Decorating on a dime - chalkboard paint

For months, I have had the epitome of frugal decorating fun sitting patiently in my attic.
It has been whispering, "Jen, just take me out to play for a few minutes. Please, you won't regret it."
So I finally paid heed to the voice and had a blast.

This little wonder paint allows you to actually buy those ugly trinkets that most people can't give away at yard sales, and then turn them into priceless works of art. Well, not quite... but almost.

Take this silver plated mirror I bought for $0.25. The kind your grandma had sitting around collecting dust. I polished it, taped it, primed the actual mirror with cheap Walmart spray paint, and then painted the area where I wanted the chalk board.

VOILA!

It took minutes to do the actual work, and was SO EASY!
Decorating on a dime (or two) at its finest.
It was the drying time and all the patience in that process that was the most difficult. I am now deciding where to put it. It definitely won't go in this holder, but it worked well for the drying process.

Maybe here, but it's a bit smooshed...
My plan is to use this every time we have guests spend the night. It will be on the guest bed with other goodies that I leave on the pillow.
My second project was a larger tray. Yes, we've all given these to Good Will, haven't we?
I actually had to re-buy one at a yard sale, but at $0.50. it was a done deal. Think outside the box. I now hunt for cheap, ugly things. :)

I decided to paint this all white. Same process as above, but I primed the entire tray before applying the chalk board paint.

I am going to use this as my menu display. It will be a good reminder that I need to cook if it hasn't changed in...um...days/weeks. :)

Yes, the beautiful outlet that was placed over the stove , most likely for a microwave, is a definite decorating detriment. I am only cover it up so much. Since I just finished this project today, I haven't added any more accents. I will probably hang a few decorative plates on each side.
Again, this project took minutes and the total cost was UNDER $1.

My last painting project of the day was to add a dash of creativity to my pantry doors. I have thought about painting them a bold color, and I may still, but I decided to have some fun that I knew the kids would enjoy. For now, I am only doing the middle panels, but I may go back and do the rest. I'm going to play with it first.

Painting tip? Always prime your area first with inexpensive primer to save money on the chalk board paint. I thought I could get away with out priming, but had to go over one side 4 times, as opposed to the two times with the primer.

My daughter wrote a sweet bible verse on one side and I decided to begin my grocery list.
Minutes later I came downstairs and so that an addition had been made to my "must buy" list.
Can you guess what that "necessity" could be? I chuckled so hard when my son stated, " I did it just like your hand writing so that when you went shopping, you'd just buy it."

Yes, my kids are the "only" children in America that don't have any kind of gaming system, nor will they ever. He can vicariously live through his shopping list. Such a mean mom I am. :)

I am SO thrilled that I took a few minutes out of my day to let me new friend come out and play. And guess what? He is going to play a LOT more since I have so much paint left. But those surprises will have to wait.

Go have your self some 'decorating on a dime' fun with chalk board paint. You won't regret it!

Posted at: Rhoda's, Sweet Kimba's , Shabby Chic Cottage

Deals and Steals

Here is my "when ever I get around to it" deals and steals edition.
Let me know if you've found any great deals and I will add it to the list. :)
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Are you enjoying your Entertainment book, but you've already run out of your favorite BOGO Free coupons? You can get a free 2009 book when you reserve the 2010 edition that is almost ready. I'm thrilled!

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Sign up and save with Home depot. Save 10% storewide, receive tips, advice and supplies.
I just got my coupons in the mail from their garden club.

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Arby's has Wednesday Freebies all summer long.
Today (July 8th), receive a free Orange Cream Shake with sandwich purchase.
Next Wednesday (7/15), get a free Regular Roast Beef sandwich with drink purchase.

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Sign up for free travel magazine and great frugal/ weekly deals

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Sign up and receive free sample of Enfamil Baby Formula.


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Join Disney Movie Rewards and earn Disney Magic Points to receive savings offers and member benefits.

What do I make with all this squash?

It’s that time of the year when our garden starts to blossom, and we begin to wonder what in the world we were thinking when we planted all that zucchini and yellow squash. Within a month, well meaning church friends will bring baskets of their bounty to share, yet many of us detour down a side aisle. I am here to assure you…take it!

This is a win-win recipe, even if your kids go running when they hear the word squash. Just name it something else, and I guarantee this is one way you can get those veggies down without a spoonful of sugar.

We gobbled up two versions on the 4th, but this first version I ate for leftovers…cold…and it was still good.

You can modify easily into a lower fat version, as well as making it a main course by adding chopped chicken.

My sis tweaked it a bit, but I am giving you the recipe as it was posted.

Summer (yellow) squash casserole

(originally from Foodnetwork.com)

• 1 3/4 pounds crookneck yellow squash or other yellow summer squash
• 1/4 pound zucchini or additional yellow summer squash
• 1/2 cup coarse-chopped carrots (we omitted)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (we used salted)
• 1 large onion, preferably yellow, chopped
• 1 plump garlic clove, minced (we added more)
• 1/2 cup grated mild to medium Cheddar cheese
• Hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a medium baking dish.

Slice the yellow squash and zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Place the yellow squash, zucchini and carrots in a saucepan, barely cover with water and salt well. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.

