A little Sumthin-Sumthin

Howdy!  How was your weekend?  Our consisted of:

sprinklers...

washing cars...

and monster trucks.

Daniel's boss OWNS this.  No big deal, right?

Definitely starting to feel like summer.

Anyhoo...

Today just a quick little craft that I made for the kids' bedrooms.  A little Amanda vs. Pinterest of sorts.  The idea was inspired by this pin:

Photo Credit

And I liked the idea of the words... but I needed something smaller (and I couldn't think of what I wanted it to say) (and I knew I'd never be able to get the letters on straight).  So a simple heart for Reagan and a star for Logan it was.

Not hard to see how I made it.  

1.  Buy canvas

2.  Buy heart/start wooden cut-outs

(both from Hobby Lobby)

3.  Glue cut-out to canvas

4.  Paint

5.  Hang

6.  Enjoy

My finished product:

I'm a fan.  I like how it's all one color, seems a bit more modern to me.  And it's pretty small.  We are talking maybe 3"x3".  The perfect little pop of color in my littles' rooms.

Might be just the little sumthin-sumthin you need to brighten up your space.  And for less than $8 and an hour of your time, why not?

Amanda Vs. Pinterest

I'm not sure what it is, but I am definitely NOT on a roll lately.  Starting with my debacle at the March for Life, and then this Pinterest attempt, let's just say, things have not been going according to plan.

I've been taking it easy with the baby activity pins lately, because from prior experience, Logan just hasn't seemed that into them.  Remember this failed attempt??  Yeah, not so much!  But when I saw this pin for homemade edible finger paint, it seemed too fun to pass up.  Logan has been really into art lately.  It seems like all of the sudden he wants to draw, paint, and hand-print all the time!  So this seemed like an easy way to have a fun afternoon.

Unfortunately, this pin was not idiot Amanda-proof.  It seems simple enough, right?  It's only 4 ingredients and one of them is food coloring for crying out loud!!  

The directions state that you need:

* 2 cups of corn starch
* 1 cup of cold water
* 4.5 cups of boiling water
* Liquid food coloring

You basically just mix the corn starch and cold water, add the boiling water one cup at a time, stirring in between, and then separate into small containers and add food coloring.  However, there was a disclaimer.  The blogger mentions that some of her readers were having trouble getting the paint to thicken, so she offers two things to try if this happens to you.  1.  Add another cup of corn starch or 2. Bring the entire mixture to a boil until it begins to thicken.  

I followed the instructions to a tee, but I fell into the group of "not thickening-ers" so I decided to try adding another cup of corn starch.  I added it, and nothing happened.  There was only a little bit left in the box, so I added that too.  Still nothing.  I waited.  Nothing.  I put it in the fridge, hoping that would thicken it up.  Nothing.  So then I decided to try the other suggestion to make your paint thicken, and throw my mixture into a pot over the stove.  Almost immediately, my "paint" started to thicken.  

And thicken.  

And thicken some more.

  

And then it thickened a little bit more.  It definitely passed right on by liquid and straight on to solid.  It became so solid that I could tip the pot over and nothing came out.  

It was also a super weird consistency.  It was sort of waxy, but a bit gelatinous as well.  Maybe something you could make soap out of?  Or maybe fake zombie skin? The words cottage cheese also come to mind.  And did I mention the smell?  I don't even want to go into what it smelled like....

Not one to be defeated, I decided that we were going to take the most watery part of my mixture and try to finger paint with it.  I added the food coloring and got Logan all set up and ready to go.  

Looking promising.....

I tried to show him how to do it, but it was so thick at this point that it was more intuitive to just pick up a glob of it than try to paint with it, so that's exactly what that little boy did.  Then he promptly popped that golf ball sized blob into his mouth and swallowed it.  YUCK!  But I guess it's technically ok to eat, right?  

The face says it all!

I think this goes without saying, but that was the end of our science experience.  Total pin fail!!!  The only (semi)good thing that came out of this, was that Logan didn't get sick!!! 

Maybe it would have made better crayons?

