Living Room Feature Wall: Part I

Making the decision to move from the city to the country 3 1/2 years ago was a no brainer for us. The only hard part was leaving our historic home full of character and charm that we had grown to love dearly and had fixed up to make our own. If only we could have just moved the house!

Our home in the country is just a few years old which is awesome (the windows don't leak!), but it lacks the character that we really miss about our old house in the city. Ever since we moved out here, we've been trying to incorporate charm into our home little by little, and have always wanted to create a big built-in shelving unit on the feature wall in our living room.

It took us 3 1/2 years to decide what to do, but finally we are getting started! Phase 1 was creating a focal point in the center of the room with our electric fireplace and some old reclaimed wood David received in exchange for helping out a friend with a project last summer (which made our project super cheap - can't beat that!). 

David was the brains and brawn behind this phase of the project, so I mostly just supervised. He gets all the credit here. It turned out great!

The fireplace is at the very center of the living room/kitchen open area and really anchors the space. We are still deciding on whether or not to put a mantle and artwork up or keep it clean and minimal as is. I think as we go along with the rest of the project we will get a better idea of exactly how we want the fireplace to look.

We are getting started on the next phase right now, but this will take a bit longer since it involves more prep work with the materials. Here's a sneak peek - any guesses as to what it may be?? :)

~Tammy

DIY Muddy Boot Tray

Last week our weather warmed up enough to melt all the ice that had plagued us earlier this month, so things have been quite messy around here. I'm happy that the dangerous ice is gone, but now there is a thick layer of mud to deal with. Which apparently can also be dangerous, as I've found myself sliding and nearly falling on my way down to the chicken coop several times!

Due to the muddy conditions, I knew it was time to bust out the muddy boot tray again.

Photobombing Gizmo strikes again.

Our boot tray is simply a tray filled with river rocks. That's it! I found the plastic tray at Target a while back (it's actually a food serving tray) and the rocks are repurposed from our wedding reception way back when. They were used in the centerpieces on each table and we loved them so much that we saved them after the reception to use again in the future.

By placing the rocks in the tray, the boots can drain and don't just sit in a wet muddy pile all day long. When the river rocks and tray start to get dirty, I just give everything a good scrub down. I put the rocks in a bucket, fill it up with water, and swish the rocks around a few times to remove the caked on dirt. Hose the tray out then place the clean river rocks back in and it's good to go. Easy peasy!

Our tray is located in the entryway right inside the back door, so we can take our dirty boots off right away and not track the mess throughout the house. Even though I do sweep the floors daily, this cuts down on the frequency of mopping. And that is one of my least favorite chores, so I count this simple muddy boot tray as a big win!

~Tammy

Frugal-ish Finds

Last week on my birthday, David said we could do whatever I wanted. I thought about some of my favorite things and decided I wanted to get sushi for lunch then hit up an antique shop. I could spend hours browsing thrift stores and antique shops, so I was happy that David indulged me a bit. I normally keep it pretty frugal, but since I had some birthday money from my generous mother-in-law I splurged ever so slightly.

My most expensive item was the set of pink bowls from the 1950s. Last time we were at the antique shop I noticed them, but the $15 price tag stopped me from picking them up. It was a little more than I wanted to spend. But this time since I had some extra money and they were still there, I went for it! I tried to get the clerk down to $10 for the set, but he wouldn't budge. So I happily handed over the $15.

My glass jelly jar was $5, and each small jello mold tin was $1. The ice cream scoops were $3 each and I just had to pick them up because I have had ice cream on the brain recently! I can't wait to make some and scoop it into my pretty pink bowls. I basically got each of these items because of how well I thought they would photograph with food!

I am always on the lookout for anything chicken related, so I was excited to find this sweet little figurine for $2. It does have a hole in top that would probably fit a tapered candle, so it also serves a practical purpose as well as just being so darn cute.

As was the case last time I brought home some frugal finds, Gizmo couldn't wait to see what I picked up.

I think he approves!

~Tammy

Homemade Living: Personalized Christmas Wreath

Several years ago I bought a big wreath at a church yard sale for only $1. I wasn't sure about it at first because it was just a basic green wreath, but I'm so glad I picked it up because I have used it each year since. It works great as a base to add embellishments to make it my own and add interest. And I can change it up each year, so it's like having a brand new wreath.

