Rustic Furniture Pro

View of Relaxation

Every once in a while the Rustic Furniture Pro team likes to feature a great vacation spot where you can get away from a while with family and friends. In previous blogs we have featured places like Beaver Creek and Telluride two spots that have a great appreciation for rustic furniture and décor. With spring here I thought I should offer up my next vacation location for all of you.

I think I can speak for most of us why I say that it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day living and with our individual jobs. Lately I have felt like the weeks have just rushed by with a busy work schedule and an even busier personal schedule time feels like it is flying.

It is important for all of us to take some time and get away from the hustle and bustle of each day. We need to step away from our hectic lives in order to get some clarity, relaxation and personal time. Now, for many of us we can’t just pack up and head out somewhere for several weeks. We have commitments, families and work that must be tended too. However, every once in a while you have to step away even if it’s just for a weekend.

So today’s vacation location is pretty simple, it’s the lake. This is a very attainable vacation destination that will allow you to step away and relax for a while. Lakes are all around us and they provide the perfect place to escape too. Whether you have you own personal lake house or you need to rent on, getting away to the lake for the weekend will rejuvenate your spirit and make you more productive.

As rustic furniture lovers, we love to be out in nature as well enjoying the fresh air, the trees and the animals. So, what better place to enjoy Mother Nature than at a quiet smoothing lake house?

So, with spring officially here, take some time to look at your calendar and plan a weekend get-a-way with your family and friends. Grab some drinks, burgers, hotdogs and brownies and head out for a weekend of R&R. This is a very simple way to help everyone have a wonderful weekend of relaxation, laughter and peace.

My husband and I try to escape to the lake several times within the spring and summer with our dogs. It is a way for us to reconnect, relax and enjoy our friends and family. Plus, the dogs love it! I am really not into all the water sports. For me it’s just fun to get way and spend time sitting on the dock enjoying nature and an early morning walk.

All of us at Rustic Furniture Pro want to wish you a happy spring with your family and friends and we hope you make some time to get out to the lake!

New Cushions for Rustic Furniture

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. As always, I use Sunday as my day to catch up on the housework and laundry. I spend a lot of time getting the house in order for the week. I was vacuuming every room, doing the dishes and considering tackling the mountain of laundry in my closet. Then I looked outside and realized I just could not clean the inside of my home on this fabulous day.

So, the pups and I headed outside. A few blogs back I gave a lot of tips on spring cleaning. Well, yesterday I tackled on of the things on that list: my back patio. Winter had made its mark on my back patio for sure. The patio was covered with leaves, dust, dirt and more. So, it was time to get this back porch user friendly again.

First I pulled everything off of the porch and filled my yard with a bunch of rustic furniture. Then I swept all of the leaves into a big pile and started bagging all of them. Next it was off to clean my outdoor rug. I sprayed it down very well and then set it out to dry. I headed back to the porch and blew off the remaining dirt and a few stubborn leaves. The back patio was looking better and better with every step. Then because I am obsessed with rearranging rustic furniture, I started moving things around to create a warm and inviting outdoor setting that was functional as well.

I have a rustic table and benches that were moved over to the far side of the patio to create a larger seating area. I did not want to remove the table from the porch, but I wanted to push it to the side. You see I love to eat outside during the spring so the table is a necessity. I can still bring out the table when we have a lot of guests over, but for now it is set up for just a few people, which is perfect for my husband and me. Then it was time to arrange more rustic furniture such as my end tables, chairs and rocking chair. I got my clean rug and placed it down in the center of my seating area. This automatically sets the stage and creates a cozy feeling.  I spread the chairs out more than usual to create the illusion of a larger space. Then I purchased some comfy orange, red and white cushions for the chairs so people can comfortably enjoy sitting out in the spring weather for quite some time. To top it off I placed the two side tables in the center of the chair setup to act of coffee tables. And lastly I flanked the seating area with two large rustic lanterns.

I absolutely love my new back patio. It has a fresh new vibe that is fun and inviting. Now, I can’t wait to get some plants in all of my pots to add even more color. I feel like I arranged the rustic furniture in the most successful way that offers and large seating area as well as a dining area as well.

Beautiful Flowers Add Color and Life to Living Room

So, the other day I had to go to the dentist. It’s not that I wanted to, it’s that I had to. You see, Thursday night I started having extreme pains in my jaw. It wasn’t a tooth ache, but instead this deep pain in my bones. So, I knew this was a bad sign. I have had a lot of trouble with this particular tooth in the past, so I wasn’t feeling that great about what would be happening. Well, the pain got to be so bad I called my dentist the next morning only to find out he was out on vacation. Not exactly what this Rustic Furniture Pro member wanted to hear. So, I explained the situation, and was given some pain killers to try to make it thought the weekend.

