Milkglass Makes Me Happy!

White dishes, originally uploaded by Nestlings.

I love cute dishes, especially when they come in one of my favorite colors…white (milkglass to be exact). You just can’t get anything more useful than white dishes (well maybe you can, but we’ll save that for another post). The ideal part about sticking with one color means that you can focus on the varying designs, scallops, polka dots, hobnails, and crosshatching. Everything flows together since it’s all in the same color.

Andrea and I stumbled upon these adorable fruit bowls on our last trip to Canton. After driving in the rain and stomping through the mud with much disappointment these beauties made my day. Andrea’s, probably not so much, but as always she was a wonderful sport. On the right are a set of three porcelain nesting Lotus bowls. Just looking at them makes me happy.

Do you have a piece of dishware that just makes you happy?

My own personal hallmark

That's right, I got my own hallmark! It's called sista Renee's house! "What are you gonna bring to the baby shower?" she asks. I say "dunno". Then she brings out all the necessary items to make a personalized baby gift. All I had to do is paint and pick out ribbon and a cute knob to hang it from. Gotta love the hook up! The baby's room is black, white and baby blue, I think this will go perfect! You can find more of her personalized decor here. Happy Hallmark shopping!

Hot Hawaiian Ham Sandwiches

Sorry, night shot!

Alright, so I originally got this recipe from my friend, Jessica, and she loves to make this for baby showers. When she served it at a baby shower, I think I ate 3 or 4. I totally love them. They're perfect because you make them ahead of time and with a wild toddler like mine, anything you can prepare in advance is great:) I made them when were home visiting and when my amazing chef/brother saw the ingredients, he looked somewhat distraught/curious. I think he thought it looked kind of disgusting, but I later caught him eating some of them! Just be prepared- it's a lot of butter- but sooo good!!

Hot Hawaiian Ham Sandwiches

1 dozen King Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

1 lb. thin-sliced ham

6 slices swiss or pepperjack cheese

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Cut all the rolls in half. Place ham and 1/2 slice of cheese on each roll. Pack the sandwiches into an 8x8 baking pan (it will be a TIGHT fit). Melt butter in microwave and mix in Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Carefully pour the butter mixture all over the top of the rolls. Sprinkle poppy seeds all over the top. Cover with foil and let refrigerate overnight or 6-8 hours. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

I like to eat this with a lot of vegetables to make me feel better about the fat content! Enjoy!!

little boy bling

My girls have a plethora of bracelets, flowers, necklaces, rings, sparkly shoes, and even earrings. What does my little boy have? Nothing but boring brown shoes, brown pants and maybe a color polo. Yawn! I was so excited to see these ties at a boutique this weekend and can't wait to make my own. I had originally seen them on another blog here and knew they were just the bling my Kimball needed for church. Girls can't have all the fun right? So here's what I call the surfer-tie. It sounds so much better than the too-lazy-to-finish-the-edges tie, plus it would look great with some leather flip flops. Ooh can't wait! I wonder if it would look good on a 39year old dad? Hmmm.......

Paper Party Garland...Anthropology Style

Want a fun vintage way to add shape and movement to your next party? Have I got the project for you! These remind me of paper projects from childhood and they are easily done with old books, sheet music, or newspaper found in your own home. I found a wonderful old antique children’s story book from 1947, the only problem was the pages were falling out and it just wasn’t readable anymore. A few simple scrapbook products later and I had garlands made for myself and a few friends. Depending on the length, eight ornaments seem to be about right.

You’ll need:
Paper
Ribbon or twine
Grommets and tools (optional)
Hole punch
Stapler

To begin, you’ll cut the paper into strips; each ornament takes the following strips;
1- 2.5” X 5”
2- 2.5” X 6.5”
2- 2.5” X 7.5”
2- 2.5” X 9.5”

The papers are then ordered with the single paper in the center followed by the next size up on either side, ending with the longest piece on the outside. Make sure all of your papers are lined up on one end (since they are different sizes they can only be lined up on one end).

This is where the grommets and tools come in, if you scrapbook then apply a grommet to the top for the ribbon or twine to be strung through. The quick method is to staple the end and then add a small hole punch to the top to string the ribbon/twine.

Next, to arrive at the final shape, you’ll begin pushing the papers up from the bottom until they are all lined up; add a staple to the end so the ornament holds its shape. Do this to all of your ornaments.

