As 2013 began, I joined a challenge that asks its participants to take one snapshot per day. The rules are there ain't no rules. (Think Danny Zuko vs. Leo on Thunder Road.) Because of this, I have taken the liberty to take a few days off (oops) and have snapped some really crappy photos. Thus far, I'm a long way away from achieving my goal of thinking outside the box a bit when it comes to photography and getting better at taking pictures in general.
While I'm not proud of the results, here's what's gone down since last we met:
I took one last look at the magic that is Christmas,
bought and consumed many, many, many clementines,
read and enjoyed Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn,
did some last minute laundry on the final day of Christmas vacation (and whined about it),
caught my husband leaving clutter around in a just-cleaned house,
celebrated a National Championship victory for the University of Alabama (Roll Tide),
worked my buns off grading papers for the final push before final exams,
bought a couple new books with a gift card,
and played "Name the FANBOYS" with Rich.
So far, it's been quite a poor showing from yours truly. I got a new camera for Christmas last year, so I really need to use my resources more wisely.
Is anyone else participating in a similar Photo-a-Day challenge?
P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog, please follow me by clicking "Join this site" and/or entering your email address over to the right of the page. If you want to see what projects I have worked on or plan on working on in the future, follow me on Pinterest by clicking the link to the right. If you like it, pin it! P.P.S. My mom is now hosting her own blog! She's documenting her first ever kitchen makeover at Kitchen Nightmares to Kitchen Daydreams. Check it out! As a bonus, she is also the proud owner of a new smart phone. What the? A blog and a smart phone all in one year? That's just crazy.
Just in the nick of time, Jane Lopez, my Creative Memories consultant invited me to join a photo-a-day challenge for 2013. The challenge is simple: take at least one photo a day for the next 365 days. The reason? Many of us get lost in a sea of photos taken at special occasions like Christmas and birthdays, but have few photos to document the memories we're making on a daily basis.
For me, the Photo-a-Day Project is a challenge to become just a slightly better photographer. I doubt I'll ever find myself taking as wonderful photos as Carrie or Marilena, but practice makes...potentially better. Admittedly, this project is also a little about scrapbooking. Way back when, I promised myself I would take more photos at "regular" events and on average days so I could chronicle our life in genuine way. Yeah, that didn't happen. In fact, I've only scrapbooked once in the last several months. Granted, it has more to do with my busy work schedule than with a lack of motivation, but still. After scrapbooking the other day, I came away with 12 glorious pages of...Christmas. Old habits die hard.
So when I got the email inviting me to participate in the Photo-a-Day Project, I jumped on board. I'm allowing myself a little leeway. (If I forget or miss a day, the world will end even less than it ended on December 21, 2012.) I'm hoping, though, that when December 31, 2013 rolls around, I'll have a wealth of memories to share and a big fat scrapbook album to finish.
Without further ado, here's my first photo of 2013:
On January 1, 2013, a couple friends joined Rich & I for a rousing game
of Trivial Pursuit - Master Edition. The girls, of course, came away victorious.
Will you join me in the Photo-a-Day project this year? If you do, consider posting your photos to my Facebook wall and leaving a comment with your link on the blog. I'm thinking I'll be back about once per week with a photo round-up.
P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog, please follow me by clicking "Join this
site" and/or entering your email address over to the right of the page. If you
want to see what projects I have worked on or plan on working on in the future,
follow me on Pinterest by clicking the link to the right! If you like it, pin
it!
Last November, I decided to try my hand at creating some pretty awesome birthday treats for my mom. Behold cake pops:
As you can see, they didn't really turn out super spectacular. It was my first try, though, and I was tickled at the result. This November, I tried a variation of the little cuties: cupcake pops! I didn't take too many process pictures because it's sort of messy. Plus, I took some decent ones last time.