Well, I will be honest the weekend wasn’t very productive at all. I spend most of the time laying in front of the TV with my dogs trying to forget about my mouth for a bit. It was definitely not a weekend of projects.

Monday finally arrived and I was off to the dentist to try to fix my pain. Things got started and then the laughing gas tube burst, so I was going to have to tough it out on my own. This seemed like a pretty scary idea to me, but I just wanted to get everything over with so I could return to Rustic Furniture Pro. Well halfway through the root canal, the dentist found that my tooth was broken which was why I was in so much pain. I had an infection now and the root canal wouldn’t work. At this point I just felt like crying. I was already not a very big fan of dentists, now they are one of my biggest fears! When everything was all said and done, I had to get the tooth pulled. It was not a fun experience at all as you can imagine. I was then back at home drugged and just lying on the couch. I couldn’t even watch TV because I just kept falling asleep.  It has been a long hard and painful day.

Well, then my husband came home with a bouquet of flowers he had selected for me. This gave me enough energy to get off the sofa and arrange some flowers. I set them up on my turquoise piece of furniture and the room came alive. It was a very simple thing that just accented my rustic furniture and helped bring life and color to the space. Now I kind of want fresh flowers on a weekly basis because of how good they looked by my rustic furniture.

So, if you are looking for an easy way to brighten up a room and add a splash of color, flowers are the perfect choice. Right now, there are all kinds of beautiful flowers out that can really spice up a room.

So, don’t wait for a tooth to get pulled to get fresh flowers for your home. Go out today and buy yourself a small treat: fresh colorful flowers. Your rustic furniture will love you.

Bright Blue Piece Which Accents Rustic Furniture

I love to do projects and get my hands dirty. There is nothing like having a project to work through on the weekends. Projects of all sizes and levels of difficulty are fully welcomed in my house. You see right now I don’t have kids and my husband works a lot on the weekends so I need something to keep my occupied. Of course I have my two pups that love to keep me company when I am working on a new project.

In a recent blog I showed you one of my newest projects to take on to enhance the rustic furniture in my master bedroom. I have been thinking for about a year now what I could do to make an awesome headboard that really fits in with my bedroom. Then an idea hit me and I am determined to make it happen. So my dear husband gathered me a bunch of twigs that I will transform into an organic bed. I can’t wait to compliment my rustic furniture with an amazing rustic headboard.

Well, for today I thought I would share a project I took on about a year ago. I love garage sales and I am a big fan of bulk trash pickup. You see, if you have a little vision and creativity, you can turn someone’s trash into a beautiful statement piece in your home. And the best part is – it’s free! Well, one lucky dady my husband and I were driving down our alleyway and low and behold, a beautiful piece of furniture. We quickly snatched it up and ideas started flowing.

This used to be a brown ugly chest of drawers with gold trim. It was definitely nasty, but the potential was there. I knew I wanted something bright and bold to help accent my rustic furniture in my living room. Well my favorite color is turquoise so I thought that would be a great place to start.

First I had to strip the entire piece down and get rid of the nasty gold trim and hardware. I then filled in small holes from years of use and then I got to painting.  

I selected a very bold blue color that complimented the rustic furniture and my blue walls perfectly. My husband was a bit questionable o f my color choice, but he always has faith and lets my ideas flow. He is always happy with the results it just takes some time getting there. I painted several coats of the bold blue and then sanded for a smooth finish. Once the piece had fully cured I topped it with a piece of beveled glass. Then I went and found the perfect hardware to accent the rustic furniture in the room.

I love the end result. This piece was someone’s trash and now it is a focal point in my living room. This as a very simple project, but sometimes a simple project is just what you need.

Maybe it’s time for you to do a project? Enhance your rustic furniture with a fresh pop of color, and have fun!

Bundles of Branches

Some of my favorite types of accessories are those that can be found in our own backyards. If you just stop and take a look around you, you will start to see all kinds of organic natural pieces that can be used to add color, texture and interest to your home. I love incorporating natural elements in my home, especially those that reflect the current season.