Has anyone out there had any successful Pinterest projects lately?  I would love to hear about something that went exactly according to plan... it's been a while since that happened to me!!
Speaking of Pinterest, follow me, won't you??

Amanda vs. Pinterest

I decided that I was going to start a tradition this year that every Christmas I would make one homemade gift for Logan (and any other future children) and one homemade decoration for our humble abode.  I'm hopeful that it will make Christmas an even more special time of year in our home.

So of course, where did I turn for Christmas DIY ideas?  None other than my favorite place on the www.... Pinterest!

This year I chose this latches board for Logan's gift.  I saw the pin and just knew my little boy would love it.  You'll probably remember that I haven't had the greatest luck with homemade toys in the past, but I was hopeful that this time it'd be different!  And I was right!  Logan loves this toy and plays with it often.  If it hadn't been for Kermit and an electric keyboard Christmas morning it could have been the hit of the Christmas!  Anyway, here's Pinterest's version and mine (yes, I'm upping my game and going with side by side photos!)

I guess I didn't realize that my board looked so barren until I looked at the original pin... but I've got over $30 of hardware on this baby!  It's enough to keep even my busy toddler interested, so I think it's sufficient.  So what do you think of my masterpiece?  I think it's my favorite thing that I've made so far.  I'm super happy with how it turned out.  Here's the step by step of how I did it!

1.  Buy board and all latches you want to use.  I got the board at Michael's and all the hardware at Home Depot.  I think the board was about $9 and as aforementioned all other parts were about $30.  So this craft isn't cheap, but it's solid and will last!  It is also bigger than it looks.  The board is 11" x 13" so it's pretty hefty as well.

2.  Print off letters for name.  I knew I wanted my letters to be bigger than the Pinterest board's letters.  I originally planned on putting latches over-top of the letters but it turned out that I didn't need to.  

3. Trace around letters.  This will help you when you paint.  I learned this technique from a different pin on Pinterest.  See it here.  

4.  CAREFULLY paint the letters.  Luckily, I didn't make any mistakes.  But go slowly and use a small brush!

5.  Arrange your latches and screw!  The back of the packaging for pretty much all of the hardware is going to tell you that you need to drill a hole first..... but remember these latches are designed for being screwed into doors, windows, gates, etc. not sissy craft wood.  I had no problem screwing in all the latches with just a regular screwdriver and some elbow grease.  One thing I would watch out for is that the screws don't pop out on the other side, since the board is relatively thin.  I almost used a screw that would have been too long, but luckily caught myself.  

6.  Stand back and admire (and post a pic to Instagram)!  And imagine your little man (or lady) playing with it.  I know they will love it just like my son does!

Amanda Vs. Pinterest

Hello, hello!  Thank you for joining me in another exciting installment of Amanda Vs. Pinterest.  I know you're all just DYING to see how my attempts at making cute things I re-pinned from someone who is actually creative are coming along.  Whenever I make something these days, that's the first question anyone -cough- Daniel -cough- asks.  It's like, because I found it on Pinterest its worth is completely diminished.  Well guess what- I still think the things I make are fun and cute and who cares if I didn't think of it myself, right???

Ok enough ranting for now.  Here's what I've been up to.... fun with washers.

I saw this necklace on Pinterest a while back and was tempted by the simplicity of it.  And that it actually looked like something I could do and would be something I would actually wear.  Well I was right on all counts.  It was simple, easy to make, and I do wear it often.  And the cost of the supplies was under $3.  Yes, that's right!  Under $3!  And it took me under an hour to make.  Yes, right again!  Under an hour!  So, what I'm saying is that you should totally make this.  Here's Pinterest's version, followed by mine!

It's a matter of taste, really.  But I think both necklaces look really good.  I get compliments on mine all the time, which is great because I get to tell them "I made it myself" and sound really artistic and creative, which we all know, I'M NOT because I only make things I find on Pinterest!!  Anyhoo.... possibly the most exciting thing about it - I have washers left over, so I can make more necklaces if I want!  Total score!!

Now onto my less successful adventure with washers.

I've been seeing a lot of things floating around on Pinterest about drawing on something with a Sharpie and then baking it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Pretty sure I've seen mugs and plates, and even a washer necklace.  Again, being intrigued by the thought of something being so cool and so easy to make, I decided to give it a shot.

