Possibly Pinteresting Wednesdays: Con-graduation Lauren! Invitations

We've all seen the awesome wedding invitations with the modern typography and bright colors. Most of us don't get the opportunity to designs wedding invitations everyday, and when we do, we have to pick just one style. And with all the amazing designs available today plus the constant new ideas popping up all over Pinterest and the web, its hard to pick just one.  However with my sister's graduation coming up, I realized this style could be applied to anything.

It was a bit of a challenge to design this invitation with limited time.  So we decided that the invitation would also be the envelope.  Less paper, less time, more awesomeness!

Here are a just a few great pins that I drew inspiration on for this project.  Enjoy!

Oh So Beautiful Paper

Via Pinterest (Does anyone know the original source for these invitations?)

Pinterest (unknown source)

100 Layer Cake

More from Oh So Beautiful Paper

Possibly Pinteresting Wednesday: Message in a Bottle

While scoping out stuff on Pinterest a LONG time ago I found this awesome mail idea and tracked it back to Happy Mail on Giverslog.  I just have no words really....ok well I do actually.  BRILLIANT!  Yall know I love anything to do with snail mail and this takes recycling to a whole new level.

Its a modern day message in a bottle!  But you can send anything, not just messages as you see on Giverslog.  She mails everything from school supplies to a flip flop and even easter eggs.  Yep, seriously, she just slaps stamps on the outside and drops it in the mailbox.  

This will be the first time I send anything "unusual" through the mail.  The cranky ladies at the post office hate me when I use pink ink on my packages, so I don't think I'm even gonna risk going into the post office with this one.  I'm just gonna drop mine off in the post box by my work and hope for the best!

The first one is for my camp friend Rachel, who I use to write to all the time! She's been on me to write here again so I hope she likes this!  I used an empty water bottle, some pompoms, and a long strip of paper with twine.  

The second one is for my friend Jill.  I started by wrapping the container with printed tape this time to hide what's inside.  I wrapped up her surprise in some yellow tissue paper and closed the lid tight.  This container was an empty gelato container that I had saved to help organize my craft closet (that was before I received the 100 baby food bottles i mentioned a few posts ago).

You want to make sure you use enough postage.  More is always better!  Also make sure the lid to any container is on super tight.  You can always tape down the lid if you need to for extra security but make sure to NEVER tape over any postage.  

I wanted to show yall one more than I'm making for my friend Soleil but the bottle isn't dry like I thought!  EEK!   So...I will post photos of that one later this week and update this post.  So come back and have another look soon!

I hope you enjoy and start sending your own creative mail!

Possibly Pinteresting Wednesdays: Breakfast "muffins" and a Shiny French Manicure

I know I'm late today yall.  I normally have these guys up and ready a few days in advance so they can post at noon.  But today..well this week has been utterly insane!

However I do have some fun and tasty treats for yall and I attempted to do a glitter French manicure.

Of course I originally found this on Pinterest but I traced it back to Kalyn's Kitchen.  Her egg breakfast muffins look amazing....seeee....

Mine did not turn out this nice.  I blame my muffin pan!  And not that was not intended as a dirty joke! It sure did sound naughty though, didn't it?!  Anyway....

The recipe is really simple and easy to modify.  I used less eggs in mine.

• Kalyn says to use 12.  I only used 9 because that's all I had left over in my fridge.
• Brown a pound of breakfast sausage.  
• Add some shredded cheese.  I also added frozen broccoli since I didn't have any green onions or spinach, which probably would have tasted WAAAAY better by the way.  
• Mix, mix, mix.  
• Make sure you cover your muffin pan with some PAM or use cupcake liners.  This is where I went wrong!  Ideally one day when I decide to start making more grown up purchases (more cookware, less nail polish) I'll buy a silicone muffin pan so I can just pop those suckers right out of there!
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  My oven is possessed so I only baked for about 9 minutes

And VOILA!  Here is how mine turned out:

They look really ugly but they taste amazing!  I've frozen them and eat 2 for breakfast every morning when I'm on my way to work, or take some along in a baggie if I'm running late.

Since it was Halloween on Monday I tried a little something special with my nails.  I apologize because I don't have photos of the process, but I plan to do another one soon so you can see each step.

Here is the finished product!  I used real cosmetic glitter and not glitter nail polish.  It was a huge mess but super sparkly!

I used 'Love My Blackberry' from Ulta and SallyGirl Sparkle Effects loose glitter in purple.  The glitter turned out more iridescent than purple.  Plus I don't have the steadiest hand so there is polish everywhere!

Do you have any suggestions of things you would like to see me try out?  Let me know in the comments!

Possibly Pinteresting Wednesdays: Worm Ice and Mummy Cookie Pops

This Wednesday I've attempted 2 projects that I've seen on Pinterest. One easy and one that was a bit challenging. Let's be honest, making ice is pretty hard for anyone to screw up! The first project is one of Martha's and you can find it here.  This one only has 3 steps!

1. fill ice tray with water
2. place gummie worms in water
3. place in freezer and freeze!

Project 2 was a bit more complex and I think I was a bit out of my league on this one folks!   You can find the original here.  I'm not very good in the kitchen and this proves it!  But I had a lot of fun!

1. Perform Oreo surgery.

2.  Use melted chocolate to secure your sucker sticks inside.

3. Cover your cookies in white chocolate.

4. Draw on eyes and bandages using icing.

5. Fin.

I LOVE chocolate and Oreos and I can't believe I'm about to say this but, this little guys were way too sweet for me.  It was like eating pure sugar.  I'm sure kids will love them and they look awesome but you're a hoss if you can eat more than 2 of these bad boys.  I applaud you!

