I have gone from being someone who says, "I can't have one more appliance." To someone that has allll the appliances, and trust me I don't have room to store them. Kitchen size aside however, I love to cook. My husband also enjoys cooking, though he primarily likes to experiment with proteins. I purchased a smoker for him for Christmas a few years ago and he has enjoyed the challenge of learning all the different aspects of it. 
 
He became interested in Sous Vide last year, I had never heard of it before, but he began to research it and determined that we needed one. I was skeptical that what essentially looked like we were boiling meat could yield anything close to restaurant quality.
 
Well, we finally tried it out. I have to tell you, the results surprised me. We're definitely novices but I already have a few tips and tricks to share. So here it is, a steak house dinner for two! ​

As part of my "I was Influenced" series I not only wanted to look at products, but also ideas that have gained popularity in the blog-o-insta-sphere. This one isn't new, for the past few years giant engineered print photos have graced home decor blogs. I had read that they don't come out as great as people think they do, but I was curious to try for myself. Here's how I made this 24" x 36" large scale photo and frame for a little under $15. ​

I'm not sure if it's the colder weather or something else, but I've been getting moodier in my decor lately. While I'm still a firm believer that white paint fixes everything, I've been seeing beautiful kitchens, living rooms, and offices painted black and have been getting the itch to paint a room in my house black.
 
My master bedroom has been in flux since we moved in. It was the first room that I removed the wall paper in and painted, but then I did nothing else with it. It has sat for three years. No headboard, no design, no cohesive furniture. 
 
I finally had enough and decided to give it a little love, starting with a geometric feature wall. This project was super easy to do and cost me less than $50 in supplies. ​

There's less than a week until Christmas, which means that any semblance of healthy eating is suspended until January. I woke up this morning and had a hankering for doughnuts. Although I'm more of a "savory" person, once in a while a good doughnut is just what you want.

What I didn't want to do was put on pants and go to a coffee shop, but oh wait...I have a coffee shop in my house! So we undertook "homemade" doughnuts using our Air Fryer. They were SO easy to make, with endless topping possibilities. In 6 minutes you can have yummy homemade doughnuts. You probably already have what you need in your fridge. Here's how to do it! 

I've been under the weather this week and everyone told me I just had to try a Medicine Ball or Cold Buster from Starbucks. I guess it used to be on their "secret menu" but now it's available as Honey Citrus Tea on the actual menu.

Let me tell you, it's no hot toddy but it did make me feel a lot better. So much better that I wanted to make them at home. So here's my version.

Get that fancy new Samsung Picture TV for $35 bucks! Okay...so you can't actually do that, but you can kinda, sorta, almost have your TV do what it does.
 
If you're having a party and want to display a painting or picture on your TV instead of it being a giant black square, I have a quick hack for you using FireTv (although I'm sure other aircast programs have a similar option).

I think one of the loveliest exchanges during this time of year is the hostess gift. It's usually unexpected, a social norm from days gone by, but I can assure you that the recipient 
 
I think the go-to hostess gift is a bottle of wine. If you go this route just be sure you are bringing a bottle for your host or hostess to consume at a later date. I'm never against wine, but if you're looking for something a little different, here are 5 affordable hostess gift ideas. You can stock up now and be set for the holidays.

I hate my fireplace. I don't think that's a secret. Well, let me clarify. I love that we have a fireplace (it was one of my "must haves" when buying a house). I love that it's a central fireplace. I don't love that it's red 50's scored brick. Or that the grout is dingy. 
 
My husband loves our fireplace. As in he won't let me paint it. He also would not let me attach a mantle to it. I'm not sure why, this has been one of those "line drawn in the sand things."
 
So after walking by it for three years and pretending that I don't hate it, and trying to hide it behind decor as much as possible, I finally did something about it. I know we will be fixing it up in the future when we remodel, but I didn't want to wait.
 
I made a freestanding "surround" and I kinda love it. It was super easy and you could use this same technique to make a faux fireplace for the holidays if you wish. The best part? I can take it off and move it or change it whenever I want. For $50 and one afternoon's work you can have one too. Here's how I did it...