Valentine DIY...

This pretty wreath appeared on Pinterest, 

so I cannot take credit for it...  

However, when you click on the link, there is no tutorial, 

so I figured out the how-to's by myself...  

It was quite simple 

and it was just how I like my projects....

cheap!

This Lily of the Valley Heart Wreath 

makes such a thoughtful gift,
 for your Valentine or for yourself...  

 

So, here's how to make this wreath...

Your materials are:  

A wire hanger,

 wire cutters, 

silk or plastic Lily of the Valley 

(I used one bunch from the craft store), 

green floral tape... 

Since I had everything on hand, 

this project cost me $0.00!

Yippee!!

1.  Bend the hanger into the shape of a heart.  It takes a little manipulation.  You will probably do a better job of it than I did.

2.  Wrap the heart shape, (not the hook) with the floral shape.  Doing this hides the color of your hanger wire and also makes for a sticky surface upon which to wrap the flowers.  When using floral tape, you want to pull and wrap it tightly.  The tape has a lot of give, so you can make a snug fit.

3.  Using the wire cutters, snip the stems of the Lily of the Valley off in different lengths.  Start at the tip of the heart and start wrapping the stems onto the hanger, varying the angles and positions of the stems as you go.

 

 In general, the stems should sweep up toward the top of the heart or the other direction.  Be patient... This takes time to do.  Watch your favorite show while you wrap the flowers...  Talk to your mom on the speaker phone...  Order your kids to do their chores and then supervise from the couch...  Yeah, mine didn't go for it, either...

4.  If you feel like it, snip off some Lily of the Valley leaves and add those to your wreath sparingly.

5.  Tie a ribbon or raffia to the hook, if desired.  I might do this myself!

6.  Ta Da!  You have a sweet Valentine wreath that looks great on the wall the whole year!

Or you can give it way as a gift...
  

Nah, I'm not going to give mine away, either...

Steam Punkin'...

Are you aware of the Steam Punk movement?  

You probably are, but I have been blissfully, 

cluelessly unaware of this strange fad...  

It is a whole twentieth century industrial revolution 

meets Goth and Punk...

  

More accurately, the trend has already passed 

because since Home Depot is selling "vintage look" light bulbs, 

 you know it is no longer avant garde...  

Well, I just discovered Steam Punk

 and it intrigues me...  

I like the industrial-ish light fixtures 

and the iron and wood combination furniture 

with heavy wheels...  

You can find this stuff at Pottery Barn, 

Home Decorator's Collection and Ballard Designs, 

among many others...

And there is a whole fashion world of Steam Punk 

that I didn't know about...

  

Heck, maybe I have found my Halloween costume 

for next year...  

That movie, "Hugo" had a very Steam Punk feel to it....  

So, T$ and I created a DIY headboard 

that is a bit Steam Punky... 

In our current quest to upgrade the apartment unit 

with next to no dollars, I came up with a rustic headboard 

for the apartment bedroom...  

We hit Menards to find cheap, 

rough eight inch boards...
  

We measured the size of the headboard we wanted  

and then purchased enough lumber to assemble it. 

We needed six boards cut to 48 inches long
and two 1 by 4's cut to 60 inches long...

We had a very hungover lumber guy/wannabe rapper 

cut the wood to suit... 

I was just waiting for this guy to sever his hand, 

but thankfully he didn't.... 

 He said he drank two bottles of Crown Royal 

the night before, 

so you gotta question his precision with a saw....  

After we extricated ourselves from Mr. lumber guy/rapper, 
we found brackets 

to assemble the whole thing together...  

I think it took T$ about thirty minutes 

to fire up that headboard....  

He is feeling very Handy Manny these days 

and I am not complaining!  

The headboard looked great, 

but it needed a little zshoozshing up, 

if you know what I mean...

 So, I hit the craft store for a stencil 

that I liked and some gold paint...

It took a couple of tries to find the gold I preferred, 

but in the end, the stenciled images 

has a two tone gold effect that looks pretty...  

Okay, so the headboard was coming along, 

but it still needed something...  

Enter reading lights... 

I have been searching for funky, Steam Punkish 

reading lights for the little side tables next to the bed...  

Of course, everything I want is pricey... 

Then, last week, I stopped in the Halsted Home Depot, 

which has more unique merchandise 

than the other city HD's 

and I found these cute, copper lights for only $24 a piece...  

