Still painting... and lovely gifts from friends!

Hello Everyone!

Yes I am still

painting!

I am just going

to show you two

of my ladder back chairs

that I have finished.

Four more chairs

still have to be painted

but I couldn't wait to

show all of you

what they are starting to look like!!

I'm just way too excited over this...

So much better!!!

The question is

what the heck

took me soooo

long to "think"

about doing it???

I

know

it's this thing called

BLOGGING!!!

I have always loved to decorate, paint and

rearrange...but

since I started blogging

creativity has

just come

ALIVE

in me!!!

Last week I won my
very first giveaway!

Anne from Bird Like

sent me this gorgeous wood

sign with a bird and nest on it!!

I love it!!

I love anything with birds on it.

It is lovingly displayed in my kitchen.
It truly fits in with my stuff!

Thank you Anne!

Her blog is lovely and if you love birds

like me you will love her blog!

I also received another gift!

This is from my beautiful friend

Becca at Patina Moon

Becca's blog is gorgeous and very

artistic like her!

She sews, makes crafts and takes the most amazing photos!

I also love the music on her

blog!
Becca sent me this beautiful

heart for Valentine's Day...

I love the hand stitching, colour

and materials she used.

This beautiful heart is also displayed in my kitchen.

Thanks Becca and Anne!

And thank you all

for visiting!!

Pamela xo

From Rustic to Swedish french... more photos cont..

Hello everyone!

I have been playing around

with my newly painted

island

and just thought

I would show some

more photos...

Here she is all rustic...now

i hear this is in

the unfinished look.

Isn't that the way?

You change something

and the before

is

now in!

Well I don't

care I was

tired of

it looking unfinished!

It feels calmer

and cleaner

to me now...

Paint colour

is not white

but

Grey Cement

by Benjamin Moore.

Ignore the ugly coral orange walls
I did not paint the dining room this
colour.
It has to be changed sometime.




The iron handles really stand out now...





I am joining my first linking party!!

I am going over now to party
with
Kim
at
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE!!
So
come on over
and join the fun!!

Pamela xo

Painting away!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Awhile back I had blogged about

my plans for painting a few pieces of furniture.

My island, china cabinet and ladder back chairs

were on the list of a makeover.

Melissa from Pink Satin Sashes

knew of the paint colours I had

planned on using for the different

pieces.

Melissa who has become a

dear friend to me

showed up at my home

on Friday

with all the colours of paint

I planned on using!

She really is a great warm hearted person

I still cannot believe

she did this for me!

Saturday I tackled the island

with the colour

cement gray ...

I couldn't be

happier

with

the

results!!

Before...

TA DA!!

I am just loving this piece now.
It screams french to me
with a Swedish touch!


Now it just needs a gorgeous white kitchen
to live it!
Thank you again Melissa...
you have been such a wonderful
friend!

Now for those other pieces...
two ladder back chairs down
4 more to go!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend
and
thanks for visiting!

Pamela xo

Sharing recipes Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!

This is my second sharing recipe Friday.

It only took me 3hrs to work on blogger!

Some days I really dislike blogger. You'll see what I

mean by the last photo!

Today's recipe is

Pasta and Meatballs

This is my fast version for a week night.

I usually do a 2hr sauce with meatballs

but tonight it is the 30minute one.

For Meatballs:

1/4 cup Fresh breadcrumbs (I buy mine from the local bakery)

1/4 cup grated asiago cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley(not the curly)

1 shallot finely chopped

1 large garlic clove grated into mixture

1/2 tsp salt and pepper, dried oregano

2 dashes Tabasco sauce

1 large egg, beaten

1 1lb lean ground beef

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix

thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and chill mixture

in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Remove mixture from

refrigerator. Shape meat into mini meatballs

about 1/2 to 3/4 inch rounds and place

on foil lined baking sheet.

Bake on centre rack of over till cooked through

about 10 -15minutes. Reserve meatballs.

For Pasta:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion finely chopped

2 garlic cloves , chopped

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp sugar

1/4 cup white wine or chicken stock

1 280z can diced tomatoes and juice

1 cup of 35% cream

1 tsp finely chopped parsley

Shaved asiago cheese

Package of Spaghettini pasta

Heat olive oil in deep dish saute pan over medium heat.

Add onion , garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and sugar.

Saute mixture , stirring continually, until onion

begins to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in wine or stock and saute until liquid

evaporates, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and juice to pan and increase heat

to medium-high. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat

to medium-low, cover pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally to break

up the tomatoes,until mixture is thickened, about 30minutes.

Meanwhile , cook pasta in boiling salted water (the water should

taste like a day at the beach) cook till al dente. Add do not

rinse pasta!

Uncover pot and add cream to tomato sauce, followed

by the meatballs. Simmer sauce until thick and meatballs

are heated through, about 5 - to 10 minutes.

(here are the meatballs right before being put in the oven)



Add chopped parsley and cooked pasta toss
until combined. Season to taste with salt
and pepper. Top with shaved asiago cheese.


My camera refused to co-operate
so I am sorry
but
my photo is sideways!!

