Wishy-washy

I’m moving back over to blogger.  I have a pretty new blog over there, so check me out :)   http://plainhappy.blogspot.com/

The Prettiest Thing I Ever Did See

I made this amazing Jell-O mold for a family Labor Day bbq.  And let me tell you.  It was worth the four hours it took to make it.  I just can’t get over its beauty.  I’ve been wanting to make one for a while because of its mid-century qualities, and then I saw this on my Craft Magazine Daily e-mail and I knew I had to make one, like, NOW.

Behold its stripey amazingness!

Want to make  a jello mold? Well, first you have to have patience.  Second you have to have 9 or 10 boxes of Jell-O.  Mix each box with 1 1/4 cup boiling water. Pour your first  layer in the bundt pan, stick it in the refrigerator, and wait 15 to 20 minutes.  Gently pour your next layer of room-temperature Jell-O on top of that.  Repeat with each layer.  Yes, you have to wait 15 minutes between each layer.  For the opaque layers, add 2 tbs sour cream; or 1 tbs if you want to split up a color (half regular/half opaque).

A couple of tips:  I was really worried about it getting stuck in the pan.  You’re supposed to put it in a bowl of warm water for 10 seconds to loosen/melt the outer layer a bit.  Mine slipped right out, along with quite a bit of melted Jell-O. Oops!  I’d say maybe 5 to 10 seconds next time.  And you can see it pulling away from the edge of the pan, while it is in the bowl.  Another thing, don’t make all your flavors at one time.  I’d say maybe three at a time, making your next batch with enough time to cool completely before you pour it on the previous layer.

Now I know better for next time … and there will be a next time.  Oh, and it was delicious.  There’s always room for Jell-O!

Before and After

Out with the old, in with the new.  I was getting tired of our damask wallpaper, as it didn’t match anything else in our home.  I meant to decorate around it, but that didn’t work out too well.  I still think it was super pretty, but it had to go.  I’ve always heard taking down wallpaper is a nightmare and I was happy we only had half a wall to de-wallpaper.  But it actually wasn’t so bad.  We just sprayed some wallpaper remover stuff on there, waited 15 minutes and peeled away.  Sure, there are a few spots on the wall that have a little extra texture now, but it’s a textured wall anyway so you can’t really tell.  This picture was taken after Aaron ripped off the chair rail and we peeled back a little wallpaper just to see what it was like.

We painted a pretty new color (“aqua bay”), added some paintings, and presto change-o, dining room makeover.  We finally put up our paint by number paintings.  There was some debate (mostly with myself) about the framing of the paintings.  I thought all the different frames would be cute and eclectic – but then again, our home isn’t really the most eclectic place.  In the end I decided the paintings themselves were kitschy enough and stuck with the same black frames that house every other picture on our walls.  Gotta keep it consistent girl.  We have a few more paintings to frame, and lots of wall space to expand.  Now that I can compare the before and after, I think the damask looked a little boring.

Fan Love

How awesome and beautiful is my “new” vintage fan?  We found it at the swap meet and Aaron was wonderful enough to snatch it up for me for only $25.  It’s in super good condition and it works too!  It’s small and I love the color; it’s perfect.  The color is inspiring us.  We might paint our newly de-wallpapered dining room wall the same color.  I also got an enamel brooch that is in perfect condition and Aaron got another camera, of course, to add to his ever-growing collection.

Quilt? Check.

Sunday was a good day for a catnap.

Or an afternoon dognap.

It’s light and pretty and kinda kitschy.  I love it.

It Was a Slow Thrifing Weekend

I did pick up this cute owl clock.  I haven’t checked to see if it works yet, but that really doesn’t matter.  I also got a metal wastebasket that is pretty trashed (pun intended).  I tried to clean it, but it was a big chore and I hate the way rubber gloves make my hands smell.   The whole basket is made up of metal flowers, so there are lots of tiny grooves for dirt to get into.  Maybe Mr. Amerine will be so kind as to try to clean it up for me.

We went to an estate sale that sounded promising, but it was a bust.  I got some more vintage buttons, but that’s it. Oh, and one more thing:  You never know what you’re going to see at the dirt mall.  I guess someone really likes … Christmas?  And a lot of crap on their car.

This Like Never Happens