Thursday, February 23, 2012

My Curtain Creation





Okay, this was NOT a Pinterest idea. This is my idea... though I am sure other people have done this before. I wish I would have taken pictures of this step by step, but that did not occur to me until AFTER I saw how cute it turned out.

I bought this bathroom set at Target a long time ago. I would buy one thing every month to go into my bathroom (which helped me not overspend money that I didn't have, but wished I had...). I desperately want to remodel my bathroom, since it is over 25 years old, but with the budget I have, that isn't going to happen anytime soon. So I am slowly remodeling it myself. I hung up my shower curtain and put out the accessories that I bought with it. Of course they don't sell any window curtains, so I began "the search" for the perfect curtains that would compliment my cute shower curtain and set. I couldn't find ANYTHING that matched. I only bought one large towel, and instead of using this towel to dry myself off, I decided to make it my curtains. TAH-DAH!! I cut the towel in half (long ways) and sewed the pieces back, which took all of 10 minutes. Then I measured my window and folded the towel down to make a cute ruffle at the top. I bought shower hooks (pretty cheap) that were silver and matched other things in my bathroom. I figured out spacing for the hooks (which took all of 2 minutes) and sniped holes into the towel (3 holes per hook). And there you have it... my cute curtains! ;o)

Framed Weekly Calendar



I had a blast with this one. YUP, it's another Pinterest idea. The hardest part for me was coming up with colors that I wanted. I finally figured that I can always change the background if I don't like it... but I am very happy with how this turned out. The post I saw had embellishments on the outside of the glass, however, I figured that those would get dirty with each wipe, so I put mine under the glass. This causes the back piece behind that picture to stick out, but it works! I unscrewed the hangers and moved them to the top. The plan next is to get cute ribbon and put this on the side of my fridge. Can I just say I LOVE this!?! It is fun to put both mom's and mine week up there, PLUS we include what is for dinner that night. I bought the frame at Hobby Lobby (it was 50% off, I couldn't pass that up). The words are stickers or rub-ons (except for Thursday, that's just my handwriting). Great idea! ;o)

Friday, February 17, 2012

Salad in a Quart



I got this idea from Pinterest, and L.O.V.E. it!! Each time I take it to work, I recruit another person into trying it. It is easy to store, and just as easy to put together. What is also awesome about this is that you can make it up the night before, and all you have to do is grab and go! SWEET!! I love to use Kraft's Creamy Poppyseed Dressing, cut up apples, fresh mushrooms diced, and raisins. I will need to branch out and try more good things sometime. My friend at work (Teresa) brought one in a pint jar (smaller portion). That is a great idea to! All in all, this is one of my favorite ideas from Pinterest. ;o)

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Baked S'mores


This was the first thing I made from Pinterest. I LOVE IT!! I have made it twice now, and it doesn't surprise me that they are gone pretty quick. I think they are pretty rich, so cut your squares small and drink something (milk, or if you are lactose intolerant like me, Almond milk) with them. They are pretty gooey (which makes them taste all the better), so I suggest serving them on a plate with a fork. I didn't change the recipe in any way, just did as it said. SUPER EASY and super fun!!

Baked S'mores

recipe courtesy Baked Perfection

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 7 full graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 or 3 super-sized (5 oz.) chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of **8 by 8 or 11 by 7.

**Note, I have only made these in an 11 by 7 and a reader who made them in an 8 by 8 said she thought the marshmallow was too thick in that size pan. I personally loved the thinner bar in the 11 by 7, but you can do whichever you prefer, the only difference is adding an additional large Hershey's bar as seen in my pictures above.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.
Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Two 5 oz. Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly [for 8 by 8] side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer. [use 3 Hershey's for 11 by 7 pan]

Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over the chocolate layer.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the creme. This is most easily done by putting the second half of the dough in a gallon size freezer bag. Use your palms or rolling pin to flatten it out, and then use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up book-style. Open it up carefully, and the dough will stick on one side of the bag. Then place the bag, dough side down, on the other three layers. From there peel the bag up and carefully spread the dough where it is uneven.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely or almost completely for the melty factor before cutting into bars.

Enjoy!

Re-Launch!

I am going to use this blog more often!! My purpose though is to not tell everyone about myself, but to post ideas that I have implemented in my life from Pinterest! Most of us just think, "Oh, that's a cute idea," but how many of us implement those ideas into our lives? That is what I am going to use this blog for.... things that I make or try from Pinterest.... and I am going to tell what I like and didn't like about it! ;o) Here we go!

P.S. If you are not a member of Pinterest, let me know via Facebook and I will invite you. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.