1/31/13

Sorry I have Been a Little MIA this Week!

 
OMGoodness what a week! Aside from all of the usual running around with the kiddies, I was also putting the finishing touches on a post I wrote for Debbie over at her wonderful blog Debbiedoo's.
 
 
You see a few weeks ago Debbie invited me to be part of her house tour series so I have been working on photos and writing this post, which I have to admit took me a lot longer than I anticipated. But it is all good and I just sent off the final draft to Debbie. I sure hope it's OK, I tend to get a little tripped up with the whole HTML thang!
 
 
So when will my home tour be hitting the Internet...tomorrow February first!!!!!! This is a full house tour which I have never done before even here at 21 Rosemary Lane. You've seen different rooms at different times but never all in one post!!!
 
Please stop by Debbiedoo's tomorrow to check out my house tour. I really hope you'll enjoy it!
 


1/29/13

"Tween" Dream Bedroom ~ Grace's Space



When Grace was about to turn 5 years old we decided to move her out of the nursery she shared with Michael and give her her very own big girl room. Grace's favorite colors...you guessed them...pink and purple. But now that Gracie is an official "Tween" her room needed to be brought up to speed. So with a few changes to bedding and the addition of a watermelon pink vanity and new accessories, she now has a bedroom fit for a "tween" princess.


 
 
All the furniture in the room once had life long before they became part of Grace's girly space. The dresser, night stand and wall shelf all came from my parents and were some of their first purchases as newlyweds some 56 years ago.

 
 
The watermelon pink vanity was a yard sale find by my sister Kim. She paid only $5.00 for it and now it is one of my favorite pieces in Grace's bedroom.

 
To see the original yucky light pink and spider webbed vanity just click here.
 
 
The nightstand above and the dresser were part of the same set...I just lightly sanded down the pieces and applied paint and stain and distressed them. Pretty glass drawer pulls and handles were added to give both pieces a shabby chic look. To see what they looked like before follow this link. Then I found the most darling chandelier lamps in a blue faux crystal over at TJ Maxx.
 
 
Finally this chartreuse swivel chair was a perfect find at Restore for only $35.00.
 
 
I painted the walls in two tone purple and then the ceiling got a nice coat of pretty pink. (The stripping of the walls was a tedious task, taking 5 days to complete, but well worth it don't you think?) I also brought the ceiling line down to meet the tops of both the window and door frames. Mr. Rosemary Lane finished off the color break with a piece of thin molding.
 
 
And how can a tween have a bedroom without a poster of Justin Bieber?
 
 
 
 And that is Gracie's Dream Room!
(Brought to you on one very thin dime.)
 
Wishing you  a wonderful day!!
XO
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1/28/13

Quick Living Room Mantel Update

As you may remember, in an earlier post this month I shared with you that our first project of the year was underway. Well Mr. Rosemary Lane has been as busy as the proverbial beaver working on our new mantel. Here again is what the original looked like...
 
 
Pretty blah right?
 
Now a much more substantial, and 3 inches deeper, custom mantel has replaced the old one. A new wood surround has also been added as well.



Decorative molding and appliques will be attached to the new surround to add detail along with a finished look.
 
As of right now the plan is to paint the wood to match the flanking bookshelves, however Mr. RL is tossing around the idea of staining the wood. I'm not sure how I feel about that...I am very much a traditionalist and love the appeal of classic white paint.
 
This is very exciting...I've wanted a larger mantel since we moved to 21 Rosemary Lane 10 years ago, so it will be a big thrill to see the completed project!!!
 
Wishing you all a super start to your week!!!
XO


1/24/13

Healthy "Traffic Light" Veggie Snack


If you have school age children you know how difficult it can be to get them to eat a healthy after school snack. Well I saw this on Facebook today and thought they were the cutest dang things...who wouldn't want to eat one of these stop lights? And as it happened, I had everything needed in my frig to make these.

What is used to  make these darling lights are as follows...

Celery stalks cut in 3 inch pieces
cream cheese
red, yellow and green bell peppers
Skewers


ONE: Spread cream cheese onto the celery smoothly and clean the edges of the celery

TWO: Cut circles from your bell peppers using a metal Wilton frosting tip.

THREE: Pop the circle out of the frosting tip using a sharp knife.

FOUR: Place the circles on the the cream cheese.

FIVE: Skewer the celery with wood skewer.


And ENJOY!!!

This recipe was found at the Super Healthy Kids website. To see more healthy ideas for kids you can visit their site by clicking here.

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1/23/13

Looking for Some Pinkspiration???

