Bar Keepers Friend

I hate trying to keep our old porcelain tub and sinks clean. This came as a suggestion from my sister Erin. Thank you, Thank you!!! Bar Keepers Friend
is by far the best thing I've found to clean any porcelain surface.
Other uses for this product:
Can be used on stainless steal, plastic dishes, stove tops, tea or coffee cups! It also removes rust and discoloration from car bumpers and automobile chrome.
Hope this is a helpful cleaning tip! I love this product and I hope you'll give it a try.

Old Cupboard Door Turned Into A Chalkboard

So, I had this great old cupboard door that I got from a neighbor that was moving out of their home. Super cool find!!! Well, I worked so hard taking pictures of the whole process of making the door into a chalkboard, and somehow a few of them were deleted ???? So, all I'm able to show for this blog is the end result. However, picture in you mind an old, brown door covered in dust. I knew right away exactly what to do with it.

First, I cleaned it up. Second, I painted the border white and then sanded it down to give it an older look. Next, I taped up the inside edges with painters tape and newspaper. I used RUST-OLEUM Chalkboard spray paint(the whole can...this old door really soaked it up) and then let it dry for 24 hours.

A lot of thanks goes to my husband for hanging it up and finding the chalk to write with. Finally, a cute little message for our visitors this weekend. This has been one of my favorite projects so far!!!

Alki Beach

So, I saved this piece of driftwood knowing that I would have some use for it eventually! I've been looking for something to hang in our bathroom and finally it came to me....this would be perfect. My husband gave me the idea of what to write on it. Alki Beach...the very place we married each other 5 years ago. Here is how I did it.

First thing, make sure the board is clean of all dirt, sand, etc. Then, I chose a paint color that I love...a pale blue! Don't ask what brand or color it is, I mixed several colors of paint together that I had on hand till I got to the perfect shade of blue. Then let dry.

Next, I painted on Alki Beach. Just freehand....I didn't want it to look store bought.

As soon as the lettering is dry, take a fine sandpaper to it until it looks as rustic and worn as you'd like. Super simple!

So, remember the candle holders with the seashells? Well, I took one of the orange ones and hot-glued it to the end of the board. I love the color contrast of the pale blue and orange. Very pretty!

Finally, it was hung in our bathroom. It looks perfect. I LOVE, LOVE how this turned out. Not only was it easy, but very frugal: Free driftwood, and paint and seashells I already had on hand.

Sweet Little Treat

Here is another fun treat. This one is a little more time consuming, however, so delicious. Here is what you need:

1 box of any kind of cake mix (I just chose vanilla for the first try) and the ingredients to make the cake ie. eggs, water, oil

1 can of frosting. Again, your choice.

1 pkg of either Almond Bark(this could include chocolate or butterscotch bark) or a bag of Chocolate Chips. The choices are endless.

Food coloring in totally optional

The next step is easy....make the cake!

Let it cool and then dump it out into a mixing bowl. Crumble it completely! This is a fun job for the kids...just wash hands first!

When the cake is crumbled, add in the entire container of frosting. As you can tell, we used the rainbow chip frosting. So YUMMY! Mix until combined completely. This gets a little messy.

While making all the cake balls, you'll want to start melting your chocolate or bark! Do this either in a double boiler or in the microwave on low. I decided to color the almond bark in a pale blue color. My favorite color and the boys loved it too! As soon as it's melted start dipping the cake balls. I did it using two spoons. This step is also a little messy, but fun.

Place the treats on a baking sheet, either lined with plastic wrap or not. I chose not to use it and they came off just fine. Let cool at room temperature. As you can tell, Jaxon could not wait to try them.

Soon enough, you'll have these tasty little treats to enjoy. I know there are so many combinations I want to try. You can make them either small or large, but just a word of advice: don't do too much tasting in the process...these are pretty sweet treats!

Happy 4th of July

Sparklers

These are so easy to make and are the perfect treat for any occasion or holiday!

Here are the ingredients:

Pretzel Rods

Chocolate Chips

Sprinkles

Mini M&M's(Jaxon and Easton's choice)

First, you melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. If melting in the microwave, make sure to stir it every 30 seconds. When done melting, dip the end of the pretzel rods into the chocolate.

Right after dipping in the chocolate, sprinkle on the topping of choice. Lay the pretzels on a baking sheet covered in plastic wrap so they wont stick. Then, refrigerate for at least a half hour.

When done, display them upright in a cup and enjoy. Super easy, fun and yummy!

Pier 57 Sign

I love painting and finding old stuff and making it new. We were driving downtown Lewiston, ID and noticed an old building being torn down. We stopped and the owners said that we could have any of the torn down boards that we wanted. LOVE IT! I thought about what I wanted to paint on it and had only one thing in mind...PIER 57. It has such special meaning to me and my husband. Pier 57 in Seattle was where we went and had lunch the day after our wedding. We ate at one of our favorite restaurants...The Crab Pot. Pier 57 also reminds me of when I was younger and my family and I would go walk along the Seattle waterfront before going to Mariner Baseball games. Now I'll have a little piece of home with me wherever we live. Here is how I make it.

I took this old board and cleaned up really well with water and let it sit in the sun to dry.

After the board was dry, I painted on one coat of white acrylic paint. There is no need to be neat about this. You want it to look as rustic as possible.

After the white paint is dry, I cut out letters that I drew out and traced them on the board. You can also print out your favorite font from the computer and use them as a stencil.

Next, I painted all of the letters in with Black paint. One coat was enough for the job.

Finally, I waited for the paint to dry and then sanded it down with a fine sandpaper till I got the right look I was going for. Then, I painted on a watered down brown paint over the whole board and wiped it down with a towel. This aged it even more. I was going for the look of a board that was torn off the side of a building. I love this sign. Reminds me of home, our wedding, and Summer time going to Mariner games.

Party Mix

This is a super, easy recipe that takes very little time to make and can be enjoyed for several days. It will always remind me of my Aunt Kathy who would make it for camping trips and then again at Christmas time. My sister Erin was a big fan of it. We hope you'll try this recipe and you're sure to enjoy it!

This is a double batch(honestly, you can't just make one...it's that good)

*6 Cups Corn Chex

*6 Cups Rice Chex

*6 Cups Cheerios

*3 Cups Pretzel Sticks

*3 Cups Mixed Nuts

*2 Sticks of Butter

*3 Tbsp Worcestershire

*2 tsp Tabasco

*1/2 tsp Sriracha

*1Tbsp each of Onion and Garlic powder

*2 tsp Paprika

*1 Tbsp Salt

*1/2 Tbsp ground pepper

Melt Butter and add all above ingredients. It's easiest to used a large stock pot or really large bowl to mix all together.

Split evenly between 2 sheet pans. Place the pans on two racks in a preheated 25o degree oven. Every 15 min. turn the mix over in order to cook evenly. Bake for 1 hour. You will turn the cereal over a total of 3 times.

Let cool, and enjoy!