We have our winners!!!

We have our winners for the "Welcome" wall words. Screaming MeMe and Julie. Email me your addresses, and I will get the "Welcome" in the mail. My email is wcollier1201@yahoo.com Several people asked about how I made them. I have a silhouette maker. I bought it from QVC several years ago. I think you can also check out www.quickutz.com to buy them. I buy all of my blades, vinyl paper, shapes etc. from them. This little machine is GREAT!!! It cuts out anything on your computer. Just type out what you want in the font you want it in, and hit cut. In a few short seconds, you have your image.
The cool thing about the silhouette maker, they have a website and you can go on and buy images. Here is just a few samples of what they have.
Here is a box that I purchased. You can make it small or large. Just use the arrows and make it the size you want. Load your paper and.....
a few short seconds later you have a box all cut out.
Fold and you have a cute little box. We are making these for the church Valentine's Party. 1 down, 79 to go.Tie with a ribbon and you have a nice little parting gift or a little something to place on each plate.

If you are interested in seeing how this machines works, I found these videos at youtube---
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TAtsMLeStA&feature=related this one shows how it works,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyOjnn1Qr10 this one makes a projects.

Giveaway

During the night we got hit with ice. Today everyone is home, no school, no work, and we have nothing to do. So what better way to pass the time than to get out my silhouette maker and make "Wall Words".

Yesterday I posted my closet on the Metamorphosis Monday and just about every other comment mentioned the "His" and "Hers" on the doors. I wasn't even going to mention the "His" and "Her", I guess it was a good thing I did.

So today since I have nothing to do, and nothing to post about, I'm going to give 2 "Welcome" (like the one on my front door) to 2 different people.
They measure 14 1/2" x 2 3/4". All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what you like to do when the weather is bad and you can't get out of the house. I will draw 2 names on Thursday.

Closet--Met Monday

Today is Metamorphosis Monday, check out Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for a list of participants. Click on the butterfly to the right.

Today I am going to show you my closet. Our floor plan had a small room next to the master. This room was tiny, 8 1/2 ' x 9'. When we were framing the house, we decided to do away with the room and just extend the Master Bedroom. My thinking was to make it a sitting area.

It never worked out that way. Over time it turned into an area to store things. If we didn't know what to do with something, we put it in that end of the room. Before long that area of the bedroom was a huge storage area. I hated going to the bedroom because that area of the room stressed me out with all the stuff.

Our walk in closet that we had was tiny. It was full and wouldn't hold another thing. One day (took me almost 20 years to think of this) I decided to go ahead and put the wall up and make what was suppose to be the tiny room my closet, my husband could keep the closet we already had for himself. Just think, for the last 20 years I could have had my own closet, instead I had a place to store exercise equipment, furniture we didn't know what to do with, stacks of paper, etc. If you can think of something, it was probably stored there.

In this picture you can see how small the bedroom would have been. But it is perfect size for my very own closet.
And here we have the finished room. I have shelves on all 4 walls. This side of the room is for hanging my shirts and jackets. I also put shelves down the middle to display my purses.

I still need to buy my drawers, I am going to put drawers up to just over waist high. The top I want open shelving with baskets. I hang all of my jeans, Capris on the bottom, on top I hang all outdoor jackets and coats.

This wall is for things that need folded. I have my sweaters, pjs, etc. on this wall. I still need to get my baskets for the top shelves. The bottom wire basket is for dirty clothes. I need to buy one more wire basket.

Other things we did besides putting up the wall; scraped the popcorn ceiling, new trim and crown molding, paint (Latte- Sherwin Williams), new carpet. I absolutely love going in there to get dressed. I have enough space to be able to go in and see everything I own. Nothing is bunched up together and getting wrinkled. And the best part, I don't have to share!!

And just so no one gets confused which closet is theirs, I added "His" and "Hers" to the doors.

Thanks for stopping by and looking at my closet. I enjoyed showing it to you.

What is your design style?

I took the Design Quiz at HGTV. You do have to be signed in to take it. It ask a question and then shows about 12 pictures. You click on the style that you like. At the end of the quiz it tells you what your style is and then gives you examples. If you have time, go check it out. I took the quiz a couple of times. I had trouble on some of the questions picking just one. I posted some of my answers.


