Savvy Chic Home

Fourth of July Cake Recipe

2011-06-19T23:27:00.000-04:00

Ok this is the best cake I HAVE EVER TASTED! EVER! It is the thing I look forward to most on the fourth of July. My family has done this for years and it is even requested as birthday cake.

A yummy cake with fruit, cool whip, jello and pudding on the inside. Oh drool. It doesn't last long, so sometimes we make 2.

INGREDIENTS:
1 package white cake mix
1 (4-serving size) package Strawberry Jello
1/2 cup boiling water
1 (4-serving size) package Instant Vanilla Pudding & Pie Filling
1-1/2 cups milk
3 cups whipped topping, divided
1 cup blueberries, divided
1-1/2 cups sliced strawberries
2 bananas, sliced
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:
1.) Prepare cake mix according to package directions in 13×9x2 pan. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.
2.) Poke holes in cake at 1-inch intervals.
3.) Dissolve Jello in boiling water, and slowly drizzle over cake, allowing Jello to seep into the cake holes. Refrigerate 1 hour.
4.) Prepare pudding according to package directions using milk. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping and optional 1/2 cup blueberries. (I don't put the blueberries in they are not my favorite.)
5.) Split cake horizontally in half. Use long knife and cutting board to flip the top part off. Spread pudding mixture on top of the first cake half, then replace 2nd cake half on top of the mixture.
6.) Spread remaining whipped topping over top and sides of cake.
7.) Arrange remaining blueberries, strawberries and bananas on the cake to resemble a flag. Place marshmallows around the edge.

Here is a link to more of my fourth of July crafts and things.

Hollywood Bathroom Lighting- GONE!

2011-04-03T23:19:00.000-04:00

So this is the typical builders lighting. EEK! Hollywood Bathroom lighting to be exact, don't ask me why. It does not say Hollywood to me. I think it's the cheapest lighting possible so the builder's just go with it.

Here is the BEFORE of my girls bathroom. You can't see it but it had a big bar of 8 "hollywood lights" at the top.

Replacing lighting can be pretty expensive. I've been looking for a deal and found one at csn stores.com for this maxium light fixture in country stone with 7 lights for only $39 shipped! Whew hew I'll take it. And although the brown was not bad, I have a lot of black accents in that room.

So out came the ORB- oil rubbed bronze spray paint. No I didn't prime it, but I figure it is not going to be touched much and it had a mat finish to start with. I taped off my no spray areas, propped her up on some boxes and a tarp and went to town.

And here she is now. Ahh so soo sooo much better.

I found the long shelf at Goodwill (an $8 score) and painted it black.

These are those $3 Walmart black frames with scrapbook paper and Gerber daisies in them with some black grosgrain ribbon to hang them.

Isn't this "Hands" soap so cute? It was a Christmas present from a friend. It is printed on some clear plastic then rolled and put into the soap.

A close up of the ORB finish. It's mainly black with a hint of shiny brown.

Man it makes such a big difference, and it makes me feel even better that things like this increase the value of your home so it is totally worth it!

Now I just need to frame out the mirror kinda like I did in this post!

(No I did not get paid in any way to do this post, just thought I would pass along a good find and idea)

Baby Girl in Blue

2011-03-26T22:38:00.000-04:00

If you don't know I have 3 happy little girls.

And oh how they love pink. We have lots of pink in this house, which I do love.

But blue is nice too, so classic and crisp. I just love it on little girls, but it is kinda hard to find. So I made this little blue toile skirt for my littlest one.

A very simple elastic waist and some ribbon for a bow belt.

But seriously what wouldn't be cute on this darling?

With big ol bow to top it off.

Yes a blue outfit on a bald headed baby, but I don't think any grannies will be mistaking her for a boy......

but you never know ;).

A $9 Chair Redo

2011-03-18T14:07:00.003-04:00

I found this great chair at Goodwill a few weeks ago and snatched it up for$9. I was itching for a nice day and a sleepy baby. The planets aligned and I got to bring life back to this now beautiful chair.

Ten points to the person who can find the banana sticker. :)

Here are some beautiful details.

I spray primed, and spay painted this piece. I then glazed to bring out those yummy details. To finish it off I recovered the seat with a canvas material.

http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

Lucky Us

2011-03-16T22:56:00.001-04:00

My family and I are so lucky to have such a wonderful grandmother/ mother in law. Every year she gives us a cute St. Patrick's Day package. She got my girls matching outfits and made them the cutest hair clips.

If you look close they are bunch of little shamrocks pinched and glued together.

Ummm, love it!

But that's not all...
She also made this "Lucky Us" banner kit for the girls to glue and string together. So darling.

We are definitely very lucky.

Bathroom Stripes

2011-03-09T22:58:00.003-05:00

I have seen these stripes all over for a while now and I just had to have some of my own. ;) Yay.

