Good Ole' Fashioned BBQ

I can't believe that summer is over. Honestly, that brings a little tear to my eye when I think about all the fun things that the hubs and I do on our free weekends during these warm months. But alas, seasons come and seasons go...

So let's end it with a bang and a good ole' fashioned BBQ! We are in Chicago visiting family this week so we are totally going to have to hijack some one's grill, but I have gathered up some of my fave recipes that we will be bringing to the table!

Caprese Skewers via Iowagirleats

Grilled Mexican Corn- via Dishygoodness

Bobby Flay's Green Chile Burger- via Foodnetwork

Homemade Portillo's Chopped Salad- via Stolenmomentscooking

This is a remake of my all time favorite salad- if you are from Chicago you know how amazing it is!!

Grilled Peaches- via PBS

Hope you have some great things planned for this weekend, and I will see in September!!

XOXO Katie

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Clean Slate

We are staying at my parents new house this week, and I am having fun with my mom trying to help her choose what direction she wants to go in with her decor. They are essentially starting with a clean slate in the living room so I put together this inspiration board based on what colors she is looking to incorporate : washed blue/ aqua, red, beige, a darker wood tone, and gold.

Lamp / Coffee Table / Pillows / Chair / Rug / Sofa

Paint Colors:

SW Dover White & SW Rainwashed Blue

The only pieces that are for sure going to be in the room are the sofa (x2), a mahogany secretary, and my grandmother's painting. You saw another one of her paintings a while back when I did my clay flower vase project - isn't she talented?! That lady has skillzzz :)

The new house does not having a formal living room, so my mom wants to go for an "in-between" style; nice enough to have company over for a dinner party, and comfortable enough for everyday lounging and TV watching.

I am sure my mom will change her mind 50 times over, but so far so good!

XOXO Katie

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Button Up

I realized after yesterday's post about my cardi face lift that I took for granted my 15+ years of sewing experience, and didn't show you how to sew on a button! I found this great website with amazing photos of the exact step by step process. So check out Wikihow.com for a great tutorial on how to sew on a standard button (4 holes). I swear it is super simple and a quick way to update your old pieces.



via Wikihow.com

 

I actually used a button with a shank (a small loop on the back of the button instead of four holes) so here is a great tutorial from AngelaOborne.com. She takes you step by step with close up pictures on how to sew on this style of button.

 

via Angelaosborne.com 

 

I would have done the tutorials myself but I am flying back to Chicago today WITH my hubs!! This will be the first trip back home together in 8 months so this is a long time coming. Our extended Labor Day will be full of family, friends, weddings, and BBQs. I can not even express how pumped I am!!

 

XOXO Katie

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Cardi Face Lift

It still feels wrong that I am starting to sort through my fall sweaters and see what I want to keep and what to give away before the season starts.

I have this pretty simple sweater for American Eagle that is pretty basic, but a great color for this fall- Coral! As I have mentioned before, coral is a great transitional color for this cooler season and I think with a little face lift this sweater will be a great option.
 

 

The buttons were a little drab for my taste so I wanted to jazz up up with some bling. I scoured Ebay for gold buttons and I landed on these gold and rhinestone 1" buttons. And at $3.99+shipping the would a steal. If I had gone to Jo Ann's it would have been that price for two, and I got eight for less than $6 total.

                                                                                                                                                       

I also decided to go with plastic vs. metal because with the sweater being on the lighter side, I was concerned that a heavy metal button would weigh it down. If this were a coat I would have definitely gone for the metal though.

 

 

I grabbed my trusty needle and thread and whipped those suckers on in about 10 minutes.

Total upgrade!

 

I think I can milk at least another 2-3 weeks out of my summer wardrobe if the weather keeps cooperating, but I will be excited to have this "new" cardigan in my arsenal of fall layering pieces.

XOXO Katie

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