Author Archives: Jennifer

How to Decorate A Used Kitchen Chair

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Have you found a great kitchen chair at a garage sale or vintage store and do you want to try and make it into a fashionable piece of furniture? Recovering a used kitchen chair is easier than you think!

Begin by disassembling the chair. Your first task is to remove the chair seat. If you turn the chair upside down, you should easily find the screws that hold the chair pad in place. Unscrew these screws and the chair seat should just come pop off the chair frame.

Take the “naked” chair frame outside and spray paint, giving it one or two coats, depending on the colour you’ve chosen. Make sure you’ve removed any loose paint and dirt before you do this or the effect will be very disappointing and unprofessional looking. A light sand helps the paint stick better, but is not necessary if the chair is slightly “beat-up”. If the chair is bent out of shape in anyway you can slos hammer it back into shape.

Then turn your attention to the chair seat. Using a flat screwdriver or small crowbar, remove the stables holding the fabric onto the chair seat. If the padding is in good shape, you’re ready to move onto the next step. If it needs a little work add a layer of batting or a thin layer of foam (available at craft and fabric stores) before you staple on the finished fabric. This, of course, will help provide the actual seat for the chair.

Lay the chair seat on the fabric, back side up. It’s helpful to mark the front of the chair so you know which way to run the fabric. Also, if your fabric has a pattern, make sure the pattern is centered on the seat before you cut it out. Don’t choose thick fabric that is hard to fold or the chair seat won’t look quite right.

Now the fun begins. Using a stapler or electric staple gun, begin by stapling the fabric to the top and bottom of the seat, then the sides. Then work your way around the seat, making small folds as you go if you are upholstering a round chair.Trim excess fabric and screw the seat back onto the chair. You are done and have a brand new fashionable addition for you r home.

Looking for old kitchen chairs for absolutely free? Try looking for gems in your neighbourhood on garbage day. There are usually lots of them sitting on the side of the street waiting to be collected and rehabbed by somebody.

How to Decorate a Rice Bed

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Is there anything more boring looking then a plain white mound of rice on a plate. This mound is known as “the rice bed.” There are many ways to make it more colorful.

Before you spice up a rice bed, you have to decide what type of rice to use. If you are not planning to use instant rice, you may opt for long-grain, medium-grain or short-grain white rice. Jasmine rice, basmati rice and wild rice add additional flavor. When preparing long-cooking rice, remember this ratio: twice as much water as rice. I

The general rule is you prepare a cup of rice (about 2 ½ servings), you’ll need 2 cups of water.

Here are more specific instructions for cooking rice –
• 1 ½ cups rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp. butter or margarine
• ½ tsp. salt
• Bring water, butter, salt and rice to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting, then cover and simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until water is absorbed by rice and rice is fluffy. Additional ingredients of your choosing as suggested in
• steps 1 to 5. This recipe makes four side-dish servings.

Now here are some ideas for spicing up the rice bed so it is more thematic and colorful looking.

Basic Rice Pilaf: Add ¼ cup of chopped parsley and substitute chicken broth for the water in the basic recipe.

Autumn Rice: After cooking add ¼ cup of unsalted sunflower seeds, ¼ cup of raisins and ¼ cup of diced apples.

Sweet Rice: Add ½ cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut to your rice. This complements Indian, Thai and Caribbean entrees.

Basil Rice: Add basil to the rice water as it is cooking. Watch the rice turn green! To make it even tastier add some pine nuts.

Southwestern Rice: Add ¼ cup chopped red and green peppers and ½ cup cooked corn.

Tomato Rice: Add condensed tomato soup to the rice while it is cooking.

Orange Rice: Add raisins and orange juice to the rice water while it is cooking to infuse it with a citrus flavor.

Remember that the rice bed should go with your entree by substituting broth or stock for water in the basic recipe. For example, if you’re having a beef entree, use beef broth instead of water, chicken broth for poultry entrees and seafood stock for seafood entrees. Vegetarians will enjoy rice made with mushroom or herb broth, especially if nuts and herbs are also added to the stock.