I have the ever growing feather collection (especially this time of year when the chickens and guineas are molting) so this year I decided to use feathers to decorate the wreath. My favorites are the spotted guinea feathers, so I used lots of those. I simply tucked each feather into the branches of the wreath in a random arrangement. They stayed pretty well put, so I didn't worry about securing them tighter.

In addition to the guinea feathers, I also filled the wreath in with some chicken feathers for variety and used some of Buttercup's golden and black feathers. It has been over a year since we lost her and I like to use her feathers wherever I can. It's a sweet way to remember my girl.

I'm so glad I shelled out the big bucks to get this wreath! I know I will use it for years to come. Do you hang a wreath on your front door at Christmas?

~Tammy

PS - This will be my last post in the Homemade Living series. I have decided to take a break for the new year, but I have really enjoyed working with the other ladies in the series and will continue to follow their posts. If you have some time, visit Mary and Jackie today to see what they are posting in the series. Thank you for supporting me and the other bloggers in the Homemade Living series!

Homemade Living: Hand-Me-Down Christmas Decorating

As soon as Thanksgiving was over, I got to work on my Christmas decorating. I like a really festive, cozy look for the holidays, but don't want to go too over the top. And with our kitten, Gizmo, around this year we can't do too much anyway because he is into everything! My solution for crazy Gizmo was to put as much as possible out of his reach, and place ornaments in bowls instead of hanging them from a tree.

Most of the decorations I like to put out this time of year were passed down to me from my grandma so it's very much a hand-me-down Christmas, which is just the way I like it.

This is on top of the vintage cabinet in the bathroom where Gizmo can't reach! I got the cute elf ornament and vintage ornament beside it from my grandma, and I created a small display with my bottle brush trees and some epsom salt. I also put our little silver tree with red ornaments up here. It's our first tree we ever bought as a married couple and I love putting it out every year.

I placed some red ornaments in an old colander handed down from my grandma, and changed out our glass mannequin head's summer hat for a winter sock cap (we call her Sheila haha). Sheila is kind of an eccentric part of our decor, but I love her! I also placed garland and ornaments on top of the mantle with some ornaments below in my egg bucket. Pinecones inside a picnic basket look so festive, and my cute reindeer from David's grandma completes the scene. This mantle is where our electric fireplace goes, but we took it out when we were installing the new floors and haven't replaced it yet. But I kind of like it empty!

When I was visiting my grandma yesterday we took a trip up to her attic. She has so much stuff she's collected over the years and is trying to give it away, so I always leave her house with a few things to bring home. She gave me this gorgeous quilt that she made herself many years ago when my grandpa had to work late nights. She worked on quilts to give her something to do and keep herself busy. I just love pieces with history behind them - so special! I also brought home some cute vintage ornaments that I strung up on the headboard as a garland. Our "headboard" is actually just two old shutters that David's grandpa was throwing out that we attached horizontally to the wall behind the bed!

My grandma also gave me this ceramic tree a few years back and I love putting it out each Christmas. And last year, she gave us a silver tree with a color wheel! We put that up this year and so far Gizmo hasn't messed with it too much, so I think we'll be able to keep it up. I've caught him just sitting and watching the colors change as the wheel turns. I think he's mesmerized by it!

Have you begun your holiday decorating yet?

~Tammy

This week in the Homemade Living series, I am joined by Mary and Jackie in posting about how we incorporate homemade items into our lives. Next week Daisy, Staci, and Sue will be up. If you have some free time, please check out the other posts in this weekly series!

Homemade Living: How To Make Pomanders

Have you ever made pomanders or clove oranges? I've seen them before but never made any myself, so this year I decided to get some oranges and cloves and create some of my own.

It's really easy and straightforward to make your own pomanders. All you do is gather your choice of fruit (you can use oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, tangerines, etc) and stud them with whole cloves. You can get creative and make designs on your fruit, or just completely cover them with cloves.

