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...

Week 2- Paper Heart Wreath & More!

Alright, I admit it...I'm addicted to Pinterest! Because of this addiction, I have noticed strange behaviors about myself. Number 1, I've started to 'collect' paint chips from every store I visit because of all of the possibilities they present for Pinterest projects. And number 2, I actually asked my mom to teach me how to sew! I hate sewing, or at least I thought I did. Maybe I can suffer through it in order to make a few Pinterest-inspired party favors or upcycled dresses for Sadie?

This week I decided to focus on a Pinterest project that would be useful for February decor. I LOVE all of the ideas surrounding garlands and wreaths on Pinterest, but especially this one:



I bought a super cute paper pack from K & Company at Michael's (LOTs of paper on sale this week). I followed the simple directions given on the pinned site. I found that although it is really cute, I think I'd like it even more as a garland. Because of the ribbon and the weight of the paper, it sags to be more of an oval shape- still cute, but oval. Since I'm not hanging it up just yet, I may actually decide to convert it to a garland.



Our house is snow and snowman themed for January. Sadie helped me create the garland below out of paint chips and punched paper- soooo easy and cute!




The terrible- twos are among us at our house! I saw a version of the following idea on Pinterest and thought it was worth a try for Sadie. Our family loves going to our local ice cream shop (The Yum-Yum Shop). Sadie seems to understand the concept of earning ice cream scoops. Once she earns 7, off to the Yum Yum Shop we go! Only 2 more this week!





*Please excuse all of the Instagrams...my laptop is in the shop.

Week 1- Sadie's Valentines

One of my very first pins on Pinterest (and maybe the reason why I became instantly addicted) was seeing creative uses for photographs. I strive to be unique...maybe a little too hard sometimes. This first project (to me) will surely make Sadie's Valentine's Day cards the most unique. The other added bonus is that they are very inexpensive!

Pinned and filed under "To Make Soon":



I completed this project first knowing that 2/14/12 is right around the corner. Boy was it easy! I took the picture, edited it a little in Photoshop, added cute Valentines font, and sent it to my local printer. I used the same printer for my Christmas cards...only charged $6 for 30- 5x7 card stock photographs. Awesome, right?!

Here's what they look like (minus the 'insert sucker here' label- that was for you all).




So week #1 was quick, easy, and fun! I feel accomplished and can now move this pin into a different board. Maybe I'll create a "Pinterest Project" board for all of the 'tried' ideas?

My Pinterest Project

After hours upon hours of pinning away on Pinterest, it finally dawned on me that unless I actually plan to create some of what I find, what's the point? I watched the movie Julie & Julia as a motivator for this blog. In the movie, Julie decided to cook every single recipe in Julia Childs'cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Her daily dedication to the year long project and eventual following kept her accountable for successfully achieving her goal. How cool is that?! At the end, she not only learned how to cook like Julia Childs, but a great deal about herself.

I can't say that there is some deep meaning behind my Pinterest project, just a desire to be productive and creative throughout the year. I hope to have cool birthday parties for both of my girls and many more handmade gifts for friends and family in 2012.

Off to pin...