You can check out Nannygoats stripes here.

They took a lot of taping and even more patience, which I am not very good at. But in the end I LOVE IT, and it was totally worth it. It brings the eye up to the 9 feet ceilings and the loverly arch in here.

Don't you just love my gumball machine? A $15 goodwill find. As you can see my kiddo's love it too. Man I have to refill that thing far too often.

A Month of Posts= A Happy Girl

2011-02-23T23:25:00.001-05:00

Ok so I have so many posts I have wanted to do this past month but with the new baby it leaves me little time with both hands free to type. :) So here's a few.
1st one- this little blog here is a year old now. Yay

Happy 1st Birthday Savvy Chic Home!

First of all I just want to say thank you to all of you bloggers out there. I get great ideas from you and I love reading your blogs. You inspire me every day. I hope I am helping and inspiring some of you out there too.

Second "post"- Yes I did decorate for Valentines Day. Oh how I love to decorate for this holday- so girly. And with 4 girls in this house it is even better!

I used the little pillow I made last year on my mantle.

Found 3 of these berry wreaths at Goodwill. What a score!

I made these "conversation heart" Valentine's Blocks. Be Mine, True Love, and Kiss Me.

Third "post"- I got some beautiful new lamps for Valentine's/ having a baby. Gotta love me some TJ Maxx. I love the silver finish, the beautiful shape and the drum shades. And oh so better than the scrawny ones we had before. It cleans up the room nicely.

Does anyone else buy presents for themselves? Haha I guess I am kinda weird like that. My husband HATES shopping and I love it. I always find the best price for it so I just buy it for myself. :) He is usually assigned a Mr. fix it job as well (or sometimes all together), like helping hang curtains, making our washer/dryer stand, you get the point. So it is a win win. Now for some art above the bed and throw pillows. Ah the list never ends does it? See my DIY Easy Roman Shade tutorial here.

And lastly I have found some great second hand deals lately. Yes I even dumpster dove once. hahaha
But the one I have to share is that I got a Cricut! I got a screamin deal from a friend, and now I need me some cartridges! Yeah I am excited to make cute cards, some vinyl, and lots of home crafts. Link up your Cricut craft! I would love to see your ideas and also hear what your favorite cartridges are and any other Cricut advice.

So all in all this has been a great month. I have a cutie new baby who is smiling away now, some great blogging inspiration, a cute Valentines house, some gorgeous new lamps and a fun new mommy toy. Does life get any better? Well maybe- but this is great for me.

Oh the Love!-Nursery Reveal

2011-01-11T16:17:00.002-05:00

I am proud to announce miss Aspen, our newest addition. Which makes 3 little princesses in our home. So, sorry that I've been AWOL for about a month now. I have been pretty busy with Christmas, being 9 months prego, having 8 house guests for over a week and then having and taking care of a precious new little girl. Phew makes me tired just typing it. But now we are back into our regular schedule and everyone is doing well.

I happy to say that she and I are very much enjoying her nursery. Decorating nurseries is my favorite! Such fun. And I just love how everything fell together so perfectly in this room, and for way cheap too. Here's a recap.

I used the turquoise dresser I refinished forever ago as her changing table and dresser. (a $10 Craiglist steal)

Above her dresser I dry brushed an old window and hung on a fabric bulletin board. Window was free on Craigslist and fabric bulletin board I found it at TJ Maxx for $10. Can't wait to add pictures and cute quotes. The butterfly is a $1 Walmart ornament.

I also found this cute butterfly wall vinyl at Kohl's.

Which matches the scrapbook paper wall art above her crib perfectly.

The bedding is Pottery Barn's Chloe- now discontinued. I found on ebay for $32 including shipping!!

I embellished the blanket with ribbon and rosettes. I also added these rosettes to the pillow sham.

Easily added the pink and turquoise ribbon with permanent fabric glue.

I finished up the curtains which are just clearance sheets folded and ironed with ribbon sewn to the top. Sew easy. ;)

And you can't forget the beautiful $9 end table I refinished.

I am not the proudest of the ~~big ugly~~ recliner. But hey it is super comfy for middle of the night feedings, it rocks, reclines, is neutral and was only $28. haha

This room is perfect for me and baby. What do you think?

My Christmas Kitchen

2010-12-13T11:50:00.004-05:00

Yep I still need to add pictures to the snowflake frames. I plan on using one of our Christmas cards that has a few smaller pictures.

It's kinda a snow theme...

Handmade crochet snowflakes made by my grandmother years ago. Love them!

Can't forget the kids...

Yep Tacky window stickers, but if it keeps the kids entertained while I'm throwing dinner together then so be it. But the fresh blanket of snow is pretty.

My little Snowmen family on top of my fridge. See tutorial here. So cute and easy!

A little more unique Christmas front porch with an antique sled and iceskates.

