DIY Old Window Decor: Baby Bow Hanging Display

Posted on January 6, 2014 by lindsaytirvin

It’s always nice when you’re able to give something a second life and keep it out of the landfill.
In the case of this DIY project for Baby Irvin’s nursery, I was able to give a certain little window a third life!

This rustic white window was salvaged from a house somewhere and sent to our local Habitat for Humanity Restore. When we decided we needed a window as a prop in our most recent bridal fashion shoot, our art director Erin headed to the Restore and snatched it up, and painted it a fun neon melon color to complement the set.

Here are a few behind-the-scenes fashion shoot pics and final tears from our new issue – all showing off the second life of this little window.
<<Isn’t our model Taylor the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen?!>>

After the shoot, I decided I’d take it home and see how I might be able to use it for the baby nursery. Erin suggested hanging photos from it, and I was thinking a place for hanging bows. But first, it needed a fresh coat of paint to complement the peach nursery.

Sugared Peach – Behr Premium (Home Depot)
If I hadn’t already had the paint, I’d have just bought the sample size of the paint to save money and resources (since I only needed a little to cover the front of the window in two coats).

Here’s a look at my latest DIY …

After two coats of Sugared Peach by Behr – the same paint color as the stripes in the nursery.

And while it turns out the color is still too close to the wall color … doesn’t stand out enough for me … so I’ll need to repaint, ultimately, I’ll finish it by rigging it with wires and cute mini clothespins to be able to hang bows from it. It will have the look of this one, except I plan to keep the glass in (cause later I might reuse the window again and make it a photo frame thingy like this.)

This one by Green Acres Hobby Farm

Stay tuned to the blog for a final reveal and update to this project later.

Second Trimester Recap…Three Months to Go

Posted on December 2, 2013 by lindsaytirvin

Tomorrow marks the start of my third trimester. Crazy. Time flies when you’re having fun – er, when your pregnancy is so ailment-free and uneventful that you feel totally normal the whole time. However, I know the next three months … Continue reading →

Pinterest Pass or Fail: Baked Zucchini Chips

Posted on November 25, 2013 by lindsaytirvin

This sounds and looks like the best and most healthy chip replacement idea out there. What better than a veggie that tastes like the thing we actually want – real potato chips – to dip into hummus and salsa and the like?

Green veggies are basically free if you’re calorie counting – so this idea was a must-Pin when I spotted it on Pinterest the other day.

Recipe:
Thinly slice 2 medium zucchini
Spread out onto a baking sheet
Brush with olive oil
Bake until crispy brown at 350-degrees
Sprinkle with sea salt
Enjoy!

Sounds easy enough, right?
Well, see for yourself how it turned out when I gave this healthy recipe a try:

Cash loves to join me in the kitchen.

And then this happened…

What the heck?
Definitely a FAIL.
Maybe I tried to bake too many at once?
Maybe since I sprinkled the oil and didn’t brush it, it made the slices to heavy to crisp up?
I know it wasn’t that I baked too long b/c I checked them constantly and they were soggy up until they burned, dissolved or, well, stayed soggy.

Yes, chipped nail polish. So sue me.

Verdict: FAIL

If you know what I did wrong, please comment below and let me know!

FOUND THIS PIN AFTER THE FACT…
Sounds like a better way to do it, but I’ll have to try another day.

Pinterest Pass or Fail: Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe

Posted on November 18, 2013 by lindsaytirvin

I love this vegetarian recipe blog, The Curvy Carrot. Seems my favorite pins for creative veggie recipes are always coming from this site. And this post is about one in particular … Buffalo Cauliflower.

As you know, I’m pregnant, and about every other month so far, I crave the pungent, mouth-watering flavor of buffalo sauce. I fed my craving wings the first week I was preggo on vacay in Destin … so good! Then, a few weeks later, I got a hankering for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and a delectable buffalo chicken sandwich at a local place here in Little Rock. Twenty-one weeks in (this is a belated post, as I’m at 25 weeks now) … buffalo was calling my name again. However, for the sake of not feeding this baby any more unhealthy snacks … well … fewer unhealthy snacks … I hopped onto Pinterest and searched “healthy buffalo recipes” … and I found this one for Buffalo Cauliflower.

I modified it, of course … because I didn’t have everything in the house, and it turned out to be a PASS.

Here’s how I made my version:

I didn’t have enough flour, so I used corn bread mix instead. Worked out OK, but I do wonder what the flour version would’ve been like.

Toss the cauliflower into the mixture. Spread out onto a baking sheet and bake.

Mix up the sauce while the cauliflower bakes.

