martha moments: barbecups

anytime i ask my husband what he wants for dinner, his first reponse is always "barbecups!"  (well, not really...his first response is usually, "i don't care."  but then that quickly changes to "ooh, barbecups!")  the man loves his barbecue sauce. i swear, i think if i poured it over vanilla ice cream, he'd think it was the best sundae he's ever had.

ewww.

barbecups

you'll need:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup bbq sauce (we like KC masterpiece regular for this)
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. minced onion
1 lg. can flaky biscuits
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and drain. Return to heat with the bbq sauce, sugar and minced onion.  Cook until heated through.

Press a biscuit into each cup of an ungreased muffin tin, pressing the dough up the sides to make a cup.

Fill with meat mixture and top with cheese.  Bake 10-15 minutes at 400 or until golden brown.

*For parties/entertaining, you can use mini muffin tins. Just cut the biscuit into quarters and press one quarter into each mini muffin cup.  Makes cute (and good!) appetizers.

lacy vase

lacy pink nightie.....check.

5 gorgeous full roses.....check.

a sweet Valentine's Day card.....check.

2 cans of spray paint, a leftover can and some tape.....check.

(insert sound of screeching brakes here)

what?

throw it all together and here's what you get:

okay, so here's something i found at a thrift store with no intentions, again i repeat, no intentions of ever wearing.  there are many things i can find second use for from thrift stores and whatnot, but lingerie and underwear just isn't one of them.  

i bought it for $1 with this project in mind.

after washing it (twice), i started cutting the lace off the bottom (wearing rubber gloves just in case, mind you.)

then i took this leftover can from some wonderful pirouettes that i did NOT eat with ice cream and coffee...  :-)

i first spray painted the can turquoise and let that dry.  then i wrapped it with the lace, taping the lace at the seam on the can.

then i spray painted on top of that white and let it dry. 

i removed the lace and voila!  a shabby little vase just perfect for some flowers!

this sweet little gift is going with me tomorrow to my MeMa who is in the nursing home. roses are her favorite flower and when they're dried up, she can use the little vase to put other things in next to her bed.

oh, and here's what the nightie looks like now.  

oh, my poor hubby.  his wife buys sexy lingerie and cuts it up for DIY projects.  and she does those projects in the most unsexy flannel jammy pants and old sweatshirts she owns. 

{sigh.}

thankfully, he loves me just the same. 

so that you can all see just how cute he is....here's me and my valentine.

happy V day!

better after

the old legs project is featured on one of my favorite blogs today! lindsey over at better after has the coolest blog and i love having a daily look-see at what other people have transformed!

and if you've ventured into the dance circle here at dancing through life for the first time, welcome!
the blog isn't by any means new, but up until now, it's been kind of obscure.

so i'd be much obliged if you'd like to follow! (click below the cool frame thingy that pleads "PLEASE FOLLOW ME.")

many thanks to my 9 faithful readers up to this point. ha!

z lovely deer

on a recent trip to z gallerie, one of my most favorite stores, i spied this lovely deer.



i started trying to figure out where i would put it and convinced myself that i needed it. until i looked at the price tag. homegirl was not going to spend $250. there was no way to justify it.

{complete sidetrack}: this got me thinking about the parallels between shopping and friendships. it's no secret that my "real" favorite stores are goodwill and habitat for humanity and yard sales. it's like they're my true friends. my "go to for anything in the world" friends. on the other hand, z gallerie and anthropologie and pottery barn are the popular group. i kind of want to be friends with them, but am not willing to give up my sense of self in order to do so. i still like 'em....just not enough to pay to be their friends. i just watch them closely to see what they're sporting these days and then find my own (cheaper) version and look equally as cool.

{quick disclaimer}: yes, i think i have had way too much coffee this morning.

moving on.

in the end, i did not fork over $250 for the lovely lacquered deer. but i won't lie. i did think about that deer. a lot. i even pondered just buying it with my Christmas money. i went on the website to buy it and it was sold out. i chalked it up to "not meant to be."

then it dawned on me.

i could MAKE my own lovely deer.

so i found this one:

+added some of this+


=
and got this.

call me crazy, but i love it!

...and i didn't as much "doe." (pun SO intended.)

now, be a deer dear and leave a comment as to
what should i name him?

my {beautiful} white legs

what? did you think this was a post about my favorite spray tanners?

quite the contrary!

several people have e-mailed me asking just what those things are on top of the armoire in our bedroom.

well, they're beautiful, old chair legs. i found them on a sunday junkin' trip in georgia. the whole box was just $10.

to make the lovely armoire topper, i simply bought them, spray painted them cream, sanded to rough them up and placed them in a vintage wire letter basket.

before:

after, close up:

don't you just love it when things find you?