My style is Romantic
Elegant yet relaxing. Luxurious fabrics, soft colors, fresh florals. Appeals to all the senses and sets a warm mood. My home has Romantic style.

On my second time taking the quiz, this is my style....

My style is Old World, New Way
Deep, rich and regal but muted for a time-worn effect. Finishes are distressed, woodwork is rough-hewn. A lived-in but luxurious old world.

Here are the questions.


1. I could get a great nights sleep here.


2. My dream kitchen would look most like this.


3. I could find the perfect spot in my home for this.


4. My refrigerator looks most like this.


5. I would love to come home to this.


6. I would accessorize using this.



7. Where I live looks most like this.



8. I can see myself unwinding here.


9. I would like to throw a dinner party here.



10. This is the stage of my life now. (This one I am not sure of. The choices they gave with kids, the kids were babies or college. My kids are young teenagers that want nothing to do with their parents. So I chose the couple by themselves.)



11. My desk looks more like this.


12. I approach home projects like this.


What is your design style?

Breakfast Recipe

A couple of months ago My friend, Elizabeth, served these at her brunch. They disappeared as soon as she had them out of the oven. This morning I decided to give them a try. I did not have Monterey Jack so I substituted Cheddar.

Here's what is in them.


One package of sausage
1 cup ranch dressing
1 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
pepper
package of pre-made mini Fillo shells (found in the freezer section next to the pie crust)

Brown your sausage, add dressing, cheese and pepper. Fill shells with mixture and bake at 350 for 5 min. or until cheese has melted. Serve warm. That is it, so simple. My husband loved these, my kids would not try them. They said it was too early to eat dressing.

The next time I make these, I will leave out some of the dressing and half the recipe. I had 15 shells but had enough of the mixture to make 30.

Awards

Yesterday was a first for me. I received an award!!! This award is called the Nobelpris and it has to do with being a nice Mom to children, animals, anyone. It came from
Melissa Heart and Home. I am honored that she would think of me. When I started blogging a month and a half ago, Melissa was the first person to sign up as a follower. You know how excited you are when you get a follower? And now she is the first person to give me an award. And then when I checked my blog this morning, Connie fromMy Thoughts and Creations also gave me this award. Thank you to both of you! Be sure to check out their blogs.


Now for my second award. This award came from Susan at A Southern Daydreamer . It is called the Sisterhood Award. She gave this award to me because I have commented at least 10 times on here blog. I know how excited I get when I have a comment, so if I have time, I always try to leave a comment when I visit a blog. Thank you Susan for thinking of me. Please check out Susan's blog.

Welcome to my chicken coop!

Tam at The Gypsy’s Corner is the hostess for “Three or More Thursday” and I’m joining in for the first time this week. (clicking on the logo on the right will take you to her site)

First I want to say, "I do not collect chickens". But for some reason, when I see a metal chicken, I can not pass the silly thing up.

This guy is the one that started it all. I found him 4 or 5 years ago at Silver Dollar City. When I saw him, I fell in love with him. I have him sitting out in the middle of my flower bed. The weather has really been hard on him. After all of these years, he has a big rusted spot on his chest and he is missing an eye. I'm not sure if the weather has done a number on him or if it is from my kids hitting him with a football. And yes, I think they do it on purpose. Seems I'm the only one around here that thinks he is out of this world.

At just over 2 feet tall, this guy sits on top of my pantry. He keeps a watchful eye making sure a fox doesn't raid the pantry. He does his job well.
And here is #3. Summertime he is sitting in my kitchen. He is pretty neat because a candle fits inside his chest. The light shines through the Crisscrosses and makes an unique pattern.

Well, that is it for now. I only have 3, and the plan is to not add to my collection. But like I stated above, when I find one, I just can't pass the silly things up. So please keep your fingers crossed another one doesn't cross my path. Because we all know why the chicken crossed the road. To come to my house!

Yeeee Hawwwww Cowboy

This cowboy is one of my most favorite things that I own. It's one of those things that almost got away. I was in a home decorating/antique store about 8 or 9 years ago. The owner had just brought him to the store the day before. I was thinking of doing my youngest son's room in a western theme, and thought this would go perfect. I can't remember the price, I know he was under $100 but still more than what I wanted to pay.
I decided I would go home and think about it. My mom was shopping with me that day and she said, "If you want it, get it". So I bought him. And I'm so glad that I did.

