Pin 24

Original pin:

Perfect since I have recently re-picked up the art of crochet (after a 23 year hiatus.) This was really very easy and would be easy for any beginner because it only requires the ability to create the long chain. It is two long chains folded and knotted together just so.

In the time it took to watch one episode of DVR'd trash TV I had this beauty ready to go.

I can not find a place in my house to lay things flat for pictures that doesn't make a shadow.

Pinterest headband + Pinterest sock bun curls = Pinhead kind of day. heehee.

Total cost: $2 for some dollar store yarn and ribbon. It didn't use much so it could easily be made with scraps lying around.

Total time: 1 hour, distracted.

Final verdict: Very cute, easy, I like the bow tie closure at the bottom. It feels very feminine. I would totally make this as a gift for you.

Pin 23

Original pin:

I tried this dozens of times before I got it to work. I did it hundreds of times before it looked good. My arms ached. I did it thousands of times before it got easy.

Having damp hair helped out a ton! I just wet my comb and ran it through the ponytail a few times.

Choice of sock made a difference too. At first I used a thinner, dark colored sock so that it wouldn't be as obvious if some of it peeked out. As I got better I moved on to a thicker tube sock which I preferred because it made a thicker, fuller bun.

Some people use this to curl their hair, but my hair doesn't hold curl well. It is definitely curly when it comes down, but it falls flat pretty quickly. 

Total cost: $0

Total time: After lots of practice that was spread out in intervals over weeks, I can now do this in under one minute.

Final verdict: I love wearing this instead of a ponytail or messy bun. It just feels more polished. Although I do secretly worry about people who know the secret to the bun seeing me and thinking about me walking around with a sock on my head. Its the crazy in me.

Pin 22

Original Pin:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/easy-peezy-natural-bird-feeders-roundup-165357

A cute little natural bird feeder.

I had a few oranges lying around that weren't getting eaten and I thought this would be fun for the boys to help with. It turned into a project just for mommy. I couldn't get either of them interested in mixing birdseed with peanut butter or eating orange slices or anything. They were content to sit at the window watching Daddy walk back and forth with the lawn mower. Seriously? Was it really that boring?

I had two oranges so I made four feeders. I finally got Luke's interest when I went to hang them on our backyard tree. He was good to hang one and then he was off.

Here they are on our still-leaf-less maple. It is always the last one to start budding in the spring.

Overflowing with birdie-goodness

This one wouldn't hang straight so I tucked it into a crook.

And now we wait for little birdies to gobble it up.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Okay, I can't even get the birds interested in these. I thought they would like the colors and the bird seed and the premium JIF peanut butter I gave them. I have yet to see a bird even fly over to check them out. What is going on here?? I'm giving it a few more days and then these are going in the trash before the orange peels start to rot.

Total cost: $0, everything I already had.

Total time: 20 minutes

Final verdict: Total bust. The link has some other ideas I may try in the future, but this one is o.u.t.

Pin 21

Original pin:



http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/897/Pina-Colada-Popsicles112239.shtml

Pina Colada Popsicles! Yum!

Have I mentioned I love kitchen gadgets? For my birthday I got a Popsicle XPress popsicle maker that will freeze four popsicles in 10 minutes. This was my first time to use it so I was a little apprehensive. I pre-chilled all the ingredients just as the directions said and when it was time, blended them all together and popped them in. I couldn't find pineapple with syrup so I just used pineapple with juice.

Here is a picture of the Xpress.

After the ten minutes were up I had a little moment of panic where we couldn't quite figure out how to get them out. The boys were losing patience but Daddy came to the rescue and figured it out. Our popsicles were set free!!

Overall, they were good, but I really think of my pina colada as pineapple & coconut. This was too banana-y for a pina colada. Maybe more like a Bahama mama or something.  Next time I would cut back on the banana and increase the pineapple.

As for the Popsicle Xpress, two thumbs up. It actually stayed cold long enough to make 12 popsicles.  Now we have a stash in the freezer. The recipe made enough for probably 16 popsicles of the XPress size. 

My deliciousness.

Total cost: $3 for 12 popsicles (and I threw away at least 4 more because I didn't have sticks for them!!)

Total time: 15 min for the first batch (mixing and freezing time together)

Final verdict: Won't make this recipe again as is.  Loved the Xpress however. Will keep playing around with them.

Pin 20

Original Pin:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/fluffy-cake-doughnuts/detail.aspx

I didn't plan for this pin this week. Luke has had a rough week with his asthma and when he woke up last night, I promised to make him something fun for breakfast in the morning.  He didn't forget and this morning asked for donuts. In a round about way two Christmases ago I basically bought myself a Bella Cucina donut maker (I have a weakness for kitchen gadgets) and I have spent the last 15 months experimenting to find a good, and easy, recipe. The recipe that came with the maker just tastes too much like vegetable oil to me. I have experimented with all sorts of different combinations. Some good, and some were not so good. None were downright awful. 

