Inspiration Workshop [Dining Room Inspiration]

Linking with Gussy Sews for Inspiration Workshop today...
  The Prompt is Dining Room


I was going to post a bunch of Thanksgiving Inspired Dining Rooms that have been decked out for the holiday, but then I started to think... I'm just ready to have my dining room back!


Here is some inspiration for my Dining Room, via Pinterest, of course:

Source: bowerpowerblog.com via Melissa on Pinterest

  My dining room is smaller than this one; it's attached to the kitchen, separated by the breakfast bar and in it's own dark little nook.  It's a defined room, but has no windows.  We have painted the kitchen/dining area Montpelier Madison White, one of Valspar's Historical Colors, to brighten the space, and it looks great with the bright white trim.  


I love the use of the mirrors on the back wall in this Dining Room photo; I think something like this will help to brighten our space.  I also like the shelves to the left, but am hesitant to put more holes in my walls... I'd really like to display some pieces from my grandmother's China... but we'll see how that pans out.


We are hoping to have the entire downstairs of our house compltely done in time for Thanksgiving.... fingers crossed!!


I can't wait to see your Dining Room Inspiration!  Be sure to link up with Gussy!









XxOo~ Melissa

Inspiration Workshop [Favorite Recipe: Black-eyed Pea Chili]

Linking up with Gussy Sews' Inspiration Workshop today and the prompt is Favorite Recipes...yum! 


I'm going to share a recipe that I picked up a few years ago when I was working at the Animal Hospital.  One of the Dr.'s Wives was a super awesome cook and it was such a treat for her to bring lunch or dessert up to us!  I've tweaked her recipe to make something that fits my family's taste and we all love it.... it's our perfect cool-weather-comfort food.


Black-eyed Pea Chili w/Cornbread

You will need:
1lb bulk sausage (I use Bob Evans, but you can use whichever... mild or hot)
1c chopped onion
1c chopped celery
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2c frozen cut Okra
3 cans Black-eyed peas
14oz can diced tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste
1tsp Italian seasoning
2Tbls sugar


Brown your sausage in a dutch oven or, in my case, a large stock pot (which came with my cookware).  Stir the sausage so that it crumbles; drain. 


Add chopped veggies with frozen Okra and cook over low heat until veggies are soft and translucent, being careful not to cook the Okra to mush.


Stir in black-eyed peas, along with the liquid in the can; add tomatoes and spices.  Simmer on low heat for 20-25minutes.


In the meantime... make your cornbread.  I'm almost heasitant to share my secret Cornbread Recipe with you, but... well... it's Jiffy Cornbread Mix.  I love it.

I also eat a piece before my family sits for dinner... and I don't feel bad about it. *wink*

To Serve:
Place a wedge of cornbread in the bottom of your bowl, top with Chili and add sour cream and shredded cheese to taste.... Enjoy!

**This recipe makes enough for my little family of four, PLUS I can freeze the leftovers (in a plastic container) for dinner another night!  It tastes even better reheated!






XxOo~ Melissa

Inspiration Workshop [RED, the color]

Linking with Gussy Sews for Inspiration Workshop today. (Here's the first workshop post I did.)

Today's prompt is [RED, the color]...

The accent color in our kitchen is red (and its going to stay that way as we complete the post fire renovations), so it was pretty easy to snap a few pictures of the first three things that came to mind when I think of the color RED:

My KitchenAid Mixer:

(which I ♥, and keep on the counter 24/7 because of it's pretty red color)

My fav coffee cup:

And, of course being Georgia Bulldogs fans who "bleed black and red"...

Our UGA mat that lives in front of the fridge:

What is your RED colored inspiration?

XxOo~ Melissa

DIY Halloween "Wreath" & Decor (No Sew, No Glue) [Inspiration Workshop]

I really love Halloween... growing up in Sleepy Hollow, NY, with legends and stories, it's almost impossible not to get excited about this time of year...

So, yesterday, my little chick and I went out to get some supplies to make a Halloween & Fall wreath.

I bought a wreath for Fall and was going to use it for Halloween as well... but, I found this broom at the Dollar store... how perfect, right?!