The description of the pin I found read "Use Sharpie to write on the washer, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Simple".  But upon further inspection of the actual link I realized that the description was misleading.  The actual maker of the necklace had imprinted letters into the washer before using the Sharpie, and hadn't baked anything at all.  Well, I wasn't about to go through all that trouble, so I decided to try out baking anyway.  Here's Pinterest followed by my version:

Ummm yeah, no contest.  But you can't win them all, right???  And just FYI, the baking thing doesn't work on washers.  The Sharpie was wiping off almost immediately.  So don't fall for the trick!!

Speaking of Pinterest, follow me, won't you??

Amanda vs. Pinterest

Again, apologizing for the lack of posts lately.  I feel like I write in waves.  Either feast or famine here at Today: Begin.  Sorry!  Trying to work on that.  Well, you'll be happy to know that I've been crafting lately, so that gives me a lot of material to write about!  Get ready for a lot of episodes of Amanda vs. Pinterest!

So let's begin, shall we?  I saw this pin when I first started pursuing Pinterest.  I instantly loved it and wanted to make it for Christmas, like the original craft.  So I've been biding my time waiting for Christmas time to make a version of this wreath.  In the meantime, we've had so many events to celebrate: birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, etc.  And I love displaying cards, but I've never had a good spot to put them.  Then it dawned on me - duh - I could make an everyday card wreath!  A quick trip to Michael's and I pounded this baby out in an evening.

So what do you think???  Original pin, followed by my version.  I actually kind of love it.

I made a few changes from the original pin:

1. The original pin uses a wire clothes hanger and strings the clothes pins on it with beads in between.  I used an embroidery hoop and hot glued the the pins to it.  It worked great and was less work, I think.  
2. The Christmas wreath from the pin spray painted their clothes pins.  I painted mine with a paint brush after I had glued them.  I think this worked because the color I chose was so close to the original color of the wooden clothes pins.  If I do end up making a Christmas wreath, I'm planning on spray painting the clothes pins.  
3.  Embellishments!  Of course I had to add a few flowers here and there.  Over decorated?  Perhaps, but just my style!

 My biggest problem with this wreath has been where to hang it.  It's had 2 or 3 homes already, and I still might move it again!  Regardless, it has definitely served its purpose and done it beautifully!  This past week was my birthday and with the influx of cards, it's been so fun to have a place to put them!  I'm still planning on making a card wreath for Christmas, but I'm so excited to have a wreath for everyday that is so cute and functional.

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest!

Amanda vs. Pinterest

I've given up on the whole "Week 'X'" title.  Let's be honest, I don't blog about Pinterest every week... heck, I don't even blog every week!  So let's just keep the integrity here at Today- Begin and stick to the simplicity of "Amanda vs. Pinterest" for a title for these posts. 

Today's inspiration comes from a pin I pinned a while ago entitled, "10 best baby playtime activities found on Pinterest".  Of course, this caught my eye, with my little man running around needing multiple activities a day to be entertained.  See all the ideas from the pin here!  So basically, what I took away from this pin was "Trash = Toys".  So with that in mind, here are some of the "toys" I've "made" for Logan in recent days. 

The idea here is simple - an egg carton with pom poms and a cut up toilet roll for "sorting".  Logan loves to eat the pom poms, the toilet roll pieces are long gone, but he is still fascinated by the egg carton, go figure!

This one is straight from the website, a cut up milk jug with blocks.  Logan's favorite thing to do with this "toy" is to fill the jug with the blocks, then dump them on his face... He's a weird one. 

I call this beauty, "Putting Pipe Cleaners in a Water Bottle".  I know... I'm so creative.  Logan likes to dump the pipe cleaners all over the house, which is super fun to clean up. 

It's kind of hard to see from the picture but this one is an empty "Puffs" container that I cut a hole in the top of to stuff pom poms in.  Again, Logan eats the pom poms, but we have had some success using this one at church, because it's relatively quiet. 

