Winter Wonderland
Today is another snowy day here in Illinois. Thick sheets of ice have kept me at home again today. The house is cozy and warm, watching Christmas movies, but outside snow continues to fall. The dog and I went out to play in the snow for a bit, before getting back to some work. Here are some quick pictures of our snowy day. For those of you in warm areas, enjoy only having to look at these pictures!
Our snowy back yard.
You can see the snow still falling down.
Homemade Doggie Treats
Romeo. He might look big, but he's only a year old!
I know this isn’t exactly decor related, but it is home related. We have been shopping for some Christmas gifts for our puppy, Romeo. We have gotten a few treats and bones, and a new sheepskin bed. But, dog toys and goodies are EXPENSIVE! The other day I came accross a psot on Apartment Therapy for a bunch of homemade dog treats that are owner tested and approved. Not only do the posters say that the treats are less expensive, but also that their pets love them. I think I’m going to give it a try, and if Romeo approves, I may even give some out for Christmas gifts to other pet owners on my list. This is the recipe that I am going to start with:
Peanut Butter Doggie Bones
Ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup low-fat milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk. Add wet mixture to dry, and mix well.
Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.
For the other recipes and tips, here is the full link:
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/good-questions/good-question-looking-for-pet-treat-recipes-071098
I’m A Flickr-er
I have been taking so many photos lately that I decided to become a Flickr-er. If you like what you see here, then check out my Flickr photos as well. My account name is jessimarie33. I post some of the same photos as I post here, but also random snapshots from daily life. Check it out!
"The simples pleasures in life II", on Flickr, by Stumbleine.
"It is the sweet, simple things in life which are the real ones after all," on Flickr, by Kuttibalu
The Little Red Stool
Being cooped up in the warm house yesterday as the snow blew outside, I had time to finish up a few projects. One was the stool that I posted about yesterday. It started out green and dirty, but now is a beautiful red. I’m not sure where I’m going to use it yet. I thought it would look cute in the kitchen, but when Tony brought it up the stairs for me, it struck me that it might make the perfect odd edition in our bedroom. Hmmm…
It looks perfect in red.
Here it sits in the kitchen, but might not stay there for long...
Let It Snow, Let It Snow
Romeo wanted to go out and play in the fluff, but I was just to cold. It was only about 7 degrees out.
I left work early today due to the immense amounts of snow we are getting here. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing chores, drinking hot cocoa, and finishing up that cute little stool. When I opened the door to let the dog out, whoa, snow blew in everywhere, and I was so glad to be cuddled up inside instead of making the long commute home in the dark. I know these photos are dark (it was dark out!), but the snow was really pretty, as long as you weren’t driving in it.
I think we had a few inches at this point. It kept snowing for a few more hours.
A New Project
The other night Tony’s mom offered us a little metal stool that she had in her garage. Knowing my love for all things vintage and all things industrial, Tony snatched it up. The current stool is painted green and very dirty and dinged up. But, we have already started cleaning it and preping to paint. I think it will be red. Our kitchen is mostly black and white, but has some punches of red. I think it will look adorable in there. Here are the before photos. After photos soon to come!
Littl metal stool before.
I think it will look so cute red.
Den Update
The den/office has been an ongoing project. As you have probably seen from the pictures, it needed some work. We were planning some sort of framed art, and also a running shelf high along the walls, for cncert and show memorabilia. We have accomplished the art! We stuck with the music theme and using an idea I had seen somewhere before, we framed Rolling Stone magazines. We wanted to do even more, but 6 was all the space would really allow. I think it has a really nice grouped affect as well as something we both enjoy. Let me know what you think or any other suggestions. The shelving is still to come!
The right side view.
The left side view. No more empty walls!
End Of House Tour- The Living Room
So, I have given a quick tour through our new home at its current state. The only room left to show you is the living room. We are in this room most, and love the feel of it. The black console table was made just for me by Tony (aw). The pictures do look a little dark even though I did turn on the overhead lights, which we never use. Let me know what you think!
Console table with the shelves above it. The black chair was a project I redid.
The TV area. The TV didn't fit into the cubbie that was preexisting, so we just decorated the cubbie and put the TV below.
The close up of the TV cubbie. I love the little antique picture. In the small jar is also small little glass candies. I need to find a better place for them.
These old movie theater seats were a salvaged find. They sit next to the TV on the right. The vintage ad above matches them so well.
The other side of the TV. We love our movie display. Again, I love anything with cubbies, so this was perfect for me!
The couch is directly facing the TV. We still want to replace those flowery curtains, but the couch is comfy and cute- we got lucky for a hand-me-down!
Next to the couch is my pride and joy! My Eames era lounge chair!
My Baby!
Penny Pincher
Gas prices have been falling. Prices on other consumer products still soar. Around here gas is $1.50 per gallon at most places. But, we can’t seem to afford those crazy groceries (ok, not really, but they are rediculous). I have been reading many ideas for penny pinching and doing with less. My favorite idea has always been ro reuse and repurpose. I love making old things new again. And, this way your home will never look like page 7 from some Pottery Barn Catalog. Not that I don’t like Pottery Barn, but I want things to make a unique whole. I love when the items that make up my home have stories of their own. In doing a little research for money saving in the hard economy, I came accross these posters. A project recently had artsists recreating posters from the Great Depression Era. I not only found the posters cute, but their messages inspiring as well.
Now, these have cheered me up for the day, but who is going to pay for those student loans hanging over my head?
I Love Cubbies
I can’t help it. I just do. I love cubbies. Or pigeon holes. I always have. It just feels like there is so much possibility for little hidden treasures. Or something like that in my grown-up house. I am on the hunt for some sort of funky retro display storage peice for my kitchen. I was thinking some sort of mail sorter or even a group of mail boxes. Or, maybe a library crad catalog would work. Or… there’s always something else. I have been hunting, so if you have any suggestions…maybe something like this:
Apartment Therapy featured this picture from Bits and Bobbins. http://bitsandbobbins.com/
Make Mine Eclectic 