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Craig’s List Makeover By Bleak 2 Unique

Hi, I’m Lori from over at Bleak 2 Unique where I like to do just that…take the bleak and make it uniquely me. I’m super excited to be a guest here at “Project Queen”….Thanks so much Mandy!!! Today I would like to share my first chair makeover. I have at least a dozen chairs stored here and there, but I finally got busy and fixed one up. This is one of three chairs that I picked up for free on Craigslist…gotta love CL. Unfortunately, I couldn’t decide what to do with em’ , and so they sat in the garage forevvver. Then it occurred to me that I didn’t have to make a final decision….I could keep my options open by just tackling one, and see if I like it. Liking a lot of different styles can make it hard to make a decor decision sometimes…do y’all have that problem? Finally motivated to get moving, here is where I started…

A little dirty and beat up…but cute

Great details

Nice legs

She had a few “dings”, and I hate to sand, so out came the homemade chalk paint. Don’t get me wrong, I love Annie’s chalk paint, but since I have a budget I make my own…
and you can too….you can get the recipe HERE.
After removing the seat and tightening up all the screws, I brushed on the first coat…

Needs more cleaning

Screws tightened

First coat on

While the chair dries, I worked on the new seat. Recently I found a curtain, and the fabric was just what I was looking for…bright, bold, and durable (the lining makes it heavier). The cushion was left over from another project, so I just cut it to fit and secured it with spray adhesive…like this…

Love this fabric

Cushion cut

Spray and press…done!

I used the seat as a template and cut the fabric leaving a six inch border. There was quite a bit of extra fabric to cut off, but too much is better than not enough, right? To finish off the seat I stapled each side in the middle…pulling tight, and working out to the corners.

Once the seat was finished I got back to the chair. Usually I just distress pieces a little bit, but on this project I wanted to try a more distressed look. I sanded, sanded some more and then finished up with a coat of wax…

Distressed

The only step left….put her together and take her picture…..Here she is…”Paisley Love”. Tell me what you think…Too much distressing? Not enough distressing? Wrong color? Right color? Whatever you think, let’s hear it!

Thanks so much Mandy for having me over, and letting me share with your readers today!!!

4 Comments

Skinny Cocktail Recipes

Hey everyone!!! I’m sitting in the Admiral’s Club (thank goodness for hubby’s “work perks”) killing time until our international flight takes off in 2 more hours… so what better way than to kill some time, but to blog stalk!

I came across a great article on Skinny Alcoholic Beverages. I don’t know about all of you, but when summer time approaches I find I often indulge (sometimes a little too much… but that will be our little secret) in something icy and cold and preferably a drink with some alcohol present. My favorite is a Patron Margarita with a Grande Marnier floater on top.

I was shocked to discover that a pint sized margarita can have up to 800 calories in it (that doesn’t even count the Grande Marnier!) What about a Long Island Ice Tea? Yikes- 1,043 calories and 58 carbohydrates (mostly from sugar).

Every Day Health has a great article and lots of wonderful recipes to make those icy, cold beverages a whole lot lighter on the ol’ calories! Just a few of them are…

Cinco De Mayo Mango Margarita
180 Calories

Skinny Strawberry Mojito
80 Calories

Bridal Shower Mimosas
120 Calories

These are only a few of the drinks with the recipes being shared. Y.U.M.

Head on over to Every Day Health and get the
skinny on these wonderful guilt free cocktails.

Let’s go bottoms up without the guilt .

What’s Cooking, Love?

Hi, I am Alyssa from What’s Cooking, Love?

I am so excited to be here guest posting at Project Queen.

I love Mandy’s blog and I like to party at her Turning the Daunting into the Doable Link Party!

I am a wife to my wonderful husband and a mother to my 10 month old son. I like to blog about cooking and love food! My blog is about cooking easy, good food, using shortcuts and timesavers. I also host a weekly link party, Showcase Your Talent Thursday. I hope that you stop by and visit.

This Cheddar Chicken and Rice Skillet is a perfect example of an easy time saving meal. This is a one dish meal that is easy to make and is great for a fast dinner or a weeknight meal. When my husband and I get home from work, we are usually hungry and don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking dinner.

This meal is quick, without a lot of prep, and doesn’t dirty a lot of dishes. This meal was really good and and more vegetables can be added to it if you wanted. This dish tastes great and is easy to make. We will be making this dish again! Enjoy!!

