Master Bedroom Dream Makeover Mood Board

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So I’ve been wanting to re-do our master bedroom for a few years now…. We’ve been in our house for about six years, and I’ve got a few rooms finished (or almost finished!), but I have been completely putting off the master bedroom because it is just a huge room to paint! It has beautiful vaulted ceilings, and the color it is right now really isn’t that bad, (beige), but I feel like it needs a little more pizzazz!

I’ve finally been able to decide on a color pallet, somewhat similar to the colors that I’ve painted my kitchen, living room and dining room. (Surprise! Surprise!)

My amazing friend and neighbor, Courtenay from over at The Creek Line House suggested that I create a “Mood Board” for my master bedroom…. I wasn’t really sure of what exactly a mood board was, so she sent me her mood board that she created for her beautiful master bathroom as an example! She’s just so helpful! (Psst! Take a peek at The Creek Line House Master Bathroom Renovation Mood Board…. It’s really quite fantastic!!)

Sometimes you just need a little inspiration or motivation from the right people to get the ball rolling! So, without any further ado — I present to you, my Master Bedroom Dream Makeover Mood Board! (Click here to view the full PDF version: Master Bedroom Mood Board V04)

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This mood board is a collection of inspiration colors, textures and pieces for my future master bedroom makeover! I love the look of a cooler aqua and grey color pallet, mixed with warm cream tones…. The assorted textures of wood, rod iron and lace will give the room a softened, yet slightly bold look! In case you can’t tell, I love the “old-world-antiquey” feel, and I feel like this unique mood board reflects my tastes perfectly!

Now, notice that I used the term “future” master bedroom makeover…. We’ll see how long it actually takes before I get around to it! I’m currently 7 and a half months pregnant and spend most of my time chasing my 2 year-old, wild-child, beautiful little Miss Lacee Grace…. Plus I think I’ll wait until I’m not pregnant to climb 20 feet up on the ladder to paint the walls! But — that doesn’t mean that I can’t start shopping! 😉

If you like any of these items, here are the links to all of the sources for my inspiration pieces!

  1. Vintage Wallpaper With blue floral victorian pattern – Inna Felker

  2. Tranquil Color Scheme Paint Colors – Benjamin Moore

  3. Luxury Beige Ruffled Ruched Blackout Tulle Thermal Rose Curtain –  Lovely Decor

  4. Cream and Pink Patchwork Quilt – Bay Tree Home & Decor

  5. Vintage Crochet Lace Bedspread – Laurel Leaf Farm

  6. Tufted Round Storage Ottoman – Threshold

  7. Transitional Cyrus 7’9″x9’9″ Rectangle Camel-Aqua Area Rug – Loloi Inc.

  8. French Vintage Vuitton Style Travel Trunk – Jean-Marc Fray

  9. White Mother of Pearl Scalloped Mirror – Iris Furnishing

  10. Teal Rustic Scrolled Metal Wall Art Medallion – Pink Island Luxury

  11. Wood And Iron Nightstand – HF

  12. Wood Slab Head Board – Remain Simple

  13. Marsten 8-Drawer Tall Dresser – Restoration Hardware

The Ultimate Camping Supplies Checklist & Some of my Favorite Places to Camp!

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16I know that camping out in the wilderness is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you do love camping as much as I do — you’ll love, love, love my new handy-dandy, Ultimate Camping Supplies Checklist!

As my dad always told me while growing up, the key to success is to ALWAYS be prepared! This definitely counts when camping! Whether you are camping in one of the many beautifully maintained provincial parks, or whether you are camping out in the middle of no-where in the bush, this checklist will make sure that you have everything that you need!

You can download it here: The Ultimate Camping Supplies Checklist

Ontario luckily offers some of the most amazing campgrounds… Some with fees, and others are free!

Some of my favorite camping places in Ontario include:

The French River Provincial Park is my most favorite place to camp (or be!) — ever! I’ve only been camping there twice… once for 4 days, and another time for ten days. Both trips were equally amazing!

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I love being out in the middle of nowhere, no one else is around and everything is so peaceful and quiet! The scenery is literally breath-taking, and if you are a bit of an adventure-junkie like me, this river boasts many fun rapids to play on! These rapids include the best of both worlds… rapids for the most experienced, to rapids for the least experienced! And don’t worry! Each rapid also includes a portage trail — for the slightly less adventurous!

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Every time that I cast my lure into the water near a set of rapids, it was fish-on! The wild-life sightings were also extraordinary! From bald eagles to moose! (No bear-sightings… yet! Maybe a sad thing, but a good thing??!)

