PAR-TAY

A few weeks ago Ben got a new job at the same company, so we decided to throw a PAR-TAY for his old department.  That meant having somewhere between a minimum of 20 peeps to a maximum of about 40 peeps at our house.  I have no problem with that.  In fact, it downright makes me happy!  I love to entertain.  The only problem with this was that some of the people are vegetarians.  Not that it is a real problem, just a bit difficult for me since I am a "Meat and Taters" kind of girl.  

Thank you PINTEREST for helping me solve that problem.  I found a neato recipe for kabobs.  I just altered it a little since it called for meat.  Below is the recipe:

ANTIPASTO KABOBS1  9 oz package of Three Cheese Tortellini , (I used Buitoni )cooked to package directions

1 can Medium or Large pitted Black Olives
1 5.75 oz jar Green Olives
2 12 oz containers of marinated mozzarella balls(usually found near the speciality cheeses)
30 slices of Salami, cut in half
60 pieces of pepperoni
1 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (store bought or homemade), I simply used Kroger Brand.
60 Skewers   How ever many you want to make. I had to cut mine in half

Place the cooked tortellini in a bowl or large gallon freeze bag. Pour the salad dressing over the top and marinade in the fridge for a few hours.
Drain the pasta.
Place one of each item onto the skewer using the pointy side.
Can be made a few hours in advance. Just cover tightly and place in the refrigerator.

RECIPE FROM: http://www.thehungryhousewife.com/2011/02/antipasto-kabobs.html

In order to make my kabobs vegetarian, I took out all the meet and added cherry tomatoes.  

Here are some other photos from the food table:

Everything was super yummy!  I even made labels for most everything, which I was proud of.  The sliders, buffalo sliders, and chicken fingers were ordered from Harry's in Lexington.  I highly recommend ordering from their catering menu for large parties.  Great price and great food!

Hope y'all have a good weekend!  

Styled Seating

I know I promised the dirty floor update first, but I haven't been able to get any good pics yet.  So I am going to show you something else that I am proud of.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, when we moved in our house 9 years ago we were given lots of hand-me-downs.  Below is a photo of yet another one.  "The Pink Loveseat."

This has been a part of the family for years and years and years.  I needed it to fill up space in my living room.  The pink worked for 9 years, but it was time for a change.  I headed to Big Lots and bought a slip cover.

The bad news was that it was too big.  Apparently my loveseat was not a standard size.  Therefore, I had to  take it upon myself to make it work.  I only paid $30 for the packaged slipcover.  I could not have bought the fabric for that.  And I had I go-by for my loveseat.  I turned the thing inside out, pinned it, and then sewed it to make it fit.

But that wasn't enough.  It still needed something to make it "pop."  I ventured out to ETSY and found these fabulous pillows.  Three for $40 was just what I needed.  Yet again, I could not have bought the fabric for $40.

MISSION COMPLETE!

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Nine years ago when we moved in to our house most of our furniture was hand-me-down.  Anything else was new or new to me.  I picked up this "bench" for a lack of better words at the local peddlers mall.  I think I paid about $30 for it.  This is what the cover looked like when I got it.

The wood was in funky shape and you can see here that I pained it black (just last week).  I bought some outdoor fabric and covered it.  (Needless to say I don't have a picture of that fabric.) It did last until last week too when I got the urge to change it up, so below is what the seat looks like now.

Next up will be the changes to this hideously dirty floor you see in the photos.  Ewww.  Happy Weekend!

And so it begins...

Once I get my mind set on something, I have to do it right then and there.  There is no holding back.  I have a vision and I must go with it.  So basically over the course of last week and the weekend I went C-R-A-Z-Y!  And I am not done yet.  Here is a sneak peek at what occured once I got it my head that it was time to make some changes to the house. 

The first thing I did was to stain my "dining room" table.  This table is a hand-me-down from my mom.   She bought it back in either the late 70's or early 80's.  I remember having it as a kid and when we moved in to our house 9 years ago, she handed it down.  I don't have a before picture, but just know that it was in excellent shape, just an out of date stain color (yellow if you will).  So here she is after paint.  I haven't had a chance to "decorate" the room yet because of all my other projects, but when I do, you will get a peek. 

Smells Scentsy

So really quick!  I'm hosting a Scentsy Catalog party for my near and dear friend, Allison.  She has just started her business and what better way to help get her started than by having a P-A-R-T-Y?  Here is the address to her website where you can find my party:
 

https://allisonrafferty.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Home

Below are some of my faves!  Hope you have some fun and get some "smell good!"