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!



A Few of My Favorite Things

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Charlie and I tried something new this year- fondue! It was fabulous and delicious and fun. I'd highly recommend it! We borrowed my mother-in-law's pot, so now I need to track one down for myself.

In lieu of a home projects post (no real updates yet/ready), I thought I'd compile a list of my favorite things. Just to share with you all. And to maybe give you an idea of something new to try!

 

1. Norwex Cloths: I'm a clean freak, and often clean with only water. How?! These cloths. They've got antibacterial magic built into each cloth, so you don't need to use any chemicals. Check out the link if you don't believe me.

 

2. Target's Esma Sandals: A staple from last summer, there are still a few pairs left online! Super comfortable AND they don't fall of your feet while walking (any one else have this sandal/flip flop problem?) I loved them so much I got gold and went back for blue.

 

3. TRESsemme FreshStart Dry Shampoo: Admission- I wash my hair every other day. This stuff make my hair look, feel, and smell fresher on day two. And, it adds a little bit of tack and body.

 

4. Sally Hanson's Triple Strong Nail Polish: For those of us who live in the real world with laundry and dishes and scratching our husband's heads, anything that makes an at home manicure last a few days longer sans chips is a winner.

 

5. Muk Luks: I'm chronically cold, and these keep your toes AND your legs warm Woot woot!

 

6. Tazo Passion Tea: Yummy and fruity-full. This tea actually has depth and substance- I like teas that taste more like juice than weak fruity water. (Just like the Honest Toddler).

 

7. Aviators: Wearing these makes me feel like Tammy Taylor from Friday Night Lights.

 

8. Spin Pins: 1-2 of these pins replaces 15 bobby pins. Amazing! Here's how they work.

 

9. Levi's Curve ID Skinny Jeans: For any of you looking for skinny jeans with a bit of heft (not jeggings!) these are the ticket. I looked forever before finding these, and they're the best. They hold their shape after multiple wearings, and are a classic dark wash. Also, Levi's Curve ID lets you practically customize jeans for your body. Awesome!

 

10. White and Coral Ikat Scarf: A 2011 birthday present from Forever21, it will live in my closet until 2081. It's so fresh and springy.

 

11. Bed Buddy: Finally, an UNSCENTED microwavable rice bag. Scented ones make me feel nauseous, so this is a real treat.

 

12. Burt's Bees: Rounding out the list, because who doesn't love Burt's Bees?

Easy, Inexpensive Event Decor

A week and a half ago, I decorated for our church's anual Titus 2 Women's Mentee Coffee. It's an event with approximatly 120 in attendance, and a $150 budget for me to work with. Here's what I came up with this year:

I used a bunch of paper lanterns and hung them behind the main food table, instead of a centerpiece. I also used a grouping of different sized and colored lanterns as table centerpieces.

Real dishes would be nice, but not cost effective. Target had cute pink and white polka dot napkins, and I set the gold plates on the table to boost the color scheme instead of setting them on the food table. Here's the overall look:

I thought things turned out pretty cute. Hopefully I'll be able to reuse the lanterns for another event!

Makes me Laugh

I have to share this with you. I ran across this video via the Small Things Blog and it literally made me laugh out loud. Not the laughing out loud like this:

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But literally. Here it is. Enjoy. And happy weekend.

Upstairs Bedroom

Happy Friday! I wanted to share our latest room update with you: I did a quick and inexpensive update in our upstairs third bedroom.

It had sat for 3 1/2 years with a terrible, terrible little boys sports border running around the ceiling. I decided that if the only thing I did was take the border down, it would be better than nothing. Which of course led to painting the entire room, the trim, and a few update projects to finish everything off. You know how it is. Here's the ugliness before:

And a close up, just for good measure:

Currently, this room is only used to house Leo's kennel. For the life of me, I could NOT think of what else to use this room for. We already have an office with a separate desk for things like sewing, crafts, and gift wrapping.

Eventually, it'll be a nursery, but not for the near future. Charlie, being ever so practical, suggested I try to pick the color I would want the nursery walls to be, so that we don't have to re-paint. So I scoured Pinterest nurseries for a while (which felt very odd) and settled on a light gray. It's the same color as our basement office. I figured gray is here to stay (at least for a while), is nicely neutral, and goes well with both girl and boy decor. If all else fails, at least I won't have to smell paint primer while feeling nauseous.