{Supplies Needed}

Halloween Spray Decor {$2.50}

Straw Broom {$1}

Foam "Haunting Season" Sign {$1}

Black Puff Paint {Already had}

Ribbon {Splurge $8}...

 (I'll have plenty of ribbon left over for other projects)

Total {$12.50}

First, let's decorate the foam sign with puff paint... 

Remember to protect your table! 

I simply dotted paint around the letters... 

Filled in the bat...

And the Spider...

The best part of Puff Paint is that it adds that 3D effect to your project!

Set your foam aside to dry.

Now, we'll cut the ribbon for some bows...

my ribbon is pretty wide so I folded it down some:

Then, I tied the pieces, alternately, on my broom handle...

trimming to size: 

Next, I bent the stem of my Halloween spray 

and stuck it into the base of the broom 'handle': 

Fluff and arrange the spray: 

Finish off with a small cut of ribbon, folded...

And pinned (see, no glue here),

to the center of the spray's 'bow'...

Which I think looks like spider legs, 

just not as creepy.

I also added a final tie of ribbon for the streamers at the base of the broom! 

Once the Puff Paint had dried to the 'Haunting Season' foam

I took a Kabob skewer and stuck it up the middle of 

my sign to make a 'stake':

Which I then used to Stake 'Haunting Season' 

into my new mums: 

Here's my finished DIY Halloween 'Wreath' and porch display!

Ta-da!

I am linking up with Gussy Sews' Inspiration Workshop and Scatter Girls today!

XxOo~ Melissa

Inspiration Workshop [Family Room]

I took a few weeks off, but today I'm back to linking with Gussy over at Gussy Sews for this week's installment of Inspiration Workshop.

The Prompt {Family Room}

This prompt couldn't have come at a better time since we are currently in the process of re-doing the downstairs of our Townhouse, thanks to the fire in our laundry room.

Our home isn't huge, but it works for us.  Our Living Room IS our Family Room.  We have two little chicks, two dogs and a cat, so space as well as functionality is big for us.  It's also important that we are able to tidy up the day's chaos to allow ourselves to relax in the evening... here are some of my most recent Pinterest Pins with my family room inspiration.

Gray walls with white trim & slipcovers 

(which I plan to make for our sectional):

Source: bhg.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I love the navy thrown in the mix here...

with the casual, yet crisp, feel of this room:

Source: houzz.com via Melissa on Pinterest

We have a living room wall that has a funny angle b/c of the stairway;

I plan to make it a Gallery wall:

Source: bhg.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Love the dark, but not too dark, wood floors in this room...

just like what I've been looking at:

Source: danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Also, would love to add fun items, like this subway board,

to add more casual-ness to the gray/white scheme:

Source: asaltbox.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Finally, this is my fabric inspiration for the Family Room/Living room:
(the plan is to make roman shades with this Amy Butler fabric, flanked by white/ivory linen drapes)

Source: fabric.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I really love Pinterest for making this whole re-model thing a little bit easier!

XxOo~ Melissa

Inspiration Workshop #13 [My Favorite Color & A Hurricane(?!)]

Linking up with Miss Gussy over at Gussy Sews for week #13 of Inspiration Workshop...

This week's prompt is My Favorite Color...


As if it isn't obvious already from looking at my blog or shop... this picture is the first from my Pinterest that came to mind:

Source: flickr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Yeah, so my favorite color is PINK.   I would have loved a room like this when I was a kid, heck, i'd love it now if I thought my husband would go for it... that'll never happen. Ha!



In Other News:


Hurricane Irene is headed our way and the latest reports say this Cat. 3 storm may come right through our area.  We are getting all of our supplies together and making preparations for the storm... if needed we willll head out to my in-law's home in Georgia.  *Fingers Crossed* this storm turns east and heads to sea!

Because of this I am postponing the GiveAway post I had planned for Friday.  I am also going to close my Shop as I will be unable to fulfill orders in the event we need to evacuate.

