Day Fifteen - Drink up!

 I have seen all kinds of crafts and DIYs with pallets (you know, the wood things that you find in warehouses, holding products as for trucks move them about). But the first pallet craft I went after was one that had me BUILDING pallets - mini pallets.

We never seem to have enough coasters in this house - EVER. So, after finding the original PIN here, I bought a bag of craft sticks, borrow some kitchen shears, got out the glue gun and found some wood stain in the garage.

First, I cut off all the rounded ends of the craft sticks. Then I put the stain on a rag and rubbed all the sticks with the stain and tossed them in a metal pan to dry while I did the others. After that, heat up the hot glue gun and just start building. Tada. Now I have three sets of four coasters. I am loving it. Everything is cuter in miniature.

You can find the post on my Knitting & Arts & Crafts Board and 365 days of Pinterest in my life Board.

Day Fourteen - A novel idea

Today I finished the novel rose wreath, which I have been working on every day for the past week. It is time consuming and tedious but so worth it. I think it turned out great.

I used another one of the $1 novels from The Dollar Tree. I tore the pages out then lightly painted each page with one of three shades of pink that I had from another project. I then cut each of the pages in half, then rounded off the corners and cut in a circular pattern. After that, I rolled each spiral between my fingers to form rosettes and finished with hot glue Then I attached what has to be well over 100 of them to a foam wreath from Wal-Mart. All I have left to do its add a ribbon to hang it from but I want to find just the right black or pink ribbon and I am not in a hurry to hang it just yet.

If you want to make your own novel rose wreath, the original pin is HERE. You can also find it on my Knitting & Arts & Crafts and 365 days of Pinterest in my life Boards. If you make one of your own, be sure and share your pictures with me. I added the pink paint to give mine a dash of pink, since I always need a little more pink in my world, but I would love to see how you make it your own.

Day Thirteen - Boo!

It took me nearly two weeks to make a post about my nails. I bet you expected that a lot earlier. Since it's October, I need to go with Halloween. So many ideas but I really like this one, with the black nails and googly eyes. Everyone asks how I make my polka dots when I do and I use stick pins with different sized heads and dip them in the polish.

It's a simple post  but I do so love doing my nails. Happy Halloween. You can find the original post HERE. And you can also find it on my Health & Beauty and 365 days of Pinterest in my life Boards.

Day Twelve - Give me some (brown) sugar

Brown Sugar Chops

 Surprise! We ate again tonight. I went to a tried and true recipe I had pinned on my Yummy Stuff Board - Brown Sugar Chops. I love them and the family loves them and they are extremely simple. It's so simple I had time to whip up an easy dessert too - mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes.

It was cool enough last night that Jeff turned the heat on - which I discovered in a sweat today. But, it is Fall and my house certainly smelled a little more like the season with all the brown sugar baking in the oven.

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

A little soy sauce, butter and brown sugar made the chops. The only thing missing from the Pineapple Upside Down Cakes were little cherries, which my family don't like anyway. That's okay - more for me.

You can find the original Brown Sugar Chops PIN here and it is also on my Yummy Stuff and 365 days of Pinterest in my life Boards, along with the Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes.

Day Eleven - Joy Ride

I love Half-Priced Books. Hell, I love any bookstore but one where you can get more bang for your buck is all kinds of win. The first place I go when I enter a Half-Priced Books is the Journal section. I always leave with a cute or pretty notebook or journal. I may not have anything planned for it, but I just love to have them nearby. Not too long ago, I picked up a Beatles notebook and a small journal with a pink typewriter that said, "write it in your heart that every day is the best day in the year..."

It didn't take long for me to figure out the purpose for this particular journal. I found the original PIN here. It was a "Little Book of Happy Things: Joy Ride." That was what it was meant to be. It was meant to be my Little Book of Happy Things. I have only put a couple of things in it because I want to elaborate on each thing that brings me joy and happiness. Today, I wrote about my beloved Rocky Mountains and why they are so very special to me.