To make this gem you take an empty wipes container (Toy Story themed) and fill it with scraps of fabric, strings of beads, and ribbon tied together with a big block at the end.  The idea is that the baby will love to yank out the fabric, bead, ribbon string.  Well, it gets tangled very easily, and Logan would rather open the box and put other items in, so this one is not his favorite. 

I also tried to make the "Baby Play Bottle" from the pin.  It is fairly easy to make.  Here are the directions:

3/4 parts water

1/4 parts baby oil

4 teaspoons glycerin

glitter

food coloring

Combine all ingredients in empty bottle and seal top securely (I even duct taped mine shut). I also added some beads and foam pieces.  All ingredients were purchased at the Dollar Tree except for the glycerin, which I found at Rite Aid.   

Finished Product

I would have a picture of Logan playing with this wonderful toy, expect for the fact that it was such a dud, he didn't even play with it at all.  However, I like to look at it, and one of my friend's son also likes to play with it.  Which brings me to my final take away from my homemade trash toy adventure:

For my son, this has bascially been a total waste of time and money (the entire $5 I spent to make all 6 toys), and is a hastle to clean up.  Logan is a boy's boy.  Meaning he would rather be climbing, running, and playing outside than playing with ANY toy (unless it's a ball), homemade or otherwise.  In fact, Logan's favorite toy in our house is the step stool.  Why, you ask?  Because he can climb it. 



Best homemade toy EVER!

I know many kids go crazy for this kind of thing, so their parents make sensory bins, iSpy Bags, use random items to paint with, and make tons of other homemade fun. But Logan is on the go, so he's not going to be interested in watching a baby play bottle swirl and twinkle.  So although Pinterest didn't work out for me this time around, I did learn a lot about my son. And just because it didn't work out this time, doesn't mean that in a few months, he won't be interested.  This is just another step on my journey to figuring out the best way to entertain him, and hopefully become a great mom.  I hope you're enjoying your journey of learning your kids as much as I am. 

Amanda Vs. Pinterest Week 3

Week 3 - aka Daniel's birthday cake.  So my husband, is the one person on earth who doesn't like cake.  Now, I know what you're all thinking... how could I have married someone who doesn't like cake.  Well, it was VERY hard to overlook, but he was just that wonderful.

Anyway, yes, Daniel doesn't like cake.  So I have an inner struggle every year on his birthday of what to do.  If I make the cake, then I'm going to eat it all.  Yes, all of it.  Every. Last. Crumb.  I just can't help myself.  But if I don't make him a cake then I'm a terrible wife, traditions are broken, the shame of my family, Logan has a terrible childhood, etc.  So what's a girl to do?

Well, 2 years ago, I had a breakthrough.  One thing Daniel does love is ice cream and more specifically ice cream sandwiches.  So for his 26th birthday, I cooked up this gem:

No, the BBQ sauce does not go on the cake!

And he LOVED it!  But, he basically just ate the ice cream sandwiches and I was still left with the task of eating the entire cake below them.  So this year, as I was having my yearly debate with myself about the cake, I came across this wonder on Pinterest:

Wipe that drool off your face!

Ummm... duh!!  Forget the cake!  Just make an ice cream sandwich brick!!  So that's exactly what I did!  Here you go- Daniel's BEST birthday "cake".

Complete with 28 candles of course!

Pinterest is the OBVIOUS winner here (it's a no brainer, mine is all but falling apart), but I feel like the winner because I have finally, FINALLY solved the Daniel birthday cake conundrum- Thanks again Pinterest!  Now I only have to eat half of an entire box of ice cream sandwiches, a tub of Cool Whip, and a bag of M&M's - way better than an entire birthday cake!

Follow me on Pinterest!  http://pinterest.com/amandamdew/

Amanda Vs. Pinterest Week 2

Ok, Ok, So It's not exactly week 2.  I skipped a couple weeks in there, maybe it's truly week 4?  But since this is only the second time I'm writing, we'll stick with week 2.  Anyway, how are your Pinterest Projects coming?  Mine have been pretty darn good this week!  Now that the house is pretty much unpacked, I feel like my creative juices are flowing!  (or maybe that's just nap time talking).