For example, during the fall and more specifically Thanksgiving, I just headed out to my front yard, plopped myself down under our huge oak tree and started gathering. After a few minutes I started feeling like a squirrel collecting all of my acorns, but I had a purpose and a plan. Maybe the neighbors thought I looked a bit strange, but I knew my guests would be impressed. After gathering a ton of acorns I put them in large glass vases with orange candles. Then I went out the day of Thanksgiving and gathered a bunch of colorful leaves for display. So I took the leaves and scattered them on my rustic furniture and put the acorn filled glass containers among the leaves. Immediate I created the feeling of fall in my living room for free! How great is that!

Of course, you can use tones of natural elements when it comes to decorating. Obviously you have flowers and plants. Then you have nuts that come in all shapes and sizes from a variety of trees. Bark is an excellent accent piece. Stones and pebbles make great fillers and add nice gray tones to your accent pieces. Pinecones are another fun free accessory that you can leave natural or paint. I personally love to put gold and silver pinecones on my rustic furniture. Fruits from a tree in your backyard make another beautiful and colorful accent on the kitchen table. I could go on and on and I would love to hear some of your ideas and what you use in your home.

Lately I have had a sight obsession with sticks. I love to decorate with sticks of all shapes, sizes and colors. Currently I have stick arrangements in my master bedroom, on my fireplace in the living room, in my guest bathroom and in my entryway. They are the perfect accent to my rustic furniture. So, yeah, I am obsessed. But sticks are a great and inexpensive filler. The create movement, intrigue and height. What more could you want?

Well, my husband also knows my obsession with sticks so today he had a surprise for me when I left for work. He was already long gone so I was just going about my morning trying to get ready for work. Right before I left I said goodbye to my dogs and then turned to head out the door. I open the back door and to my surprise and glee there were several bundles of sticks just waiting for me. I was so excited I just wanted to begin working with them and creating, but alas I had to get to work. Well the whole drive to work consisted of me thinking off all the various projects I will soon begin. So, stay tuned. I got some great ideas up my sleeve.

*Please excuse the mess in my garage. I just couldn’t help but take a picture for you of all my bundles of branches!

I can tell that spring is on its way! Lately we have enjoyed some beautiful weather. Yesterday it was 81 degrees! It’s amazing! I really am not the biggest fan of cold weather so the thought that spring is on the way is absolutely wonderful! I cannot wait to enjoy the morning sunlight and my rustic furniture outdoors again. So, with spring on the way, what is on everyone’s minds? You guessed it, spring cleaning.

There are some people out there who dread this time of the year, the cleaning part I mean, but I really like it. There is nothing like having a beautiful, fresh clean home just in time for spring. So, all of you rustic furniture lovers get out your gloves, sponges and muscle. Its spring cleaning time and I have got 10 tips to help you get the job done right! 

I am going to begin on the inside of the home and work my way outside.

Cabinet and Pantry Organization: This is one of those places none of us really look forward to cleaning and organizing, but when we actually set aside some time to tackle our cabinets and pantries the payoff is immence. It is inevitable that when I clean out my cabinets I will find kitchen appliances, dishes or other gadgets I forgot I even owned. Suddenly I am thinking about various dishes I could make and all the different ways I could serve them in my new found platters. The pantry holds the same excitement. I always find things in the pantry I have forgotten about, and again I am thinking about the next dinner I will make! So, go out and get some organization for your dishes in your cabinets and your canned food in the pantry. You will be glad you did!

Laundry Room: This is one of those rooms that gets a lot of use (not always by choice) but not a lot of attention when it comes to cleaning. So, set aside some time to clean your laundry room. If it’s anything like mine, it could use a good vacuuming or mopping, dusting and some reorganization. This spring keep your laundry clean and fresh by giving a little love to your laundry room.

Carpets and Rugs: Since its spring cleaning, you cannot forget your carpets and rugs. Just recently my husband and I rented a carpet cleaner and went through our entire house cleaning the carpet. The results were amazing! Even with puppies our carpets can be clean and fresh this spring. If you have pets I would highly recommend a pet stain remover while you are cleaning the carpets. So, grab your spouse or a friend and get those carpets clean!

Dusting: It is time to dust your home, and I mean really dust your home. Throughout the winter dust has accumulated throughout your home and it needs to go.  Even the other day I was looking over my bookshelves and noticing all of the dust. So, dust those bookshelves, hutches, cabinets, footboards, books, picture frames, mirrors, furniture. Make your home clean and help reduce the allergies by dusting your home.

Check back soon to see the rest of the tips for spring cleaning!

Color Trends 2011 for Rustic Furniture

I have to admit I am ready for spring, and I am officially tired of the winter weather. Lately I have felt a little tempted by Mother Nature to start unpacking my spring clothes an bust out my flip flops. I really did consider wearing my flip flops today, but I am glad I decided against it. Winter is definitely not gone yet, but I can’t wait for the spring days with the beautiful sunshine, birds chipping and morning where I can enjoy my breakfast in my rustic furniture on the back porch.

