The secret is out! Part 1

I LOVE antiques! And one of my favorite things to do is to shop in antique stores and especially junk stores, because you never know what you're going to find. I could seriously be on one of those "picker" shows on tv. Some antiques can get a little pricey but that's where the secret comes in. The secret to getting good prices on antiques is to go to these hole in the wall junktiques, as I like to call them:) You have to find a place where the  people are fairly clueless about what they have. They are more worried about getting rid of some of the "junk" than making a pretty penny off of it. You can also hit up some auctions in your area, but I'm not too much of an auction girl. I get way too competitive at things like that, so it's probably safer for myself and everyone else that I not participate in them. Let's get started!

One of my favorite finds is my very old dresser drawer. I found it at a junk store in downtown Clinton, Ms. It is so old that when the store received the dresser that this belonged to, it pretty much disintegrated, so they ended up just keeping the drawers. I have yet to find any information on what kind it is or how old it is. I have it sitting on my hearth with a plant and an old quilt in it that I will talk about next.

The next thing is a real jewel in the rough. I also found it at the same store in Clinton. It is the gorgeous quilt in the picture below. It dates back to the 1920's. And get this! The store still had it's original box!! It was handmade by someone called "Granny's Quilts". The colors in it are so vintage! It is a real heirloom that I will pass down one day. I have it sitting in my old drawer that I talked about earlier.

The last thing I will be sharing about is my vintage fan that I adore ❤️ It is a genuine "Victor". It's worth a pretty penny:) I got it in one of my favorite junk stores in the Cooper Young District in Memphis, TN. I didn't pay much for it because they really didn't know what they had :) 

I hope you've enjoyed viewing some of my favorite vintage finds. This is part 1 of 2 blogs. Part 2 will be coming soon!

DIY pillow patch

I'm sure you have an old throw pillow lying around or that one that you love but it's just too plain! Well I've got the perfect solution for you: put a patch on it! I'm doing "mr" and "mrs" pillows, but you can do anything you wish! The possibilities are really endless! It's simple, and it will definitely take your pillow from boring to tres chic! Need I say more? Let's get started!

Materials:

2 throw pillows

Burlap (the amount of material you need depends on the size patch that you're making)

Hot glue gun

Glue sticks

Stencils (I used 5 1/2 inch)

Paint or paint marker (I used black)

Sponge brush

Instructions:

First, you need to paint the stencil on the burlap so it can be drying. Either by using a paint marker or black paint and a sponge brush.

Once that's done, you can set them aside and let them dry. 

Now you have time to go fix you a cup of coffee and relax for a few :) Or, if you have a very active toddler like I do, go fix you some coffee while chasing after your toddler and attempting to keep her away from the paint.

Once the paint is dry, trim up the burlap around the stencils. I left around a 2" space on each side of the letters.

Then, grab strands of the burlap on each corner to add some fray.

Once all four sides of the burlap are frayed, you are ready to grab your glue gun! You are going to need to measure your pillow so that your patch is centered. (I'm using a rectangular-shaped burlap pillow that I made, but you can use any pillow). Once you've measured, get it centered on your pillow, and get ready to glue! Slowly glue each side to the pillow, putting the glue right up next to the fray. Just don't glue the fray down, because once the pillow is finished, it adds extra texture. Be very careful, because it is HOT glue. Believe me, I'm the queen of hot glue gun burns.

Now, let it dry:)

Once it's dry, rub your fingers on the fray to make it stand up around all four sides.

Repeat these steps for both pillows:) 

And this should be your finished product!

Please let me know how yours turn out!! I'd love to see pics! And I'd love to hear if you made any alterations to the pattern! 

Enjoy!!! 

No more MSG!

So if you haven't already heard or seen, store-bought cream of chicken, mushroom, or pretty much cream of anything contains questionable ingredients.

Picture courtesy of www.foodfacts.com 

I don't know know about you, but I don't want at least half of these ingredients going in my body, and especially not my family's body! So, a while back, I decided to do a little research on my own, because I knew there had to be a way to make homemade cream of anything. Well, I did just THAT! And what I made was awesome! And it makes every recipe that you use a cream of soup in awesome! Here is the recipe that I use: 

Yield:

3 cups (about 2 cans)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth ( I use the broth  from chicken that I boiled or I make my own with "Orrington Farms" all natural chicken bouillon)

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1/4 tsp onion powder (or fresh, diced onions)

1/4 tsp garlic powder (or fresh, minced garlic)

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp parsley

Dash of paprika

1 1/2 cups fat free milk

3/4 cups flour

Instructions:

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute to two ( longer if using fresh onions or garlic)

2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.

