Hanging Lantern Wall

One of my favorite shows on TV is HGTV's Design Star. I love seeing what the designers come up with. One of my favorites this season was Meg (she was the season winner). In one of her tasks she made up a hanging lantern wall. I knew as soon as I saw it I wanted to try it. I wanted mine on a smaller scale. I didn't have the wall space for as big of one as she did. I also didn't want black. I have a lot of dark furniture so I want something not so heavy to off set my dark furniture.

Here's my inspiration, Meg's wall...

I found the lanterns at IKEA for $3.99 each. If you don't have an IKEA near you, I'm sorry. :) That store is the bomb! I was just going to use a piece of plywood that I was going to have Home Depot cut and then I was going to white wash it but as I was walking through the clearance section at IKEA I found this board for $1.99! It's actually a bed rail and it was already painted and pre drilled. Talk about an awesome find!

I found this knob at Anthropologie and a bunch of other knobs I loved but there is no way I was going to pay $12.00 per knob!!

So I decided to make my own out of unfinished knobs (around $1) from Home Depot, scrapbook paper, and Mod Podge.

Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself!

I just measured and screwed in the knobs equally spaced to the board and screwed the board to the wall. I then used twine to hang the lanterns at different heights. Everything else was decorations I already had on hand.

If you missed the post about the bench made from a sofa table (pictured above) here's that link

Adrienne

Easy No-Sew Fleece Tie Blanket Tutorial

I LOVE these blankets. They are so warm and soft and are the perfect size for lounging on the couch, in the car, etc. I learned how to make these last year and I made 5 of them as Christmas gifts for family and everyone loved them. They are so easy to make, which is perfect for me because I am not the most crafty person and I can't sew a stitch to save my life. In just a couple hours, you can create a blanket from start to finish. This tutorial is easy to follow. I have condensed all the steps down to be able to create the blanket in the quickest time possible, through trial and error on my part over the course of making several. Give it a try! You won't be disappointed!


Materials needed-
2 yards of patterned fleece
2 yards of solid coordinating fleece
Sharp scissors
Measuring tape
Paper clips or binder clips
Pen


STEP 1
At your local fabric store, purchase 2 yards of a patterned fleece and 2 yards of a solid fleece that will coordinate with your pattern, for the back of your blanket. Fleece can be expensive if it's not on sale. I purchase my fleece from JoAnn Fabrics, as during this time of year it is almost always on sale at 40-50% off. Also, I use this website to print additional JoAnn coupons to save even MORE- http://printable-coupons.blogspot.com/2005/12/jo-ann-coupons.html. Also, splurge and buy a nice, SHARP pair of good scissors. Trust me, you will be glad you did!

STEP 2

Find a spot in your home that has ample floor space and spread both cuts of fleece, one on top of the other, out on the floor and smooth out any wrinkles. As you will see, there are some rough edges that will need to be trimmed.




















STEP 3

Using your scissors, begin trimming the rough edges so that the fleece will be the same size on both pieces, all the way around. Hold it firmly as you are cutting, but don't tug on the fabric too much. Fleece is a little bit stretchy and if you are pulling it too tight as you are cutting, it is going to warp your edges. You may need to flip the fleece over when you are cutting to make sure both pieces are even. If you don't cut perfectly straight (I know I don't!), don't worry about it! Once you tie the blanket, you will never be able to notice!



















STEP 4

Next, use paper clips or binder clips and secure the top to the bottom. Clip it every 12-16 inches all the way around the 4 sides. Smooth out wrinkles with your hands as you go.


















STEP 5
Now you are ready to cut your corners to make the flaps for your fringe. I have my fleece laid out with the pattered piece on the bottom and solid piece on the top. It is easier to see your markings when you do it this way. Using your measuring tape, measure from the corner a 4 inch square. Mark measurements with a pen. If you have black or other dark colored fleece that a pen won't show up on, use a white fabric marker. Measure and cut all 4 corners.

STEP 6

You will see after you have cut the corners, you have created a flap on all 4 sides. These flaps with become the fringe of the blanket. Flip the blanket over so the patterened side is facing up. Starting on one side, fold up the flap so it is straight all the way across and the fold is even, right up to the corner cut. Use your measuring tape along the center and edge to make sure you have created a 4 inch fold.

STEP 7

Next, take your measuring tape and extend it on the floor just below your fold and all the way across.

Using your pen, make a small mark on the edge of the fold at every 1 inch. If, when you reach the end there is not room for the last 2 marks to be 1 inch each, just mark in the middle so the last 2 cuts will be even. Or if remaining fabric is just over 1 inch, just leave it. You will never notice that 1 piece of fringe is slightly larger. This makes it so you don't have 1 little skinny piece of fringe on the end.

You can measure and mark all the way around if you choose to do so. I get bored quickly with spending too much time on one step so I usually mark 2 edges and then cut the fringe and tie, then mark the other 2 edges and cut and tie.

STEP 8

Now you are ready to cut your fringe. Flip your blanket back over so that the solid side is facing up. Lay it out flat so you can see your marks all the way across. Holding each edge as you cut, cut up to the mark that you made. Remember not to tug on the fleece too tight! Cut up to each mark all the way across, removing the paper clips as you go. Only cut one side at a time and tie it so that the paper clips on the remaining sides will still be holding your blanket together.