Finally, string your ribbon or twine through the grommet/hole punch at the top tying a knot to keep each one in place. The spacing can be a bit tricky so a friend or spouse can come in handy.

Now you’re ready to party, Anthropology style….

How to make EASY drapes!

My favorite time of the day is when Zac comes home and we eat dinner together. It's so nice to catch up after he's been gone all day and enjoy a good (usually) meal. Unfortunately, behind Zac's angelically bearded face is this ugly, un-curtained window. I totally hated it. Until yesterday. Remember I told you I was making drapes, well, I did! And I'm so glad I just went ahead and made them myself. I saved even more money than I would've buying Target curtains. And these are made by me and are probably better fabric. The key here is shopping at the HOME fabric store. This place is amazing, although a little intimidating. If you go, try to have a good idea what you're looking for. I got this great designer weight fabric for $6 a yard. It said it was $7, but that lady there must really like me:) So it was only $38 including tax! Remember what this window looked like before?

Well, here's what it looks like now!

Likey? Ready to make some yourself?! Well here you go!


What you'll need:


6 yards of fabric, cut in half, like a hamburger, so you'll have 2, 3 yard pieces (you will have some extra leftover)

measuring tape

scissors

iron

sewing machine loaded with plenty of thread

1. Measure your length of fabric to 91" (for 84-85" drapes) Cut off the excess fabric.

2. Before you measure 91" for the second drape, cut the edge of the fabric so you're starting at the same design point. This way the pattern will be at the same point on both drapes. Then cut it at 91".

3. Iron in about 1 1/2" of the selvage. This will be on the long side (the 91" side).

4. Then fold over again and iron down. Now repeat these two steps for the other side of the panel.

5. Sew a straight stitch all the way down both sides of the panel where you just ironed. I just keep the left side of the presser foot on the edge of the fabric as shown here.

6. Now you're going to iron down the top of the panel. Fold over, iron. Fold over again, iron again.

7. Then sew down with a straight stitch as shown here.

8. I wanted my drapes to be about 85" long, so I just measured where that would be, and then ironed it down.

9. I then folded in the cut off edge so I wouldn't have a raw edge showing. Then iron again and sew it down! Repeat all the ironing and sewing steps to complete two panels.

And here are the final results! I measured my drapes one last time so my man could hang the curtain rod at the right height so my drapes were just touching the ground.

Here's what I see as I come up the stairs! Last night I kept walking up and down so I could see it again and again!

One more view- I'm so happy with how they turned out! And they only took half a naptime- an hour and a half to complete!

Fabric: $38

Curtain rod: $25

Curtain rod clips (2): $10

Total cost: $73

I'm linking this to Today's Creative Blog

Happy Texas Independence Day Ya'll

"You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas" --Davy Crockett

When we moved to Texas nearly twelve years ago our family decided to begin a new tradition. March 2 is Texas Independence day and we've embraced it in our own special way. This year was no exception, we made homemade chili, cornbread, complete with the highlighted Texas sheet cake we all love. This is a recipe my family has used for at least 30 years, it actually came from Quincey, WA back when I was young. Almost like a light brownie, this cake is amazing right out of the oven or, if there's any left, is perfect for breakfast (with a glass of milk...see, my mama taught me to eat right!).

Most of my friends know me as someone who doesn't cook, but YES, I did make the sample shown and yes, it does taste amazing. Go on, try it, this is a recipe you'll add to your permanent recipe box.

Texas Sheet Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cubes butter
• 1 cup water
• 4 Tbsp. cocoa
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. baking soda

In a large bowl or mixer put sugar, flour, and salt. In a heavy pan bring butter, water, and cocoa to a boil, remove from heat and add immediately to dry ingredients. Add sour cream. Add eggs and soda, mixing well. Batter will be very thin. Bake in a greased cookie sheet type pan with high sides (the cookie sheet pans from Costco work well). Bake at 375' for 20-25 minutes. Prepare frosting while cake is baking. You want the cake and frosting to be hot when it is applied.

Butter Nut Frosting

• 1 cup nuts (optional)
• 1 cup butter
• 1 box (160z) powdered sugar
• 6 Tbsp. canned milk
• 4 Tbsp. cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla

Boil milk, butter, and cocoa in a heavy pan until bubbly. Stir in nuts, sugar, and vanilla until smooth (your arm will get tired so inlist a friend or child if necessary). Spread over hot cake.

Now let the party begin- hope ya'll enjoy it!