Geometric Corkboard

 Ever since the Mr. and I moved we have been trying to spruce up the new place. For us, the thing that makes it feel like home is one word "homemade". I have had such a lovely time putting my own creative touch on everything, and that didn't stop with the office. Here is a sneak peek at PART of my office, the rest will come later when it is all finished.

When I would decorate my room as a child I thought that I needed to pick a theme and stick with it. As I have grown up I have broken out if that tiny box and I love what has come from it. Whenever I am at a thrift store, home goods, or even garage sale-ing, I always find little nik naks that I love, but they never go together and I don't have a place for them yet. I used to just leave them, but now I can't help but grab them. I always eventually find their home. This office space is one big mixture of garage sales and thrift stores and I can't help but love it. It went from being the dingiest part of my home to the brightest. One of my favorite parts is the cork board, I kept looking at our old cork board and decided it needed a face lift. And the best part of this DIY? It is so simple!

Materials:
Cork Board
Paints
Paint Brush
Masking Tape
Scissors

Directions: 1. Cut the tape into strips, varying in sizes from 2-4 inches.

2. Tape off sections of your cork board to make the desired shapes you want and press the tape down firmly, I chose triangles but I half debated diamonds. (This is the most time consuming part, don't scrimp for time here, your hard work will pay off.)

 
3. Paint 2-3 coats of paint inside the shapes and let it dry.

See, I told you, easy as 1-2-3. This little hand made touch is exactly what my office needed to brighten it up. If you look closely you can also see our "Things That Make Us Happy" lists and those lovely Fringe Topped Pencils from last week.

We have a winner to announce today! Congratulations to Susannah for winning our Little Flower Soap Company Spa Gift Set. She will have the opportunity to customize her set. Congrats love! Happy Tuesday to all! xx. Lou!

Baked Lemon Salmon & Lemon Rosemary Couscous with Golden Raisins

We are featuring two yummy dishes today that has one of our favorite flavorings. Lemon! Lemon is a much healthier way to add flavoring to a dish rather than loading a dish with salt. We have Baked Lemon Salmon coupled with Lemon Rosemary Couscous and Golden Raisins. Let's dive right in.

For Lemon Baked Salmon, you will need the following:

4 Salmon fillet cuts
Mrs. Dash lemon seasoning
8 lemon slices or 2 sliced lemons
dill
1 tsp. olive oil
4 sheets of aluminum foil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Pour 1 tsp. of olive oil on the aluminum foil, then place one salmon cut on each aluminum foil sheet.
 

Pour Mrs. Dash lemon seasoning and dill over the top of your salmon. Place two lemon slices on the top. Wrap the salmon up and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Your mouth will water while these are baking. The aroma is amazing.

When I was at Sprouts the other day I passed the grains isle and this pearl couscous caught my eye. I had never cooked with couscous before and thought that it would make a wonderful alternative to the usual brown rice.

Ingredients:
2 cups Israeli pearl couscous
2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 lemon + zest
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup golden raisins
4 cups water

Directions:
1. Add water, couscous and rosemary to a saucepan and cook for 20 minutes.

2. Fluff the couscous with a fork and add the zest from the lemon and the juice from the lemon.

 

3. Add the golden raisins, pecans and mix well.

We hope you enjoy these recipes. We think they would make the perfect backyard barbecue recipes. If you want to place your salmon in aluminum foil on the grill, that would work as well. Have a glorious Monday!

Jeweled Push Pins

Happy Friday! We made it. Hope you have some fun weekend plans. Here is a cute and easy DIY for your weekend pleasure. These cute and easy Jeweled Push Pins add a great garnish and bling to your cork board or wall.

Materials:
clear rhinestones
flat topped push pins
acrylic paint
tape
paper bag or paper towel
glue (I used the left over epoxy glue from my Teacup Jewelry Display).

1. Lay paper bag down so you don't get paint everywhere. Roll tape and place on the back of the rhinestones. Stick to your work surface. This keeps the jewels from moving around.

2. Using thin coats, cover your jewels with acrylic paint. I used about three coats. I chose a sweet mint, bright flamingo pink and bronze for my jewels.

3. Prepare your epoxy glue according to the directions on the tubes. I used the 1 minute setting glue. I would recommend it because the glue sets nice and quickly. Dip the back of the push pin in the glue and place on the back of the painted jewel. Hold there for at least 30 seconds just to give it a chance to set semi firmly. Allow to dry.

4. Decorate your cork board with these beauties. I quickly took out all my little orange push pins and placed these guys up. So cute. I think these would also look cute in a little girls room or to hold party decorations in place.

We hope you have taken a chance to enter into our Little Flower Soap Company Giveaway. If not, hop on over here to enter. We will be choosing a winner on Tuesday. Have a fantastic weekend and we will see you back here on Monday. xox Lynn!

The Glossy Life :: Garlic Hummus

Hello Lovelies! We are honored to have Alyssa from The Glossy Life guest posting for us today. She is making one of my most favorite things in the world! Hummus is a staple in my home. The Husband doesn't really like it, so that means more for me. Take it away Alyssa. 

Hi Lynn + Lou readers...Alyssa from The Glossy Life here! I'm so excited to be doing a fun foodie swap with the ladies today–I think we can all agree that they make so many yummy goodies, so I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of their ever-growing recipe archive.



Today I'm taking one of my favorite supermarket buys, hummus, and making it from scratch–but don't be scared, it's actually much easier than you'd think! The best part is you can customize it with any flavors you'd like–I stuck with basic roasted garlic, but I think cumin or sun-dried tomatoes would be yummy too! You'll need:

• 2 cans of chickpeas, drained (reserve the liquid from one)
• 2 cloves of garlic, roasted (unsure how to roast? Head here!)
• the juice of one and a half lemons
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup tahini
• salt to taste

After roasting the garlic, combine all the ingredients (except the chickpea liquid) into a food processor and puree until blended. It will be a bit thick, so add a little of the chickpea juice until you achieve the desired consistency, then salt lightly. That's it. Seriously, I told you this was easy!



Serve with warmed pita (just place it in the microwave under a paper towel for 15 seconds) or crunch pita chips and veggies! The recipe is the perfect go-to for healthy snacking during the work week. For more yummy bites, plus DIY projects, fashion and beauty, head on over to The Glossy Life. Can't wait to have you visit!

Teriyaki Drumsticks with Strawberry Mango Salsa

Hello Everyone! Today we are pleased to be guest posting on The Glossy Life sharing our recipe for Teriyaki Drumsticks with Strawberry Mango Salsa. They are so delicious, you simply have to hop on over and check it out.

Also, did you all enter into our giveaway from yesterday, courtesy of The Little Flower Soap Company? We are giving away a customizable gift of your choice. Be sure to enter! xx. Lou!