*you can also add lemon pepper seasoning to give it a little more flavor

*you can make cream of mushroom by substituting beef broth for the chicken broth, adding fresh, sautéed mushrooms, or canned mushrooms, and by not adding the poultry seasoning.

If you have any questions, write in my comments section and I will answer your question ASAP!

http://www.foodfacts.com/NutritionFacts/Soups/Campbells-Cream-of-Chicken-Soup-0-oz/793

http://www.orringtonfarms.com/home-page/

Using old shutters

So, if you haven't noticed already, I have an obsession with old things. Any type of old decor, trinkets, you name it, I like it. Today, I'm sharing some of the ways that I have used old shutters that I've collected along the way. 

This first picture is of one I have hanging in my dining room. It is painted with a homemade chalk paint, sanded and then hung with pieces of burlap and rope. 

This is a really old shutter that came from an old house in Yazoo City. It was just so beautiful, I didn't have to do anything to it, except put it on display. It's leaned up against the corner of my hearth. It adds complexity and color to the corner of the room!

This is the last picture:) this one is hanging over my sofa in the living room. It's white-washed and then sanded. Then, I found a vintage knob at Hobby Lobby to put on it to add to the old look. I then used thick, sisal rope to hang it with from a hook! 

I hope you have enjoyed today's post! 

Www.hobbylobby.com

From drab to fab

Okay, so I'm super excited about the blog post today! I'm going to be sharing with you about a table from the Salvation Army that went from drab to fab! 

Our local Salvation Army just moved to a newer and much bigger location. It's very nice. The other day, my daughter and I went out on our weekly junk shopping excursion, and I knew this would be the perfect place to go! I've been looking for a round pedestal-like table for quite a while, but just haven't been able to find the right one. Well, we walked into the store and I immediately saw IT! It was perfect! Well, at least in my mind it was perfect.  It was dark brown and looked as if a dog had gnawed and scratched on all the corners of it, but at least it was sturdy. All I could picture was turning it into this gorgeous, white side table with a tall plant and cloche sitting on it! I got it for $15, loaded it up and headed home with excitement.

I did forget to take a before picture:( but just picture the ugliest table you've ever seen and it might come close to how this one looked. 

Here is the after picture: 

It took 3 coats of chalk paint to cover this bad boy, but man does it look amazing now! I actually used a homemade chalk paint. Here is the recipe:

Chalk paint:

1/2 cup plaster of Paris

1/2 cup hot water

•Mix until smooth

•Add 1 1/2 cups of paint color of your choice (I used "bistro white" on the table)

•you will have to stir the paint occasionally so that it won't thicken

• to finish off, you can put polycrylic on it to give it a little bit of a shine

Super Bowl dip

Today, I'm talking about some yummy Super Bowl dip! And can you believe it's actually HEALTHY! Yep, you heard me right!! It's called Chile con queso. The recipe that I used cuts the calories in half and the fat by nearly 60% than normal queso dip. Here's a pic of how mine turned out!      

It was even husband-approved! And normally he likes the velveeta "processed" cheese used for a dip. I must admit that it is very tasty, but it's not very healthy. So that's why we chose to use a healthier version of a cheese dip without missing out on taste. Here is the recipe that I used: 

Chile Con Queso

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup beef broth

1 1/2 cups low-fat milk, divided

3 tbl cornstarch

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack 

1 10 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 4.5 oz can diced green chiles

2 tbl lime juice

Salt to taste

1 tsp chili powder 

1 tsp cumin 

Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional) 

1/4 cup green onions, sliced diagonally

2 tbl chopped fresh cilantro 

Preparation 

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broth and cook until reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup milk and bring to a simmer. 

2. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the pan and cook, stirring vigorously, until bubbly and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add cheese an cook, stirring, until melted. Stir in drained tomatoes, lime juice, salt, chili powder and cayenne. Mix in green onions and cilantro just before serving. Serve with your choice of chips. Enjoy!