Gavin's Big Boy Room Reveal!

Well, hello there! I have an exciting post for you today.  Are you ready for photo overload?  I think that Gavin's room is finally finished enough to show you!  And by finished enough, I mean that I still don't feel that it's totally finished...but it's close enough.  :)  To be quite honest, I think this will be a room that I add to and change constantly as Gavin grows and changes.

When the twins were born, this was a storage/spare/office room.  The twins shared a room until they were about a year old, when it became impossible to keep them together.  They always woke each other up!  So we moved Gavin into this room, even though it was unfinished.  Poor Gav had to deal with a crib, and not much else.

Although I'm not really into "theme" rooms, I wanted to create something for Gavin that reflected his interests.  He LOVES being outside, and is definitely a kid who prefers to be outside rather than in.  We decided to go with a summer-camp vibe.

Here's the room last Summer:

And here it is now!

Remember the Pottery Barn-style oars I made?  Here they are, attached to the wall with industrial strength Velcro.

The room is filled with sentimental touches.  When my Dad heard that we were redoing Gavin's room, he had some things to donate to the cause.  You see, Gavin and his Pop Pop have always been special buddies.  I love that there are items in here that used to belong to my Dad.

These were his Boy Scout badges.  I hot glued them to pieces of burlap and framed them.

I found this vintage Boy Scout sash, complete with badges, at a flea market.

This tackle box was my grandfather's, my dad's dad.  I never met him, because he died the year I was born.  But my Dad passed his tackle box along to me, and I knew I wanted to use it.  It was very rusty, so I sanded it down and gave it a fresh coat of paint.  Now Gavin uses it to store whatever he wants.  His  little "guys" are guarding it today.

Here's another little collage of goodies on the wall:

We bought the G for Gavin's nursery before he was born.  It used to be white, and I spray-painted it red. I bought the Chinese Checkers board on EBay for 99 cents!  I found the Scrabble board in an old, forgotten cabinet in my school.  And the dart board was a flea market find from my Mom.  I used some more of my Dad's badges to fill in some space here...I just stuck them to the wall with sticky-tack.

Bonus points if you can find the missing Scrabble letter.  Gavin picked it off before I had the chance to hang the board.

I bought the Billy bookshelves at IKEA after being inspired by Sarah's built-ins in her little boy's room.  Oy, what an ordeal.  We purchased them in white, but they were really off-white.  And they're laminate, which makes them a real pain to paint over.  I had to prime them first with Zinsser Cover Stain, and then I painted them the same white as the wainscoting.  I hope to eventually paint the back of the shelves a contrasting color and add moulding to make them look more custom-made.

Most of the things you see on these shelves are flea market finds.  Those blue bins are from IKEA, and perfect for stashing my little guy's stuff, like all of his dress-up gear.  (I use them in my classroom, too, to store books!)

I'm just learning to sew, and this custom valance was my first project!  I love the way it completes the room.  I am obsessed with the vintage Airstream campers on the fabric.

My brother-in-law, John, is an artist, and also made a contribution to Gavin's room.  How cute are these marshmallows on sticks?  Makes me want to go camping.  He got the "sticks" at Michael's and painted them black.  The "marshmallows" are pieces of styrofoam tube that he painted white.  Love them!

Since Gavin can't reach the light switch on his own, I had to add this adorable stool that my mom found:

And now on to the things that aren't quite finished.  I made a great lamp out of an old jug, but haven't found a lampshade to go with it just yet.

Also, I have this great pair of vintage skis, but I'm not sure where to put them.  Hanging them on the wall feels a little T.G.I.  Fridays to me.  Any ideas?

Thanks for taking the tour with me today!  I'd love to hear your feedback! :)

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Hiding a TV Eyesore

We are in the painfully slow process of redoing our family room, little by little.  So far, we've got a new couch, new curtains (that still need to be hemmed), and a new media console, but nothing else.  I told you it was a slow process.

One of the things that has always bothered me about our family room is the huge TV on the wall.  It's not that I have a problem with enormous TVs themselves, it's just that I think they're an enormous eyesore. I prefer TVs that can be hidden inside a piece of furniture or something.  This is in direct contrast to my husband's opinion, which is:  "There IS no TV that is too big."  I will never understand why it's so important to watch a life-size version of Dog the Bounty Hunter, but hey -- that's what makes us different, I guess.

A few months ago, I was reading a great blog called John's Journal.  Maria had the greatest solution for hiding her TV.  I emailed her for the specifics, and then I totally hacked her idea.  She could not have been more gracious.  Check it out.