To get the birthday party poppin', you'll need:
A regular cake mix (any brand; flavor of your choosing)
1 can of frosting (any brand; flavor of your choosing)
Candy chocolate for dipping (milk & white)
Sprinkles (or other small decorations)
Sucker sticks (found at Michael's or JoAnn's)
Small flower-shaped cookie cutter
This is an old picture. This time, instead of Candy Dips, I
used Kroger brand baker's chocolate (milk and white for dying).
Here's how it works: First, you bake a cake. I went with chocolate since it's
Mom's favorite.
Let the cake
cool completely. I baked the cake a day ahead of time, but covered it so it
would stay moist.
Next, crumble the cake into tiny pieces. One website
suggested you put the pieces into a food processor, but I just used my
hands.
For the next step, I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer, but a hand
mixer would work, you need not use a mixer at all. Last year, I used one, but it wasn't really necessary. In fact, it was just annoying. I used my God-given tools this time around and it was way more fun.
Add about 1/2 - 3/4 of a can of store bought frosting to the
crumbled cake pieces. It's important not to use too much frosting, or your pops
might fall off the stick! For this project, I used chocolate frosting. You can
use any combination of cake and frosting.
Mix well until
you get the consistency of Play-Doh. Unfortunately, I don't know where I originally found that tip, but it's the best tip I could pass along. We all know what Play-Doh feels like, right? I woud have added the entire can of frosting if I didn't know any better.
Next, cover the cake dough with plastic wrap and chill. I
left it in the refrigerator for about an hour fifteen minutes.
Prepare a cookie sheet by placing a sheet of wax paper on top. Once your
dough is sufficiently chilled, bring it out of the refrigerator and remove the
plastic wrap. Next, mold the cake pops.
For cupcake pops, use a small (about the size of a half dollar) cookie cutter in the shape of a simple flower to mimic the shape of the bottom of a cupcake. Because I'm a turd, I don't have any pictures of this. You want to grab quite a bit (that's a precise measurement, you know) of dough and press it through the bottom of the cookie cutter. I used the bottom of my hand or the counter to level it off on the bottom. Then, just mold the top until you have what you think looks like a sufficient muffin cupcake top. Once you complete a couple, you'll surely get the hang of it.
Next, melt a good amount (again, you must be very precise) of milk chocolate. Holding the pop from the mounded top, dip only the bottom in the milk chocolate. Stick one sucker stick into the bottom of each dipped pop. As you complete this step, place each pop top side down onto the prepared cookie sheet. As it dries, the chocolate will act as glue and should hold the pop firmly in place.
Once each stick is popped, melt a good amount of white chocolate. Using food coloring, die the white chocolate any color. I chose pink because it just seemed right. Prepare a plate with a sprinkling of sprinkles. Picking the pop up by the stick, dip each of the cupcake tops in the colored chocolate. Immediately after dipping, roll the top of the pop in the sprinkles. (Check it out: Last time, I chilled the pops before dipping them into chocolate. I'm pretty sure it was another tip I found online that turned out to be not-so-awesome. I thought chilling the pops would prevent them from falling off the stick when dipping, but it caused the chocolate to harden so quickly that I couldn't decorate them with sprinkles. Having done it both ways, I'll never chill them before dipping again.)
Finally, you'll need a way to display the precious little bites. I picked up a rectangular piece of floral foam from Michaels, wrapped it, and stuck the pops in. Next time, I think a tiered display is in order.
Voila! Cupcake pops! Cute, right?!
This recipe yields about 30 cupcake pops. I only made 20, so I saved the
extra dough. I'll let you know how it holds up after being defrosted!
Most other cupcake pops I've seen have been finished off by an M&M. I have to say, it's super cute. I just didn't want to spend the extra 75 cents. Or I was too lazy. Probably the latter.
P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog, please follow me by clicking "Join this
site" and/or entering your email address over to the right of the page. If you
want to see what projects I have worked on or plan on working on in the future,
follow me on Pinterest by clicking the link to the right! If you like it, pin
it!
