Simple Pretty Christmas Projects (Thanks pinterest!)

Just wrapped the first gifts of the season. Don't have wrapping paper yet. But I do have white boxes and pretty ribbon. Simple and pretty. So I think that worked.
Used this method to get pretty bows:
 

Source: chatelaine.com via Valerie on Pinterest

So pinterest was useful today.
Also, along the theme of simple, pinterest inspired, holiday stuff... This is what is happening with all the Christmas cards we receive this year.

(Those are my cousins chillin' there on the front, Hey guys!) In past years I have piled them up, or clothespinned them to ribbons on the doors... but that seemed like a lot of work this year. So when I saw this...

Source: Uploaded by user via Valerie on Pinterest

... I was like, DONE.
Trying to keep Christmas simple and manageable this year. (You can read more about that here, if you care...) So far... no meltdowns, so we are good.
So what about you? What kind of simple, pretty things are you filling your Christmas with this year?

Pinterest Challenge: Bathroom Organizer

I cleaned off my dresser the other day. Yay!
That doesn't sound that impressive until I am humbled and honest and admit that I had to clean it because stuff was piled so high i could no longer see my own face in the mirror behind it. I had to stand on my tiptoes. I'm a slob, folks.
But the dresser is now clear and I had to figure out what to do with the stuff that was up there. Most of it was easy to distribute to other areas... but I had a large collection of hair accessories, and the logical place for those would be the bathroom, but I didn't have a great place in the bathroom to keep them together. I threw them in a box they didn't belong in under the sink.
Then I was trolling pinterest the other day and found this pin:

Source: hobbit-house-h.blogspot.com via Valerie on Pinterest

suggesting you use one of those shoe organizers on the inside of the bathroom cabinets. And I went ding! Great Idea.
And then that same day, I saw The Pinterest Challenge (Fall edition) on YHL and I was all, Challenge Accepted, let's make this happen!
But... I didn't have a shoe organizer to cut up. And I had a very small cabinet door. And I needed some different sizes for various accessories. And... I quickly knew I was going to have to custom make this thing... and I wanted it to be pretty!
Sooooo... I did some measuring, and pulled some pretty fabric from my stash, and it came together pretty quickly. All straight lines, and a couple of pleats... topped it off with a package of gray bias tape... done.
Behold:

The backing is a heavy canvas so it has a little bit of weight to it... but it didn't need to be incredibly heavy duty, because generally hair accesories are pretty light. I was going to put a grommet on each corner to hang it, but I only had one... so button holes worked instead. I used some small 3M hooks to hold it up.

 So I popped it up there, and filled it up right away. Clips, hair pins, and ribbons accross the top. Running headbands and embarrassing hair forms in the middle. (is anyone else embarrased by hair forms? Does anyone else use them? I have one for buns and... a bumpit. I'm pretty embarrassed now.) Bottom row is hair flowers and fancy pins, and decorative headbands.

Having a place for the hair stuff means I was able to organize the rest of the cabinet...

So there you go, now you have seen under my bathroom sink. Awesome, no?
So there you have it. Had a problem. Found a pin. Accepted a pinterest challenge. Put my own pretty Pin Spin on it. And now my life is better for it. Yay.
Have you completed any pinterest projects lately? Accepted any pinterest challenges? Made anything to help organize your bathroom?

(Oh, hey... side note. It just occurred to me last time I did a Pinterest Challenge I also made an organizational piece for my bathroom! that's a weird theme...)

(Also, you should go over to Young House Love and check out their Pinterest Challenge Project-- spoiler alert: It's a really cool big standing chalkboard. Oooh...)

Oh hey, Pinterest! Whats for dinner?

