Just a little ditty about TLC

If you haven't heard of the amazingly talented and beautiful (inside and out) Layla Palmer, you MUST go and check out her blog and read about her newest venture.

Not only does Layla, of The Lettered Cottage, have a thriving design consultation business she does commissioned pet portraits, sells her quote and good jars (which I LOVE and have given as a gift), works with her mom on shell boxes, and her and her adorable hubby also have Lettered Cottage Art (which I love as well).

Now if you haven't been over there then you might not know how talented her hubs is too!

Sorry Layla, but I have to share just a little about your adorable and just as talented hubby. Kevin is not only A-dor-able and just as goofy but he is a musician (swoon) and not just any musician. He is the lead in a band, and a band that I really like! How did these two find each other (in a bar, none the less)? So, I guess what I am trying to say is over there at TLC they are all talented, I think even their little pooch Max has talent in his blood!

O.k back to the real reason for this post. Sorry I'm a sucker for both musicians and cutie-patootees, so Kevin had to get a shout out!

This talented little lady is the reason I am blogging. I adore her style, her attitude, her drive and determination, and her real goofy self, which we don't get to see enough of!

Ehm... more instructional videos or fun "day in the life of" videos Layla (and Kevin) PLEASE!

So if you haven't guessed it Layla has been my inspiration and she continues to inspire me each and every day.

Her new venture with her friend Sarah has just begun but I know it will be just one more thing that Layla is great at.

If you haven't been there already please go visit Lettered Cottage Home and give them some love. Once you are there, I know you will just love everything Lettered Cottage like I do! There is a reason that The Lettered Cottage's initials are TLC. Every thing that girl touches receives a little of her TLC!

Good luck Layla and Sarah. I wish you only the best in all that you do!

Cafe Curtain Cover Up

It's Make your Monday at Twice Remembered and I'm sharing this Cafe Curtain Cover Up!
When remodeling our house we took out some old closets and made this bookcase cubby out of a corner of our master bedroom. It sat like this forever.

I can't believe I even shared that mess. Fabric, batting, old sweaters for felting, oh my!
So I needed something simple yet beautiful to cover up this crazy cubby.

I am constantly inspired by Nester to mistreat my home. It was wayyyy past time to do something about this cubby, so mistreatment it is.

I bought a cafe curtain at Wally World for about 3 bucks and the clips at a K-Mart that is going about of business for .75 cents! Whoo hooo! My plan is now in action and for only $3.75. The hubs can't complain about that!

When I found this King Flat sheet at Marshalls (I sing when I say Marshalls because I oh so love them sooo sooo much) on Clearance for $5 (I think). It is the softest material ever, and I am going to make pillows out of what is left of the sheet when I'm done. How about that for coordinating fabrics in the Master Bedroom!

Yes, yes it is Ralph Lauren, which made me love it even more. So classic! (although very wrinkly)

I just measured my cubby and multiplied it by two, to ensure I had enough fabric for my folds. Then I folded over the edge like so....

Very Nester inspired eh? Then started folding material in the middle and worked my way out so that at least the fold in the middle would be centered. It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful but I do have a thing about centering stuff, and right angles. I have a thing about right angles...Anyway.....

I made a little box pleat for the front, pretty part of the fold. Then folded approx the same size folds in on each side. Overlapping a little on the back so that when I clip them everything stays put!

Then clip them up. The teeth on these clips make this work really well. It holds all of the fabric in place!

For the ends I made a little box pleat again but just folded the end under and clipped.

Voila! Now the end is kinda poofy like the other pleats. It stands out from the edge of the cubby nicely.

Grab your cafe curtain from where you laid it against the wall.

Screw in your cafe curtain holders. Heh couldn't think of the name of these at the moment so that works, right? I measured my fabric to be about an inch off of the floor but had to put the "holders" a little bit higher to ensure that the fabric covered the cubby holes. That's the point of this right?

Hang the mistreatment on the cafe rod.

And Voila! A perfect little cafe curtain cover up. Much better than the cabinet doors we were originally going to use. And the doors were $40 each. Total for this cute little cover up = $8.75

Does it get any better than that? Well, I'm off to check on everyone else's Make your Monday's.

Have a great week everyone!

Peace

There's this little place I take the pups, that gives me peace. Lately, I kick myself everytime I'm there because it is so green and beautiful yet I never seem to have my camera (which is very unlike me) but yesterday....
No kicking involved. Thank goodness, I was starting to bruise....

