Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Open up the Kitchen Sarah!
Broccoli Slaw
So today isn’t a DIY but an awesome snack/side dish that I happen to be snacking on in between typing ;)
Now, keep in mind, I HATE (with a passion) coleslaw, I have always hated it I don’t know if it was the vinegar or maybe the amount of mayo or maybe it was a combination of both still on the fence about why I hate it. But for someone to hate it as much as I do to like a dish called “broccoli Slaw” it must be good right? This is a secret family recipe that has been in my family for generations… and last year was the first time I had ever had it. And got the recipe from Mom who got the recipe from my Aunt K. who got it from my Great Aunt M (see what I mean, Generations)
Now, keep in mind, I HATE (with a passion) coleslaw, I have always hated it I don’t know if it was the vinegar or maybe the amount of mayo or maybe it was a combination of both still on the fence about why I hate it. But for someone to hate it as much as I do to like a dish called “broccoli Slaw” it must be good right? This is a secret family recipe that has been in my family for generations… and last year was the first time I had ever had it. And got the recipe from Mom who got the recipe from my Aunt K. who got it from my Great Aunt M (see what I mean, Generations)
And anyone who knows me knows that I am not one for sharing secret family recipes… but today.. I am about to open up my recipe book to you, my wonderful readers. I hope you try this and I hope you like it. And if you do try it let me know what you think and if you made any changes to the recipe (it won’t hurt my feelings I promise. but let me know what you did different)
and I also noticed while taking pics for this post.. this is the only recipe that I can think of that I make that uses all of the measuring cups haha!
and I also noticed while taking pics for this post.. this is the only recipe that I can think of that I make that uses all of the measuring cups haha!
Broccoli Slaw
Recipe by Mom
¼ cup veggie oil
1/3 cup Cider Vinegar
½ cup Sugar
1 bag of broccoli slaw
2 Green onions, with the green and white separated and the green part chopped
1 package of CHICKEN ramen noodles
1 cup sunflower kernels
½ cup Cashews (<< actual recipe is 1 cup but I don’t really like that many in mine so I reduced it to ½ cup)
Directions
in a small mixing bowl mix the oil vinegar, sugar and the seasoning packet from the noodles to make the dressing
in a larger mixing bowl toss the broccoli and onions together, break up the noodles and add it to the broccoli mixture, pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture then 1 hour before serving add the nuts and kernels. (I add this immediately after adding the dressing, it is really up to you, how crunchy do you want your cashews and sunflower kernels? because it will absorb the dressing)
Recipe by Mom
¼ cup veggie oil
1/3 cup Cider Vinegar
½ cup Sugar
1 bag of broccoli slaw
2 Green onions, with the green and white separated and the green part chopped
1 package of CHICKEN ramen noodles
1 cup sunflower kernels
½ cup Cashews (<< actual recipe is 1 cup but I don’t really like that many in mine so I reduced it to ½ cup)
Directions
in a small mixing bowl mix the oil vinegar, sugar and the seasoning packet from the noodles to make the dressing
in a larger mixing bowl toss the broccoli and onions together, break up the noodles and add it to the broccoli mixture, pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture then 1 hour before serving add the nuts and kernels. (I add this immediately after adding the dressing, it is really up to you, how crunchy do you want your cashews and sunflower kernels? because it will absorb the dressing)
Refrigerate what isn’t eaten… if there is any left.
IMO- I happen to like it better the next day, the noodles, cashews and sunflowers have a chance to absorb a little bit of that dressing and it just tastes better to me this way.
IMO- I happen to like it better the next day, the noodles, cashews and sunflowers have a chance to absorb a little bit of that dressing and it just tastes better to me this way.