And one of my most memorable moments was laying on the rocks by the rapids gazing up at the stars! You’ll never get a clearer view then out there, in the middle of nowhere! We were even lucky enough to see a meteor shower!

Although the French River Provincial Park is obviously my favorite, I definitely recommend camping at any of the great spots that I mentioned above! And I definitely plan to be adding a few more to my list! 😉

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2 Minute Pork Chop Marinade!

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2 Minute Pork Chop Marinade! This is quick, easy, and delicious! #Marinade #PorkChop #MealIdeas

This 2 Minute Pork Chop Marinade is quick, easy, and tastes delicious! It is the perfect recipe to whip up after a long day of hard work, or if you are into meal planning, you can also make this marinade ahead of time too! 

 

On the weekend I decided that I would try “online ordering” from M&M Meat Shops, and let me tell you, what an amazing shopping experience it was! By ordering online, I was able to browse through all of their products, easily search for specific ones, view and compare their weekly deals and easily stick to my budget! Continue reading →

DIY Tin Wall Art!

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Sometimes it can be a little bit tricky to find the perfect piece of art to fit a specific wall space in your home, or if you do find the perfect piece, it can be pretty darn expensive! If this is the case, than you might be better off to just DIY it!!!

I’d been searching high and low for the perfect pieces of tin to hang on the giant wall behind the couch in my living room… and finally, I found them! You could actually say that I’ve been searching for a couple of years now, checking local antique shops and flea markets on a regular basis. The actual product change-over rate in these places can sometimes be slow, but they are always getting new things in, so you just have to be patient and keep on checking!

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They wanted $25 per panel, so I picked out the four best ones (in my opinion), and made a deal to take the four for $80.00 — Total Score!! This is what they looked like… A little rough, but lots of great potential!

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The first thing that I did was flatten them out by placing a concrete block on them and pressing down. This actually helped to chip off some of the old paint too!

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Next I took a wire brush and removed the rest of the old chippy paint! Then I used some good ol’ WD40 and a rag to polish them up.

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I then used chalk paint to coat my tin panels.

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Warning! I was aiming for the old, distressed look, so the WD40 actually worked out in my favor. It caused the paint to to peel up a bit on some areas of my tin panels. So if you’re going for the distressed look, go ahead and use the WD40, but if not, I would NOT recommend using it! (You can see in the below picture where it is starting to peel up.)

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After my paint was dry, I took some coarse sand paper, and went-a-sandin’!

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I just played around with it until I got the desired look!

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I must say that I am absolutely thrilled with the end result! It is the perfect fit for my wall, and even though it took a very long time to find the perfect pieces, it really only took one afternoon to complete the entire project!

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Classic Lasagna!

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3Classic Lasagna

There is nothing like a good classic lasagna for supper, so today I am sharing my number one lasagna recipe with you! Now don’t be scared away by the “made with 5 cheeses” bit…. Any “one” type of cheese will work! I just love, love, love cheese and always have at least 10 different kinds in my fridge — and no, I’m not kidding!

All you need is:

  • 1 package of Ground Beef
  • 1 chopped, medium-sized onion
  • 1 cup of chopped mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce
  • 4 dashes of Hot Sauce
  • 1 can of diced Tomatoes
  • 1 can of your favorite type of Tomato Sauce
  • 1 tub of Cottage Cheese
  • 1 tub of Ricotta Cheese (Optional)
  • 2 Cups of shredded cheese (Mozzarella and/or Cheddar)
  • 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
  • 1/2 tsp of crushed Garlic
  • 1/4 tsp of Oregano
  • 1/4 tsp of Thyme
  • 1 pinch each, of Salt & Pepper
  • 1 box of Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles

Step One: In a large skillet or frying pan, add ground beef, mushrooms, onions, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high for about seven to ten minutes, or until fully cooked and then drain.

Step Two: Add diced tomatoes, hot sauce, tomato sauce, crushed garlic and the oregano and thyme to the ground beef mixture. Simmer on medium heat for about ten minutes. (Don’t worry about draining the diced tomatoes, the extra juice will help the noodles cook!)

Step Three: Layer the bottom of your casserole dish with a single layer or noodles. I typically use a 8″ x 11″ casserole dish, but if you wanted to make two smaller square sized lasagna’s, that works too! (This is great for smaller sized families, because you can eat one lasagna and freeze the other one for another night!)

Step Four: Cover the single layer of noodles with about half of the ground beef-sauce mixture. Make sure that the noodles are fully covered, and then lay down another single layer of noodles.

Step Five: Spread the whole tub of cottage cheese over the second layer of noodles, and then cover the layer of cottage cheese with a layer of ricotta cheese…. Mmm!

