Week 19 & 20...Better late than never!

So, I promise that I haven't quit Pinteresting!  I'll admit, it's been incredibly hard.  Our crazy home life, every busy work life, and everything in between keep me moving.  Pinteresting is like dieting...gotta stay accountable.  That's what this blog does for me!  It makes me focus on something creative at least once each week.

Last week my coworkers and I hosted a small baby shower for our friend, Stephanie.  She is having a baby girl.  :-)  I saw this party favor on Pinterest and had to try it for our "sweet" themed shower.  I thought they turned out cute.  The pacifier on top (to look like a cherry) was Zoe's idea!

 

Finding ice cream bowls was tough.   I've decided that this is a great thing to have on hand, so I'll be on the look out.  :-)  Ice cream = two onesies, two washcloths, and one hat & a spoon.  :-)

This weekend was Mother's Day.  We spent the entire weekend doing stuff as a family.  It was great.  One thing about family time is that there is not time for cleaning, much less crafting.  I did, however, bake the Peanut Butter Cup S'mores recipe found here.  My family loved them!

Happy Mother's Day!

Week 18- Proper Pinning

Sundays have officially been designated for Pinteresting.  I always have a few ideas in mind, but I don't absolutely decide on what to do until Sunday.  Sadie was sick last night and ended up sleeping with us.  As a result, I found myself reading more than I slept.  I searched all of Pinterest for 'pinning tips.'  You'd be amazed at all there is on the WWW related to proper pinning techniques.  I learned several valuable tips from this link that I think you all should know. 

• Always try to find the source image.  This gives credit where credit is due and helps you to avoid copyright issues.  The coolest thing about this was that I learned that you can drag and drop any image in to Google Images and Google will locate its source.  How cool is that?!?!
• Edit your profile settings to change how often you are notified.  I changed my notifications to once daily rather than immediately.  I can already tell a difference!
• Keep a 5:1 ratio... For every five items you repin, be sure to pin one original or new find.  I'm guilty of NOT doing this enough.  Until today...one of my projects was inspired by Pinterest finds, but wasn't directly 'borrowed.'

There are many more hints and tips for using Pinterest.  I've created a new board all about pinning to Pinterest.   Go there to read more.  Now onto this week's projects!

I LOVE using photographs in Pinterest projects.  It 'makes' me get current photos and engages the girls...especially Sadie.  I saw this pin and thought it looked super cute and super easy.

I tried to get Sadie to pose more like the ones above...NOT that easy, so we just went with the one with her smiling.  I printed it out on card-stock, cut it out, and that's it!  I think I'll add a trapeze bar and tassel to make it more like a bookmark, but it works this way. 

In order to stick with with the idea that we should be contributing original pins to Pinterest, I created the following project.  One of my favorite quotes added the inspiration, too:

A few months ago I pinned an awesome idea involving an entire living room wall painted with chalkboard paint.  It was awesome!  I decided that an entire wall would be a little too much, but maybe just a picture size space?

My mom found the frame below at an antique store and I have tons of leftover chalkboard contact paper left over from a previous project.  I painted the frame, cut the contact paper, and mounted it in our foyer.  Both Sadie and Zoe noticed it right away! 

I hope you all have a great week ahead!  I'll be preparing for a baby shower next week...'sweet' themed.  Can't wait!

Week 17: Oh what to do...

I have to admit, I wasn't exactly looking forward to doing ANYTHING this weekend.  My house is a wreck and I'm tired, which made the thought of doing something fun feel all wrong.  In an effort to get out and spend time with Sadie, I picked the project below.  It gave Sadie and I a chance to go antique shopping in town.  She LOVES to shop!

We walked out with a few bags filled with antiques...MOST of which were FREE.  The owner of the shop (my Kindergarten teacher nearly 30 years ago) was very helpful once I told her what I wanted to create.  She searched the very back of the store and found random pieces of china that worked perfectly for this project.  I did purchase the brass candlesticks, though.  I simply used liquid nails to adhere the pieces together and that's it!  Now all I need is a reason to use it...LOL...

Because this project was so simple, I felt a little funny dedicating an entire post to it.  Lucky for me I pinned a VERY cool and free Facebook timeline resource earlier this morning.  I have been dreading switching to the timeline because I knew it would drive me crazy without having a cool cover photo.  This resource made it possible...within a short time I created this:

I'm still searching for decorations for the month of May.  It's not easy.  I'm finding a ton of Spring themed stuff but feel like it looks too Easter-y.  Please be on the lookout! 

