 We moved into our house a little over a year ago. I LOVE my house, but there are a few things that needed and still need changing. One of them is the boys bathroom. It used to be a girls bathroom from the previous owners, as evident from this pic here from the girly chandeliers. It also had white cabinets and a very outdated counter.
I have been wanting to make this bathroom over for awhile now. And finally a couple of weeks ago, my younger son had a water bottle with his name written with Sharpie on the bottom and it made a perfect transfer onto the counter.
I would like to say I tried everything to get it off but truly, it is an opportunity like this that sparks the fire for such a project.
I usually hate prepping a project but this one didn't have that much and went really fast. Here's a good tip: Aluminum foil molds to things really well and makes a great covering for fixtures.
Frog tape is the BEST tape and allows for very little leaking. I was told from the guy at Home Depot that if you wipe it with a wet rag first, there is virtually no leaks. He was right. This tape expands when wet so if you wipe it down first, it provides a barrier before any paint is applied. AWESOME!
I used this 1-2-3 primer from Home Depot. It has a glue base and sticks to everything!! I applied two coats to the counter, meanwhile painting the cabinets while waiting for coats to dry.
The picture below shows counter totally primed and cabinets all painted grey.
 After the grey had dried, I applied a brown glaze over the cabinet edges. Just to give a bit of definition to the edges. I love how they turned out! To seal them, I applied 2 thin coats of satin polyurethane. Be sure to open windows, that stuff can make you dizzy!
Meanwhile, I applied the first coat of paint on the counter. I chose a stone spray paint. I have to admit that I was really nervous about the results and the whole concept of spray paint as a counter BUT, after applying a test coat on a sheet of cardboard, I knew it would work.
 While waiting for coats to dry, I also changed the color of the mirror that was hanging on the wall. I had this grey terra cotta left over from a different project that worked really well for this mirror. It has a great texture to it.
And... another coat to the counter.
2 coats of paint for the cabinets, 1 coat of glaze, 2 coats spray paint and 4 coats gloss polyurethane to seal, AND 2 coats of terra cotta paint (and a partridge in a pear tree).
And to finish off a long weekend project, a new coat of paint for the walls, of course some new lights, a new red valence, red rug, red hand towels, and counter accessories. Oh... and light switch covers to match the stone counter. Total cost: about $100. Granted I had some paint already in my stash but pretty good overall.
 Little red bird under a chair
Waiting for the crumbs to fall
Daddy said "Get a job"
Well don't you see, Daddy, how good I am at catching crumbs?
Those are the lyrics from the Dave Matthews song, "LIttle Red Bird"
I just happen to like that song, I'm not quite sure why. It came into my head when I was hurrying to get this picture before the bird flew away.
This little red bird happens to be a male cardinal, sitting on the branches of a palo verde tree. Great contrast of complimentary colors.
I do wish that Mr. Cardinal happened to be looking my way but you take what life hands you and you make the best you can out of it.
Maybe that's what the song is about.
This past weekend was my son's 8th birthday. Even through household sickness all week, it was a successful party. 
A pre-party table. Just a few more food items and it was ready to go. My son's birthday usually coincides with the Superbowl so this year we decided to combine the two. Something for the dad's to do and all the kids were pretty happy for an extra long party.
Angry Bird cake
Cake pops were a bigger hit than the cake. Not to say that none ate the cake but if I would have just done the pops, it would have been fine.
(note to self)
It was the first time I had done the pops. Pretty easy overall but I'm sure glad I watched the You Tube video (Baking with Sugar) first. Saved me much frustration when the first one fell to pieces in the chocolate.
*If yours fall apart, simply add a touch of vegetable shortening to the melted chocolate. This makes for a much smoother consistency.
All the kids together. I think the only reason I got all of them to sit was because this was a pre-sugar picture.
Overall, a great party. It takes most of my time to prep for the kids party but well worth it.
Although, I look forward to getting back to my art this week.
It's the beginning of a new month again and that means one thing! Journaling letters for all the kids go out today!  In case you are unfamiliar, these little gems are sold as a package deal. You order the journal, completely customized, and then each month for a year a new prompt (idea) is mailed. Art for a whole year!! What kid wouldn't love that? And there is an adult version too.You can check out the details here.
I have been making this recipe for over 10 years and it is still a household and guest favorite. If you are not a seafood lover, I have omitted the shrimp due to my dad's allergies and the sauce is still good.
*NOTE- In this photo I used penne pasta but my family really prefers it with angel hair. Any pasta will work.
