Pinterest: Wins and Losses

Happy Monday! If you live in Minnesota, it was gorgeously springlike today. Leo and I took full advantage and went "walkies" wearing a fleece jacket and tennis shoes (as opposed to a puffy winter coat and boots with the fur). My hope that winter is fading away has gained some strength!

I thought I'd share with you some Pinterest wins and losses. Obviously, not everything you read on the internet is true, but Pinterest somehow gives credibility to crappy ideas. And, it brings awareness to really great ideas, too. So without further ado, here's my list.

We'll start with the losses.

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Biggest loss of all: the popular "pour a cap full of vanilla into an oven safe dish and it'll make your house smell ah-may-zing." Apparently this is a trick that realtors use all the time. I tried it and the house smelled good for about 90 seconds, then smelled like nasty burnt vanilla stank. Definitely a fail.

*Note: I realized I had my oven at 350, and a lot of the links I'm finding say 300. Maybe this was my fail? But really- it smelled BAD.

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Second fail: Two ingredient banana oatmeal breakfast cookies. The idea sounds alluring, doesn't it. Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please! Alas, it was too good to be true. They were super bland and had a weird, squishy texture. Yuck.

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Another fail: How to fold a fitted sheet- the video! I was really pumped for this one. I even pinned it!This lady has nimble fingers and makes it look so easy. Reality: I think she really has magic sheets. For the life of me, I couldn't get it. And I even practiced. Thankfully, I don't believe that a well folded fitted sheet is of eternal value. Phew.

Now for some wins! I knew Pinterest was wonderful and addicting for a reason!

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First win: Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken. This stuff is so yummy, and so easy to make. It's become a regular recipe in our house. Pair with some rice and Aldi egg rolls, and dinner is served!

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Second win: This hairdo. It looks complicated, but once you practice a few times, it's pretty effortless. It's something you could wear to a wedding, or to a day at the beach. You pick.

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Win numero three: Ridding the shower of black mold. Don't judge me, you know you have it too. Or at least have at some point. We had black mold in the same place as this photo (just not as badly). No matter how hard I scrubbed, the stubborn stuff wouldn't budge. I was a little skeptical that this would work, but it did and it STILL looks great a month and half later.



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Number Four: DIY Mirror Frame. This project was really easy, inexpensive, and made a big impact in our bathroom. Here's the link to ours.

That's all for now. Happy Pinning!



Latest Inspiration

I've made a few bloggy changes: changed the look, added some more favorite blogs (check them out under the "Blogs I Love" tab!), and jumped on the "follow me on Pinterest!" blog button train. But really, feel free to. It's over on the right.

Like most folks, a good chunk of my online time is spent on Pinterest. Here's the latest inspiration that I'm lovin'.

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Source     Isn't the texture great? I love the shiny/metal/glass/rusty/woven basket/chunky blanket-ness of this console table. Fabulous.

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Source Who doesn't want a lime door with a Moravian star lantern? No one, that's who.

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Off to watch the "Big Game" (Notre Dame vs. 'Bama). I've got an Irish-fan-of-a-husband who has been expectantly waiting for this night for a looong time. Happy 2013!

Recent Inspiration

It seems the ol' blog has been a bit neglected as of late. But the front garden hasn't! We're almost done and I should have some photos soon.

In the meantime, I've been playing Mario Kart Wii (with Charlie, an "I finished the first year of my MBA" gift to himself, (much more fun than anticipated!)) dogsitting, and spending way too much time on Pinterest. So here's some fabulous and inspiring photos. Enjoy!

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Goodnight.

Pinterest Inspiration

I realize I haven't posted in a while. I've got a few finished projects yet to be photographed, and another one that's still not complete. Hopefully they'll make it to the 'ol blog soon.

I'm also waiting to develop strep throat. On Thursday, two girlfriends and I went to Biaggis, ordered three desserts, and all split them. On Friday one of them emailed to say she'd come down with strep. So now I'm taking Airborne and chugging drinking elderberry juice (don't judge me- my grandma sent me this and says it's high in antioxidants and boosts your immune system). Can you ward off strep after you've already been exposed? So now it's a fun waiting game, and I'm playing psychological tricks on myself trying to figure out if I feel sick or not.

In the mean time, between no projects to share and impending strep throat, here's some fun pictures/ideas I've gathered from the web as of late. Be inspired!

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House of Fifty online mag: Check it out!

There's a great online magazine that I've stumbled across called House of Fifty. Best yet, it's free! Here's the link to the Spring 2012 issue.

It's full of beautiful images (mostly house and decor related), recipes, blog spotlights, etc.

I've been saving pictures left and right from the spring issue, but there's even more in the Fall and Holiday 2011 issues as well.

Here's a couple fun ideas:

Is that not the cutest advent calendar you've ever seen? Very creative.

That focaccia bread is just calling to be baked and eaten. Yum! Go check the site out.

Inspiration: Save It, Save It, Save It!

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I'm talking about pictures. Pictures you find in magazines, in Pottery Barn catalogues, on web searches, in blogs... any image that you can tear out and file or right click and throw in a folder. Save it!