Week 16: Thankful for Pinterest!

I love a party. I love the planning. I love the excitement. That's why I'm already thinking about next year's theme! Before I am 'allowed' to think too much about next year, I promised myself that I would be sure and send thank-yous this year. Everyone was so great to take the time to show up, the least I can do is send a thank-you.

Of course I don't want just any thank-you note. Within a few seconds of searching Pinterest, I not only found a cute thank-you idea, but I also found my project of the week!



I chose this idea because it was a way to get Sadie's help and show her love for all the new toys. Within a few minutes I had the image, added the font, and uploaded to a printer. Here's the final product:




Looking at her in this picture makes me smile. I hope it does the same for everyone else.
Until next week...

Week 14-15: Worth the wait!

I know that its been over two weeks since my last post, but I assure you that I've been Pinterest'ing. In fact, we've ALL been Pinterest'ing as we prepared for Sadie's 3rd birthday party. While I wasn't able to do all that I originally planned, I (WE) did complete several of my favorite projects that I pinned to my "Sadie's Mermaid Party" board on Pinterest.

How cute are these felt mermaid tails?!? Especially once they are on the party guests! My mom gets all the credit for these. I showed her a design that I found on Pinterest and presto!...there they were!





And for the boys? Pretend scuba gear, of course! Made out of spray painted 2 liter bottles, fish tank tubing, and gorilla tape, these bottles not only looked like the real thing, but 'acted' like them too! We could not get over how much the boys played with them (in the pool) and how well they held up!




A pirate (my mom) even showed up to take the kids on a treasure hunt. They were enthralled as she led the way. We owe you, mom. BIG time. :-)



There were also Pinterest inspired decorations throughout the 'ocean blue.' The coffee filter wreath was VERY easy to make and CHEAP.




I am very pleased with how it all turned out. Ms. Dottie made a fantastic sandcastle cake, Zoe hosted the "Seaweed Salon" (More pictures coming soon). The only bad thing? Sadie ran a fever the entire time. :=(





Oh well. There's always next year! :-)

Week 13- Easter's on it's way!

This week I continued to prep our home for Easter. It's pretty sad that I didn't actually clean our house due to the hectic weekend, but rest assured we have Easter banners! While looking around my dirty house, I decided that I should propose a new reality show called, "Polly & Pinterest." Camera crews would follow me and my attempts to create Pinterest projects...not sure if it would be a sitcom or a drama.

I've been collecting paint chips every time I go to the store JUST for the banner shown below. How easy and CUTE is this?!?



Next, I humored Sadie (and the neighbor's kids) with the bunny butt banner below (say THAT 10 times real fast and see what happens). Again, easy and CUTE!



I need about a week of crafting to complete all of the projects that I'd like to have for Sadie's 3rd birthday. Mermaid tails, splash pads, shell jewelery, and more. I'm going to prioritize and start this weekend. Fingers crossed!

Week 12- Hippity Hoppity...

One of my favorite things about preparing for a face-to-face work meeting with my fantastic team is dreaming up a few gifts. I have an awesome group of co-workers that make gift giving a ton of fun. In fact, I had so much fun at Christmas a few of the ladies decided that 'they suck at Christmas'! Lol!!!!

Since Easter is only a few weeks away, I decided to go with a Spring/Bunny theme. I found both Pinterest ideas easy to do. The first one is using Peeps (my favorite Easter candy) in a brownie mix jar. I didn't alter the recipe at all because it seemed so simple. You can find it here. I'm going to tell my team to 'hop to it' when we go over new goals. :-)




The next project was one I could NOT resist since it uses Peeps in a clever way. I actually combined two Pinterest ideas since I dipped the Peeps in chocolate and then sprinkles as seen on a different pin. Then I bundled them and attached the saying below: "You're one of my favorite Peeps!" How cute is that???!!!!




The highlight of my day was when Zoe stopped to see what I was making and said that the Beastie Boys' song, "She's Crafty" should be my theme song. Lol!!!! I'll take that as a compliment!

BTW... I received my ViewFinders on Friday (last week's post). They are INCREDIBLE! Well worth the money, quick, and super cool.

Week 11- Mermaids and more-oh my!

My absolute FAVORITE thing to do is plan and prepare for parties. I swear, if I were rich I'd host a party each month JUST for the planning part. Pinterest has been awesome for planning for Sadie's third birthday. The theme? Mermaids! Look at all I've posted so far!



One site gave me the idea of including scuba divers, too. This works perfectly since there are several boys attending. The very first few Pinterest ideas that I've been working on (with the help of my Mom- Ms. Pinterest herself) are for the invitation and a party favor.