Enjoy!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
New Home, New State, New Coastline, New Projects... #1 The Entryway
The Entryway
Soooooooo after about a month of being in my NEW home in with the Hubster a NEW state on a NEW coast line (yeah Fl to WA…. Farrrrrrr away from my roots!) my crafty craftiness was coming back to me… after constant searching for “Console Table” “Entryway table” and “Foyer table” on craigslist and this new site I found about (offerupnow.com) I finally found one..
about 40 minutes away from our home.. yeah I wanted it that bad. I mean I had been looking for WEEKS and one Saturday morning when my Hubby was out to the field for 2 week long training {I will tell you his reaction to the entryway surprise later} I hit up craigslist because that morning I was
D-E-T-E-R-M-I-N-E-D to make it to a garage sale and the night before I saw a few postings for a garage sale in the area and that they would be posting the address first thing in the AM. So off to craigslist I go. NOW this is where I kind of deviated from my plan, maybe it was the weeks of searching to the point it has become a habit I keyed in “Entryway table” and hit Enter. Much to my surprise… A NEW LISTING… only 30 minutes old!!! I JUMPED ON IT! Now… getting the kids ready in a flash yeah I am that good ;) and typed in the address in my navigation, btw, Washington weather is a lot bleaker than my native Florida weather… needless to say it was soooo cold this particular morning! Now I finally get there, and I knew before getting there that this would be a task.. I mean getting this 7ft long entryway table in to my Explorer with the twins in tow would be no easy task. Now.. I would like you to meet Charlotte.
A beauty she is. Solid and sturdy, Queen Anne Legs now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the darker wood colors and under normal circumstances I would not have changed Charlotte.. Maybe touch up a few spots but other than that nothing else. But these weren’t normal circumstances… Charlotte is going to be FRONT AND CENTER of my home; she will be the first thing that people see when they enter my home. So I had to make her stand out. So after the 40 minute drive home with the babes {meet my babies}
and my new addition (that the Hubs didn’t know about) we arrive home, carry it in the front door, put it in its new home, stand back for a few minutes and visualize…think about what I want to see when I walk in the front door… because this is what I have been seeing…
and it has been driving me crazy for almost 2 months now. And I think what will go well with other colors? What is timeless? What will make this pop and still be subtle? Well… after pondering for the rest of the night, I realized what color Charlotte was going to be painted… she now had a date… With whom you might ask?
KRYLON!!!! {I love this stuff! I love how fast it dries the coverage it provides the colors that they have and did I mention how FAST it dries??? I am a true Krylon girl at heart.}
But yes, Charlotte had a date with 3 cans of Krylon Black Satin Spray at about 10am and this girl had a date with her Keurig and Folders Vanilla Biscotti and Cinnabon creamer! (if you haven’t tried that stuff you should, it is such an awesome combination!)
note I did not prime the wood at all now, you can, I normally do but this time I really wanted to test my love of Krylon (and if it turned out horrible I would have had to get out my handy sander) ready to see the results of the 3 cans of Black Satin Krylon and an unprimed 7’ stained wood table with gorgeous Queen Anne Legs and 2 hours of my time? {btw, 3 cans became 3 coats of spray paint, along with some touchups, now remember I did not prime this piece but this was my way of testing just how AWESOME Krylon is) and here are the end results of my efforts…
note I did not prime the wood at all now, you can, I normally do but this time I really wanted to test my love of Krylon (and if it turned out horrible I would have had to get out my handy sander) ready to see the results of the 3 cans of Black Satin Krylon and an unprimed 7’ stained wood table with gorgeous Queen Anne Legs and 2 hours of my time? {btw, 3 cans became 3 coats of spray paint, along with some touchups, now remember I did not prime this piece but this was my way of testing just how AWESOME Krylon is) and here are the end results of my efforts…
Now even though she is still drying in this picture isn’t she a Beaut? I mean she is gorgeous! And I must admit when my Husband came home {sooner than expected because he had some things to take care of on post} his first words were “How much did this cost?” lol! Thanks Babe, love you too… he really got worried when I didn’t want to tell him… and mumbled the start of “fif—” and to my readers please know that I normally do not spend a lot of $ on a piece unless it is REALLLLLLLLY worth it but this table… quite simply put… WAS WORTH IT. Would you like to see the new and improved Charlotte in her new spot in her new home?
