Friday 27 April 2012

Furniture updates!

Dear friends, 

I have been trying to finish some projects here!
It is so annoying when you have something UNFINISHED staring at you, right???

Ok, so I have this little chest of drawers that has been bugging me. I love, love this "end table" for lack of a better word to describe it.





But it is too high to be in the middle of the chairs where it is. I have changed the table between these chairs a couple of times, but put this one there until I sell it. Yes, I decided to let it go... I posted it on Craigslist but so far no bite!

A friend suggested I distressed a bit more. I did it, and also I coated with dark wax to finish.




I am going to post it again today! I already have another tiny table lined up to take its place.

UPDATE!!!!

This little bedside table was SOLD TODAY!!! So now THIS was my first piece of furniture ever sold, as I still have the chest here, lol!





I am still not convinced those chairs should remain white...

Also, remember the "New Trunk" I got from a friend?

Another friend came over and LOVED IT. She said she wanted to buy it, and asked me to paint off-white. I used ASCP Old White. Finished it with clear wax.



I love it! I should call it "Hope Chest" as some of my readers pointed out.


Soon it will be filled with my friend's stuff! This is SO HEAVY and also big inside! 
 





I hope she likes it as much as I do! I can't wait to deliver it! My first sold project!



 

UPDATE: 
My friend loved the Hope Chest, and my son helped me deliver it yesterday!!!! So this was the first piece I actually made for a client!!!!

I also remembered to buy tulips and put in the little milk glass vase in my guest room...



Amazing how flowers make a difference!


Have a great weekend, everyone!!!



I am going to share these projects at:


     Fridays Unfolded


Furniture Feature Fridays      Photobucket

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Condensed Milk Party Sweets

Hi, everyone! 

Today my blog completes 2 months of existence! 
SO I decided to share my best party sweets recipes! 
It is easy, as usual!



The secret for this sweet is to know when it is ready... 
and to make it in ADVANCE. 
 For example, if the party is on Sunday, you make it on Friday night. Then let it cool until Saturday. On Saturday you "roll" it. And on Sunday it will be perfect to eat!! That way you are not slaving hours and hours in the kitchen.


To start, add 1 can of condensed milk and 
1 tbsp of margarine (or butter) in a small pan.

As you heat it, it will get liquid, 
but then it will start to thicken.

Like here. This takes about 5 min, you have to be stirring and watching there. Do not leave it unattended or it will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

It is ready as soon as you move all "dough" to one side of the pan and you can see the bottom of the pan, like here. This is a bad photo as I have the cell on one hand taking a picture and the other hand is holding the pan... but you will understand. This won't take long. If you let it thicken too much the sweets will be chewy. You don't want that. You want soft inside with a little crust outside.


Put the dough on a plate. After it cools, cover with saran wrap (plastic) and leave them overnight.



If you are making chocolate ones like me (I always make white and chocolate) do the same thing, but add 2tbsp of chocolate powder to the condensed milk and margarine.

I even added to the same pan I made the white one... 

It thickens...

See? Same process. 
Put on a dish, wait overnight to make the little balls.


So the next day you roll the whites in sugar and the chocolate ones in chocolate sprinkles. I make little balls using half of a tea spoon (or less) of dough, and roll them in my wet hands. 
I leave a bowl with water right beside me so I wet my hands as I make the little balls. 

I then put them on the plate with sugar (or sprinkles). When I have about 10 of them, I wash my hands, and dry them and roll the sweets put them in paper and start again with the dough. 
It is easier if you have someone to help. Last night my son helped me with these. So I made the balls and he passed them on sugar an put in the paper cup.

I use regular sugar, but the sprinkles I use real chocolate I buy at a deli close to home. I find the little paper cups at the Dollar Store. But they are a bit bigger than what we use in Brazil. Also in Brazil they have beautiful ones. But anyway, I used the ones I had at home. 

I love them...

It is hard to stop eating!!!

I love the chocolate ones, too!!!

