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Orchard Girls

Friday, May 3, 2013

Fix it up Friday: Bathroom Face Lift--Dollar Store Edition

We've lived in our house for a little over a year and I have still yet to do anything with our guest bathroom. Probably because I never go in there. I think I have only taken a shower in there once or twice, because it is just more convenient to use the master bath. Anyway, when I was cleaning it the other day while preparing for some family guests, I thought, wow...what a boring bathroom! Needless to say, this will be my project for today's Fix it up Friday! 
Above is a before picture of our guest bathroom. Pretty boring, nothing special or fun.

 Here is an after shot! Cool signs, a lot of color, and way more fun!

Kenzie and I decided to hit up the local dollar store. For one, the dollar store is awesome, and for two i'm a girl on a budget. Well, at least my husband would sure like me to be. I thought it would be a lot easier for others to be inspired by a budget friendly bathroom update anyway. To start this bathroom redo, I wanted to find some wall artwork. Now, I didn't want to spend much, if any on this part. So I google'd "free bathroom printables" and what do ya know, tons popped up. 
The "owl always love you" printable can be found here.
To print the above bathroom printable set Click Here!

 This printable can be found here

Once I had the printables it was a lot easier to shop for little matching accents at the dollar store. I tallied up how many and which size frames I needed ($7.00). Other items I picked up were those two white "fresh linen" candles ($2.00). Two sets of yellow flowers ($2.00). Two yellow hand towels ($2.00). A set of three green baskets ($1.00). And a few more baskets for in the closet for organization ($3.00). This project was a lot of fun, and a super cheap bathroom "face lift" for under $20.00!
I hope you enjoyed this fun Fix it up Friday Bathroom redo! If you're feeling inspired, let us know and show us what YOU come up with. Have fun! :)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend,


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Thifty Thursday: Finding Wall Art at the Thrift Store

Hey all! I thought I would show you some of the amazing wall art I have found over the last several months at the thrift store.

When it comes to finding wall art, you have to open yourself up a bit. Some of the things I've found look a little outdated, or unfinished, or just plain gross. But they had potential, and that's why I bought them. The most I've spent on any of these pieces is 5 dollars, so that doesn't hurt either!

First off, I will share some pieces I found for our small bathroom. I believe I paid 2.99 for each piece. I didn't do anything to these pictures except give them a little cleaning. I thought they looked pretty good without any changes.
Next up is a print that I found for 2.99, as well. Its signed by the artist, and came packaged in the original plastic sleeve! This was something I found on a random night I decided to pop into Value Village. I'm so glad I did! I thought the watercolor painting was absolutely beautiful. All I had to do was buy a frame, which I found on sale at Hobby Lobby.
The last piece I will show you is hanging above our fireplace. I knew I would need something big for this space, and when I saw this at Goodwill for 5 dollars, I decided to bring it home. It is HUGE, and was a bit of a pain to fit in the car, but it was worth it. This was probably the piece that needed the most work. The frame is covered in paper and it was peeling in random spots, and someday we may replace the frame entirely. But, for a quick fix, I decided to just paint it white. I also cleaned this piece, as it was kinda nasty. All in all, I think it was totally worth the 5 dollars.
Have you found any nice pieces to hang on your wall at the thrift store? I have a couple more things that I've purchased that still need a little love. Maybe I will share those with you once I've completed them.

I hope you're having a great week! 


Wednesday, May 1, 2013

What We Eat Wednesday: Salsa & Beandip

We decided that I needed to share my salsa recipe with you all today, just in case you were still looking for a recipe for Cinco de Mayo! I've only recently started making my own salsa, and let me tell you, it is SO worth the effort. I can't eat store bought salsa anymore. I.just.can't.

The recipe I stumbled upon before making my first batch has mysteriously disappeared from the internet, otherwise I would share that with you. I only looked at the recipe that one time, and have just been going off of that in my head since then. Things change almost every time I make it, but it always turns out tasty. This recipe makes about 4 1/2 cups.

Ingredients:

- About 38 ounces of diced tomatoes. You can get creative here. I've used different types every time I've made this. This time I used a can of Rotel with lime juice and cilantro since I didn't have any fresh cilantro on hand. Also, I used a can of the petite diced tomatoes from Hunt's.
- 1 to 2 jalepeno peppers (diced). This depends on how much heat you want. I usually use 1, and it is plenty spicy for my taste.
- 1 other type of pepper (diced). I've been using pasilla peppers. They are very mild, almost like a bell pepper, but are yummier in salsa. You can experiment here with spicier peppers, too.
- Juice from 1 lime
-2 cloves of minced garlic
-1/2 Tbs cumin
- 1/2 Tbs minced onion (you can use fresh, too)
-1/2 tsp oregano leaves
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
- about 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put on an apron, maybe even some safety glasses, and dice your jalepenos and pasilla pepper. Wear gloves if you have them. I usually just stick the hand I'm using to hold the pepper in a plastic baggie. Maybe just use a slap chop thingy, if you have one. I may get one just to avoid jalepeno juice in the eye again.
2. Drain your tomatoes, and put the drained juices into your blender. Add all of your seasonings, garlic, lime juice, your diced jalepenos. Pulse a few times in the blender.
3. Add about 2/3 of the diced tomatoes and pasilla pepper to the seasoning mix and pulse several times (maybe 6 to 7).
4. Add the last third of your diced tomatoes (and cilantro!) and pulse only a few times to mix them in, but be careful to not make it too runny. This sort of depends on what kind of consistency you want.
5. Taste test with a tortilla chip (or 10) and add your salt and pepper. I usually just mix this in with a long spoon (make sure it is metal or some other non-porous material, or you will be smelling/tasting salsa on that spoon for the rest of its life).
6. Eat right away, or put it in the fridge to merge the flavors. I always prefer the salsa the next day. Enjoy!


What compliments salsa more than beandip & chips? Nada! Here is a quick and simple bean dip recipe…

Ingredients:
Vegetarian can of refried beans (30oz)
½ Red pepper
½ Jalapeno
½ tablespoon onion powder/or chopped onion
2 tablespoons sour cream
Directions:
Stir together refried beans with onion powder and sour cream. Finely chop the red pepper and jalapeno together, and add to bean mix. Put in a microwave safe bowl and heat 3-5 minutes. 
Get ready for nacho average taco night fiesta, and ENJOY!

Best salsa and beandip wishes,
&


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