MY LATEST INSTAGRAM CONTEST WIN

I really shouldn't be saying this out loud, but I'm an Instagram give-a-away winner, again...

I'm starting to feel, well, lucky. The prize this time was a beautiful water color print from Ruth at GraceLaced. She is a talented artist, blogger, wife, and momma to a house full, who is also in ministry. Read more about her here.

I'm not sure why she chose me, but I'm happy she did. Right now, I'm using my print in a white frame from Micheal's on my desk in my faux office.

It was delivered with an information card, a bookmark, and a pretty little business card.

Her work is beautiful! Not only did I win one, but the friend I tagged as part of the contest did also--my friend Staci. To see more of her work, follow her on Instagram @gracelaced. Thank you, Ruth, for picking me!!

Have any of you won anything from a social media contest?

Kathryn

GOING GOLD: BEDROOM MIRROR BEFORE AND AFTER

In the midst of the back-to-school chaos, I managed to get one thing done around here that I'd been thinking about for a while. I painted our bedroom mirror. I shared my inspiration picture here. I have seen several mirrors shaped like mine around the world wide web of decorating...

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Do you see what they all have in common? No wonder I wasn't crazy about mine--it wasn't gold!

Rustoleum Metallic Gold and I fixed that. I ordered it from Home Depot. It's the same paint I used on my medallion in our bedroom. You can see how it turned out here.

The nice thing about this particular paint--it goes on super easy and dries super quick!

One thing that I didn't count on was the mirror moving. It's older, so we had to do a little shoving and readjusting when we stood it back up.

 Like always, I'm amazed at the difference paint makes.

I shopped my house to style the tray from the Southern Living at Home collection. Are you still using any of their items in your home?

The orchid came from our bathroom, and the bird (dove?) was my grandmother's.

The lamps are from Target. More about them here.

So the mirror I tried to give away, sell on Facebook, or use anywhere else in the house is now a part of a cheery spot in our bedroom. Always ask yourself, "Self, can I spray paint this?" before you get rid of whatever it is you think you've had enough of. You might love it all over again. :-)

What do you think? Was gold the right choice? Have a great weekend!

Kathryn

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Next Sunday it's my turn to help with breakfast in our Sunday School class.

Here's what I'm taking this time. I tried a new recipe from Pinterest. It has fewer ingredients than the sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast casserole I've been making for years and doesn't have to be prepared the night before. I loved it--maybe more than my older recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb of sausage (mild or hot)

1-1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (regular or sharp)

1-8 oz bar of cream cheese (softened) 

1 can of Pilsbury crescent rolls

6 large eggs

1/2 cup of milk

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown the sausage and drain. As sausage cooks, roll out the crescent rolls and line a 13 x 9 baking dish with them. Pinch the seams together. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine the sausage, cream cheese, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. Spread over the rolls. 

Mix the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and pour over casserole. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it starts browning and the middle is set. I used mild sausage and regular cheddar cheese. I will probably try the hot sausage next time to add a little more flavor. It was also good heated in the microwave. I took it to school and had it for breakfast a couple of days. :-)

This is the first recipe I've tried from Plain Chicken, but I've pinned lots of her recipes. They all look so good. I will be trying more!

Kathryn

BUY IT FOR LESS: SHOWER CURTAIN EDITION

Company is coming this weekend for the game. Y'all know what that means. Lots of cleaning and straightening, and finishing up last minute things I've been putting off.

I'd been looking for a shower curtain for the boys' bathroom for a while. The shower has doors, so a curtain isn't mandatory, but it will make the room look complete and hide the tub when it's not "company ready."

The theme of the bathroom is Alabama football--white, crimson, and gray. The curtain I originally liked is this one from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Bed, Bath and Beyond

It's cloth and has a waffle pattern. Really pretty and substantial. It's $40.00. I wasn't crazy about the rods they had, so I headed to Lowe's.

And, while looking for a curtain rod, I happened upon this Allen + Roth gray, waffle fabric shower curtain. It's $20.00--half the price of the first one! My lucky day.  :-)

Lowe's

The Allen + Roth material isn't as heavy at the Escondido from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but it's the look I was going for and the price is right. It also comes in white and cream if you could use one, too!

What do you think? Is the look close enough to "buy it for less?"

Kathryn

MIRROR INSPIRATION

I can't tell you how many screen shots I've taken of wonderful, colorful, neutral, holiday, summer, fall, gorgeous, and I-want-to-copy-that ideas from Instagram.

Here's a recent one.

Dana Wolter Interiors

I have a mirror in our bedroom that I have never been too fond of. It came with the dresser as a "set" and at the time, it didn't occur to me to buy a separate mirror so the look wouldn't be so matchy-matchy. It's similar in shape to the one in this picture from Dana Wolter, a designer in Birmingham, Alabama, who happens to be from my home town. Her work is elegant, but livable and always inspiring.

One of my goals this holiday weekend is to paint my mirror and try to recreate the look.

Trying it out in the dining room a few months back.

I have the paint left over from another project, and hopefully I'll have the time as well. I hope to share a successful before and after look next week. Wish me luck!

Enjoy your holiday weekend...

Kathryn