My New Best Friend

I’ve been making fruit smoothies for breakfast every morning for the past few months.  It was kind of a pain to lug out the blender every day and wash it after each smoothie, but then I found my new best friend!

I found this little personal blender at an estate sale for $7.50 brand new in the box!  Now it takes only minutes each morning to make my smoothie and after a quick rinse, the blender is ready to go again the next day!

I vary my ingredients each day; today I used strawberry yogurt, orange juice, frozen strawberries and frozen pineapple.  I usually buy fresh fruit and cut it up and freeze it myself, but of course Wal-Mart was out of fresh strawberries yesterday so I bought a bag of pre-sliced frozen ones.  I’ve also used blueberries, peaches, bananas, blackberries and raspberries.  Good thing the local Farmer’s Market is open for the summer!

Every now and then I use Greek yogurt and add spinach (you can’t even taste it) for an extra-healthy touch.

Dump in the yogurt, add a little liquid to the 8 oz. mark, add the frozen fruit and blend.   I’ve found using the frozen fruit instead of adding ice gives the smoothie the perfect creamy texture just like the ones sold in stores for $3-$5 each.The best part is the top cup detaches from the bottom part so I don’t have to dirty up another cup!  Sooooo yummy, I’m addicted!

What’s your favorite summer-time treat?

Shopping For A Cause: Oil Spill Relief

Even though it has been two months since the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill continues to impact areas across the gulf and relief efforts are still going strong.  We’ll be feeling the effects of this disaster for many months (years?) to come. 

Oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill pools against the Louisiana coast along Barataria Bay Tuesday, June 8, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

As time passes, tragedies like this one may fall to the back burner, but can’t be forgotten! If you’re like me, you may feel helpless when it comes to finding ways to aid in the relief. 

A clean-up worker picks up blobs of oil with absorbent snare on Queen Bess Island at the mouth of Barataria Bay near the Gulf of Mexico in Plaquemines Parish, La., Friday, June 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

If you don’t have the time or the resources to volunteer in the affected areas, one way to help out is to donate money to the various organizations working to provide clean-up efforts.  And if you’re going to donate that hard-earned cash, why not get something in return? 

Handmade Louisiana recently opened their team shop on Etsy, and 100% of the profits will be donated to various organizations helping to clean up the oil spill destroying our Gulf Coast.  Here’s a look at some of the unique items our members are donating, click on the photos or links below for more info:

 Rescue Me Hand-Stamped Necklace from Charmies Online

 Stuffed Crab Squeaky Toy from Scrivener’s Retreat

 Antique Brass Fleur De Lis Earrings from Etco

 Bumblebee A-Line Dress from Vivy’s Closet

 Washcloth Cupcakes from Baby Deary

And my very own donation, my newest creation, a Set of Four Glass Magnets, available as a Fleur De Lis set or a Save Our Coast set:

So as you can see, there is a little something for everyone over at Handmade Louisiana! Be sure to check out the team blog and Facebook page, too.

For more ways to help in the oil spill relief, check out this post by Miss Malaprop or the Louisiana Shore Clean-Up page on Facebook.

Where I Create

I’m joining Karen at My Desert Cottage for her second annual “Where Bloggers Create” party this Saturday.

You can see my post from last year HERE (including a pic of the room mid-chaos).  Not much has changed, besides the awesome addition of my embroidery machine and a new TV.  Since I knew I would be having guests, I cleaned up a bit, and as you can see, there’s not much “creating” going on right now!

 

I’m lucky to have a dedicated office/craft room.  Here’s the view from the door as you walk in:

I made the window topper from an old bedskirt, you can see more details HERE.

 

These built-ins are really nice.  Plenty of storage and space for decorative accessories as well.

Here’s my sewing/crafting desk.  My mother-in-law helped me make the sewing machine quilt using this tutorial from Get Your Craft On.  Here’s a tip…..the cheap vinyl placemats are great to protect your work surfaces.

Here is the sitting area of the room.  Those chairs are usually covered with whatever project I’m currently working on.

And my craft closet:

The right side stores supplies, finished projects, and projects in process. The left side stores paperwork, shipping supplies, and Etsy supplies. You can see some of my organizational tips and creations in these posts:

 

Paint Organizer

Quick & Easy Ribbon Storage

Recycled Desk Organizers

Memo Board

Creative Craft Tips   

 

To see some of the projects I’ve worked on in this room, click on the “Sewing Projects” and “Craft Projects” links at the top of the page, or check out my Etsy store or Facebook page!  

Thanks for stopping by! I can’t wait to see others’ spaces.  Here are some other fun parties I’ll be linking up to:

 

 

 

Elements of Big Style in a Small Space: DIY Custom Vanity and Sink

I’m sure you may have caught a glimpse of the unique vanity and sink in my mom’s bathroom.

These contemporary top-of-counter bowl style sinks have been popular for quite a while and the trend is growing on me. 

She updated the vanity with new hardware:

And when she couldn’t find a countertop that she liked (and that was in her budget for this small space), she made her own!  This is just a piece of plywood painted brown, and several coats of laquer were added to waterproof it.

The possibilities for this type of countertop are endless!  What a great way to customize your space without spending a lot of money.  It’s been several years, and the countertop has held up beautifully.

I’ll be sharing with Transformation Thursday.

Elements of Big Style in a Small Space: Accessories

Continuing the bathroom tour, let’s take a closer look at some of the accessories in my mom’s powder room, shall we?

One of my favorites is this mirror-framed coral print.  It was a splurge at a local boutique, but you can achieve a similar look by framing a printed image in a frame from TJ Maxx or any discount store, mirror frames are all the rage now!

I believe she found most of the accessories in this area at Pier One and TJ Maxx.  The candle holder on the toilet came from ZGallerie a couple years ago.  Continuing the silver/mirrored theme:

Keeping it simple on the vanity, a vase with tall reeds gives some big impact:

I love the theme she has chosen for the room, sort of an Asian-inspired beach theme!  Here are some other great coral and silver accessories I found while browsing the web:

Coral Votive Holder from ZGallerie, $19.99    

Verona Mercury Votive Holder from ZGallerie, $4.95

Faux Coral from ZGallerie, $19.95-$44.95

Coral Shaped Candles from Pottery Barn, $7.99-$14.99

Ming Bath Accessories from Williams-Sonoma Home, $18.00-$158.00

Elements of Big Style in a Small Space: Unique Wall Treatment

Yesterday I showed one element of my mom’s powder room, her fabulous light fixture made from an outdoor lantern.  Another way to create big impact in a small space is wall color.  Hopefully this will come across as its true color, a rich red-orange.

She took it a step further by creating texture on the walls with joint compound.  This is super easy to do yourself, but a little time consuming and messy.  You just need joint compound and trowels.  You can get 5 gallon buckets of joint compound at any home improvement store, and you may or may not need to thin it a bit with water.  Practice a bit on a scrap piece of plywood or drywall. Slap the compound on the wall with a trowel and keep smoothing until you get the texture that you want!     

Stay tuned for more elements tomorrow…..accessories!

Linking up to Lucky Linky Tuesday, Tip Me Tuesday, and  Power of Paint on Wednesday.