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Country Chic Hand Painted Watering Can

March 1, 2016 by Ashley Hackshaw

The last few days have felt like spring here in the mountains! This month’s Michaels challenge was to make a simple projects that could completely transform a home’s décor for the fresh, new season. How about a hand painted watering can to spruce things up?

I’m getting so excited for this years garden and entertaining outside in the fresh air that I decided to start on some projects for the Old Depot that I’m making into a potting shed and She-shed. I painted these country chic watering cans:

Michaels carries these lovely galvanized watering cans and they also have large galvanized bins to match:

I took some basic acrylic paint and added some floral accents:

Flowers are just a bunch of octagon-shaped hash marks when you think about it:

Painting is as easy as dash-dash-dash:

Add in a second color with the same technique for depth:

If you aren’t happy with it wait for the paint to dry and add another layer. Add some vines and leaves too:

It’s closer to an abstract painting with all the dots and random brush strokes:

The goal is a shabby chic country look, which means you can’t mess this project up! Once the paint is dry use sand paper or steel wool to sand it down in places so it looks worn and aged:

And that’s it. The shabby chic floral look give the watering cans a vintage seed can vibe:

I’ll use these for watering but also for table decor with some flowers in them when needed:

Match the paint colors to your own decor:

Fill them with seeds and other gardening supplies as a housewarming gift:

Michaels new Floral Market has over 500 new blooms and freshly picked projects make this the prettiest spring ever. Just by swapping out a few décor pieces or adding a lovely floral arrangement can completely transform your home for the fresh, new season.

Also you could win a trip to the Makers Summit this year! Make sure to visit Michaels.com/madewithmichaels and upload a photo of your personalized project.

You can see what the Makers Summit was like last year below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBl7FidG6q4

If you don’t know where to begin, you can always take a look at some of the fun projects on Michaels.com or the other 49 Makers’ ideas on The Glue String for to see how they personalized their crafts!

An InLinkz Link-up

Sriracha Carrot Hummus Recipe

February 25, 2016 by Ashley Hackshaw

I found the most amazing hummus in the grocery store a few months back: Sriracha Carrot Hummus. It was consumed by the family in about five minutes. And then as quickly as I had found it the store never carried it again, so I had to invent my own recipe. It tastes just like it, maybe better. You can adjust the Sriracha amount to your taste!

Sriracha Carrot Hummus Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup carrots
1 can of garbanzo beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (I use the kind from the jar)
2 tablespoons Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (or dried parsley works too)

Directions:

First, I chopped and boiled the carrots in water for about 8 minutes until they were tender. Then I opened and drained the garbanzo beans:

Using a hand mixer I pureed the beans and carrots to a smooth consistency:

In our house, we prefer the hand blender/mixer over a blender or food processor…especially when making smoothies! It’s so easy to clean up by just running it under water and drying off. We’ve had the same Cuisinart blender shown below for years. (I got it here.)

Once the carrots and garbanzo beans were pureed I added all the additional ingredients (except for the parsley) and used the hand blender to mix them in well. Stir the parsley in by spoon and sprinkle on top:

The color is so much more appetizing than regular old hummus:

Such an easy recipe for a snack or party, or for dinner. Serve with pita chips or crackers, just vehicles for hummus delivery as I call them:

I love Sriracha, especially on fried rice. I can’t remember how I found this little carry-case for Sriracha-on-the-go. So funny. I should get one for my key ring:

And did you know there is a Sriracha documentary?!

P.S. This is the farthest thing from a food blog. I have a small amount of things that I actually like to cook. You can find them all here or at the link below:

I Could Have Had It All

February 23, 2016 by Ashley Hackshaw

As I’m trying to type this my dog Max keeps nudging his nose under my arm to try and fit himself in the little nook my arms create against the laptop keyboard. He’s relentless. A small wave of anxiety goes through me that I haven’t been productive this morning.

What’s productive?

I have tried so hard my entire life to do the right thing. School, MBA, Career. And each time I got to a certain point, that tipping point where maybe we would never have had to ever worry about making a living, I walked away.

I could have had it all.

But “all” comes with too much baggage.

I’m not cut out for it all.

I like living a small, quiet life.

Boo’s school is getting bees soon, so that they can learn about beekeeping. I want to learn about bees too.

I want to grow old with books, chickens, and farmers markets.

I want commercials and billboards selling that to me instead of everything else.

It would make it a whole lot easier.

Instead I have to cut my own way out.

Which I think is probably the point of living.

(And sometimes I can’t even write in complete sentences.)