Everything I needed to know I learned on spring break...

Yeah!!!!! to Spring break when you are 18 and in Ft. Lauderdale with a bunch of hot college-aged men on the beach...

Boo!!!! to Spring break when it is 20 years later and the only ones taking their clothes off are a bunch of sand and dirt filled kids.

What I've learned so far this week...

1. My kids can eat thier body weight in snacks a day.

2. Paper Mache is NOT a good craft idea.

3. My children just do not understand the concept of "Mommy is painting a wall."

~Jen

Battenboard down the hatches...

Here's to hoping this goes well.....

~Jen

Back to the basics.. some down-home bloganista's...

Do you find as things change in this world, you want to start getting into baking your own bread and raising your own garden? Make it more wholesome for your family?

I try not to talk about it a lot, but I am big into organic, sustainable, environmental, etc.

I don't want to be pushy or preachy about it because it's an individual lifestyle choice.

I think it's in my genes a bit. My Hungarian grandmother was raised on a tenant farm in Fox Lake, and my Great-grandparents on the other side were Polish farmer's from Wisconsin all the way back to the 1880's before they became all city-fied and that.

I try to do my part ( except for that disposable diaper thing. Boy, did I fill the landfill on those.), but wanted to recognize a few of the ladies in blogland who are also doing a back to the basics with home baked bread, chickens and more, and introduce you to them incase you are interested.

Let me introduce you to.....

Manuela. She was one of the first blogs I read that lead a very similar lifestyle to mine. She is the preservation, no debt, reap the bounty queen~ ! The wonderful woman also generously coached me through my first season of potatoes!

Heather, who now is a certified chicken owner and bread baker. It's my dream coop! It's bigger that my house!

Anne Marie, super-sexy and sustabiable, runs a CSA and more.. what else could you ask for? This is her potager garden!

How about Jayme??? She bakes bread, reads my fave magazine, Mother Earth News and has her own flock plus more... Though the crazy lady did just get a rooster. :)

And one of my favorites, Homestead Revival. Everything you want to know about doing all of those home-steady things like keeping bees and keeping your harvest.

So what do you think about the new wave? Do you want me to post more about it? Are you working towards sustainable and down home living? Back to the basics? Put your link in the comments, we'd love to stop by for a visit.

~Jen

Come see me...

I am going to be vending at Anne Marie's farm sale with lots of other wonderful vendors.

I think it is going to be quite the event.

Anne Marie lives on a real farm and is not only one of my heros for sustainable living, but she also runs a local organic CSA.

Stop on over in May and say hi on the 21st and 22nd!

~Jen

It's only taken me a year.....

...but I am finally getting a lot more of my work into my on-line portfolio.

It features some of my best and favorite before...

...And afters

And some of my favorite murals and custom art work pieces...

If your interested, you can take a peek here. It's located in my right hand side bar. :)

~Jen

Modern vs. Vintage Farmhouse...

One of my readers asked me what I thought the difference was between modern vs. vintage farmhouse. I am no designer, but this is my take on it.

Vintage Farmhouse has all the true elements of vintage...

period inspired lighting,

cabinetry

And even the furniture and appliances are true to the style.

With Modern Farmhouse, you have the essence of farmhouse with a blending of old and new. There are vintage inspired elements, but in the mix are:

Sleek modern appliances ,

"farmhouse sinks" cast in metals and other materials not normally used.

A mix of materials. Instead of all traditional butcher block or wood (because that was all they had,) there are granite, concrete and even stainless steel countertops.

For lighting, think also in many cases sleek lighting or even drum shade pendants.

And metal or modern furniture. So you get the essence of "rustic" farmhouse without the entirely period commitment. It all depends on how you mix it. And, it is all about personal taste though isn't it? All of those pictures are gorgeous no matter what the style.

I hope that explains my view of what I think the differences are. Did I forget anything?

Designer types, weigh in... What do you think? :)

~Jen

all pics from Country living

Off with her head!

Okay, maybe not the whole head ( I kinda need that.),

so really, just a few hairs...

So I told my stylist.. wack it all off!

Jen

Flea market round up for charity...

