I Dream of Home Improvement

This is mine and my husband's work station today. It's in the middle of our tiny living room on top of an inconveniently big card table. It's in the living room, not the office or bedroom, because this and the kitchen are two rooms we only have semi-finished putting together.

We've been married and "nesting" now for the last month or so, and yes, the house has seen great improvements but boy, there is SO MUCH to go!

I have this habit of wanting everything to be perfect, and I don't want anyone to see until it is. That's why I haven't blogged any of our progress so far.

You know what, though. I decided today I would go ahead and procrastinate my taxes a little longer, to show you some of the things I WANT to do to our home and they are oh, so far from done.

See this bookshelf without any books on it and that wall where the edges aren't painted? The books are just sitting there in boxes because we haven't finished painting the wall, and we figure, it sure would be easier to move that bookshelf without books on it. This is happening this weekend.

These materials are a future banner for our red and yellow kitchen. I think it will be quite adorable!

By far the most embarrassing thing I have to offer: Our future office! It's covered in...well, everything that we can't move until we finish painting.

Curtains. I want to make them for ALL of our windows!

I actually like these throw pillows, but I've had them since I got my first apartment. I think it's time for a change.

These silly little popcorn Christmas tins and coffee canisters are the home of my future container vegetable garden. Of course, I'm going to repaint them, etc., first.

So here it is. I'm showing off my mess! Phew, embarassing. At least it will make it that much more exciting when I show you some pretty things.

Happy Saturday!

—Holli Anne

Recipe: Blonde Brownies (in the cast iron!)

I've been finding myself in the kitchen more and more these days. Probably because it's the only room in my house that is fully functioning, not annoying to look at and easy to find my "supplies." Gotta get that creativity out somehow, right?!

This recipe for blonde brownies comes straight from my grandma's kitchen, minus baking them in the cast iron. (I'm really confident grandma would not disapprove of my adjustment). 

So, if you are in the mood for some chocolate chip cookies that are sort of like brownies, this just might be your thing.

Ingredients:

• 2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 10 tbsp. margarine or Criso
• 2 c. light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 pkg. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt margarine or shortening and add in sugar and 2 tbsp. of hot water. Let cool for a few minutes.

2. Mix in egg and vanilla, then all dry ingredients.

3. Pour into lightly greased cast iron skillet or a 9x13 pan. (You can also half the recipe and cook in a 9x9x2 pan. Sprinkle (COVER!) with chocolate chips!

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Hope you enjoy!

—Holli Anne

DIY: Old Box into Writing Utensil Holder

Hello, my name is Tyler and I'm a pack rat.

I don't throw away many things. I can, at times, be the Queen of Clutter--a pack rat to a tee. It's a problem, I know. However, this post isn't about me overcoming my keep-everything-because-you-never-know-when-you-might-need-it tendencies. Instead it's about using my problem to help me with my problem.

WHAT?!

I love pens and pencils. Out of everything in my life these are the two items I very rarely will ever throw away. Even if they are broken or out of ink. Maybe it's because I love to write? I don't know, but  I was tired of the three plus cups that housed these writing utensils on the top of my desk.

So I decided to up cycle some cardboard from a box I used (that I didn't throw away...surprise, surprise) for moving to make a writing utensil holder!

At first I was just going to make a cube (minus the top) and be done with it. My mind changed immediately when I saw Herman Marie's Strange Plant. It is weird and charming and not perfect and I absolutely love it. Since I was working with cardboard and knew it wouldn't be a refine finished piece, I decided I wanted to make two panels into my own version of Marie's Strange Plant!

What you need
Cardboard
Scissors/box cutter/ Xacto knife
Hot glue gun/glue stick
Your own template
Pencil
Ruler

What I did

1. I wanted to make the two decorative panels first so I took one of my cups and measured how tall and wide it was. I decided that each of the panels should be 4 inches wide and 3.5 inches tall. That would be my square that I wanted to look like a pot for my plant. Then I drew out the pot and went ahead and drew what the "plant" part would look like. I love cacti but I wanted it to look sturdier (and BE sturdier since it was cardboard) so I made it blocky instead of rounded. When I was done I had my template.

2. I took my template and placed it on top of the cardboard. Using a pencil I traced out two panels.

3. I used scissors to cut each panel and then placed them next to each other to see how they measured up.

4. The bottom square came next. It was the same size as the planter's pot.

5. I went ahead and painted my design on to the face of each decorative panel and let it off to the side to dry. I did a few coats on the pot part. Now, it isn't going to look as smooth as painting on canvas, but I got it to where I was happy.

6. Using the hot glue gun I went ahead and glued both decorative panels onto each side of the base. That way you can't see the cardboard ridges from the front or back.

7. I measured and cut two more cardboard pieces that I could slide in to act as the sides. Before putting those in I put hot glue on the sides and bottom so they would stay.

8. Since I made this holder a bit bigger, I took small cardboard pieces and glue them to the inside on the bottom to make separators.



Then, if you like what you see, then you're done! I know it isn't the most beautiful desk decor but you can personalize it, make it any size, and it's basically free to do if you already have the supplies. I totally dig mine because it holds all of my writing utensils plus my clay roller (that big purple thing)! Plus, I can't help but smile when I look at it! No matter which way I have it facing!



I hope you enjoyed this pack rat's way to handle your desk clutter by using some old box!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Inspiration: Battling Distraction

Lately life has been a little bit…distracting. 

Two rooms in our house are still only half-way painted, my future office is storing all the things we haven't unpacked and I  haven't written on my book in weeks.