Maybe you already do this. If not, start! I look at a lot (a lot!) of home/DIY/decor/design photos. It's one of my favorite activities. I'm sad to say that I look forward to looking through my latest issues of BHG more than picking up Sherlock Holmes Volume II. And I love Sherlock Holmes.

It's really quite simple. Save any pictures that you like. For any reason.

You might like the duvet on the bed, or how the console table is styled, or the paint color used, or the over all theme of the room. I've saved pictures because I like the lighting. If there's anything that you like, that inspires you, or that you want to remember for future reference, save it! I've saved pictures that I don't even know why I like them. I just do, for some reason. And that's reason enough!

I often think I'll remember that good idea of that thing I found on etsy that I could totally make myself, but guess what: I don't. Because there's 206 other ideas like that jumbling around in my brain. So if it's filed in a binder on your shelf or in a folder on your computer, it's now saved and waiting for your perusal.

Here's the random assortment of pictures I've saved from the last week or two:

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Not a lot of continuity. But the only continuity needed is this: there's something that I like about each photo. I like the quote on the sign, the vibe of the bedroom, the teal gradient on the dresser. If I'm in creative mood but have no set ideas, I look through my 281 (and growing!) Picasa folder of inspiring images.

So start saving!

October: 31 Days...

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Is anyone else following any of the "31 Days..." blogs this October? For those who don't know what this is, a lot of bloggers (at least in my realm of interest- decor/ cooking/ homemaking/ crafting/ DIY) do a "31 Days... to a cozier home, of home cooked meals, of ways to bless your husband, to a more organized home, etc. Get the idea? They post every day with new ideas to their theme. It's really fun! Melissa at The Inspired Room has a complete list of bloggers taking part this October. Here are some of the "31 Day-ers" that I'm following:

Nesting Place: 31 Days of Lovely Limitations

The Inspired Room: 31 Days of Inspired Holidays

The Reluctant Entertainer: 31 Days of Warm Connections

My3Boybarians: 31 Days to a Better Photo

Once Upon a Muffin (strange name, I know:): 31 Days to Make your Marriage Thrive

The 31 Days event (really, it feels a bit like one:) is one of the many reason why I LOVE October. Hop on over to one of these blogs, or check out the other's listed over at The Inspired Room.

Linky Party: Fall Nesting

Hi Ya'll. (I'm not from the south, but that phrase seems to come into my brain a lot.) I've posted my Metallic Pumpkins DIY project over at The Inspired Room- you should go check out the Fall projects that others have posted. There are currently 138 entries!

PS. I JUST FINISHED THE LAST BRUSHSTROKE ON THE RAILING PROJECT! There's bad lighting right now, so I'll try to post some pics as soon as I get some GOOD ones. This is a momentous day, my friends.

It's Fall, Ya'll

I know, not technically, it isn't. But come September 1st, it really should be.

When it comes to seasonal decorating, I'm a tad legalistic. I was just itching to get out the box under the house with "fall decor" scribbled across the top in permanent marker, but would NOT do it until September 1st.

I've got mixed feelings about this box. The first feeling is something along the lines of "OH BOY! There must be marvelous faux pumpkins and leaves in there!" And the second feeling comes after opening the box: "Well... there's not as much as I thought, but it's still pretty good." (Repeat this process with Christmas decor. Except we have a lot of Christmas decor, it's just never as fabulously wonderful as I'd remembered from Christmas past. Hindsight is 20/20?)

So the fall decor is making it's appearance in our house. Does anyone else love white (spray painted:) pumpkins as much as I do? I think not. I know that orange is a more natural-ish color, but white is a bit edgier and sophisticated.

In the spirit of fall, here's some decor inspiration pictures I found.

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Pinterest: A Confession

I'll admit that when I first joined this up and coming form of social media, I was skeptical. I was annoyed that I had to re-activate my Facebook account in order to log in (no offense at all to those on FB- this decision was for me personally), and couldn't figure out my way around the site.

But I stuck with it, and now I LOVE Pinterest. I have Pinterest Interest. :)

The photo above is the screen that greets me when I log in. Isn't it inspiring? For me of course. Because when YOU join Pinterest, you can fill your screen and pin boards with whatever images YOU find inspiring.

I love being able to collect and file the images and ideas that I love online! For some reason, I feel more organized being able to see ALL of my ideas on one page. Like somehow, they collectively make up a "Rebecca's Decor Preferences" aura or something, and give a wonderful, generic gist of what floats my boat.

But wait, it gets better. The best part of Pinterest is its search box. Boring, right? Wrong! Type in "white subway tile" and you'll get dozens (maybe hundreds!) of images having to do with said topic. It's a design idea mecca.

Pardon me while I gush.

But really, you should join too. It's just that much fun.

Inspiration: Pops of Yellow

Do you ever go through color trends? I'm currently in a yellow one. If it's yellow, I like it. Or of it's not yellow, can it be spray painted? :)

Here are some inspirational pops of yellow, all via pinterest.com. Enjoy!

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See the sign? "Yellow is the new black." Love it!

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And my personal favorite? :

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