Head on over to Designing DNA for the first flea market round up with all proceeds going to charity for disaster survivors!

It runs March 20th and 21st.

I have certain items listed in my Etsy store and there are a ton of other vendors too! Have fun shopping!

Some whine with my Romantic Homes...

Guess who, after all of her complaining, lamenting and moaning yesterday about not getting published just found out that her project is in May's edition of Romantic Homes??

Talk about timing.

This whiner sincerely apologizes to the people who had to listen.

My fabulous friend, Jeanne, called me yesterday to tell me. I had no clue, I haven't even gotten mine yet! She is so awesome that she even took a few pictures for me and e-mailed it to me late last night (Did I mention how fabulous she is? I am sooo thankful!?) which I had to share with you asap.

See persistence does pay off! You guys were all so awesome and supportive yesterday too!

Thank you so much!

You rock.

Now I am just dying to get my paper copy and hold it in my hot little hands!

Jen

Failed Easter Projects....

I can't really call them failed Easter projects, because they are actually really cute, but they are some of the projects I'd submitted to several magazines and had been rejected, (and they were doing Easter way back in December. Ever try to find ceramic Easter eggs in December?).

*sigh*

I submit a lot. I get rejected a lot.

My big dream someday is that the mags come calling me instead one day by the hoards

and I say "shoo, shoo, you peasants! I'm sorry, but I am just tooooo busy and in demand for you.Oh, that's Elle Decor calling darlings. Goodbye. click! " :) in my dream I also sit on a throne, wear a red velvet cape with my solid gold crown, and have a good-looking young man feed me grapes while another rubs my feet.

oh yeah, Easter.

The first one is a mini-canvas in a little rustic basket for a place card holder with reindeer moss and the name stamped with vintage stamps.

The second is using scrapbook rub-ons on ceramic eggs for displays. These are by Jenni Bowlin. You could also do this on blown to eggs if you really wanted to make the effort.

Here's what I learned about blown out eggs; If you do them and don't get all of the gunk out; in about a week you start looking around for that wretched smell you just can't place.

Now that St. Patty's day is over... Happy Easter Bloganista's!

Get crafting! And someone get me some grapes!

If you like these project's you also love These handstamped eggs.

Jen

Bloganista's.. the real trendsetters....?

I used to anxiously await my Pottery Barn or Ballard's catalog. Elle Decor was a mainstay as were many, many other decorating magazine's.

While I still love and buy from those places, after blogging for close the 3 years now, I've noticed that pretty much everything that comes out in catalog's and magazine's has already been done already by blogger's about a year and a half before it's put into print.

Here are some early trendetters I started reading for inspiration ( and they are still trendsetting! ):

Sara was introducing us to a love of typography and grain sacks back in 2007.

Lidy was cool French before French was so hot .

Dawn and Karla was using vintage paper and elements before Pottery Barn even knew what "Vintage style" was.

Rhoda and Manuela have been all over ironstone before anyone else. Watch, it's coming.

Courtney one of my oldest blogging buds did the whole "blue and white thing" that is so hot this year over 2 years ago.

Kim at Twice Remembered did the whole farmhouse style reno back in 2008, beadboard, wood countertops and all. Man I love her.

And everyone knows Heather for her love and introduction of Modern vintage.

I know I've missed many more.

My thoughts on what's next?

( Keep in mind as I say this, some days I don't know my bottom from a hole in the ground.).

I think sustainability and a return to the basics is coming next. Local and organic is finally going mainstream and people are turning to handmade more than ever.

Gardening and growing your own, baking bread, keeping chickens, and a canning revolution.

and in home style ( some of it's already out there):

wood countertops

menswear influences

graphic print curtains inspired by nature

farm prints

modern farmhouse instead of vintage

botanical graphic print pillows inspired by vintage

and as crazy as it sounds: railroad inspired influences..think 1930's

signs, wheels, doors, gears, boxcar inspiration with maybe a hobo or two thrown in (Just wanted to see if you were still reading..!). Sound too out there??? Wish you hadn't tossed your 3rd graders Thomas stuff? ;)

So what do you think? Who do you think some of the next or continuing trendsetters are? Am I totally crazy? What do you think some of the next trends are?

