The Quaint Sanctuary

Monday, May 16, 2016

{ Simplest Garden Style Centerpiece EVER! }

Well hello there Tuesday!! This week is moving right along & I've been in high spirits all day even with a little rain shower earlier & a pounding sinus headache!! Speaking of rain showers we had a "Florida" style quick rain today & I kind of actually enjoyed it!! If you know me personally, you would know I despise rain.., I know it's essential to all living things, but me being the OCD clean freak I am, I hate the mess ;)! Anyways, we had a warm sunny quick 10 minute rain & then I started think centerpieces ha..I know, totally random!! I walked in from grocery shopping & did a quick clean & popped open all the windows & the rain magically stopped. I decided to slip on my flip flops & go outside to snatch some random { I don't even know what kind of plant they are } garden greenery to fill our empty mason jars we've had on our galvanized tray for weeks...I know, I'm slacking ha! I didn't know if I was going to like it, but actually I'm in loveee! I needed something to make it feel fresh since we were having some quick business company.. So some free rain splashed plant trimmings & oatmeal cookies ,and voila we were ready!!

These mason jars were all free about 2 years ago. We have over 50 of them, so I decided to go through our garage stash AGAINNN haha & finally style some.

I mentioned above that we had a Florida like rain today..Well, when I went outside to see what I could grab from the garden these for some reasons stuck out to me & they actually remind me of a Florida style plant!! I swear it's the most random things that come together so nicely...

This 2 tier tray stand is from +Target It was definitely a splurge for me. You know I like to keep it practical & this piece was over $40! My sister actually spotted it & said " YOU NEED THAT" ! Yes, I may have because it's so cute, neutral, industrial, rustic & well everythinggggg I love & crave ha! Thanks sister!!!

The flower frog is from +Marshalls & was a clearance find for $7! I love the top how it matches the sides of the stand!! It's a great filler too!

Oh my...I need to either feed those cookies all to my husband or pups or something eek haha! The wreath is from +Kohl's & it was originally a Christmas wreath I converted..I probably should blog that too ..hmm! The pillow cover is from +IKEA USA for $6!

I really hope you guys liked this centerpiece! It's so bright, ultra simple & neutral! I mean a tray { you could use any} free rain drenched plant clippings & old free mason jars..SIMPLE people, almost too simple for this planner brain of mine haha!!!!

Happy & healthy Tuesday!

As always THANK YOU for stopping in on my little growing blog. I know everyone says it, but I honestly appreciate each of you for sharing my posts, commenting etc....I'm not the biggest or most popular blogger , but I am humble, real & practical ,and hopefully helpful or inspiring in someway :).

***You can find me here for updates & more ,or SUBSCRIBE on the left side of my blog for FREE & direct updates right to your mail...

Paige.Rose

Sunday, May 15, 2016

{ Simple Summer Entryway Idea using Succulents & Free Junk Finds!! }

Happy Monday guys!! Welcome back to my little slice of heaven hahaha. What a low key, but crazy weekend here in the north! It's been non-stop with stuff since February & then it started snowing today in MAY!!! I mean, as always I try & keep it real here on TQS & that just kind of sent me over the edge!!! So with the combined craziness business wise, life & snow I decided to spruce up our little front entryway with some bright summery treasures! I'm laughing as I write this, here I am decorating for summer with the heat on & parts of Michigan have snow on the ground...typical me haha! In my defense I needed some new decor in our little entryway & I'll be adding something else soon. It's fun & cheery & that's what I needed! Come see this treasure filled inspired space below!

This little pottery barn knock off cubby was a free thrift find! It was originally an orangey stained wood color. I popped some +Annie Sloan chalk paint on it & added the little vintage drawers! I love the summery look the green gave the piece & you all know I love me some glass knobs!

The mini succulents are from Dollar General. I may have like 10.. haha!

