Black Powder Room

 

My long-neglected half bath has finally gotten a makeover! After having an entire great room painted black in my last house, I really missed the drama. I went with a flat black with a gloss black stencil, and I am so happy with the results!

 

I love my silver leaf lion head vase I got at the Lamps Plus clearance sale! I've seen these for hundreds of dollars at high end furniture stores, but I got this one for $9.99! Soooo over the top, but so is the whole bathroom. Sometimes you just have to go big when you go home :)

 

The lamps were a HomeGoods purchase for $19.99 each. I'm a sucker for anything with metallic and mirror.

 I'll be honest, the stenciling sucked... It took me a total of 8 hours to paint and stencil! This did not include painting the moulding afterward... I used the Marrakech Trellis stencil from the Moroccan collection.

Before...

After...

Wrought Iron Doors

What's the first thing people see when they walk into your house? For me, it is my glass office doors. Pretty, but BOOOOOORIIIIIIING!!!! I spruced them up last weekend with $40 wrought iron gates from HomeGoods, and I am so happy with the results!!!

 

                       

 

This was the best before picture I could find... Bad blogger!

 I had brackets made at a sheet metal shop(thanks Dad!) and painted them with an acrylic faux finish to make them disappear.

 I simplified the accessories so you could appreciate the beauty of the gate. Love!

A fraction of the cost of custom doors, 20 minutes to install(Thanks, Bubby!), and seductive, high end results.

 

"Wrought Iron" Garden Art

I've been looking for inexpensive iron art for my fence along a large stretch of grass on the side yard. When I came across this outdoor rubber floor mat for $6 at one of my favorite discount stores, I was sold! A little construction adhesive to attach a $2 wooden letter from Michael's, and wha-la! "Wrought iron" garden art!!

Gluten Free Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cake

I am so happy Fall is in the air! Cinnamon candles, Starbucks salted caramel mochas and pumpkin EVERYTHING! Or as we say in my household, "Punkin". When I realized I could combine 2 of my favorite things-salted caramel and pumpkin, I was in Heaven! Pumpkin cake with buttercream frosting and salted caramel drizzle..... Ugh! Now clean up your drool and start baking! This is the first gluten-free, dairy-free thing I have ever made where I had multiple people without dietary restrictions have asked for the recipe!

Gluten-Free Cake:
1 1/2 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1/3 cup Tapioca Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 Nutmeg

1/2 Cup Canola Oil
1 1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs or egg replacement
1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
1/3 Cup Water
3/4 tsp Vanilla

(For the "Glutenous Maximus" version of this recipe, replace brown rice and tapioca flours with 1 2/3 cups all purpose white flour.)

Frosting:
1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread, softened
2 tsp Hazelnut Milk
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2/3 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

Caramel Drizzle
6 Tbs Dark Brown Sugar
2 Tbs Water
2 Tbs Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1/2 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients for cake and bake for about 35 minutes or until it bounces back when you press the top.
Frost with the frosting, drizzle with the drizzle and top with rock sea salt! Enjoy!!