Another Faux Zinc Letter

February 20, 2012 By

 Last week we showed the great success we had using cardboard letters to make a sign for Jordan’s dining room.  You can read about it here.  But before we tackled that project, we practiced with a little letter.  We bought a cardboard “H”, which is Jordan and Mr. Spring’s last name initial and tried our technique on it first.

 

Being supervised by Gracie, I am applying the first coat, which is a black acrylic craft paint.

 

 

The second coat adds the WOW!!! factor.  I applied pearl paint, which is also an acrylic craft paint.

 

 

Then to make it look really industrial, I added upholstery tacks that are in a zinc finish.

 

 

This letter has a completely different vibe from the dining room wall letters.  I think Jordan is going to add it to the photo gallery that she is putting together for her stairway.  We’ll keep you posted when it goes up.

 

 

 

 

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Take Care!

6 Comments Filed Under: Projects

Vegetable Frittata

February 16, 2012 By

 

Today we have a great recipe that can be a hearty brunch or your evening meal.  It contains bacon, but you can omit it and have a great vegetarian meal.  I tried it, and both Mr. Autumn and I loved it.

 

 

 

 

VEGETABLE FRITTATA

Ingredients

  • 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

  • 2 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

  • 1 cup chopped broccoli

  • 1/2 cup chopped green pepper

  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

  • 6 eggs

  • 3 tablespoons water

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions

  1. In a 8-in. ovenproof skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in the skillet. Remove bacon to paper towel. To the skillet, add hash browns, broccoli, green pepper, onion and rosemary; cover and cook over low heat until has browns are golden brown vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Beat eggs, water, salt and pepper; pour over hash browns. Top with bacon and paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until eggs are completely set.

    Note:  I added crumbled feta cheese to the top during the last five minutes of baking.

    *****

    Take care.

5 Comments Filed Under: Food

The Hole in the Wall Gang

February 14, 2012 By

The Hole in the Wall Gang, no disrespect to Paul Newman, consists of two people – Jordan and I.  When I was there, another one of our many projects was repairing some holes in the wall of the Florida room.  They had a few leaks last year caused by damage from all of the snow they had in Syracuse.  It broke records for the amount of snow received.

 

 

 It was not a hard fix, just time consuming. It took several steps.

 

 

 We simply followed the directions on the patch repair box.  First we covered the damage with a plastic mesh.

 

 

Then we applied four thin coats of spackle.

 

 

We had to let it dry between each coat.  Some of the spackles are quick drying, but unfortunately, we had the slow-drying kind, so we waited eight hours between.

 

 

Once it was dry, I sanded while holding the sweeper to catch the fly-away dust.

 

 

 Then we applied two coats of paint.  The repair hardly shows up.  This was so easy, and I think we might go pro.

*****

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Take care.

6 Comments Filed Under: Before and After, Projects

Strolling in the Neighborhood

February 13, 2012 By

 

Don’t you just love walking in your neighborhood when there aren’t any leaves on the trees?  It’s a whole lot easier to snoop see what the houses really look like.

 

 

 

We live in an historic area, and on a recent pretty day, I took photos of some of the charming and not so charming houses.

 

 

This little charmer was recently purchased and is getting a complete overhaul.  I hope it remains yellow.  It was cute before.  It will be fantastic afterwards.

 

 

 I’m not a fan of the add-on at the rear of this house.

 

There are stately homes and little cottages.

 

 

This little cutie is a rental.  The last occupants always had it looking perfect.  I hope the new tenants love it just as much.

 

 

This one is also adorable.

 

Our neighborhood is heavily overseen by a historic commission that gets final approval on all exterior changes and improvements.  That can be a good thing or a bad thing.

 

 

There are Victorians and colonials, like this one.

 

You can see some remaining fancy trim at the top of this one.

 

I’m always attracted to the cottages.

 Some of the homes have interesting features like this turret……

 

….and this stained glass window.

 

 This carriage house was turned into a home.

 

 

 Some of the old homes were torn down in the 80′s and replaced with new townhouses, like this one.  Our townhouse fits into that category.