Yuuummmyyy!!!

Do you want one, right now???

I wish I could send you some!
Thank you so much for reading my blog!!!


Today I am partying at:






Friday 20 April 2012

"New" Trunk!!!

Hi, everyone! 
I have been down with the flu so I could not prepare anything new to show off this Friday... But then I read this post from Kathryn at Ugly Ducking Transformations and got inspired to show you something I have not finished yet! 


I found so funny Kathryn said a trunk "mysteriously" appeared in her backyard this week. She thinks the neighbours put it there, after seen her hauling old furniture and sanding and painting on her backyard! LOL!!! 
I guess that happens to many of us DIYers??? Well, now that I am one, this happened to me, too!!! 


My friend Christine saw the White Trunk I painted for my bedroom on my blog, and called me: 
"Claudine, my daughter has a trunk just like yours and she wants to get rid of it. I told her to give it to you, for FREE! So here is what is going to happen: 
She works close to you, so she will leave the trunk in her car in the parking lot. Her car will be unlocked. You get there and open the car and take the trunk!!!" 


AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH!!!! I LOVED IT!!!! 


The trunk was so heavy, I had to take my son with me. He is a teenager, and he was all worried the police was going to STOP us from opening a car in the parking lot... 
Teenagers can be so dramatic... 
So we literally behaved like thieves, because everything happened so fast, he did not want to get caught and have to explain the whole story... 
Anyway, I love it!!! 
And like Christine said, it is the PERFECT PRICE!!! 
This baby will be finished and up for sale at The Olde Farmhouse Vintage Market in June!


Isn't it beautiful?? It is actually a perfect size for the foot of the bed: almost 4 feet long  (120cm).


       The white paint will bring out the details!



Loads of storage space, and all lined up with cedar...

I love when I can see where the furniture is from!
This one is made in Canada, and about 60 years old!

I hope you get lucky like Kathryn and me, and have your friends (or anonymous friends) bring YOU something, too!


This trunk is partying at:




Furniture Feature Fridays

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Guest Room Makeover!!!!

As I start to write, I remember I FORGOT to buy tulips 
to put in the milk glass vase right beside the bed... 
Awwww... 
I will do that in the next few days and update this post! 
Otherwise it will never get done! 
So here it is, TA-DAAAAAA!!!!!

Isn't it pretty??? 
Note the Sparkly Chandelier!!! 
It looks so much better on the ceiling, LOL!

This "bedside" lamp I got for $40 on Craigslist... I thought it looked so cute...
Note the milk glass vase, "sans" tulips... 
The picture shows my mom, my mother-in-law and my son when he was about 5 years old... 
I always think of my mom in this room. 
She was the first one to stay here so I designed (Ikea mostly, at the time) for her. 
Now it is updated with Craigslist finds and Condensed Love...

She now has a little mat to put her feet when she gets out of bed.
I HAD to get this Ikea comforter cover just because it had pink roses on it. 
It matches with the pink mirror...

I painted this Table and Mirror not too long ago...

You can see better here.



I don't get tired of looking at it!!! I want to lie down on that bed right now... 

Here is the chandelier again!!! Sorry, I started using a Mac instead of my laptop, everything is confusing... Give me a few days... For now, the photos will be out of order!!!

Ikea dressers from a long time ago...

My paper flowers moved from the fireplace to here!

These red candles were given to me in a hotel in Paris. The pictures are both from the Notre Dame. 
A guy was selling them in front of the Louvre and I bought I think both for 25 Euros...
Of course, it cost more than $100 to frame each at Michael's.

The roses in the jar are from Superstore, they look like they are made of wood? But they are light. And unscented. I thought it would look better than the old green popourri (spelling???) I had there.

If you are lying down on the bed, here is what you see... the tree in front of the neighbour's house.

 I have to show the lights again...

And the bed...
Hey, it looks like someone was on that pillow already!!!

Update: Tulips!!!




I am sharing these room at:

















Fridays Unfolded