{IsaJay Spring Auction}

Tomorrow, Chic Lady and other vendors will be doing a 

Spring/Mother's Day Auction

  over on the Isa Jay Facebook page!

Check it out HERE.

{Vintage Revivals Blog Giveaway} My entry

Mandi, over at Vintage Revivals (if you haven't seen her blog before, you are in for a treat, she does AMAZING things!) Is Doing a huge giveaway! So I'm posting the room I need help with for a Makeover!!

Drum roll...........................

 The Dining Room! 

Sorry about the coats and the non closed closet. :-)

 20 Year old wall paper, blue with gold dots. Got to Love it!

 An Even older chandelier......

The Table is on a list of wanting to sand and paint black, but haven't gotten around to that one! I also want to redo the Armoir. It's handles are falling off and looks like 1990 and not in a good way.  But I don't know what to do with it. I don't want it black because it would be too matchy matchy with the chairs and table, What to do MANDI I LOVE YOUR GUTS AND NEED YOUR HELP!!!

{Chic Lady Flowers} So Many Colors!

Did you know there are now 20 colors available???? Go check out my facebook page for more info or leave a comment with your email address.  I will post more soon on Etsy once I get some better photos!

 Colors include: 

Camel, Light Yellow, Bright Yellow, Bright Pink, Light Pink, Honeysuckle/Coral, Lavender, Dark purple, Light Blue, Midnight Blue*, Turquoise, Red*, Lime, White, Dark Silver, Light Silver*, Black & White Check, Black & White Animal Print, Brown Animal Print*, Brown

(*=not shown in picture)

 Lavender with a crystal center

Bright Yellow with a Black center

{Chic Lady on Etsy} : New items!

I've been hard at work with my Satin Roses! I have many new colors, and now a new bracelet!  New colors include Honeysuckle, Lime, Buttercream Yellow, Pink, and Light Blue.

The items will be premiering at the Spring Fling Boutique tomorrow! 

Then items will be available on Friday in my Etsy Shop!

Here's a sampling sneak peak of what I've been working on!

 This is the new bracelet! It is three strand stretchy bracelet of little crystal like beads to match the multicolored crystal center. All new colors will be available with this bracelet!

These colors have new necklaces to go with as well, or just the brooch!

{Recipe} : Shrimp Etouffee

Another dish we had for our Mardi Gras Dinner Party, was also Emeril Lagasse's recipe from his book, "Louisiana Real and Rustic" and can also be found on his website here.





Shrimp Etouffee

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter
• 4 cups chopped onions
• 2 cups chopped bell peppers
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups water
• 6 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery and sautÈ until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, salt, and cayenne and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink.
 

Dissolve the flour in the water and add to the shrimp mixture. Stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the parsley and green onions. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes more.

Serve over rice, serve right away.
 

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Dry Erase Menu Board

So I first saw this idea on the Little Birdie Secrets Blog back in September. It was another one of those things where the second I saw it, I knew I had to do it! You can read her post here.

To start, I wanted to do it, but didn't have vinyl cutting machine. Then shortly after, my mom bought a Cricut! Hooray, problem solved! I bought my fabric (which was 2.49 after coupon for a yard). Then I found a nice big solid wood frame at the thrift store (DI) for 75 cents. Can't beat that! Then it sat. I was moving, and it was in the back of my mind. My mom then got the Cricut Design studio, and the perfect Cricut Cartridge! A calendar one so it had the days of the week all ready for me! A couple weeks ago I finally went out and bought vinyl. It wasn't as cheap as I had hoped, but that's what coupons are for!
So after using the Cricut to get my words, I was ready for assembly!

 My supplies: 

-large frame with glass

-Paint, brush, water

-Fabric, fabric scissors

-cut vinyl images, transfer paper

-tape

-Windex, cloth

-Brayer or popsicle stick

-ruler

 I painted my frame, two layers of black was all it took.

 I measured the quick way. Also because I didn't have a need (or future project in mind where I needed the scrap fabric). And cut around the size of the frame giving a few inches to allow to wrap around the backing.