I found that it was helpful to use something to pierce the fruit and create a hole for the cloves before trying to insert them into the oranges (much easier on the fingertips!). I simply used an ink pen, but you can use anything you have on hand to make your pilot holes. This can also help if you are trying to make a design on your fruit so you can line up your cloves in a certain pattern.

You can also tie ribbon around your pomanders and hang them on your Christmas tree, but I chose to just display mine on a platter. The scent of the pomanders is amazing and apparently if you shake your clove studded fruit in a bag of powdered orrisroot (found at health food stores) the fruit will dry evenly and retain its scent for up to a year!

I got my whole cloves at our local health food store in the bulk spices section, so they were really inexpensive. And of course you can find a bag of oranges anywhere, so this is a great frugal way to decorate for the holidays. They also serve as a fabulous all-natural air freshener with no chemicals whatsoever! Every time I walk past the pomanders I get a hint of the scent and it just screams holidays to me. I think I will make these clove oranges for years to come!

~Tammy

This week in the Homemade Living series, I am joined by Mary and Jackie in posting about how we incorporate homemade items into our lives. Next week Daisy, Staci, and Sue will be up. If you have some free time, please check out the other posts in this weekly series!

Frugal Finds

Today I'm taking some inspiration from my good friend, Jackie, who often writes posts about her awesome thrifting finds. David and I went to an antique store over the weekend and I found a few things that I really loved and was thrilled to get them on the cheap.

Pretty plates, bowls, and platters are my weakness, and I spotted this cute little platter for only $3! I was so excited about my find, and apparently Gizmo was as well because he just had to get in my shot.

Let's try this again so you can get a better view of the platter...

Somehow his paws still made it into the shot, but at least you can see the platter here. It is a bit smaller than a standard platter, but I put my bananas on it and it was just the right size.

I also got some great old muffin tins for $3. One of them is a bit more rusty than the other, but if I use muffin liners it should be ok. Or, I could use the rusty one for organized storage of my earrings and other jewelry.

For only $1, I snagged a cool old copper mug. I didn't plan on using it for drinking, but thought it would look cute with flowers (pink peonies perhaps?). Once I got it home, I decided to put part of my ever growing guinea and chicken feather collection in the mug and displayed it on the kitchen window sill.

I'm really into eclectic items lately, and I think this copper mug is quite different. I normally wouldn't look twice at it, but something about it caught my eye and I'm glad I picked it up. I think it's unexpected but also looks like it fits right in. All in all, I got my platter, muffin tins, and mug for just over $7 with tax. I'll call that a successful shopping trip!

Have you found any good bargains lately?

~Tammy

Pumpkin Carving

We've been harvesting pumpkins around here since August, so we have racked up quite the count. I think in all, we were able to grow over 20 pumpkins this year! I kind of lost count a while back after we shared some with friends and family. Our pumpkin luck afforded us the luxury to simply grab a couple pumpkins off our front porch to carve earlier this week.

David chose one of the warty ones, and I chose one that looked easy to carve because my skills are lacking somewhat. I began carving out my classic design on my pumpkin when I noticed David was taking a much different direction with his.

A little crazy, right? He used one of our smaller butternut squash with the stem pointed out to act as the nose for the poor little guy in the big pumpkin's mouth. Then he had the idea to add some screws to the final product to complete the look.

Mine is very tame in comparison! Here they are side by side.

Did you carve pumpkins this year? I'd love to hear how yours turned out.

Happy Halloween!

~Tammy

PS - Don't forget to visit Daisy, Staci and Sue today for their posts in the Homemade Living series. Next week I will share my post along with Mary and Jackie. 

Homemade Living: Saving Tomato Seeds

I've always been intrigued by the idea of saving seeds from the current season's harvest to plant the following year. We've made plans in the past to save seeds, but for some reason just never got around to it. This year, we were determined to try it out with our tomatoes since we had success with several different varieties.

You may remember a previous post in this series where I wrote about our black cherry tomatoes and how they were my favorite from this year. In addition to the black cherries, we also had good luck with some red and yellow cherries, yellow pears, and San Marzanos.