But you get the picture ...right?
or
else
turn your screen
on its side!!


Pasta and Meatballs
a great dinner on a Friday night!!

Thanks for visiting
and hopefully next Friday the photos
will be right side up!!

Pamela xo

Pink to white in the kitchen

Hello everyone!

I have been living

with the previous owner's

pink back splash a little too long...

now I LOVE pink...but the

black splash was

really

getting

to

me!!

Noise pollution...it

was stressing me out.

I

spend ALOT

of time in this kitchen

and

it is a very dark room.

I know by this photo you see sun streaming in

but this is very rare and it is just a small area

that sees any day light.

I told my husband

that was it

I had enough ...I was going to paint it white!

I still had half a gallon

of paint

left from

Sam's room...

The colour

was just what

I

wanted...cotton fluff...perfect!

Every time I looked at this

diamond pink back splash

it reminded me of a circus...

not

the look

I want

in a

kitchen..

After...


It makes the kitchen so much
brighter
and expansive!
I
LOVE
it!

The best part
is it
feels
cleaner
to me...



Just a quick fix
made
a
world
of
difference
and now it
does not seem
so
dark !


What do you think?

Now if only I could get the walls painted....

Thanks for visiting
Pamela xo

Romance on the Sleeping Porch

Happy weekend everyone!

I thought the perfect

place to

celebrate

Valentine's Day

would be on

my

sleeping porch!

This area of

my home

just

seems to

scream

Romance!!

I love the view to this room

from my

bedroom...

The weather is getting milder..
today is
raining
but
the sleeping porch
is covered
so
nothing
can get wet!

What's for dinner you ask?

How about

some

bon bons

right

from

France!

Romance on the Sleeping Porch!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway

the rules are on my

last two posts!!

Pamela xo

Broccoli with cashews...sharing recipes friday!

Hello everyone!

Today I am adding a new

feature to my blog!

Besides decorating I love

love

to

cook!

Really!

I always joke that it is

what made my husband fall in

love with me! Ha ha...I cooked for

him on our second date. That was it....he was

smitten. When I get annoyed with him I think

to myself ...if only I never learned to cook....

Actually he thought my mom cooked the meal

on our second date so the third date

I cooked in front of him!

Friends always ask me for recipes so I thought

I would start sharing them...

Today I am

going to share

my favourite

way of

having ...broccoli!

Steam broccoli for 7 minutes

or until crisp...

Chop 1/3 cup of cashews...

You will also need:
1/3 cup of butter
1tbsp of brown sugar
3 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves of garlic- chopped

Melt 1/3 cup of butter in sauce pan
Add garlic and saute till thickened


Mix in 1tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp of white vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
Bring this to a boil.



Mix in cashews
and pour over
steamed
broccoli...

Serve immediately!


Broccoli with cashews...delicious!


And to those of you first time visiting
Please enter my giveaway!


Rules are:
Leave a comment
Become a follower (if you are already you get entered twice)
Put my giveaway photo on your sidebar
Blog about my giveaway for an extra chance to win
Lastly for 5 chances
to
win
Tell me why you are a romantic
at
Heart!!

I have to say I can't believe all the romantics out there!! It is wonderful

I am loving all the comments why!!! I wish I could send this giveaway

to everyone!!

Pamela xo

Future projects

Hello everyone!

This winter I have been planning

some painting projects

for when the weather warms up.

Even though I live in a mild climate

inside the home can be a little chilly.

Our old home does not have the best heating.

For the winter we have closed off the one area of

the home which includes the dining room.

Sometimes I think it is warmer outside than in here!

But when it does warm up

these are my plans...

A couple of pieces in the dining room

I am going to paint...

The first piece i want to change is this

china cabinet. I am trying to decide whether to

go Swedish grey or french blue...

This is my dresser that could not

fit up the old staircase

so

it is now a

credenza!

The other piece is my island.

This used to be in our kitchen at

our last home.

The mirror above goes to

the dresser.

I have a thing for

re purposing furniture.

The island right now is pine

and I am leaning towards

a white colour...

Any other creative thoughts out there?

I am always open

to new

ideas!!

Hopefully spring is around the corner

and i can start painting!

Thanks for visiting!

Pamela xo

I'm being featured to today at Savvy Southern Style

Hello Everyone! Today I am being featured at Kim's blog Savvy Southern Style!

For those of you just visiting for the first time I thought I'd share some highlights

of my home...

My home has two claw foot tubs. This is my own bathroom. It is a great

retreat for me...

The house is very old...around 100yrs old. Take note of the old french front door.

Yes it has a skeleton key to open and close it! Hope no one ever misplaces it...we

will be in big trouble then.

All the windows in the living room and bedroom are original to the home.

They open out and have no screens. Thank goodness there are not alot of bugs

in the summer...like back home in Ontario.

I love antique mirrors and have collected a few...






This is my romantic sleeping porch off the master bedroom... notice the window

how it opens out...










Please visit Kim today at Savvy Southern Style ! Thank you so much Kim for


featuring me on your gorgeous blog!


And thanks to all of you for visiting me...


Pamela xo