Pinterest Inspiration

I loving decorating and accessorizing my home. But in this economy, money is tight and we are trying to live on a budget so there's not a lot of extra money to spend on home decor. I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest. It's amazing all the wonderful ideas that are shared on that site. However, like a lot of other people, my time is very limited, what with working outside of the home at least three days a week and then having to keep up with all the household chores we all have to endure. So I'm all about projects that are simple and don't take a lot of time to complete, but do make a huge impact. Here's some of my favorites I've pinned and plan on completing this year.

This is a super cute idea using wooden utensils to create a paper towel holder.

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I've seen versions of this next idea all over blog land. I was recently gifted two old salvaged windows from a friend and I'm seriously considering transforming one of them into something like this.

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This next idea is one that I have already put my own spin on and will share with y'all in an upcoming post. It was simple, quick, easy and has really made a big impact on my bedroom wall. I'm in the middle of a small cosmetic master bedroom redo so this idea was perfect for my "new" bedroom.

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And, finally, this little chalkboard tray is so cute. I think it would be perfect on a kitchen counter or baker's rack for grocery lists or a favorite recipe. The link to this has been removed so unfortunately, I cannot share credit for where this cute project came from.

There are tons of other projects I've pinned that I would like to attempt someday. There are just a few of my favorites. How about you? Does Pinterest inspire you to create?

Until next time...

Secret Ingredient Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of my hubby's favorite meals. And I've made it several times over the course of our marriage. I like meatloaf as well as the next guy, but after a while, I get tired of the same old, same old. So one day, while perusing Pinterest (which I do A LOT!), I found a link for a meatloaf that used a "secret ingredient". It looked good and sounded simple, so I decided to give it a try. This is my finished product:

Looks yummy, don't ya think? And it tasted just as yummy as it looked! So, what is my "secret ingredient"?

Here it is:

Yep, Stove Top stuffing mix! I bought the herb seasoned flavor. And just substituted this for my breadcrumbs/oatmeal that I usually put in my meatloaf. It was so easy AND flavorful! Hubby loved it and so did I. The seasonings included in the breadcrumbs really gave the meatloaf a wonderful flavor.

So, what's your take on meatloaf? Do you have a secret ingredient to make it taste even better than a tried and true recipe? I'd love to know!

Until next time...

A Lampshade Redo

I have had this sad little lamp sitting on my kitchen counter for quite some time. She has served me well. But, alas, she has paid the price. As you can see, she is a victim of kitchen mishaps. She's been moved around, she has stains on her and yet, she just keeps on shining.

Cute, but sad. So, to thank her for all her hard work, I decided to give her a little makeover. I searched the internet for inspiration and when I saw this photo, angels started singing! I kid you not.

Isn't that the most gorgeous lamp you've ever seen?? This was done by Jeannine over at The Concrete Cottage. Now, I know what you are thinking. My little lamp could in no way, shape or form ever look like her full sized "sister" lamp. And you'd be right. But, I knew I could take some inspiration from Jeannine and that's exactly what I did. First, I gathered my supplies. Jeannine details how she copied images and taped them to the inside of her shade and traced them with a Sharpie pen. I loved that idea, but let's face it. I ain't got time for all that! So I decided to use a script stamp I've had forever and just stamp my shade. I also wanted to bling her up a little bit so I decided to use some hairy ribbon (my husband's term, not mine) around the top and bottom of her.

In choosing to go this route, I was aware that my script would not look perfect and would be more of the faded look. And I was ok with that. So all I did was stamp her all the way around, hot glue the ribbon to her, and voila, she was done!

I was so pleased with how pretty she looked, I decided to create a vignette starring her on my kitchen counter top.

What do you think? Isn't she lovely??

I'm linking to these parties this week:

Debbiedoo's Copy Cat Party and Marty's Table Top Tuesday Party over at A Stroll Thru Life.

Until next time...

Valentine Dollar Tree Party

Hello everyone! Debbie over at Debbiedo's is hosting a Valentine Dollar Tree Party and I wanted to join in on the fun. So off to the Dollar Tree I went to see what I could find. I actually came away with two fun ideas! For this first one, I purchased an 8 X 10 silver picture frame, a package of puffy, glittery heart picks, and a spool of Valentine themed ribbon. I also used two different scrapbook papers, but I already had these at home in my stash.

