Jamaican Fruitcake Recipe

Growing up in my native Jamaica, I had a 'front-row seat' to scrumptious meals shared throughout the holiday during the Christmas season. 

Of the many foods consumed, my favorite was the delicious Jamaican fruitcake, a complement of my mom. She upheld this tradition annually, and ensured that as kids, we got our very own cake, baked in a tiny cleaned up tuna can. Oh, how I treasure those childhood memories of our beautiful island home! Precious and tender feelings that stay embedded in my heart. 

My desire to replicate my mom's baking skills now has me mixing up yummy batters each December. 

I am tooting my horn, but I think it's safe to say I have finally perfected my craft 😏. My cakes are mouthwatering, reminisce of the two-day consumption in my household (not revealing the biggest consumer, of course). Ha!

Well, enough chit-chatting. Let's now delve into the hidden secrets of the batter 😋.

You must first gather the ingredients needed to make this delicious cake.

These include

Guest Bathroom Reveal! - ORC : Week 7

Hello everyone! Reveal day has finally come! For the first time in ORC history, we reveled in the excitement of a week's extension. Our host, Linda, graciously prioritized recent disaster victims. 

A big thank you to my amazing sponsors - Pfister, HomeRight, and Sylvie Demers, who assisted me with the completion of this makeover. 

… and without further ado, I present to you the long anticipated Guest Bathroom Makeover!

A reminder of how it all started 

HomeRight Paint Stick EZ Twist Review : ORC - Week 6

This post is sponsored by HomeRight.

Hello everyone! Welcome to the final stretch of the One Room Challenge that involves 20 designers and more than 200 guest participants decorating a space in 6 short weeks. Regretfully, I posted nothing for week five so I worked hard this past week trying to catch up. You can refer back to each week to review my progress.

                       Week 2 - Started here

Week 3

Week 4

               Week 5 - No post

                        Week 6 - You are here

I mentioned in a previous post that I planned on painting the bathroom ceiling before tackling the installation of the wallpaper. I had heard great things about the famous PaintStick EZ Twist, so I thought it would be a good idea to try it out. HomeRight was gracious enough to send me one immediately after I reached out to them, and, oh my gosh! Let me just say to you that this paint stick totally changed my "painting" life. First of all, I had no need for a drop cloth because there were absolutely no drips to contend with. Second, there was no reason to use a paint tray. Remarkably, the Paint Stick came with a fill tube which transfers the paint directly from the can to the stick, then finally to the roller. Last, it helped me complete the job in a very short amount of time.  

Guest Bathroom Update - ORC: Week 4

Before I begin, let me first say how happy I am to learn of the one week extension to the One Room Challenge, provided to us by Linda. I happened to have gotten this information from cocoandjack's blog, in case some of you are interested in verifying it. 

Well, I must add that this week has been smooth-sailing, as I do not recall experiencing any hiccups. I patched and sanded the torn drywall, and painted the room. Although I plan on using wallpaper, it only adheres to painted surfaces, so painting was a must. I received the vanity, and I like the white, but I am really itching to paint it - decisions, decisions, hmmm. Also, after much seeking, I finally got a contractor who agreed to install the floor tiles this upcoming Saturday. Believe me when I say I cannot move forward until this happens because almost everything else is contingent upon the tile installation. I cannot have a vanity and toilet put in before they complete this work order. So, do you really know how excited I am about gaining an additional week? Super-excited! :)
 The contractor will replace the tub/shower faucet this weekend, as well. 

If you have been following along, you would recall I changed my design plan. Here are a few items I received to use in the space... I am in love with this wallpaper. The colors are so very subtle.

New Guest Bathroom Plan: Week 3 - ORC

With time swiftly passing, I catapulted into "Usain" mode, where I picked up some lightning speed  :). For those of you who are unfamiliar with the name Usain Bolt, he is a recently retired Jamaican sprinter, and is the first person to hold both the 100 and 200 meters world records since fully automatic time became mandatory. 

Well, before I delve into my situation, let me first say thank you to my amazing sponsor, Pfister who graciously partnered with me to redo this space. I am eternally grateful for the brands that help to support this blog.