I like Pinterest. It's a really helpful creative tool for me.
I don't like people who bemoan pinterest saying it takes away creative originality, or is a huge meaningless time suck. Like most things in life, pinterest (or all kinds of social media, really) is about what you do with the resource. If you get on pinterest and start pinning stuff thats meaningless for hours that you should be doing something else-- yeah, it's going to start to seem like a giant meaningless time suck. I try not to do that. I like to use it for inpiration when I am working on a specific project or need some ideas. Sometimes I get around to using the ideas, sometimes I don't, but I rarely feel as though I have wasted my time, or that pinterest has in some way cheated me out of creativity or time. Anyway, use your time and resources wisely and stop blaming social media when you don't. End of rant.
And moving on.
I pin a lot of recipes on pinterest trying to find something-- or a version of something-- that I can make for my family. When I get bored with our 10 meal rotation of stuff Z will actually eat, I sit down at my computer and ask Pinterest-- what should I make for dinner tonight?
And I have recently come across a few winners I thought I would share. 

Source: shine.yahoo.com via Valerie on Pinterest

The Perfect Meaty Balls! My Dad loves meatballs more than any other food, so I am always on the lookout for a great meatball-- this recipe was fantastic. Really tasty, and a lovely, firm texture without being hamburger-y. (You know what I mean???)  ...these meatballs were also the first meat my son ever tried, and he quickly devoured his. It made my meatball-loving-heart so happy.
*I added a little italian sausage to my beef, because thats the way daddy likes it.
*I used my stand mixer to mix it, even though it says to do it by hand, it was easier and I thought gave the whole thing a nicer, even texture.
*You can use a cookie scoop to get uniform size meatballs.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Valerie on Pinterest

This Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini is a new favorite for dinner at our house.  What's not to love?
*I often will use leftover grilled chicken from a previous night's dinner. Be good to yourself, make it easy.
*Z likes to use chipotle cheddar on his... adds another layer of flavor.
*I often serve it with oven fries-- seasoned with smoked sea salt. It's a great accompaniment.

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Cheesy Basil Stuffed Chicken. You had me at Cheesy. But then there is basil, garlic, and crispy crunchyness and roasted tomatoes! OMG, the roasted tomatoes! I promise you this will be a crowd pleaser.
*I used panko breadcrumbs to coat my chicken-- because it's what I had-- but it made it extra lovely and crispy.
* Sam went nuts over the roasted tomatoes. Seriously. He thought it was the best dinner ever.
*I served it with pasta and made a simple alfredo sauce for my tomato-fearing husband. It worked well with the alfredo too... as long as you are not prone to cheese overload.

Source: cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Z was never happier than the day I started making bread for us. This Easy Bread recipe makes a lovely crusty, chewy round loaf.
*You can add any manner of herbs, cheeses, dried fruits, etc. to this bread. I will share my recipe for Z's fav, Asiago Peppercorn, soon.
*I usually serve it torn into chunks with pesto dipping oil, and everyone loves it.

Source: ittybittykitchen.com via Valerie on Pinterest

These Lemon Meltaway cookies are amazing. A slightly lemon-y shortbread with lemon buttercream? Yes, PLEASE!
*You'll want to make your cookies smaller than you think. And no more than about 1/4 inch thick-- otherwise the sandwhich gets difficult to eat.
*When making the frosting, start with about half the lemon juice and add a little more if needed, I had too much lemon juice, so I had to use twice as much sugar to make the butter cream.
*Also please use fresh lemon juice-- none of that bottled stuff that tastes like acid-y water. blehck. Thank you for your cooperation.


So thats whats been on the table at our house... maybe you should try a few new recipes this week? These are a great place to start! If you want to know what other junk I am pinning you can follow my food board here and my bakery board here.
Happy pinning and have fun making yummi-ness for your fam! :)

Pinterest Challenge: Stacia Partied!

(I apologize in advance that you will have this song stuck in your head the rest of the day.)

