Black Doors

     Hello there Bloggies!  My how I have missed you all.  Wondering what I have been up to?  Well it's too much to tell in just one post.  But I'll fill you in.   Hubby and I had to rebuild part of the front porch due to water damage, we are still building closets, I have still not finished the guest bath, oh and Hubby will be starting a new job!  Few!  I told you it was a lot!  And as usual I have about ten (that I will admit to) different project going that aren't finished yet.  We have alot of change headed our way from Hubbies new job, me possibly going back to work and a move in the future.  I am a little frazzled right now and I am not sure where to begin, but we will make it through.  So there's the update now on to my latest project!
     I finally caved for the black door craze!  I feel in love with this style a year or so ago when Thrifty Decor Chick  shared her project.  I just love how expensive a black door looks, much less the pop it gives the room with white trim.  And some of these beauties were my inspiration!

Source photo

Houzz.com

                                                           

 



I Just love the first photo, it's what I wish my door looked like, but like I always say if you can't have it,  fake it.  Because now my door looks as expensive as the one in the photo.  I'm in love!  I have only completed the Front and side door, but I plan on doing all the doors throughout the house.  I used an inexpensive paint that I picked up off the shelf at Lowes.  It's a Valspar latex enamel in Satin Black. No fancy colors for me.  I know some black colors can be cold but I think this one is toasty warm.  Here are the before shots of my two doors:

       

Living off the grid?

     Hello Bloggies!  Hope you all had a spectacular July 4th.  Ours got off to a great start, we went to the Marina and enjoyed an amazing fireworks show with friends aboard the boat!  But Thursday night we had a crazy windstorm that caused us to lose power for three days.  Yes, that is correct three days.  With temps over 100 every day!  It was terrible!  But by the morning of the third day (I'm not sure how I lasted that long) and after sweating through another sleepless night, Hubby and I made a trip to Lowes to purchase this bad boy.  And boy was I glad to bring him home!  I am not sure how people survive with no air conditioning or modern conveniences   necessities!  Living "off the grid" would never work for me.  I must be too high maintenance.  When power was finally restored and all the extension cords had been put away we celebrated our 4th anniversary by taking long showers and relaxing in the air conditioning.  We decided to take a rain check on the festivities, we were both too pooped from the heat to be up for any fun!  However we will be really celebrating tonight with a nice dinner.......it's easier to celebrate a romantic occasion like an anniversary when you can shower and are not drenched in three days of sweat! 

Firecracker Cupcakes

     Hello Bloggies!  Hope you are all staying safe in this terrible heat!  It has been ridiculous here, I mean totally unbearable.  Hubby is home on vacation and we have been trying to keep cool, today that was by taking a nice dip in the lake and yesterday just hanging in the AC!  But tonight we are getting thunderstorms....and boy do we need the rain.  Maybe it will cool us off!

     In the spirit of July 4th I wanted to share a very patriotic recipe.  It's super easy and is great for any July 4th celebration.  So here it is!

Firecracker Cupcakes

1 Box French Vanilla cake mix (prepare as directed)

Red & Blue food coloring gel

Prepare batter as directed and split batter evenly into three seperate bowls.  Add blue gel to batter in one bowl and red gel to the second batter.  Leave one batter plain.  Add blue batter to the bottom of a cupcake liner, top with the plain batter, then with the red batter.  Fill liner 3/4 from the top, about 1 tablespoon of each batter.  Bake as directed and cool completly.

Red, white & blue Buttercream

2 1/2 cups (5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

5 cups powdered (10x) sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

With a mixer beat softened butter until smooth and fluffy.  Slowly add sugar and salt at low speed until fully incorporated.  Add vanilla and cream and whip at medium high for 30 sec. to 1 minute.  In a pastry bag or large zip top bag use a butter knife to make long alternating streaks of red and blue gel color inside bag.  Then gently fill with buttercream.  Decorate top of cooled cupcake and enjoy!

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Counter height barstool makeover

     Hello again my bloggy friends! Hope you are all staying cool in this blistery summer heat. I've been hiding indoors for the past few weeks trying to stay cool. And I have accomplished nothing. I did however run into a frugal find yesterday at my favorite junkin' joint. I have been needing counter height barstools for the kitchen island that I completed months ago. We were currently sitting on bar stools, which were obviously too tall and looked ridiculous. But I couldn't help waiting for a bargain. That's where these ugly little ones came into the picture. 

     Yes, I know they are hideous!  But they were only $5 each and I already had the paint and fabric.  All I had to buy was a $7 piece of foam.  So this was the plan of atttack.  First, I gave the legs a good sanding.  I wasn't worried about the diasterous state of the seat, I planned on covering it with some fabric I had leftover from the Pallet ottoman project.  I then gave the whole thing a thorough wipe down (they came with spiders...Eeek!)  I painted the legs with some paint that I already had and used in the downstairs guest bedroom called Lyndhurst Spring Eve by Valspar.  I gave them two good coats and let them dry well.  You know for me that was about fifteen minutes,  I've never had the virtue of patience.    

     While I patiently waited for them to dry I carefully traced the top of the stool onto my foam piece and then cut it out.  By the way if you have patience you would wait until the stool is complrtly dry before trying to trace said stool top.  It is probably easier and you won't have to touch up the already drying paint and wait longer for it to dry.  Just saying!   I then place the stool and the foam upside down on top of the fabric.  I gave myself about two inches around the edges so that I could secure the fabric to the under side of the seat with staples.

   

This project was very easy and cost me a total of $17.98.  I had most of the materials on hand but it is still an inexpensive project to complete.

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