Next morning my phone rings and it is the store owner wanting to know if I want to sell him. Apparently a lady had been in the store earlier the day before and saw the cowboy. She went home to think about it and decided the next morning that she wanted it. She called the store to have them hold it for her. Too late, it had been sold. I am so thankful I did not wait.

Look at that face, he sure has a big old grin. I bet he just finished working the cattle and now he is sitting by the campfire, drinking his coffee and listening to the coyotes howl.

I know absolutely nothing about this cowboy. He is large, 4 feet across and 3 1/2 feet from the top of his hat to his chin. I don't know the age or what it was used for. Maybe that is part of the appeal, in my head I can make up all kinds of stories about him. Was he an advertising sign for a western store? Maybe the first Marlboro Man? Or did someone just make him? I would love to know.

He is painted on a board and the colors used were brown, white and tan.

Look close, bullet holes. Well, maybe they are not bullet holes, but it sure makes for a good story.

If you know anything about him, his age, what he was used for, please let me know. Or if you have a good story to add to his repertoire, I'd like to hear that too.

Thank You

Yesterday was Met. Monday and I want to thank everyone that stopped by and left a comment. I also want to thank Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) for hosting this. I had so much fun visiting all the sites and looking at the before and after pics. I'm glad I was able to be a part of it. If you missed out, it's not too late. Click on the butterfly to the right and it will take you to Susan's site. There you will find a list of the participants.

I can't believe how many comments I had. I was overwhelmed each time I checked in and found more comments had been left. It's funny how a little comment can make you so happy.

I would like to thank, (I'm sorry if I missed you)

Susan, Kathy, Janine Wahl, Denise, Mean Mom Productions, Stacey, Pat, Nina, Happy to Be, Char 72, Pammie Jo, Judy Bug, Susan(Between Naps on the Porch), Meadowsweet Days, Cynthia, LanaG, Betsy, Ceekay,Elaine, Redsoxmom, Diane, 6p00e554fd440d8834, KD, Sarah, Lynne(Lynns gifts from the heart), Melissa Miller, Mishebe, CC Catherine, Santamaker, Bo, Ashley, Screaming Meme, Cheryls Fasinating Finds, Momovthree, Mah, Kathysue, Ann, Katherinellen, Olive Rue,mbkatc 230, Nancy W, Lady Katherine, Kimm, Glenda, Deb, Lisa, Stacey.

Hall Make-over Before and After

I have been working on my hall for the last couple of weeks. I'm glad to be able to post my before and after pictures today.
This is my after picture. We replaced our 1 tiny light with 2 new canned lights. We also added, bead board, trim, paint (walls- Hopsack, ceiling- Latte, bead board-white), crown molding, floor mat(I painted with left over wall paint) photos and accent pieces.

Down came the ugly popcorn ceiling. We replaced the Home Interior from the early 90's with snap shots I have taken over the years of my kids.

BEFORE

Here we have the before picture. As you can see we totally made over this room. .Click here to see all post from start to finish.

Nothing went untouched, from putting bead board on the walls and ceiling to a new mat on the floor.

The pictures added so much for little cost. I purchased the frames at Hobby Lobby for half price. I think at half off they were $8.00 for a 14" x 18" frame. The black and white pictures I had made at Wal-mart, they were $4.97 for a 8" x 10" picture. Each picture I have under $15.00.
Everything on this wall came from Hobby Lobby, also half priced, or I already had it. The things I already owned got a coat of black spray paint. The "C" for our last name was gold. It also got a coat of black paint. I love it now.

This is the new floor mat I made. I cut a piece of linoleum, bought at Home Depot for $20.00 for a 6' x8' square. I painted the back side with left over wall paint and as you can see, it matches my hall perfectly. I added a black border to tie in the black picture frames.

I hope you enjoyed my before and after pictures. Thanks for stopping by my blog and please leave a comment letting me know you were here.

Click on the butterfly to the right and it will take you to "Between Naps on the Porch" she is hosting Metamorphosis Monday and has a list of more before and after pictures