Check out a video of the whole experience below.  I cannot guarantee an outstanding or even articulate tutorial..but you may laugh...and laughing burns off the calories you just consumed from eating all those cookie pops!

Next week I will be attempting single serving breakfast muffin/sandwiches in a muffin pan. Technically they aren't 'sandwiches' because there is no bread involved...but you get the idea.  See you next week!

Possibly Pinteresting Wednesdays

Pin It


How many of you have a Pinterest account?  If you don't have one yet you have got to get one!  This is a place where you can store all those great ideas you see on the web when you're surfing at work.  Yep....we know who you are!

The great thing about Pinterest is that you can store things no matter which computer you are on.  Its like a traveling bookmarks/favorites list.  And even better than a bookmarks list, it shows a visual representation of your pin or bookmark.  No more searching through links with strange names or forever-trailing web addresses.

Now this next question is for those of you that have Pinterest accounts already.  How many of you try or complete those DIY projects you see, hmmm?  I thought so.  Well I can't judge too much because I am one of you.

For this reason, I've decided to make a weekly post on Wednesdays about a project I've seen on Pinterest. I'm going to attempt and hopefully (cross your fingers) succeed.  And lucky you, you get to share in my triumphs/hilarious defeats.

Most of my Pinterest boards are covered in sewing and cooking tutorials.  Mostly because I'm horrible at both cooking and sewing.  See....you're already thinking about how funny this will be aren't you?!  My go to tools are paper and glue...and sometimes scissors and paint.  But I'm gonna do my best to get out there and try something new.

Since its the month of October, my first few projects will be Halloween related.  Next week you'll get to see my worm ice project (above) via MarthaStewart.com .  And these cute little cookie pops from Howdoesshe.com

Follow me here:  

Halloween Edible treats

As someone who never cooks because I'm afraid of the kitchen, I have to say that I'm ready to overcome my fear even if its only to make some of these awesome treats!

Drowning in the punch bowl

No-Cut Halloween Cookies @ Lila Loa

Spooky Cocktail Bar

Forked Eyeballs

Spooky Muffin Tin

Fur Ball Cupcakes

Dead as a Doornail Cupcakes

Spider Krispies

S'more Apples

Halloween Treats @ Poppies at Play

Edible Brooms @ Mega Spooky

Tasty Treats @ Kids Stuff World

Pumpkin Mousse 

Jacko'lantern Hygiene

Beauty isn't just on the outside.

Pick a pumpkin without blemishes or bruising.  Mold around the stem is a sign of rot and should be avoided at all costs.  Your pumpkin will not last as long once its carved and will smell awful!  Never hold a pumpkin by its stem.  Its not polite!  And....it can cause rips in the pumpkin's skin.  If you're not a fan of all the mess and chaos that comes along with carving a pumpkin (what is wrong with you?!) then there are also artificial pumpkins available.  You carve them once and they last years.  The best part is, no stringy goo or seeds to deal with.

Exfoliating and Excavation (*see carving)

Start by cutting a hole in the bottom, not top of your pumpkin.  Carve this opening at an angle so the bottom can be replaced later, or leave it open and simply set your pumpkin on top of a candle later.  Now scrap the inside of that thing till your arm feels like its going to fall off.  If you don't have a great scraping tool, or yours breaks, (This happens to me every year.  I have been told that I am an enthusiastic scrapper) a CLEAN empty tuna can is great for scraping the inside of a pumpkin.

Primer, Base, and Concealer

Place your carving pattern over the outside of your pumpkin and use straight pins to hold your pattern in place while you transfer it.  Poke small holes (think connect the dots) into the pumpkin along the lines of your pattern.  Once you have transferred your pattern, dust some flour over the design.  This should help your design stand out and make it easier to carve the rest of your pumpkin.

Always saw/carve at a 90 degree angle and leave your cut pieces in place till the very end.  These pieces prevent your pumpkin from caving in while you are carving out other ares and add stability.

http://zombiepumpkins.com/patterns.php  has great patterns that you can use.

A Natural Glow

If you are using a candle, make a vent in the top of your pumpkin for the heat to escape.  This heat can dry out your pumpkin and cause premature aging.  Sprinkling spices like cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or nutmeg on the inside of your pumpkin will keep your pumpkin smelling great when lit and gives a festive feel.  A safer alternative to using a candle is to use a store bought LED light or even get your christmas lights out of storage and use them to illuminate your pumpkin.

Here is a great idea courtesy of Martha.

Anti-Aging

Use a spray bottle and spritz your entire pumpkin to keep it hydrated.  For all of your carved edges, use a cotton swab to apply petroleum jelly.  If after a day or so, your pumpkin becomes shriveled, immerse the entire pumpkin in a cold water bath with just a tad of bleach.  Leave it there for a few hours and when you take it out to put it on display, your pumpkin will be rejuvenated and sanitized.  The bleach keeps mold and mildew at bay, as well as any creepy crawlers that may be looking to make a snack out of your jack o'lantern.

There are also special sprays and pumpkin baths available on the market designed to keep your pumpkin looking fresh.

When your pumpkin is not on display, make sure to store it in a cool place, wrapped in a plastic trash bag.  This will keep your pumpkin moisturized and expand the life of your pumpkin 2-3 days.  The absolute best place to store it is in the refridgerator.   If you don't have room, the basement or even a downstairs closet will do.