My Space for Craft, Sewing, Blogging (aka. Mom's Office!)

I am not sure how I managed to luck into having a whole room to myself for just me! But I am thrilled beyond belief to have this happy place and also that it is 99% completed! I have been dying to share this space for a week now but I had one project that wasn't quite finished....

My 'office' as the kids like to say is upstairs right next to their play room. And there is a reason you have never really seen it before... It was the storage room for all of the furniture that had no where else to go! It was a mix match of prints, styles, and random pieces that really just needed a place to be hidden when we had people over. I don't really have a full before shot, but these below give you an idea of how messy and thrown together it was!

But now... I LOVE this room! I have a big smile whenever I walk up the stairs and see it. And even now at 5:30am, I am so happy to be sitting in my beautiful room typing this post! The color scheme for the room was chosen on a whim in Hobby Lobby! I had been going back and forth on what the heck I should do with this room. Nothing seemed right until I saw these 2 beautiful cotton duck fabric bolts sitting next to each other. The pink polka dots and the pink/blue/yellow ikat had me at hello! It was all so fun, girly, and funky! (Big thanks to the girls that are hosting the Style Soiree parties! This week's soiree is Kate Spade and I swear that seeing them set up this party gave me the needed push to jump into the pink and polka dots for this room!)

What I love best about this room is that almost everything was a DIY or a piece that we already had! Full source list at the bottom and I will be featuring the details behind the DIYs later this week and next.

Source:

Round Table - Shayne Table from PB

Rattan Basket on Table - WalMart

Baskets under Table - PB

Roll Arm Sofa - Ballard Designs (discontinued)

Pink Greek Key Pillow - DIY

Blue White Stripe Pillow - PB

Gray & White Greek Key Small Pillow - Calico Corners Fabric DIY

Parsons Desk used as Sewing Station (West Elm)

Metal Ampersand - RH Sale

Pink Polka Dot Magnet Board - Hobby Lobby fabric DIY

Cobalt Blue Desk Lamp - DIY

Fur Benches under Desk - DIY

Faux Wood Chair (West Elm)

Window Panels - Hobby Lobby Fabric DIY

Hanging Vinage Llama Rug (thanks mom!)

Random Food Thoughts... Pumpkin Brownies, Milkshakes, and more!

I have a couple of random food related thoughts this lovely Monday morning...

1. My name is Nikki and I am a chocoholic! So whats a girl to do when she needs her chocolate but is trying to not eat horribly? I found the perfect solution! Almost Healthy, High Fiber Brownie cookies! You literally dump a box of brownie mix, half a can of canned pumpkin, and 2 tbsp applesauce into a bowl and mix! Cook on 350 for about 10 minutes (or eat them raw!) Yes - I know they are not healthy but with just pumpkin and applesauce I can use girl math to pretend! In the bottom pic, I stuffed them with vanilla frozen yogurt as a treat for Little Man and he LOVED them too :)

2. If you looking for the real deal summer treat... Look no further than Sonic's Summer of Shakes! These things are to die for! So far I have tried the Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Chocolate Cream Pie, and Oreo Cheesecake... and I can't wait to try more! What's even better is that after 8pm it's half off milkshakes!

Sonic Summer of Shakes

3. Okay, back to healthy eating.... My sister stumbled on these yummy kid friendly snacks. I feel so much better passing these out than the usual Goldfish. They are in the salad topping section at most grocery stores and they are really tasty! You must try them for yourself and your kids.

4. Another great product that is kid friendly. Most mornings I try to make homemade healthy pancakes but sometimes it doesn't happen. These sweet potato pancakes are high in protein, all natural, and they taste great! I can only find them at my local Fresh Market but have seem them at local Organic/ Health Food stores on occasion.

Happy Mother's Day to Super Hero Moms Everywhere!!!!

Wishing my mom, mother in law, and all of my mommy friends a wonderful day! You are truly super heroes! I hope that you get pampered, loved, and well fed today :)

source

DIY Pottery Barn Rope Chandelier

I love me some Pottery Barn.. especially their lighting! But I do not love their prices. So what's a girl to do? Obviously a DIY knock off project to get the look without the big price tag! And the perfect DIY to link up with The Happy Hour Inspiration Link Party and Serenity Now!

While flipping thru a recent PB catalog, I saw the Rope Chandelier with Jute Shades and it was love at first sight (until I saw the $299 price). Check out the views of it below. Beautiful right? I love the texture of the rope and how casual it feels! And don't even get me started on that table...

After a closer look at the pictures, the shape of the chandelier was almost identical to the builder basic one that we just took down in our dining room. I began to wonder if I could really just wrap rope around our old chandelier to make it look like the PB one? 

Supplies:

Old Chandelier

4 bags of Everbilt Manila Rope from HD

Glue Gun

Scissors

Embroidery Hoop

Chandelier Shades

Let me apologize in advance that there are hardly any pictures of how I did this... between the splinters from the rope and the burns from the glue gun, I just wanted to quickly finish off this project and busting out the camera would have really slowed me down.

This chandelier was gathering dust in the garage for a month or so before this project. I removed all of the glass shades and lightbulbs and then got to work. There was no real rhyme or reason to where I started or how I wrapped the rope. I put a dot of hot glue on the chandelier and just started wrapping....

And wrapping....

And wrapping.....