Think of us and we are thinking of everyone in the path of Hurricane Irene! *GO EAST, IRENE!*


XxOo~ Melissa

Inspiration Workshop #11 [Gardening]

It's Thursday, and that means it's time again for Inspiration Workshop with Gussy Sews!  I really enjoy and look forward to linking up with this linky party every week, I've found some great blogs and people from it!  Plus, when work is as busy as it will be the next few weeks, it's nice to have my days planned...woot!  Thank you Gussy for hosting!!

This week's Inspiration Workshop prompt: 

GARDENING

This is a topic I enjoy and have posted about quite a few times before....

From blooming plants In My Garden:

To my Little Backyard Makeover: 

To the jasmine laced secret garden's when I a trip to Savannah, GA:

I love the calm, quite time spent in the garden caring for my plants and coaxing them to grow... and much like with sewing, I love the accomplished feeling when they bloom and show me their happy faces and cheerful color!  My garden isn't huge, but I enjoy it!  Do you have a Garden? What are you growing right now?

Thanks for stopping by; I'd love to have you over again tomorrow for Fabulous Fabric Friday!

See you then. *wave*

XxOo~ Melissa

Inspiration Workshop [Week 10: A Day in My Life...]

Linking again with Gussy Sews' Inspiration Workshop.

This week's prompt sort-of goes hand in hand with my Monday post, i'm doing a lot of talking about me this week, huh?! *wink*

The Prompt:

A Day in My Life

Summer vacation is winding down, and the anxiety that comes with the start of school, fall, the holidays, craft fairs, etc... is just around the corner... I know it!

Here is a typical day in my SoChick life:

Hubby gets up for work and leaves by 7am, I try to roll out of bed by 6:45am because I know little Natalie will be up any minute... not a late sleeper, that one.

First things first: COFFEE

Once the coffee situation is taken care of (usually while it's brewing), I let the pups out:

Wait, JACK!, You're not allowed out...

He knows this, that's why he's not looking at me... 4 out of 7 mornings include me grabbing sneaky Jack Bauer from running out into the yard.  He's known to beat up the neighborhood strays (doing his 'job', I guess).  He's even come home with another cat's claw stuck in his head... true story!

Next, I feed the animals and grab a bite to eat myself, if Natalie isn't up yet... today she was not.

I have gotten into a terrible habit of not eating breakfast right away in the morning, which I pay for come 10am... this morning I had a fresh peach with cottage cheese, Yummmm!

I'm pretty much always multi-tasking in some way, this morning it was by playing with Conrad while eating b-fast:

Yes his toy is pink, he took it from his big sister, Marilyn... don't judge. *wink*

Natalie woke up around 7:15am and came down to have some peaches and cottage cheese, too:

Then she had a yogurt smoothie, but you'd never know by looking at her, Ha!:

Once Trista rolls out of bed and has breakfast, it's to the computer to review e-mails, update the day's To Do list, and blog while the little chicks play.

Then, it's shower and getting ready for the day... usually all of this happens by 9am.

Next, I'll get in about an hour in the studio to plan patterns, look at fabric, update and check off my To Do list (checking off is way more fun *wink*)

Lunch happens around 11:30am and so do the house chores.

We will typically run errands, take a drive to my Dad's, hit up the beach and what not, after lunch, if I'm not busy sewing... even if I am, we try to get out of the house at some point.

When we get home, we'll grab a snack, finish some house work and I'll bring my laptop to the kitchen to browse for fabric, answer e-mails, etc.

I like to start dinner around 6pm; Hubby makes it home between then and 7pm.

After dinner, the girls wash up and we all just chill out in the living room until they head to bed... which, since it's summer and all, has been too late lately!

If I have orders to get out, I'll head up to my studio once the girls are in bed and stay up as long as my eyes allow.  I try to keep a rule about not sewing when I'm too tired, because then seams come out all wonky, and I'll end up having to rip them out and redo them the next day anyway.

Want to know something else that's around the corner??  My 1 year Anniversary of being a full-time independent small biz owner!  Actually, yesterday marked one year from me leaving my full-time job to pursue my dream of owning my own business and being more available for my girls... Sept 1st is the Grand Opening Anniversary of my online shop... stay tuned!

XxOo~ Melissa