Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Eight Recent Pinterest Experiments

   Who has two thumbs and an excessive amount of ideas on Pinterest? THIS GUY!

   I am on the verge of feeling genuine shame over how many photos and links I have "Pinned," knowing full well that it would take me years to actually go forth and execute them all. It all seems rather elusive and imaginary, doesn't it? Except that some of it really is doable and worthwhile.

   Today instead of sharing things I want to do eventually,  I would like to share some things I have already done and give a snippet review of each.

   Ready?

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1. Displaying found feathers with shells, etc.



   Thanks to the plethora of birds running around the Lazy W, we have an abundance of loose feathers available at all times. The black and white dotted guinea feathers are some of the prettiest, and this is arrangement showcases them nicely. I've been sticking feathers everywhere. In potted plants, vases, bowls, you name it. I want to say it's a wholly artistic effort, but really I just always have pockets full of feathers and need to put them somewhere when I come inside. Still, this counts. This Pinterest idea was totally inspirational.

2. Butterfinger Cake




   Okay you guys. This cake. I can't remember what the occasion was exactly, but one day last month I decided rather late in the afternoon that we desperately needed a special dessert that night. I drove fifteen minutes to the nearest grocery store to buy the supplies. I forgot some of the most important supplies. So then I drove twenty-three minutes to a second grocery store so I wouldn't have to face those employees from the first store again. I've done the "Oops I forgot something" sing song routine with them before, and for some reason those people are merciless. I shudder to endure that amount of teasing a second time.

   Once home, I was finally free to assemble this GORGEOUS and mouth watering cake. It was so much fun and quite delish. Handsome and I ate a couple of pieces each. We sent the remaining cake to his office the next day in order to avoid spending all of April, May, and June on the elliptical machine. Bottom line? If you like Butterfinger candy bars and you like cake, then try this recipe.

   Also, Plain Chicken is a great home cooking blog to check out. Do yourself a favor and browse her other recipes!

3. Panko Crusted Tilapia




   This was another delish recipe. Not expensive, not too time consuming, and also something a little different, at least for the two of us. The lemon cream sauce was delectable, you guys. The only change I made was to add a speck of nutmeg. Also I forgot the sugar, but I bet that would be so good.

   What makes this recipe extra special to me is that it got me to finally buy a box of Panko crumbs! I had never tried them before, although every other woman in the free world has been cooking with them for a million years. They are quite good. Very much worth adding to my standard stock-the-pantry shopping list. Yum.

4. Chalk as Stain Remover



   My big comment here is that this WORKS. Using white chalk rescued two of Handsome's button-up dress shirts that had been stained AND already laundered. (My bad...) Keep chalk in your laundry basket. Bam. Good as new.

5. Wardrobe Images 




   This link is less of an inspiration than an illustration. I have a cropped denim jacket that came form a thrift store and has the perfect amount of thinness and fraying all over it. Really, truly, the perfect amount. When I am not dressed to work outside, that denim jacket plus a long sundress and either boots or flip flops are pretty much my standard daily wardrobe. In fact, that happens to be exactly what I wore to lunch with my friend Melissa today!

   Sometimes I will get ready to go out somewhere with Handsome and he's like, "Oh, look. You're wearing your denim jacket again. Cool."

   Or maybe we're headed to church and he says, "Oh wow, your denim jacket goes with that too. I would not have guessed that. Cool."

   I have a lot of sundresses sort of like the one above. He sees me choose one and automatically starts helping me find my denim jacket. It's kind of a thing. It's nice to be understood, but I imagine that if we are ever invited to a black tie affair, my fave denim jacket will mysteriously go missing.

6. Apron Tutorial



   This apron tutorial is just great, you guys. Fast, simple, unlined, adaptable, and so fresh looking. I made one of these cute little numbers yesterday and will be making many more. It has a more casual feel than lots of other aprons, and the bow is pretty adorable. I will pass along this comment: the measurements she provides will give you an adult small, but if you want a different size it's all rectangles so it's simple to adjust. If you are a home sewist, give this a try! She has lots of other fun ideas too!

7. This is just wonderful.




8. Up-Cycled Tee, Drawstring Tank Tutorial





   I saved the most exciting idea for last. This tee shirt up-cycle is beyond fast; it takes less than twenty minutes to complete. It is practically FREE because you just use any old tee-shirt you can find in your closet. And it is actually wearable. 

   Some ideas look cool in photos then feel weird in real life, but this drawstring tank top is even better than expected. I have sewn up about a dozen of these since trying it out last week and I am keeping several for myself. If you have a quarter of an hour and a tee-shirt, try this for yourself. You can even do it with a needle and thread, no machine required. Imagine all the possibilities!

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   So there ya go. Eight ways Pinterest has enriched my life this past week or so. Is this enough to justify my addiction?

I'll Stop Pinning When They Make Me.
xoxoxo

12 comments:

  1. Nice. You should keep doing this over-view thing if you can. I am on pinterest but it's too overwhelming for me. My armpits are sweating just thinking about it. So this is great because I like your style, I like what you have to say about it (doable, not as easy but still doable), and it keeps it simple for me to digest. Definitely no sweat reading your post, and I'm happier for having read some of the ideas. Definitely love the canning/zombie pic, and definitely love the idea for reusing t-shirts. Thanks.

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    1. Cool beans! Okay I'll dabble in more project reviews for sure. The eye candy collecting is so fun, and people are getting really good at fashioning their photos in such a way that the "guts" of a project are easily digested. LOL Good for impatient instruction readers. Like me.

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  2. Adding chalk to my packing list and thinking that wardrobe pic there looks JUST LIKE YOU!! xoxo

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    1. I can't even stand how excited I am for you today!!!

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  3. The aprons and tees are so cool. I. Must. Try. Them.

    And chalk?! How cool is that?

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    1. I know! The chalk worked better than stain spray. Please do try the apron and drawstring tank, super easy and cute. My husband keeps putting stacks of his old tees in my sewing room for my to up-cycle. LOL

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  4. Mama needs to make some drawstring tanks!!!

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    1. Wait... I can't sew myself out of a paper bag... this could get vewwy vewwy intewesting!

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    2. LOL! Tiff you can do the tank. No prob. Give it a try!! Or if you want I am selling them too. ; )

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  5. I'm impressed that you have have already done this many projects! Good for you! And I didn't know about the chalk/stain remover trick. Going to have to remember that one! And I know what you mean about adding ONE MORE THING to what we already do online. But I have to say that is one cute outfit! Hope you're having a great week!

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    1. Hi Sonya!! Having a great week. Really loving the fresh air and sunshine. xoxo but every day I can't decide between gardening or sewing or cooking or cleaning, you know? I got quite a bit of sewing done last week with the rain, but now 80s this week... my fabric stash may grow cold again. LOL

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  6. oooh, going to give the drawstring T a chance... Just need a sowing machine though...?
    In any case, you have been very busy, and I trust, Proudly so. You did a lot of varied things, most serving a purpose, but all creative.

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Hey thanks for commenting! I love hearing from people. It's the best. I have recently added word verification, a necessary annoyance. Have a wonderful day!

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