I am super cheap when it comes to buying vases. The only one I own I somehow inherited from someone who moved out of an old apartment.  And even though I love fresh flowers, I refuse to spend money on where to store them.

But lately, I’ve been admiring the beautiful bottles that wine and spirits come in, and it struck me - maybe it’s not necessary to buy vases afterall. Take this bottle of St. Germaine - it’s gorgeous! With a little fiddling it can be come a vase in just three steps. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

Supplies:

• Wine or spirits bottle, rinsed
• Brillo pad
• Spray paint primer
• Color of spray paint, if desired
• Shellack or Mod Podge for shine

Step 1: Remove all labels from the bottles and remove all remaining glue.  I was having trouble scraping it off, so I grabbed a brillo pad and gave it a good scrub.

Step 2: I am a big fan of just using primer for white spray paint, so I gave it three good coats, letting it dry three or four minutes between coats. (I use the Rustoleum Painter’s Touch brand.)  I also let it dry overnight.  If you’re going to use a color, do it after the primer dries completely.  But look how the detailing really starts to pop out!

Step 3: To finish the project off, I gave the entire bottle one good coat with Mod Podge, to make it nice and shiny.

Browsing through some old copies of Cooking Light recently, I found some recipes dedicated to cooking chicken in unexpected ways.  I got excited. I love chicken…but only cook it two or three ways on the regular  - and it’s easy to forget there are a million different ways it can be prepared.  So while I have a great recipe from Yay! DIY reader Thomas on deck, I whipped up this recipe from Cooking Light in the meantime.  It came out soooo delish - and best of all, it only took 30 minutes to make.  I have to admit, tho, it’s a busy 30 minutes, so get yourself organized accordingly!

After the jump, the ingredients and recipe!

• Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts (and a mallet to pound it with. If you’re still rolling ghetto like I was until recently, your hammer or the edge of a small skillet will also do)
• One large leek, chopped
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• Two tablespoons of lemon juice (one lemon gives you enough juice.  Using just this much gave the dish a very subtle flavor. Add more if you want a stronger lemon vibe.)
• Three cloves of garlic, sliced thin
• Half a pound of linguine
• Half cup of flour
• Salt and pepper
• Butter

Step 1: Star your water boiling for the linguine.  While you’re waiting…

Step 2: Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap or wax paper; pound to an even thickness.

Step 3: Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in flour, shaking to remove excess.

Step 4: Is your water boiling? Add the pasta and keep going with your chicken.

Step 5: Heat one tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Step 6: In the same skillet, melt another tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic, leek, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 4 minutes.

Step 7: Add broth and juice; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter.

Step 8: Add pasta to leek mixture; toss well to combine. Serve chicken over pasta mixture; sprinkle with parsley (optional).

We put the chicken over the pasta and it was delish!  See the original recipe from Cooking Light here!

Guest post by Elle Kross, Friend of YAY! DIY

When I first made this Vanilla Cheesecake for my big sister’s birthday when I was a freshman in high school.  Cheesecake is her favorite dessert and since she had bought the Williams Sonoma Desserts Cookbook for me, I had to put it to good use! Since then I have made well over 30 Vanilla Cheesecakes. I’ve gotten  quite bored with them, so I have come up with several variations and learned how to make the cheesecake with my eyes closed.

Below is just one of those versions, adapted from the Desserts Cookbook, feel free to add your own twist!

What you will need:

• 8 or 9-inch spring form pan
• Mixer (any kind you can get your hands on, it’s not fun to do it by hand unless you really want an arm workout)
• Baking Sheet

For the Crust:

• Around 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (the cake I made for mother’s day was chocolate graham crackers and it was a huge success)
• ¼ cup melted butter
• Butter for greasing
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• pinch of cinnamon (if you like)

For the Filling:

• 32 oz cream cheese (whipped or bars)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• pinch salt
• 4 oz sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla (I never really measure how much vanilla, but don’t go too heavy)
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs – at room temp

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees, generously butter the spring form pan (bottom and all the way up the sides).

1. Combine your graham cracker crumbs (I buy the boxes of Graham Crackers and crumb them by hand, use two of the three wrapped packages and crushing in a bowl using a potato masher. If you don’t have a potato masher, throw the gram crackers in a large zip lock bag and use a rolling pin or wine bottle to crush. Put them together with the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.
2. Pour the mixture in the middle of your spring form pan and using your fist to work it to the sides of the pan, if you don’t want to use your hands, a mug can work as well.
3. Set aside on your baking sheet - after the disaster of a spring form pan busting open while taking it out of my oven years ago, I always place the pan on a baking sheet for insurance – nothing worse than seeing your cake on the bottom of your oven, AND having to clean it.

For the Filling:

1. In a large bowl combine cream cheese, flour and salt.
2. This cake is easiest when using a stand mixer; beat at medium high speed till a soft whipped consistency.
3. Add sour cream, vanilla and sugar. Beat for as long as you can – you want a light filling – scraping down the sides often.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well in between. This is when I decide to start cleaning; I allow my mixer to do its thing while I put everything away and clean all the other dishes I may have used. After about 5 minutes, the filling should be thick but pour easily. Pour the filling into the graham cracker crust, shake a little to let any bubbles out and put into the oven. Let bake for about an hour – the center will jiggle a little and the outside will have a light golden hue.
5. Let cool, cover and put in the fridge. The cake will be at its best after sitting in the fridge for a day or two, so this should be made in advance.

Fresh Fruit Glaze:

This is extremely simple and really adds a wonderful flavor to the cake. Get any fresh fruit you like – I like strawberries and blackberries. Wash and dry them (cut into bit size pieces if using larger fruit like strawberries or peaches) and set in a bowl. In a small sauce pan, over medium-low heat, melt a few tablespoons of your favorite fruit jelly (not jam, I used seedless strawberry) till liquid. Pour the melted jelly over your fruit and mix till fruit is covered. Pour over already-cooled cheesecake and return to fridge for at least an hour.

I’m in need of a new nightstand. There is nothing worse that not having anywhere to put a glass of water before you go to bed. (OK, maybe there are worse things, but I think this one is annoying!) However, bedroom furniture is just NOT in the budget these days. When forced to choose between fun vacation and furniture, vacations are the winning. You can always get nice bedroom furniture next year.

My boyfriend has two older coffee tables that he wasn’t going to use when he moved. He very sweetly let them both become project pieces for me.  He has this big one, and one that’s just like it, but a little higher, and smaller - perfect for a bedroom…if only it looked different.

While I was searching the blog world for ideas, I came across this beauty on Twice Lovely. She took an old dresser, used MOD PODGE, some damask paper and some black paint.  And who knew?! It’s now adorable.  It’s the perfect idea to turn that coffee table into something beautiful!  Stay tuned for my own version of the project.