Recipe Binder Re-do with Photocopied Fabric

This is a little embarassing...

I've been keeping a secret buried deep within the depths of my kitchen pantry.

My former recipe binder. See for yourself.

{hanging head in shame.}

{wince.}

Complete with rings that didn't close all the way and pages that were shoved in haphazardly.

The best part: I left the binder a little too close to the hot stove while cooking one day and melted all the plastic sheet protectors, rendering them useless.

The best-er part: I don't even remember when this happened. It was THAT long ago, friends.

{nervous laugh}

But those days are all behind me now.

I have seen the error of my ways.

My dividers are organized alphabetically:

1. Appetizers and Snacks
2. Beverages
3. Breads
4. Cleaning Products (I sometimes like to make my own.)
5. Desserts--subdivided by: cakes, cookies and bars, misc. and pies
6. Main Courses--subdivided by: beef, chicken and turkey, fish and seafood, pork and vegetarian
7. Salads
8. Sides
9. Soups

And I was able to get a little creative. I need that.

For the cover, I photocopied a few of my favorite fabrics, then pieced the papers together and slid them right under the plastic on my binder.

Some people advocate typing up all of your recipes so you eliminate any small recipe cards.

That certainly is nice and tidy, and I really almost did that.

But I just couldn't part with the beautiful, handwritten recipes that my mother, grandmother or dear friends have given me through the years.  They're like memories.

So I kept them and used 4x6 photo protector pages to keep them nice and safe. Perfect!

*********

I would love to hear about your favorite recipe from a special person. 

Linked to: Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Craft-O-Maniac

Tutorial: How to Install a Mosaic Tile Backsplash

Guess what I did on New Year's Eve? 

(with company visiting, might I add)

We stayed up late (11:30) and got a little crazy with the backsplash.

Mmm. Hmmm. 

And before you feel sorry for our house guests and think I am the worst hostess ever, 

our friends totally volunteered to help out. 

Okay, sure, they were probably just being nice and making a polite gesture, 

but the hubs and I are long-past having any pride when it comes to this 

hot mess of a kitchen makeover.

(See cabinet makeover here and here and here.)

Thanks, Caleb and Oly. You guys are awesome!! I am truly sorry I almost starved you on Saturday and made you work your fingers to the bone for the sake of my house looking pretty.  I really hope you are still our friends anyway!!

Okay, you probably should feel sorry for them. 

I, on the other hand, am completely pumped about how it turned out!

*****

Want to do it yourself?

Don't be afraid. It was not at all complicated. 

With a little time, some elbow-grease, and a couple of suckers friends, you can do it too.

1. Measure your wall space and lay out your design before doing anything. We were able to design our kitchen backsplash without using a tile cutter, but you may need one.

2. We used 1/8" tile spacers for the 4" tile trim under the mosaic. 

(We also began by taping off the granite, but found that this step was unnecessary.)

3. Using the smooth side of a trowel, spread a thin layer of thin-set-with-polymer mastic in a horizontal motion.

4. Apply a slightly thicker layer with the grooved edge. 

You don't want to go too thick here because it won't dry evenly and the tiles may slide. 

Let the grooved edge touch the wall when applying.

5. Secure the tiles on the mastic using a slight push-pull motion.

TIP: My friend, Oly, came up with this great idea-- use old magazines that are the same thickness to steady the tiles. This worked a lot better on the bottom than the tile spacers. Just make sure and remove them before they dry to the wall.

6. Remove the film behind the mesh on your mosaic tiles and place them on the wall using the same method you used before.

TIP: Using a piece of plywood helps to evenly add pressure to the tiles when securing.

7. Let the tile set for 24 hours and then apply a stone sealer (we used DuPont) with a paint brush. 

This is especially important since we used a stone tile. The grout would discolor the stone without the sealer and it offers an extra layer of protection from future water discoloration. 

Let the sealer set for 72 hours. 