I had these free frames sitting around in our garage stash & finally after a year decided what I would do with them!! I wanted to keep with the fresh aqua/ blue , so I decided to use some free prints.

Note: These prints/images are NOT property of The Quaint Sanctuary

That tiny crock was the latest find for our entryway spruce up!! I can't wait to show you the back of it soon ;)! Anyways I hope this fresh little entry gave you some pep in your step for some HOPEFULLY summer weather soon for us northerners!!

**Be sure to check back for updates & the new piece coming soon to our little entryway! What do you think of all this color in our usually neutral entry / home??? I'm kind of loving it so far!!

***You can find me here for updates & more ,or SUBSCRIBE on the left side of my blog for FREE & direct updates right to your mail...

Paige.Rose

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

{ Small Closet into a Thrifty Makeup Vanity!! }

Welcome back friends!! This week seems to be dragging on ,but at least it was nice out today & noo rain haha! I mentioned via Instagram { all my social media links are below } a few days ago that I had a new piece stashed in the back of my jeep & I would be blogging it soon...Yay, today is the day! So I haven't updated this area of our little suburban cottage in quite sometime, for one because I hadn't found the right piece for it.. My grandma was out jukin without me #grr haha & found a great little wicker/ wood cottage style desk that was perfect for the space & spruce up I wanted to do..I had kept with the Tiffany/aqua theme only because that's what I was working with..but our master/ my overall style has been switched out for awhile now & this space needed a good clean & revamp! Come see how I revamped this little closet into a cottage style vanity space & see the old space here -->Makeup Vanity BEFORE

I kept it super simple with neutral decor & some simple everyday essentials I use!

I love the little charming glass knob!! The desk before this had a glass knob as well, but was broken. This desk isn't as sturdy as the last one, but is way more functional with the deep drawer & works better with the space if that makes any sense..

The desk itself has that perfect cottage charm. It's perfectly imperfect with scratches, paint splats & wear..I thinking of putting a mini jute rug under the desk...What do you think??

Like I said above this was a closet in our bedroom.. It was small so we added two closets on the other wall & turned this into a vanity/makeup room. So simple, pop a thrifty desk in, a $10 wall mirror & a few essentials, totes/storage etc.. & done!!

P.S. Don't mind my messy makeup drawer. Little secret, I'm sooo not into expensive makeup or products. The simpler the better for me & most my makeup is drugstore & like a year old. The white makeup organizers are from Dollar Tree.

This little cart is perfect for storage.. The mini neutral totes were gifts & they just hold my costume jewelry, lotions, sprays etc.. Such a fun & easy space that gets used everyday in someway!!

Let me know what you guys think of this closet transformed into a little makeup room!!

I hope you all have a lovely & productive Thursday!

***You can find me here for updates & more ,or SUBSCRIBE on the left side of my blog for FREE & direct updates right to your mail...

Paige.Rose

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

{ Farmhouse & Cottage Style Side Tables & how to get these looks for LESS }

Hey everyone! I hope you all are having a wonderful week..I know, my blogging schedule has been a bit off this week. If we're being honest I've been in a bit of a funk, it's been cold & rainy [ I'd rather have snow I despise rain that much } & I've been going through a weird couple of weeks ugh. Speaking of weird, side tables are that type of furniture/decor that has no rules right?! They come in all different shapes / sizes & you pretty much can put them or use them for anything or anywhere in your home. They're great space fillers, but can be hard to find in the cottage/ farmhouse style without being really expensive unless you DIY them or by them on the cheap/thrift them. Today I'm going to share some simple, affordable & easy places to find cheap tables you could DIY like the styles below.

Aren't those tables above gorgeous & filled with so much charm? Ya, I thought so too, but all of these side tables were $200- $1300+!!! I know that's outrageous, but after looking at these I discovered that many of these tables can be found in stores that are super common... Keep reading below.