Now back to basics - if you have been following along, then you might recall the design board I previously posted for my bathroom makeover here. The plan included a very bright floral wallpaper, colorful pom pom basket, and a tassel shower curtain. Well, I should let you know, I received the wallpaper in the mail, and was very excited to have it hung. But alas, to my dismay, after unrolling it, I watched as the bathroom quickly drowned in all its brilliance. It was difficult to accept that the wallpaper dominated and overwhelmed the tiny space, when held up against the wall. This disappointment quickly prompted a change, however, and here I am today, with a new plan of action; ready and anxious to execute. I have included links to the items in case you are interested in purchasing. 

Bathroom Design Revamp

Pfister tub and shower faucet I cactus art I deer head I wallpaper I paint I rug I shower curtain I waste basket I mirror  vase I soap pump I  I word art

Guest Bathroom Makeover - ORC: Week 2

Well, after much pondering, I decided to join with the group of participants in the ever so famous One Room Challenge. It is now in its 10th season, and involves a group of designers and guests who make over a room/space in just 6 short weeks. The excitement comes from watching each of us push ourselves to the limit while working within time constraints; and might I add, the end results are always amazing! 

For this challenge, I will be making over my guest bathroom which unfortunately, is quite a mess in its current state. No worries, I created a design board to take my mind away from all the ugliness that surrounds me :).

Design Board

The floor tile I chose, is temporarily out of stock, so I am keeping my fingers crossed it will be restocked in time for me to complete the work. If not, I will need to go searching for something else. 

Land of the Free! Home of the Brave!

Happy Independence my friends! It is the best feeling in the world to have the reassurance that you are free - free from oppression; free from pain, free from bondage and chains. Just possessing basic knowledge of the fact that we can move about expressly as we so desire, brings total peace of mind. 

I am thankful for this God-given freedom and for the men and women who fought valiantly so that we could attain this right. 

Yesterday, I celebrated with my family in the simplest of fashion. Despite the simplicity, we bonded over food :), and all plans for dieting went out the window. 

Reviving an Old Love Seat

Hello everyone! Today is the first day of summer and I hope you are hydrating to stay cool. I am sharing with you my very first attempt at reupholstery. A few years ago I received this old, beaten down sofa and did not want to part with it because of its good bones. Despite its unappealing nature it is extremely comfy and firm. The first thing I did was remove the seat covers to get an accurate measurement for the replacements.

Now, this is what the sofa looks like now...

and here is the sad state it was in before 

Afterwards, I got rid of the skirt to expose some beautiful wooden legs underneath, which I proceeded to paint white. I pretty much winged the rest of it, tugging and stapling until I was done. I am sorry to say I do not have progressive photos because I got extremely caught up trying to finish. I must also add that I used a manual stapler to do the job, which was a big no, no. (Please never try that at home- I beg of you). My fingers really suffered as a result :).

Now, here is the end product; a beautiful lounger that my kids can enjoy. Thanks for reading and have a great day/summer!

Mini Mudroom Reveal! - One Room Challenge

Welcome to the final reveal of my mini mudroom. As part of the ORC more than 200 linking participants accepted the challenge to decorate a space in just 6 short weeks. Funnily, I considered this space a "no-brainer" because of it's tiny size, but little did I know how much mental planning it would require.
 I further maintained a sort of laid back attitude, until time; Father time, nearly caught up with me (ha!). Eventually, towards the end, I developed some serious momentum :).

So, let's take a look at the space before the makeover, (useful but lacking total functionality and accessibility). 

Now, let's see the transformation that occurred after the necessary changes...

BEFORE                                        AFTER

The wallpaper is my favorite part of the room. I purchased it at Target on clearance, and it was well worth it because it totally transformed the small area. The mudroom went from blah to ah with the mere addition of it. Never in a million years would I have considered installing wallpaper but this one makes it all the worthwhile because of its peel and stick capability. It was super-easy to put up, and will be even easier to take down should the need arise.





I purchased these beautiful canvas art more than a year ago to use in my master closet but never got to hanging them.

Can you believe both phrases are printed in two separate languages? 

1. Haute Couture is French for High Fashion and

2. Alta Moda is Italian, also for High Fashion

Presumably, it all worked together for good because these high fashion ladies walked right into my tiny little mudroom having no qualms about it 😉.

I think this other piece goes without saying...

AGREED

Wall Hanging Unit - for schoolwork and library books.