And there are new "Bloganista's" on the rise all of the time..

Stay tuned!

Jen

3 degrees of separation....

In my regular job, I tend to meet a lot of people.

Have I mentioned I come from big Chicago-based Polish family?

And have I mentioned that everyone had like 10 kids each?

(Obviously either they really liked each other, or just had nothing else to do.)

And did I mention that since everyone lived in the same neighborhood (that even though it seems close to inbreeding, it's not... ) They all kind of married each other? 2 brothers married 2 sisters, an uncle and a nephew married 2 sisters. It even gets weirder that an oldest brother had a son that was the same age as his youngest brother and they married 2 sisters.

Craziness. Get out of your own neighborhood people.

Imagine my surprise the other morning at work when I recognized a last name and I joked to the woman,

"You have one of my family tree names, it's....., we must be related."

"Oh really?" I could tell she was totally humoring me.

"Yes, the first name was Bernard."

That stopped her dead in her tracks.

"That was my grandfather!"

"Was he raised my his aunt because his mother died in childbirth?"

"Yes yes!"

So this stranger who just walked off the street is my second cousin through one side and my third cousin through the other because 2 first cousins and married a brother and a sister. Who happened to be our Great-great grandparents.

Who would have thought it?

It's a small world after all.

Jen

P.S. if you are looking to research your family tree, you can find censuses and other info at Ancestry.com. Even though it's paid service, it's really reasonable and really good.

Heather and Jeanne...If two lampshades fell in love...

I seem to be on a lamp shade craze lately...

I had this one tucked in the corner of my eating area.

The shade seemed too formal for me, but to be honest, I've been too lazy (and cheap) to do anything about it.

We don't have a chandelier wired over the table yet, so it just gives us that extra bit of light that we need.

I am so in love with this linen shade and dark metal by Heather Chadduck.

And then, I saw this original design by my super-talented friend Jeanne, I knew I had to get off of my bread-eating fanny and finally get motivated and take inspiration from such creative minds ( Have you seen Jeanne's designs? Her spring collection is coming out soon, and I think she is going to be selling some of those awesome shades. Make sure you don't miss it.).

I had this fancy little number laying around which I thought was the perfect shape.. but just not quite what I needed!

Sometimes destruction can be sooo therapeutic.

I painted the metal frame with black enamel craft paint to get the contrast. I then rough cut and edged some linen panels in the spirit of "Heather".

(I measured the panels a half-inch smaller than the frame sections.). Adding ties at the bottom, I left the edges raw, but trimmed out the top in "Jen" style. I can't be a total copycat!

I added some tattered cream lace to the bottom in the spirit of "Jeanne" and here it is...

The perfect marriage!!! And almost free!

Cost? Shade had it, linen already had some, but less than $4. Lace, a remnant from an old project.

I love it's rustic prettiness. It so pretty with the contrast at night through the panels and wire.

Thank you ladies for being so inspirational!

Jen

PS hop on over to the Shabby Nest for more links!

And Today's Creative Blog!

Bread with that butta....

Okay, I do have to preface this post with.. while I do try to bake my own bread,that's just my hot button. Believe me, my kids eat their own fair share of Happy Meals and occasionally even Taco Bell. And, while I try to be as green as possible, all bets are off when it comes to aging. I'd put straight DDT on my wrinkles if they would make them just go away...

Any way.. a few people asked me for my bread recipe. Here's my modified Whole Wheat bread. I am going to call it "Rizzo loaf." Please remember, I am not a cook. I burn pasta.

Meet the Rizzo loaf.

It's a good one, but does dry out after a few days. If someone has a better recipe, I am all ears.

To make 1 loaf, you need:

4-4.4 cups of whole wheat flour

(Use 3 in the initial mixture and add the rest until it's the right dough consistency when kneading.)

3 1/8 tsp of yeast.

1 tsp. sugar

2 tsp salt.

1.5 cups of water

1/4 cup dark molasses

1/4 cup honey

1/8 cup olive oil

2 big bowls, 1 greased

measuring cup

greased loaf pan

big spoon

Put your dry ingredients in one mixing bowl, set aside.