Places to Find Similar Side Tables

. HomeGoods

. Marshalls

.T.J. Maxx

. Hobby Lobby

. At Home

. Craigslist

. Ikea

. Garage Sales

. Thrift Stores

Most of the stores above carry a variety of side tables similar to the ones above. Now I know a lot of people will think hmm some of these places can also be pricey.. That's true, but places like +HomeGoods & +Marshalls get unique tables in frequently & they clearance them quite often too. I scored a $180 side table with wicker baskets for $50 because of a little crack..Look for those red clearance stickers etc.. As for garage sales, thrift stores & Craigslist don't be discouraged by colors, stains etc.. Look for the structure, base & style. A lot of people pitch side tables due to being "outdated" , worn out, or "broke". All of those are simple fixes usually especially for the cottage/ farmhouse appeal.

Get the Farmhouse / Cottage Look

The tables above all have one thing in common..they're perfectly imperfect ! With some of the essentials below each of the table above can be achieved. A $50 table with $10 paint & sandpaper you could have one of these $1300 tables like above.

. Chalk paint { You can buy $10 jars at Michaels }

. Sandpaper

. Hardware

. Rope/ textures

. Antiquing wax { You can buy this at +Michaels Stores }

. Matte spray paint/ regular paint or chalk spray paint

I hope you guys liked this post on how / where to find charming farmhouse & cottage style side tables for cheap & how to DIY them.

With the warmer weather {hopefully} coming I'll be able to follow up this post with a quick DIY/ example & or Vlog maybe?? ;) Stay tuned & happy Wednesday everyone!

***You can find me here for updates & more ,or SUBSCRIBE on the left side of my blog for FREE & direct updates right to your mail...

Paige.Rose

Friday, May 6, 2016

{ -SPICY- Cajun, Tomato & Shrimp Pasta }

Happy Friday y'all! No, I'm not from the south, but saying "y'all" is easier & I think we should adapt to it here in the north haha. Speaking of the south, I have a yummy dish just in time for Mother's Day! Around our house & in our family we love a good spicy dish & this one I created today { on a whim} is nothing short of amazing!! It's super simple, but packed full of flavor & is super easy to serve to a larger group. So, back to that on the "whim" part..Ya, you hear that a lot from me haha, but it's true I'm an on- the -whim type of person/ blogger ha. So last week we acquired a bunch of pasta from a friend of ours { THANKS GUYS } because their rather large stock pile was expiring..Well, since the food bank wouldn't take them & we love pasta & they were perfectly fine we decided to take some off their hands. I mean if you haven't noticed I try to keep things as practical as they get around here on TQS & we just don't do the whole wasteful thing..That means it was time to make something with all this pasta! This pasta recipe is my own, but there are similar recipes out there. Come take a peek & jot this one down, it's delicious!!!!

I N G R E D I E N T S

. 1 bag medium shrimp { cut tails off }

. 1 package spaghetti pasta or substitute angel hair

. 1 can of diced tomatoes or Italian diced tomatoes

. 1 stick of butter

. Half of a fresh tomato

. Half a teaspoon of basil

. Half a teaspoon salt & pepper

. 1 teaspoon Cajun spice

. Half a teaspoon pepper flakes

. Pinch of chili powder

. Half a teaspoon onion powder

. Teaspoon of garlic

. Half a teaspoon parsley

Note: These spice measurements are all estimates & can be tweaked to your liking.

D I R E C T I O N S

Start your pot of water with salt to flavor the pasta. Cook the pasta just like you would like you're making regular spaghetti. Time to start to the sauce..Rinse your shrimp in warm water & cut the tails off each one. Get your pan warm & add the stick of butter { You can use olive oil too, I was out & wanted a tad bit of a creamier sauce}. Once the butter is slighting melted, but not sizzling add your shrimp & ALL the spices. Once the shrimp are opaque looking & have a bit of color, dump your tomatoes in!! Let this cook up until the sauce becomes settled & a bit on the thicker side. Check your noodles/ drain them with just a pinch of water left & set them aside. Empty your sauce you just made into another dish & leave the remnants in your pan. Slice a few slices of fresh tomato & cook until they're seasoned with the leftover sauce & take out. Take some noodles & place some delicious & extra spicy sauce on top, then add your fresh tomato to the top & garnish with a tiny bit of parsley/salt & pepper ,and Parmesan cheese if you like. E N J O Y!!!

