Look out - she's gonna spray paint something again.

'Member that old-school lamp I acquired? I had such high hopes for an easy DIY miracle transformation. I was proud of myself before I even got started.

Turns out, I was overly eager. I decided that I'd spray paint it copper, but there were those pesky lines etched into the ceramic that I initially failed to notice, to my chagrin. So I tried to plug them up with wood filler and painted over the base once more. It was looking worse and worse. To further the worsenss, I wasted money on that horrible cloth spray paint for the oddly-shaped retro shade, which made the it look like it had been in a mining mishap (no photo attached--too fug.)

I found this new lamp shade (more reasonably shaped and clothed) for $10 at HomeGoods. I like it a lot better than the original. And on the same day I bought this shade, I was struck with inspiration. I thought I might repaint the base a lovely stormy turquoise color to add a little pop to the piece (and my living room). "Lowes" and behold, I found just was I was looking for across the street.

"Exotic Sea" in gloss. The last ingredient I need to make this project a reality is the motivation to go outside and actually do it. My last few spray painting endeavors left me quite disappointed, so I'm a little wary about putting in the effort again. I think I need to wait for some warmer and drier weather. Spray painting outside in a peacoat and snow boots sucks. I'm also nervous that the color will look tacky, atrocious...pick your adjective. Got any motivating words for me, Spray Paint Soulmate?

The things I want to do to my room.

Fabric for my square, king-sized headboard.

Paint (and hardware, too!) for our night table turned TV stand:

Rug under the bed:

Bedskirt. Sigh.



And last, but not least! Do you LOVE this duvet cover?!

Unfortunately, the duvet cover only comes in twin and full/queen. The bedskirt too. But I'll be on the lookout for similar versions in the right size.

Soup

Well, hello! Check out my soup:

Olive oil, 1 tbsp
Large onion, 1, chopped
Red bell pepper,1, chopped
Fresh rosemary, 1 tbsp minced
Red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp
Butternut squash, 2 lb, peeled, seeded, cubed (I buy it pre-cut. You can kill yourself trying to cut up a butternut squash)
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Low-sodium organic chicken broth, 4 cups plus more as needed
Cannellini beans, 1 can, rinsed and drained
Swiss chard, 1 bunch, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped

I added sausage and egg noodles to this mix to make it a bit heartier.

In a large saucepan, saute the olive oil, fresh rosemary, red pepper flakes, onion, and bell pepper. Cook for about 12 minutes, until the onion gets tender. Then add the butternut squash, salt and pepper. Heat for about 2 minutes, until the outside of the squash starts getting soft. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then lower heat and let it simmer for about 25 minutes.

Add the chopped Swiss chard and wait until it wilts a bit, about 3 minutes. Here you can add things like noodles or cooked and seasoned meat. Isssogood!

I've been cooking like a maniac. I freakin' love it. I'm like my own personal chef :) It's been extra fun because of these:

The cutting boards were a Christmas present, but we bought the knife ourselves a little while ago. Having the right tools makes cooking feel like art.

I'd post more, but blogspot makes it very tricky (and frustrating) to post pictures. I can't copy and paste in here, and when I insert a picture from my files, it loads it at the very TOP of the blog and spaces my lines out strangely. Too much stress for a Friday night--so you know what I'm about to go do. I'd insert a picture of wine here, but I might snap off my laptop screen in a rage before I get the chance.

Cheers, my beautiful!