So it's a small world, (after all) and it's amazing how people can appear and reappear in your life over time. Like... Stacia. Who was a floormate and friend my freshman year of college (I think I may have bummed a ride to walmart and church with her a time or two...) but after that year, she left the school and I didn't figure I would ever see or hear from her again. Well her life took her to CO and landed her at the same church (and bible study) as my Grandma, and also the home church of a mutual friend Danielle, who's blog we both read and through which we became re-acquainted. Whew! Did you follow that? (yeah, me neither... really.) But anyway, we are now bloggy friends and... she likes to sew and be crafty and make things for her kids, and when I issued the the Pinterest Challenge, she was already pinning and planning a DIY party for her kiddo...
Fate. Or small world. Or great minds thinking alike. Or sheer coincidence that I want to claim so life seems more exciting.
Anywho... Pinterest Challenge projects:
She made really fun Very Hungry Caterpillar invites, that were sent out in 'bug jars'... so cute!

As well as monogrammed aprons:

(notice the Eric Carle print? I LOVE that so much...)
And also bunting, everyone's fav... which got recycled as decor in her sons room after the party-- smart idea!

And... last but not least some Butterfly and Caterpillar artwork that kiddos created at the party:

So very fun! Oh goodness, what did people do before they had the internet to peruse for genius ideas and inspiration? Did people have to come up with their own ideas? Sounds awful to me. I'm glad I have limitless resources for party planning these days! :)
I'm also glad Stacia picked some fun projects, and it looks like the party was a success!
Soooo... yay! Good work. To see more pictures, and explanations and original links to her inspiration, check out Stacia's blog Five of Spaids.

You can also check out the rest of the Pinterest Challenge if you haven't been following along closely already. This has been so much fun, and great to see people getting stuff done and inspiring each other!

Pinterest Challenge: Project #3

This is... sort of an incomplete project.
It all started with my chevron rug obsession for Baby P's room. When I decided a rug would be too much for his room... and I saw this on pinterest:

Source: beesquarefabrics.blogspot.com via Valerie on Pinterest

I knew what to do. I was going to make a chevron quilt for my baby. But I wanted it black and white. Can you make a black and white baby quilt? Grandma Sass would say adamantly, NO. But I say... why not? Aren't babies supposed to be stimulated by black and white patterns or something?
Yeah, I've totally been reading my baby books, can you tell? Someone is a prepared mama.
But back to the quilt... I tried to figure out if straight black and white would be too boring? (it would.)
I didn't want to add a lot of color/print (mostly because I didn't want to pick something out, and i wanted high contrast) but when I was at the fabric store I found this white on white print with different size dots on it... they looked like bubbles, I loved it... but they didn't have enough of it, AND it was stained on top of that. UGH. So I settled for a small white on white dot print that was similar. I bought my black and I was ready to go.

I have to admit, this project made me really nervous. Even though I have a couple baby quilts under my belt, the only time I have pieced together a quilt top like this was with my grandma, who passed away almost two years ago now. I was a little bit scared about my skill level in completing the process... but also about my emotional level. It took me a few days to power through it, I am not going to lie, I stopped for a cry break once or twice (but that could also be prego hormone related, who knows?). But I had Granny's cutting mat and quilt square/ruler things... so I felt confident. :)
Once I was home and cutting a million little squares I was all, "Meh, this is boring" UGH. Too much little dot going on, needed more interest. So I went to a DIFFERENT fabric store where I found some large white on white polka dots. Perfect!

 So here are all 126 blocks cut out and stacked up ready to be laid out. I laid it out across the bed in the basement/spare bedroom. It was bigger than I thought it would be. My husband came home and said, whoa did you mean for it to be that big? My mom came over and said, whoa, did you mean for it to be that big? No... I guess I didn't know how big it would be. The pattern said crib size which I was assuming was the yard-point-five-ish size blankets my grandma always made, but I guess crib size is 45x60 in case you were wondering and that's big.

My mom came over for our weekly date, and she quilted away on her Baby P quilt, and I worked on mine. Oh, man, I love my serger. I was flying through this thing. I don't know what the official stance is for quilters and sergers vs. sewing... but the serger was awesome and FAST. And I am all for awesome and fast. Plus, Granny made all her quilts with a serger... so if I am doing it wrong, I'm doing it wrong like Grandma! (And I am totally okay with that.)

