bleach pen painted burlap sign

I wish I could tell you I've spent the last two weeks on some incredible exotic vacation. Oh wouldn't that be lovely! But alas, I've merely be in the midst of the everyday doldrums of life. Where days are long, but weeks are short. Today I've finally found a few fleeting quiet moments to sit down and tell you about the newest project to hit the lakehouse walls.

Remember a month ago when I shared a progress report of our current diy adventures in their varying stages of doneness. Well, some of those projects have turned out to be real pieces of work. In fact in honor of said projects, I've made my own rendition of everyone's favorite obnoxious song; "This is the project that never ends yes it goes on and on my friend..." Your welcome. Thankfully, this pheasant cafe sign now resides above our coffee station as proof that projects can actually be completed.

First, we must address the giant bird in the room. Why pheasants? Well, I've asked myself the same question many many times. If we owned this place, believe me those drab birds would be gone in an instant. I don't care how charming or vintage they are. But when you rent, well things are a bit more precarious. And so we've chosen to embrace the peeling, faded pheasants by naming our little coffee station after it. The sign will be a lovely reminder of the good olde granny chic lakehouse days when it's time to leave the pheasant wallpaper behind and move on.

Now that we have the pheasants behind us, let's get down to the diy nitty gritty. This is a fairly simple project. Find a shape. Print it out. Trace with a bleach pen. Add some lettering. Attach to a frame. And presto a new fabulous piece of art to decorate your walls with. And yes, you can use other types of fabric. I know the burlap trend is on the demise, but the look fits perfectly in our cabinesque place. Besides I prefer to walk on the wild side and set my own trends. Life is a lot less expensive that way.

Just in case you're curious about the bleach pen effect on other fabric, check out this shirt I made for the hubster a few years ago. It's still going strong. And yes, he still loves pesto.

P.S. That cake was an epic failure of mass proportions. Proof that not every recipe you find on the internet is a good idea...

three cheese veggie tortilla pizza

I originally was going to name this pizza three cheese fire-roasted tomato, pepper, and arugula tortilla pizza, but I thought I'd spare you the run-on sentence name. Instead I'm limiting my wordy self and focusing on the basics. Here's what you need to know: the crust is made from a tortilla. The pizza is then piled high with veggies and smothered in three melty cheeses. The end.

This is what I like to call working [wo]man's pizza. It's the kind of dinner that comes together in minutes for an easy, effortless weeknight meal. The addition of fresh arugula and basil gives the pizza a certain garden-fresh quality while the three cheeses add an additional layer of indulgence. Use the topping suggestions as a guideline. Experiment. Create your own variation based upon the odds and ends left in your fridge at the end of the week. Who doesn't love a a good fridge clean out meal? I know this frugalish gal does!

One final word on the crust from the test kitchen: leave the pizza in the oven longer than you think it should. A deeply browned crust is the key to turning this tortilla crust into a wood-fired thin-crust-like taste. Trust me. I learned through trial and error... See the photo below - that's the crust color you're looking for.

diy painted mountain gift wrap

So...June. You know what this means? It's dad's turn for a little limelight. It's time to thank him for all his hard work over the years raising such completely perfect children ;) Finding dad just the right gift is your job (because finding my own dad's gift is hard enough sheesh!), but I can help with the gift wrap! Because even manly men deserve stylishly-wrapped thoughtful gifts.

While browsing the shops in Princeton last month, we stopped in one of the stationary stores because I'm like a bug drawn towards the light when it comes to anything paper and craft-like. One wall was filled with pricey gorgeous sheets of gift wrap draped over rods. There was a number of lovely patterns for the ladies and a few fun ones for the guys. I hereby request a wall of gift wrap just like that in my dream [on] craft room. Anyway, my Dad liked the old bicycle print. Cool, but I'm no artist and there's just no way I could ever re-create that print without a stamp or a printer. Brad liked the mustaches. Nice, but it's old news.

So that got me thinking. What do the men in my life love? Beef, mountains, bacon, fish, fire... Here's my first attempt at gift wrap made especially for the boys. The perfect way to jazz up some kraft paper for Father's Day or a birthday. P.S. There's no reason to keep this wrapping paper only for the boys. I know some lovely, stylish ladies who would love to receive a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted mountain scene on a gift.

Supplies

Kraft wrapping paper or bags

Green and brown acrylic paint

Small brushes