Pink favorite

One of my many favorite pink pieces around the house is my kitchen-table-turned-coffee-table.... I fell in love the moment I laid eyes on it!!! But I really had no use for a small kitchen table... Surely I wouldn't be able to fit our family of six in it... So I thought... "why not cut the legs and turn it into a coffee table?" I have to admit, it was a painful decision, as I was so in love with this table! I felt like I was cutting the legs off a good friend... But I love the end result!! And I get to enjoy it every day!!

If you would like to see more pictures of my living room, click here. Have a wonderful Pink Saturday!!

Needlepoint love

I've been having way too much fun, lately.... One can tell just by looking around the house!! My bedroom is a mess, the bathrooms need some deep cleaning, the kitchen island has suddenly vanished under so much clutter, the laundry is dangerously piled up, I see kids shoes everywhere....!! So, I made it my mission to not have any fun junking or crafting this week and tackle the messy home!!! Progress has been slow (yes, unless I have a deadline, I procrastinate!!!) but steady, I seem to get distracted easily and suddenly find myself sewing (..."but I just needed to finish this..."!!) or eating, or BLOG HOPPING!!!

Because I'm pretty sure you do not want to see the dangerously high pile of clothes or the invisible kitchen counter, I thought I would show you some of my favorite needlepoint pieces!!! My paternal grandmother taught me how to needlepoint and cross stitch when I was little, and I have always loved it!! I have a x-stitch project (a reproduction of an old sampler) that was started about ten years ago and has been idle ever since, waiting to be picked up again (one day, I hope!). I love how needlepoint warms up my home, because I know it was made with patience and love!!

This needlepoint is very special to me as it was one of the few pieces I inherited from my grandmother when she passed away... It means the world that she chose me to continue loving this labor of love!!

Sound of Music

I had to share this cool video with you, I hope it will bring a smile to your day, I know it did to mine!!

A Mother's Day treat ~ Palmiers

Growing up in Europe, there was nothing better for this little sweet tooth than going to a pastry shop and buying my favorite pastry, Palmier!! So, I was thrilled when I saw this recipe in a cookbook from one of my favorite celebrity chefs, the Barefoot Contessa...! I love how easy they are and a batch at my house rarely lasts more than a few hours!!

All you need is a package of previously thawed puff pastry and sugar (lots of it, you will need about 1 1/2 to 2 cups!)... Pre-heat the oven at 450 degrees F (230 centigrade). Cover your surface with a generous amount of sugar. Place one of the sheets on top of the sugar, and use more sugar to coat the pastry sheet evenly (we are not talking sprinkling, here...). At this point I use my rolling pin to make sure the sugar sticks well to the dough on both sides.

Fold each of the sides a quarter way in...

... then in again so the folds meet in the middle. Lastly, fold one set of layers on top of the other, as if you were closing a book!

Cut slices approx. 3/8" thick and place them on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper, leaving a good 2 to 3 inches between cookies.

Cook until edges are golden brown (they cook in about 5-7 minutes, so keep a close eye!). The original recipe calls for flipping the cookies halfway through, I found there is really no need for it!! A lot easier, yeah!!!

Repeat for the second pastry sheet. I usually have two cookie sheets going so I can work on one while the other cooks. I hope you will give it a try, I will tell you they are truly delicious and you will be thanked for it!!! Have a wonderful Mother's Day!!!

The Boys did it again!! ~ Barn House Season Opening

What a wonderful event I had the priviledge to attend today...!! Lisa, Kate and I headed early in the morning to the Barn House sale in Battle Ground, WA. We arrived a few minutes after it opened at 8:00 am and it was packed!! The merchandise was beautiful, the displays were breathtaking and the shopping was incessant!!! The BH boys worked so hard to make this a special event for everyone, and they have managed to do so!!! Together with their special guest vendors Sylvi (Little Cottage), Natalie (Sparrow), Cindy (Tarte), Laurie and Debbie (Worthy Goods), Julie (The Withies) and Leah, they truly created magic and left an everlasting impression in all who attended!!!! As always, it was great to bump into so many of our friends and even meet new ones! Also, we stuffed our faces with delicious munchies (Natalie, all I had were a few crumbles from you coconut cake... sniff, sniff!!!). I am still giddy about it all!!

I came home with a few treasures, including a darling lace pillow, a sweet vintage night cap and a wonderful piece of vintage crochet trim

I also found these three great (inexpensive) platters!!

On the way back, we stopped at an antique shop downtown Battle Ground and I found this adorable little suitcase... Can you guess what's inside?

How cute is that?!

Giving old things a new life!

A while ago I found a few pieces of furniture at an estate sale. One of the pieces was a chest of drawers with two drawers missing... I figured I could turn it into a cute end table!























I asked my husband to remove the wooden pieces that were holding the bottom drawers, added a wood applique and a few coats of paint, and the transformation is quite amazing!! I made a little skirt out of tea-dyed cheesecloth (not the easiest material to work with!), and am loving the soft look! All it needs is a little distressing and aging and it is ready for Farm Chicks!!

I have also finished two more feed sack pillows with feather inserts, just like the one I made here....

Last weekend I found this adorable rocking footstool at the flea market...

I decided to transform it by covering it with a piece of cream fabric that reads "feet"!! For that, I printed the word the size I wanted it, then used my lightbox to copy onto the fabric by using a black fabric pen. If you don't have a lightbox, you can use an upside down Pyrex with a light under... After stapling the fabric, I painted and distressed the wood base, and I am loving the result!

Now, here is my dilemma... Should I add pom-poms or should I keep it simple...?? What do you think?

Finally, I wanted to share a few of my latest finds... The fabric covered box is super cute, and I love the vintage rose wallpaper! Under it is an adorable doll quilt...

Love the mirror, it will be added to my downstairs bathroom wall...!!

But my favorite find is this darling chippy wood terrarium, how cute is it??!! I'm not sure what to put inside, yet... Waiting for inspiration!!