Then, because this was done on point, I had all these little triangles to trim off the edges. (And the trimmed portions were just like bunting, Erin, you would have been so excited! :) haha) And my mom insisted on including me in the pic, because she is all... you will want pictures of you working on your baby's quilt someday for the memories, and I am all... but won't I have the quilt for the memories? Anyway, here's a pic of good ol' prego me cutting away. Yay. (and please try to ignore the unmade bed-- it was holding the quilt pieces-- and the laundry in the background.)

And... then I had a quilt top! Which is as far as this post is going to take you, because that's as far as my pinterest inspiration/tutorial took me.

Here's a close up so you can see the different dot patterns (and not judge my 'slightly off' row there toward the top... or the fact that it's kinda wrinkly, but, hey once it's quilted you want it to wrinkle anyhow, right?)

Soooooo... now all I have to do is figure out how I want to quilt the thing (anyone experienced have suggestions? I don't think I want to do stippling... I am still undecided about what to do.)

Anywho... there is the top for Baby P's Chevron quilt from Mama! I will, of course, post pictures when it is fully complete.

Pinterest Challenge #3? Check!

And be sure to check out the rest of the Pinterest Challenge projects and Amy Lee, Erin, Jessica and Stacia... some of them I have featured, some of them just keep posting more and more great stuff on their blogs! Awesome, no?

Pinterest Challenge: Project #2

Soooo... remember how yesterday I told you our computer crashed and I lost a ton of project pictures I was planning to share with you that had not been backed up anywhere else?
Yeah...
So today we are going to use our imagination. Here's how it's gonna work: I'm gonna show you some pictures and recipes and you are going to use your imagination to superimpose my image and the the images of my friends and family enjoying the items in the pictures. Are you ready? Here we go!

My next Pinterest Challenge project was to try out some recipes I have found on pinterest. But first... you need a little background. At our house every Friday night is pizza night. Whether we order pizza, make a frozen pizza, or I make pizza... we have some kind of pizza every Friday. I have tried all kinda of variations on pizza--stromboli, calzone, pizza pull-aparts, french bread pizza-- and while the hubs doesn't mind any of those options, his fav is just straight up simple pepperoni pizza. And he likes it best when I make it. Which... i did more before I was all knocked up and whatnot (yes, the Pizza Hut delivery guy knew us by name because of that first trimester) but I'm doing better now, so I think it's time to step it up a notch. I always made my pizza crust from a mix, and while those things aren't awful... I kept wondering, how hard can it be to make pizza dough from scratch.

Source: laurenslatest.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Especially after pinning this recipe on pinterest, I knew I had no excuse. So last Friday night, I tried it out.
OMG! So easy! And so yummy! It has really lovely flavor, (which I attribute to the honey, as I am obsessed with all things honey related) and was a perfect chewy/crispy consistency. Z loved it too. Why was I wasting my time with those stupid packets of powder?
(Here's where you get to imagine a picture of me serving a beautifully handmade cheesy bread pizza that's perfectly bubbly and golden browned while my husband looks on with awe and admiration and my hair looks great and my pregnant belly is not poking out the bottom of my too-small PJ's. Got all that? Great!)
A couple thoughts on this recipe:
    *There is a bonus cheesy bread recipe as well! Score.
    *I used my stand mixer. I am sure you could do it by hand too? But I hate kneading dough by hand, and it is sooo easy in my mixer, I wondered why I had never done it before.
    *This recipe makes enough for two crusts... and I only needed one Friday night, but would be making pizza for friends the next day, so I experimented: after it had risen, I cut the dough in half, wrapped half in plastic wrap and left it in the fridge overnight. The next day, about 1.5 hours before company was to arrive I pulled it from the fridge and stuck it in an oiled bowl next to the warmish oven. It rose beautifully and was just as good (maybe even a smidge easier to work with) on day two. That's good news!
    *I am considering trying it with whole wheat flour next time... I didn't want to stray from the original recipe the first time, but whole wheat crust is on the menu for next week. I'll let you know!