In order to save the seeds, we picked the best tomatoes and waited until they were really ripe. We cut them in half, then squeezed out all the seeds and juice into a jar. To each jar, we added a little bit of water then covered the jar with plastic wrap and let it sit for 2-3 days.

You want the seeds and water mixture to ferment, so when a thin film is covering the seeds, they are ready to rinse and dry. Simply rinse the seeds in a fine mesh sieve until they are clean, then spread out to dry in a coffee filter or on parchment paper. Once the seeds are completely dry, they are ready for storage.

We labeled different envelopes with the name of each tomato seed so we wouldn't get them confused, and have the seeds stored in the envelopes for next year. I was surprised at how easy the seed saving process was, and I'm really excited to see how the seeds do in next summer's garden. But I think I'm most excited about the fact that we hopefully won't have to buy any tomato seeds next year!

Do you save any of your seeds?

~Tammy

This week in the Homemade Living series, I am joined by Mary and Jackie in posting about how we incorporate homemade items into our lives. Next week Daisy, Staci, and our new blogger, Sue, will be up. If you have some free time, please check out the other posts in this weekly series!

Shared with Cottage Tails, From the Farm Blog Hop  

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I mentioned in my post on Monday that we've been harvesting a lot of butternut squash lately. It's our first year to grow it, and I'm so thrilled with how well the squash has taken off. Last year we saved some seeds from an organic butternut squash that I bought at the store and planted the seeds in our garden this summer. I'm so glad we did, because now we are really reaping the benefits.

This pasta is one of our favorite ways to use butternut squash, but since fall is here, I was on the hunt for a creamy, velvety soup using the squash. I decided on a recipe for a vegan curried butternut squash soup with coconut milk, and it was so delicious!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
via Daydream Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 medium - large butternut squash
2T olive oil
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
2t curry powder
1t garam masala
1t ground cumin
14 oz full-fat coconut milk
4 cups vegetable stock
Salt & pepper

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Drizzle each half with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place squash cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 30-45 minutes or until tender (I lined my baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up). When cool, remove the skin and reserve squash for later.
2) Drizzle a large soup pot with olive oil and add carrots, onion, and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Saute until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
3) Add curry powder, garam masala, and cumin. Stir well and let the spices heat through for a minute or so, then add in the coconut milk, vegetable stock, and roasted butternut squash.
4) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes, breaking up the squash and stirring the soup every few minutes.
5) Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender in batches) to puree soup to desired consistency. Garnish with sage leaves and serve immediately. You can refrigerate the soup for up to a week or freeze for later.

I topped my soup off with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey, and it was perfect! It is so creamy thanks to the coconut milk, and the spices add a wonderful warmth. The squash lends such a deep golden color to the soup, which completely embodies the comfort and feel of the season.

What is your favorite way to eat butternut squash?

~Tammy

This week in the Homemade Living series, I am joined by Mary and our new blogger Jackie in posting about how we incorporate homemade items into our lives. Next week Daisy, Staci, and Amber will be up. If you have some free time, please check out the other posts in this weekly series!

Shared with The Backyard Farming Connection, Down Home Blog Hop, Healthy Vegan Friday, What I Am Eating, From the Farm Blog Hop     

Reclaimed Wood Farmhouse Table

Over the past couple months, David and I have been working on redoing our kitchen and living room area to make the space feel more like us and reflect our style. Previously, there was an island in the kitchen which I really liked for the storage and counter space, but over time I realized it wasn't functioning well for us. We don't have a dining room, so when we had friends and family over for dinner we all were forced to cram around the island. When time came to rework the kitchen, I knew I wanted to replace the island with a table.

I've always loved the look of a dining table in the kitchen because I think it gives the room such a cozy, inviting, casual feel. I had in mind exactly the kind of table I wanted - a distressed farmhouse table. I shared my idea with David, and thankfully he liked it and agreed to build one for me.

The coolest thing about this table is the wood that we used for the top - it was salvaged from David's old band room! A couple years ago they were remodeling the floor and decided to remove the risers. The risers were framed with this beautiful cedar and David was able to bring the wood home in exchange for his labor in helping to tear apart the old floor.