Step Six: Place another layer of noodles down over the cottage cheese/ricotta cheese layer, and then cover the noodles with the remainder or the ground beef-sauce mixture.

Step Seven: Sprinkle the two cups of shredded cheese on top of everything, and then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese.

Step Eight: Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking for a crispier top.

Step Nine: Let stand for five minutes, serve, and enjoy! 🙂

 

Ten Minute Tuna Pasta Salad!

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Ten Minute Tuna Pasta Salad!

 

Tonight I thought that I would share with you one of my favorite, go-to side dishes… Tuna Pasta Salad! The best part about this salad is that it can easily be ready in just ten minutes!

 

Summer is finally here! BBQ’s and summer get-together’s are in the air!

 

This salad always knows how to get me out of a jam when I come home late from work and have to be somewhere ASAP.

 

This pasta salad is also always there for me when I forget to plan out dinner and need something quick and tasty.

 

If salads could be besties… than this one would be mine!

 

 

All you need is:

  • 1/2 a bag of Pasta (I prefer small shells for this pasta, but just about any type will do!)
  • 1 can of Tuna
  • 1/4 cup of chopped Green or Regular Onions (Whichever you have on hand!)
  • 1/4 cup of chopped Celery
  • 2/3 cup of Mayo
  • 6 dashes of Hot Sauce
  • Pepper

 

 

Step One: The very first thing I do in order to get the ball rolling for this pasta is get my water boiling, and my pasta on.

 

 

Step Two: While the pasta is cooking, I take full advantage of the time, and get my veggies (onions and celery), all chopped up and into a big bowl.

 

 

Step Three: Next I drain my can of tuna, and then add it to my big bowl.

 

 

Step Four: I then throw in my mayo and hot sauce. My favorite mayo to use is Hellman’s because I love “salty”, but any type of mayo will work!

 

 

Step Five: As soon as my pasta is soft, I then pour it into a big strainer. I usually let my pasta cook for about 7 minutes, but you can check your packaging for exact timing!

 

 

Step Six: I run cold water all over my pasta, and stir it with a spoon while doing so. This really helps it cool down fast…. A great trick for when you are always late like me, or just in a huge hurry!

 

 

Step Seven: After your pasta is cool and drained, add it into the big bowl and mix, mix, mix!

 

 

Step Eight: Place pasta into your favorite serving dish, garnish with celery leaves, sprinkle with pepper, and enjoy!

 

 

Tip: This salad keeps very well if you wanted to make it a day ahead, or eat the yummy leftovers for lunch the next day!

 

 

MORE GREAT RECIPES TO TRY!

Meal Planning – A How-To Guide

2 Minute Pork Chop Marinade!

Steak Marinade! Perfect for Grilling!

Creamy Mushroom Steak Sauce

Guacamole Recipe (Quick, Easy and Delicious!)

 

 

Ten Minute Tuna Pasta Salad!

 

 

*This post may contain affiliate links.

Meal Planning – A How-To Guide

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Meal Planning - A How-To Guide

 

Meal planning can sometimes seem like a daunting task, but it really doesn’t have to be… Follow this simple meal planning guide, and you will learn how to eat well and save money at the same time!

 

Yes — If you are anything like my husband and I, we eat out everyday for lunch…. breakfast too!

 

And at night, we find it way too easy to give in to our daily cravings of whatever might come our way…. Maybe it was that Burger King that we drove by on the way home from work, that DQ commercial that we just saw on TV…. Continue reading →

Healthy, Easy, Yummy — Apple Chutney!

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Healthy, Easy, Yummy — Apple Chutney!

Prep Time: 5 minutes, Bake Time: 10 minutes

Hello, hello everyone! It’s been a little while since the Project Pile has done a recipe… we have just been so busy around here! Last September I started teaching at our local college, then I starting working on another “project” for another company here in town…. Plus, we are now expecting again — Yes, expecting! So, now it’s the end of the school year, I thought that I would share this really yummy, really easy and healthy apple chutney recipe that I came up with last week when I had to quickly throw together one of those last minute, yet super delicious, home-cooked meals!

I needed the perfect side to go with my pork chops…. something fresh, crisp and summery…. and then it came to me — Apple chutney! Now, here’s the interesting part, the part where my chutney differs a little bit from other recipes…. there is no vinegar in this chutney recipe at all! The vinegar is actually replaced with cranberry juice, which allows the amount of sugar required to be significantly reduced, therefore making it much healthier than your typical chutney recipes! 🙂

So here it goes — hope you enjoy!