So here it is.

Better? I think so.

 

 

Leo's kennel. Too bad we still need one- that dog is like a goat with the things he finds to eat.

My goal was to only spend money on paint. Like I said, we only use this room for Leo's kennel, and the bed and nightstand are more of a placeholder than anything else so the room doesn't look empty.

Just an FYI: The "headboard" is a 2' x 3' bulletin board painted white. I had extra fabric from the first attempt at making a roman shade for the basement. I cut it to size and pinned it on. Boom. Headboard on the cheap.

Enjoy the start of your weekend!

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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Source Boxwood in woven baskets!

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!

Piece of Candy

Oh my. Has it really been four months since my last post? My apologies.

Of course, the best thing to do after a long absence is to share a YouTube video. I thought I'd post one of my new favorites.

It's the kind that you watch seven times in a row, like this one, which is also a favorite.

 

 

If you don't find these funny, you need to adjust your sense of humor. 

Office Gallery Wall

I finished the office gallery wall a few weeks ago, and wanted to share it with you! This wall was originally blank and blah, and needed some (cheap) jazzing up.

I bought 11 frames at Goodwill for a grand total of $17.39. Yes, that's right. They have color coded tags, and all the blue tags happened to be $1.49 (two of my frames were $1.99- so much more expensive). The other three I already owned.

Check out your local Goodwill- they have a monthly calendar which says in advance which sales are on which days.

I hoarded gobs of blue sticker frames with terrible art in my cart like a wild woman. But wasn't it worth it?

Everything got a few coats of white spray paint, some cheap/free printable art, and went up on the wall.

The people who created some of these prints are so talented and creative! In recognition of their work, here's the image sources, if you're interested.

Mustard Seed Tree Print
Summer Stargazing Chart (free printable)
Minneapolis Cityscape
Hello Lover Camera Print (free printable)
Keep Calm and Click On Print (free printable)
Fruit of the Spirit Print (free printable)
Love Tree Stump Print (free printable)

A few are my photography/creations/old art/pages ripped out of an atlas :) Hey, use what you have.

I've been holding back on fall stuff for the first time in years. I'm usually ready for fall in July, and right now I'm just ready for more August and summer vacation. Enjoy the last month of summer!

The Kitchen

Woohoo! The kitchen is finished. It's actually been finished for a while, but I'm lazy about blogging :)

Since my last kitchen update post, we've grouted and switched out the light fixture above the sink. And Leo has some new pop-of-yellow dog bowls. Very big update, you know.

I love this fixture- it's so shiny and nautical/industrial. Definitely an upgrade from it's predecessor.

I switched out the art and the dog bowls. I wasn't sure if I'd like the green curtains with the new wall color, but I think they look good.

Here's the other side of the kitchen. I've been in a color pop sort of kick for a while, and am trying to infuse some into this room.

My grass was actually still alive when I shot this photo. Whoops.

My view while washing dishes. Except not anymore (the bushes are all gone- more on that project later).

The flour and sugar canisters got new labels, too. I was getting sick of the chalkboard ones.

There you have it. Out with the dark and cozy, and in with the airy and fresh.

Front Garden

Well... I've been rather MIA from this blog for a while. But it's summer, so I suppose that's okay.

We've almost finished the front garden we started last summer. I say almost because it's 92% done, and Charlie and I always have a hard time finishing that last 8%. Of any project. Either way, the plants are in (and have been for a while!). It's nice to be mostly done.

There are hydrangea (my favorite), boxwood, catmint, dead nettle, hanging baskets with purple petunias, a mini arborvitae tree, and tall white stalky flowers called larkspur (I think, lost the tag- someone confirm this?) that Charlie refers to as "the corn" since it looks a bit like a corn stalk.

Is this last one larkspur? I think so. Either way, apparently it attracts bees.

The catmint has quadrupled in size. It's taking over it's part of the garden, and I think I'm going to have to split EVERY plant, probably EVERY year. I love catmint, but it's a bit invasive.

Here was my original idea:

And here is what we did. I might take out the corn and put in alium (like in the photo above). I'm not in love with it, and it was cheap. Wasn't our grass nicer back in April? I suppose it IS always greener somewhere else.

There you have it. The front garden, almost done.