Guest Post: Tetris-Chic Mirror Make Over

I haven't really been accepting guest posts for awhile now but Sarah sent me a photo of her Tetris Mirror and I fell in love with it! It fits so perfectly with the retro arcade style that we have been working on in our living room and I knew that it was something that needed to be shared here at Polish The Stars. I hope you all like it as much as I do! Take it away, Sarah...

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Hi Everyone! My name is Sarah from Sewing Parts Online and I'm thrilled to be sharing a fun and inexpensive home decor project. My fiance and I are moving into our very first home and, in true first time home buyer fashion, the budget doesn't leave much room for decorating. Let's be honest; it leaves no money for decorating. But, a happy wife is a happy life, and the old man agreed to a $10 'splurge': Thirft store mirror for $3 bucks and a tube of cheap ceramic tiles. Score!

Supplies

Thrift Store Mirror
Grey Acrylic Paint
Orange Acrylic Paint
Paint Brushes
Ceramic Tiles
E6000 Glue


If the frame of your mirror is smooth, you can jump right in and paint it grey. If there are a few bumps or grooves, give the frame a quick sanding to even out the surface.

Glue the tiles on the mirror with E6000 glue. Start around the edges. Don't worry about a color scheme unless you already have one planned. We are going for an "intentionally random" look. It should look random, but balanced.

Next, we want to create rows that extend out at different lengths. Once again, we want random, but balanced. If mentally Tetris while gluing, you'll get awesome results.

Paint all the white tiles bright orange.

That's all there is to it! Mount that sucker on the wall and admire your new ode to modern thriftiness. Thank you so much for reading and thank you Megan for allowing me to share on Polish The Stars!

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You can usually find me linking up at:

Monday: C.R.A.F.T. * Keeping It Simple * Jam Hands * Tuesday: Not Just A Housewife * Today's Creative Blog * Chef In Training * Sugar Bee Crafts * Homework * Wednesday: Someday Crafts * Lil Luna * Ginger Snap Crafts * White Lights on Wednesday * Thursday: Somewhat Simple * House of Hepworths * Tidy Mom * What's Cooking, Love? * Friday: Tatertots and Jello * Simply Designing * The 36th Avenue * Saturday: I Heart Naptime * Six Sister's Stuff * Sunday: Flamingo Toes * Nifty Thrifty Things

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

The other day Shelby said that he was craving mashed potatoes so I decided to take a shot at some garlic mashed potatoes since that is always his favorite to order at restaurants. He loved how this recipe turned out! It is creamy and has a great garlic flavor that isn't overpowering. 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

adapted from Food.com

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Garlic Cloves

2 pounds Red Potatoes

3 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 cup Milk

1/4 cup Sour Cream

Sea Salt or Garlic Salt

Preheat oven to 400F. Place whole, unpeeled garlic cloves in a single layer on aluminum foil and wrap tightly. Roast for 45 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile, rinse potatoes and place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a slow boil and cook for 20 minutes or until soft.

When garlic cloves are done cooking, unwrap foil and let cool until touchable. 

Remove potatoes from pot using a slotted spoon and place in a large heat safe mixing bowl. Peel garlic cloves and add to bowl with potatoes (the roasted garlic cloves will be mushy and sticky - sometimes it is helpful to snip off the top of the clove and squeeze the garlic mush into the bowl).

Using a potato masher, mash potatoes and garlic until smooth. Add butter, milk and sour cream. Mix until well combined. Add sea salt to taste or use garlic salt if you want to boost the garlic flavor.

LEGO Heart Necklace

A few months back I saw this idea on Squidoo for a heart necklace made out of LEGOS and I knew I had to have one. Jer has been working on a giant lego village so we had the big box of parts out and it seemed like a good time to rummage through for the pieces that I needed. 

I tried to search for the official name of these pieces but I couldn't find it. A search for 'lego rounded plate with hole' should turn up a few though.

Once you have your pieces, press the two plates together to form a heart (they fit pretty snugly but you can add a touch of super glue if you want to make sure that they won't come apart). 

Use pliers to open a small jump ring, thread it through the hole in the back plate and close it again. Thread on a necklace chain and enjoy your new jewelry or give it to your valentine!

Pepper Jack Smothered Chicken

I was flipping through my recipe book the other day and came across this Pepper Jack chicken that I used to make all of the time but then somehow forgot about. I made it the other night and it was like discovering a recipe all over again. Originally it was pan fried and used packaged taco seasoning so I made it healthier by baking it and making my own taco seasoning. The result is jucier, healthier, and more flavorful. If you make the taco seasoning ahead of time, this chicken only requires about 5 minutes of prep too!

Pepper Jack Smothered Chicken

by Polish The Stars

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts (or two cut in half)

4 teaspoons Taco Seasoning (see recipe below)

1 cup (4oz) Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350F. Rub 1/2 teaspoon of taco seasoning onto each side of each piece of chicken. Place on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.

Top each piece of chicken with 1/4 cup cheese. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Serves 4.

Taco Seasoning

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Mix everything together in a small bowl and store in an air tight container. Use about 2 Tablespoons of seasoning for each pound of meat.

I added a bunch of new coasters to the shop this week. Head over and geek out!

Colorful Mario Coasters Set of 12

Grey Super Mario Coasters Set of Four, Eight, or Twelve

Minecraft Coasters Set of Four, Eight, or Twelve