All you need is:

  • 3 diced Apples
  • 1/4 cup of Cranberry Juice
  • 1/4 cup of diced Onions
  • 1/4 cup of Sunflower Seeds
  • 1/4 cup of Cranberries
  • 1 tsp of Butter or Margarine
  • 1 tsp of Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Step One: In a small or medium sized frying pan, saute onions on medium heat in the butter or margarine, until golden-brown.

Tip: Add any extra seasoning that you like during the sauteing process, for extra flavor!

Step Two: Add the apples, cinnamon and cranberry juice. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer for seven minutes, or until the apples are soft.

Tip: The cooking time will vary depending on the type of apples that you use. The softer the apple, the less time it will take for them to soften.

Step Three: Stir in the brown sugar and simmer for about two more minutes.

Tip: The addition of the brown sugar won’t only sweeten the mixture, but it will help to thicken it a little too, as it cools.

Step Four: Remove the mixture from heat, and add the sunflower seeds and dried cranberries — Then serve and enjoy!

Tip: It’s best to add the cranberries and sunflower seeds at the very end of the process, otherwise they may harden.

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Easter Bunnies — Dollar-Cheap to Super-Chic!

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Easter bunnies! Dollar store Easter bunnies! Ok, so the little Easter bunnies that I picked up from the dollar store are so, so, so cute…. however, their cute little pink ears, and their cute beady little eyes just weren’t one-hundred percent meshing with the rest of my Easter decor…. I was looking for something with the same cuteness level, but slightly more neutral. (Yes — even more neutral than an already white Easter bunny…. silly, I know!)

Lately I have been on a “White-Ochre” chalk-painting spree…. I’ve recently painted my antique-tin-ceiling wall-art, my serving tray, my buffet, and even my giant spoon and my giant fork! So I thought — why not?6

It took two coats of chalk-paint to get the perfect look. The already-white surface covered super-easy, but the eyes and ears took a couple of super-thick coats. And just an FYI, when painting on this type of material, you have to wait for the paint to completely dry in between coats, or else it won’t stick properly.

I originally saw this idea over at The Creek Line House! Only instead of using chalk paint, she used this really neat “Mirror Effect” spray paint…. and wow — did those bunnies turn out amazing! (Check it out here!)

So basically, you can update your dollar store bunnies with whatever paint you have on hand, and you can use any color you like too! It’s such an easy, simple and cute way to customize your very own home decor!

I personally think that these cute little bunnies turned out amazing! I couldn’t be more happy with them, and I can’t wait for you to see them incorporated with all of my other Easter decor…. but, we’ll save that for another day…. So make sure you stop back by The Project Pile to check it out!

HERE ARE MORE DIY IDEAS TO TRY!

An “easy as pie” DIY Rag Wreath for Spring!

DIY Barnboard Bunny Family Art Deco

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful Easter Décor! (All you really need are a few good pieces!)

DIY Distressed Pillar Candle Holders

Hutch Make-Over with Chalk Paint!

*This post may contain affiliate links.*

The Best Crock Pot Chili!

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Mmm…. On a cold or rainy day, this chili is my go-to meal! Not only does this chili taste amazing — it’s also kind of a “cheater” chili, meaning that its so easy to make! I used canned beans, canned tomatoes and frozen vegetables — such a time saver! But remember, if you wanted to replace these canned items with fresh ingredients instead, you absolutely can! Oh and just in case you are wondering… the vegetables totally cancel out the bacon! 😉

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What You’ll Need:

1 lb of hamburger

1 package of bacon

1 medium diced onion

1 can of bean medley (mixed beans)

1 can of baked beans (in maple sauce)

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 cup of frozen veggies (peas, carrots, corn, green and Lima beans)

1 cup of diced mushrooms

1 1/4 tsp of cumin or chili powder

1 tsp hot sauce

2 tbsp of ketchup

Step One: In a frying pan, saute hamburger, onions, mushrooms and bacon.

Tip: During this step is where you can throw in any extra seasoning if you like! Sometimes I’ll add oregano, thyme, or even just plain old salt and pepper.

Step Two: After the meat mixture has been prepared and drained, add the mixture plus all of your other ingredients into the crock pot.

Tip: If there are any veggies that you don’t totally love in this recipe, feel free to substitute them with some veggies that you do love!

Step Three: Turn the crock pot onto high and let everything simmer together for three to four hours.

Tip: If you are going to be away all day, turn your crock pot to the low setting rather than high…. this way it can simmer all day long and won’t burn!

Step Four: Serve your chili in a nice big bowl, and enjoy!

Tip: Cheesy garlic bread, or a nice soft bun with butter are the perfect addition to this meal…. oh and maybe a nice big glass of red wine too! 🙂