Either way- here's what I've been up to on the Pinterest front.

Project 1 "I love you because..." Frame-

I pinned this probably 6 months ago.  I loved the idea of having a space for Daniel and I to convey love to each other without having to talk or even see each other!  Not because I don't love talking and seeing my Daniel, but because we are so stinking busy sometimes that those little opportunities to show love get lost.  Anyway, Pinterest's version, followed by mine.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself (Pinterest's is probably a touch cuter, but mine's not ugly, right?).  And, AND Daniel even wrote on it this morning before he left for work.  What a nice surprise to find after he had gone.

Project 2 Meal Planning Frame-

I bought one of these picture frames after Logan was born to display all the 5 trillion pictures I was taking of him.  But once I got it home and got pictures in it, I decided I didn't really like it.  Go figure.  I left the pictures in there, but was unsatisfied every time I looked at it, and knew eventually it would need to be changed.  Then I saw this pin!  I thought to myself, "What a perfect use for that frame I don't like!"  A year later, and here I am, FINALLY making use of this frame!  Pinterest's version, followed by mine.

I actually like mine better.  Mine is only for meal planning, not the entire week's activities, but I think it's cuter.

So there you go!!  It feels SOOOOO so good to finally be making some of these things I've been eyeing for so long.  Glad to say I'm succeeding at them more than failing which makes me happy.  Anyway, care to share what you've been up to on Pinterest this week???

PS - Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest!  http://pinterest.com/amandamdew/

Amanda vs Pinterest Week 1

So one of the main reasons I wanted to start a blog is so I can share my attempts at making things I pin on Pinterest.  Everything on Pinterest in always so beautiful and perfect... and I KNOW that's not the way it is in real life- at least not for me (and I hope not for everyone else too).  But you hardly ever see the failures.  Well, I am here to show you that you're not the only person who tries things you pin on Pinterest and fails miserably- I do it all the time!

But every once in a while- I succeed!  And it feels so good.

That's how it was this weekend.  My son, Logan, is turning 1 this coming Sunday.  We are moving to DC that weekend, so we had to have his party this past weekend.  I've been pinning ideas like a mad woman for his beach themed party.  In fact, one party goer even said to me, "If you make 1/2 of the things you've been pinning on Pinterest, this party is going to be awesome!"

And not to toot my own horn, but it was pretty awesome!

So here are my recreations, followed by the original pin from Pinterest.

First, there was the Nutter Butter flip flops (see bottom left corner on sand castle).  

I'm giving the edge to myself on this one.  Not only did I make them just as cute (I think) but I made a rice krispies treat sand castle to go with, which was my OWN idea (take that Pinterest!)

 j/k Pinterest, I'd be nothing with out you!

Moving on...

The fish bowl jello

My Mother in Law, Kris actually made the jello.  And it tasted awesome!  I haven't tasted the recipe from Pinterest, but we did modify it.  The original recipe called for unflavored gelatin, and we used some sort of "blue" flavor.  Looks wise, I think Pinterest may have won.  I think the lighter color makes it easier to see the fish, and their bowl was a little cuter.  But I think ours probably tasted better.  I'm saying it's a draw on the jello.  

The watermelon shark

Ok, I think Pinterest wins on this one.  They are pretty much better in every aspect.  But for my first time carving a watermelon at midnight on a few hours of sleep, I don't think I did too bad- at least it was recognizable!

The veggie dip octopus

I think they look about the same.  Pinterest's eyes are a little better.  But overall, a wash.

Sand pudding

I think I win!  Actually, Kris wins.  She made the sand pudding for the party.  It was so tasty.  But I did decorate, and I think it looks pretty cute.  Adds a little pizzazz that the Pinterest sand pudding was 

lacking.  

And here's my little boy.  Hard to believe he's one.  He beats out any baby on Pinterest if you ask me!

 Overall, I think my Beach Birthday Party was a success!  Thanks again Pinterest for all the wonderful ideas!

Click here for the Sand Pudding Recipe

Click here for the Fish Bowl Jello Recipe

 (remember we used "blue" flavored jello instead of plain gelatin.  

 Speaking of Pinterest... follow me, won't you?