This beautiful little trail grounds me, inspires me, fills my lungs with fresh air and appreciation for this wonderful little planet we inhabit.

We've had so much rain which makes everything so earthy green yet the sky is so blue you could swim in it....

The black eyed susans wink at me as I pass by. Their sunshiny smiles bathing in the rays, seemingly enjoying the peace just as much as I am....

I think the pups feel the same way. Even though I make them pose for pictures, at least it was shady in this nature made alcove. Even with hummingbirds wizzing by and squirrels taunting them, they sat like good children and tried not to roll their eyes when I said "Smile"....

I do not want the peace that passeth understanding. I want the understanding which bringeth peace. ~ Helen Keller

Have a peaceful, wonderful weekend in your neck of the woods!

Wow what a Dickens of a weekend!

Whew! What a weekend. Needless to say I didn't have time to finish that Nester inspired Mistreatment but soon, I promise, I'll share. BUT, I found some treasures this weekend and managed to pack in a music festival with some amazing artists, so all in all a productive weekend, I'd say.

My sister, Kelly and I headed out antiquing in a little town about 35 minutes from her house. She was specifically looking for a vintage light fixture for her newly remodeled bedroom. She didn't find what she was looking for but I did....
Check out this old firehouse ladder. I wanted it badly! It was a little too expensive for my budget and the rungs were round which wouldn't work to use as a shelf leaning against my wall. Not perfect so I let it go. :(


I found these posts in the back of a shop somewhat hidden. $35 each and they were huge! Like 12 ft tall! I had visions of cutting them in half and using them on my posts on the back porch as a sort of faux post. Or using one in the front yard with a light on top, as a sort of lamp post. Oh I might have to go back for these now!

How about this chicken coop! It would look fantastic on top of my china hutch! Again, a little pricey at $75 but it was quite huge as well. Plus the tag read "Primitive chicken coop-NO POOP" and that made me laugh out loud!

Now this, I really wanted and it is so much prettier than the picture portrays. An antique barn door table never restored. It was so beat up and beautiful and still had the holes from the hinges. I LOVED IT! But before I could spend too much time drooling over it right behind it was this big beautiful black monstrosity. What could it be, shoved up against the wall and barely showing behind the chairs and dressers (that I promptly moved out of the way)?

My sister is trying to find the price tag (maybe behind it?-as she pulled it away from the wall.) Kelly is all of 5'2" (if she is lying) so you can see how BIG this beauty is. So I casually say "do you want me to see how much it is?" with the response of "yes, it would look great in my entry" Not that she was really going to buy it. It must be expensive, I think to myself.
I cannot explain the detail in this piece and the lighting was horrible for taking pictures but I sure did try to capture the beauty.

At the top each side had a woman carved into it and her carved skirt flowed all the way to the floor.

The umbrella stand had a pristine tin box and I just continued to wonder not only at the condition of this piece but where did it come from?

Well, as I demurely ask if this piece is for sale the owner tells me with a knowing look on her face that it has a very special history. It is from the mid 1800's and was once owned by Charles Dickens! A CHARLES DICKENS PIECE-ON THIS SIDE OF THE MISSISSIPPI. O.k. anyone who doesn't shop in Colorado doesn't know that it is a true treasure to come across something like this in the little town Florence. We really have to dig for treasures out here! Needless to say, it wasn't for sale which leads to the sad part of this story. A woman in Denver bought this hall tree and Dickens' writing desk at a Sothebys auction many years ago for $15,000(just the hall tree price). For some reason she needed to liquidate some of her assets and choose to keep the desk but sell this lovely piece. She had contracted with a couple of auction houses and Antique shops to sell her wares and during the move, the paperwork that should have been sent with this piece was stolen or lost. Sotheby's is not interested in reproducing the paperwork because if the paperwork was stolen there may be a fake out there with her legitimate paperwork. So here sits this beautiful piece of work just waiting for a home. Isn't it absolutely gorgeous.

After she told me the history, I had to go back and just touch it for a while. I still can't believe behind all those chairs and dressers this beautiful treasure sits, waiting to be of some use to someone again some day. I hope it finds a home. It would break my heart for a little piece of history to be lost at the back of a shop in Florence, CO of all places.

After that insanely exciting day of antiquing, the hubs and I spent the whole next day at the Mile High Music Festival with our good friends Tom and Nancy.

What a day full of music, food, friends, and heat! Boy was it hot but so much fun.

