Sunday, February 12, 2012

Dessert Dip Trio

       I was trying to figure out something to bring craft night with the gals. These girls go all out, so I didn't want to bring a basic mill of the run snack, you know? I'd made a chocolate chip cookie dough dip for a craft get together at my friend's church the week before. It was a hit, so I thought I would come up with a fun dessert dip trio this time. I found a cake batter dip on Pinterest and used the chocolate chip cookie dough dip as a base to make a candy dip. You can use graham crackers, animal crackers, Teddy Grahams or whatever you'd like for these dips. I like graham cracker sticks or alphabet cookies. They are so yummy. For the candy dip I added mini M&Ms, bits of snickers, and mini Reese's Cups in addition to the chocolate chips. I did leave the toffee chips out of the cookie dough dip because the store I went to did not have any.
    My favorite was the cake batter dip. It really did taste like cake. The candy dip had a lot going on, but was tasty. I would probably leave that one out and make a duo next time.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Pinterest Fail

     Ok, so not everything I attempt to make from Pinterest turns out the first time. I saw this yummy recipe on Pinterest for Crispy Cheese Pulled Pork Tacos with Sesame Slaw. It looked delicious! I had to try it.
     However, I had two problems. First, I put my pork roast in the crockpot in the morning on low, so it would be nice and tender. Well, my outlet tripped at some point during the day, so when I went to check the meat later it was lukewarm and not done. There was not much time left before dinner so I put some of the meat in the food processor and then cooked it in a pan just to make sure it was done. It was like an applesauce consistency. Gross!!!! I would also not recommend using generic cheddar cheese. I usually do not buy store brand cheese because I thought it would not taste as good as what I usually use. I was right. I was trying to be thrifty, so I gave it a try I wholeheartedly believe that is why my cheese shells turned out horribly. I didn't even attempt to make the slaw after those two flops.
Now, I didn't want to completely give up on this yummy dish, so the next night I gave it another whirl.   I finished cooking the remaining meat in the crockpot the night of the first flop.  I picked up some good old Kraft shredded cheddar. My shells turned out perfectly. I made the slaw, and everything turned out amazing. I'm so glad I gave it another shot.


Monday, January 23, 2012

Playhouse makeover

I cannot see spending upwards of $200 (or more) on a playhouse that is just going to sit outside and fade. Also, the colors on some of these house are just plain ugly.  I picked up this playhouse on Craigslist for $40 and picked up some spray paint for plastic at the hardware store. It needed a good washing after I disassembled it.  I picked colors similar to my house - yellow with a red door. I took the house apart, which included unscrewing some of the pieces. I used nearly two cans of red, two cans of gray , four cans of yellow and one can of white. The prices range from $4-$7 a can depending on where you purchase them.

Tip: Do not spray paint when it is super windy. You might just end up with more on you than the house. :o)


Here are some links to some other super cute playhouse makeovers. 
here, here and here

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Welcome!!!!!


     This is my very first post on this blog. Those who know me know I am seriously addicted to Pinterest!!!! Pinterest is (straight from the site) a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover  new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. I use it to pin yummy recipes, plan birthday parties, find great outfits, cute crafts, DIY ideas for home decor and inspiration for just about anything.
     I plan to use this blog to post things I find PINteresting from the site (clever play on words, huh?).   I promise I won't be this annoying all of the time. :o) I will also post projects I've made from pins found on Pinterest. I hope you enjoy.

      I saw this adorable idea awhile back and couldn't wait to make this dinosaur hoodie for my four year old son. I purchased the hoodie from Target and just sewed the spikes on. Super easy! Here is the tutorial from Pinterest. When you click on a pin on Pinterest it takes you to the location where it was pinned from. The is the blog where the tutorial came from.



    Also, it is hard to see in the tutorial but you pin each diamond shape to the center of the hoodie then when you get them all in place you just sew down the middle. After that you fold the to sides of the diamond shapes together to form the spike then iron over them and sew around the edges of the triangle.
   Since this hoodie didn't have a seam down the back I folded the hood and back in half and ironed it to get an even crease. This helped to keep the spikes even when pinning them on.

Tip - be careful when ironing the felt. After partially melting a spike I placed a towel over the remaining ones to prevent scorching.  Using lower heat should help, but I didn't want to risk melting anymore. Oops! 

Hope this helps. I will be making one for my daughter and ll post step by step pics.



If you have any questions or if you'd like an invite to Pinterest just ask me. I do not get compensation from Pinterest (no matter how many times I say that word in a single post.) ;o) I am just a huge fan.