This was when our nice friends said, "We're outta here." 

And they left. 

--something about jobs and their own stinkin' houses to tend to-- 

Whatever. 

8. Now you can mix up your grout according to the manufacturer's instructions. 

Use an unsanded grout. 

It goes on smoothly and looks nice and polished on the wall.

9. We found that a 1" putty knife worked really well for filling all the grooves between small tiles.

10. Immediately sponge off the excess with a damp sponge.

TIP: The Armaly ProPlus sponge worked great! It has a buffer side (the white part) that is rough and perfect for the first wipe-down. The smooth side worked well for wiping off the rest.

11. Polish with a dry cloth.

12. Let it set for 24 hours and seal it again.

Yay! You're done!

And so are we (at least with that part). Double-Yay!

We've come a long way, baby.

Now...

Sisters' Stuff, Seven Thirty Three, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello

Kitchen Update and A Christmas Tradition

I woke up yesterday with a pep in my step. A smile on my face. A song in my heart.

It's true.

My new granite countertops were coming and by the end of the day, my kitchen would be one step closer to done. Not just done, but done in time for Christmas.

I just knew I'd be baking up some Christmas goodies while the children played at my feet and my husband merrily did the dishes. The timer would buzz and I'd pull warm sugar cookies from the oven and let them cool on those gorgeous counters.

A girl can dream, okay?

<<Check out how we redid the cabinets here and here.>>

Halfway through installation, however, the installers cracked one of the slabs.

Sigh. So we're back to waiting. A little longer.

I dont know... the dried Gorilla Glue backsplash might just work... and the plywood countertops... am I sensing a trend?

Someone call up "House Beautiful."

*****************************

But no matter what kind of Ca–Ra-Zy state our home may be in...

(Yeah.)

making Christmastime special this year--and every year-- is very important to my husband and me.

One of my favorite traditions is letting my oldest son color a wooden ornament from the craft store.

Then I jot down a few of his "favorites" on the back.

Instead of hanging them on the tree--where they sort of get lost--

I wanted to showcase them in the front entryway where they serve as a visual reminder of what's really important.

We are very blessed to have two healthy boys who are growing and learning and changing quite quickly.

The kitchen can wait.



Linked: Under the Table and Dreaming, I Heart Naptime

Snowflake Refrigerator Decor

Why not add a little Christmas magic to your fridge for the holidays?

That's where all the magic begins anyway. Ahem.

I came across these pre-cut felt snowflakes at JoAnn this past weekend and I couldn't pass them by.

They were 3 for $1--what a steal!

After gluing on some fabric strips--ripped, not cut-- and pulling out my favorite stamping set, they looked just right, but I was at a loss for where to put them.

So I decided on the least expected place.

I love how it adds a little burst of color and personality to my white kitchen.

Merry, merry, merry Christmas!

Linked To:
seven thirty-three, Somewhat Simple, Frou Frou Decor

Kitchen Cabinets Makeover--Part 2

Click here to read Part 1 in this epic series.... 
at least it feels that way around here.

After buying our fixer-upper and discovering that new cabinets were not in the budget, we decided to make do with what we have and spruce the old girls up a bit.

Bead board covereth a multitude of sins, my child.

Using paintable/stainable wood filler, my hubby filled the gaps.



He was very proud of himself.

And he should be, it was a lot of work.

He laid out the doors and drawers and primed, then painted.

It took about three coats and he sanded them in between each.

In the meantime, he primed and painted the cabinets inside.

Then he added the bead board to the sides and the backs using Gorilla Glue and clamps first,



and then tacking them in place last.

After the paint was very dry on the doors and drawers, he used steel wool to remove any imperfections in the paint--this gave it a really sleek look.

Then he added a final, light coat of paint.

The updated doors made all the difference--the kitchen is looking so much brighter and newer.

We still have a lot of work ahead of us, though.



But we're getting there.

And I'm loving how much better they look.