*****

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Take care.

5 Comments Filed Under: Out and About

Our Restful Nook

February 12, 2012 By

Our Florida room is slowly coming together.  We have replaced some windows, patched holes, installed a hardwood floor and now bought something.  I love this room because it is so sunny and brings tons of light into our living room.  We thought about building some window seats around the windows but decided we wanted to take a different direction that would easier.  So, we bought a daybed, comforter, and pillows.

 

 

We purchased this daybed from Ikea because it was reasonably priced.  I looked at daybeds for several months, and this gave us the most bang for the buck.    We consider the Florida room our informal living room, and we wanted something casual.

 

 

Since we replaced the windows and the floor, this room is the perfect nap reading room and a nice place to hang out and play with Gracie.

 

 

The greatest thing about this bed is it can be a comfy sofa during the day and at night turn into a king size bed.  We currently have two guest rooms, but we have already filled them at times and have had people on an air mattress.  This is a quick and easy bedroom.  We plan to purchase some privacy screens that we can put up if we need to turn this into a quick bedroom.

 

 

Also, there is tons of storage.  These three drawers are empty so it is always good to have storage for the future.  This photo shows a close-up of the always wrinkled comforter.  To me, that is the downer to using comforters and duvet covers.  They are a challenge to keep neat.

 

 

So there it is our new reading, relaxing, napping nook in the Florida room.  The rug is something I have had from my San Francisco days.  We’ll use it  till I find something else.  The coffee table will get some sort of facelift one of these days.

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Cheers!

 

6 Comments Filed Under: Things We Bought

Chocolate Cake For Your Thighs

February 10, 2012 By

Let’s pretend that Chocolate Cake for Your Thighs is like Chicken Soup for the Soul.  Jordan introduced this chocolate cake to me.  It comes from The Barefoot Contessa, and like every single recipe of Ina’s, this one is great!  Just ask my thighs!   I might have to ride my bicycle several hours to undo the damage.  But, oh well, it’s all in the name of research.   Since Valentine’s Day is next week, and chocolate is the way to everyone’s heart, this cake will show you a good time.

 

Ingredients

  • Butter, for greasing the pans

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 3/4 cups good cocoa powder

  • 2 teaspoons baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 cup buttermilk, shaken

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

  • Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

  • 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)

  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don’t whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

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Take Care.

3 Comments Filed Under: Food

Thinking Outside the Box

February 8, 2012 By

 Jordan and I are really excited because The 2 Seasons has been featured four times this week in four different blogs with three of our projects.  Jordan’s kitchen face-lift was featured Monday here, and Tuesday here.  The dining room letters we made were featured here, and a table I updated will be featured here on Friday.  We’re trying not to strut too much, but we’re feelin’ pretty proud about this and thought you would like to know.  Now on to today’s post.

 

*****

When China opened its country to foreign travel back in 1979, Mr. Autumn was on one of the first planes into the country.  He was able to see it in its primitive state before it became the commercialized giant we think of today.

 

 

One of the items he brought home was this little jewelry box.

 

 

I have used it a lot over the years to hold some of my jewelry.  Unfortunately, it is showing its wear and tear, and not in a good way.  The reddish finish on the wood is not very pretty.

 

 

The inside has a sweet little lining and little slots for rings.  I don’t use it any more, but I wanted to be able to use in a vignette.

 

 

I picked out a color from one of our paint samples (I don’t remember which one) and gave it three coats of paint.  Then I sprayed it with a glossy polyurethane.  Since I painted it,  the box has had a home in one of our cabinets….

 

 

in the powder room…….

 

 

in the kitchen……

 

 

and on the side board in the great room.

 

 

The paint job isn’t perfect, but it gave my little box a whole new life.

Take care.

Linking to No Minimalist Here Between Naps On the Porch

 

 

 

 

9 Comments Filed Under: Before and After, Things We Bought

The Windows of France

February 7, 2012 By

 

Last September when Mr. Autumn and I bicycled through France, I took lots of photos of crosses and windows.  The French have such interesting windows.  I thought you might enjoy seeing some of them.

