RANTS, RAVES AND RECIPES
Hello, again. BizzyLizzy is back, but this time there will be no Rants, a few Raves, some Recipes and a new addition – a Crafting “corner”.
I have decided to let the stuff that bothers me go, so I will not be Ranting, unless it’s something really big and really annoying. As for the Raves, at this point the only thing I can Rave about is I am still breathing and not pushing daisies!!!! But I do have a few new Recipes, even a recipe for a new paint, yes, I have developed my own chalk paint recipe and I like it best of all. However, if I were doing a very large object, like a dresser, I would probably just buy a pre-mixed brand. But for the small objects I am painting, it is superb.
I am also in the midst of redecorating my living room, dining room, and possibly at a later date, the kitchen. Right now I am concentrating on the living and dining rooms.
Look over the pictures, each one has an explanation of what you are seeing, before and after. On a few I have added alternative decorations, I can’t decide which I like best, so I live with each for a few days, hoping I can decide which one to keep and which to pack away, or possibly sell.
First up is the living room. As you can see in the before picture, I have removed all decorations. It is basic, bare bones. In the second picture are a few objects I bought and re-did to fit in with what I wanted. If you read my blog from July, you will see what I mean about brown. Brown floor, brown wood on couch, brown coffee table. UGH!!!! Got to brighten it up.
Here's an intermediate picture. Am getting there, but not there yet.
I also added a beautiful rug. My living room gets a lot of afternoon sun, but otherwise it is sort of dark, so the yellow brightens it up considerably. And yellow is a happy color. With winter fast approaching, I need bright and happy.
The lamp on the table, the one with the library books, had been packed away for years. I had forgotten I had them (I actually have two). Hubby found them in the shed and I thought one would look really good next to the bookshelf. I did have to do some reworking on it, I painted the base yellow and the brass top and finial were all groady, so I painted them yellow, too. Love the look now.
I am in the process of painting all my picture frames white. The frames are all different colors, not unifying at all, so next time they will all be white. Should brighten up the paintings a lot, too.
Yes, I like Wheel of Fortune.
Each one of the paintings on the wall was done by a family member; my grandmother, my Mom (actually my Mom could not paint, so she did counted cross stitch and that is what they are), an aunt, my daughter, my father-in-law, and the orange one I did. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. I know it’s not great art, but it is family art and that means more to me than expensive stuff.
The dining room is still a work in progress, so hopefully it will be ready for next month’s post. It’s a lot more work than I anticipated when I began. I’ve added a sneak preview of sorts, the original picture frames were a yucky greyish color, now they are French blue. Looking so much better.
And a sneak peek at my “new” baker’s rack. It was originally hunter green with some white splotches on it to make it look old, but it was just a bad job. I actually bought it that way intending to paint it, but have just gotten round to it.
I promised a new recipe for chalk paint and a new recipe to eat. Here’s the chalk paint, the eatable one follows.
CHALK PAINT:
2 oz bottle Plaid FolkArt paint (your choice of color)
2 tsp baking soda (I like Arm & Hammer brand)
2 tsp water
2 tsp Mod Podge
Put baking soda in a cup, add water and stir until totally dissolved. And I mean totally. Add Mod Podge and stir like crazy. It should foam. Keep stirring. When the foam dissipates, add the paint and stir until all one color (whatever color you chose).
It is now ready to use. If you don’t use it all, it can be poured back into the paint bottle and used later. As long as it is tightly closed, it should last for a least a couple of months.
When applying, I like to use a foam brush. You can experiment to find which brush you like the best.
The picture frames (the blue ones) and the baker's rack were painted using this formula and a foam brush.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
CHOCOLATE DIPPED WALNUTS WITH SEA SALT
(FOR SOME REASON I CANNOT GET THE PIC TO COME THROUGH)
PREP TIME
10 mins
TOTAL TIME
10 mins
A quick, easy and healthy snack, you are going to love these walnut halves dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt.
Author: Liz DellaCroce | The Lemon Bowl
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
· 4 ounces Diamond of California Walnut Halves
· 4 ounces dark chocolate chips
· ½ teaspoon sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 45-60 seconds or until smooth and creamy.
2. Dip each walnut half in the chocolate and place on a plate or tray lined with parchment paper.
3. Sprinkle with sea salt then refrigerate walnuts until chocolate sets, 30 minutes or longer.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving size: 1 ounce
Calories: 255
Fat: 24.2 g
Saturated fat: 4.5 g
Unsaturated fat: 19.7 g
Trans fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 7.2 g
Sugar: 3.8 g
Sodium: 287 mg
Fiber: 2.5 g
Protein: 5.8 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
NOW HERE’S MY VERSION: I CALL THEM "MOCK TURTLES"
I did not have any walnuts; living in the South, pecans are easier to come by, and I did have a bag of pecan pieces, so that’s what I used.
I used chocolate chips and melted them in the top of a double boiler. Then added ½ tsp. vanilla extract and beat until it was kind of shiny. Added the pecans and stirred vigorously. Dipped them out onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, sprinkled them with coarse ground Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, and refrigerated for 1 hr. They were sooooo gooood. (******And yes, there were more in the beginning, but by the time I got out the camera, several had disappeared.
(When dipping use a teaspoon. They should be about the size of a half-dollar).
Hope you enjoy and Pin me. So until next time, remember – Never give in, Never surrender and God bless.
Victoria a/k/a BizzyLizzy
