My Mom's Pasta Salad

I grew up with my mom making this pasta salad as one of her regular, go-to recipes.  It was sure to appear more frequently throughout the summer.  When I eat it today, I still think of her making a big bowl of it and sticking it in the fridge to be ready for a weekend cookout or family camping trip.

It's ridiculously easy.  Yet, whenever I take it somewhere, I know it will get compliments and people will ask for the recipe.  The secret is really the salad dressing.  You absolutely may NOT substitute any other kind of Italian dressing.  There just isn't another option for this salad. 

Ingredients:

12 oz. rainbow rotini pasta, cooked and drained
1 bottle of Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing (mandatory!!!)
approximately 6 cups of veggies and other ingredients cut into small pieces

Just throw it all together in a big bowl, give it a big stir, and you're ready to go!

Salad ingredient possibilities:
tomatoes
broccoli
cauliflower
carrots
celery
red onion
green onion
peppers
feta cheese
colby jack cheese
pepperoni
bacon
grilled chicken
mushrooms
artichoke hearts
chopped spinach

This salad is really great for cleaning out your fridge!  Every time I make it, the ingredients are a little different depending on what I have on hand.  If I know that I'm going to be making it, I'll always be sure to pick up grape tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, peppers, and red onion.  For me, those are the essentials.  But, you and your family may have different preferences, so make it your own. (Just don't switch the dressing!)

I also think it tastes better after it sits in the fridge overnight.  The noodles soak up some of the salad dressing and everything is more flavorful.  I always hope there will be some left for lunch the next day!

Vintage Jewelry Cabinet Hardware

If you're like me, you have memories of playing dress up while wearing your grandma's jewelry and feeling oh-so-fancy.  I love watching my own girls play like this now.  Anything sparkly or glittery catches their eye and instantly becomes a treasure.  Our three girls (5 year old twins and a 3 year old) share a bedroom and bathroom in our house.  Their bathroom has been without cabinet hardware since we moved in December.  Since room is for three little girls, I figured there was no better place to experiment with some sparkly, vintage goodness for the hardware.

I started by collecting lots of vintage jewelry.  I had this project in mind for quite a while, so I've kept my eyes open for the right pieces.  I've bought some in lots on ebay and at garage sales.  When I was lucky enough to find it, the prices were generally much better at garage sales.  I used mostly brooches, but also some earrings and old rhinestone buttons.  I also purchased some reproductions from the Etsy seller Simply Sassy Source.  I chose to mainly use pieces that had clear stones and silver metal, but you would have a lot more choices if you used colored stones.

I used sharp pliers to cut the pinbacks and any extra hardware off the backs of the jewelry.  Watch out, they fly off!

You really want to get anything off that prevents you from having a semi-flat surface to attach the post.

After a lot of trial and error, I decided on using these threaded posts to create the actual handle of the hardware.  I got these at Lowe's in the pull out drawers in the hardware aisle.  They come in a wide variety of lengths.  I used 3/4" for mine.

Each little package comes with a threaded post and a small screw.  The screw will most likely not be long enough to use for this project.  Save those for another project. Each one of these cost $1.04 at my local Lowe's.

After experimenting with different types of "industrial" strength glue, I decided that epoxy was the way to go.  I wanted something that would give me as strong of a hold as possible.  I realize that three little girls will be putting some wear and tear on this hardware, so I won't be surprised if I have to make repairs in the future.

After mixing the epoxy, I loaded up the end of the threaded post with a dollop of epoxy.

I held each post in place for about a minute to let it set up a bit.  Then, I set them inside a shoebox lid to dry undisturbed.  The package instructions said to let the epoxy cure for an hour, but I went ahead and let them dry overnight, just to make sure.

Have you seen these nifty templates?  I picked mine up at Lowe's and it makes marking your holes for hardware a breeze.  I felt much more confident that my marks were lined up evenly when I used this guide.

I used an 11/64" drill bit to drill my holes in the drawer fronts and cabinet doors.

 I picked up these machine screws to fit into the threaded post and hold the hardware in place.  I used 2" long screws on the drawers and 1 1/4" long screws on the doors.

Most drawer fronts are thicker than cabinet doors due to the decorative front being applied to the drawer.

When you screw the threaded post onto the screw, you want to try to be careful that you're turning the post, not the jewelry piece.  I popped one loose by holding on to the jewelry instead of the threaded post when screwing it on.

 Now, these kinda boring cream cabinets have some pretty bling!

I used all different shapes and sizes in the girls' bathroom.  I wanted it to feel a little funky and mismatched.  Some are even broken and missing stones, but I think it adds to their charm.  Besides, I wouldn't want them to be too perfect.  I want little hands to be able to touch and admire the sparkles.

 My girls love them and each picked out a favorite for her own drawer.

If you end up making your own set of upcycled jewelry hardware, I'd love to see them!

If you're interested in having your own set of hardware, but don't want to take the time to make your own, head on over to I Am Momma, Hear Me Roar where you'll find this set of 8 drawer pulls/knobs that's up for auction. Cheri is hosting a charity auction series, For The Love, every Monday to raise money for a sweet little boy named Owen. Be sure to pay her a visit each Monday to see what's on the auction block!

