 jar or 24 oz. of Spaghetti Sauce (I like tomato and basil)

First, you will boil the lasagna noodles according to the directions on the package. While the noodles are cooking  you can put the following ingredients in a large bowl and mix: cottage cheese, egg, Italian seasoning or oregano, parmasean cheese, can of mushrooms and the spinach (de-thawed).

After the noodles have cooked and cooled you can take about 1/3 cup (could be more depending on how big you want to make them) of the mixture and spread it out on a flat, lasagna noodle.  After, you have the mixture spread out on the noodle you can start rolling it up. I would put the seam facing down in a 9 x 13 pan. (Note: if you are using a dark coated pan you might want to slightly grease the pan with olive oil first)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  After the noodles have all been rolled up you can top them with spaghetti sauce.  I use the whole jar because we are saucy kind of people but if you don't like a lot of sauce maybe go for only half of the jar.  I then top the roll-ups with shredded mozzarella cheese (I use about 2 cups).  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and then you just pop it in the oven.  Cook it for about 35 minutes covered and then pull the foil off and let it cook another 5 to 8 minutes un-covered.  I usually serve the lasagna with salad and garlic toast.  Enjoy!

Goodwill Finds

I didn't get to go to any garage sales this weekend, but I did go to Goodwill on their 50% off sale day.  I didn't really find a whole lot but I am happy with what I did find.  I was able to score 2 serving trays, wall letter holder, a cute canister with a wooden lid and a kleenex box cover. I believe my total price was around $5.50.

This first picture is of the letter holder.  I have been searching for one of these for a long time! I think this purchase might have a future date with a can of spray paint.

And here are the pictures for the rest of my Goodwill finds!

I am linking to: 

 

Welcome Home: Garage Entrance Re-Do!

I hope everybody had a nice Memorial Day weekend! It sure was nice to have an extra day off from work. Also, I would like to say thank you to all of my new followers and for all of your comments.  You all have inspired me so much! Ok, enough of all that back to the project that I am supposed to be posting about.

We never use our front door.  I come home from work and I park in the garage and enter the house through the back door.  I have thought the entrance from the house to the garage was just so depressing! After five years of coming through this door it was time for a change. 

I also need to apologize for the before pictures that I had for this little chair.  My camera revolted against me and somehow my memory card got corrupt.  I think my camera knows that I am looking to upgrade it. :)

In lieu of the rebellious camera incident I included a picture of this desk to show you what the chair's color looked like before it got painted. Also, look at that gross white vinyl that used to be the chair's pad.

The next picture is the After picture of the chair.  I got the chair from my grandparent's house. It was going to Goodwill (of course I could not let that happen).  I think the chair is adorable! I spray painted it with Krylon, Satin Ivory paint.  The paisley fabric was remnant fabric from a local fabric store.  The fabric itself only cost $3.48. I have a little left over that I am going to use for a pillow.

Here is the part you have all been waiting for!  I sanded and primed the steps first and then painted them two different colors.  I think it kind of gives it more of a cottage feel.  I used white Ace Royal exterior paint and for the beige color I used Color Place (Wal-Mart brand) exterior paint.  The Color Place paint is good to use for this project but I would not recommend it if you have steps that are exposed to the outside elements all year round. 

Here is the After picture! It looks a little more welcoming if you ask me.  Does that little welcome bird on the door look familiar?  I bought him last weekend at a garage sale . I used a 3M plastic hook  to put the welcome plaque on the door.  I also put a little plant stand and flowers on the step to spruce it up for summer.  I like having a chair by the door so you can sit down and take off your shoes (especially for the husband).  Sometimes his shoes can get a little nasty after mowing the yard or working out in the garage. I am pretty excited with how it turned out.  If anything it makes my end of the day better. 

I am linking to:
Under The Table and Dreaming
Making the World Cuter Monday
Domestically Speaking