Meanwhile, warm 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and cook slowly until very soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl. Wipe out the skillet, return it to medium-low heat, and add to it the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cracker crumbs and cook briefly until the crumbs are golden. Scrape them onto a small plate and reserve them.

Drain the squash mixture, mashing the vegetables just a bit. Spoon it into the mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of cracker crumbs, cheese and a good splash or two of the pepper sauce. Salt and pepper generously to taste. Stir in the eggs and spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Scatter the toasted cracker crumbs over the top. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and lightly firm in the center. Serve hot.

Paula Dean’s Squash Casserole

• 6 cups large diced yellow squash and zucchini
• Vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon House seasoning, recipe follows
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup crushed butter crackers

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté the squash in a little vegetable oil over medium-low heat until it has completely broken down, about 15 to 20 minutes. Line a colander with a clean tea towel. Place the cooked squash in the lined colander. Squeeze excess moisture from the squash. Set aside. (this step if VERY important so it's not so soggy. You can just put it between paper towel or napkins).

In a medium size skillet, sauté the onion in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and mix all ingredients together except cracker crumbs. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

House Seasoning: 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Yield: 1 1/2 cups

So how is your garden growing? It’s been fun to see more and more ideas for seasonal fruits and veggies, but I love seeing all your recipes every week.

As always, please follow the simple guidelines or post will be deleted.
1. Include your post showing us your Tasty Tuesday recipe or ideas.
2. Link up below to the permalink of your post. To find out what yours is, simply click on the title of your post and grab the permalink from the address bar.
3. Link your post back to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam as a courtesy to me so everyone will know where to find more recipe inspiration.

Our Family Flag

BHG

Our Family Flag
As a home school mom, who rarely shares about her homeschooling on this blog, I wanted to incorporate a very tiny educational tradition for this wonderful holiday.
Point out the American Flag every time you see one with your children. Explain that the flag stands for our country and that it’s one way to tell the whole world who we are as a people.
It also shows we’re connected to each other as Americans. Discuss the sacrifice that our Old Glory represents - the generations of people that have given their lives for our freedom. Regardless of the political climate, or how you feel about our nation's state of affairs, this is one of the greatest countries in the world; a country that stands for freedom, and one which helps other lands gain their personal freedom.
Because our flag is symbolic of all these things, we treat it with respect. At home, study a flag more closely and explain to your children that each part of the flag has a meaning.

The 50 stars stand for the 50 states. The 13 stripes stand for the 13 British Colonies, whose citizens decided in 1776 that they wanted to govern themselves rather than be ruled by a king.

Just like my family has created our own "family logo and phrase," what better way than the 4th of July to create your own Family Flag? (We haven't done this yet, but isn't this a fun idea?)
Use construction paper, felt,or fabric. Select the colors together. Instead of stars, cut or embroider symbols that represent each member of your
family; a favorite hobby (ballet, baseball, golf, gardening), or a characteristic (sweet, determined, hard-working, fun). Make sure every family member participates in the creation of your “Family Flag” since it’s symbolic of the most important group in your life - your family.
What an amazing legacy piece this will be for generations to come.

4th of July Decorating and Craft ideas

There are so many quick and easy ways to decorate for the 4th. I am always a week late getting my decorations up. So in typical fashion, I went and pulled things down from my attic today.
Yes real time, on evening of July 2nd, and I am posting them an hour later. That means it's not too late to engage in the festive side of decorating. :)

For many, it's a necessity to pull things together quickly.

And that doesn't mean sacrificing style. I know many of us have one of these kitchen
organizers. How simple and elegant.

Since Patriotic decorations are not something that we typically keep up for long periods of time, USE WHAT YOU HAVE! Do you have white dishes and Christmas red napkins? Throw in a dash of blue and you can set a patriotic plus tone for the 4th.
I hit a yard sale earlier this season and she had decorated her kitchen in flag decor.
I bought 4 of these baskets to use for chips, napkins, ketchup bottles etc.
They were a quarter each.
She also had three of these hanging plaques for $0.50. In 20 seconds, I had an instant "window mistreatment." I don't typically decorate with a "country" feel, but it's perfect for this week.
I'm still looking for my big flag afghan and the flag material that are hiding from me in our attic. I love to drape them across the sofas.
Followers of my blog know that I can not have enough candles. No one can. Outside on our deck, these star candles will be floating in a blue bowl to create cozy night time ambiance.

Yes, an entire box - all brand new....from a yard sale.

Candles are EVERYWHERE at yard sales.
WHY? Burn your candles, my friends.
They are are a frugal decorator's best friend.

And if you are busy trying to get ready for your festivities, why not let the kids help with the decorating.
Most of us have some clear, flat marbles laying around. Let them have fun and create a masterpiece at the same time.

Pride Pins

Flat glass marbles serve as canvases for mini masterpieces. Using the colors of our flag, making pride pins as gifts is as easy as one-two-three!

BHG has some wonderful ideas, as usual.

4^th of July Crafts for kids and adults, including how to make fun flags for your home and yard

Decorating Ideas with red, white and blue color schemes for just about everything in your home

Don't miss the whole week of my 4th of July tradition and recipe ideas.

posted at :hooked on houses, Rhoda's