{I have more work to do in this area but it is coming along nicely don’t you think?}
I found 99% of the items on this table at thrift stores: the large G, Candle Sticks and candle pillar were from Value Village. The picture frame was from goodwill. The turquoise iron bird a $5.00 find from a flea market from back home the only thing that was not from a thrift store… the blue ball mason jar, that is courteous of eBay… yeah I broke down and bid for a set of 3, with free s&h…. {cringes…} $27.00… yeah but the other two are up in my office waiting to be used but that one right there… holding those gorgeous colorful tulips holds them so well! Like no other vase could have done. {just agree with me here, justify me!!} The only thing I did not paint that was bought from the thrift store was the large G, Browsing the aisles at Value Village I look down and it is like it smacks me in the face and I had to have it not bad for 3 bucks! These wooden candlesticks were originally from pier 1…and were originally $20.00 each?!!!! (I only know this because the sticker was still on the bottom of them) Ummmm not this chick! I Scored them both from the VV for $6.99… I’ll take that! And the candle pillar holder was $1.99 from VV and the {now} smoke grey picture frame was $1.89 from Goodwill it was that grungy gold color you always see on old frames.
What you don’t see are the next projects up for the entryway… the DIY Mirror and what is going to be going underneath the table…… I will try to get those done and posted asap, I just have to get a few more items to get the projects done… miter saw box, liquid nail, moulding, more Krylon, wall screws, a gallon of bright white latex paint green frog tape.
Now, for the sake of the upcoming DIY’s what brand has the brightest white latex paint in your opinion and what have you used it on?
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Pallet Table
The Pallet Table
I have been working on this one, and if you are a Facebook fan you already had somewhat of a heads up on what this DIY is about. It is about PALLETS!!!! Yeah pallets, you know those hideous things that you see in the grocery store when they are unpacking all the new merchandise or around back of a local store? Those beat up, old, {did I mention hideous?} boards.
Now I have worked with pallet boards before, I know that they vary in size but they only vary between two sizes 3 1/2x40 and 5 1/5x40 and because I have had prior experience with pallet boards I have kind of mastered the art of pulling off the boards without them breaking and I will share this with you, my readers =) Now I will say this, this project isn't easy, but it is worth all of the work that is put into it. By work I mean blood, sweat and tears (from the blood haha!) Now another word of wisdom, when you are picking out pallets... There is something that you should look for. CODES!! yes, codes. Somewhere on the pallet printed/burned into it should be the letters HT and some numbers, you want these pallets because it means the pallet was Heat Treated as opposed to Chemically Treated...
Now as for what I did This is what I started with: now the best way that I have found to go about taking the boards off... get a hammer, start at the side wedge the nail puller end in between the boards and pry them apart. IMPORTANT NOTE.. You should hear a popping sound, POPPING IS NOT THE SAME THING AS CRACKING! Lol Popping=Good Cracking=BAD! (once you hear the two different sounds you will know what I am talking about) and after you pried both nails off of the one side, move to the next (middle) and do the same thing and continue.
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| The start |
And now time to sand them (and this is why you want to sand them)see the before and after pic? Yeah that looks a lot better... that looks like something I would put in my living room...well getting there anyways. ;)
After the sanding is done, tack cloth comes into play, you want to use this to get all of the sawdust off of the boards before you stain them, You want to use a tact cloth because... well it has a tacky feeling to it so it grabs EVERYTHING that SHOULDN'T BE THERE.
after that, depending on what you are doing either painting or staining the boards, if you are painting go ahead and start painting (art deco and apple barrel acrylics work great {or Krylon ;) } if you are staining them you will have to Pre-treat the boards, (awww really?!) yes pre-treat because these are old boards you are working with, so the pre-treat kind of brings a little bit of life to them by making them ready for the stain (makes the stain absorb into the boards more). Now keep in mind when you get to this point, make sure that you have enough time to move onto the staining because you only 2 hours after you put the pre-treat on to stain the boards. I will usually let the pre-treat soak in for about 15 to 20 min. then after it has soaked in a bit, time to move onto staining I stained the boards with a Dark Walnut/Jacobean mixture {Minwax} so it was extremely dark (which was exactly what I wanted).
let the stain absorb into the boards for about 15 min. Wipe off the stain and if you want it darker, do this over again, I stopped with two coats of stain and here is what it looked like.
