Pinning Accomplishments (Part 3)

 Last night was my first class as a college instructor at my Alma Mater, UK's College of Design.  I was sooooo nervous, and I bet the kids could tell.  I don't know why I was nervous, I mean, I am the teacher right?  Any how, I really did like it and all the students were wonderful.  I hope to continue teaching part-time if I end up really enjoying it!

I wanted to show more accomplishments that I've achieved thanks to the wonderful Pinterest.  More focused on the DIY/craft/decor side of things.

corny.

I love that the simplest ideas are usually just about the most darling.  These candy corn candle displays were just perfect for the Halloween season and so of course, I imitated this for our Halloween party.  I already owned the clear glass containers, then visited the dollar store to snag some candy corn (which surprisingly was more delicious than the name brand).  

subtle.

not so subtle.

My first thought for this pin of white canvas and 3D letters was, What a great wedding gift!  And I still believe that it is.  However, I wanted to use the idea in a not so romantic format. 

Sometimes in the morning for me it is difficult to skip out the door all "honky-dorey" (not sure about the spelling there!?!), but when I look at my mantra on the wall it makes me laugh and helps me skip on outta there.  I found all the items at Hobby Lobby, canvas, letters, white acrylic paint, and white spray paint.  I first painted all the letters I needed then hot glued them to the canvas.  Then spray painted the canvas and glued letters with spray paint so all was glossy and consistent.  I like how it turned out and would like to make more.

clever.

In my kitchen I mounted an espresso floating shelf above our breakfast area and place three mismatched white plates (well two match, but anyways...) on them.  I wanted to write a cute message on the plates, but was so unsure as to what I wanted to write with my handy Sharpie Paint Pen (awesome by the by). Then I checked out Pinterest to see what I could find, because "Eat/Pray/Love" had just been done one time too many.  I'm a quirky person so I wanted something food related, funny, cute.  I found this farmer's market poster on a wall and just loved it at once.  See my version below.

kitchen humor.

I have seen these yarn wrapped wreaths on Pinterest many-a-times.  Craftspeople will sell them on Etsy as well, if you prefer not to make them yourself.  The pin below I believe is an Etsy available product.  However, I wanted to give it a whirl myself.

lovely.

I picked up a round straw wreath from Hobby Lobby.  Selected my yarn for the wreath body and picked out some felt for the flowers.  I actually kept the plastic around the wreath that comes on it.  Since I was not sticking anything in the straw or gluing directly to the body of the wreath I just let it on for overall aesthetic consistency.  I wrapped the wreath twice with yarn (one large unit of yarn worked fine), but it is tedious.  I put in a DVD and cozied up with my yarn wrapping to help pass the time.  Then I looked up felt yarn tutorials via Pinterest and used a combination of all that I read.  I actually did not glue the flowers to the wreath, I just used pins.  I wanted to be able to switch them out depending on the season.  I selected these colors for fall, but for spring I have bright green and purple flowers and summer are warm and bright colors.  I really loved the way it turned out and how well it greets guests and I get so many good responses when people realize that I made it!  In fact, I'm going to make some for friends at their requests.

More to come! Have a fabulous day!

Pinning Accomplishments (Part 2)

Since I am on a recipe kick here lately, let us continue.  Back to "What I've actually created thanks to Pinterest!"

This time we're going to talk about recipes I've seen/pinned from Pinterest that I have actually tried.  Mind my recipe board have at least 40 pins, however I have only actually made a handful.  I like to actually take a look at what I've done thanks to Pinterest.  I mean, I can be on the site for hours at a time but never create anything that I loved and inspired me so much.  This is an exercise in hopes that I will continue to re-create what I pin and that, yes it does indeed happen!

This was a lovely pin that sparked my eyes and taste buds, mainly due to the fact that it contains....what for it....Bourbon! 

Link here.

Ginger Apple Bourbon Cider! The recipe is: One parts Apple Cider, One part Ginger Ale to two parts Bourbon. I enjoyed this beverage very much this past fall, using my favorite bourbon (Woodford Reserve), Cider from a local orchard (Boyd's) and my absolute favorite ginger ale - Vernor's!  The only thing that got me was the calories from this delicious drink, so I did opt for a diet ginger ale after I learned how much I did love this. Hehe!

Link here.

Pizza Puffs: My husband is always up for eating one thing....Pizza!  Even if we had it two days ago, he'll eat it again. Delivery, DiGiorno, or whatever else you can think of he is down to eat if for dinner.  I came across this pin, first thinking of it mainly for appetizers during parties/game watching.  Then one night I was craving pizza, but didn't want to fork over the twenty odd dollars for a delivery.  I wanted to make a pizza (which we enjoy to do) and thought this pin would be perfect.  The recipe is very easy, the Pizza Puffs cook fast and most importantly are yummy!  I serve with marinara sauce on the side and we eat it with a salad.  Two thumbs way up!

