I love a free room makeover!  I recently did some remodeling in my basement, and used the opportunity to repaint and freshen my family room.  Everything got a fresh coat of paint, and I moved some artwork that had previously been in my upstairs hall down to live above the TV.  I loved the colors in that space, but it was much too small; I needed a big statement piece without a big price tag.  That’s when I remembered these Ikea mirrors that I had stolen rescued from my sister’s “donate” pile.

And then I remembered that the reason she was getting rid of them was that it was so hard to hang them all straight and that drove her crazy.  I really liked the thought of them being one big piece, so I decided to attach them together.

I didn’t want the finished product to be this color, so I started by taping off the mirrors on each piece (I used a post-it in the center, then taped around it.)

I found a piece of cast-off artwork on a large sheet of masonite in the garage and cut it down to use as the backing.  I just cut it so that it was big enough for each mirror to attach to it, but a few inches smaller than the overall finished piece so it wouldn’t show from the front.

I drew some guide marks to show where the first mirror would go, then hot glued it right in the center.  I chose to hot glue them on to hold them in place while I turned the whole thing over to nail it together.  You could also just glue them if you wanted to, but I would recommend a very heavy duty adhesive like Gorilla Glue or Liquid Nails.

Once they were all glued on, I turned the whole piece over and used a Sharpie to mark a couple of points on each mirror where I would nail it through.

I would actually recommend using screws for this, but I didn’t have screws short enough – and since we were having a blizzard this day there was no way I was leaving the house! – so I used nails.  They were still too long, so I angled them in like this:

and them hammered them flat.  If you’re worried about the screw or nail scratching your wall, just dab a little dot of hot glue on each and let dry.  Now it will be sturdy enough to move and hang as one piece.

I spray painted the whole piece with Oil Rubbed Bronze Krylon spraypaint, then removed the tape.  Once it was dry, I installed a hanger on the back (I forgot to take a picture of this step, but if you look in the framing section of a store like Hobby Lobby or Michael’s, you’ll see that they have lots of choices.)

Now it’s the perfect focal point above my TV.

Print this Diet Pepsi 2 liter or 7.5 oz 8-pk .50/1 coupon quickly, before it disappears.  This coupon will make the 2 liters FREE or CHEAP, depending if your local stores double coupons.  I found this coupon under zip code 85001.  Remember, you can print each coupon twice!

My kids had a 3 week winter break back in December. My 7 year old daughter wanted to do a craft one day, and we made her this art coloring case. After my older boys saw it they even wanted one! Kind of funny.

I got the idea from here, and followed her directions. It is really easy. I didn’t have to purchase one thing for this project, and my kids loved how they turned out! Since making them we have discovered these are perfect for church, car rides, and even at bedtime.

This Valentine’s Day, send your Valentines out for a special postmark. There are several cities that will stamp your Valentines with a specially designed postmark. To do this, simply put your (stamped) Valentines in a larger envelope and mail to one of the following:

Postmaster
Valentine Re-mailing
446 E. 29th St.
Loveland, CO 80538

Postmaster
Valentine Re-mailing
Valentine, TX 79854

Postmaster
Valentine Re-mailing
Valentine, NE 69201

Postmaster
Valentine Re-mailing
Valentine, VA 23887

January is National Soup Month! Each week I have been posted new soup recipes that are either my favorite, or new ones that I want to try. This week’s recipe is fabulous! Delicious and healthy for you. It is very kid-friendly, too. This recipe comes from one of my favorite food blogs.

If you enjoy the blog Our Best Bites, you should know they have published 2 fantastic cookbooks. You can buy them on Amazon for a great price. Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen and Savoring the Seasons.

Black Bean Soup
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 T olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3/4 C diced carrots (about 2 med carrots)
3/4 C diced celery (about 2 ribs)
1 C diced onion (about 1 sm-med onion)
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 3.5oz can green chilies
2 cans low-sodium beef broth
1 t kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t cumin
1/2 t dry oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
Optional Toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

Place a large stock pot on the stove-top and set to medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add olive oil. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes.

Add in the black beans, chilies, and beef broth. Stir to combine and then add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf.

Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf from soup.

Place soup in a blender. (You could use an immersion blender in place of this step) Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the lid to let heat escape. Place a paper towel over the hole to avoid splatters.

Puree soup until completely smooth. Optionally you could pulse until a semi-chunky soup is achieved. Squeeze in the juice from one lime and pulse to combine.

Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings. Serve with extra lime wedges. Makes about 8 C soup.

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