Now, time for the moulding and attaching these boards all together, in my previous post, I mentioned that my Dad is a master carpenter ;) soooo guess where I went :) that's right, over to Mom and Dad's and here is what we did, we cut out a 16x39 inch piece of plywood and he made the moulding for me we cut it to size at 45 degree angles and then took a staple gun to all of it.
=) POWER TOOLS (= here are the pics I took while we were doing all of this (sorry if the pics are bad.. so is my phone haha! it has been dropped more times than I've had a birthday)
Now that the fun stuff is done, time to paint the moulding, now what I used was a sponge brush from my go to place (wally world!) and art deco paints (black and metallic gold) now to make this process go a little faster I dry brushed it {Dry Brushing is putting very little paint on the brush and painting it with as little paint as possible so it dries faster} I did this twice... Then, after this was done it is time to use the metallic gold paint to get it into the cracks, dings and where the moulding pieces met. Here is how I did it
Now that the fun stuff is done, time to paint the moulding, now what I used was a sponge brush from my go to place (wally world!) and art deco paints (black and metallic gold) now to make this process go a little faster I dry brushed it {Dry Brushing is putting very little paint on the brush and painting it with as little paint as possible so it dries faster} I did this twice... Then, after this was done it is time to use the metallic gold paint to get it into the cracks, dings and where the moulding pieces met. Here is how I did it
and here is the final piece I hope you all enjoyed the tutorial!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
{The Effects of Being} a Master Carpenters Daughter...
{The Effects of Being} a Master Carpenters Daughter…
So my Dad is awesome! (I “may” be biased because it is MY Dad, or maybe a hint of Daddy's Girl syndrome kicking in and showing through) But in any event, I know a lot about things that a typical girl wouldn't know and it is because of my Dad that I know these things. Here is a prime example, I love doing hard projects, things that involve power tools and hammers and nails and the occasional blood and band aids, and needless to say I am not afraid to get my hands dirty. Snakes and spiders? Ha.. I laugh in the face of danger… ok not really… I laugh in the face of the things I KNOW aren't poisonous…like a ferocious squirrel…or a rabid lizard… you know the small ones.... Yep... gotta watch out for those rabid lizards... they'll gettcha...
Today my Dad laughed at me when I told him I was going to the hardware store to get some tools I think he laughed because his only daughter is sort of following in his footsteps when it comes to woodworking projects. When I don't know just how dark Ebony stain REALLY is, I call him because he would know and has some in his shop. I know what chair rail, crown moulding, base boards, insets, panels, saw horses, vices and drill bits are and how to; pretreat, stain, and clear coat a piece of wood. All because of my Dad. (I also picked up a few A LOT of car maintenance lessons as well ;) <<<Haha! ) But I know the quality of my Dad's work and when I build my house, I want Dad to do the woodwork in it. I mean, I walk into a Lowe's or a Home Depot and I can pick apart the cabinetry work (and no offense to anyone who is reading this who works for or bought from either of those companies) But I look at how things line up, I look and see if I see the nails from the nail guns, I check to see if the pieces are flush. I check to see what type of wood was used and if it is even worth what they are charging. I always walk away disappointed and what kills me is that most people don't look at these things and pay the money for such poor craftsmanship. I think I know more than any normal girl would about more "boy" type things thanks to my Dad. and I am happy about that, because for the most part... I don't need to wait around for help I can honestly {usually} do what the initials mean...
DO.
IT.
YOURSELF
Bye for now!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Magnetic Scrabble Board
The Magnetic Scrabble Board!!!
To do this project you will need the following...