Link here.

 Pumpkin Fluff was an item I made for our Halloween party last year.  Only containing a few ingredients (cool whip, pumpkin pie spice, and a couple of others), just mix and pop in fridge.  Serve when you're ready with graham cracker sticks to dip.  Very delish and something easy to make and eat at a party.

Link here.

This was another Halloween party snack I made: Mummy Dogs.  Which my husband loves so much we make it now for dinner every now and then.  Did I mention I married a kindergartner?  I wanted to serve some meat of some kind for the men to chow down on.  We had some classic chicken wings, but I made this cute little guys and had ketchup and mustard available for dipping.

Link here.

Chicken Bruschetta Bake: I am a follower of a Weight Watcher's Recipe Board and love to try out these yummy low calorie meals.  I have actually used Weight Watchers before and believe it does work and helps people with calorie and portion control.  This recipe is fairly easy.  I love these recipes where you toss everything together and bake.  This Chicken Bruschetta Casserole is a fine example. I loved it the next day too, so if you're a leftover fan (however the husband isn't, so annoying).

Link here.

These mounds of awesomeness are Oreo Bars.  Similar to Rice Krispie Treats, but with Oreos!  I recommend eating after a low cal meal such as the Chicken Bruschetta Bake so as not to feel too bad.

Under each pin I attached the link so you can see who came up with these wonderful recipes!  Enjoy them if you do try them!  And sometime actually go get the ingredients and make something delicious that you've seen on Pinterest.  You might be surprised and find a new staple for your family.

Lately

Lately I have been sssssuper stressed.  About work, home, holiday weight gain, etc.  I worry too much and this is a fact that I am coming to terms with.  I believe that you should give your worries to the Lord and He will never give you more than you can handle, but there is that control freak in me that thinks I can handle it all.  I am up against several deadlines at the office and all are due yesterday I feel like.  At home, the Christmas decorations are slowly coming down and I need to clean it thoroughly. My other stress is my weight, and I just didn't care what I was putting into my mouth during the holiday season.  It sure was fun, but now I am paying the price.  I went for a jog last Wednesday and it kicked my hiney!  So per usual start to the new year I am trying to get back to a healthy, happier and less stress routine.  

So for today, since I haven't posted in a while, just wanted to keep my blog afloat and talk about some fun things.  I recently tried out a shellac manicure for the first time and really loved the results.  However due to my nail biting habits it only lasted 1.5 weeks, as the promised 2.  But I do love to have painted nails and my absolute favorite brand is Essie.  Then the $8 price at checkout just kills me for some reason.  I'm like, "What if I don't like this color?" then I'm stuck with this polish forever and have dropped almost $10 on it!  (That's the deal finder in me).  So, sometimes what I like to do for trial reasons is to buy a different less expensive brand to test out different color types.  Then if I use that color quite a bit I will go all out and buy the fabulous Essie version. 

Vintagey.

I bought this Petites brand in the color Vintage Gray and have worn it several times.  It lasts about a week and that is with a base and top coat.  Sometimes with this gray I will imprint newspaper using rubbing alcohol so that my nails resemble a newspaper (thank you Pinterest!).  But now I think it's time to upgrade to the good stuff.

This past week my Dad was out in Phoenix on business and being the fabulous only child that I am, I invited my Mom to come join my husband and I for dinner this past Wednesday.  I made Mini-Meat Loaves which is a super recipe I found in a local cookbook called Beyond The Fence.  And for dessert:

All-American.

The Pioneer Woman's Flat Apple Pie!

Her recipes have never let me down!  I love them all!  My Mom got me her cookbook and biography for my past birthday this year.  This was my first technical pie in the baking department.  I have made cold pies such as peanut butter pie and lemonade pie.  So I was very excited to make this American treat on a cold winter's night (although today will be a balmy 56 degrees).  This recipe is not available online however, ya gotta get her cookbook.  But I'm sure a quick google search can solve anyone's recipe search problems.  This pie was easy, fast and DELICIOUS! 

Tonight I am going to give her steak with a whiskey cream sauce a try, so wish me luck!  Here's to a stress free weekend everyone!

Pinning Accomplishments (Part 1)

Who doesn't love Pinterest? People that haven't discovered it yet, I say.  All joking aside, it is quite difficult to focus on just one thing on Pinterest.  So many wonderful images, craft ideas, fashion inspirations, dream home wants and beauty tips.  And I always wonder if I will ever really accomplish or try any of the things that I pin.  So I am going to take a look at some accomplishments that I have achieved thanks to this wonderful virtual pin board.

Today I am going to focus on the recent holiday season and how Pinterest helped me:

Inspiration Photo: Link here.

