Empty wall solutions

In exactly 48 hours, we'll be road tripping to Orlando to visit the happiest place on earth.

I'm referring, of course, to Ikea. We've been there once before, just over a year ago, when we were first settling into this house and had no furniture whatsoever. I tried to plan the layout of every room and purchase accordingly... but needs change over a year. I've definitely kicked myself a few times for not getting certain things while I was there, and now I have a second chance.

Luckily, no major furniture needs to be purchased. However, there are some walls I need to address, and there's no better place in this world to get frames than Ikea.

Subject #1: The wall behind our bed:

I hope to have time next week to make the upholstered headboard it so desperately needs. Then I'll hang three of these Virserum frames and fill it with some sort of artwork.

And it will look something like this:

Next up is another wall in our master bedroom:



It's not horrible looking, but it just needs a little more action.

So I'm picking up four of these frames, and arranging them like this:

I haven't made my mind up yet on cities and colors, but they will look something like that.

Finally, our living room.

This wall has bothered me since day one. It's so huge and overwhelming to tackle... so I haven't even tried.

First of all, ignore the console table and accessories—they were pretty much just thrown there with no place else to go. Some of the accessories will be ditched, some are getting a makeover, and I plan to lighten the table by removing the dark stain and giving it an au-natural bare wood look (or something simlar, I'll have to see how it goes).

I plan to pick up this mirror and this large frame from Ikea to help fill the wall in:

I may actually set the mirror on the floor instead of mounting it....

I may even end up painting or distressing it so there isn't so much white.

After staring at this picture for a while, I decided something wasn't right, and that something was the vase full of sticks. I'm over it. I ran through a million possibilities of what else I could put in that corner... a lamp? A small desk? More artwork? A bench? A folding screen? None of these seemed to be particularly useful or make sense.

And then.... it hit me:

I will build a ladder that will hold magazines/books. YES! Yes. After an entire year, I've figured it out. I've always wanted a ladder somewhere in my house, and this is the perfect place for it. Hopefully I can manage this one on my own... should be easy enough, right? Any ladder-building pointers?

I will be back next week with an update on my headboard construction, and also the launch of my new site! Can't wait.

Anything other must-haves I should grab at Ikea while I'm there?

Jack Rogers & Jackie O. | Spring Wish List

 
It is snowing today in Massachusetts as I write this.  No bother, it is March 1st tomorrow - Spring is basically here! 

My post-baby body is on its way back to normal, but as you mothers out there know... it is not really back.  The scale might say it is, but trust me, it is not.  Not yet - I do have faith that my stomach will be flat sans flab some day and that my bottom will return to where it once was and my chest will no longer push my shirt buttons to the max.  Some day.  Like in another month or two.  Right?  For now, I'm moving on to brighter things - shoes.  Spring/Summer shoes.  I may not be able to have my exact same figure back right away, but that is not going to stop me from feeling great until I do.  Enter, a fresh pair of Jack Rogers.

I have had several pairs of these (Jack Rogers Navajo sandals) over the years.  All in the same color - platinum.  I love them.  I get sooo many compliments on them every time I wear them.  They are special.  They are simple.  They are casual and dressy.  You can wear them with cropped pants, skirts, dresses, shorts or a swimsuit.  The color is perfect - in between silver and gold.  They go with everything. I love them. 


Guess who else loved them?  Jackie O.  She made them famous in the 60's.    

As I was cleaning out my closet, I noticed that my pair from the last two years have really taken a beating.  So, I will down-grade them to my "pool/beach" sandals, and order a new pair for nicer wear.  They are about $100 and totally worth it.  Trust me, you will get your money out of them, tenfold. 

Get them here at jackrogers.com.

Lemon Mousse Meringue Tart | Spring Desserts

 Back in January, you might recall that I made a creamy, fresh lemon mousse.  I couldn't get it out of my mind!   I needed another reason to make it again so I recreated it in the form of a tart complete with graham cracker crust and swiss meringue.

It is tart, sweet, tangy, and... now it is beautiful enough to serve for a special occasion.

If you have never tried piping with an icing bag, this is a great one to start on.  Don't be scared!  It is so simple - the big tip will make any attempt look good.  If you are not into it, you can top it with whipped cream instead!

Lemon Mousse Meringue Tart
with a graham cracker crust

1 recipe of Lemon Mousse
8 graham crackers
4 tablespoons of butter
1 recipe of Swiss Meringue (recipe below)

Prepare the crust by breaking the graham crackers into crumbs by hand or in a food processor.  Melt butter and stir into graham crumbles with a fork.  Pack the mixture into a tart pan packing it all the way up the sides.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Let it cool completely.

Prepare the lemon mousse as the crust cools.  Pour it into the crust.  Chill while you prepare the meringue.  It is best to do this shortly before serving, as meringue does not do great in the refrigerator.

Pipe on the meringue using a large starburst tip & pastry bag.  

Swiss Meringue

4 egg whites
1 cup of sugar
1 pinch of cream of tarter

In the top bowl of a double boiler (glass bowl sitting on a sauce pan with simmering water), whisk together egg whites, sugar and cream of tarter.  Cook mixture in the double boiler over medium low heat for 3-5 minutes, or until sugar has dissolved.  If you rub the mixture between your fingers, you should be able to tell if the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to your kitchen aid fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whisk on high for 7-10 minutes.  The mixture will cool and froth into a thick meringue as it whips.

