my $3.50 art project

so, my main living room wall has always bothered me. as of now, i have 3 cheapo matching floral art things. they're pretty, but generic. they're also brown (like the majority of my living room) which i have grown to hate and am trying to escape.

so. i'm thinking i will do a sort of art wall. like so:

 [image via here]

so , i headed to a thrift store and searching for gold frames and found this bad boy. a crappy monet print with pseudo triple matting(!) the frame is poorly made and plastic, but from afar--perfecto!

 so with my $3.50 framed art and some free paint chips from the home depot, i made some art.

i had to organize them gradient from light to dark and arranged them on the back of the monet. since it was white, it made a decent "mat."

end result:

eh? there is in one white crack between two of the paint chips, but i can't bring myself to reopen the back of the frame again.

we're married!

k+j

quick bathroom before & after

 i have a rinky-dink shower insert with a sliding door {yuck!} in my master bath.
so, one of the presents my mom got me for my bridal shower was a new shower curtain (and one that matches the curtains in my bedroom to boot!--more to come on that later.

i know, i know i need to throw it in the dryer to get out those wrinkles!! but i am too excited to wait. it makes a huge difference! (a stainless shower rod would help, too!) can you tell i'm excited?!

BEFORE

& AFTER

[can you spot my Madi lurking in the bathroom??]

kell's (spiiiicy) shrimp & grits

ingredients:
shrimp
grits
whatever seasonings you have in your cabinet

i used wayyy too much spice. i was going for that red, blackened crunchy creole look. ya know?

i added a tiny bit of chicken stock and olive oil to a pan to sauté my shrimp and added all the seasoning. (black pepper, crushed red pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, chili powder, parsley, garlic salt)

 yowza!
the shrimp weren't getting crispy at all so i separated the sauce into another pan and "dry-fried" the shrimp. 

i added a pinch or two of flour to thicken up the sauce and put it on top of the grits for the shrimp to sit on.

this was my first time making grits, so i was really nervous. the grits themselves took about 10 minutes & the process was like boiling rice. i added a couple handfuls of shredded cheese to them after they were done cooking. 

i gotta say, this dinner was fabulous! and jeremy was lovin' it, too. i was pretty nervous about making it, but i will definitely make it again. it was so easy!!

sangria!

ingredients:

6 cups assorted fruit (sliced or cut in chunks)

1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup orange liqueur, such as Cointreau

1 bottle 2 bottles of crisp white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio

3 tbs fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

 i chose a good, cheap Pinot Grigio [Barefoot]

this recipe called for Cointreau (which is $30 for  < 1 liter). No thank you! I used peach brandy, and it was really good (and almost 1/5 the price!)

i chose fresh pineapple & mangos. but once i got home i decided to throw in some frozen peaches, strawberries and mango.

add lemon juice, fruit, and brandy. mash. i immediately regretted not having a pretty glass pitcher to put this in. (something i need to register for?!) 

then, pour the wine into your ugly, plastic, gallon-sized koolaid pitcher :)
[it looked muddled and nasty so, no photo]

_______________________________________________

the night of making this, it was crazy strong but the day after, it was perfecto 

cake tasters.

it's getting closer and closer! the wedding, that is. 132 days, to be exact. and it seems even more real when the boy tags along. that way i know i'm not dreaming. 

we tried 4 different kinds of cupcakes. (for our cupcake wedding cake tiers, of course.) 

chocolate, vanilla, carrot, and lemon (for the yellow) and decided on all FOUR. 

this rose pattern is going to be the top tier for j and i to cut into!! love the swirly pattern along with the cupcake tops!