We were introduced to a new band (gotta love music festivals for this) The Black Keys. Wow were they A-MAZ-ING! They have been around awhile I guess, but I am so glad I got to hear them live really they are great! We snuck up to the front row to see this two person band. Only two musicians and you would NEVER know it. Again Amazing.

The whole day we listened to some great music! Everything from Needtobreathe, G-Love, Ben Harper, to Tool, Incubus, and Wide Spread Panic. Interesting selection huh?

After a day of resting on the grass, listening to some tunes, and munching on everything from some delicious chicken and basil dumplings to funnel cake (nice combo eh?) we decided it was time to go. Not before I snapped a few shots to share.

My friend Nancy won't like that I am sharing this pic but I love it. No posing or anything. It's hard to catch this girl off guard but here she is-the real Nancy! And our tired, tanned, blistered and weary feet after a full day of fun!

Love and Marriage and Zucchini Lasagna

I can't get that song from Married with Children out of my head. Love and marriage, love and marriage. Go together like a horse and carriage. Ackkkk! O.k. maybe if I share a receipe I can stop thinking about the wedding that I "worked" at this weekend and stop singing that damb song!

My friend Julie has been waiting patiently for a receipe from me so I figured I've made her wait long enough and did something special just for her!

How about some Zucchini Lasagna my friends. Pasta free. I know I know. You gotta love the pasta but this is really the best low carb recipe I've come up with and you would NEVER know there wasn't any Lasagna noodles in it. It is FAB!

O.k. Jewels I hope you have a pen handy. This ones for you!

Laurel's Amazing (yes amazing) Zucchini Lasagna:















What you'll need:

2 or 3 medium zucchini
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 small onion chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp Italian seasoning or mix dried oregano, basil and thyme
1/4 c water
1 egg
3/4 c ricotta cheese
1/2-1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp cornstarch (or flour)
Salt and Pepper



Slice zucchini no larger than 1/4 inch wide, in between 1/8 and 1/4 is perfect for our pretend noodles.













In a large skillet on med to med low heat melt a dab of butter and brown zucchini on both sides. Feel free to dash with salt and a bit of pepper.

When zucchini is done, in same skillet cook on med to med high the onions, ground beef and sausage until browned and onions are tender.







In a large pot add tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and water. Add in meat mixture and bring to a boil.

Let this simmer about 10 minutes or until it is reduced to about 2 cups.








While this is coming to a boil and your meat is cooking, in a small bowl beat an egg just slightly
and add in ricotta, 1/4 c shredded cheese (I always use more cheese than this) and cornstarch and mix well.

Sorry Jewels I guess I didn't get a good picture of the layering process. But we all know how to layer a lasagna right?

So.... In a large baking dish (I use a ladle, keeps it from being too messy and you can use the back of it to move the sauce around) scoop out enough sauce to just cover bottom of pan. Top with half of the sliced zucchini and top zucchini with cottage cheese mixture. In that order. Then repeat. Meat, Zucchini, then Cheese.

Bake UNCOVERED at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Check to make sure it doesn't bubble over!

Sprinkle with excess cheese (again I use extra cheese and sometimes at mix in a little shredded Parmesan with the Mozzarella-Yum) and bake about 10-15 minutes longer. I like my cheese on top to be slightly brown.





Now this is important. Lasagna is like a good steak or a beautiful roast. It MUST rest. If you cut it too soon (especially this one because the zucchini has so much water in it) it will fall apart and ooze everywhere. Let it stand at LEAST 10 minutes before serving. I know it's hard. Just ask my husband who understands the principles of this but is like a child latched on to my leg while I drag him out of the kitchen with promises of toys and ice cream if he behaves.

O.k. so I don't have an after picture. I am sure it was because the hubs got home just as that 10 minutes was finishing up (lucky for me it wasn't earlier i.e., toys and ice cream) and he just had to eat because it smelled sooooo good. O.k. I am sure I just HAD to eat too! This is going to be a staple because there is no white flour pasta and extra veggies and from a girl who loves her pasta, I really didn't miss it.

I hope you love it as much as I do. Bon Appetit! or should I say Buon Appetito!
Either way, Enjoy!

Tomorrow I'll show how inspiring the Nester is to me and how I had an Epiphany that I don't have to sew perfectly or paint perfectly or for that matter be perfect at anything. As she says, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful".
However, my project is perfect (in a no sew, no iron and off the cuff kinda way) and beautiful.