The invitation is a compilation of several pins. Sarah B gave me the idea to do a message-in-a-bottle invite, which I love! We worked on the wording and my mom worked her magic. As a result, we came up with this as the invitation.

Supplies:


Message:

Dive deep into the ocean blue,
with mermaids and scuba divers, too.
Here we will celebrate under the sea,
as Miss Sadie is turning three!

Insert (plus crushed shells, pearls, & tiny seahorses):

*Instagram effect makes this appear more vintage than it actually is.


Finished product (kind-of):


I'll mail each family a plastic message in a bottle with the invitation. I hope the kids get excited about Sadie's upcoming birthday party!


Next, I saw this pin and fell in love.


It's not near as a easy as it looked, though! I followed the directions here, but found that it took a TON of time. Not sure anyone besides Sadie will be wearing a koi fish in their hair! :-)




SOOOO much to do before her party. It's going to be the best one yet!

Week 10- Still on Vacation Time

I can't believe I missed a post last week! I tried to search practical Pinterest Projects while traveling...not easy to find! So instead, I decided to try out one of the coolest pins I've ever pinned.

I saw this pin and knew I was going to have to do this with one of our family events. It's a site for making your own viewfinder reels!



Zoe and I recently took our very first trip to New York City. We were so overwhelmed with the excitement of the city and so COLD that neither one of us took very many pictures. Because of this, the viewfinder idea would be perfect for capturing the images that we did take and making them fun to look at.





The Image 3D site is very easy to use and is pretty intuitive. I was able to upload, edit, and create my reels within an hour.




That's it! The viewfinder and reels should be here by the end of the week. I can't wait to see!

Now on to the 'reel' Pinterest project for the week. :-)

Week 9- Clovers & Cream Cheese

The hearts have all come down and clovers are moving in around our house. I've always liked St. Patrick's Day because I love the month of March. I love warmer weather and the green that comes with this time of year.

Pinterest has a banner for every holiday, every month, every occasion, and every thing else! I saw this banner a few weeks ago and knew it would be fun to make and look great for St. Patrick's day.





My newest kitchen banner was made completely with scraps found in mom's craft room. Thank Goodness for mom's craft room! I used an old phone book, recycled card stock, and buttons.




So about six months ago Zoe (my 15 year old) made the comment that "good mom's bake desserts each week". She didn't mean it as a putdown, but it really got me thinking about how my grandmothers (especially my dad's mom) ALWAYS had cookies, Texas sheet cake, or something totally yummy around her house. Granted she never worked, but still. I can't say that I've done it EVERY week, but 90% of the time I bake something yummy on Sundays. Pinterest has been great for finding new recipes. I found this one for White Chocolate Butter Bars and knew our family would love it. They are fabulous!!!




Later this week Zoe and I are headed to New York City. I've got to tie in this week's Pinterest Project to the Big Apple. I better get to searching now! :-)

Week 8- Bedroom Makeover (kindof)!

It's hard to believe but July marks our 6th anniversary in our home. There are rooms that I want to redo completely and several that need a quick refresh. I LOVE the colors and patterns of my bedroom and bathroom. Spa blues and greens with worn mirrored furniture and damask makes my eyes VERY happy. So why change, right? Can't stand things to be exactly the same for too long. :-)

I decided to play around with the bedroom furniture. Its a small room so there's not much to play around with, but with Aaron's help we did and it looks much better. I saw this idea when I first joined Pinterest. Lucky me I already had an old, rustic window and wonderful Amy Butler printed paper. I'm happy with the result (the back-lit photo doesn't do it justice)!



This week I'm taking down Valentines and hanging up shamrocks! Pinterest makes the holidays so much more fun. Have a great week!

Week 7- Gifts for Less!

I am so excited about this week's post because these items literally took less than an hour to create! I made a personalized bridal shower gift and Valentines for my coworkers all for less than $20 and I think they look fantastic!

First, I saw this project on Pinterest. It looked so cute and easy. I'll admit I was reluctant because usually things that look so cute and easy AREN'T! Well it just so happens it is! I used my Cricut machine to cut the bride-to-be's new last name out of contact paper in order to make a DYI stencil. Then, using the etching creme for 60 seconds, it made this!



I'll include a great recipe and a few hot pads and that's it! Less than $10 and I'm able to give a great personalized gift.