Add in the "vintage" light bulb 

and you are punkin with steam!!! 

T$ set to work, hard wiring these babies 

right onto the headboard... 

My electrical genius figured out how to make exterior lights 

work in a bedroom

 and I think they look ridiculously good...

 The 40 watt "vintage" bulbs provide just the right soft glow 

while still providing a good reading light source...
  

Combined with the rustic wood headboard, 

we have a thing of beauty... 

We are batting a thousand with our projects so far... 

 I just pray I don't dump over a can of paint or something... 

Divine DIY...

No one would say I am a "Candice Olsen" or "Monica Pedersen"....

They are hot blondes and HGTV divas extraordinaire...

 Last time I checked, I was neither...

These ladies are able to create rooms of beauty 

out of the air, and in Monica's case, 

with very little cash...

By the way, we were almost featured on HGTV's  "Design on a Dime" once...  

Note the word ALMOST...  

Yeah, that is a story of rejection for another day...

Back to fixing up your house for pennies...

Given that we are possibly renting out our apartment unit 

and maybe the whole house, furnished, 

I am on a mad dash to repair, repaint and restyle.... 

On a dime!

There is basically no money in the budget to do much of anything,  

which is why I have undertaken the task 

of painting the whole house myself....  

ugh...  

I just finished painting the apartment walls, 

so at least that is out of the way...  

But the real reason I am rejoicing today 

is that one of my hair brained diy projects actually worked!  

While at Home Depot the other day, 

picking up supplies for painting, 

I bought a canvas drop cloth.  

I noticed that it was heavy and natural colored 

instead of white. 

I started imagining cool slipcovers

  and shabby chic pillows when lightning struck....  

What if I made these puppies into drapes?  

The apartment has a large window 

with a nice drapery pole installed and no drapes.  

It looked kind of empty and sad...  

But uncheesy drapes are not inexpensive...  

When we bought our house ten years ago, 

the seller wanted twenty, 

yes, 20 thousand dollars for the drapes alone... 

We laughed and said, "Take them!".  

They sighed and left them... 

Anyway, my thought was to buy a long dropcloth, 

in this case 6 x 9 feet, 

sew in a rod pocket, 

trim it out and voila!   

Usually my projects involve some sort 

of ingredient or element not easily found, 

or a tool that I don't have, etc.  

Well, by some sort of home design miracle, 

the drapes were easy to construct, 

my trim choice worked 

and they look awesome, if I say so myself!  

From start to finish, all supplies cost a total of $35.00.  

How's that for a nice pair of drapes?  

I like the canvas drop cloth because 

it is a nice, heavy weight, 

the fabric does block out some light 

and all edges are finished...  

Here is how I made them...

1. Measure the height of your window/position of the drapery rod and choose the appropriate sized drop cloth.  If the cloth is too short, this is an opportunity for you to add a hem panel in a fun fabric.  I would choose something that is the same weight as the canvas.

2. Grab your 40% off coupons and head to the craft store.  Buy beige thread and a fun trim.  Make sure you get enough.  My drop cloths were nine feet long and I added a yard for good measure, so the total was seven yards of trim.  My trim was $4.99/yd and at 40% off, a steal!  Be cognizant of the thickness of the trim.  Remember, you have to sew this stuff onto canvas.

3. Okay, you are ready to start!  Fold over the short side of the fabric enough to be roomy for the drapery rod to slide through.  My drapery rod was skinny, so I folded the canvas over three (3) inches.  Pin to hold in place.  Sew along the edge, making sure to anchor each end well.

 

4.  Now to add the trim!  Take a look at your two panels and make sure that the trim is placed on different sides so that they frame the window.  If it's late at night when you do this, have someone check your work.  Ripping out stitches at 10 pm is akin to having a root canal.    Pin the trim to the front of the panels and then sew on.  Go slowly...the machine is sewing through thick fabric and trim.

Hang up your drapes and admire your handiwork!  

Even T$ was impressed by the drapes.  

I love them so much I think 

I am going to make another one 

for one of the apartment bedrooms.  

I plan to trim the hem with three layers of gathered muslin...

This project was fun, quick and cheap chic!!

Un-Peterbilt...

Who doesn't love a road trip?  

Especially the spontaneous getaways
where you throw a few things into an overnight bag
and off you go...  

My guys are doing just that, sort of... 