These woven bins make me very excited because they are very sturdy, and mimic the look of straw/wicker. Even a close-up view does not giveaway the fact they are faux. The bins are constructed of a material called polypropylene rope. The texture is similar to that of an electrical or cable wire. They will be used to store winter accessories for the kids (hats, gloves etc.). 

The cute little magnetic animals will help them personally identify their bin. I attached metal labels to the bins to mount the magnets on.

Coat hooks, yay! Now the kids can hang their coats with ease; no more coat hangers. 

Dual-purpose furniture (bench and shoe stand). 

You are currently looking at the ceiling (painted black). The white strip in the center is 1 of 2 sensor-operated lights added to the mudroom. The other was placed directly under the shelving unit that is mounted on the back wall.
The lights really superceded my expectations as they are extremely bright and function as they should. I figured that was the best direction to take for such a small room. As you may notice, the rest of the ceiling is sloped so I painted it white to create the illusion of a bigger space.  





And...how can I forget the first thing you see before entering the room - our lovely door.  It chimed in on the makeover and received a fresh coat of paint, along with spray-painted oil rubbed bronze accessories. All the knobs, hinges, and strike plates in the house are brass. So now I need to upgrade them all to match this one. To see how I achieved the look, go HERE.




I. LOVE. IT!

I must admit how much my heart pined (still does) for this room to use as my sewing space, and seeing it in its improved state makes it even more difficult (sigh).

Another room conquered and I'm pleased. I look back and reminisce on the day I relayed plans of redoing the mudroom to a friend. The reaction was that of laughter followed by, "All you need to do is just straighten up the shelves," implying it was ok as-is. In a sense that was true, if you look back at the before, but I needed to get more out of the space.

Well, today I am the one laughing and by golly, I think I do it best 😃. 

My Current Mood - Happy

Huge thanks to Linda for the effort she puts into ensuring the ORC stays afloat. Also, to you my readers, thanks for stopping by. I wish for you a very warm and peaceful weekend! Check out the other spaces here. 



Affiliate links were used 

Linking to DIY Show-off

A Stunning Thrifted Mirror Make-Over

Today I would like to share with you one of my most treasured thrift finds - this beautiful oval-shaped wall mirror. I stumbled upon this beauty after perusing the aisles at a Goodwill location a few years ago. It grabbed my attention for 2 reasons:

1. It was white, and 2. I loved its shape. I figured I could use it in my daughter's bedroom so I quickly snagged it up.

A tag on the back revealed this mirror was custom designed at a company that manufactures furniture. In other words, I got it for a steal.

As proof of my great deal, check out the price on the back of the mirror.

I first used it in my daughter's bedroom after which I decided to get her a bigger mirror and move this one to her and her brother's bathroom.

I proceeded to give it a lovely coat of Rust-Oleum American Accents Ultra Cover 2x in Satin Rustic Orange. 

A Touch of Metallic - How to Spray Paint Brass Knobs - ORC: Week 5

Week 5 has arrived and oh how quickly it came!

As of yesterday, this was the situation regarding the door knobs - Old, dated shiny brass. 

Fast-forward to today -I removed the knobs, hinges, and strike plates from the door and gave them quick coats of 

Universal Spray Paint in Metallic Paint and Primer in one Oil Rubbed Bronze 

*Edited* - Note: Should you decide to take on this project, you need to pay close attention to how the plates are installed (or, you could just check the other doors in the house). This is important when putting the door back up.

Just lay out all the pieces on an impermeable surface to protect your paint area. In this case I used a huge piece of cardboard.

I inserted the screws into a piece of cardboard to get to paint the tips (Foam would have worked as well). I needed them to have the same color as the plates. I also used a light sander to scuff up the knobs to make the paint adhere to them.  

The spray paint was so easy to work with, and having a newly designed nozzle, made the job less tedious. After 3 full coats, they were ready. However, I thought it best to wait a few days for the paint to cure. Of course that's a personal preference.

The results yielded a very beautiful shade of bronze. I like it  A  LOT! It reads grey on screen but it is actually a metallic bronze. If you look closely you will see the tiny specks of metallic. Believe me when I say the result is amazing.

Here's a before and after so you can see the difference.

There is not much to show for this week because I am saving it all for the grand reveal next Thursday. Please return to see the completed space all decked out :)

Thanks for stopping by and have an enjoyable weekend!

Go here to see more than 100 rooms in the making.