Cheddar Chicken and Rice Skillet

(Recipe adapted from Kraft Food and Family Magazine Fall 2006)

1/2 cup reduced fat or fat free Italian dressing

2 cups of precooked chicken, cubed

2 cups brown rice, uncooked

1 1/4 cups of reduced sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 cup of reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Heat the Italian dressing in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add the chicken and garlic powder and cook and stir for 2 minutes.

2. Stir in the rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cover. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until the rice is tender. Let stand covered, 5 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.

3. Add the tomatoes and the cheddar cheese and stir until blended.

Thank you so much to Mandy for allowing me to guest post!

I hope that you stop by and visit me at What’s Cooking, Love?!

You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, or by RSS Feed

Thanks!

1 Comment

Busy Mom’s Version of Scotchmallows

For this week’s post, I had it all planned. I was going to do a healthy version of those cute cake balls that you see everywhere. I even ran out and bought one of those cake ball machines (on sale and with a coupon, of course)! My brilliant idea was peanut butter balls filled with organic strawberry jelly. Sounded good, easy, and a fun snack that the boys would love!

I came home with my handy, dandy cake ball machine and went right to work! I whipped up a recipe for a healthy peanut butter cake, put it in my little maker and waited the 5 min. Popped them out, filled them with my healthy, organic strawberry jelly and then put them out for the critics (being my husband and 4 boys). Well let’s just say, they didn’t go over well! My husband made a choking sound when he took a bite. When I asked him, “Are they really that bad?” His answer was, “Well, I wouldn’t be going back for a second sample if we were at Costco.” My three year old took a bite, then threw it (which he isn’t allowed to do… no food throwing in my house) and then guess what???? The dog wouldn’t even it! I grabbed one, thinking, “They really can’t be that bad”, took a bite and they weren’t exaggerating! They were awful!!! When my husband asked what they were made of I told him, “Whole wheat flour, honey and peanut butter.” He said, “Did you really expect them to be good?” Hmmm….

As I sat there feeling a little disappointed at my latest creation, my oldest son came in. He was so sad. He had been excited to spend the weekend with his dad. Unfortunately, my ex-husband wasn’t able to pick him up and I had one little, sad boy on my hands. I hate when my kids are hurt and I can’t fix it!!! Don’t you? But then, I had a plan!!! His favorite chocolates are Scotchmallows from See’s Candy. So I decided to make him my version of those!

Scotchmallow Recipe

1 bag of large Marshmallows
1 bag of Chocolate Chips (you can use any flavor)
1 bag of Kraft Caramels
Lollipop or Popsicle Sticks

Directions:

1. Cut the marshmallows in half.
2. Cut the caramels in half and then press them so they are thin and flat.
3. Layer the caramel, marshmallow and then the caramel again.

4. Melt the chocolate chips and dip the layered caramel/marshmallow/caramel.
5. Allow them to cool on wax paper.

6. Once they are cool, re-dip them into the chocolate.
7. Add a lollipop stick to them.
8. Before they cool, you can roll them in crushed graham crackers (this was our favorite) or crushed peanuts.

They were a hit! My hubby said, “Now, these are good!”

By the way, I did end up making the kids something healthy. I had leftover chocolate, so I cut bananas in chunks and dipped them in the chocolate and added a stick! I know, I know, maybe NOT THAT HEALTHY…. but some days, you need to break the rules!!

Thanks Mandy for having me!

Hope everyone has a great week.

Sharing with these amazing parties!

The 36th AVENUE

3 Comments

Guest Post Round-Up

I’m on the countdown for a little R & R with the hubby for a few weeks.
I mentioned yesterday that I won’t be hosting the Link Party
for 2 weeks.

“Turning the Daunting Into the Do-able” will be back up and running on
Tuesday, May 8th.

In the mean time, I have NINE amazing women (with fabulous blogs)
who will be sharing with all of you!

Friday, April 20 – Alyssa from What’s Cooking, Love?

Alyssa started her blog so she could log and keep track of her recipes,
and let me tell you… she has some great recipes! Alyssa is all about
cooking easy, good food, using shortcuts and time savers.

Monday, April 23 – Lori from Bleak 2 Unique

Lori is a southern gal who loves to find trashy treasures and make them new.
I got a sneak peak of the post she is sharing with you and it is GORGEOUS!!

Wednesday, April 25 – Bethany from Pitter and Glink

Bethany is a high school literature teacher during the day and a
crafter by night. She has a whimsical “twist” to her projects
that I love and I know you will too. Bethany also has a great Etsy shop!

Thursday, April 26 – Christina from I Gotta Create!

