Word Art

Hubby and I tend to be Homebodies.

We both work full time jobs and

don't get to spend much time at home to enjoy it.
The weekends are usually our time to work
around the house and get things done that
we can't accomplish during the week.

Don't get me wrong we love to travel and eat out,
but we also love to stay home at times.

We will plan to go out to dinner on a Saturday
night but once it gets time to go anywhere
we decide to stay home instead.

I have been on the lookout for a piece of art to

hang above our newly painted cabinet.

The only problem was I wasn't sure just what I was looking for.

Then BAM out of nowhere it struck me.

I wanted a piece of word art and I knew just what I wanted it to say.

The best part about this was I already had everything I needed to create it.
I didn't have to leave home!

So I got to work and created our piece of word art.

I created the saying on our home computer and printed it off.
 Then I transferred the image onto an 18" x 24" piece of canvas
and painted in the words using a paint pen.
Once I had our piece of word art completed
I hung it on the wall but it just didn't look finished.

So I made a floating frame and stained it.
What a difference the frame made.

It adds the perfect touch of homeyness I was going for.

Our walls look yellow in these photos but they
are actually a light tan color called
Gobi Desert by Behr paint.
This room gets flooded with natural light all day long
and it is hard to get a true wall color picture.

Ignore our thermostat and fireplace switches.
I'm thinking about painting them the same
color as the walls to make them blend in.
I just have to convince Hubby though, or maybe
I'll just go ahead and do it and see if he notices it.
Why the builder put them there is beyond me.

For now though this little space is complete.

That's it for this week.
Until Next Time,
Veronica

Shades of Gray

I've had this little cabinet for at least 15 years.

I bought it at a craft fair when I was into

decorating our home in a country style

with mauve and green colors.

I've been slowly changing our home into more neutral colors

and most of the country decor has been sold/donated and

swapped out for more modern decor.

I really like this little cabinet and didn't want to get rid of it.
I knew that I could update it with a new color of paint.
The only problem was I didn't know what color I wanted to paint it.

One day while I was starring at it trying to decide

what color it should be it finally hit me.
It was going to be a shade of gray.

Sherwin Williams Dovetail Gray to be exact.

It's a gray color with brown undertones.

Once I decided the color it was time to paint it.

Since it was a rainy weekend I set up my spray tent

in our office/dining room and started painting.

This little stand went from looking like this...

To this.
A more updated modern look.

At first I wasn't sure I liked the color,

but once I got it styled I realize what a pretty gray color it was.

The more I look at this little cabinet the more

I'm loving it with it's new paint color.
Isn't paint a wonderful thing?

Hubby was happy to see the sage green color gone.

He thinks I chose the perfect gray color.

Next week I will show you what I made to hang

above this cabinet.
That's it for this week.

Until Next Time,

Veronica

A Whale of a Salad

With Summer just around the corner

and the temperatures rising, my palate

tends to crave cool and refreshing foods.

One of those cravings happens to be

my Refreshing Fruit Salad with a Honey Lime Dressing.

Forget about making the frozen whipped topping 

and pudding mix concoctions that leaves a funky

film and aftertaste in your mouth.

If you like fruit this is a MUST try.

Hubby turned his nose up at this fruit salad

when I told him I used honey and lime in it.

That was until he tried it.

Now I can't keep it around!

He doesn't even want the whipped topping fruit salad anymore.

Cut up your favorite fruits and combine with a simple

Honey Lime Dressing.

The honey add that extra touch of sweetness,

where the lime intensifies the fruit flavors.

Want to impress your friends and family at your

next Summertime BBQ?

Make a watermelon whale bowl filled with this

Honey Lime Fruit Salad.

It will be the talk of the party.

I know, I speak from experience.

I made this for our DIL's baby shower and it was a HUGE hit!

To make a Watermelon Whale bowl,

first purchase a large oval shaped seedless watermelon.

Next, you will need a picture of a whale tail for a template,

or if you're super talented you could draw one freehand.

I'm not that talented so I did the next best thing.

I found mine on the internet and enlarged it to the size I wanted.

You will also need a serrated knife and a sharp object to trace

around the template.

I used a pick that came with my nutcracker.

Hey, no judging.

It's all about improvising here.

I do whatever it takes to get the end result.

Place your template on the end of the watermelon

that doesn't have the stem and

trace around the template with the sharp object.

(you will use the stem end for the whale's nose)

I don't know, do whales have a nose?

Let's just pretend if they don't.

Once I had the tail traced I used the sharp object and 

roughly drew a line around the watermelon for the bowl opening,

 making sure I saved enough room on the front for the whale's face.

Scoop out the watermelon before you create the whale's face,

just like you would when you are making a Jack-O-Lantern.

Draw the eyes, mouth, and don't forget about the blowhole, and cut out.

Being careful, place your whale bowl on its' side and slice a couple

strips of rind off the bottom to flatten the belly. This will stabilize

your whale bowl and prevent it from rolling over.

Your whale bowl is now ready to be filled

with your favorite fruit salad.

HONEY LIME DRESSING

1/4 cup Honey

2 teaspoons Lime Zest (optional)

1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime juice

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lime zest and lime juice together.

Pour over fruit and mix together.

Bring on the Summertime BBQs!

That's it for this week.

Until Next Time,

Veronica

Refreshing Summer Cool Down

We've jumped right into Summer around here.

The last 2 days we have reached a high of 91 degrees!

It's not only hot, but humid too.
And it's not even officially Summer yet.

One way I like to cool down

and relax on these hot, humid days
is to have a nice cold glass of  my

Southern Peach Sweet Tea.

Oh how I love this Southern peach flavored sweet tea.

Store bought sweet tea doesn't stand a chance

up against homemade sweet tea.
Especially Peach Sweet Tea.

NOT A CHANCE!

I couldn't wait until the fresh peaches
showed up in the stores to make my
own peach simple syrup.

In a saucepan add:
1 cup water,
1 cup sugar and
3 peaches sliced with skins on.

Bring mixture to a boil.
Boil for 5 minutes, stirring and gently crushing
the peach slices along the sides of the pan.

Remove from heat and cover.
Let set for 30 minutes.
Strain mixture through a fine sieve
or cheese cloth. Refrigerate mixture.

Add 1 +1/2 cups peach simple syrup to
6 cups of tea for a refreshing summer drink.

Slice a peach and add it to the tea mixture.
Top with a lemon slice to
intensify the peach flavor.

I have a secret ingredient I add to my

tea to make it less bitter.

Want to know what it is?

You probably have it in your pantry.

It's BAKING SODA!

Yep, plain old baking soda.

Just add a 1/4 teaspoon to 6 cups of brewed tea.

Here's to the lazy days of Summer.

That's it for this week.
Until Next Time,
Veronica