You can find the pin on my My Style Board and my 365 days of Pinterest in my life Board. I would love it if you bought or created your own Little Book of Happy Things. Then, when you are down, open up your book and smile, recalling all of the joys in your life.

Day Ten - Oh what a relief it is

My Scentsy Tiara Warmer with the cure

It seems so many people LOVE Fall. My husband is one of those people. I, on the other hand, hate it. It reminds me everything is dying and it also ushers in allergy season for me. Ragweed is my Kryptonite. So, tonight, I went to Pinterest for a remedy. I have a horrible headache and can't breathe. What is a girl to do?

I have a lovely Scentsy warmer on my nightstand (a Tiara of course) and had seen something about putting Vick's Vapor Rub in it so I looked up that pin. I poured out the Lemons and Berries scent I had in it (which I adore) and added 1 Tbs. of Vick's and 1 Tbs. of water. I can already smell it. Of course, this is not a hit with Jeff but if it helps me breath, it's all good. So, see...Pinterest has something for EVERYONE.

Here is the original PIN and it can be found on my Health & Beauty Board and 365 days of Pinterest in my life Board.

Day Nine- Heading to the Dump for dinner

Coming out of the freezer

Never fear, my family has been eating since my original food post on Day One. I just got into other little projects. Today, I kept working on the novel roses wreath (much more than a one day project) so I went to the freezer and pulled out a "Dump" meal for dinner.  The term doesn't allude to how awesome and easy this makes dinner time.

When I cook, I like to go all out and cook a LOT but I don't want to do it every day. When I discovered Dump cooking I knew it was a match made in kitchen Heaven. It really is very simple. You DUMP several ingredients in a Ziploc bag and freeze it with the baking instructions written on the bag. If I am not home, there is no reason anyone in this house has to go hungry. They can all ready. Tonight we had Caribbean "Dump" Chicken. I spent one Sunday putting together about 10 different dump recipes. First, I go to GFS in Lexington and get one or two big bags of chicken breasts (I don't like dark meat. Pork also works and I have used chops as well). Then I look at all the "dump" recipes I have seen and pinned on my Yummy  Stuff Board. I write down like items and head to the grocery store. Then I come back home, mix, write on the bags and toss them in the freezer. It's a dream. The night before you want it, you lay the bag in a 9 x 13 dish in the fridge to thaw overnight, then set out at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before you pop it in the oven. It says breasts take less time but I found that to be wrong. I always bake mine for one hour. Yum. Dinner is served.

You can find the original pin HERE and I have pinned it on my Yummy Stuff Board and 365 days of Pinterest in my life Board.

The finished product - Caribbean Dump Chicken

Day Eight - Hooked

 Today was a yucky, rainy day and my allergies were acting up so I took two Benadryl. Thanks to that, I was out most of the day. So, when I got up I worked on a project with the Novel Roses and thought about a quick and easy Pinterest project for the day.

The thing I like about THIS house is that it is a small ranch. It is cozy and makes cleaning easier and keeps us in each other's lives, unlike living in a two story. But a downside to that is my kitchen is smaller. I have so many utensils, dishes, tools, etc.. I got some from my mom when she passed away and others I have accumulated over 20+ years of marriage. There is nothing I could say I would be willing to part with. But that means I have to figure out clever organization to make everything fit. I bake a LOT (I AM the Cheesecake Diva after all) so I like having my baking items close to me and the mixer. I detest digging through drawers to find the right measuring spoon. Well, I solved that problem today. I saw on Pinterest a use I loved for the Command Adhesive Hooks. Now my measuring spoons hang inside a cabinet door just above my mixer and finding the right size when I need it should be super easy now. I have a lot more hooks left from the package so I expect to be hooking more things.

The original pin showed theirs clipped as a group but I did mine individually because I hate the thought of washing all of the measuring spoons every time I just use one. You can find the pin on my For the Home Board and my 365 days of Pinterest in my life Board.

