2014 in Furniture

I wasn't sure if I was going to do a year in review post, but in flipping back through the blog month-by-month, I realized just how much I really accomplished in 2014. And if you follow along, you know that back in early November, a nasty virus encrypted everything on my computer. My hard drive was sent off to a data recovery center with the hope that at least my pictures could be saved. Well sadly, I just got word over the weekend they could not recover a thing. Absolutely nothing! To say that I'm disappointed would be a huge understatement. Talk about a lesson learned the hard way - sigh! ..... So I am happy to at least have any photos posted on the blog and especially appreciate that you occasionally indulge my need to share family photos. I found a few that I thought were lost forever and that made me smile!

But this post is about furniture, so let's get to it. Here's a little round-up of some of my favorite furniture painting projects of 2014, stating with some bright and bold colors ...

The combination of coral and gold was one of my favorites of the year!

 And although I rarely paint anything orange, I thought this persimmon shade was really yummy!

Shades of blue and green probably best reflect my own personal style.

I would so love to see this emerald green in a bedroom paired with navy blue!

Do you still love the turquoise and aqua shades that became so popular a few years ago?

One day I mixed up some leftover paint and created a cottage shade of green that I'd love to use again!

I love that black can look very fresh on a mid-century piece, but still classic and sophisticated on a more traditional piece!

And I still get more requests for white than any other color. It's fresh and pretty and works with any style - modern, traditional, shabby chic or cottage!

And finally, I love using shades of gray. I think gray is another versatile color that plays well with others and can look fresh and modern or totally classic!

So there you have it, a little round-up of furniture painting projects here at Elizabeth & Co. for the year 2014. Can't wait to see what furniture and colors come my way next!

And while we're on the subject of color, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Marsala. It's hard to imagine on furniture or walls. But I think it could be fun for accessories, maybe a pillow, a scarf or a lipstick. Are you a person who likes to be on trend or do you stick with your tried and true favorites?

I'm sharing with ...

The Blissful Bee
My Passion For Décor

Crisp Sugar Cookies

Today I'm sharing our family recipe for the most delicious thin and crispy sugar cookies!

Before Christmas, I shared my little Christmas Cookie Baking Vignette that sat on my kitchen counter all through the month of December. It was a sweet reminder of our family tradition of baking our favorite rolled out sugar cookies on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.

I've had requests for the recipe, so here's a little recap of our cookie baking adventure, along with the recipe that I'm happy to share!

We have a Corian kitchen counter and roll the cookie dough directly on the well-floured counter top. Ryan is the dough rolling expect. He has a knack for getting it really thin.  

Ryan uses the tiny cookie cutters around the edges to use up every bit of cookie dough. Engineers always have a plan!

The tiny cookies go on a separate tray so that they bake evenly.

This year, we had a new little cookie helper in the kitchen. Uncle Ryan, Clare thought a little extra rolling was in order!

She also thought the dough was fun to play with ...

and to eat, although we snatched it away from her at the last second!

She finally got the hang of the shakers.

And Clare's cookies were very generously sprinkled!

 Everyone took a turn at cookie decorating, but with a baby on the loose, we didn't take quite as much time as usual for intricate decorating!

Clare got to sample her very first cookie, ever!

And in no time at all, we had a big batch of sugar cookies, all ready for Santa!

This recipe was handled down from my mother-in-law. She got it from a friend many years ago. If you like your sugar cookies thin and crispy, then this recipe is for you!

Crisp Sugar Cookies

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup Crisco shortening

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

Mix the eggs, sugar and shortening until blended. Add the vanilla and the dry ingredients. Chill dough overnight. Roll dough thin on a well-floured surface. Cut and bake at 375 degrees for about 6 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. 

*It helps to return any extra dough to the refrigerator while you are rolling and cutting to keep it well chilled. And we have never tried this recipe using butter as my mother-in-law says the Crisco is what makes the cookies nice and crispy.

 This is a great cookie recipe to have on hand for any occasion through out the year. We made these paw print cookies with blue and white sprinkles to cheer our favorite team on to victory in their bowl game!

And as much as we love these cookies, it's the memories of baking together that we will cherish forever!

Sharing with .....

Finding Silver Pennies

The Blissful Bee

It's A Brand New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

There's just something hopeful and optimistic about the start of a brand new year! 

Like maybe anything is possible!

And it's a good time to say thank you to the people who make your heart sing!

Thank you to those of you who take the time to stop by this little blog and say hello, share your creativity and inspiration and allow me to share bits and pieces of my life along the way!

And thank you to our Elizabeth & Co. friends and customers who encourage our dreams, share our passion of all things vintage and allow us to do what we love to do!

Wishing you a happy heart and all the very best in 2015!