Toss the cauliflower in the sauce mixture and bake some more.

THE END RESULT

Although they were good, you really can’t eat all that many of them. I should count that as a good thing, something to make these an even healthier snack. I would make them again, but I’d use more buffalo sauce, I’d make homemade ranch to go with, and I’d use flour instead of the corn bread mix. Still…

Verdit: Pass.

Painting the Nursery: DIY Striped Wall Before & After

Posted on November 11, 2013 by lindsaytirvin

Not much to explain with this post, but I thought I’d show you what I’ve been up to since my last “nesting update” … we relocated the guest room furniture and decor in the now nursery to another room. Then, … Continue reading →

Recipe: The Best Taco Soup You’ll Ever Eat (A Family Recipe)

Posted on November 4, 2013 by lindsaytirvin

On a rainy day last week, I came home from work craving something cozy to curl up on the couch with and nosh.

A hearty, flavorful soup was just the ticket. Even my husband requested soup when I offered up that or spaghetti as menu options for the evening.

With his blessing, I immediately grabbed my go-to cold- and/or rainy-night comfort food recipe: my stepmom’s famous taco soup.

It’s something she made for us while growing up, probably on nights when she needed something easy and quick for us all. The word “easy” belies the flavor of the dish. Because whatever it lacks in culinary high-brow ingredients and complex cooking techniques, it makes up for in sheer deliciousness and quick stove-to-table eats. And isn’t that all that matters when it comes to food for our bellies?

It’s hard to trust a random blogger when they promise something to be the “best” or even “delicious,” but I insist it is the truth for this taco soup. If it helps convince you, my hubby, who usually just eats what I give him and rarely comments on anything unless he doesn’t like it, actually emphatically said … “This soup is excellent.” And he helped himself to seconds. That’s an A+ for me (er, my stepmom), and I know it.

So, without further ado, here’s the recipe (with my modifications) for your future comfort on a rainy or chilly night this fall and winter:

1. REVIEW THE RECIPE.

My Substitues: Instead of 2 cans of pinto beans, I use 1 can of black beans b/c Michael and I aren’t huge bean fans; instead of 1 can of water, I use 2 (making sure to drain the corn and beans though instead) b/c I prefer the soup to have more broth but don’t want so much bean flavor; I tried it with a fresh, diced jalapeño this time but it wasn’t needed, in fact it made it too spicy; and I’ve made it with turkey meat before and it was just as yummilicious!

2. CHOP. DICE. COOK.

3. ADD GROUND BEEF (OR TURKEY). BROWN.

4. ADD SEASONING PACKETS. MIX.

5. TRANSFER TO POT.

6. ADD CANNED ITEMS (DRAIN CORN & BEANS).

7. ADD 1 – 2 CANS OF WATER (BASED ON DESIRED BROTH-INESS). STIR WELL.

8. SIMMER 30 MINUTES (15-20 MINUTES ON MED-LOW IS FINE IF YOU’RE IN A HURRY).

9. ENJOY!

My Toppings: Fritos. Shredded cheese.

My Husband’s Toppings: None.

Gender Reveal Party: We’re Having a Little Baby Girl

Posted on October 28, 2013 by lindsaytirvin

IT’S A GIRL! It was an exciting Saturday afternoon as we revealed the gender to our two families. My stepmom was a rockstar hostess and took over all the plans and food and decor and, well, EVERYTHING. And it all … Continue reading →

Is it a Boy or Girl? Chic Baby Nursery Inspirations for Whatever it Turns Out to Be

Posted on October 21, 2013 by lindsaytirvin

We still don’t know the gender. I know. We’ve waited a lot longer than most people to find out. And for good reasons too. 1) We wanted to be SURE when they tell us that it really turns out to … Continue reading →

The De-clutter Bug Bit Me, Right Along with the Baby Bug

Posted on October 14, 2013 by lindsaytirvin

Ok so maybe I’m nesting or maybe I’m just the girl who gets Spring Cleaning Fever a tad later in the year, but either way, I’m full-throttle into cleaning, re-organizing, purging and de-cluttering mode.

I’d say decorating but really I don’t think this counts as there is no furniture involved (if I could afford to, I’d completely decorate and furnish the front living room, replace or reupholster the dining room table set and also get a buffet piece for in there, and buy a king mattress for the master…..but we have to focus on the nursery and the new guest room first).

So anyway, here’s what I’ve been up to the past couple of weekends around the house in preparations for Baby Irvin’s arrival:

1) Spruce up the backyard. Check.