Last week, Sherry @ Young House Love and Katie
@ Bower Power, announced the Pinterest Challenge: Fall Edition. Caught off guard, and not feeling super pinspired by anything at all, I posted about a few things that I was diggin' at the time. I'm still diggin' all that stuff, but my crafting took a sharp turn when I realized that I just didn't have the time to take on anything super involved.
I'm not currently in the middle of a huge room redo (although I'd like to be), so my brain wasn't on that wavelength. I'm all about not having random stuff around that I just don't need, so I was hard-pressed to find something I'd pinned that would add to the efficiency of our home while not adding to the clutter I despise. After looking for a while, I landed on a DIY soap dispenser using a mason jar and a recycled pump. I first came across the sweet little craft here and pinned it here.
To gather my supplies, I ran to Michael's and grabbed a few mason jars for $1.29 each. I didn't get to use a 50% off coupon becuase I used one on another item; but at $1.29, it certainly didn't break the bank. Plus, I have some gift card credit left over from my birthday, so realistically, it didn't cost me a penny! Then, I ran into Walmart for some liquid foaming soap. According to The Frugal Homemaker, you can create liquid foaming soap by dispensing about an inch of regular soap into the bottom of your jar, adding water the rest of the way, and shaking to mix; but I wanted to make sure this would work the first time around, so I decided that I'll experiment when I run out of the store-bought version. Since I was already there, I opted to purchase a couple bottles of the soap with the foaming pump. I knew I had one at home that I could recycle, but at $1.57 a pop, I figured I'd splurge. I decided to make one for the upstairs bathroom, one for the kitchen sink, and one for my cousin, Tara, who has been desperately seeking a pretty version of a liquid foaming soap dispenser.
From this point on, Rich pretty much took over. First, he drilled a hole in the middle of the lid.
Then, using wire strippers, he bent the metal back until the hole was large enough to fit the pump. I was pretty surprised to find out that the foaming soap pumps are pretty big.
Then, he added the liquid foaming soap.
After adding putting the pieces back together, the new soap dispenser was ready to go!
The Frugal Homemaker painted the lid and pump in her version. I opted to leave mine silver and white. For one thing, it coordinates well enough in my bathroom. For another, I didn't want to spend the money on spray paint. Finally, after a couple days of use, her pump started to chip. I don't do chipping. When things that I've spray painted start to chip, I go all Regan MacNeil on my husband.
I may try to spray paint the lid and pump in the future with a spray paint meant for plastic. Time will tell. For now, I'm enjoying my little craft. I also like how the soap I chose coordinates with other accents in the bathroom. That was mostly an accident.
In some ways, I feel like I cheated. The craft was so dang easy, Rich completed most of it, and I've tackled much harder things in the past. It's really just meant to be fun, though. I'm happy I did it. Plus, I also tried a recipe I pinned a while ago too: crock pot pork chops!
The recipe was super easy. You need 3 (yes, 3!) ingredients: 4-6 pork chops (I used 4), 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, and 1 package of dry ranch seasoning. Add the chops to the bottom of the crock pot, sprinkle the dry ranch over the chops, cover with cream of mushroom soup. Cook on low for 6 hours. That's it! I meant to grab some egg noodles at the store, but I forgot. Instead, I served it with whole wheat rotini that I already had in my cupboard. Rice would work too. The recipe provides you with enough gravy to use it for the noodles or rice. Truth be told, I'm not much of a pork fan, and the recipe doesn't sound all that fabulous; but it was delicious and easy. Bonus: Rich loved it too! I will definitely make it again!
What do you think? Is anyone inspired enough to make their own DIY mason jar soap dispenser? How about an easy crock pot pork chop recipe? Go for it!
P.S. Each season, via Facebook, I recruit my friends to join me in the Pinterest Challenges. Many of them don't have a blog, and most of the time, no one else shows any interest. This time, though, my friend, Kim, participated in the only way she knows how: baking! Here's a little collage she whipped up to feature her spooky creations:
According to her, she was inspired by those edible knives you see in the cuipcakes. Her and my sister came across them at JoAnn Fabrics and thought they'd be perfect in a dessert Kim would make for a Halloween party they were going to. Not having a Pinterest account or a blog, Kim has dubbed this the "She's Crafty" challenge.