Christina believes that everything is an opportunity for creativity.
She approaches every day life with new angles of possibility.
She is the Queen of re-cycling, re-using and re-purposing!Christina hosts an awesome party every week.Friday, April 27 – Kirsten from The Sweet Swiper

Kirsten is an amazing baker!
I have tried several of her recipes and they have been
a hit with my family and friends.
Her blog documents all that goes down in her kitchen!

Monday, April 30 – Shari from Turnstyle Vogue Design & Styling

Shari has the gift of creating furniture and projects that are “outside the box”.
Her furniture re-do’s are beautiful and her crafts are unique!
She has an “earthy” style and is a no-nonsense kind of gal!
You won’t see any bows or frills – just gorgeous down-to-earth talent.

Wednesday, May 2 – Andrea from The Cottage Market

Andrea’s blog is just “plain ol’ eye candy”!
I can never get enough of the colors!
She is an amazing blogger with a heart of gold.
This woman can take a stick and make it beautiful.
Andrea also has 1 and 2 Etsy shops.

Thursday, May 3 – Tracie from Project Queen

Tracie is my sweet step-daughter who I adore. She shares her recipes
and projects at Project Queen every other Thursday.
She is a busy Mom of 4 boys (yes, my adorable grandsons). Tracie shares
what works and doesn’t work with all those boys in a crazy household!

Friday, May 4 – Emily from 52 Mantels

Emily can decorate a mantel like no other…. the colors that she incorporates
into her projects have a WOW factor that will brighten anyone’s day.
She is married to a hunky man and has an adorable little girl.
She also hosts a great party on Thursdays!

I’m blessed and honored to have these ladies sharing on Project Queen during the next few weeks.
I hope that you make them feel welcomed during my absence and send
lots of COMMENTS their way!!!

We all love comments!!!

Link Party Highlights #29 – “Turning the Daunting Into the Do-able”

It’s that time again friends…Link Party Highlights!

I’m excited to show you what caught my eye this week.

But first, I need to give you some GOOD NEWS and some BAD NEWS.

Which do you want first? Well, I always want the bad news first…

BAD NEWS:
There will not be a link party for two weeks…booooo!

GOOD NEWS:
I’m taking 2 weeks of R & R… yay!

MORE GOOD NEWS:
I have 8 amazing guests that will be sharing some fabulous projects
over the next few weeks…yay!
I will be posting the names tomorrow… so be sure you check back!

EVEN MORE GOOD NEWS:
My step-daughter, Tracie and her husband, Brandon are moving to Fresno!!!!
You know what that means??? I’ll have 4 grandson’s living in the same town!!!
Can you tell I’m a LITTLE BIT excited????

Okay now… let’s get on with the highlights!

Terry from Forever Decorating showed off her white ironstone on her White Hutch.

It looks fabulous!
I’m lovin’ that cloche on top with the books under it!

Wendy from Her-Ballistic Garden repainted a Vintage Mirror (lovin’ the shabby chic white) and put it into her powder room.

This mirror is beautiful. So feminine.

Lori from The Stonybrook House made these adorable Spring Topiaries.

She got most of her supplies from the Dollar Store!
Lori has a great tutorial to share with you.

Audra from The Kurtz Corner made these adorable Pink Lemonade Cupcakes.

Her husband said they were the best cupcakes that she has ever made!
She shares the recipe on her adorable blog.

Amy and Chris from Our Pinteresting Family framed out their Living Room Wall.

Love this!
It’s amazing how this one simple change warmed up their living room!

Karen from Redoux Interiors refurbished a Buffet Cart.

She took this little orphan home and turned it
into a buffet cart fit for a garden party!
If you haven’t been to Redoux, you are in for a treat.
Karen is a very talented lady. She loves the little orphans .

Crystal aka Mrs. Happy Homemaker whipped up some Brown Sugar Bacon Stuff Waffles.

Oh YUM.
My grandchildren would LOVE these!
Those boys ♥ bacon.

Micki from ADD Housewife made these sweet Edible Tea Cups for her daughter’s birthday party.

They are adorable!

Aimee from Twigg Studios shows us how to make Fabric Peonies.

These are so pretty!

Julie from Knot All That I Seam turned a roadside rescue into this awesome Desk Chair.

Beautiful job, Julie!

Danette from The Shady Porch shared a recipe for a Pizza Casserole.

Easy and delicious!!

Thank you everyone for linking up all of your awesome projects.

Ladies, you are THE BEST!!!

If you have been featured, please grab a “feature” button and paste it
on your blog somewhere. That way everyone can join the party!

9 Comments

Pink Chevron Frames

Ta-da!

