How to Reupholster a Vintage Sofa Part 1

I have been wanting to reupholster this sofa for the longest time.  (vintage sofa) But I've been a little scaredy cat! This was a craigslist find and I just loved it when  I saw it. I had envisioned this for my photography business and use it as a prop. It would look gorgeous in a family pic. like this:  {fall photos: Patricia Martinez Photography McKinney Texas} But then I also wanted to actually use it in my home. I decided I may as well take a chance on it and upholster it myself. What did I have to lose except a really nice sofa, right? So, I googled and youtubed how to do this. It seemed fairly easy but complicated at the same time. The first thing keeping me back was the cost of good fabric. Holy Cow! $25 per yard!! No thanks. So one night as I was perusing ebay, I found fabric for REALLY cheap. I'm talking $53 for 15 yards of chenille!! This was it. I had to get it.  It is the perfect color and the fabric is very durab...

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Master Chef Junior Casting Call and Behind The Scenes

How cool would it be if your child became a Master Chef, while still being a kid? Right? Well I met a bunch of super talented kids at the Dallas MasterChef Jr. open casting call. So what does it take to make it for MasterChef Jr.?  According to the casting director, Liz, MCJ is for kids 8-13 who love to cook! They are no ordinary cooks. They have to know their stuff. Some of the things they will have to demonstrate are: measuring water correctly, mincing and dicing vegetables and cooking an egg. They must know their way around the kitchen and safety with knives and heat is a given. The winner gets a $100,000 cash prize! Wowza! Last year thousands of kids attended casting calls in such cities as New York, L.A., Dallas and Chicago.  These are the kids at the Dallas casting call.    This is the sign in table. The parents get a packet to fill out and the kids get a name tag with a number.    They all wait in this "holding room" until thei...

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MasterChef Junior Casting Call in Dallas Texas

We're going to be cooking on Saturday! I am super excited to share that I have been invited  to cover the MasterChef Junior casting call that will be held in Dallas. I can't wait to meet all the budding chefs. My hubby and my daughter are both fantastic cooks and I wish this show would have been on when she was a little girl. She would've totally rocked it! If you haven't seen this show, you must make it a point to watch with your family. It will encourage your kids to cook their own meals. Win-win. The winner last season! I'll be  back Saturday night to post some behind the scenes  sneaks!! Have a great weekend and don't forget to  enter my $25 Kohl's giveaway going on now. xoxo Patty <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5049699/?claim=83v9k76xynb">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

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{Inspire} Printable Quotes and Kohl's Giveaway

Two things: 1st are some free and fun printables 2nd I'm announcing my Kohl's Giveaway So I'm feeling a bit creative tonight and with no photo shoots to edit, I thought I'd make up some  fun printables for you. The neat thing about these, is that you can download them from me for free (for a limited time) then have them printed on a large print and have them framed.  Or you can make a canvas out of them! You simply download them as jpg files  and upload to your favorite photo lab. Or you can get a HUGE engineering print done (in black and white only) done at a place like Staples :) Another idea is to use them as cards. Simply print them on 5X7 cardstock and give along with a gift :) Enjoy!   Please share the link with your friends but encourage them to come by here and leave me a comment and follow along. I'll be making some more of these soon :) Here is the dropbox link  Download them here   ********...

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Valentine's Day Ideas and Free Printables

I've mentioned this before- I love Valentine's Day! I know some people loathe it :( but for my hubby and me it was a magical night! We started dating seriously, dating, on that night maaaany years ago ;)  Here are some ideas from years past as well as some cool free printables from some of my favorite blogs! Valentine's Mantle     Red Doily Valentine Shirt Gummy Treat Bags And my favorite free printables: Ipod Printables from Delightful Order Candy Bar Wrappers from The Celebration Shoppe I hope these ideas spark some creativity and you'll share with us your neat creations. Hasta Pronto! xoxo Patty

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Valentine's Day Sugar Srub

Well what have we here? We are on the cusp of Valentine's Day people. I can't believe it.  I know I say this about every month, but it just seems the older I get the faster time  flies.  Gosh, it was just Thanksgiving! Anywho, I have been on a roller coaster with my health. Thankfully I am now going vegan again AND am really  getting into these essential oils. I buy mine from Amazon.com I'll put links up to the ones I used below in case you don't have a local health food store. I love, love the smell of peppermint. It is said to bring about clarity to the mind. And Lord knows I need some clarity. So, here I present to you my very, easy, sugar scrub. Tie a pretty tag around it with some ribbon and presto! Valentine's Day gift. You will need: A bottle of Grapeseed oil  A bottle of sweet almond oil (it's a more expensive so I use less) sugar essential oil such as peppermint or lavender wide mouth jars First pour 2 1...

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EZ and Delicious Chicken in Cilantro

I have a super easy and delicious chicken, crock pot recipe for you today.  It is my mother's "pollo encilantrado" recipe. It translates to cilantro chicken.  Perfect for those cold winter days. Here's what you will need: crock pot 4 chicken thighs 2 small cans of Herdez brand salsa verde one cube of Knorr chicken bouillon fresh cilantro Start by putting your chicken thighs to cook in the crock pot on slow for about 4 hours  or until fully cooked. Once they are done, pour in both cans of the salsa verde, cube of buillon and fresh cilantro to taste ( I add a handfull of cilantro) Continue slow cooking for about 45 minutes.  Stir to make sure all chicken is coated. That's it! I then debone the chicken but at this time the chicken is already falling off the bone.  I love thighs because dark meat is usually not as dry as white meat but you can use any cut. I love to make tacos out of this.  Just warm up some corn tortillas...

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