So I decided to make these that I had pinned a while back. When I noted that there was cinnamon and nutmeg in the batter, I decided instead of icing to use cinnamon and sugar for topping. They baked up nicely in the Bella and I dipped them in melted butter and then cinnamon and sugar. They were delicious. When I was real young my dad used to work at the State Fair of Texas every season in a donut stand where they fried up these delicious little donuts. These reminded me of them. The recipe made at least four dozen or so mini donuts, it was hard to count because we couldn't stop eating them as they were finished. The leftovers sat on the counter all afternoon and every time we walked by we would sneak one. I sent a bunch with my sister as they stopped by on their way out of town.  They were all gone within twelve hours. The boys had them again after their afternoon naps. 

They do contain sugar and white flour and all those things we are supposed to be cutting back on. Whole grain donuts just don't sound good but maybe I could replace the white flour with wheat. It's probably why they were so darn good. I can at least feel good about them not being fried or store bought.

Luke requested a few chocolate.

Total cost: $0. I had everything on hand.

Total time: 5 minutes to mix together, plus baking time--about 4-5 min per batch of 7 donuts

Final verdict: Delicious. Best donut I've made in the Bella so far. I am going to have to put forth an effort to not make these every day.

Pin 19

Original Pin:

http://sew4home.com/projects/storage-solutions/878-you-asked-4-it-structured-fabric-baskets


I thought this was so cute and would make a great gift but at first glance there looked to be a lot of steps. After doing it, I don't think it was hard or tedious at all. I recently invested in a cutting mat, rotary cutter, and one of those big clear plastic rulers quilters use which made cutting these pieces super easy because they were all rectangles. If I had needed to cut with scissors and measure it would have taken FOREVER! By removing that tedious step, I think I shaved off tons of time and frustration.

I did, however, mess up step two. It wasn't a major mess-up and I could probably have moved on without ripping it out, but, come on. It was step TWO! So I ripped away.

I had a weird, deja vu-ish, flashback sort of moment while threading a needle though. As I quietly whispered a curse word under my breath I had this memory of my mother sewing. I decided right then and there that I must have learned all of my curse words at a young age while playing near my mother's sewing machine. I dare say that I reminded myself of my mother, but the word *#$! sure did! Don't worry Ma, I won't tell your Bible study ladies.

I digress. Project was way simpler than I initially thought it would be. The fabric cuts are extremely generous. It says they are in the tutorial, but they really are. If I bought some more rick rack I could probably make at least two with the amount of fabric I have left.  When I first bought all the fabric I thought it might be one of those projects that would have been cheaper to purchase, but thinking I could make at least two brought that down. Also, I think it would be super easy to modify this to make a basket even bigger than this one by just increasing the size of the rectangles.

My finished project:

Total cost: $21 for all the fabric at their measurements. Much less if you could see how much leftovers I have!

Total time: 2 1/2 hours

Final verdict: Will definitely make for a gift in the future. Way cuter than store-bought baskets.  I am newly inspired in my living room decor by these colors!

Pin 18

Original Pin:

http://www.lilmagoolie.com/2011/07/29/diy-fyi-tank-top-totes/

I was mostly tickled by the fact that I actually HAD the brown striped tank top in my closet. Not to mention that the season was spring 2003. I havent worn it any time recently that I can remember, so I thought it would be perfect for this.

It was really very easy, I completed it in less than an hour. I dont like that that it had the extra piece of bra lining. I cut the elastic out, but without sewing the bottom of the liner down, I fear when I put things in the pockets they are going to get lost up in the backside of that liner. Next time I would maybe stich the liner down before folding the bottom up to make the pockets.

I am relatively new to the upcycling of clothing. I have learned a few lessons along the way. Number one lesson that can make our break your project is to look for any fabric stretching. My skirt from last week and this bag have both suffered from using stretched out fabric. It makes you project lopsided and can make it hard to line up sides of things. The skirt ended up a little longer in the back because the back of the shirt was stretched out. This one was stretched out at the bottom that just made it difficult to line up everything evenly. If it wasn't striped, maybe the lining up issue wouldn't be as obvious.

Overall, it was an easy, fun bag to make. It will be a cute bag to carry this summer and lots of pockets for all the little boy toys I have to cart around. No, its not perfect, and I won't carry it to any dress-to-impress function. It was a great practice project, and a good way to reuse an old top.

Laying flat



Hanging with items inside you can easily see the difference between what was once the front of the shirt and the back.

 Final cost: $0

Total time: 45 min

Final verdict: Not doing it again anytime soon unless I come across a good shirt for upcycling.