And old Frame (preferably a big one) if you don't have an old one you can make a frame out of wood
Sheet Metal cut to the size (this will go into the frame)
Liquid nail
Wood backing for the frame (or use what came with the frame)
old paper, for mine I will be (GASP!!) using old French Book pages... I am going to have to man up and take apart a 100 year old book.. yeah... I know (but!!! this book was going to be re-purposed into something else anyways {a Wedding book} so it really doesn't matter) :)
Decoupage
Clear coat (sealer)
Spray paint color of choice (I am a Krylon girl but if you are wanting some crazy colors something that you can't get at your local Wal Mart or home improvement store... I suggest you head over to this great place called Art Primo they are so helpful when it comes to finding the color you want, based out of Seattle, Wa. I talked to their customer service people and they were fantastic! I have two cans of this awesome Turquoise color I ordered from them sitting in the closet right now (I guess I have to find something to use it on huh?) (you will see it in this project actually)
ohhhhh and the last items you will need... scrabble tiles, magnets ( << the exact kind I ordered from the exact place... soooo if you want to do this project, I would go ahead and order them or find that size from a local store.
Now for my frame I got an OLD mirror from a local thrift store (Thrifty Living) when they first opened and it has been sitting in my back room because it was going to be a different project but I decided to do this instead.
My sheet metal I purchased from the guys at Jackson's Building Supply in Starke for under $10.00!! :D
now... on to the fun stuff..
The start of something
PRETTTTTY!
This Mirror frame was gold. I sprayed a few coats of primer on it to get rid of the gold color.
Please be careful!! this next part can be dangerous!
Just make sure that you are EXTREMELY careful when working with cut sheet metal! (the jagged edges can cut you if you are not careful! I suggest gloves if at all possible) Went a little crazy with the glue... the pictures kind of show it.
Liquid nail + backing from the mirror that came with it. Now after you have put the liquid nail on the back, press the sheet metal on the backing. Let it set.
It is slowly coming together!
After that sets, get your old book pages (or whatever you are going to be using) and decoupage the front side of the metal (this will be the side that the magnets stick to) apply THIN coats of this { let it dry in between coats of course.} Meanwhile.....
Fell in love instantly with a little can of...
Ralph Lauren faux texture glaze... and when I say I fell in love...
I mean it! this stuff is freakin
AH-MAZE-ING! I mean look at it!
I had time to glaze my turquoise frame while the pages were still drying on the metal ...... Crickets were chirping in my head while waiting for this to dry.. but it was a necessary measure given that magnets would be scraping the surface of this constantly...
now put the pieces together (the sheet metal and the frame) attach it however it needs to be attached, mine because I used the backing that was originally with the frame I had to screw it back in place, if you are making your own, you may want to use nails or a nail gun, just so it is secure however you feel comfortable securing the pieces together, go for it.
About 10 coats total ugh.
Now the last part...
the scrabble tiles, I super glued the tiny magnets to the tiles, now here was the problem that I ran in to. the super glue will make marks on the front side of the tiles (where it absorbed straight through from the back) so to hide this I had to clear coat the tile, but the only clear coat that would work in covering this up was the Mod Podge clear acrylic sealer (after about 5 coats of min wax clear coat I got tired of wasting it so I gave Mod Podge a try and it worked! just keep in mind, the fumes were CRAZY!!! so if you have to do this, I recommend doing it outside)
And here is the finished product...
 |
Beautiful!
Ta-Da!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love this little.. errrr big board! I think all of the time spent on it was worth it! I will be adding more tiles (but just to get this DIY Tutorial done, I went with what I had)
I hope you all had fun reading and I hope this has inspired you all to do something creative!
Have a great day!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
This week up until this point
My Week Up Until This Point
This week has been crazy, I have started working at a Bridal shop, which I love it! I just have to get used to not talking to my baby (as much) while he is still deployed. Ugh... that is what is killing me right now. for Almost a year we have had our normal routine going and it has changed.