Okay, so try your hand at some homemade pizza dough. YUM.
And then when you have your crust all ready to be topped, do this to it:

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Valerie on Pinterest

I mentioned above that I made pizza for friends on Saturday. We were having a couple over that we really want to be best-couple-friends with. I really wanted to make something that was incredibly delicious, but easy because I was trying to be really cool and calm even though I was nervous about cooking for them. (I know, we are major nerds... we just really wanted them to like us!)
I figured... steak + pizza = How could this go wrong???
This pizza delivered. It was amazing. The Pioneer Woman has never led me astray. Layers of flavor and richness. Delicious and meaty. It received great reviews all around... and I told everyone I knew the next day about how it changed my life for good.
(I kinda want to sing a Wicked song now.)

So to sum up this post:
1) Imagine glamorous Valerie in each of these pictures
2) Make your own pizza crust
3) Top it with steak for the love of all things good in life
Amen.

(Oh, and just in case you missed it, here's the Pinterest Challenge, and Project #1. It's not to late to join if you want! You have until the end of the month to do something... so lets see it!)

Pinterest Challenge: Project #1

What in the world might I be making???

Happy Monday, friends! My last post on here I invited you to participate in a challenge with me... A  Pinterest Challenge! Just in case you haven't read it yet, and you are too lazy to go back and read that post, In a nut shell, the challenge is to pick a project from pinterest (or anywhere on the internet) that inspires you, but you never got around to doing... and do it by the end of September. Easy, right?
I told you I had several 'pinterest inspired' projects up my sleeve this month, and I didn't lie. Here is the first that I completed this weekend. First, the inspiration:

Source: shelterness.com via Valerie on Pinterest

I saw this and thought, yes. I need this in my bathroom. And we have this awkwardly small mirror in our bathroom. with a large gap between counter and mirror that we can't do much about because we rent. So I figured that would be the perfect spot.
I bought all my supplies (pictured at the top), minus the mason jars and paint I already had, at home depot for eleven dollars and some change. I probably could have stolen a chunk of wood from my dad's scrap pile and it would have been cheaper, but I didn't. I bought this piece of pre-cut sanded pine from the depot. Then I painted it black, to match the black shelves already in the bathroom.

Next I measured and marked carefully where I wanted the pipe clamps to sit... then headed to my parents house when I realized I had nothing that could drill through metal. (It's wasn't a matter of lacking skills, just lacking tools.) So my dad popped some screws in there for me... and we trimmed the extra metal off.

 Then I tapped these beyond tiny nails into these saw tooth hanger bracket things on the back... (ignore the crummy paint job on the back... it's the back side, you know the side against the wall that no one sees? Don't judge me.)

And... then I popped 4 empty jars in there, and tightened them in place. Then we hung it!

And I put junk in it (cotton balls, cosmetic sponges, cotton swabs, and makeup brushes) This should do the trick to fill the awkward spot between mirror and counter, and get all these grooming essentials off the counter top where they would otherwise be sitting about making my tiny bathroom a mess. (Ahem, hypothetically-- not that it has ever been a mess.)

Anyway... I am quite pleased with the results. It was a pretty cheap, quick, easy addition to my bathroom. Not earth shattering or life changing on a large scale, but I like it. And I am glad I decided to just do it, rather than thinking, "Huh, that's a clever idea I should do that someday."

Well, then... Have you been working on your challenge???

Oh, and I linked to some parties....

PINTEREST CHALLENGE (For me and you!)