 

This is one of the most famous windows in the world – the Rose Window in Le Cathedral de Notre Dame.

 

 

These windows are in the chapel at the hunting lodge of one of the Louis (es?). He went here when he was tired of Versailles – poor baby.   (I don’t remember if it was 14, 15, 16, etc).  Even though the windows look chartreuse, they are clear.  The reflection made them look absolutely beautiful.

 

 

This simple window treatment looks as if it is a row of napkins that have been pinned to a rod.

 

 

This is the window of a city hall.  They are often decked out in flowers.

 

 

 Again, I love the simplicity of the windows in this country cottage.  This is truly country French.   Many times we Americans misinterpret what country French really is supposed to look like.

 

 

I love the clear crystal chandelier hanging in front of this leaded window.  The chandelier almost disappears.  This chapel was in a little village along our route.  It had once been beside a monastery which had been bombed.

 

 

 Here are the windows of another city hall in another village.  Do you see a pattern?

 

 

I love how you can see the tiled roof of a nearby cottage through this stained glass window.

 

 

 

 Who needs curtains to soften the windows when these vines can do it?

 

 

This color, which is very popular in this country now, has probably been on these old shutters for years and years.  Look at the moss growing on the tiled roof.  Isn’t it just the best?

 

 

Can anyone say patina?

 

 

This shutter design was everywhere.  How charming is that?

 

 

 Not only do I love this shuttered window, but the stone work and line of the roof are perfection.  Look at the little medallions on the corners.

 

 

 Isn’t this entrance through these French doors welcoming?  The meal there was outstanding, by the way.

Take care.

Linking to 

13 Comments Filed Under: Out and About, Travel

Wash Day Blues

February 6, 2012 By

Author:  Autumn (Janette)

 

I recently came across a little treasure for our laundry room.  It will join the antique wash board (here) and ironing board  in our palladian blue laundry room.

 

This was a gift from my mother a few years back, and it’s been hiding in our basement since our move.

 

It has a lot of interesting details.

 

The company’s name was Anchor Brand, and of course, its logo was an anchor.  The company was located in Erie, PA, so I suppose the owners went boating on Lake Erie or the Erie Canal????

 

The wet clothes were put between these rollers that would then wring out the water.

 

 

The rollers turn when someone manually turns this crank.

 

 

These clamps held this roller contraption onto a large wooden or zinc tub where the clothes were actually washed by hand probably with a wash board.

 

 

 

 

It probably looked like this.

 

 

It fits right in with the other accessories in the laundry room, including…..

 

 

this washboard and ……

 

 

 

this old ironing board.  Doesn’t this make you thankful for electricity and automatic washers and dryers?

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Take care.

Linking to http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

5 Comments Filed Under: Decorating

Our DIY Dining Room Curtains

February 5, 2012 By

Curtains are tough for me.   I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted in our dining room.  We had blah cream curtains hanging in there left over from the previous owner,  and they were too short, too wrinkled, and too everything.  I wanted some curtains that would go from the ceiling to the floor and be fun and interesting.  When my mom was here, we decided to used some of our down time while the cabinet paint dried to DIY some curtains.

 

We looked at fabrics but ended up buying two pre-made white panels at Target.  They were 95 inches long, just what the room needed.  We decided to buy a cute stencil at JoAnn’s and to spiff them up on our own.

 

 

 We selected three colors.  We used yellow as the dominate color and added bright green and a little black for more detail.

 

 

We spread the panels out on our living room floor and painted the yellow pattern on both first.  We liked this medallion because we didn’t want anything that looked country.

 

 

Then we added the green and then the black.  In all it took about two hours.  Not every single pattern came out exactly the same, but that is what makes stenciling so fun and so personal.

 

We love the way they look in the room.  They are the length we need, and they go well with a light we also reinvented.  We plan to hang plantation shades to match the rest of the windows in our house and to give us (and our neighbors) some privacy.

 

 

 

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Cheers!

Linking to Delectable Home Between Naps On The Porch Join in on the Party February 6th!!!!!

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11 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Projects
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