In a measuring cup put slightly (1 cup) hot tap water (110-115 degrees) in with your yeast and 1 tsp. of white sugar. This "proofs" your yeast so you can make sure it's active. It will get all bubbly and "yeasty" smelling.

In the mean time mix up the rest of your wet ingredients, water, molasses, honey and oil.

Once your yeast shows some action, I dump all of my wets including the yeast water into the dry and start mixing with my BIG spoon.

On a clean, lightly floured countertop, start kneading and adding flour until it is a good doughy consistency and is just a teeny bit sticky. If it's humid out you'll use less flour, drier out, more. It's take about 5-8 minutes of kneading to incorporate all of the flour.

In a greased bowl (I just rub the inside with a bit of olive oil on a paper towel), put the dough into it and turn it over a bit so all of the dough is greased.

Put a clean towel over the top and put it in a warm place and go do something for 1-1/2 hours while it rises and almost doubles ( set your timer). You know, fun stuff like laundry, toilet scrubbing, take the kids to gymnastics, etc.

At an hour and a half, punch it down in the bowl, then take it out and shape it into a loaf shape. Put it into a greased loaf pan, then make a few pretty slashes across the top with a sharp knife like they do back in the old country at Pepperidge farm

.

Cover it again and let rise another 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F and bake 40 to 45 minutes until it's brown and sounds hollow when you tap on it, you know, like my head.

Remove it from the pan and let cool.

Resist ALL temptation to cut into it right away. It supposedly makes it dry out quicker. It is of course best the very first day.

Let me know if you make it and how it turns out for you. I only make about 3 with a hockey puck like consistency until I got it right. :)

Jen

Green bread...

I don't talk a ton about it, but I am one of those hippy mamas.. and proudly.

I only use Vinegar to clean.

I like to buy organic.

I wish I could have chickens.

I also suddenly realized how completely insane I am sometimes.

Through some wild hair up my you -know -what I decided I was going to bake my own daily bread for my family.

I know, I know, this is where I get even nuttier, but organic bread is way expensive and I like to know what goes in my food without all of that high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and junk.

I had read about this book in my Mother Earth News.

I did discover that while baking bread is not as hard as I thought it was, (and I do actually enjoy it,) and that those little piggies around my house eat close to 2 loaves a week! 2 loaves! A week! Do you know how much baking that is! Do you know how many carbs that is? Do you think they gain a pound?

After I made it,

My hubby said, "Wow, this is really good bread."

My kids said, "This isn't like the stuff in the bag. We like that better."

Bread. in. a. plastic. bag.

Ingrates.

So, I am using the book and baking twice a week, and it has some great recipes, but it is no 5 minutes a day. Believe me. But, you can keep the dough in the fridge which cuts down the prep time a lot. I take it out, let it rise and then toss it in after dinner while the oven is still on and we are eating. Or if I know I am going to be at home doing the drudgery of housework or laundry, I'll pop it in.

It is pretty good bread.

I will say though, on a cheaper note,the whole wheat recipe on the back of the Redstart yeast packet is pretty good too.

Is it cheaper? I am not sure. I buy the stuff in bulk. It's also not as easy as buying a loaf from the store either. They do eat it (well, there's nothing else, is there little dears.), but still complain just a bit.

I have to admit though, I am thinking about putting the flippin' stuff in a plastic bread bag for them.

Just because.

Jen

Blue and green with inspiration....

I would love to show you our bedroom. But it's scary. It's one of those spaces that hasn't been touched since before the kids have started coming and is a general dropping off point for cra.. I mean stuff when we are coming and going.

In fact, I don't think I've even seen the top to my dresser in a while.

I'll show you these inspiration photos instead. They are much prettier and much less horrifying to look at.

I am thinking about something serene and relaxing.

With a warm blue or pale cozy green.

White trim to make it pop,

With just a bit of pretty thrown in.

I love the hint of brown on the bedspread and the celery colored footboard.

Just a retreat for the two of us.

Jen

images from Country Living