$5 goodwill sled, functional and pretty. I had to fight my mom for her old skates, but worth it ;)

O Tannenbaum

2010-12-09T21:08:00.005-05:00

Here is our beautiful Christmas tree this year. The theme is silver and red. Last year it was just silver but I felt like it needed red to tie into the red of our Christmas decor better.

Anyone else have a leaning angel? Hubby doesn't care and I'm too prego to try to fix it. ;)

I love that during the day the poinsettas and the silver really stand out from darker green of the tree.

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care.

I love our garland along the stairwell. (And here's a sneak peek of the Christmas kitchen decor.)

And here's the best for last. Now who doesn't love a glowing tree at night? Feels like Christmas Eve.

Deck the Halls- Dining Room

2010-12-06T22:21:00.003-05:00

Ohh how I love decorating for Christmas. Here's what I did this Christmas in our dining room. Ohh how I love it.

It is just so easy with Red and Greenery and Sparkle all over!

MMM take in the Bling Bling.

I got my red ornaments last year at Target's after clearance sale for 90% off!!

That's like basically free. I stocked up but now I wish I would have gotten more. :)

My Joy and Believe were after Christmas buys at TJ Maxx.

This Believe banner could so easily be recreated by all you crafters out there.

Now who wants to join me for Christmas dinner?

Stay tuned for my Family Room, Kitchen, and Porch Christmas decor.

Coming Soon!

See my dining room/ dresser transformation here. (My top post of all time.)

Linking up to:
http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/
http://thriftydecorchick.com/

2x4 Snowman Family

2010-12-02T10:18:00.005-05:00

How cute is this wood block snowmen family? I made them yesterday on a whim, and the best part is that I already had everything on hand. I got my idea from Crafty chic mommy, then gave it my own special touch.

How great would these be for gifts?

Supplies needed:

2x4s or 2x6s
paint stick or thin wood
sandpaper
white and orange paint, brown ink or paint
buttons
glue- I used my handy dandy hot glue gun
ribbon for scarf
wood or something for hat

To make these is pretty self explanatory. Cut wood, sand, paint white. I then inked the edges brown for a more rustic look. Glue body together.

Then glue on your cutie accessories. The nose is a cut up paint stick.

For the hats I used baseball bat end discards that I got from the Louisville Slugger Museum for FREE. But not everyone lives in good ol' Louisville. So you could use the end part of your paint-stick (where it is curved), smaller pieces of wood, or fabric to make your hat or go with out.

Get creative and have fun!

linking up to Funky Junk's SNS

Easy Washer and Dryer Stand Tutorial

2010-11-19T00:15:00.000-05:00

Alrightly folks here is a tutorial on how to build your own washer and dryer stand for way less than those store bought ones. Plus I think this is even better because of the storage underneath and on the side.

Here is what you are building:

Supplies needed-
Wood- Have store cut plywood for you :)

1 top- plywood- 30 x 60 inches
2 sides- plywood- 18 x 30 inches
1 back- plywood- 18 x 60 inches
10 2x4's cut to 18 inches
about 140 inches of trim (we did not trim the side against the wall, adjust yours accordingly)

Other Supplies:

box of screws- 2 1/2 inches
primer
paint -brushes
2 L brackets
wood glue (optional)
small nails with no head for trim
spackle
miter saw to cut 2x4's and trim
drill with lots of battery power :)

Ok Have all your 2x 4's and plywood cut to size? Then time to screw your 2x4's into your plywood back. 3 pieces evenly spaced flat along the back- leaving about 3/4 inch, or thickness of plywood, on both ends. (look closely at picture) We did 2 screws on bottom, 2 on top and you can use wood glue if you want.- *Unlike the picture go ahead and screw another 2x4 into the center back 2x4 making it double wide*. :)
Make 2 Sides- only put 2 2x4's flat along the sides leaving one end with out a 2 x4.
Connect sides to back. The "open" side of side piece then goes at a 90* angle to back piece in the 3/4 inch space you left. See picture.

4. Screw top into place- into the 2x4's. Ohh it's beginning to come together.

Should look like this... except your center back piece should be double wide. :)

5. Using the last 2 pieces, screw and glue them together, then screw them into top, then using your 2 L brackets secure them on the back side to the top.

6. Time to start the trim. Measure twice cut once. Use your nails to hold in place, optional wood glue.

7. Should look like this. Time to plaster/ putty those gaps with your spackle. Can spackle any plywood pieces that might be a little course as well. But honestly most of it will be covered by the washer and dryer. Let dry.
8. Sand and smooth
9. Prime and prime again, and Paint!

Wah lah you have yourself a beautiful fully functional washer and dryer stand!!!

Here's my before: Love all that crap on the top, and the big basket of shoes peeking in the corner?

And After: Ahh Bliss. Clean, organized and funcional. Yay!

Whatcha think?

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