Finally finished with my Chevron Frames. I’m lovin’ them… but they did take some work because I really had no idea what I was doing. I’ve seen some beautiful Chevron Frames out there in Blogland, so I decided that I needed to make some for the baby nursery. I will be showing the nursery off when the final touches are done in a few more weeks! If you missed the posts on Giada’s nursery, you can catch up by going here, here and here.

I used three different kinds of trim for the frame.

This has to be the awfullest picture I have ever taken…
and I thought I was doing so well with my new camera.
PicMonkey couldn’t even fix it.
If you haven’t been to PicMonkey you have to give it a try!

Here is the 3rd trim.
Picture is a bit better!

I can’t wait to get these hung in Giada’s nursery!

I’m sharing with these wonderful blog parties…
It's OVerflowing

13 Comments

How To Make A Succulent Wreath

If you are looking for Link Party #29 CLICK HERE.

Last week after bible study, a group of us ladies got together and made a succulent wreath. It was so much fun and very easy! These wreaths are so simple to care for. They do not require alot of water and they do well in the sun and shade – very low maintenance – my kind of plant. You can hang them or use them as a table decoration (pretty with a candle in the middle).

Supplies Needed

2 Metal Wreaths (same size)
Succulents
Planting Mix (Miracle Grow Moisture Control)
Fishing Line
Sphagnum Moss
Scissors
Burlap Ribbon
Floral Pins
Sharpy Pen (or something to poke a hole into the moss)

My BFF, did a great job setting everything up for us!

Step 1: Fill a bowl with water and add the moss, making sure that the moss is submerged all the way into the water. Soak your moss for at least 1 hour.

We even had gloves! The woman thinks of everything

Step 2: Begin by grabbing a handful of moss and squeezing out all of the water.

Step 3: Begin attaching your moss to the front of a wreath. Pack it tight and push it through the wires so that it stays.

Step 4: Once you have the front of your wreath covered, turn it over and put your potting soil into the back of the wreath.

Step 5: Place the 2nd wreath on top of the potting soil.

Step 6: Attach moss to the 2nd side of the wreath. Make sure that you add moss to the sides.

Step 7: Cut a long piece of fishing line (about 3-4 ft) and wrap around your wreath (spacing widely) to hold it together. I went around my twice (2nd time was the opposite way). Tie off with a knot.

Step 8: Using a sharpie (or anything to poke a hole) poke a hole where you want to plant your succulent.

Step 9: As you plant your succulents, use the floral pins to hold them in. Don’t put the pin through the actual plant, just try to “catch” part of the plant to hold it down.

Step 9: Be sure that you leave some room to put your bow on… You might want to do this before you start putting in your succulents!

You can learn from my mistakes

I love how they turned out!

Be sure to water your wreath regularly until the succulent’s roots get established.

I’m sharing with…

9 Comments

Welcome to Link Party #29 – “Turning the Daunting Into the Do-able”

Welcome to Link Party #29!
“Turning the Daunting Into the Do-able”

If you missed Link Party #28 Highlights,
CLICK HERE

I can’t wait to see what you are going to share this week!

Rules for the Party:

1. Please no Etsy Shops, Businesses, or Giveaways.
2. I’d love it if you followed me on Linky Follower! (Right hand column). Leave me a comment so I know to follow you back.
3. Grab a button please and post anywhere on your blog.
4. Please link up something NEW that you have not shared before. Link up only YOUR work and not someone else’s.
5. Most important – please visit someone who has linked up and leave a kind comment. Don’t you be a “hit and run” blogger now . It only takes a few minutes to say “hi” to someone new! We all love comments!

Let’s Party!

PLEASE NO EASTER LINK UPS!

8 Comments

Link Party Highlights #28 – “Turning the Daunting Into the Do-able”

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter.
We had gorgeous, perfect, warm weather here in California.
I can’t remember a day it has ever rained on Easter.
Seems like the sky just clears up and God shines on us!

Thank you everyone for your encouragement to continue the “Turning the Daunting Into the Do-able” Party. When I read the FB conversation and wrote my post, I REALLY wanted to make sure that everyone knew that I was having a party for the right reasons…. and it was NOT to increase followers on my blog. I hope that I was able to get verbalize it properly and not confuse anyone!

Again, thank you for your comments and the private emails that I received. They meant the world to me. I really do have some wonderful friends out there in blog land!

Are you ready for the projects that caught my eye this week? Here we go…

Rachael from House of Noise…I Mean Boys showed us her fabulous Gallery Wall.

She shares a secret on how she hung these so nicely.