Well, with all this thinking about spring and summer weather I got to thinking about color. You see I am already trying to slowing transition my home from winter to spring. I like to change out the pillows in my living room, the throws over the sofas, my accessories become brighter and more vibrant, and I like to change out the dishes on my table-scapes. With every season change I feel inspired to go out shopping for new things to make my home feel appropriate with the current season. So, with spring on the way, I wanted to find out what colors or topping the color trends chart for this year.

For 2010 the most popular colors consisted of various hues of purple, some pinks and then of course a soft green pallets which some say reflect peoples’ current emphasis on eco-friendly lifestyles.  I can definitely see the purples and obviously the soft greens working well with rustic furniture, but the pink had me a bit stumped. I guess if you wanted to do a really feminine rustic ranch than pink would be a fun color to use. It might take more creative than the purple and green, but I know that pink would compliment the rich browns of rustic furniture nicely!

So, what do we have to look forward to in terms of color trends for 2011?

Color experts are saying that this year’s popular colors will include both bright hues and then some more earthy tones as well. This will provide a great mix for all of you rustic furniture lovers out there. I can picture some beautiful rustic homes using this color mix. Color specialists were saying to look at natural elements such as fruits and vegetables for your 2011 color inspirations. Items like applies, turnips, peas, carrots, and greens. They are also saying that more earthy browns will replace the recent appeals of grey tones. Just like last years’ color trends green will be a big player this year for color in the home.

Well, for all of you rustic furniture lovers out there, I think these upcoming color trends really give us something to work with! The color pallets will allow you to accentuate your rustic furniture in your lodge, ranch, western retreat or cabin, and the brown emphasis will help you add some natural elements into your space as well.

Well, now that I know what the popular color trends are of 2011, I think I will hit the stores and get some new pillows, accessories, and perhaps even a new rug to help highlight my rustic furniture. Maybe I will even get some new colorful pillows for Rustic Furniture Pro!

Shepherd's Pie

It is the week of the Super Bowl in Dallas and of course we are hit with another on of our random ice storms. It is just amazing how that works out. Fortunately, all of this bad stuff should be out of here soon so we can get back to focusing on football!

Today, most schools and many businesses are closed and I am actually working from home today. This is a nice change. I am sitting in my home office with my husband beside me. He also got the day off so we are hard at work from home. There is nothing like sleeping in a little later and walking across the hall to work. I will probably spend the day in my pj’s, snow hat and fuzzy socks. There is just something about working from home. Oh, and the other perk is that my two dogs are curled up at my feet enjoying a winter morning.

Well the snow just started falling again so it’s the perfect time for this blog. For all of my Rustic Furniture Pro readers out there today I wanted to share a wonderful winter recipe with you all. Maybe we can all go home tonight and make this meal for our families. So, today’s Rustic Furniture Pro blog is all about Shepherd’s Pie!

Ingredients:

• 5 Tbs. olive oil
• 5 lb. boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 lb. button mushrooms, quartered if large
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Guinness or other stout beer
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup mushroom demi-glace
• 1 bouquet garni
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 bag (14 oz.) frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 1 1/4 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas
• 6 cups mashed potatoes (see related recipe at left)
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Working in batches, sear the beef until browned on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter.

Warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil in the insert. Add the mushrooms cook, and stir occasionally, until browned and tender, for about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to the platter.

Warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil in the insert. Add the yellow onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and flour and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the beer, broth and demi-glace and bring to a simmer. Add the bouquet garni, salt, pepper, beef, mushrooms and pearl onions.

Place the insert on the slow-cooker base, cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Add the carrots, cover and cook for 2 hours more. Stir in the peas.

Preheat a broiler. Spread the mashed potatoes over the beef mixture, forming a 1-inch layer, and sprinkle with lots of cheese. Transfer the insert to the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and starting to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. This awesome recipe serves 12.

Recipe from the Williams-Sonoma kitchen, www.williams-sonoma.com.

Wherever you are we hope you enjoy this winter recipe with your family and friends. Happy winter from all of us at Rustic Furniture Pro.

Keep Your Family Warm

Creating Warmth in Your Rustic Retreat

Right now we are all dealing with some cold weather. Our rustic furniture pro team members’ Texas definition of snow may not match you northerners’ views, but all of us are dealing with winter right now. The current landscape is snow, cold temperatures and a lot of leafless trees.  So, while it’s cold outside, let’s talk about some Rustic Furniture Pro tips to warm up your home on the inside.  