Tom needed to deliver a Peterbilt semi truck
 to a military base in New Mexico
and his truck driver was not available...  

Being the only other person at HEAT
with a commercial drivers license,
T$ had to do the driving...  

Monday was Martin Luther King day
and a no school day,
so Tom took Jack along for the ride...

Oh, the glamour of the open road...  

Ah, the testosterone injected high of a brand,
spanking new semi truck...

Yes, the freedom of the bed in the back
for endless games on the IPad....

Pure heaven...  

Waaa, Waaa, Waaaaa....
(that's the "Game Over" sound...)  

It seems that Mr. Peterbilt may look pearly white on the outside,
but he was infused with the taste of
LEMON on the inside!

The boys made it just past St. Louis
when some oil thingy busted...  

They limped to the closest dealership
that was 200 miles away
 and begged for a quick repair...

With time constraints, Tom and Jack rousted themselves
at 4 am the next morning
and hit the highway,
only to feel a sickening lurch...  

A quick look in the rear view mirror
showed one of the mudflaps
tangled between the tires...

One might start to believe a bunch of monkeys
assembled this truck...

Luckily, the next dealership was closer
than the last one
and after new mudflaps were installed
 the guys were on their way...

Back at the ranch,
Kate and I have snuggled up
to watch Cinderella and Downton Abbey...  

We would rather eat ground glass
than have a burping contest in a bumpy cab
of a semi truck...

Tom says, despite the challenges with Mr. Peterbilt,
he and Jack are having a grand old time...  

Heck, that's the good stuff
a kid remembers, right?

I hope so...

 The boys are flying home late Tuesday night
and I have planned a good, "glad to be home" meal
for Wednesday....  

Short Ribs Tagliatelle...

I found this recipe on the Food Network site,
courtesy of my little friend, Giada...

Okay, I haven't ever met her
and I can only dream of being so petite and sexy,
but I do love this dish...

The Siberian Express has blasted the Great Lakes,
and it's colder than a toilet seat in an igloo...

We need some serious comfort food...

And this is the kind that fills your belly
with warmth and happy...

Here is the list of ingredients:

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 ounces chopped pancetta (about 1/2 cup)(I used bacon)
• 2 1/2 pounds short ribs
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes (whole or diced)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle
• 4 to 6 teaspoons shaved bittersweet chocolate ( I had only semi sweet on hand..)

Pull out the big stock pot
and cook the bacon with the olive oil until crispy.
Take it out with a slotted spoon
and set aside on some paper towels.

 

Sprinkle salt and pepper on the short ribs



and then dredge them in a light coat of flour.



Brown them in the pot on all sides,
about 7 minutes.



When they are nice and carmel-y brown,
they will look like this...



Mmm!

While the meat is browning,
chop up the onion and carrot.

 

Toss them in a food processor
with the parsley and pulse
until everything is finely chopped...

 
 

Next, add the tomatoes and tomato paste and pulse....



Stand back and look at the pretty colors
and then toss the whole mess into the stockpot.
Stir and add the rosemary, thyme, oregano,
bay leaf, broth and red wine.



You will notice I use only the best leftover red wine for my recipe...

 

Bring this concoction to a boil
and then cover and simmer
for one hour and fifteen minutes...

Remove the cover
and simmer for an hour fifteen more...
I had to take Kate to karate,
so I put the pot in a 300 degree oven
for that amount of time
and it worked just fine...

Now your short ribs should be falling off the bone
 and so fragrant that you will want
to tear into them right away...

 

Unctuous is the word that comes to mind...

 

Or, you could exercise some patience
and put the pot in the fridge overnight
to let the flavors marry some more....

Who am I kidding?!
Go for it if you want to....

However, I am going the fridge route...

See how the fat solidifies at the top?
Now it is easily scooped away...

Remove the meat and the bones,
discarding the bones...

Shred the meat and return it to the velvety sauce
and reheat...

Meanwhile, boil the water for your pasta
and then cook the pasta of your choice
until al dente...


To serve, place the pasta on a large platter
and top it with the steaming shredded short rib extravaganza...

Don't forget to drizzle
that miraculous pan sauce over the top...

Here is the crazy part:
Shave some bittersweet chocolate on top...
Trust me and just do it...

Serve with a fresh salad
and crusty garlic bread...

If your peeps don't fall to their knees
then the cold has sunk deep into their hearts...

Enjoy!