Day Seven - Magnetism

Five of the finished products

 Don't worry - I spared you another book project today (Day Seven of my 365 days of Pinterest in my life). Today, it was a visit to the Paint Department at Wal-Mart and raiding my supply of old scrapbook paper, Modge Podge and Magnets.

My kids may be older now but I still have old artwork from them on the fridge as well as drawings friends' kids have colored and various menus. But, sometimes, those little magnets just don't hold things that well. So, when I saw Paint Stick Magnets on Pinterest, I knew I would be making a few. You can find the original pin on my Knitting & Arts & Crafts Board as well as my 365 days of Pinterest in my life Board.

I traced the paint sticks, then cut out the paper with my trimmer (I have plenty of extra for future magnets), and applied a layer of Modge Podge to the stick (NOTE: After doing an entire stick the first time, only to learn it dried too fast, I did it in about four increments at a time), applied my paper and put down another two layers of Modge Podge. After it dried, I applied magnet strips to the back (though they did not want to stick to the wood so I helped them out a bit with hot glue) and they were up on the fridge.

I did learn an important lesson today - do NOT grab onto the item you JUST applied hot glue to (I may or may not have a thumbprint now). Safety, safety, safety.

The "ingredients"

Day Six - Artsy Fartsy

Doodle Poetry

 I told you I wouldn't make food posts every day and I didn't lie. Instead, I am giving you posts every day about what I am doing to defile books. I had some pages left from my Novel Roses project and saw a couple of interesting Pinterest posts I thought I would give a try. I had so much fun doing it that I stayed up ALL night doing these.

You can find them on my Knitting & Arts & Crafts Board and on my 365 days of Pinterest in my Life board.

Doodle Book Art

First I did a little free form doodle poetry. Then I copied some cute doodle art I had seen. I am pretty happy with the final product. When Kyle moves out I will have plenty of art projects done and ready to decorate the empty room with.

Never fear though, my family is eating and I have 90 bite-sized Chocolate Bourbon Cheesecakes in the oven but I am not sharing that recipe with you guys. ;)

More Doodle Poetry

Day Five - It's coming up paper roses

Novel paper roses

As you know, I did an altered book yesterday and loved it so much, I did another one in the middle of the night last night on Ambien and it turned our pretty freaking cool. But I still hadn't had enough of the book art. I bought two Unfinished Desires novels at the Dollar Tree when I made the novel wreath the other day and only used one for the wreath. So today, I made roses for another wreath, or wall art - I don't know. We'll see where it takes me. However, I need more time for a finished product. This is very easy and fun, but labor intensive.

I had several shades of pink paint left from the Ombre wall art I did a few months back and pulled out the jars. I used foam brushes and tinted the pages four different shades of pink before I cut each page in half to made the rosettes.

Spirals

Round the corners, then begin to cut in a spiral until you get a small round tab in the middle. Now you start rolling from the outside in (you will see the rosette form), then put a dab of hot glue on your tab and press into bottom of rosette. The tutorial I got it from on Pinterest gives much better instructions. You can find that pin on my Knitting & Arts & Crafts Board as well as my 365 days of Pinterest in my life Board.

Tinted pages

Day Four - Cooking up a book alteration

 I enjoyed tearing the pages out of the book last night and making the novel wreath so much that I looked into altered book art for today's project. There are some pretty cool ones out there but, since it was my first attempt, I went with simple rolls. But what book to use?

I just took a load of books to Half Priced Books and the ones I had left in the house were ones I truly loved. However, I had kept a few cookbooks back to copy a recipe or two, then take them to Half Priced Books. The Buca di Beppo book was ideal (I copied the awesome marinara recipe first). It had a colorful inside cover as well as colorful pages.

The first thing I did was find the middle of the book by counting the pages and dividing in half. Then I began folding. Every other page was folded crisply in 1/4, then rolled to the spine. The next page was rolled in half. I repeated on both sides. I used a little Elmer's glue in the beginning but it wasn't necessary. It was tight enough to hold itself.