So that's it. The Fall edition of the Pinterest Challenge is officially over! I'd love to know what everyone else created! Let me know!
P.P.S. I just finished Sing You Home by Jodi Piccoult. It was great! If anyone is interested, I'd gladly pass it along to you. I'm looking for a couple recommendations on a new book to read. Anyone? Anyone?
P.P.P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog, please follow me by clicking "Join this site"
and/or entering your email address over to the right of the page. If you want to
see what projects I have worked on or plan on working on in the future, follow
me on Pinterest by clicking the link to the right! If you like it, pin it!
We interrupt the pinning in progress (because you know you are) to bring you a special announcement: the Pinterest Challenge: Fall Edition is here! Once per season, a bunch of crazy people get together over the Internet to share the projects that they've pinned and punched in the face. By punched in the face, I mean they've completed the project for themselves (maybe with a few tweaks here and there based on their own taste).
Hosting this challenge are Sherry @ Young House Love and Katie @ Bower Power. Their co-hosts this time around are Sarah @ Ugly Duckling House and Carme @ Our Fifth House. These four are among the best bloggers out there. (I just haven't been discovered yet.)
I've joined the last two Pinterest challenges with my Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Loaf and my 1940s wood file cabinet redo. Having just realized that Fall is already upon us, I'm still not 100% sure what I'll complete. Here's what's currently pinspiring me:
Please consider joining me for the Pinterest Challenge: Fall Edition. Along with many most of you, I am so very busy and don't have a heck of a lot of time to pinning and projecting; but here's what's awesome about the challenge: 1) It's meant to be fun. Don't stress yourself out by biting off more than you can chew. Do something simple and manageable if you don't have time for much more. 2) It can be used as a stress reliever! If you're bogged down with stuff at work or home, use the challenge as a chance to take time for yourself!
The rules are simple:
Give credit where credit is due. Link your project to the original source.
Shut up and commit! Take one week, and only one week, to complete the
project of your choice. Projects should be completed by Tuesday October 30. You have the whole weekend!
Come back here on October 30 (and visit YHL or
BP) to share your results.
Have fun! :) Projects can be anything you've pinned -- a recipe
(MOM), a piece of art, a furniture repurpose, a sewing or
knitting project you've been dying to try. The possibilities are endless!
Please join me! It's so much more fun to do things together!
:)
P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog, please follow me by clicking "Join this
site" and/or entering your email address over to the right of the page. If you
want to see what projects I have worked on or plan on working on in the future,
follow me on Pinterest by clicking the link to the right! If you like it, pin
it!
Remember those outdated gliding patio chairs that we were gifted way back in the Spring? I told you I was going to have them updated by the time I went back to school. Well, school has been back in session for almost two months now, and I just finished the upgrade last night.
When the fabric came in, it sat around for quite a while. A few weeks back, I finally got around to recovering the cushions. After carefully measuring a second time and cutting the fabric, I sewed two pieces together on three sides. Then, I slipped the original cushion inside the pocket. Finally, I used my Dritz snap fastener and some size 16 (7/16") snaps to close the top. That way, I can easily remove the covers for cleaning.
After covering the cushions, the filthy chair frames sat outside for another few weeks. I finally decided to get my butt in gear this weekend. I pulled out the spray paint and got going. After thoroughly cleaning and drying the frames, I gave them each a coat of gray spray primer by Valspar. Then, I added a coat of gloss protective enamel in gray by Rust-Oleum.
When I got home from work this evening, I went straight to the garage to add the cushions to the frames to see what the final product would look like. I have to say, I'm pretty happy! Check them out...
What do you think? If you look closely at the first picture, you can see that the dark green strips from the original cushions show through a bit. It's pretty subtle, so it doesn't really bother me a whole lot. It certainly wasn't worth the extra work to sew in a lining! I just love that snap fastener. It should make it way easier to clean the covers since they'll get filthy dirty before I know it!
It's too bad that I didn't get my butt in gear early enough to enjoy the chairs during the Summer. We may squeeze out a couple more mild days before they get put away for the Winter, but we should get much more use out of them next year.
P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog, please follow me by clicking "Join this site" and/or entering your email address over to the right of the page. If you want to see what projects I have worked on or plan on working on in the future, follow me on Pinterest by clicking the link to the right! If you like it, pin it!
In keeping with what seemed to have become a theme last (Last?! Is it Fall already?!) Summer, I went ahead with something I'd been seeing all over Pinterest: unpaper towels. I could link up with about a hundred bloggers who have created the reusable towels, but I have to say, my favorite tutorial has to be Lilly's at Cottontail Babies. I'll explain exactly why a bit later.
To get the party started, I ran to JoAnn's with coupon in hand and purchased 1 yard each of flannel and terrycloth. Most of the tutorials I checked out suggested a pretty, decorative flannel and a coordinating terrycloth. I just didn't see the point of choosing a cutsie fabric since the unpaper towels would be stored underneath my kitchen sink. It would make more sense to pick out something specific if they'd be displayed on the counter. I picked the least expensive terrycloth I could find (on sale for $2.50/yard) and a reasonable flannel for $7.99/yard. (I used a 60% off coupon for that.) I walked out of the store about $6.00 poorer.
When I got home, I cut the fabric into 11-inch squares. I got 9 squares of each out of the fabric I had.
Then, I pinned each of the pieces of terrycloth to a piece of flannel.
Then, I sewed along the edges with about a 1/4-inch seam allowance. I don't have a picture of this, but I ended up leaving the edges raw. (As opposed to sewing them inside-out and turning them inside-in for a cleaner, more finished, look.) I figured since these would be kitchen towels that would be stored under the sink, it didn't really matter what they looked like.
I also sewed a big X on the towel (from corner to opposite corner both ways) so that when they were washed, the sides wouldn't come apart.
Next, I used Dritz snap fastener and some size 16 (7/16") snaps to help create the effect of actual paper towels. Again, no picture for this step. (Sorry. Sometimes I get wrapped up in the process and forget to snap them. I need to be a better blogger.) If you have or purchase these pliers and snaps, the directions on the back of the package are easy to follow. Most importantly, when making these towels, you need to fasten an outtie (the part of the snap with the nub) on both corners of the right side of the square. Then, fasten an innie (the part of the snap with the hole) on both corners on the left side of the square. This ensures that when you use and wash the towels, you can snap them back together correctly.
For my unpaper towels, I recycled a used paper towel roll. Some tutorials suggest making a roll out of plastic, but my way is free! I simply secured a snap using the same fastening method to the top and bottom of the cardboard roll. Check it out.
Sweet, huh? Finally, I rolled the pieces of fabric together for a $6 unpaper towel roll that can be used for years!
Back to why I really liked the Cottontail Babies tutorial. In short, she was honest. To wrap up her post, she admitted a few of the very things I was thinking on my way home from the store:
It's going to take some effort on my part to snap them back together after washing them. I hope I don't end up just folding them and stacking them under the sink.
I could have skipped the sewing part and simply fastened snaps to cheap washcloths instead. But they're durn cute.
This could have been yet another use for upcycled T-shirts. It would have been free. I only paid about $6 for the fabric, though, so if I use them like they should be used, they'll end up costing pennies over the next few years.
Even though all this is true, the project was fun and it's super cute. I think it could be a pretty cute (and inexpensive) housewarming gift! Let me know what you think!
P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog, please follow me by clicking "Join this
site" and/or entering your email address over to the right of the page. If you
want to see what projects I have worked on or plan on working on in the future,
follow me on Pinterest by clicking the link to the right! If you like it, pin
it!
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