 Wrap the fabric tightly around the back. I did a clean tight triangular fold on the corners. (Sorry it's hard to see). And I use tape, and here's why. I used cardboard as the backing, staples would go through it. And, I want to occasionally change it up, such as for holidays, or seasons.

 After reinserting the glass, I put in the backing, and cleaning the glass and let dry fully before apply vinyl. For the first go, I used the fat popsicle stick/tongue depressor to transfer my image. The instructions that came w/ the transfer paper and vinyl were very simple and easy to understand. (this was my first time using vinyl).

 Abra-cadabra! First step was easy and done.

 For the rest, I then mapped out my plan. I placed my words w/ backing still on and a ruler to get the desired spacing. This was the tricking part, b/c it was all eyeballing really. For the rest of the words, I wanted to try my brayer (which I usually just use for stamping projects). It worked wonderfully and I preferred it much more than the stick!

 My finished product!

Up and ready to use in my kitchen! Hooray! I loved this idea, b/c I've done this before. I use a similar sized dry erase board, and wrote the days of the week and my planned menu. It saves me time and money knowing ahead of time what the plan is.  (I can't plan the whole month like others, only one or two weeks at a time!) But now I have one that is chic and decorative! 
Now to start cooking!

Spring Boutique

Chic Lady Necklaces and Roses will be at this Spring Boutique! Go check it out to preview new Spring and Summer styles!

Spring Branches

Now is a great time to bring in Spring, especially here in Utah, were the weather refuses to cooperate! (We got more snow yesterday and today it's still snowing!)

I clipped a few forsythia branches from my mother in law's yard. These pictures was taken a week ago, today, they're still in full bloom and pretty green leaves are sprouting! Don't have a bush or tree to clip from? Costco even has floral branches for purchase as would your local florist! What a fresh way to bring in spring!

Easter Basket

I saw this Easter Basket on the Blog, A Soft Place to Land, and I knew I had to do it! I loved it! So here is my mossy Easter Basket!

 I started with my spring colored paints, and various papier mache eggs.

 The eggs needed two coats. After I was finished, I used the old trick of watered down brown paint, and 'flicking' the toothbrush.

 I started on the sides first. Long enough to go to the end, but not on the bottom.

 Then, I did the handles. Followed by the rim.

My Finished product!

I used nearly the whole package of cloth moss (4$ after the coupon at Hobby Lobby), and a 75 cent basket from DI, and the eggs from Roberts (6 large for 3.99-used a coupon of course, and 1.00$ for the 12 little eggs from Hobby Lobby).

*This was a SUPER MESSY project. The moss gets every where when you're cutting it. It stuck to my shirt, I had to vacuum my clothes!

Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya

 Here is our favorite recipe for Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya from the Mardi Gras Dinner Party post.

What is Jambalaya you ask?
         From Wikipedia:

There are many myths about the origin of the name "jambalaya." One commonly repeated folklore is that the word derives from the combination of the French "jambon" meaning ham, the French article "à la" a contraction of "à la manière de" meaning "in the style of", and "ya", thought to be of West African origin meaning rice.

This recipe is from Emeril Lagasse's book "Louisiana Real and Rustic." This and variations can be found on his website.

Andouille and Chicken Jambayala

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped bell peppers
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne
• 1 pound andouille, chorizo, or other smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless white and dark chicken meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cups medium-grain white rice
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup chopped green onions

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the cayenne. Stirring often, brown the vegetables for about 20 minutes, or until they are caramelized and dark brown in color. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any browned particles. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often for 10 to 15 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any browned particles.

Season the chicken with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Add the chicken and the bay leaves to the pot. Brown the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned particles.

Add the rice and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to coat evenly. Add the water, stir to combine, and cover. Cook over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes, without stirring, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Stir in the green onions and serve.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

 *Our Variation/Notes
Sometimes we we will add 8 cups water and 4 cups rice, and more chicken for larger groups. We also usually do about 2 cups green bell peppers, and we usually do about 5 bay leaves (unless you have them fresh 3 is good).
Also, in Utah and other non-southern states, it is more difficult to find Andouille sausage. You can use regular smoked sausage as well. Harmon's grocery store makes there own Andouille (about 3.99/lb).