The wood is full of character, but we decided to distress it just a little bit further and hit it randomly with a hammer and some chains (which turned out to be a lot of fun!). When we put the polyurethane on top to seal the wood, it brought out the imperfections that much more and really enhanced the character of the wood.

For the legs and support beams, we painted them white then distressed them a bit using sandpaper along the edges and other places that would normally show wear over time. I'm really thrilled with how it turned out and now I love my kitchen so much more. We are big fans of old farmhouses, but our house is new construction so we are working on adding in elements of the farmhouse style. This table totally fits the bill!

Since we already had the wood for the table top and supports, we only had to buy four legs which cost us $60. We had the polyurethane and paint on hand as well, so the legs were the only thing we had to shell out some money for. I've seen tables like this sell for well over $300, so I was more than happy it only set us back $60. Especially when the table means more since we worked on it together and it has a personal history. We plan to make a bench with the same wood used on the table top for extra seating as well.

We had some family over last weekend for a birthday party, and the new table worked out really well. We just need to get going on that bench so we have some more seating!

~Tammy

This week in the Homemade Living series, I am joined by Daisy and Mary in posting about how we incorporate homemade items into our lives. Next week Meg, Staci, and Amber will be up. If you have some free time, please check out the other posts in this weekly series!

Shared with Rurality Blog Hop, Home Sweet Home, Down Home Blog Hop, From the Farm Blog Hop, Tweak It Tuesday    

Homemade Living: Late Summer Bouquet

Early this morning before leaving for work, David cut some flowers to take for displaying in his new office at school. Since moving into the school's new band room this summer, he has been working on adding personal touches to the space to make it feel more inviting.

David puts together gorgeous bouquets effortlessly and seems to really have an eye for color. He inspired me to make my own bouquet this morning before heading off to work.

This morning was quite a bit cooler than what we're used to this time of year and it almost felt like early fall. I lost myself in walking around the garden and collecting blooms for my bouquet. The sun was shining and the birds were singing and I think I could have stayed outside meandering in the garden all day long. It was truly one of those mornings that just makes you want to linger a little longer than you should.

I proudly displayed my bright bouquet in the kitchen and I know I will enjoy the pop of color every time I enter the room. Who needs pricey store bought bouquets when nature provides so much beauty right outside your door?

~Tammy

This week in the Homemade Living series, I am joined by Daisy and Mary in posting about how we incorporate homemade items into our lives. Next week Meg, Staci, and Amber will be up. If you have some free time, please check out the other posts in this weekly series!

Shared with Rurality Blog Hop, Down Home Blog Hop, From the Farm Blog Hop  

Homemade Living: Cucumber Salad

When we're on our green juice kick, we use up a lot of cucumbers. This year we decided to try our hand at growing our own cucumbers to cut down on the expense of buying them at the grocery store. Whenever I try growing something new, I never get my hopes up too high because I don't want to be disappointed. I honestly didn't expect much from the cucumbers, but I am completely amazed at their quick growth.

We basically just put two posts in the ground and attached some bird netting to act as a support for the climbing vines. We planted the seeds a couple inches apart, and the vines just took off. This past week we have been harvesting cucumbers like crazy! I swear, it seems like from the time you see a tiny cucumber growing to picking time is just under one week. When I came back from my vacation, I couldn't believe how many cucumbers were ready to be plucked off the vines.

Yesterday's harvest.

Due to our recent cucumber overflow, I scoured the internet for cucumber recipes and came across this which I immediately pinned to my food board on my Pinterest page. I really liked the idea of a simple cucumber salad, so I whipped it up quickly earlier this week and was very pleasantly surprised.

The skin on my cucumbers was a little tough, so I peeled them first before slicing for the salad. I found that the cucumbers softened slightly in the dressing, but there was still a nice crisp bite to each slice. A very cooling and refreshing salad perfect for an appetizer or side dish. I will definitely make this one again! You can go here for the recipe.

What is your favorite way to use cucumbers?

~Tammy

This week in the Homemade Living series, I am joined by Daisy and Mary in posting about how we incorporate homemade items into our lives. Next week Meg, Staci, and Amber will be up. If you have some free time, please check out the other posts in this weekly series!

Shared with From The Farm Blog Hop, What I Am Eating