Southern Living Glass-Etching Project Follow-up

I know, you're shocked. It didn't take me two months to follow up with a Southern Living Project of the Month. I'm a little shocked myself, but I had a deadline for this one. As I mentioned in the original post, my plan was to make etched glasses for friends that just bought a new house. And that's just what I did. Of course, I bought the most intricate stencil possible and the most oddly shaped glasses, so it was a little more challenging than it should have been. But I had a certain look in mind and once I get something going in my head, there is no turning back!

These are the tea glasses that I made for our friends, the Henrys! My etchings had a few little mistakes, but I am just going to say that it adds to the handmade charm :) I didn't take pictures of the process, because it was literally exactly like how Southern Living mapped it out. You can see their steps HERE. I will say, don't go cheap on your etching cream. I did this at first and had to go back and buy the kind that they recommended after my bargain brand didn't work!

You could really do this with any glass/letter/number, etc... It was totally do-able and fun!

Here are the Henrys in their cute new house with their new glasses! They have worked so hard painting and getting their house ready this week. And they are the first ever humans to make it on the blog! So congrats!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

I'm sure you are wondering what Cinco De Mayo has to do with staging, decorating, or DIY. Well, you are right to wonder, because in most cases, the answer is absolutely nothing. But in our house this was not the case. If you remember my Southern Living project of the month from a few months ago (you can read about it here), you will also remember that I have a lot of fresh herbs growing in my back yard, one of these being cilantro. And what better dish to use fresh cilantro in, than homemade quacamole? And what better day to make quacamole than Cinco De Mayo? I know, its like the whole 6 degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon thing. But now you know why this post makes sense!

I decided to take pictures of the guacamole making process so that you can do this in your own home! It is SO EASY. I made this recipe up myself, but it is pretty basic, and anything can be added or taken away.

These are the ingredients that I used. Cilantro from my yard, red onion, avocado, roma tomatoes (they have fewer seeds than regular tomatoes), lime, and salt to taste. Don't you just love my Mississippi cutting board? It was a great Christmas present from my mom a couple of years ago. We love having pieces of our home state around the house.

This is everything cut up. I show this mostly because the colors are so pretty, but also so that you can see the size of the pieces once cut. You can just scoop the avocado out with a spoon and then smash it in the bowl.
I like mine pretty chunky but if you want yours really smooth you might want to thrown the avocado in the food processor before adding the other ingredients. At the end squeeze fresh lime over the dip. This brings out all of the flavors and keeps the dip green for longer! If you are having trouble getting the juice out of the lime, put it in the microwave for a few seconds (my husband did this and I thought he was crazy but it really works!)

And what Cinco De Mayo would be complete without a quesadilla or two and some yummy margaritas! (These might actually be daquiris since I used strawberry vodka instead of rum or tequila. This is still up for debate but regardless, they were really yummy. Notice someone couldn't wait to start drinking his before I could take the picture.)

 

Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone!!!

Southern Living Project-of-the-month: Glass stencils!

You might have noticed that last month I did not post a Southern Living project. I tried really hard to find something in April's issue worth trying, but I was a little disappointed that I couldn't. So I figured I would just wait until May. And May's issue certainly didn't disapoint! It was like they knew that I was looking for a great DIY project and so they delivered! This is something that looks pretty easy and also easy on the budget!

How great are these glasses? My plan is to do this for a housewarming gift for some friends but instead of numbers, use their last initial. What do you think?

Southern living even provided step-by-step instructions and pictures for anyone wanting to try this!

I also want to try this on a mirror. I think it looks really custom and is a great alternative to a frame.

I love this mirror and I think I will use the stencil I already have from THIS lamp makeover project.

Stay tuned for a follow up for this project and March's project(I know, a little late!)