Pepper Design Blog

A Little of This & That... Renovating, Decorating, DIY Projects & Family

pepper_header_flower

Hallway Makeover: An Idea, A Color & A Challenge

by

What are your thoughts on wallpapered accent walls? I’m in the mood to give my hallway a good shake up and I’m thinking that one wall covered in a beautiful design would be just the way to mix things up. Plus it’s a hallway, and some how that makes me feel better about committing to an all-over pattern. Funny, I know.

Here’s where the hallway’s located in our house, and that wall that the arrow is pointing to would be my new, fun accent wall:

Originally, I began pulling images that inspired me regardless of color or pattern. The hallway leads to Liv’s room (as well as ours) so I even threw a few kids patterns in the initial inspirational mix. Here’s just a piece of what was in that folder:

1, 2, 3, 4

Please forgive the lack of sources… I am usually really really great about crediting (that the correct person of an idea receives proper credit & that an idea is easy to track down are both really important to me) but many of these images have been sitting in my Wallpaper folder for a loooong time, or sometimes I wasn’t able to find the source on Pinterest (really hope that’s fixed over there soon!). But where I do have credits I definitely included them :).

So I had my big modge podge folder of ideas and I began visualizing that future space and I couldn’t shake the color blue. The current hallway is tan, and blue feels fresh and new! Here’s where that train of thought slowly wound me:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

So many choices! And so much looking. I saved my favorites and kept them close by for quick contemplating throughout the day which is a little exercise I often do when I’m super indecisive. But even after much thought into what the right pattern might be, I just couldn’t settle on one (Oh sweet indecisiveness! You and I are best friends).

See more of my journey over on Pinterest.

I eventually decided that I might have a bit more flexibility (and save some serious $) if I gave stenciling a try. Stenciled spaces can be stunning! And that basic block print has always been a look that I gravitate towards. Here are a few of my favorite patterns/inspiration with a stenciled hallway in mind:

Actually, I’m not sure all of the above are stencils. I know that that brown and white wall on the left is from here, but those blue patterns might actually be wallpaper. Either way, I was immediately inspired by the one color + white design look.

I had finally committed to an application and a vision.

Then I read about the winter edition of the Pinterest challenge (a challenge encouraging you to create one of the many items you’ve pinned) and I was set! I have my idea board, I have my project that needs tackling, and now I have my motivation to get. it. done.

The verdict? I’m going to attempt a unique wall pattern that is all my own with a roll of painter’s tape, a chair rail, a quart of black chalkboard paint and a quart of the perfect blue hallway paint. I feel like I’m setting up a magic trick…

See you on Monday!

PS In local home stores in 5 cities (Atlanta, Dallas, Sacramento, Salt Lake City and San Diego) ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape with EdgeLock is offering a buy-2 get-1 free by mail offer until March 12th.  Check it all out here.

Project Gallery Update!

by

There are some awesome projects over in the Project Gallery, have you checked it out recently?

You can upload your own recipes, rooms, crafts and parties (and everything in between) in about two seconds — it’s a great way to share with others as well as introduce your blog to PDB readers! I keep all of my projects in the gallery, too.

You can reach the gallery one of two ways: in the top navigation bar next to Home click Project Gallery, or through the sidebar just below the Welcome message.

To add your project, head over to the right side bar when in the gallery and add a link (to your blog post, not the overall homepage) in the text field. Select a category and tag so that it’s easy to find by others, and your done! Super simple.

Apple Pie Pops

by

I’ve been meaning to try these out for a while and I’m happy to report back that they were possibly one of the easiest desserts I’ve made… and one of the yummiest!

Apple Pie Pops

I am a pie fan. I love a good slice of homemade American apple pie (my mom’s especially) over most desserts and I was really excited to give these a go after seeing them over here.

No, I didn’t make a homemade crust (which is usually the golden pie rule) but that’s also what made these so easy. And when in little turnover batches like these pie bites, the pre-made, rolled out crust sold in the frozen food section of the grocery store is quite tasty. Mmmm that bite above was delicious. 100% as good as it looks!

This is a must try – they’re cute, tasty and unique. The girls at the baby shower I brought them to loved them!

******************************************************************************

Apple Pie Bites
a

Ingredients: Pre-made pie dough, 1 apple (I used a granny smith), 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1 T brown or white sugar, water, flour for rolling dough, 8 lollipop sticks (found at Michaels or a craft/baking store), glass or cookie cutter, parchment paper

Makes 8 pops (the average pre-made dough round makes 16 rounds – or 8 pops total – so double or triple as necessary.) Preheat oven to 375.

1. Peel and core your apple(s), chop up into small 1/2″ pieces and mix with cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. (There’s no science to the amounts I chose here, season to taste or even use an apple pie spice. I like to bake in ‘pinches’ and ‘dashes’ measurements myself).

2. Cook over low heat until the apples are slightly soft, but remember they’ll finish cooking in the oven. Add 2-3 T of water to your raw apples as you’re cooking to help the apples break down.

3. While the apples simmer, unwrap your dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Add a small amount of flour to the top to keep your rolling pin from sticking.

4. The dough is a bit thick right out of the box so I recommend a good roll, flip, roll to get your full 16 circles for 8 pops. Super thick crust is more likely to split at the seams while baking, too.

5. I found the perfect size circle in a beer glass that we have from a favorite local pub, but a round cookie cutter or water glass would have worked swimmingly.

Gather up your scraps and kneed another flat layer out one last time to get a full 16 circles (plus scraps for covering in sugar and baking).

6. Parchment paper is really useful here and I generally just dig how easy it makes baking and clean up. I staggered my circles in windows so that there was plenty of room for the long lollipop sticks.

Be sure to press those sticks over half way up through the circle for maximum post-baking support.

7. Now it’s time to add just a bit of filling to each circle. The pie bites that stayed together best were those with just a tablespoon or so of that yummy apple goodness. Of course you could add berries, cherries or even a square of chocolate here for an entirely different flavor.

8. Place your second round on top of the circle and gently press together the edges to seal up those seams.

9. Using the end of a lollipop stick, create a little ribbed design in the edges (further sealing that seam):

Voila! One down.

Looking so delicious already! What a fun little packet of yumminess.

10. Add a dash of cinnamon and sugar just before putting in the oven. (Optional: brush on a glaze of whipped egg whites for a more crackled pie crust look. I completely forgot this step but they ended up still looking tasty). Bake for 10-15 minutes.

You really must try these, I insist. Between rolling out the dough, assembly and cooking, these guys could not have taken me more than 30 minutes (that’s including baking).

Here they are straight out of the oven. Give them a little time to cool and then enjoy!

**********************************************************************

Speaking of the shower that I brought these pie pops to, here are some fun ideas that the hostess thought up:

The table with its jars of candy, alphabet letters and vintage books was adorable. A simple piece of plexiglass over wooden puzzles turned them into the perfect trays (love that idea):

A little foam puzzle was strung up to create unique bunting, likewise with paper dixie cups over Christmas lights:

The craft for the evening was handmade alphabet blocks using modge podge and cute cut outs on wooden blocks, it was so creative and such a neat gift for the mom-to-be, Sarah. Great job, Cassie!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
May 2025
MTWTFSS
« Feb  
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031