My next step is to get a plate hanger  to attach to it and hang it on the wall. Ta-da. Another book bites the dust. I posted the original inspiration altered book art link on my Knitting & Arts & Crafts Board and it is also on my 365 days of Pinterest in my life Board.

 

Day Three - "Unfinished Desires" book wreath

The finished "book wreath"

 Just before midnight I finished my day three project for the "365 days of Pinterest in my life." Today it was a craft project - a wreath made from a book. It is on my Knitting & Arts & Crafts Board.

Per the Pinterest post, I made a trip to The Dollar Tree to find a foam wreath and one or two dollar books. I did not find a foam wreath, but picked up two copies of "Unfinished Desires" because I liked the rough edges of the paper. I went to K-Mart and found they do not have foam wreaths either, so off to Walmart I went. I picked up a foam wreath, a Hershey bar and a Coke. Back to home, I pulled out the glue gun and a bag of glue sticks, along with some brown craft paint.

First, I wiped brown craft paint on the edges of the paper and let that dry for about five minutes. Then I proceeded to tear every page out of the book. Next up, I rolled the pages and glued them, then glued them onto the wreath (for HOURS). It didn't turn out the way the wreath on the blog did (she folded differently). I like hers more but mine is kind of Art Deco. So, day three is "in the books."

All the supplies before I start.

Day 2 - Why can't the dog barf on linoleum?

The offender, Shea

I didn't want to give you all another food post on Day 2 (although dinner is totally from Pinterest) so I was thinking about what I could do today. Well, I remembered that my 12 year old Yellow Labrador, Shea, threw up Friday morning. I HATE barf and I HATE poop. But, no one was home so I had to deal with it. I wiped up the red barf and got out the Shout! and sprayed it on the stain because I have seen my husband and daughter do that. Yeah, not so much. The first picture is of the stain today (Monday) and it was still, obviously, red. I might note, she barfed INCHES from the bathroom linoleum. Thanks for that, Shea.

Stain - POST Shout, PRE Pinterest

I had seen lots of cleaning posts on Pinterest and looked up how to clean up set in carpet stains. The key factor was I needed to have in my house what was called for in the post. Dawn dish washing detergent - CHECK, Hydrogen Peroxide - CHECK, Baking Soda - CHECK, Spray bottle - CHECK, Scrub brush - CHECK. Here is a link to the CARPET STAIN REMOVER pin so you can get the exact amounts if you try it.

What was the result? Well, it isn't nearly as red and noticeable. BUT, it is still there and it is still red. So, I would say the method worked better than Shout! but did not remove the stain completely. However, it worked well enough that I am keeping the pin for the next time she barfs on the carpet and I know that will be sooner rather than later.

The stain POST Pinterest

Follow me on Pinterest - HERE

Follow my 365 days of Pinterest in my life Board - HERE

Day One - It smells like Pinterest

My mom, Dorothy Johns, in her spot at the dining room table.

My kitchen smelled heavenly this afternoon as I sat my laptop on the kitchen bar and opened up my Yummy Board on Pinterest. It's Sunday and now that I am no longer spending my Sundays editing a radio show, I have time to just enjoy the day.