Source: readymade.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Isn't the internet a wonderful thing? So many things to look at, to learn, to search and study, and to be inspired by! Really, it is a nearly endless source for... whatever it is you are looking for. Which is sometimes super helpful, and sometimes just another problem.
Am I the only one... that with so much inspiration out there becomes overwhelmed? I find myself all the time going, "Ooh... that's cool, I want to make that!" Or "That's such a clever idea, why haven't I tried that?" Especially since I started blogging or signed myself up for pinterest... gosh I prolly pin 10 projects, recipes, or organizational ideas every day that I will never actually do. SAD.
So I started thinking this morning... why am I not doing these things? And I decided to challenge myself. I would like to invite you to participate with me!

Source: None via Valerie on Pinterest

Here's how it works. It's a 3 step process:
STEP 1: Select a project that you have found on the interwebs and been inspired by in the past month. (It could be a sewing/crafting project, home improvement, decor, organization, recipe you want to try, photo you've been meaning to take, a new excercise program, place you promised to visit, or anything, really. The only stipulation is is has to be an idea found or inspired by a 'pin' on pinterest, or a blog, or SOMETHING you found on the internet that you thought... "I should do that." then filed it away.)
STEP 2: Complete the project by September 30. (Come on, you have three weeks to make this happen, don't tell yourself you are too busy, challenge yourself to actually try it!)
STEP 3: Show and tell! (seriously, tell someone about what you did. Take pictures and put it on your blog, talk about it on facebook, or tweet about it. OR send me pictures of whatever your project was and a link to your original inspiration and I will tell people all about what you did. Because it's exciting to do something, yes? And it's even more exciting to be recognized for what you do!)

Source: cafechocolada.blogspot.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Okay, not hard right? It can be as simple or intense as you want it to be... small or large... functional or aesthetic... you choose. Just let this be the kick in your pants to actually do it.
I am calling it my PINTEREST CHALLENGE because pinterest is where I catalogue most of my 'i should totally do that' ideas. But I know not all of you are Pinterest kind of people... so pull your inspiration from anywhere on the internet, but have a link to your 'inspiration' ready if you are sending me your project to show and tell on you (and I HOPE you do!). If enough of you decide to participate, I may even award a prize for my fav project. Oooh, incentives!

Source: wildinkpress.com via Valerie on Pinterest

I will be sharing a couple 'pinterest' projects I've got up my sleeve over the next couple weeks, so check back for those while you are playing along.
YES! YAY! Are you excited? Motivated? Challenged? Let's do something! WOOT!

Source: marthastewart.com via Valerie on Pinterest

P.S. If you are gonna participate with me in the challenge... leave a comment telling me you intend to do so. I'll check in with you in a couple weeks, You know, just to keep you accountable! :)

P.P.S. Who has noticed Valerie is in that ultra-motivated-energy-pouring-from-every-orifice-second-trimester-stage of her pregnancy? Anyone?

Baby Space Design: Part III

(And decidedly the least exciting post of the three... but i thought it was at least worth sharing.)
If you have been about the blogging scene at all, you probably have heard about Pinterest. I was a little late to the pinterest craze, but once i was on board, I was hooked. For those of your who don't know much about pinterest... it's like crack for list makers. (ha!) It's an simple, visual way to catalogue ideas and images you find on the internet. It's also... a HUGE time suck. (just being honest here, don't say you weren't warned.)
However... it has been an invaluable tool for me as I have been collecting ideas for Baby P's room... and so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share what I've found with you. (*Note: I am not advertising for Pinterest, I am not being paid to share this. Pinterest doesn't even know I exist, I could drop dead tomorrow and pinterest would never know the difference. I just enjoy their site, and wanted to share with you!)
On my Baby Space Inspiration Board, I have everything from cool rooms I would like to emulate

Source: blogs.babycenter.com via Valerie on Pinterest

To toys and mobiles I think are creative and inspiring:

Source: etsy.com via Valerie on Pinterest

To tutorials and patterns for projects I want to complete:

Source: younghouselove.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Fun, right? And helpful?
You can check out my whole BABY SPACE INSPIRATION board with TONS more ideas and inspiration if you wanna see what kind of things have been flying through my brain. (If you wanna become a follower of my junk, that would make me feel extra special too!)