Placing a toilet paper roll in the center of vase displays to help the ornaments display better.

Oh, stunning.

In my case, I actually used a white candle.  I liked the option of being able to light it up with my other candles on my mantlepiece. This picture makes it look like the candle is leaning.  This would be a fire hazard.  I assure you, no fires took place here.

Inspiration Photo: Link here.

I loved this mantle display.  My main Christmas colors in my home are green and silver as well.  This year I didn't have the pine branches, but what a nice textural touch.  See my attempt below.

Feeling festive yet?

My silver candelabras were relocated to decorate above the kitchen cabinets. I have talked about mantel decorating in a past post and my troubles in deciding what I want as my permanent focal point.  This all takes time and I will be patient until I find the perfect layout and items.

Inspiration Photo: Link here

This wreath was one of my earliest pins.  I fell in love with it when I first saw it.  Here is my recreation and new interpretation of it:

I added our last name initial to the bottom and my wreath has square edges rather than round. Mine is also larger and this took a while to make.  I had to individually glue each piece on! It took about three days to make, but I am very please with the end result.

TGIF! Happy Weekend!

Home-made Holiday

Feeling a little more crafty than usual this holiday season when it comes to your gift-giving?  Like I said in yesterday's post, it focused on more of the store-bought items.  These below take a little more time, but a great result in the end when you see the person's face when they receive that home-made gift.

Check out this link here to make these yummy hot chocolate truffles.  I think these are great for that person that loves to stay in when it's cold and snuggle up next to the fire.  The truffles can be frozen until you're ready to enjoy them.  Just place in a mug with milk and heat away!  For gifting you can place several truffles in a cute Christmas mug, wrap in clear plastic and tie with a ribbon.  

Gift Basket.  But how is this home-made you say?  With all the thought into compiling a person's favorite things, shared memories or common items that they've been wanting, it's a great way to show someone that you care and love 'em. This website has so many wonderful gift giving ideas along with free printables, see link here.  If you have a friend who loves movies, create a movie night basket: popcorn cups, candy, DVD, theater gift card, popcorn, blanket or whatever else you want to add!  

How sweet is this?  If you like to give custom scrapbooks, why not make one with a twist? 

Dabney Lee makes these super cute and trendy phone cases.  This is an awesome customizable gift, a little on the pricey side but my goodness aren't these gorgeous iPhone cases?  They are also available on some blackberries.

This was a great idea I found at Clover Lane Blog.  A custom cookbook that hold your family's favorite recipes and favorite photos.  Kind of a recipe scrapbook.  This project you might have to give someone next Christmas, in order to compile your favorite recipes and photos, but I thought this was a wonderful idea.  Make one for your family, but I think grandparents would enjoy it as well!  We have a few cookbooks from local churches and organizations, but this cookbook is all about you and what your family loves to eat! I hope to do this one day and can pass this on to my children.

Today is my last work day of the week, hooray!  Tomorrow I'll be preparing the house for the holidays and maybe helping my dad clean out the basement storage that is full of stuff from high school/college/childhood!  I hope everyone has a fabulous Turkey Day!

For the Woman who has Everything

I hope your weekend was a great one!  Our Interior Design Thanksgiving went off without a hitch and we were up until 1:30 laughing and talking! It was wonderful.  Now I'm preparing for Thanksgiving coming up with our families and the official start to the holiday shopping season.  I've talked about some stocking ideas for the men in our lives, now I'm going to switch gears.

We all have one in our lives, the hard to shop for lady.  She has everything, and if she doesn't have it, she'll just go out and get it tomorrow.  Whether it's our mother, sister, best friend or co-worker......it's just plain hard to find the perfect gift for these people sometimes.  We exhaust all thought, energy and time into trying to get something we think they would want/use/need/love! 

My goal is to hopefully help out a clueless shopper to come up with a Christmas dilemma when it comes to shopping for the gal that has everything! 

Birchbox

I have talked about Birchbox in earlier posts and this is a great gift idea for the make-up lover in your life.  A box of 4 to 5 mini samples are delivered right to there door for as many months as you give.  This gift runs about $10/month, purchased in 3 month increments.  So this gift will be at least $30, keep in mind.  But it's a gift that will keep surprising them.  Ask about products that they tried out and fell in love with to put in your back pocket for her next birthday or something.  It's a pretty unique gift idea that no one else has gotten her.  When you present the gift you could include some samples (which you can easily get at make-up counters or Sephora) so that way she has something to open.

Capri Candles from Anthropologie

For the scent-obsessed gal pal in your life, these candles from Anthropologie are wonderful!  These Capri candles are also available for local Lexingtonians at House (located on Delaware Avenue) and Joseph Beth Booksellers (located at Lexington Green).  I find there scents much more mature and beautiful than other candles.  When you walk into a space with these burning, you can't pinpoint what that luxurious scent is, but you know you love it!  These are my favorite candles and are hard to find compared to Yankee or something comparable.  Also, these scents are much more mysterious and spell-binding than Cucumber Melon!

