Refurbishing

The past few months I have been playing with some smaller items of furniture (pictures were previously posted) ... but I just finished a larger item.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a "before" picture.  However, I have a companion piece to this furniture so you can see how dark the wood and varnish is.  Hopefully this little hutch will get finished soon for my house (and I will post pictures when it is done) ....

BEFORE:

AFTER...  The dresser was painted in white, some of the old stain showed through in places, and I used a tea dyed glaze over the white.  The old hardware was broken so I found like replacements.

 and I made a little dresser quilt for the top out of some scraps.

I grew quite fond of it, but a family member of a family member is enjoying it now. 

Will I have withdrawals?

The past few days I have let several quilts go to new homes.  I know I can't keep them all, and I need to do this, but dang I love them.  The good side is they will be used and loved rather than just being put away where they aren't seen.  These two have a common theme -- fall!  Everyone must be loving this time of year and wanting something to decorate with or warm to wrap up in.  

Oak Leaves N Reel

I believe this fabric is a Sandy Gervais print "Trick or Treat"
I pieced it years ago and just got the quilting done, cottons and flannels

Look at those cute pumpkins and leaves

I will share pictures of some others in a separate post. 

The winner is ....

Jasmine Walker is the winner of the give away!  Congratulations Jasmine.  You can contact me and we will discuss what size and determine the exact colors.  Thank you for following our blog and participating.

Step Stool

With lots of little ones in our family I needed something small children could stand on to help in the kitchen, whether it's dishes (NOT) or making cookies (much more likely).  I thought this little stool would be just the right height.  It is sturdy, and just needed some scrubbing and a little paint ...

Although I have been painting with a lot of black I opted to paint the legs a dark brown with a red undercoat on the top and a mustard color over the top.  I LOVE the way it turned out.  It isn't in the way when it's in the kitchen, its' also perfect for a small seat for a little one. 

Rhonda

High Chair

I found this darling wood high chair at a local thrift shop.  It was in pretty good condition, the tray had a good size crack in it but I knew that could be fixed -- so it found itself a new home (in my garage that is for 3 or more months). ;o)

Now it has a new do so to speak -- some red peeking through under the black and now my grand daughter, or nieces and nephews have a place to eat when they come to visit.  It makes me wonder who had this chair in their home previously -- and how old it is.  It will be in my home now until the little ones are gone, but we are hoping for some more in our family.

Rhonda

It's a Give Away

I don't know about all of you, but we have a problem at our house, I am constantly finding my son's hoodies, belts, etc. strung all over the house whether it's the floor, couches, over doors ... you name it and it's there.  So I asked him about making something to hang his "stuff" on and explained to him what my ideas were about coming up with something cool for a hook/coat rack.  He went to our ever growing scrap wood pile, I had some hooks on hand -- and after playing in the garage for a while I thought he came up with something totally awesome.  The reveal ....

Since it's time for back to school and there will be more coats, back packs, and the like at your home, we are giving away a hook/coat rack.  To enter please comment on what you would use a rack for, what room you would use it in, and what colors you would like it to be painted ... and the winner will receive a custom made hook/rack (whatever you want to call it).  So get up, go look around your house and send us your comments.  And to sweeten the pot -- you need not be present to win!  Isn't this internet/blogging stuff so cool???? Have a great day. 

 Rhonda

Oh and a winner will be announced on August 10, 2012.

Velvet Banana Bread

 My mom used to make Banana Bread all of the time and it was delicious! It was the best Banana Bread recipe that I have tried, up until now. I have been on this journey, to take my favorite foods and make them healthier. So I played with this recipe and the end result is absolutely delicious. Not only does it take about 1/2 ......Yes, I said 1/2 of the calories out, it is much more moist and flavorful.

 The original recipe called for 2 cubes of butter and 2 cups of sugar! If I added up the calories from that alone, it would be a staggering 3,148! So I knew I had to make some changes, so here they are...

I changed out the 2 cubes of butter, for 1 cup of applesauce. I also took the sugar down from 2 cups to 1  1/2 cups. Not only does it save thousands of calories, it is a delicious treat that you will love. Here is the recipe:

• 5 large ripened bananas
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup applesauce
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large mixer, add bananas and mix until liquefied. Stir in sugar, eggs and applesauce.. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and kosher salt and stir until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Mix on a low speed until the flour is incorporated. Add chopped walnuts if desired. Pour into two bread pans that have been sprayed with a Non-Stick Spray. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

I hope you enjoy this Banana Bread as much as my family does. It is such an easy recipe and it is a healthy snack or treat!

Julie