Rustic Furniture Pro

There are a variety of home styles to choose from. For those desiring to portray a feel of the Old West, when lawmen, bandits and renegades were common place in our country, think about appointing your home with rustic home furnishings. These can include a variety of different items you can position in your home, each one evoking memories and visions of the open prairie, the Badlands and other Western areas.

Most homes have mirrors. They’re sort of a go-to wall decoration—great for opening up any room. To maintain the ambiance of the Old West, there are several mirrors you can hang in your home from rusticfurniturepro.com that will assist you in your endeavors. These are the Nestling, Split Twig, Cripple Creek and Hill Country mirrors. Made from natural wood, these embody the feel of the environment you want to maintain while performing the utilitarian purpose for which they’re intended.

The Totem Four Race Pole is made of teak and is hand painted; it’s sure to elicit conversation from your friends. Search around the web site & you’ll also find a Freewheel Plant Stand, made with real plow handles, the Pagosa Foot Stool, Teak Boxes of different shapes and a Wine Rack made from recycled teak wood.

Take a few minutes to visit rusticfurniturepro.com. They offer a wide selection of rustic home furnishings that will add character to the rooms in your home.

The following takes you on a journey through a few types of rustic furniture you might want to get for your home.

Rustic Beds

Let’s face it—we spend a lot of time in our bedrooms. Whether fast asleep or hanging out and reading a book, don’t you want your bedroom décor to be enjoyable? It can be exactly that when you opt for a rustic bed. Think sturdy wood and wagon wheels.

Rustic Coffee Tables

Another type of rustic furniture to consider would be rustic coffee tables. Why a coffee table? Well, often it’s the centerpiece of your living room. The focal point. That said, it’s important that choose it wisely as it will set the tone for the entire room.

Rustic Swings

Who says you can only go rustic inside? Imagine sitting on the porch with your wife on a breezy day, rocking back and forth on a rustic swing. These handcrafted beauties are so much better than what you’d find in the garden section of one of those department stores.

Want to see more rustic furniture? Get over to rusticfurniturepro.com!

With Easter only a few days away I thought it would be fun to share a classic Easter delight from our Rustic Furniture Pro family to yours. When it comes to Easter, there are a few foods that are an absolute must have.

First you have the ham with the tasty and slightly crunchy glaze, the centerpiece of the Easter dinner table. Then of course you have to have some sort of potatoes. Whether they are baked, mashed or even some sort of casserole, potatoes are a must. Then you need some sort of veggies, perhaps a green bean casserole and a fresh green salad. Since its spring I like for my Easter salad to have a lot of fresh fruits like strawberries, pineapple, apples, oranges and blueberries. I like to mix up the dressing and offer guests more fruity choices like strawberry dressings. The salad is always so fresh and colorful! And of course we cannot forget the rolls! Well, those are my must haves for Easter and I am looking forward to feasting on everything this weekend.

Easter would not be complete without lots of sugary sweets. You must have lots of Easter eggs filled with all types of candy and jelly beans to act as little Easter eggs in your arrangements and décor. Then do not forget the chocolate bunnies! Another Easter must, as well as robin’s eggs. You also may want to have some Cadbury eggs scattered about for guests to enjoy. And for the main dessert this year, we are having a cross cake to celebrate the Resurrection as well as banana pudding.

There is one more Easter classic that I have yet to mention to all of you rustic furniture lovers out there and that is Deviled Eggs! This Easter make sure that someone has the Deviled Eggs covered for your family and friends.

Every year my sisters and I bring deviled eggs to our family Easter celebration. Last year we decided to take a little creative liberty on the deviled eggs and I am not sure it was very successful. You see we got the ‘great’ idea to die the deviled egg mixture before filling the hardboiled eggs. We had yellow (obviously), pink, orange, blue purple and green deviled egg filling. We filled all of the hard boiled egg halves and put them on a platter with Easter grass. We were all pretty excited about our new take on deviled eggs and could not wait to show the family. Unfortunately, they were not impressed and were actually a little grossed out by our concoction calling them dinosaur eggs instead. This year we have a new idea which I think is much cuter and will be more appetizing than purple deviled eggs.