Also, I make the salad and prep bread before starting because this pasta is fast and easy.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1/4 olive oil
4 Tbsp butter
2 spoonfuls of minced garlic
1 good handful of basil, parsley and oregano OR Italian Seasoning
2 (14oz) can stewed tomatoes, Italian style, coarsely chopped, 1 can drained
1/4 cup Triple Sec
Juice from 1 lemon
about 5 large shrimp for each person, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup feta cheese
8 oz uncooked angel hair pasta
Parmesan cheese
Start water for pasta. Melt butter in medium skillet. Add olive oil, garlic, spices, lemon juice and triple sec. Saute on low boil for 3 minutes.
As soon as water boils, add pasta.
| | After adding pasta to water, add prawns and tomatoes to skillet and cook on med-high heat until shrimp are pink. This should also reduce the liquid just a tad. Cooking time for shrimp is about 5 minutes. Serve over hot pasta and sprinkle with feta and parmesan cheese.
Serve with green salad and french bread.
Happy eating! |
I was off painting at Carrie Curran Art Studio today. Trying to come up with a new painting for this spring. This is what I came up with. It will be on the calendar in February. Come on in for a class and I'll show you how to paint your own. Register now at CarrieCurranArt.com
 Here, it is!~
Took me a couple of days but I now have the calendar I wanted. Right if front of my desk in my studio.
I used Martha Stewart chalkboard paints. They are really cool as they come in assorted colors. And I am using Chalk Ink wet wipe markers that I found at Michaels. They are the same markers that Starbucks uses to do their chalkboards, so I'm told.
Getting things DONE around here!
The other day I made this easy chicken dish that I have been making for some time. It is really simple and so delish. The only problem... I can't think of a name for the dish.
BUT, I am going to share the recipe with you and if anyone has a great name for masterpiece, give me a shout out.
Ingredients: {Beware: I cook like my grandmother and don't measure too much }
1 pkg pancetta (Trader Joes)
1 1/2 lb. Chicken breast or tenders
A good shake of salt and pepper
One large handful of broccoli
1/2 cup milk
handful of parmesan cheese
small handful of mozzarella cheese
sun-dried tomatoes, mmm the more the better
cooked pasta
french bread Place pancetta in a skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken, salt and pepper. Remove pancetta and chicken to a separate plate once chicken is cooked through. Cover with aluminum foil. Add broccoli to skillet an cook for about 5 minutes. Remove broccoli and put aside with chicken mixture. Add milk, parmesan cheese and mozzarella to skillet. On medium heat, melt cheese but be sure to stir constantly so as not to scald milk.  Once the cheese is melted, add all the good stuff together, including the sun- dried tomatoes and stir. You now have one mean pasta dish.
Enjoy!
Well, it has quite the intro. Don't think there is anything wrong with your TV, it is just the beginning of the movie going through its "colorful" beginning.
Another classic movie attempted but this one failed to keep my interest. I know it was supposed to be somewhat of a romeo and juliet type which I would have really liked, but the musical version of guys parading about dancing and singing did not really capture me. In fact, I couldn't even finish it. I would have rather have been doing ANYTHING else.
So if anyone has any reasoning as to why this should have made the top 100 and would like to persuade me to change my point of view and watch it again, please, by all means, let me hear it. I would love to hear the argument behind this one.
Hope your holiday season was all well. I took a couple weeks off from the studio myself. Well, not completely, I am always creating something but I escaped from the computer part of the biz. Which is the most time draining anyway.
We did our share of traveling by air and car and I'm glad that is done for awhile. The kids are great travelers but the overall process in addition to the holidays is overwhelming. But, on the bright side of things, the kids got what they wanted and I will have some fun tomorrow shopping on my gift cards when the kids go back to school.
As for returning to the art world. I myself had some reflections on where I want this year to go. When I started blogging, about 3 years ago, I had more of a collection of different things that were going on in my life. Lately, I have omitted many of those things and only focused on art. I have decided to go back and bring those things back. Creativity is not only an artsy thing but also found in so many of life's adventures. I am going back to writing about my boys, my dabbles with cooking (which is not too bad by the way), and overall craziness that occurs outside the studio. After all, I am not only an artist, but wife, mother, and household foreman.
You will also be able to follow my "40 list". This is a list I compiled of the 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. It is quite the fun list and can be found on the sidebar. I use to have it on my old blog but stopped and have found that I can't keep track of things as easily if they are only in my head. Plus, it keeps my blogging running smoothly.
That is the main change I have decided on, which doesn't sound like much but will be big in the long run. You can view this blog by having it delivered to your email, subscribing by RSS, Facebook or Twitter.
Cheers!
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