Cinderella Story: Chair Makeover

Does everyone religiously browse the PB catalog like me? I have been crushing on some fun and structured chairs lately but there was no way in heck I would pay more than $100 for each chair: see them here, here, and here.  I was lucky enough to come across two matching Chippendale chairs recently (FOR FREE!) and could not wait to recreate one of my favorite looks. 

Hot Air Balloon Embroidery Pattern

Isn't it satisfying to put the finishing touches on a project that you feel took way too long? Last night I finally wrapped up an embroidery piece that I've been working on for a couple of days too many. 

Sometimes even I'm amazed by where I find inspiration. I was taking Quinn for a walk about two weeks ago when one of the neighborhood girls ran up to pet her and had the cutest little dress on. It had the most charming hot air balloons all over (see here) and I knew right away that I wanted to have a bit of that dreaminess in my world. I thought an embroidery would be the ideal medium to showcase the playful beauty of the balloon and set to work to create a pattern I could use.

Bejeweled Bar Pendant Necklace

I had mentioned here and here that I'm expanding my crafting horizons and venturing into jewelry making. For my birthday, I received all of the tools I'd need to start working with wire pieces (thanks, honey!) and a gift card to a specialty bead store from my amazing coworkers. Since I have no experience with this stuff, I decided to take it easy and create something simple. In less than thirty minutes I had this great bar pendant necklace and I couldn't be more excited to wear the heck out of it.

Monte Cristo Waffle Sandwiches

Do you like breakfast? Yes? Do you like breakfast for dinner? Double yes? Thought so! Me too!

One of my favorites is a Monte Cristo sandwich... you know the one: grilled cheese with ham/turkey that is prepared like French toast. What's not to like?! Now let's take it one step further and throw it all together in a waffle maker. What do you get? Ooey-gooey, cheesy, meaty, french-toasty waffles! Yum!

Birthday Fun in Philadelphia

I bet you didn't know that Saturday was my 24th birthday! If you just put two and two together, then you now know that we moved into our house on my birthday last year. That was probably the most eventful birthday ever so this year I just wanted to take it easy.  I'm not sure if everyone else looks forward to their birthdays as much as I do, but I always feel like a little kid on August 18th. [Give me a few more years and this feeling will probably fade away haha.]

I think I feel this positively about birthdays because I'm married to the sweetest guy ever who goes out of his way to spoil me each year. In addition to the presents that blew me away (he knows me too well), the Mr. treated me to an afternoon in our favorite city. We visited the Philadelphia Art Museum's current exhibition: Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse: Visions of Arcadia, lounged amid the gardens on the museum lawn, and had a surprise dinner at Davio's. The evening was topped off with some drinks and a delicious tiramisu.

Side note: If you get a chance to visit one of the northern Italian steakhouse's four locations, I highly suggest it. The Mr. and I both ranked our meals in our "top three." The food was astounding and all of the employees were attentive and professional. 

As I mentioned earlier, the Mr. got me some great gifts. Christmas had been a holiday full of kitchen gadgets but my birthday was made complete with tons of crafting goodness and some fashionable accessories on the side. You'll see a lot of the items in future posts and I'll be sure to point them out when the time comes.

I hope everyone else had as nice weekend as I did! Unfortunately, it left me with little time to really work on anything. Check back later this week for a delicious "breakfast for dinner" recipe and some crafty fun!

LucKEY Neighbor {printable}

I still can't believe that exactly a year ago today we closed on our house and moved in the same day. While it's a super quiet "everyone keeps to themselves" cul-de-sac, we have the best next-door neighbor ever.  There's no doubt in my mind that we lucked out in the neighbor department.  A few weeks ago she gave us a copy of her house key and I've been meaning to get her one of ours as well. After bringing us a delicious homemade dinner, I thought it was about time we handed it over. Enter in the "Luckey Neighbor Printable."

I printed mine directly onto a sheet of grey cardstock then affixed it to the front of an envelope. That way the key could be stowed safely inside with copies of our contact info and a thank you note.

Mind you, the printable doesn't only have to be used as a way to hand over your house key to someone. You could make it into a Thank You card. It could be resized for little labels at the holidays. Or maybe you're just going on vacation and your neighbor is looking over your house.

Download your copy here.

If you like printables, you should consider following Spool and Spoon via email or through Google Friend Connect for others as well as tutorials and recipes that are sure to tickle your fancy. Also, did you know we have a Facebook? Hop on over so you don't miss any of the fun. 

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable | Young and Crafty | Nifty Thrifty Things

Top 10 Favorite Posts

Have I ever mentioned how much I love blogging? I really do. While I don't expect to make a living off of it (wouldn't that be the life?!), I have such a blast writing and DIYing. It's the best hobby I could have ever picked up. I've been really grateful, especially over the last few weeks, to see my following of readers grow tremendously. What I've come to realize though is that many of you may have missed some of my very favorite posts. Luckily for me (and for you, too!) Lena from Mom2 Memphis and Ruby is hosting a Top 10 Favorite Blog Posts link-up this week and the temptation was too much for me to resist.


I broke the list up into the two categories that Spool and Spoon is all about: food and crafts!

SPOOL {Crafts}
1 Starburst Mirror -- This is a new one, but I'm still pretty smitten with it. Sometimes I stand for an extra few seconds and stare at it when I walk through the door. I can't help but to smile when I see it.  

2 Lace Earrings -- Every time I wear these I get a ton of compliments. They are simple and stunning but the best part is that no one has seen anything like them so they're always the perfect touch.

3 Bookpage Banner -- Who doesn't love easy and practically free art? Very few things are better than that.

4 Cut Lace Carryall -- I love the versatility of this bag and the impressive savings off of the Anthro original make me love it a whole lot more.

5 No Sew Placemat -- This was made months ago and still standing up well to Aubrey's daily use so I thought it deserved a little shout out.

SPOON {Food}
1 Sangria Salsa -- This was a refreshing change at our last cookout and I think you'd like it too. I may actually like it more when paired up with some jello (i.e. a Sangria Fruit Salad), and not the pita chips, but that's just me.

2 Nutella Cheesecake Poppers -- For awhile this had been my most viewed post, and I'm not surprised why. These are pretty and delicious. What's not to like?

3 Creamy Champagne Fondue -- I made this for the Mr.'s birthday back in March and have been craving it ever since... Mouth watering. I could eat the entire pot full.

4 All-American Apple Crumble -- I have four words for you: these are the bomb. Nuff said.

5 S'mores Cookies -- With summer coming to an end, these will be the perfect campfire treat when there's no campfire in sight.

(Please don't mind the photo quality in the older posts. There is no going back after getting the best camera ever from my sweetheart of a husband.)

If this Top 10 didn't catch you up on all of the great things that you may have missed since March, I'm not sure what will. I hope this provided some inspiration and whet your appetite for more DIY projects and easy recipes! Please consider following Spool and Spoon through Google Friend Connect, by email, or on Facebook so you don't fall behind. All the cool kids are doing it :-P

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable | Mom2 Memphis and Ruby