Baked Rigatoni with Beef Ragu, Ricotta & Fresh Mozzarella

When we're having people over for dinner, I like to have everything done in advance.  I often adapt one of our favorite recipes so it can be made completely ahead of time and served straight from the oven, like baked pasta.  I've written before about how great baked pastas are for entertaining - they are easy and everyone loves pasta.

Here, I've adapted our favorite Beef, Tomato & Wine Ragu (normally served with homemade Pappardelle pasta) to a baked pasta with store-bought Rigatoni topped with Ricotta & Mozzarella cheese.  I especially like how rustic and casual this is - everyone will feel right at home when they see this comforting looking dish on the table.

It is a very low maintenance recipe - the sauce slow cooks in the oven all day, then add the cooked pasta and top withe cheeses.  From there you can put it into the refrigerator to reheat later, or put it straight into the oven and hold it there until you're ready to serve it. 

Baked Rigatoni 
with Beef Ragu, Ricotta & Fresh Mozzarella

Prepared Beef Ragu Recipe (without the Pappardelle)
1 pound of Large Rigatoni
8 ounces of Ricotta Cheese
8 ounces of Fresh Mozzarella
Fresh Thyme or Basil

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until it is Al Dente - or still firm, as the pasta will continue cooking in the sauce.   I usually cook it 2-3 minutes short of the cooking time for the best result.  Strain the pasta and put it directly into the oven-safe crock with the ragu.  Stir in and combine it with the sauce.  With a large spoon, dollop the ricotta on top of the pasta, then follow with slices of mozzarella.  Garnish with fresh thyme or basil.  If serving immediately, put it back into a 250 degree oven, uncovered for 10-20 minutes until the cheese has melted.  If you are serving later, refrigerate it, then put it into a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes to completely reheat.

 

What's For Dinner This Week? Feb. 27th

Monday : Ribollita - Rustic Italian Bread Soup
It is quick to make and will be great for leftovers all week long.

Sweet for the Week : Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Tuesday : Shrimp Scampi with Linguine 

Wednesday : Chipotle Steak Salad

Thursday : Butternut Squash Ravioli with Browned Sage Butter

 

Friday : Pizza Party!  (great for Lent - no meat!)

 
Saturday : Banana Nut Muffins

Stripping Wallpaper

I'm in the process of cleaning out the bedroom before stripping the wallpaper but I thought I'd take a few last shots of it.

Gone will be the wallpaper, the turquoise floor (Benjamin Moore Calypso Blue) and the vintage Cape Cod cottage kind of look that I originally thought the house should have.  So here goes...

When I bought the house just over four years ago, every single room except one had wallpaper dating from the '50s to the '70s.  It seems a little strange to be stripping this wallpaper but after having done it so many times, I've worked out a method that works pretty well.  I know they make a lot of different tools and solutions that are supposed to make it easier but I think most are a waste of money.   The only tool I use is a wallpaper scraper with a changeable blade, a spray bottle, a scouring pad and a washcloth.

 First, I look for seams up by the ceiling and starting at a corner, I peel off the top layer.  All of the paper I've stripped seemed to have a top layer that could be peeled off leaving a paper layer on the wall.  Really old wallpaper might not have this and one of those scoring tools might help the process.

Here's one wall after I've peeled off the top layer.  Once this is done, I use a spray bottle of plain water to wet the paper.

Here I've sprayed alternating layers just so you can clearly see what's wet and what's not.  I've put down a few layers of old towels just to catch overspray and water that runs down the wall.

The paper will absorb the water pretty quickly so keep spraying it so you can see a sheen.  The idea is to reconstitute the glue.  You'll see in places that the paper bubbles up as it expands.  After about four applications of water and letting it sit about 15 minutes, I start testing the edges to see if it's separating.

This piece seems ready so I start peeling it off the wall.

This first piece came off almost in one piece.

If there are any stubborn spots, just spray them again and scrape them off with a wallpaper scraper.

After the paper is removed, there's still glue on the wall so I use a scouring pad and warm, soapy water to get most of the glue off the wall.  Be sure to do this before the glue dries.  Then follow up with a clean cloth to make sure all the glue is off the wall.

Once last piece and this section of the room is done.  Isn't the pink pretty?

This section of four strips took my about half an hour.  The white stripe down the wall is where there was some old water damage that I plastered over and primed before the wallpaper went up.

I still have blinds and curtain rods to take down and a little more cleaning out to do but I hope to get at least half of the room stripped today.

This door on the bathroom is my favorite door in the house.  I just love the proportions of it.  I can't wait to try my "Silent Paint Remover" but I want to wait until I can have all the windows open for ventilation or even take it outside on the porch to strip.

It might look good from a distance...

...but it's really caked with paint like most of the woodwork in the house.

I'll also strip the hardware using the chemical-free stripping method I've found very successful in the past.  I experimented with painting the hinges silver and as you can see it wasn't really successful.

I've changed my mind at least three times about how the room will look.  I'd really like to better integrate modern, vintage and antique elements so we'll see how that works out.  I think it's easier said than successfully done.