KEEP YOU FIRE BURNING

If you want to add warmth to your home both physically and visually keep your fire burning. Fires not only create warmth when you walk into a home, but they also provide a warm yellow orange glow to the room. Family and friends gravitate towards the fire so it’s the number one way to add warmth to your home during this winter. Another aspect of fires is the smell they create. I love going on walks and smelling someone’s fire. Just the smell makes me feel warm!

WARM DRINKS AND LARGE MUGS

Want to keep your family, friends and home feeling warm, then have a constant supply of warm and toasty drinks on hand. Hot chocolate with large marshmallows, hot cider, coffee, and tea are a must have for these cold winter days. So, gather your large mugs and some wonderful hot drinks to keep everybody warm this season.

HAVE SOMETHING IN THE OVEN

Since we are already spending time in the kitchen talking about warm drinks for your loved ones lets head on over to the oven. This winter warm freshly baked cookies are a must! I like to have cookie dough ready. Just last night my sister called at six and asked if she could come over dinner. I whipped up a quick dinner and then out came the premade cookie dough. Just prepare your favorite cookie recipe, roll the dough up, and freeze them. You can’t go wrong with freshly baked cookies and there is nothing like walking into a home and being greeted by the warm smell of gooey chocolate chip cookies!

SPRUCE UP THE WHITE LANDSCAPE OUTSIDE WITH A FEW BRIGHT COLORS

Since everything outside the window is white and sometimes dreary, spruce up the inside of your home with some color. In the winter I like adding some hues of yellow throughout the home to bring some warmth to the space. Go out and purchase some new colorful pillows and a nice throw. Bring some warm tones into your home.

ADD RUGS TO WARM UP THE FLOORS

Want to make a space feel warmer? Cover those cold floors. Adding a simple rug to a space will instantly change the visual temperature. Add a nice rug to the bathroom floor or a large rug to the great room.

TRUNK OF BLANKETS

One of my favorite ways to add warmth is to place a trunk in the media room full of blankets and cozy pillows. There is no better time than winter to snuggle up on the couch for an evening of movies. Keep your family warm with an abundance of blankets in a fashionable trunk.

BRING IN SOMETHING FRESH

Add instant color and life by purchasing some fresh flowers. In the winter I love putting fresh flowers in my home. They offer color, a wonderful aroma and life to a room. What an inexpensive way to warm up a space.

KEEP THOSE FEET TOASTY

Lastly, keep those little feet toasty warm this winter. Buy your family members a new pair of slippers so they can stay warm. You can find the cutest slippers to capture the personality of each family member.

We hope these tips from Rustic Furniture Pro help make your home warm and friendly this winter!

The Rustic Furniture Pro family would like to wish all of our wonderful customers a very Merry Christmas!

We hope you spend this special day gathered with family members and friends. Enjoy the gifts under the tree, especially those of you who are giving gifts from Rustic Furniture Pro! We hope that Christmas day is a time for you to escape the busyness and stress of life and spend time with those who matter most.

I wanted to share some of my favorite memories from Christmases from long ago. I can remember going to bed the night before and hardly being able to sleep a bit. I have two sisters and we would all cram into a queen bed and stay up all night talking about what we were going to get the next day. Then of course we would wake up at six in the morning with no problem and all and race to get my parents up. It was time for the presents!

Of course my parents had to get their coffee as they stumbled out of bed. Then they had to make sure all of the gifts were under the tree and hang the stockings which never came out until Christmas morning. And lastly out came the video camera. The three of us would smash our faces up against the slats in the door and peer through to try and see the Christmas gifts!

Of course then came the screaming and jumping up and down, especially from one of my sisters who is insane (and still is) over gifts. We would throw wrapping paper and ribbons all over the floor and pile all of our gifts together. Once the presents were opened it was off to play with or try on whatever we got.

We would finally have a small breakfast so not to spoil our much anticipated upcoming Christmas dinner. Then it was off to the cousin’s house to open more presents and spend the rest of the day with our family and friends.

Christmas has always been a special time of the year. I have to admit that Christmases are not like they used to be when I was young. I no longer get up a six to get the gifts or smash my face up against the door to get a sneak peak of the presents below the Christmas tree. But, Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. I love getting gifts for people and seeing the excitement on their faces. I get more excited about giving gifts than getting them myself. Take some time to think back on some of your favorite childhood Christmas memories. It’s a lot of fun and will probably have you laughing before it is all said and done.