STEP 9

Now you are ready to tie. This is the part when I find a comfy spot on the couch and turn on some T.V. It sounds kind of complicated as I am describing it. But I promise, it's not! Just refer to the pictures and after you make a few ties, you will get the hang of it. Put your blanket in your lap with the solid side facing up, and starting on one end. Take the first strip of fringe (both solid and patterned held together evenly) and fold it over all the way to the end of the cut. Next, using the end of your sharp scissors, cut a slit about 1/2 inch in length through both pieces of fleece right at the base of your strip of fringe and in the center, on the fold.

You will end up with a hole through both pieces of the fringe.

Take the patterned strip and pull it up through the hole in the solid strip and tug it a little to tighten. Now pull the solid fleece strip up through the hole in the patterned strip, and tug to tighten.



















It should look like this.



You can just knot both sides together if you would rather do that instead. I choose to tie my blankets this way because I love the look of how the solid side of the fleece makes a border on the patterned side. Also, when you are all cuddled up with the blanket, the knotted ones can be uncomfortable to lay on. The way I do it lays nice and flat and no knot pushing in to you!






STEP 10


Cut and tie the rest of that side. Pick another side that you have marked and cut your strips and then tie, until all 4 sides are completed. And that's it! Trust me, with a little bit of labor and time you will create an awesome gift that will be treasured for years and is great for all ages.

















-Nicole





Nicole

Cheesy Potato Soup

Nothing beats warm soup on a cold winter day. Especially creamy potato soup. My friend Jamie made this soup for me after I had my last daughter and I was HOOKED. Every time I make it for company it gets rave reviews and I'm always asked for the recipe. I usually serve it in bread bowls but for this picture I forgot to buy them so I just made rolls.






5 Large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 stick of butter
2 cans chicken broth
5 cups of whole or 2% milk
4 green onions, diced
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (more or less)
4 TBSP corn starch for thickening
1 TBSP of salt and pepper

Boil potatoes until tender. Prepare your 4 TBSP of corn starch according to the package directions in a small bowl. In a large soup pot melt the butter. Add broth and milk. Slowly stir in corn starch and stir until thickened. Add onions, bacon, sour cream, potatoes, salt and pepper and cheese. Heat until boiling and cheese is melted.

Garnish with a little more shredded cheese on top or more green onions.

Adrienne

Asian Fried Rice

I have had multiple requests to put this recipe on the blog! (Mom & Adrienne, are you happy now?) I developed this recipe after several (and by several I mean several dozen :-) visits to our favorite Japanese restaurant, Edo Ya. I studied very carefully how our hibachi chef made this rice and took mental notes. For as delicious as this rice is, it seems like it should be more difficult to make but it’s not! And I would put it up against any fried rice from any restaurant. It is THAT GOOD. This “Edo Ya” version calls for bacon but you can turn it into a meal by adding shrimp, chicken, pork or beef too. Now, not many of us have a hibachi grill in our kitchen. In fact, I don’t even have a wok. I actually use a large non-stick, flat bottomed roasting pan over 2 burners to fry the rice. If you don’t have that either, you can use a large saucepan, an electric skillet or a griddle.

- 2 cups plain, medium grain white rice cooked according to package directions (yields 4 cups cooked rice). I have a rice cooker and it really comes in handy here!
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup petite frozen veggie blend (such as peas, carrots, corn and green beans)
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- Soy sauce
- Garlic powder
- Pepper
Over high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Scoot it to one side of the pan. Do not drain off the grease. Add eggs to opposite side of the pan and scramble. Add cooked rice and mix everything together. Spread rice out in bottom of pan and let if fry for a couple of minutes. Next, add the veggies and butter. Now, I have never measured the amount of soy sauce I put in my rice. Because it’s so salty, too much can ruin the rice and not enough can make it bland. So I drizzle it in a little at a time. You want the color to be that nice golden brown. So drizzle, stir and taste, drizzle, stir and taste and so on until it reaches the flavor that you like. Add the garlic powder and pepper to taste. During this time, you should be constantly stirring the rice and spreading out over pan. That is going to give it that great fried rice texture. Enjoy!

-Nicole

DIY Baby Mobile

I remember searching forever for the perfect mobile for my daughter Taylor's room when I was expecting her. I could never find what I was looking for. I have to admit, I was going more for looks than functionality. I eventually gave up and used a sound machine that projected shapes on the ceiling. When I started decorating Avery's room, I decided from the beginning that I was going to attempt making my own. Here is what you will need:
Embroidery hoop ($2 at JoAnn's)
Ribbon
scrapbook paper
hot glue
craft knife
feathers or whatever embellishments you would like

First, I wrapped the embroidery hoop in ribbon to cover the plastic. I hot glued it to hold the ribbon in place. Then I decided it would be fun to add feathers.

I made letters out of scrapbook paper to hang from the mobile. You can use any shapes that you want- animals, flowers - whatever you want. I used paper that matched the room. I free-handed the letters and cut them out with a craft knife. Then I used a contrasting paper to mount the letters on. I chose the letters of her name. I did the front and back of the letters to that when there is any movement of the mobile, you would see the "back" of a letter. I attached the ribbon in between the front and back so it would look seem less. I attached the ribbon to the mobile using hot glue. I hung the mobile from my chandelier so I could work on it more easily. I also decided to add some butterflies to the mobile. I cut these out the same way that I did the letters. The fun thing about this project is that you can make it totally your own. Here is how it turned out.
-LeeAnn