Bottlecap Bunting

Yesterday, I shared my Fourth of July decorated mantel with you.  After adding the barnwood American flag, branch star, and accessories, I wanted a little bit more color.

I decided on a small bunting for the front of the mantel made out of vintage bottlecaps.  A few weeks ago,  I was explaining to my girls about how drinks used to come in glass bottles, not cans.  That got me thinking about all of the different types of soda of years past.  A cold glass bottle of fizzy soda just feels like a hot summer day, so I started looking around for some bottlecaps.

Apparently, they can be quite collectable.  I found mine on ebay through this seller.  They were all unused and most had a cork liner in the cap.  I wasn't interested in their collectable value, I was just looking for some fun colors and typography styles.

I bought a length of twill tape at the fabric store and hot glued my bottlecaps on to make the bunting.  Super simple.

You could really take this idea and go a lot of different directions.  Maybe for an older person's birthday you could use bottlecaps that would have been popular during his or her youth.  I could see making one for my husband with his favorite kinds of beer.  If I had thought of it sooner, I would have used the idea for my sister-in-law's POP themed baby shower.  Hmm, I bet I'll be making more versions of this one in the future.

Barnwood American Flag

I wanted some patriotic decor for our mantel for the rapidly approaching Fourth of July holiday.  So, I went out to our pile of leftover barn wood that we used for our house siding and dug out some red and white painted pieces.  I cut a few pieces to the same length and scraped off any big chunks of peeling paint.

 

I attached some scrap pieces of plywood to the back to hold it all together.

I printed out a large star shape to use as a pattern and began hammering small nails around the outline of the star.  When finished, I ripped the paper away and was left with tiny nails that I didn't hammer all the way in.

 I used some navy blue yarn and tied one end onto a nail at one of the points of the star.

I kept wrapping the yarn from nail to nail, keeping the tension fairly tight on my yarn.  I found that it helped to wrap the yarn all the way around each nail, to keep it from slipping off.  When I was happy with my star shape, I went around the outside line one more time and connect all of the nails with my yarn before tying it off.

I set my primitive version of an American flag up on the mantel and our living room was ready to celebrate the Fourth!  I added a large star that I made by cutting some branches to the same length, then tying them together with twine. A stack of books, some glass jars, and an old bowling pin finished it off.

Tomorrow, I'll show you my little banner I made on the front of the mantel out of old bottlecaps.

I'll be linking up to the following parties:

 

Wood Slice Coasters

I was recently cleaning some things out in my studio and I ran across a box of wood slices leftover from the branches I cut for my vase and wreath project.  I contemplated throwing them out, but I decided I must be able to use them for something.

 I took a few of the larger ones and stuck some self-adhesive felt pads on the bottom.

I was left with a set of instant coasters.  I tend to take a glass of water upstairs every night, so I now I have a cute and functional coaster to set it on.  And the best part -- it was free and took literally 30 seconds.  I spent more time going out to the garage to look for the felt pads than completing the project.

The Power of Spray Paint

It's amazing how a few coats of spray paint can transform an ugly duckling, or creepy bunny.  I found this 80's bunny planter at Goodwill for $1.49.  I gave it a good cleaning, a coat of primer, and several light coats of yellow spray paint.  That simple change took it from yuck to elegant.

 Paired with a tiny succulent plant, it provides a pop of color on the countertop in the girls' bathroom.

My husband says it's still a little creepy, but I think it's somewhat better without the eyes looking at me.  :)

You gotta love quick, easy, and cheap changes.

Picking up Chicks

 Last week, a day we had anticipated for several months finally came.  Our post office called to say that our mail order chicks had arrived!  We were waiting at the door when the post office opened.  We could hear their sweet little cheeps before we even saw the box.  The looks on the girls' faces was priceless.

 We've had a few days to get to know each other.  Our mudroom has been taken over by chick paraphernalia.  I no longer have sleepy girls climbing into my bed when they first wake up.  Instead, I hear soft footsteps bounding down the stairs to greet their chicks a good morning.

 We have 11 of these new little ladies in our life.  Unfortunately, one still seems to be a bit under the weather.  For now, she's separated from the rest while we give her some special attention.

 Grace is especially smitten with the chicks.  She loves feeding them by hand, holding them, reading books to them, and drawing pictures for them.

 Madeline likes the chicks, but would really be happy just to look at them and not touch.  She agreed to this photo if "the creepy claw feet wouldn't touch her."

 They've definitely been a learning experience for us all.  I've got way more up close and personal with these chicks than I ever imagined I would.

 Our chicks are Easter Eggers, so we have a mix of different shades of brown and one little yellow gal.  It will be interesting to see if their color now corresponds to their feather color as adults.

Lily is still a little unsure.  She likes them, but they scare her a little when they run or start flapping their wings.

Guess what you'll be seeing soon on the blog?  That's right.  The makings of a chicken coop.  These ladies grow FAST, but we have a few weeks until they're ready to be outside in the coop on their own.  Time to turn that pile of wood into a cute coop!