My daughter went into work early and was tired when she came home but she changed into comfy clothes and helped me in the kitchen. My mom was a fantastic cook and she and my dad even had a restaurant at one time. However, when I married, I didn't even know how to boil an egg or properly cook bacon. After I nearly gave my dad food poisoning with an under-cooked bacon sandwich, my mom apologized to me. Although she cooked every meal when I grew up, I was never allowed in the kitchen - no one was. That was her territory and we were in her way. So...I never learned to cook. I taught myself. And, after 22 years in control of my own kitchen, I think I am pretty damned good at it. My mom loved to cook, not bake. And there is a difference. I began with baking (because I could follow a recipe with precise measurements) and got comfortable enough that I rarely formally measure and can improvise to make recipes my own. Since then, I have taken on the challenge of cooking which is more about luck and pure talent than following instructions. I have always let my daughter help me bake and cook when she wanted to, but I never made her. She has always been welcome in my kitchen. And, before my mother passed away, she allowed my daughter in her kitchen as well (she learned from keeping me out of the kitchen). My mom had go-to recipes and I could even almost predict what we would have each night of the week. When she passed away, I got her cookbooks and her hand-written recipes. When she knew she had a short time to live, she made sure we spent time in the kitchen together, with her teaching me how to make her fabulous fresh corn and chicken and dumplings, along with her pineapple upside down cake and blackberry jam cake. She rarely measured and couldn't tell me how to do it. She had to show me and I wrote down what we did. I am forever grateful for that gift. I think my mom saw cooking as her job and her obligation to her family but she enjoyed it. I am of a different generation that has much more access to ready-made meals and fast food and sit-down restaurants. If I don't want to cook, I don't have to. My mom would always give me a hard time for cooking "fancy" meals from Pampered Chef or AllRecipes.com. They weren't that complicated or fancy, I assured her. I grew up with fried everything and I chose a different path. I never fry anything. I don't even know how. If I eat fried food, someone else has cooked it. I bake, boil, steam and grill. My family has NO idea what they are going to eat each night. They don't even know for certain that I am going to cook a meal. My kitchen is a place of fun and experimentation and I appreciate having a family that is, more often than not, ready and willing to try my new recipes.

Breakfast Quesadilla

So, it seemed appropriate to begin my 365 Days of Pinterest journey in my kitchen, with my daughter. She is an adult now and lives at home while she attends college. I know my time with her in my home is coming to an end sooner rather than later. I hope I can impart a love for cooking on her - or, at least, a desire to take chances.

I began part of tonight's meal yesterday, whipping up a blackberry marinade for Blackberry Pork Chops (the recipe is for pork tenderloin but I had chops) that I pinned to my Yummy Board on Pinterest for others to enjoy. I love blackberries and we eat a lot of chicken in this house, so I thought I should try something with pork. And to accompany it - I made a batch of Freezer Mashed Potatoes (because we love potatoes in this house and making mashed potatoes from scratch is a lot more work than I want to do every time I cook), which I put up to go with tomorrow night's dinner. But I used two cups of those mashed potatoes to make Mashed Potato Waffles. And, since we were in the kitchen, she and I whipped up some breakfast quesadillas so she, my husband, and son could have something fresh and yummy to start their day without me having to get out of bed at the crack of dawn.

Blackberry Pork Chops & Mashed Potato Waffles

Consensus was that dinner was fabulous. There are leftovers for lunch tomorrow, the dogs split an extra waffle and my daughter can feel a small sense of accomplishment at making a dinner from scratch.

Every day will not be about food or cooking ("Ain't nobody got time for that."), so follow my blog and visit every day to see what I have decided to add to my 365 Days of Pinterest.

What have YOU pinned today?

A little bit of Pinterest in my life

I ALWAYS have a Pinterest tab opened on my laptop. I am either pinning things or referring to previous pins. I find recipes that the whole family loves, great gift ideas, art projects and how-to's for the home. And, as most of you who know me already know - I find lots of new ways to do my nails.

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to embark on a new blog, sharing the ways I am bringing Pinterest into my life. So, here it goes - 365 days of Pinterest starts today. I can't wait to see how this turns out a year from now. I hope you will follow my blog posts and I hope you will try some of the things I share, join Pinterest if you haven't and let me know if there is something you want me to try.

If you don't already follow me on Pinterest, look me up - Kiva Johns-Adkins.

WTF am I thinking?

I spend a lot of time on Pinterest - a LOT. I end up making dinners, desserts and craft projects from Pinterest so I thought I would challenge myself to do something from Pinterest every day for the next year. I need a couple of days to turn over what I really want to do, then my 365 days starts.