Rustic Furniture Pro Cute Deviled Eggs

Easter Chick Deviled Eggs Recipe from Rustic Furniture Pro courtesy of Paula Deen

Ingredients

• 7 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• Salt and pepper, for taste
• Paprika, for garnishing

Directions

• Halve the eggs from side to side instead of top to bottom to create the half egg for the chick to sit in. Remove yolks and place in a small bowl.
• Mash yolks with a fork and stir in mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Fill egg white halves with a melon baller to create the chick’s head popping out of the egg.
• Cut a triangle shape from a carrot for the beak and use to sprinkles for the eyes.
• Garnish with paprika, pickles and pimentos. Store covered in refrigerator.
• Enjoy!

From our Rustic Furniture Pro family to yours, Happy Easter!

Photo courtesy of Bentolunch.net

Ok, we are back with the rest of our spring cleaning tips for all of you rustic furniture lovers out there. Enjoy!

Ceiling Fans: When it comes to spring cleaning, ceiling fans are one of the first things I think of. All that dust that piles up on the fan blades drives me crazy. But, I really don’t take care of it until I have my big spring cleaning day. Cleaning the ceiling fans is very important especially if you are like me and suffer from allergies. Never turn a ceiling fan on after a long winter without cleaning it. You will send dust all over the room which will be a nightmare for anyone with allergies. My allergies are so bad; I often have my husband clean the fan blades just to reduce sneezing and wheezing for the next several days. Also, don’t forget to switch the direction of your fans if you used them during the fall or winter.

Windows: On of my favorite things about spring weather is the ability to keep all of my curtains pulled back and my shutters open so I can enjoy the beautiful spring sunlight. So, every spring I spend time cleaning the windows throughout my home. You want your family and friends to enjoy the outdoors when they look out your windows. Plus, your rustic furniture on the back porch always looks better when being viewed through clean windows. One thing I have found when cleaning windows is that newspaper works great and does not leave streaks!

Update: As you may already know from previous blogs, I love to decorate all of the time. So this tip is a favorite of mine. This is where spring cleaning can be very fun and involve some shopping! Update your home with fresh bed linens, pillows, throws over your bed and sofas, towels and chair cushions. These are simple things you can do that will have a dramatic effect on your home. Instantly you will take you home from dull to bright, warm and inviting. So, get out there and shopping for the fun colors to liven up you home After all, spring is coming!

Garage: Most likely you and your family will be doing a lot for activities outdoors. Camping, boat days at the lake, bike riding, picnicking, long afternoons by the pool and more. So get prepared by organizing your garage now. Spend an afternoon going through your garage and clearing out all of the clutter you accumulated. Now is always the perfect time to finally put those Christmas decorations back up in the attic. Get yourself some hanging bike racks, some metal racks for storage and some plastic bins to get your garage organized and more functional.

Back Porch: Getting the back porch ready for cookouts, dinners outside and a cup of coffee in the morning with the birds is a must! First clean out all of those leaves and the dirt. Then get a power washer and really deep clean your porch. If you have a wooden porch, it might be a good time to reseal the wood. If you have slate porch you also may want to reseal it. Then give your porch a new look with new chair cushions I have already mentioned and maybe try rearranging your rustic furniture.

Backyard: Now the most obvious thing about spring cleaning. Getting your yard ready for planting! Now is the perfect time to pickup those remaining leaves you didn’t get to. Get your flower beds ready for planning and double check your sprinkler system to make sure it is ready for those summer days!  In just a little while it will be time to start planting all sorts of beautiful plants, flowers and grass as well. Spend some time figuring out what you want to do with your backyard this spring!

That’s right! Our team here at Rustic Furniture Pro has a knack for super tasty recipes. And homemade popcorn balls are always a crowd pleaser. So what do rustic benches and popcorn balls have to do with each other? Well, I’ll tell ya! I brought some popcorn balls to the office, and I thought it was fabulous how people perched on our rustic benches and enjoyed the sweet treat.

What You Need:

• 4 cups of mini marshmallows
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 2 bags of microwave popcorn
• 1 large mixing bowl
• Parchment paper

Making the Popcorn Balls:

1. Pop the two bags of popcorn. Separate out the unpopped seeds and discard. Place popcorn into large mixing bowl.

2. Heat up a large skillet. Place the stick of butter in the skillet. Stir butter until it is melted.

3. Add the 4 cups of mini marshmallows to the melted butter.

4. Stir the marshmallows and butter until creamy. (Be sure to continue stirring or the marshmallow cream will burn)

5. Mix in 1 cup of brown sugar.

6. Pour the marshmallow, butter and brown sugar mixture over the popcorn in the mixing bowl.

7. Using a spatula, cover the popcorn with the mixture.

8. Allow popcorn to cool.

9. Spread butter on your hands to discourage stickiness.

10. Create baseball-sized balls with the popcorn. Place the popcorn balls on parchment paper and allow to finish cooling.