In between work, taking care of the twins, the house, and filling orders, trying to keep up with the blog and trying to come up with new pieces and what charities they will benefit it has been quite crazy. I don't know if I do this to myself on purpose or do it to myself because I love to help people or try my hand at all sorts of new things. I know come Sunday I will be one happy girl that is for sure! (Sunday the shop is closed {the Bridal Shop that is} )
Then at the end of May some exciting things will be taking place, for me and Rue Paradis, it is huge, I know there are some out there who have not been quite as happy with my decision as I am but when it comes down to it, Rue Paradis is my baby, I created it, I want to see it succeed I don't want it to be ran into the ground because of an unwise move on my part. And as long as Rue Paradis is MY baby, that will not happen. I take pride in what goes out of my doors, if an order leaves my work space and is packaged up, then I am not 100% on it. If not it will NOT go out. {Unless designed by a client, then it will be what THEY want} and as long as Rue Paradis is in my control, every order will ALWAYS benefit some charity.
Also at the end of May, Rue Paradis will be closed on the 30th and 31st, for personal reasons. No orders will be made/Processed/Shipped.
Currently I am waiting on some magnets to arrive (gotta love eBay!) When I tracked the shipping the tracker said it would be here either 5/4 or 5/5 :) lets hope so! :) I have plans for those magnets! And hopefully what I plan on creating in the DIY will inspire you to create something too :) {I would love to see what you created}
But anyways My baby is online (I can't wait for him to be home!) sooooo bye for now :)
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The First DIY Tutorial of the blog!
This is a super simple Tutorial for an all natural (Moisturizing) Lip Balm (there are no chemicals in this btw!)
Ingredients
Olive Oil
Almond Oil
Cocoa Butter
Coconut Oil
Beeswax (shaved or pellets)
Vitamin E (serves as a moisturizer as well as a preservative)
This makes 3 ounces or about 15 tubes (depending on how you want to store it I used 1 ounce pots)
The formula
4Tsp olive oil
2 Tsp Almond Oil
2 1/2 Tsp cocoa butter
3 3/4 Tsp coconut oil
3 1/2 Tsp beeswax (cosmetic grade)
5 Drops of Vitamin E
I use the microwave method... you can use a double broiler if you would like but this is easy, all you will need is a pyrex measuring cup (GLASS) the reason why is because the beeswax is hard to clean off so it goes a little better with a glass measuring cup now... on to the fun stuff!
Measure out and combine all ingredients EXCEPT FOR THE VITAMIN E (this goes in AFTER IT IS ALL MELTED TOGETHER) (you will smell a hint of chocolate... this is just the cocoa butter as it melts... YUMMMMMYYYY!!!!)
Then 20 second burst in the microwave (taking out and stirring in between) until melted together...
I hope you enjoyed my first DIY Tutorial (there will be another one posted as soon as the item I really need comes in :) )
Ingredients
Olive Oil
Almond Oil
Cocoa Butter
Coconut Oil
Beeswax (shaved or pellets)
Vitamin E (serves as a moisturizer as well as a preservative)
This makes 3 ounces or about 15 tubes (depending on how you want to store it I used 1 ounce pots)
The formula
4Tsp olive oil
2 Tsp Almond Oil
2 1/2 Tsp cocoa butter
3 3/4 Tsp coconut oil
3 1/2 Tsp beeswax (cosmetic grade)
5 Drops of Vitamin E
I use the microwave method... you can use a double broiler if you would like but this is easy, all you will need is a pyrex measuring cup (GLASS) the reason why is because the beeswax is hard to clean off so it goes a little better with a glass measuring cup now... on to the fun stuff!
 |
| Everything but the Vitamin E |
Measure out and combine all ingredients EXCEPT FOR THE VITAMIN E (this goes in AFTER IT IS ALL MELTED TOGETHER) (you will smell a hint of chocolate... this is just the cocoa butter as it melts... YUMMMMMYYYY!!!!)
Then 20 second burst in the microwave (taking out and stirring in between) until melted together...
 |
| Almost there... |
 |
| All melted together... time to add in the drops of Vitamin E.. |
 |
| Pour into containers quickly (because it will set fast) |
 |
| after about 2 minutes it is almost all the way set. |
I hope you enjoyed my first DIY Tutorial (there will be another one posted as soon as the item I really need comes in :) )
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