I removed the glass from the frame and put it away to use at a later date. I then removed the puffy hearts from their sticks. I inserted the red piece of scrapbook paper in my frame and layered my patterned, translucent piece of scrapbook paper on top of it. Then I just used a dab of hot glue and glued three of my puffy hearts onto the paper. I used a thin tipped sharpie pen to free hand the words faith, hope, and love under the hearts. Then I took my ribbon and crafted a bow that I hot glued to the top of my frame. I topped the bow off with another one of the puffy hearts. And this is what I ended up with:

Isn't that cute?? And I only spent $3.00 on this project!! I decided to create a little table top vignette with it.

I am so pleased with how this little project turned out. For my second project, I'll have to give you a little bit of background. Before I married my awesome hubby in 2009, my son and I lived with my Mom for several years. Every Valentine's Day, my Mom and I would buy little gifts for each other and let my son present them to us. We never spent more than a couple of dollars, it was more about just having fun than trying to buy expensive gifts that neither of us needed or used. Now that I am married and no longer live with my Mom, I still carry on this little tradition of buying or making her something for Valentine's Day without spending a lot of money on it. So while I was at the Dollar Tree, I decided to pick up a few things to put something special together for her. My Mom is a diabetic, so candy is out of the question. I decided to make her a "whipped cream topped milkshake". Here's what I used:

I purchased a plastic cup that came with a lid and straw, two bottles of pink tinted bath salts (I ended up only needing one bottle and about a fourth of the second bottle), a white loofah poof, and I used one of the puffy heart picks from my picture frame project. So total spent (not counting the puffy heart) was $4.00! All I did was take the lid off of the cup, pour in the bath salts, smoosh the loofah poof down on top, and insert one of the puffy hearts through the loofah to simulate a cherry on top! I then stuck the straw back into the cup, going down beside the loofah poof. I thought it looked a little plain, so I tied a leftover piece of my Valentine's ribbon around it. And voila, a cute "milkshake" for my Mom for Valentine's Day! She will enjoy using the bath salts and the loofah to pamper herself with and she can use the cup and lid over and over again! I plan on adding a small tag that will read "You shake me up, Valentine!" Not bad for $4.00 if I do say so myself! Here's a view of the front of my "milkshake":

And from the back:

This turned out so cute and I know Mom will love it! And this little project is proof that you don't have to always give your Valentine candy or flowers. Just give them a "milkshake" with whipped cream and a heart shaped cherry on top instead!

Click HERE to pop over and check out all the other creative Dollar Tree ideas for your Valentine at Debbie's party.

I'm also linking up for Marty's Tabletop Tuesday weekly party over at A Stroll Thru Life. Please be sure to visit these sweet ladies' blogs. I promise you will leave very inspired!! Until next time...

My Newest Endeavor....

Hello everyone! I have always loved to crochet from the time I learned how way back when I was knee high to a grasshopper! Lately, I've discovered a new kind of yarn that looks like fishnet. A friend of mine posted some pics on Facebook of some scarves she made with it and I just fell in love! So, upon inquiring about it, she led me to a YouTube video that shows you how to make these beautiful ruffled scarves. I had to run out and buy a few skeins to try it out. Here's what I've made so far:

Four scarves in just one day! They work up quickly and I think they are just beautiful! This one is called "Salsa":

I've already sold three of the four scarves! How awesome is that? I guess you could say I'm hooked! ;) Until next time...

My Word for 2013

I've seen several bloggers who chose a "word" for the upcoming year instead of making a lot of resolutions that, let's face it, usually get broken before the first day of the new year comes to a close! So I'm jumping on the band wagon and choosing a word for myself for the new year.

2012 was a good year for my husband and I in a lot of ways. It was also a not so good year for us in a lot of ways. It's so easy to be upbeat and positive when things are going well. But when we hit a rough patch, sometimes it's very easy to sink down to a level of self despair that is very difficult to pull yourself out of. In light of these reflections, I've chosen the word "calm" as my word for 2013. You see, I tend to veer to the side of negativity and hand wringing despair when things aren't going so well in my life. Even though I always make it through the rough patches, I dwell on the bad things that are happening instead of focusing on all the good things that I still have in my life. So for that reason, in 2013 I'm going to learn to:

Because no matter what I'm facing in life, this, too, shall pass!

Have you chosen a word for 2013? If so, I'd love for you to share your word with me.

Until next time....