11. Enjoy… on your favorite piece of rustic furniture

Black Friday has come and gone. That means the Christmas shopping season is in full swing. Your list-to-buy-for gets longer and longer by the day. Your child comes home with a week-long Secret Santa game, your work has a gift exchange coming up and how you will you ever find time to get something for your mother-in-law?!? There just aren’t enough shopping days in December for everything!

As a rustic furniture company, we know quite a bit about shopping. After all, we sell rustic furnishings for a living! So, here are our top ten things to help keep yourself sane this Christmas shopping season:

1. Think outside the box. Instead of hitting the malls, try our rustic furniture! A Dakota Wheel Bench can be a great gift for dad or grandpa. Imagine giving something durable enough to pass down from generation to generation.
2. Online, On time. Shop online this Christmas. From the comfort of your PJ’s and morning coffee, you can buy all of your gifts. Don’t forget to check out Rustic Furniture Pro – our rustic furniture and rustic accessories make great gifts!
3. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. If you are out shopping, be sure to keep water on hand. Dehydration is no fun at all.
4. Hand sanitizer is a must! Tis the season for lots of sickness – be sure when you are shopping you keep your hands germ-free.
5. Be eco-friendly. As a rustic furnishings company that specializes in handcrafted, recycled teak, we truly believe in being eco-friendly. Bring your own reusable bags for your Christmas purchases and leave the plastic bags at the store.
6. We wish you a merry thermos! Thermoses are great this time of year. Brew tea or hot chocolate before your shopping ventures, and low and behold, when you get back to your car, your drink is still warm.
7. Think layers. If your shopping day is starting early and ending late, the temperatures are bound to change. Wearing different layers allows you to shed some between stops.
8. Comfortable Shoes. Don’t go for fashion. Christmas shopping needs to be comfortable shopping. Tennis shoes are your best bet.
9. Jingle bells, long lines smell… Try to get your list knocked-out before Christmas Eve. Those lines can be a beat-down.
10. Eat Up! Eating a hearty breakfast means you won’t have to stop for food. Not stopping for food is translation for: saving money, which is translation for: more shopping.

Working for a rustic furniture company means that I know a lot about western style décor. From rustic chairs to rustic outdoor settings, I can hold my own with most anyone. However, up until recently, I could barely name one classic, western movie. Having been with Rustic Furniture Pro for a while now, I figured it was high time I got a bit more invested in the Western culture – Western movie culture, that it.

Luckily for me, my husband is a huge fan of Western movies. If there are horses, guns and cowboys on T.V., I can guarantee you he is watching it! I used to walk on by the TV without a glance. I figured all Western movies were pretty boring. However, that all changed one fateful Saturday this past August.

August 2010 was AMC’s John Wayne Saturday month. Not surprisingly, my husband woke up early to start the day-long marathon, and I reluctantly joined him. Five Westerns later and lots of popcorn, I was hooked. Somehow, you just don’t get tired of good ole cowboys beatin’ out the bad guys. With a little help from my husband, we came up with our Top 5, must-see Westerns. Here are the ones we tip our hats to:

1. The Cowboys (1972): After his cowhands desert him for the California Gold Rush, Will Anderson (John Wayne), is forced to hire 11 youngsters to help him drive cattle.
2. The Searchers (1956): Ethan Edwards (John Wayne), a Confederate veteran, heads to his brother’s home after the war. When his brother and sister-in-law are killed by Comanches, Edwards becomes obsessed with searching for his lost niece and avenging his dead family.
3. Unforgiven (1992): Clint Eastwood stars in this award-winning film as a killer-turned-gentle farmer. He takes on one final bounty hunter mission: to find a man who brutalized a prostitute. (Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman make this a star-studded cast)
4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): Robert Redford and Paul Newman robbing banks, escaping the law, traveling to South America, falling in love – talk about a great Western!
5. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: This Western is a must-see. Based during the Civil War, the good (Clint Eastwood), the bad (Lee Van Cleef) and the ugly (Eli Wallach) go on a hunt for $200,000.00 of buried Confederate gold.

So we may be a rustic furniture company, but we are willing to give our two sense about Westerns as well. Try these great flicks out – grab some popcorn, a blanket and a friend and have fun.