This, plus balancing the wonderful distraction that is newlywed life and work…well, it's just plain hard to focus.

Last Friday, this kind of all came to a head for me in the form of a really fun wave of anxiety. 

My strategy when things are just too burdensome? Walk away. 

Not forever, of course, just for the afternoon. Since my lack of office and crazy house were a big point of stress for me, I decided to paint something for my future office. (That, and I know where the paint is located in my home!)

This little painting was particularly fitting for me during my dry spell of writing: Write Something. 

Since almost all of my work involves writing, I wanted this little reminder above me while I work, so I can close the Pinterest browser more often and just focus on writing. 

I've also really been researching for my book I'm writing, which is great, except that I haven't been writing at all on it. 

Just taking the time to paint this while indulging in some shameless crime show watching was the perfect stress relief. 

Hopefully, it will soon find it's new home in my proper office, but for now, this little space will have to do.

Anyone have any fun things they use to keep focused? I'd love to hear!

—Holli Anne

Cajun Red Beans & Rice

Since my new last name and husband are Cajun (Melancon), I've decided it is pretty imperative I learn to make some Cajun dishes. Plus, they are super delicious and among my favorite things to eat. 

The thought of making roux (the thickening agent used in most authentic dishes) was really the only nerve racking thing about getting my hands into Cajun cooking, but red beans and rice seemed like a good place to start.

I've made this recipe about three or four times now, and it gets better everytime, so I think it's share-worthy! (Though, I'm sorry the pictures don't look that good..I'm no food stylist, but I'm not sure there's a way to make red beans and rice look pretty).

Anyway, here's this super easy, delicious recipe. It's not fancy, but it makes people happy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag red kidney beans
• 1 lb Conecuh sausage
• Rice
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 3-5 sticks of celery
• Black pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning
• Louisiana hot sauce 
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, soak beans overnight (or using a quick soak method). Drain water and rinse, then place in a crockpot with fresh water (covering a few inches over the beans) and let cook all day.

2. Cook sausage on stovetop until blackened. Chop into pieces and throw in crockpot. 

3. Finely chop garlic, onion, bell pepper and celery. Place garlic in crockpot with beans, and sauté onion, bell pepper and celery on stovetop until vegetables are very soft and cooked. Celery, onion and bell pepper and the "holy trinity" of Cajun cooking. 

4. Now the fun part: roux. To make your roux use a nice sturdy pan (preferably a cast iron). I used a 1:1 ratio of flour and oil, my ratio being a 1/2 cup, which worked well for this sized dish. First, on very low heat, melt the oil. Then add in the flour and stir constantly and slowly until the mixture is a copper color like a penny. You HAVE to be patient while making this, and you shouldn't turn up the heat. If any part of it blackens or burns, you have to start the whole thing over. The darker the roux gets, the thinner it gets. It's really up to you how dark you end up making it.

5. Once that is done, turn the heat off and stir in your "holy trinity" mixture to the roux. Then, pour it all into the crockpot, stir and watch as the magic happens and your mixture thickens. If it becomes too thick, feel free to add water, depending on how soupy you like it. 

The final step is to add your seasonings, which are honestly just "to taste." Since most of them are spicy, you should add according to what you (and your dinner guests) prefer. We even set out Tony's and hot sauce on the table when we eat this dish. The longer is simmers in the crockpot, the better, though you can technically eat right away.

Serve over rice and with a side of cornbread! 

—Holli Anne

The Highlights of Life

Life sure seems to go by quickly these days, especially since I got married. (It's almost been a month already...say what?!)

Anyway, I got to thinking the other day how I wished I was doing a Project Life so I could be documenting all these things regularly, and hopefully I'll still get around to that one of these days. Tyler Anne and I have been pretty busy behind the scenes working on several projects here, which is great, though slightly keeping me from leaping into my scrapbooking aspirations.

Still, I broke down today and decided I at least needed to start keeping track of all these highlights. Thus was born this new section of my journal: the Highlights of Life.

The premise is real simple. Everyday, I'm going to write what was the highlight (or highlights) of the day. It could be as simple as an amazing meal or as awesome as getting married! I went back to my wedding day and started there and wrote as many of the days as I could remember up until yesterday. I'm hoping this will help me appreciate how wonderful even the mundane days can be and help me keep track (beside my trusty Instagram, of course!)

What about you guys? Anyone doing Project Life or documenting their lives in some other way?

—Holli Anne

Homemade Art

Recently, I've done posts about infusing YOU into your space and how creatively de-stressing can be wonderful. THIS post is all about combing the two plus adding the note that homemade is fantastic.

I'm a big DIY fan (search our DIY posts here) so, in turn, that means I'm a big homemade fan. Right now, I've been trying to put more ME into my newest home space while also staying stern with my budget. Luckily, I've found that painting small, wooden squares (though you could definitely use canvas) can make my eyes happy while keeping my money in my bank account.

It all started with my herringbone art. I loved the outcome so much that I made a second panel in shades of gray (not 50, though). I also decided that I liked the color in the first one so much that I made two ombre style pieces. 

I started with a little bit of black in my base color to make it dark. I made that my bottom layer. For the rest of the layers I added a little white in each coat to make it lighter!

Lastly, I really wanted a yellow-something. I didn't want to do any more ombre so I painted the whole square yellow (three layers) and added one layer of gold on the top. It looks brilliant in the light.

These five 4x4 wood squares will be a part of some new wall decor for my office! This a very inexpensive and fun project that can help make you love your own space! 

I wholeheartedly suggest finding or coming up with an art project for your home space! If you do find something you would like to share, leave it in the comments!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)