2) Begin the transition from guest room to baby room. Meaning, EMPTY CLOSET, RELOCATE ITEMS, FIND SPOT FOR THEM ELSEWHERE IN HOUSE. Also know as… closet re-organizing mania. See pictures.

Baby Irvin’s closet: newly emptied and cleaned, save for baby’s first little things.

To get to where I could empty the closet, I had to relocate my entire linen storage (it was previously in the guest room), relocate my golf clothes, and soft shells and sweatshirts; and I took the opportunity to purge items I didn’t need or use and could donate. Here’s a peek at my new linen closet and more … spiffy with labels and all!

I know. As organized as I am, I refuse to take the time to fold sheets properly. Or blankets for that matter. This is the best I can do.

As a result of emptying one closet, this one got re-organized. Now my scarves are neatly hung for me to grab on a whim this fall/winter when I grab a jacket or coat.

Another closet that fell prey to my re-organizing. This has always held some of my shoes and misc. clothes. Now it will be my designated MATERNITY CLOSET! Yay!

3) Deep clean the entire house.

4) Tidy. De-clutter. Re-arrange knick-knacks.

5) Finally frame some wedding photos after 5 years (instead of buying new frames like I wanted to, I re-used some boring-but-satisfactory frames I found in a box from my college townhouse.

6) Organize and decorate the office built-in in our master bedroom. For the past two years, it’s been a wasteland of clean and dirty laundry, new and old mail, a to-shred mail pile, a to-file mail pile, dog toys, random cords to electronics, etc. A MESS. AND MY WORST NIGHTMARE. Finally, I cleared it all off. Sorted, shredded, cleaned, filed, and headed to Target to buy some cute desk accessories. Here’s the end result of that over-due project (sorry no before photo!):

I labeled the slots and storage boxes and such to help keep us accountable!

My amazing co-workers bought me this NEST Candle in “Moss & Mint” and it’s the best, most relaxing bedroom candle ever. NEST Candles are pretty pricey but well worth it! Fortunately, this fragrance doesn’t seem to bother my allergy-prone hubby.

Oh, and I’m OBSESSED with my small glass lamps. $60/2 at Target. DEAL!

I chose to do a his and hers side, where the books under each lamp are gender-friendly, and themed to our aesthetics (kind of). Note: Michael’s sniper, war, politics and business books and my childhood keepsake fairytale books, personal memoir books, and a motivational, personal enhancement book … fits us too a “T”!

These baskets – which I placed at both sides of our built-in – correspond with our drawers for clothes in the built-in. I bought these for us to store clean laundry that we’re too lazy to put up at the moment. If the basket is full, I told Michael, too bad, time to put it all away. LOL. We’ll see how long that lasts.

ta-da! clean, peaceful room with a view of our serene backyard!

Now, the next two projects on my brain are….

1) Paint the mud room and decorate it. (No picture, sorry). Ever since we got broken into and the door had to be replaced…no, scratch that…ever since we moved in and I’ve had to live with this weird wallpaper that you’d have to see to understand, I’ve been waiting to paint over it. We will be DIY painting over wallpaper … stay tuned for the post!

2) Renovate and customize our media cabinet in the main living room – aka, the blue room – to fit modern TVs and such. We’ve been talking about doing this since we moved in too and now I’m super motivated to get this eye-sore of a TV stand from our college days out of the house and off the floor, so Baby Irvin has more room to spread out and play. And so mama and dada can buy a 70″ TV haha! Ok, that’ll actually have to wait a while but it’s def. in my future plans for this room too.

Until then…

Easy Fall Dessert Recipe: Butter Pecan Cupcakes with Apple Butter & Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on October 7, 2013 by lindsaytirvin

For my most recent Treatsie Club day at work, which just so happened to fall on Oct. 1st, I decided to make something fall-esque.

At the grocery store, I discovered Butter Pecan cake mix and decided my pregnant self thought that sounded good and very fall-worthy. I grabbed some cream cheese icing and headed home to make cupcakes.

As I was mixing the batter, I noticed a recipe tip on the back that suggested using apricot preserves under the layer of icing. I am not a big apricot preserves fan but I loved the idea of infusing something else fall-worthy and more fruit-like into this recipe. So, I grabbed the homemade can of apple butter my aunt recently made with the apples that grow on her horse farm in Blairsville, Ga. and used it. I just got back from visiting her last month – and her little gift of apple butter was perfect for this recipe! The apple flavor is a great compliment to the butter pecan cake.

After icing (yes I’m terrible at it, you’ll see below), I sprinkled the top with a little pumpkin pie spice for decoration and for added autumn flair and flavor!

Here’s how it works and how it turned out: