For the Love of: Pinterest

February, the month of love! This month we are going to focus on those little things in life that we LOVE.
Like Pinterest. Ah, Pinterest. Mr. S will always make jokes that it's my "pinography". I love it. I can't deny it. Going on and finding that awesome pin for an amazing craft, fabulous household tip or the drool worthy picture of what you hope to be cooking one day, Pinterest offers a bevy of ideas for the crafter, cook, reader, art lover, etc.
In honor of our love for Pinterest Nan & I will share with you 3 out of the gazillion pins we love a lot:

Michelle:
Tidy Mom's Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal!

{photo by Tidy Mom}
I cannot tell you how many mornings this has been made for breakfast, but I can tell you that a full batch lasts about two...possibly three breakfasts. Baby S is a big oatmeal fan and this is most requested in the mornings. I don't blame him, it tastes like a cookie, but with only a 1/4c Sugar it makes it a guilt-free breakfast option. Thank you Tidy Mom, this has been a well used Pin.

My Kitchen Table Pin Board

{Photo Credit: Google}
That is one of the things that I love about Pinterest is being able to plan. I wish it had been around for my wedding, when we bought our first house, etc. You can create boards for future ideas/hopes/plans and when the future becomes the present, all of your "I Want/Need/Wishes" are in one place where they can't be forgotten. I come from an Italian family and the kitchen table is a very important place. We are currently enjoying a Bi-Mart $100 table & chairs special that is starting to show that it won't be around very much longer. The next table we get I want to really invest in. Something that lasts a long time & everyone can fit around. I have a board dedicated to kitchen tables and I know that I'm not alone in this quest for the "perfect fit" because I have quite a few fellow kitchen table lovers that follow the board.

Handy Dandy Advice

{Photo Credit: Dan Pearce from Single Dad Laughing}
There is quite a bit of advice out there. The best way to clean your towels, 150 ways to use hydrogen peroxide, quick hair up-do's, etc. I've used quite a few of the tips I've pinned and some have worked out really well like, how to bring butter & eggs to room temperature quickly by My Baking Addiction and some not so well like spraying brown sugar in my hair and letting dry to straighten it with out heat {my hair felt sugary and it wasn't straight}. My latest handy dandy advice article that I read was this one from Single Dad Laughing it was really insightful and made me laugh.

Pinterest Love Honorary Mention: I feel like I've been dressing better. I wish I had all the outfits that I've pinned in my closet, but I think I'm getting some great ideas {staying away from mom jeans}. In fact, I was out and a friend told me, "You look so cute. You look like an outfit off of Pinterest" I loved it!!

Nan
Baking Tip!

Image from The Pink Peony of Le Jardin

This baking tip from The Pink Peony of Le Jardin changed my life!!  You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not.  It's so simple: when making bread, set your bowl or pan on top of an electric heating pad during the rising time.  Your dough will rise faster!!  I love baking, but I've often struggled with getting my dough to rise like it should.  Maybe my kitchens have always been too drafty or something.  I don't know why I never thought of this before, but I use my heating pad almost every time I make bread now.  I usually bake some freezer rolls to go with our Sunday dinner, and they can be ready for oven in jiff when I use my heating pad.  I don't want to sound melodramatic here, but seriously: grateful for Pinterest just because of this pin alone!

Perfect Pasta

Image from Skinny Taste

I think everybody and their dog pinned this recipe at some point -- Cajun Chicken Pasta from skinnytaste.  I finally made this a few months ago and it is divine!  I love, love, love this pasta.  It's packed with flavor and vegetables -- how can you go wrong?  There's some prep time involved -- lots of veggies to slice up -- but it doesn't take too long and is well worth the effort.

Recipe runner-up: Skinny Texas Cheese Fries, also from skinnytaste.com.  Make them.  Love them.  Again and again.

Giggles

Image from lolsotrue.com
(And the story of my life...seriously)

I have an entire board of things that I like or things that make me laugh, like this little gem.  If I'm having a tough day or I'm in a bad mood, I look through the pins on this board and I feel so much better.

What are your favorite pins?

Nursery Wall Art {Get it Done Already}

 

I'm hoping that Nan has inspired you all to Get it Done Already with those cute throw pillows. I was actually at a Walmart over the weekend and spied some similar fabric that she used for those pillows and then had to remind myself that I already have a looooong list of things I need to get done!

Top of my list: Nursery Wall Art

 

I've had a sign similar to this one pinned on my "Must Craft Soon" board for a long time now. This last summer I made strides by getting my hands on a uber cheap cabinet door and thought, "this is what I will use for my sign." Then the door sat. And sat. I got a cute shade of teal paint. And it sat. And sat.

 

Then the gal I borrowed the paint from needed it back {I'd had it since December} So I painted it really quick and as it sat drying I realized I needed some more supplies to finish the project and so it sat....and sat.

 

A few months {yep months} later I got the supplies that wanted and moved foreword with the lettering. I used the trusty Silhouette to cut out my letters. Goodness I love that thing! I'm one of those crafters that needs to get it done right the first time or I don't do it at all. Be sure to measure your board to figure out height & spacing of the letters. I also like to use scrap pieces of paper to get a little closer to those measurements and lay it out before I move forward with cutting.

 

After cutting out my letters {keep the stencil part of the paper!!!!} I created the layout like I wanted it.

 

Then I stenciled {see you are going to use that paper} the letters on with a pencil....can you see it or is it too faint?

 

 

Then ....and this the BIG secret to perfect hand lettering. Get a paint pen and retrace the stencil. The paint pen creates a great outline. Be sure to test it out on a piece of paper before writing on the actual sign. After it's dry take your paint & a small brush and fill in the letters.

After I did this the sign was well...technically finished, but I was contemplating ageing it to make it look vintage and then I thought maybe I should create some kind of a knot to place through those two holes on the bottom {where the handle used to be} the sign then....yep you guessed it....sat for a few more months while I tried to decide what to do.

I guess this post could be re-labeled as "Get it Hung Up Already" because after weighing my options to age or not to age {which if you are going to age a sign you need to have that in mind before you even paint - if you want it done right} and realizing that I could be making a perfectly cute sign ugly {you can't go back after you age a piece.} I decided to leave it be and hang it up.

 

So there you go. After months and months it's done and up and I love it!

Do you have a craft that needs to get done? Get it Done Already and join us at the end of the series for a linky party where you can show it off!!

Back to School: Breakfast on Hand

For me going back to school meant the end of two things:
1. Sleeping in
2. a "fancy" breakfast
Gone are the days of casually making Paula Deens Praline French toast in your jammies while the kids watch cartoons. It's a whirlwind of backpacks, homework papers, signed forms, lunch boxes & car horns and somewhere in that chaos breakfast needs to be had. I am going to share a fabulous list with you of breakfasts that can be made ahead {or quickly} and on hand for on-the-go portability. I've tried all of these and they all have my Go-To Breakfast stamp of approval!{click on the title and it will take you to the recipe}

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal by Nutmeg Nanny

So this one is to be made when you have a little more time in the morning, but the leftovers are good!! {if there are any} This makes your whole house smell like yummy vanilla and not only is it good and good for you - it will keep you full. Baby S. ate 4 helpings of this in one sitting....yeah it's that good!!

 

 

 Blueberry Waffles by Add A Pinch

Hands down the BEST blueberry waffle I have had to date. And the best part? This makes a great big batch that is perfect for freezing! Leggo of those cardboard eggos and get your hands on these. I freeze them in layers with freezer paper between and on those mornings where I need something fast {or don't want to make anything} I just drop these into the toaster and Ta-Da! A yummy blueberry waffle.

 

 

 No Bake Energy Bites by Smashed Peas & Carrots

These are GREAT!! They are great for a quick breakfast, mid-day snack, after school snack, pre-game fuel - heck! I'd eat these for dessert! When you eat these you will have no idea how great ground flax seed tastes. Using easy, healthy, on-hand ingredients you can make these beautiful balls of deliciousness. Make them. You'll love them. I made them once for a late night cast rehearsal and one of my cast mates hates coconut, but loved it in these!

 

 Personal Sized Baked Oatmeal by Sugar Free Mom

Good with a capital G. I know. You are thinking "really Michelle....oatmeal....really?" Well stop thinking that and make them so you can taste how great these are! Again this is a recipe where you make them in a big batch and freeze in their cute individual cups! Instead of reaching for the variety pack of granola bars that are filled with calories & scientific ingredients you can reach in your freezer for some honest to goodness good for you breakfast in any flavor variety you choose!

 

 Kate's Power Smoothie by Our Best Bites

This smoothie tastes so good and it has spinach in it!! Yeah spinach!! When I was making it Mr. S told me "just don't put in the spinach" well....I did anyways and he couldn't taste it at all. Not only is there spinach, but Kate has you put in some yogurt & groats {like oats but..well I'll let her explain it}. It's fruity, filling and great for on the go! Try it! You AND your hubby, kids, etc will love it!

 

Thank you to all the great blog authors that allowed me to share their great breakfast recipes with you!

and good luck to all you back-to-schoolers out there!!

For the love of nailpolish

You know how much I love nail polish!! L.O.V.E. it (are you listening OPI?) So when I saw these great Ombre nails on Pinterest I had to try it out. I thought it would be perfect for Valentines. There are two ways to achieve these Ombre nails.

1. Take all of your nail polishes and organize them by color. You want to arrange a color palette that goes from dark to light. If you have enough nail polishes to do that - you got it! Paint each nail one of the shades going in order from light to dark....or dark to light, it's up to you.

2. For a more "true" ombre effect I followed this tutorial from Pretty Young Thingz and I really like the results!
You will need:
Your nail polish color that you want
Some white nail polish (I grabbed a white/creamy/glittery one) - you will use this to lighted the color as you go
a Paper plate
Toothpicks
Good Move/TV show (I did this while I watched Downton Abbey....highly recommend!)

1. Clean off the nail polish brush with nail polish remover

2. Brush your thumbs with your chosen color ** normally when I paint my nails I do one hand and then the other. Since you will be creating lighter shades as you go it easiest to paint both hands at the same time**

3. Put some of that color on a paper plate and put a drop or two of the white polish. Mix together with a toothpick and you now have a lighter shade to put on the the pointer fingers.

4. Then put another two drops into the nail polish on the plate and mix with a tooth pick. Now you have an even lighter shade that goes on the next nail. Repeat this step for the rest of the nails. Adding a drop or two of the white to your nail polish color on the plate creating a lighter color as you go until you reach your pinkie.

5. When you are finished let dry & finish with a top coat.

There you go. Awesome looking nails and a pretty easy process to do it.

I don't know about you, but I am on the hunt for a really good top coat polish something that has some staying power, but doesn't need 100% Acetone to take it off (i.e. those gel top coats that are floating around) if you know of one shoot it my way. 

Holiday Pinspiration

Haul out the holly!!!  I have had this on my Must Craft Soon pin board for awhile and tis the season to do it.

I followed this great tutorial by Eddie Ross once I saw his Joan Crawford "no wire hangers" reference I knew that we would be great friends!

You will need:

a Wire Hanger

80 or so Ornaments (of varying sizes)

Hot glue

A good movie

I was able to accumulate all of my ornaments from yard sales. Last weekened I went to a $2 bag sale for my local American Legion. My friends & I were a bit wary of all the old-people stuff, but once I saw these AWESOME retro spiky ornaments I was all over it. I scooped those two up (the only two that were there) along with some yellow & teal colored ornaments and took them home to my two boxes of green ones that I got from another yard sale.

The important thing is to have different sizes of balls. If you look close at this pic you can see the gaps. If I hadn't been so anxious to get this done (and plus it was midnight) I would/should have gotten another pack of smaller bulbs to fillin those spots, but if you are like me and just want to get it done you don't notice the gaps unless you point them out ....like I did.

Hanging it up was also an experience, be sure that you have a long ribbon, wire or (like me) some paperclips to unravel and use to reach your hanging spot. The bulbs make this wreat bulky and it won't lay flat against the wall. One tutorial that I read directed you to lay the blubs so it had a flat back - I didn't do that. By the time I read that I had already made the wreath and was looking up how to hang it up.

I unraveled some paper clips to make an "extended hook" hooked them to the hanger top & then to the nail. It worked and it is all covered up by my bow (if you ask with a pretty please I will teach you how to make those too :)

The tutorial is easy and simple to follow and I had the craft done by the end of the night! (I love those kind of crafts don't you?)

Pinterest Halloween Inspiration

Have you heard of Pinterest?  We both joined a few months ago and have become addicted to it!!  Pinterest is a virtual pinboard where you can keep track of online ideas that you like; it's a little like bookmarking a site you want to remember, but it's much faster and more fun.  We use Pinterest to keep track of recipes, craft projects, home decor ideas, cute clothing, printables...and many other things that we want to remember.  You can organize your ideas by different categories and then refer back to your virtual pinboards whenever you want.  Even better, you can share your pins with your friends and see what your friends are Pinning, which gives you even more ideas.  With Halloween coming up, Pinterest has an abundance of Halloween ideas to get you inspired, help you decorate, and assist you in choosing a costume.  Here are some of our favorite Pins for Halloween!

Nan

How cute are these little fanged pumpkins?!

I love these mummy bars -- googly-eyed candy bars wrapped with crepe paper

This awesome milk jug skeleton was created by our amazing friend Anne of Floral Showers



Michelle

This wreath from Just a Girl inspired me to make my own spooky wreath for our front door

Growing up dinner on Halloween was always thrown together at the last minute (now that I'm a Mom I understand why). I love menus that reflect the holiday and there have been quite a few menu items on Pinterest to give you ideas for this Halloween. (photo credit: i.imgur.com)

You can also find some FANSTASIC costume ideas like this one from Pink Suede Shoe! When I have a little girl I know what we will be for Halloween!!

Have we convinced you of the Awesomeness that is Pinterest? Wanna join? Need an invite?
We are giving away 5 invitations to Pinterest.
All you have to do is:
Become a Follower of our She Said blog & Friend us on Facebook...that easy!!
Make sure to leave us a comment that you did both and leave your e-mail so we can shoot you your invite!

Are you ready to be addicted?