{ Man Cave }

quite a sight, ehh?

I know it's a lot to take in.

Bear with me...

It'll all make sense in the end.

(Does anyone have any A.D.D. medication they can share?)

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway

I'm so excited about this giveaway!  You know I love children's clothing, but today it's all about the women.  This exclusive giveaway is from Shabby Apple, a boutique clothing company specializing in women's and little girls dresses.  They will be giving away the dress pictured above (in your size) to one lucky The Cottage Home blog reader.

Click HERE to enter the giveaway, retrieve the exclusive discount code, and find out more about this amazing company.

Change of Heart?

It is hard for me to get away from white bedding but this bed could change my tune...This picture is from the same article, I included it because the side chairs are in one of my favorite Schumacher fabrics...be looking for it in the future...
Images Kelly Keiser Better Homes and Gardens.

Jonathan Adler comes to Atlanta

Finally!  The long-awaited Jonathan Adler store is opening in Atlanta.  I was able to get a sneak peek tonight right before I attended the Switch Modern Spotlight on Design event, thanks to Liz Lapidus PR. 

Before I show you the images, let me just say that the store is gorgeous!  My pictures definitely don’t do it justice.

I’m looking forward to spending more time in this inspiring store tomorrow night during the grand opening event, and I’m even more excited about getting to meet Jonathan himself!

LiveJournal Tags: Jonathan adler,switch modern,liz lapidus pr,atlanta

Spotlight on Design with Todd Murphy

If you happen to be around the West Side of town tonight head on over to Switch Modern.  Tonight, in their Spotlight on Design series, they will be featuring the amazing Atlanta artist Todd Murphy.  It's from 6pm to 8pm.  All of the details are below.  Click on the image to see a larger view.  I'll be there along with some of my favorite designers.  Hope to see you there too!

Tortellini with Lemon Cream Sauce

 

Sometimes the most delicious dishes only contain a few ingredients.  My tortellini with lemon cream sauce is one of those.  So simple, yet indulgently delicious.  

Tortellini with Lemon Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 package fresh cheese tortellini (8 oz.)

3 tablespoons butter

1.5 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Begin cooking fresh tortellini according to package directions.

In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add in heavy cream and bring to a boil.  Once you've reached a boil, reduce the heat to medium.  Add in the juice of one lemon, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Taste the sauce to check for salt and pepper.  I like a lot of pepper in my cream sauce and if it doesn't taste savory enough, it probably needs more salt.

Allow the sauce to bubble lightly until it reaches your desired consistency.  Once you are happy with the thickness of your sauce, reduce the heat to low until your tortellini is ready.

Drain tortellini and add to the large saucepan.  Toss to coat.  Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, freshly grated black pepper and a slice of lemon.

Enjoy!

Morning Snack

Maybe this wall could keep my brain a little less scattered....Image This Old House Magazine

{ Simple Pillow }

This cutie pillow was made in minutes...

no sewing involved what-so-ev'a

Here's what you'll need

I fell in love with the fabric , and bought everything they had.

I plan on using it for cafe curtains on the sink above my window

in my new kitchen...

(are ya' payin' attention...

ehh-hemm...NEW KITCHEN)

Believe it

First I cut a bunch of shapes out of the fabric with pinking sheers
I like the frayed look
(if you don't, this project's not for you)

I also cut a strip of coordinating fabric to run along the side

Then I just glued the pieces randomly around the pillow
with fabric glue

(pillow case from IKEA, like four bucks or something)

Cute-pa-toot I tell you!
Now, kids, dog, husband, get away from my new pillow!

Linking up to Donna's
Saturday Night Special

New Sponsor and Pattern Giveaway - Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops

 

I am so excited about the newest sponsor of The Cottage Home blog -

Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops!

This online shop is full of amazing sewing patterns, fabrics and notions.  Today, owner Terri, is giving away one sewing pattern of your choice from her amazing shop for TWO readers.  

Click HERE to read more about this exclusive giveaway for The Cottage Home readers and enter to win.  Also, find out why I love Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops and why you will too!

Spring Purchase

My friend Samantha had these on the other week and I immediately knew I "needed" them. So this weekend I made my first(ish) Spring purchase...They are comfortable and I believe money well spent. Plus, with every purchase Toms donates a new pair of shoes to a child in need.

Available here: Toms Kenya Stripe

{ Farmhouse Mantel }

A few weeks ago, John, from 

Stable Tables,

made me this mantel

I finally got around to taking some photos of it.