After 5 whole days of working on this project during naps and in the evenings, I was finished with the rope wrapping of the chandelier! Thankfully, the last step was so easy compared to the winding of the rope all around the curves of the chandelier. I took a wooden embroidery hoop, cut it down to fit the width of my chandelier, and then wrapped it with the rope too. I argued with myself on leaving the chandelier as is or adding the hoop but I think that the hoop really completes the look! I need a serious break from the hot glue gun but I love the way that it turned out!

I found 2 chandelier shade options to try. Hobby Lobby was up first. These were the right color but I did not like the pleating on them. Apologies on the night time picture but I was just so excited to get them on that I could not wait! You can't beat Hobby Lobby prices, it was $30 for all 5 of the shades.

Next it was the Lowe's option. These were a bit bigger and the right shape but stark white. They were marked down to $4.99 each so also a great deal at just under $30 for all 5. The Lowe's shades seem to be a better fit in my eyes. Although I am super annoyed with the clip on shades. Its a daily struggle to keep them straight! But I have never seen any other options. Have yall? I am thinking that if I keep the Lowe's ones I will give them a coat of paint in a more natural color. It was so easy for the DIY Painted shades that this would be a piece of cake for the tiny shades!

But in the meantime, here is the finished product for now...

And a quick side by side comparison with my inspiration image.

Hanging Paddle Hook Rack

Way back last year, I did this super cute DIY that I could not do anything with because we were just putting our house on the market and there was no use adding more holes to fill! It has taken me quite some time to figure out where the Hooked Paddle should go... I was hoping for the bathroom because it would be so cute with the nautical/pirate theme we have going. No dice on that - the wall space was limited with a linen closet.

We opted to hang it in Little Man's room. It was actually his idea! The paddle had been hiding in the aforementioned bathroom linen closet, until Little Man dragged it out. I loved the idea of him having a place where HE could hang up his towels, jackets, etc.

It is hanging partially behind his door at his height and he LOVES it! He is actually excited for naps and bed time because he gets to take his jammies of the hook to put them on :)

White Chicken Enchiladas and Almost {Healthy} Fried Ice Cream!!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! This used to be a holiday when I enjoyed drinking margaritas and Corona's at our local Mexican restaurant with 300 of my closest friends.... but I totally lucked out this year and get to celebrate with my 3 favorite people in the world :)

What a better meal than these yummy Chicken Enchiladas! I wish that I had a source, but this recipe was passed to me via a photocopied recipe at a close friend's wedding week festivities. It was such a hit that the hubs (my fiance at the time) insisted I find this recipe. Luckily, the hostess had a copy she gladly passed on. Not only is it a knock out meal, it can be prepared ahead of time which is a must for me when entertaining.... or for dinner's in general with 2 young kids! I have switched it up by going veggie and using mushrooms instead of chicken or doing black beans instead of pinto. You really can't go wrong!

Chicken Enchiladas:
16 6 inch tortillas
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp butter
6 tbsp flour
1 16 ounce carton low fat sour cream
3 cups chicken broth
1 4 oz can diced green chili peppers
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup corn
1 cup pinto beans
4 cups chopped cooked chicken (I use 2 organic cans of chicken, drained)

Wrap tortillas in foil. Heat in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes until soft (I skip this step if in a crunch!)
In a sauce pan - cook onion and garlic in butter till tender.
Stir flour into sour cream and add to onion mixture. Stir in broth, chili powder, & chili peppers.
Cook until thickened and bubbling. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup of cheese. Set aside.
In a bowl, stir 1 cup of sauce into chicken. Add corn, pinto beans, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Mix well.

Spoon chicken mixture into tortilla and roll. Place seam side down in a lightly greased baking dish. Once all tortillas have been rolled and placed in dish, top with remaining sauce. Bake covered at 350  degrees for 30 minutes. Add remaining cheese to top and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Almost {Healthy} Fried Ice Cream:
1 pint vanilla bean ice cream
1 cups of cinnamon cereal (I used a mix on Fiber One Caramel Delight and Raisin Bran. I just grabbed the last bit of each that we had left, threw it in a plastic bag, & crushed it with a rolling pin)

Using an ice cream scoop, make ice cream balls.
Dip balls in crushed cereal. Mix around till each ball os coated.
Place balls back into freezer in a freezer safe container for approx 1 hour.
Remove when ready to serve. Top with honey, chocolate sauce, whipped cream.... anything!!!!

Polka Dots & Shorts

Like the rest of the South, we got hit with these crazy springtime showers this week followed by a bit of a cool front. It still warms up in the afternoons but the mornings are slightly comfortable (not yet 85 degrees!) My mom outfit of late has been shorts with a thin jacket and flat sandals. It allows me to cool and then remove the jacket in the afternoon when the sun really gets cooking.

I turned to Pinterest to look for some more short friendly options and look what I stumbled on.... polka dots and jean shorts! My most comfy and worn in shorts are a pair of very worn in cuffed jean shorts. I love them!!! And they are from Forever 21 :)

Source (of above 3 images)

Source

I was surprised to see that I had both a long sleeve and tank top polka dot shirt. Yes, I need to clean and organize my closet! The above image of Kourtney K got me thinking about trying pink and khaki with the polka dots and I really liked it. I officially need a spring time khaki jacket!

And of course, red and polka dots is so classic! I like the added funk of the army green crop jacket and the animal print sandals. Thinking a chambray shirt would have rocked this too!