Christmas Past 2006

Just found these photos from our previous Arts & Crafts Home from 2006.  Sorry this is a quick post and not very orderly...but enjoy and I hope you get some inspiration!

looking for a web designer

Hi Everyone!  I am currently looking for a website designer for my new website.  I finally decided to take the plunge and RE-OPEN a gift shop...BUT this time it's gonna be in our big old barn.  How exciting!  I previously owned a home furnishings & gift shop for nearly 15 years, then rented boutique space for the next 5 years, then took a short break and NOW finally gonna do what my heart is pulling me to do.

It'll feature new, handmade, vintage & antiques.  I will also have booth space to rent out creative artists and craftsment for the weekends that I am open....roughly every 6 weeks I'll be open for 2 or 3 days.  I want the feel to resemble Barn House Boys, Queen of Tarte, and so on.

I just bought my web domain and now I need someone to make it saw WOW to potential customers & friends.

Do you have any web designer recommendations?  It'll house my blog, and have links to my facebook, and pinterest accounts.



Thanks!  Oh and on a cheap budget, hubs isn't very supportive right now but he will be once the moola starts rolling in from all those barn sales...lol~!

Hugs,
Natalie

Christmas ideas

 

Today is Grundy Center’s Tour of Homes so I thought I’d share some holiday inspiration to get us all going to create wonders!

 

Flaunt it friday!

Flaunt it friday on Chic on a Shoestring Decorating!  Go check out all the fabulous ideas!  Be prepared to spend hours! 

Hugs,
Natalie

It's Tuesday To Do day

It's Tuesday To Do day  The Blackberry Vine

 

Click here if you missed my post on my new mudroom.  You won't believe the transformation!

If you want to join in on Tuesday To Do Party Click on The Blackberry Vine link above.  Have fun!

Bedroom turned Mudroom Reveal

Shelf area above my new washer & dryers!  Lots of antique silver, milk glass, & old dust pans!

Love our new door and window.  There used to be NO door here, just a wall!  It allows us to head right outside to the machine shed and keeps the dirt in the mudroom and not the main entry of our house!  Love this!

 

                 

Ikea Baskets & green boxes.  Glass jars hold laundry soap, softener & bleach.  

Square glass jar and slver bowl on pedestal hold money found in pockets!  Sink & tall faucet from Ikea.  My milk glass vases are ready for fresh cut flowers & greenery from the garden.  I can't wait to fill these with fresh Iowa pine greens.  

Do you like my new mudroom?

 For a refresher...this is what it used to look like....

To the right of this photo is where the headboard was...now it is my new washer/dryer area!

Window & wall before new door

Closet...stay tuned of how I turned it into a pantry!

 

 

 

 

 

So I ask once again, Do you like my new mudroom?

Hugs,
Natalie

Oh my...this recipe is straight from Heaven...oh

wait...I guess it's really from THE PIONEER WOMAN.  

 

It's DIVINE! 

 

Would you believe me if I told you in my 41 

years of life I have NEVER made homemade 

macaroni & cheese?  Yep just the old Kraft 

brand and my senses have now been 

AWAKENED! 

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 4 cups Dried Macaroni
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• ¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-½ cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
• 1 pound Cheese, Grated
• ½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme (Yes Natalie added these all buy the thyme)

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.

Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Special note from Natalie: I added dry bread crumbs on top before baking with a drizzle of butter.  YUM!

Paradise in the Fall in Iowa

Beautiful end of fall season shot taken at Paradise Valley Campground near Garnivillo, IA.

Old stone bride found on the site...love the intricate detail of the stone work with the beauty of fallen tree trunks and leaves surrounding it.

Little Jay playing in the stream...(my friend's son).  He is so precious!

Teddy Bear Snack Mix

I first made this recipe years ago for a supper swap group.  We we were making snacks.  I package this up in small snack size ziplock bags so it's a grab & go snack.  You will be making this time and time again, so I would double it the first time! 

Enjoy, 

 

Natalie

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups ramen noodles, crushed
• 5 cups Golden Grahams cereal
• 3 cups bear shaped graham crackers
• 1 cup peanuts or 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon orange juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Discard seasoning package from ramen noodles.
3. In a large bowl, mix together noodles, cereal, teddy bear cookies, nuts and raisins.
4. In a 4 cup glass measure, combine cinnamon, honey, butter and orange juice.
5. Heat in microwave until melted and well mixed.
6. Pour this mixture over the cereal mixture.
7. Toss to coat well.
8. Spread into a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, stirring once.
9. Remove from oven and cool.
10. Package in individual baggies, about 1/2 cup per baggie.

Who Are You?

www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com
 1. Do you like the season, Fall?
2. What is your favorite fall smell?
3, What is your favorite activity to do in the fall?
4. Do you dress in fall colors during the season?
5. Name 4 qualities about yourself that start with each letter in the word FALL!
(It's ok to brag yourself up) 

Here are my answers! 

1. Do you like the season, Fall?
My absolute favorite time of the year.  The sights, the smells and the sounds. 

2. What is your favorite fall smell?
cloves, cinnamon & pumpkin mixed together

3, What is your favorite activity to do in the fall?
Sitting by a bonfire towards dusk admiring God's beautiful show of colors.

www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com4. Do you dress in fall colors during the season?

I wear these colors year round with my skin tone..orange, red, green, chocolates

5. Name 4 qualities about yourself that start with each letter in the word FALL!

(It's ok to brag yourself up)

F~ un

A~uthentic

L~augable

L ~oveable

Now it is your turn to play along!!!!  Click on the owl and come play!

Fall Kitchen Island centerpiece in 5 minutes or less!

Not wanting to dig thru the attic this year dragging out all my fall decorating so I came up with this 5 minute idea.
Yes behind this grouping you get a sneak peek of my newly remodeled kitchen that I will post about soon!
First I placed a Pottery Barn rectangle cutting board.  Then I set one faux pumpkin and gourd.  Behind that I placed an antique amber glass and filled it with pheasant feathers the kids have collected along with my brother over the years…thanks guys!
To the left I placed my Taste of Home Entertaining Glass Hurricane and filled it with crushed up wine corks I bought at The Little Red School House in Independence, Iowa.  I nestled down inside the corks a Bath & Body Works fall spiced candle.

To finish it off I scattered faux leaves from Crate & Barrel and some more of my pheasant feathers.   That’s it…very easy and simple!

Hugs,
Natalie

You need to make this wreath....

The Magic of Ordinary Things made this fabulous wreath using fabric scraps....yes I said fabric scraps! You need to go check her blog out for the tutorial on how to make this MUST HAVE wreath for Fall.

Enjoy!

Natalie

Fall decorating inspiration

Want to see a bedroom turn into a mudroom? Stay tuned..you won’t believe your eyes!

Since I am bed-ridden right now with back problems, I thought I would show you how we took this ugly, bachelor pad  bedroom and turned it into a multi-functional mudroom for a family of 5.