I love the rustic chunky-ness of it.

I think I need some white or silver

candle sticks for Spring/Summer

But I love the layered effect of the wreath on the door.

The brass part of the fireplace I could do without.

Have a great sunny day!

Linking up to Donna's
Saturday Night Special

Burlap Covered Lamp Shade Tutorial

I'm definitely in full-on nesting mode now and have been tackling all sorts of home improvement projects. I have been working on bringing more texture into our home lately.  While I love bright, fresh fabrics for little girls clothing, I much prefer a warm, earthy palette for my home decor.

I love looking through the Potterybarn and Ballard Designs catelogues for ideas and inspiration.  Both of these stores are a little out of my budget these days, but I think they do such a wonderful job of putting rooms together with color, texture and natural elements.

 image via Ballard Designs

I have been eying these burlap covered lamp shades in the Ballard Designs catelogue lately, but at $35 - $50 per shade, I just can't justify the splurge.  So what is a girl to do?  How about a DIY version for only $1.50 per shade?  Now, that's more like it!

 Burlap Covered Lamp Shade Tutorial

Materials:

1 solid color lamp shade (any size)

1-2 yards burlap (more yardage for bigger shades)

Spray adhesive

Heat n' Bond

Glue gun

Iron

Clothes pins
Scissors

Directions:

Grab your lamp shade.  This was an IKEA shade that I've had for quite some time.  I covered two of these and one much larger shade.  I like the shape of this shade, but I never loved the fact that the light looked so white coming through it.  I knew the burlap would help fix that problem and warm it right up.

Make sure you choose a solid color shade.  Any patterns will show through the burlap and the shade will lose it's earthy look.

I purchased my burlap at my local Joann's.  It was $3.99 per yard, but I had a 50% off coupon, plus an additional 25% off coupon - got love coupons for fabric!

Turn your lamp shade on its side and trace it (by rolling it along your burlap).  Leave an inch or two allowance on the top and bottom.  It's hard to see my markings in the picture above, but I just used a pink highlighter.

Cut out your pattern.  Most angled shades will look like the shape above.  If you are using a drum shade (meaning round), you will have a less curved pattern.

Spray your entire lamp shade with spray adhesive.  Do this outside since the fumes can be a little overwhelming.  You can find spray adhesive in most craft stores and hardware stores.  Wrap your burlap around the shade, smoothing all the bumps as you go.

Cut off any excess burlap from the top and the bottom of the shade.  The burlap should not extend past the top or bottom of the shade.

Now to make the finished edge or binding.  Measure around the top and the bottom of the shade.  You will want a long enough length of burlap to cover these two measurements plus and extra inch or so.  Cut the burlap 2 inches wide.  Grab your Heat n Bond for the next step.

Iron the Heat n Bond (paper side up) down the middle of your long burlap strip.  Once it has cooled remove the paper backing.

Next you will fold in both sides and press.  This will secure the two raw edges of the burlap.  Do this all the way down the entire strip.

Heat up your glue gun.  Turn the outside raw edge of the burlap under and glue in place down the back of the shade.

Take the binding and hot glue it to the top and bottom of the shade.  This will hide any raw edges.  Trim any excess burlap that might be poking above or below the binding.

I used clothes pins to hold the binding in place.  Because of the angled shape of this shade I really had to work to get the binding to lay flat since I did not cut it on the bias.  This step will be a lot easier with a round drum shade.  The clothes pins really helped me here, so I highly recommend using them during this step.  Once the glue has cooled, remove clothes pins.

When your lamp shade is complete, place it on your lamp base and enjoy this beautiful, natural look!  This lamp base is also one I have had for many years from IKEA.

I considered using bias tape for binding the top and the bottom of the lamp shade.  You certainly could give that a try if you want to skip the step of making your own burlap binding.  I think brown, cream or natural would look really nice.  Or if you are feeling a little wild try blue, green or red.

Here's the extra-large shade that I covered for the lamp in our playroom.  This shade was a hand-me-down and had a little hole in it that drove me nuts.  But the size was so wonderful, that I couldn't bare to part with it.  With the burlap on the shade, you would never know it ever had a hole.

Three lamp shades for a total of $4.00 - sure beats three shades for $105 - $150, don't you think?  Granted they would be a little more if you don't have all the supplies (I only had to buy the burlap), but still, I think it was well-worth taking the time for a little DIY!