Next I wanted to try this project as a Valentine's gift for my coworkers. They looked so cute with the tiny shovels. Using the site above, I printed sticker labels, ordered inexpensive plastic shovels, and used clear baggies of M&Ms for the rest. In fact, the candy was the most expensive part.





Have I mentioned that I LOVE Pinterest! It really has enabled me to get a ton of cute stuff created for my family and home. Now I even have a great resource for gift giving too!

Week 6- Cooking Up Trouble!

This week I decided to try out a few of the recipes that I so appropriately pinned to the board, "Delish Recipes." And boy were they delicious!

The White Chicken Enchilladas were super easy and VERY yummy. The entire family (even Sadie) loved them. This recipe is definitely a keeper.




I've been dying to try out the Cake Batter Truffle recipe I recently tagged. Sadie asked to help. I have no idea why she wanted to do so in the nude, but I thought it made for a cute pic.




Not only were these truffles delicious, they looked great too! One thing I would change next time is how long I refrigerated the balls. Since they were really cold and the candy dip was really hot, several of the balls cracked. Cracks or not, they were delicious!





So the need for the last project originates from about 12 years ago when Zoe was in day care. Much like today, my mom (aka Anny) made sure that Zoe got to day care and often times picked her up since I was in school full time and working part time. Any one who knows my mom understands that while she is an incredibly gifted artist, her wardrobe centers around comfort and necessity rather than style. One day she had a terrible time finding Zoe's shoes. You can imagine my surprise when I picked up Zoe from day care to find her wearing BIG PURPLE Barney slippers rather than shoes. My mom's response? What difference does it make?!? Her feet were protected and that's the purpose of shoes, right? LOL!!! We still laugh about this.

My current job requires a fair amount of travel so here we are 12 years later and mom's at it again. The difference this time around is that I am trying to be more organized so that finding matching outfits and shoes isn't a challenge- it's just ready to go. When my mom saw the next project, she rolled her eyes! I actually think its pretty clever and pinned it on my "Great Idea" board. :-)





Week #6 and still going strong! If only exercise were this much fun. :-) I've got two projects to work on later this week- a bridal shower gift and Valentine's cards for my coworkers. This will be a fun week!

Week 5- I've gone mad for Pinterest

It has been one crazy work week...I feel like I've been traveling all month. With that comes Pinterest withdrawals. :-) This weekend is all about cleaning, prepping meals, and decorating for Valentine's Day. I'm also TRYING to get organized by following the "52 Weeks to an Organized Home" blog. I LOVE this kind of stuff. Crazy, right?!




This week I decided to focus on one small practical piece and one decorative piece. Both projects were free since I had all of the supplies already. I am pretty good about writing out our week on the hallway dry erase board, but it looks terrible. I decided to spice it up!

Before:




And After:




I saw a version of this garland on Pinterest. I thought it looked cute and easy to make. I was right! :-)


Paper Heart Garland:



Detail:




I've got to get my pins organized...that's next. I wonder if there is a pin about how to pin?!

Week 4- Wooden Valentine Candy Decoration

Valentine's Day here we come! Although I haven't officially brought out the Feburary decorations yet, I'm ready to now! This week's project was a lot of fun because it required Aaron (and Sadie) to help. I spent $2 for the ribbon and the rest of the supplies we already owned, so this was really inexpensive to create.

This is my original pin:






Here it is Haldeman style:




Fun, right?! I'm loving this weekly post...It really does make me accountable for having fun each week. The best part is that in the end...I have stuff I can keep!

Have a great week,
Polly

Week 3- Family Year Book

What a week! Between work meetings and food poisoning I was afraid that I wouldn't get to complete a Pinterest project. In fact if it had not been for this post, I probably wouldn't have done anything.

So for the past 3 years my great friend, DeAnne, and I have teamed to create a family album. We are each responsible for creating six months (x 2) of scrapbook pages so that together we have a 2 page spread for a family album. Then, at the end of each month we simply insert pictures and BAM, by January of the following year our albums are complete. I keep my album on our coffee table so that friends and family can enjoy throughout the year. I love it! Finding layouts for this type of project can be tricky. Pinterest made it easy this year! I pinned the following idea a few weeks ago and we tweaked it for our own use.

Here's what I pinned:



Here is a sample of what we created:



I've started trying to make recipes from Pinterest too. Unfortunately I've found a few recipes that I wouldn't use again. :-( They looked GREAT, but were lacking in taste. One random observation that I've made about Pinterest...I have noticed that NO MATTER WHAT I search, there is ALWAYS a picture of someone's tattoo as a result. It is hilarious! Only on Pinterest...