Now you see my TV:

Now you don't:

Okay, so you can still see a little bit sticking out on either side of the print.....but you know what I mean.  The print is from IKEA and is printed on canvas, so it's very lightweight.

We just took a trip to Home Depot and bought two L-brackets, and screwed them in to the canvas frame.

We added rubber to the underside of the bracket so it wouldn't damage the TV at all.

It's so easy to hang this up when we're having company over.  You just hook it right over the TV!

Now, I just need to figure out what we're going to do with the rest of this wall.  It's just a huge, blank wall other than the TV.  Maybe some floating shelves?

What do you think?

Starting My Spring Mantel

In the spirit of trying not to acquire more stuff, I'm attempting to decorate for Spring with things I already have in my home.  This will probably last for at least a few days.  :)  The daffodils in my garden are just beginning to bloom, so I'm hoping to have a vase full in a few days!

Here's what I've got on the mantel so far.  I definitely plan to play with it a bit more.

I collect McCoy planters.  This is one of my favorites, because I love the robin's egg blue color.

Never even took the price tag off!

Just looking at it gets me all excited to go flea-marketing this summer.  Maybe I'll find some good ones to add to my collection.  That's the thrill of junking....you never know what treasures you'll find!

I picked up these sweet egg cups at an antique store.  I've seen reproductions of them, but these are the real vintagy deal.

I typed up one of my favorite Chinese proverbs:  Keep a green tree in your heart, and perhaps a singing bird will come.  Perfect for Spring!

Maybe at some point I'll clean the price tag sticker residue off of the picture frame.

I'm hoping to plant something in the planter, and maybe even put some plants in the fireplace.  But for now, this will do!

Recipe: Goat Cheese and Edamame Pizza

Usually, pizza dough is not my friend.  I have tried, and tried, and tried to make a good stromboli, only to wind up with crispy dough on the outside and a gooey mess on the inside.

But this is different.  It's perfect, every single time.  I promise.  Goat Cheese and Edamame Pizza with mozzarella and caramelized onions.  Yes, please!

Start by caramelizing the onions.  You'll need two medium-sized yellow onions.  Cut them in half root-to-tip, and slice the ends off.  Peel them, and slice them.

Coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with olive oil (about 2-3 Tbsps.)  Heat the oil over medium heat, and add the onions.

Let them cook.  You don't want to stir them too much, because you want them to brown up...but you don't want them to burn either.  After about 10 minutes of cooking, sprinkle liberally with salt and about 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Let them cook for another 20 minutes or so until they're beautifully caramelized.

Next comes the pizza dough.  Of course, you could make your own.  I just use the Trader Joe's dough.  I  roll it out on a floured surface and put it on a pizza stone.

Brush the dough with some olive oil, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

Add the caramelized onions.  Oh, yeah.

Then it's time to add some cheeses.  Mozzarella and honey goat cheese, to be exact.  I get the honey goat cheese at Trader Joe's.  If you can't find it, you could get regular goat cheese, and drizzle honey over it when you add it to the pizza.

Add the sliced mozzarella.

Then add the honey goat cheese.  It's kind of crumbly.  And it's kind of delicious.

Next, add about 1/3 cup (a palmful) of edamame.  I buy a bag of frozen edamame, and add them to the pizza frozen. No need to defrost first!

All that's left is to do is bake this baby on 425 for about 20 minutes or so.  Keep your eye on it.

I could barely wait until it was cooled off before I cut myself a slice.

This one's definitely a keeper.

Goat Cheese and Edamame Pizza

pizza crust (homemade or store-bought)
olive oil, 2-3 Tbsps, plus more for brushing on dough
salt
pepper
2 tsps. sugar
2 medium yellow onions
sliced fresh mozzarella
honey goat cheese (I used about 3 ounces)
shelled edamame, fresh or frozen (I used about 1/3 cup)

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2.  Slice the onions.
3.  Add 2-3 Tbsps. of olive oil to a heavy skillet.  Heat over medium heat.  Add the sliced onions.
4.  Cook onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  After 10 minutes, sprinkle onions with salt and pepper, and 2 tsps. of sugar.  Cook for 20 minutes longer until onions are brown and caramelized.
5.  While onions are cooking, roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface and place on a pizza stone.
6.  Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7.  Top the pizza with the caramelized onions.
8.  Add the sliced mozzarella, goat cheese, and edamame.
9. Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.