Simple Easy DIY Wall Art

This is the reason I love Pinterest, despite the fact that if I see another adorable item unnecessarily placed in a mason jar and decorated with twine, I might lose it. I saw something on there, made a run to Michael's and Staples, and BAM! two days later, my hallway is all jazzed up.

This project is great because while it makes it look like you might actually have some artistic ability, in reality you just have to channel your 3rd grade skills in sticking on stickers and slathering on acrylic paint. Easy peasy.

First, here is the first inspiration, which I saw on Pinterest but traced it to "How About Orange", an adorable blog with tons of ideas that immediately got popped into my rss feed.

I like how simple her version is, but really what I needed was something big for the hallway. I felt like I had seen abstract flowers like that around but had a terrible time figuring out what to call them (for the record, apparently they are dandelions). Then, a google search revealed this piece by PitterPatter Press on etsy. If I hadn't already become bound and determined to make it myself, it would have been a good choice (and, much more delicately done than mine), but that ship had sailed so off I went.

Here is what you need:

--Art tape (surprisingly I found this at Staples and not Michael's- do NOT get some other non-art tape, this stuff was awesome). I got both 1/4 and 1/8 inch tape, so that there would be variability in the stem size.

--Stickers- unlike the tape, I'm clearly agnostic about sticker type. Basically, I wanted some variability in size, but if you get official mailing stickers they come in packets of hundreds, which I just didn't need. Luckily, down the aisle were a variety of other stickers. The smiley faces were surprisingly effective, as were the mailing seals- the price stickers were a little cheap and didn't stick as well

--Paint- I just got regular acrylic paint in a color I wanted. you will also need white paint (I used leftover primer from my dresser).

--canvas- now, I lucked out on this one- 24x30 canvases were on sale ($6 instead of $19!). I wanted mine to be big but just so you know, these really are pretty big!

Now, get going! 

First, you have to paint the canvas with the white paint and let it dry. This is boring because I know you want to get your hands on those stickers, but it's critical because the stickers just really don't stick that well to the plain canvas (I did a test). 

Once that is done and dry (overnight) put the tape and stickers on in a pattern you like- one thing to consider is balancing out the density of the flowers so it doesn't look like one side is weighed down, and also putting in variability in height. When you put the stickers on be sure to really push them down at the edges with your fingernail.

I made two because I have a whole lotta wall. Here is the other one (this picture is awful, sorry).

Next, paint over it all. Honestly it was a lot harder than I would have predicted to get an even coat, it definitely took multiple coats and then I had to go back and redo some spots. Am I some kind of expert painter? no way. Did I manage to successfully slather the whole thing with paint after literally staring at it with a flashlight to find white streaks? yes.

Let that dry (it does not have to be 100% dry). Now is the best part, which is peeling off the stickers. I can't even explain how satisfying this is.

And here you go! these are drying (the one on the right is on the shoebox lid to keep it from sticking to the floor).

Now, up on the wall! I suspect I might have hung them too high, but with my high ceilings it gets kind of confusing where to put things, I'm letting them stay there while I ponder it.

And here they are with my cloth-on-a-frame in the foreground:

Overall, this took a few days all things considered, but I really am happy with how they turned out. One thing I particularly like is how the white pops agains the dark background- it made me really glad I didn't pick a lighter shade of paint. Try it!

Homemade Baked Potato Chips. Oh, yes.

I've posted before about my penchant for learning to make things you can easily buy for very little money, that are invariably time consuming and messy once you get going on them. This, my friends, is one of those things. I give you: baked potato chips and greek yogurt onion dip.

To do this, you will need a mandolin. I'm sorry, but there is no way around it- this is what separates the men from the boys, or the ladies from the girls, or the soggy thick potato slices from these actual chip-like things.

WITHOUT CHOPPING YOUR FINGER OFF, slice the potatoes into very thin pieces. (does anyone watch Master Chef? a few weeks ago someone seriously sliced themselves on a mandolin, which scared me to death). Ideally, and unlike most of mine, the slices will be the entire cross section of the potato, but mine got kind of crooked and I ended up with halves. Then, put the slices in a bowl of ice water and let them sit. A surprising amount of starch will accumulate in the bottom of the bowl.

Now, DRY OFF THE POTATO SLICES, and put them on a cookie tray that you have sprayed with cooking spray or an oil mister. Salt. Bake at 400, watching extremely carefully because they go from perfect to burnt in a heart beat.

Take them off and cool on paper towels. The dip was very challenging. I took a cup of greek yogurt and a packet of onion dip mix from the store, mixed them, and voila!

The really amazing thing here is how crispy these were, they really were like actual chips- crunchy, salty, and satisfying. I think the success is due to a few key things: 1. the mandolin, 2. the ice batch, 3. drying them off.

Now, of course comes the big question... was it worth it? Well, it was fun, and it was kind of a novelty, and the warm out of the oven chips were killer. And, I guess, these beat BakedLays by a long shot. But, it was a lot of work, so maybe it's a special occasion kind of thing.

(by the way, no, this is not a hot weather dinner, I found this is my draft of posts that I was too lazy to finish. No one in their right mind should run a 400 degree oven until at least September).

Fast Dinners for When it is 1 Million Degrees Out: Part 1

Ok, so it has been hot. It has been TOO HOT TO BLOG.

What is this? The surface of the sun?

No, no, not quite. In reality, this is a precise rendering of my living room last week.

As you can see, Charlotte has actually melted.

Basically, no one in their right mind is going to cook anything in this situation, but I have been making the best of it and accumulated some cold meal ideas that I have been too lazy to write up. So, I'll be doling those out over the next week or so starting with this one, which is basically a pile of cool, refreshing (vegan) goodness.

First up, simple watermelon salad. I could live on this.

This couldn't be easier. You need: basil, lemon, and watermelon.  First, take some watermelon- I buy them in quarters because otherwise it's a race against time to eat the watermelon before it gets kind of mushy. Chop into slightly larger than bite size pieces. Now take your basil and chiffonade - this basically just means (after washing) stack up the basil leaves and slice them into thin strips. Now, sprinkle this on the watermelon and squeeze the juice of half a lime over the whole thing. Toss it. Eat it. Bask in the glory of the cold sweet watermelon and tart lime and refreshing basil. 

There are more elaborate versions with things like diced jalapeno, red onion, and feta, and that is delicious, but this is easier :).

Next up, little pita tacos. First, roughly chop a cucumber and slice some red onions. Put in a bowl with some red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a little dill, salt and pepper and let it sit. While that's happening you're going to make some hummus (or use store bought hummus, but the home made is SO EASY). Take a can of garbanzo beans, a big spoonful of tahini, juice of half a lemon, and a small clove of garlic- dump in food processor and run it until it looks like hummus (if it is too dry add a little water). Now, resist the urge to put too much garlic in because this is totally raw, and will really permeate the hummus especially as it sits. 

All you have to do is slather some half-pitas with hummus, top with the veggies, pick up like a taco and eat. This is barely even a recipe, but I like it because with a few basic staples (around here in summer cucumber is  definitely a staple- if I wasn't living on watermelon I'd live on cucumber salad).