Mag Rack

I think a magazine subscription is a great gift, for the right person.  Last Christmas I got the hubby a subscription to Bourbon Review and he loves getting that magazine every quarter.  If you have a fashionista friend, perhaps Vogue or Vanity Fair.  The workout-aholic might enjoy Women's Health (which I love!) or Fitness.  The curious traveler would like National Geographic, while the dining connoisseur would love Food & Wine Magazine.  Interior Designers like myself enjoy Hotel Design magazine and Interior Design magazine.  Entertainment hogs can catch up on gossip through People and InTouch, while reading movie reviews in Entertainment Weekly.  Subscriptions are actually moderately inexpensive depending on the magazine and the number of issues.  To show them the subscription, wrap the latest issue in a gift wrapped box and place the subscription order in a card.

The cutest porcelain dish from Anthropologie

Does this person have tons of great entertaining dishes/napkins/glasses?  Or do they love fresh produce and visiting local markets?  I found this at Anthropologie and thought how stinking cute is this dish!  It resembles berry crates from the farmer's market, except this will last forever!  It is dishwasher safe, awesome, and comes in white or blue.  Too cute.

from J. Crew

Infinity Scarves are very trendy right now and if you find a great basic pattern or color, they can integrate into anyone's wardrobe.  I just really really want one and I think my mindset is, "if I blog about it, it will come."  Haha!  But seriously, these are great for the trendy girl in your life.

Drink up! via Pinterest.

Coffee-Lovers Unite!  This is a cute way to give someone a Starbucks gift card.  Ask the barista for an empty cup, top and straw.  Stuff with brown and white tissue paper to resemble a frappucino and place gift card inside.  Place gift tag to the top and you're set!  Gotta love the creativity! Thank you Pinterest!

I hope this sparked some imagination when it comes to the hard to shop for lady.  This post is talking about store-bought/ordered items, I hope to do another gift post to talk about custom/handmade/diy gifts too, stay tuned! 

Mis-Mantled

I love fireplaces and mantles in homes.  They create wonderful areas of warmth and focus for the home.  It's fun to decorate for many seasons and occasions. I am lucky enough to have a mantle in my own home, but I am not satisfied with how I have decorated it.  Our ceilings are 14', so I feel everything looks teeny on my mantle with all that height up above.  What is a poor little interior designer to do???

My goal is to find something large in scale that would work, but there in lies another struggle: mirror vs. store bought art vs. I paint vs. photography, etc.  Another problem, I would like the mantle display to be adaptable for seasons and holidays, like a place to hang a wreath/garland.  I also do not want to spend a lot of money in my attempts at decorating this important focal point of my living room (and also kitchen).  So, I looked to Pinterest for help.  Here are some of my pins that sparked some ideas!

Lots of photos.

Good mix of tradition and rustic.

Piece of art to center inspiration.

Large mirror resembles window pane.

Mixes of texture and media.

I like everything about this.

Like the round mirror w/ letter.

Large framed photo w/ greenery.

I like both the idea of having a large mirror with smaller photos, plants and candles surrounding.  But I also love the idea of using the mantle to make an artistic statement, but I just can't find a piece that the husband and I both can agree on.  I'll need to definitely think further on this.  And also this past weekend the husband and I thought of placing the television above the mantle to give us some more breathing room where we sit.  Decisions, decisions.  I'm keeping my eyes open though for any piece or beautiful mirror that just seems like "the one".  It sure is fun to look at decorating ideas on Pinterest, helps any cases of the Mondays!

No Excuse

My oh my how long has it been?  There is no excuse as to why it has been so long since I have posted anything.  Lack of inspiration? Busy with work? Stressed? Slightly Depressed?  A number of factors have contributed to this I think.

But during my absence I fell in love.  Fell in love with Pinterest! I have created so many crafts, tried out new hairstyles and created new looks with my existing clothes thanks to pinterest boards.  If you have checked it out, you really must.  And at first I didn't really get it and was slow to catch on, but through perseverance and spreading the love I have really enjoyed using this site. 

For my first example: I found a pin showing this messy wonderful updo (pins usually provide links which have shown me so many new wonderful blogs that are out there).  

http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/

 This particular pin lead me to the attached blog and turns out it is wonderful.  The blogger is a twenty-something hair stylist and jewelry designer.  The site has so many wonderful tutorials and videos to get fun with hair.  Check it out here.

So I decided to give it a try.......Please note that they look nothing like the original, but it was fun to play and with practice I hope I get better.  

Somehow mine turned out really messy!

New bangs. yay! channeling zooey.