Mmm, I want seconds hehe!

I really hope your loved ones enjoy this dish! I love how simple it is, yet how much heat & flavor it packs. Wishing all my Mother's { Fur & Heaven included } a - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND - !

***You can find me here for updates & more ,or SUBSCRIBE on the left side of my blog for FREE & direct updates right to your mail...

Paige.Rose

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

{ DIY Farmhouse Style Pantry Door using an Old Window }

Happy Tuesday guys & welcome back to my little blog! I'm just going to jump right into it today because it's going to be a L O N G post!!! I've been working on this little project for about 3 weeks now & it's finally done { super simple project, very indecisive girl ha }. This project was our most simplest project to date & I originally thought it might be a problem..This project literally took my dear hubby 20 minutes at tops & well, me about 3 weeks to decide on a paint, style etc.. Lets not talk about that though hahaha. If you've been following me you'd know that our kitchen/ dining room is under a little "revamp" & I've been obsessed with adding character to our little suburban cottage aka a 1960's rancher lol! Last week we added this --> DIY Vintage Barn Door & today I'm showcasing the cutest & most thrifty pantry door! This project cost under $20 with paint & new food storage containers...The actual project was FREE!! Enough rambling - COME SEEEEE!

B E F O R E

HOW TO:

So you guys know me..sometimes I forget to get "before" shots because lets face it I'm in the moment haha. This was the door before..just your standard white pantry door with a black handle.

The bottom picture is after we installed the window. All to this project was drilling the old hardware hinges into the window sides. We didn't make any new holes, cuts or anything. We simply just attached the hinges we had from the old door to the window & done!!

Side Note: The vintage window was a free find & already this brown color when we got it. I did take a poll from my Instagram page here -->TheQuaintSanctuary IG about what color to paint it & most of you said white..Ya, I just couldn't do that , it would be tooo simple right?! I took the advice of Allison from A House and A Dog & Lindsay from Whimsy Girl Design ! Both said white shelving inside, so I painted the shelving pure white & left the wood sides for charm. Thanks, ladies!!!

A F T E R

I bought all new storage containers for dirt cheap at +Walmart and picked up these labels to track the dates/ expiration on goods. The labels are from +IKEA USA . I love the functionality of them, but especially the vintage fun look they give the plain containers & the mason jars!

I wanted to keep it simple, fresh & still with that vintage modern charm!! I love the mason jars for storing extra baking powders etc.. Knowing me I'll be switching this whole pantry around next week..I'm having fun playing around with it & think some vintage crates would be cute hmm ;)

**As you can see I also didn't paint it perfectly. I wanted that chippy look to shine through, so once I painted it black I did distress some parts for the brown to shine through again!

I got the black tote containers at Dollar General for 3/$6!!!! I mean they were soo cheap, big & I love how the black with the silver grommet detail looked! This is our "real" pantry as our other one is used for cleaning supplies etc.. so that's why you may see food items peeking out. I also may have had a sticky bun or two while photographing hahaha!

The original hinges from the old standard pantry door.

The granite counter stuck out a bit, so we just measured & cut so it shut nicely. I should mention we also added some tiny clear grippers so in case it gets slammed it's no biggie!!

I really hope you guys loved this DIY!! This is my most favorite home project other than the barn door to date!! I'm kind of obsessed at how it looks, the storage & how much bigger it makes the space appear. Super simple, fun & nearly FREE!!!!

***You can find me here for updates & more ,or SUBSCRIBE on the left side of my blog for FREE & direct updates right to your mail...

Paige.Rose