 I have been pinning up a storm recently and the board I have been spending the most time on is the one simply titled PINK.
 
Let me share with you some of my Pink Pinterest images...



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To see more of my Pink Pinterest board and perhaps pin some of the images I have collected, all you need to do is click HERE to follow the link.
 
Happy Pinning!!!
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1/22/13

Hearty Beef-n-Beer Stew

 
 Since the kids were off yesterday due to the holiday, and there were no after school activities, I made this stew last night for dinner and it was well received by even the kiddies. (OK, with the exception that Michael does not care for cooked carrots in any form.) What I like best about this recipe is that the meat is cooked separately from the vegetables, so it can be prpared to whatever temperature you prefer. (Our family's taste runs on the side of medium rare.) Various cuts of beef can be used for this stew.
 
What is needed...
 
6-8 potatoes, unpeeled and sliced into quarters lengthwise
12-18 baby carrots
extra virgin olive oil
 sea salt
fresh ground pepper
3 cups of reduced or non-fat low sodium beef broth
1 1/2 lbs steak, (hanger, skirt or flat iron)
1 large shallot
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 c. dark beer (I used Guinness)
2T. Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
1 sprig of fresh or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
 
How to prepare stew...
 
 Preheat you oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the carrots and potatoes with 2 T olive oil and season with sea salt. Roast veggies in oven for 25 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times until the potatoes turn a golden brown. In the meantime in a  medium size sauce pan, heat the broth to a gentle boil and then let simmer until the amount of broth has been reduced to a cup and a half, about 15 minutes.
 
 Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and bring it to a medium heat. Season the steak with sea salt and fresh ground pepper and place it in the skillet. Cook steaks 6 minutes per side for rare, 7 minutes for medium rare, and 8 minutes for medium. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
 
Add a little more olive oil to the skillet used for the meat and saute the garlic and shallot for about one minute. Stir in the beer, beef broth, mustard, soy sauce and thyme. Then transfer your vegetables to the skillet and increase the heat to medium high. Cook your veggies until they are tender and the liquid becomes slightly thick. Slice steak against its grain and serve with the potatoes and carrots.
 
 
This is a very richly flavored stew, so for a wine to accompany this meal my choice would be a lighter bodied red wine like a Pinot Noir, or
a medium to light bodied white wine, perhaps a sauvignon blanc. No matter what your preference in wine is, this meal is one you surely will enjoy
 
Bon Appetite!!!
 
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1/21/13

Amazing Thrifty Finds at The Red Barn


Over the weekend I was at one of my college friend's home for a girls get together. It was fun catching up as the 5 of us went out to dinner and stayed up late drinking wine and chatting until we fell asleep. On Sunday 3 of us went to this wonderful antique shop just outside the Reading PA area called The Red Barn in Blandon. I have to tell you that this place was spectacular and you could easily find yourself spending hours upon hours just milling through store checking out all of the The Red Barn's fabulous treasures.


The first item I found was this beautiful transferware pitcher and saucer. I love the red and white pattern and it just so happens that it is a perfect match to a set of four dishes I picked up from the Christmas Tree Shop at the end of last week. The pitcher set was only $10 and the plates from CTS were $3.99 each.



The second item I keyed in on was this wonderful vintage Coca-Cola wood crate, complete with handles so it can be used as a coffee tray or simply to hold books and magazines. This box was a steal at only $15.



If you are ever in the area of Berks County Pennsylvania, The Red Barn in Blandon is a stop you won't want to miss!


You can visit the facebook page of The Red Barn in Blandon by clicking here.

Have a great week!!!
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1/18/13

Create Your Own Glittery Flurry Candles

 
A beautiful way to make a table top sparkle is the addition of glittery candles. With this really easy project you can create your own glittery candles for only a few pennies worth of materials.
 
 
Just mix some Epsom salt and your choice of colored glitter together on a clean flat surface. Coat a dollar store candle with decoupage using a paint or foam brush. Or you can do what I did and cover it with spray on Mod Podge. Then roll the candle in the mixture. The main thing to keep in mind while coating your candles, is to make sure the tops remain Epsom salt and glitter free. I used both silver and incandescent glitter. Let candles dry and then arranged them on your table or tray. (I actually used a framed mirror to set my candles on.)
 
 
Below is a close up of the silver glitter candle.
 
 
And this is the incandescent look
 
 
So pretty and romantic, and just perfect for a winter tablescape. Add some glass hearts to the display along with a cherub or two and you have the perfect St. Valentine's day centerpiece.
 

Wishing you all a wonderful extended weekend!!!
 
XO
 
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