tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63335497433092196022024-02-20T23:52:22.526-04:00PinitiativePin it! Do it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-53173622459528891252014-02-10T17:17:00.000-04:002014-03-22T14:40:02.061-03:00Heart on a String<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbyoQAPRTgKkSgIll36M-NBshfNBL6uIzH3IxeJ6ia-2HUOlzHmbCFc7iTgM1bAy6BQgnjDPFXM2sGPa41Oacw62W0OqjCPVud6n8fZqIrxM-NphYwahGb1PhwkFXZKfg__xPQRXebsU/s1600/Felt-heart-garland2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbyoQAPRTgKkSgIll36M-NBshfNBL6uIzH3IxeJ6ia-2HUOlzHmbCFc7iTgM1bAy6BQgnjDPFXM2sGPa41Oacw62W0OqjCPVud6n8fZqIrxM-NphYwahGb1PhwkFXZKfg__xPQRXebsU/s1600/Felt-heart-garland2.jpg" height="320" width="265" /></a>After the success of my last sewing project I was ready to tackle another one. Well....not exactly ready. It looked as though I may have broken my sewing machine after I was finished the <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2014/01/tie-one-on.html" target="_blank">bow tie project</a>. And like any good sewer I had wrestled free the last thing I was trying to make, tossed it out, and stuck the sewing machine in a closet in the hopes it would think about what it had done and correct itself. <br />
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But I had this <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/30047522484271845/" target="_blank">cute heart garland</a> pinned for awhile and thought it would be a perfect project for a low skill sewer like me. I even had everything already on hand so it would be a no cost project. The only problem was that the sewing machine and I haven't talked since December and I was thinking it wouldn't be happy.<br />
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I was right. <br />
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My problem was threads that were getting pulled down and caught up in the lower bobbin area - which after extensive Googling I found out is called the birds nest. This is appropriate since every time I tried to sew something I ended up with a nest of threads wrapped around this whole area. <br />
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So I took everything apart, clean and oiled my machine, and re-threaded. <br />
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Same problem. <br />
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I adjusted the top and lower tension. <br />
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No difference. <br />
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I turned it off and left it sitting on the kitchen table to think about what it had done.<br />
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I think it laughed at me. <br />
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In a last ditch effort the next day I re-threaded it again adjusting how the top thread spool was <br />
secured. And for some reason it worked. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZbxUnq5SHEsJNS0P17jKJ1GPlErPBjZMnAK3KklR2HVovVbSPpxuFiPSMzoZEWeuMSTswn6rM_W69bspiGx7VibBu_bfDlm4Vc5qcpUzXLIJ_GUsIJk6PZqxlx5dCF0O9qiDUiN1VD0/s1600/wrongthread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZbxUnq5SHEsJNS0P17jKJ1GPlErPBjZMnAK3KklR2HVovVbSPpxuFiPSMzoZEWeuMSTswn6rM_W69bspiGx7VibBu_bfDlm4Vc5qcpUzXLIJ_GUsIJk6PZqxlx5dCF0O9qiDUiN1VD0/s1600/wrongthread.jpg" height="300" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wrong</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyX7JOPXsiXgdfnVuO1xryD9GjjIxg7PQW9YTzvoD-ag9LA25EA-jkY9RS9PnrfKHZKCsuMfZHIwsZOlCQ2mdmLyr7a89LCRxQzfgZdJvL1aSMW4c3S39-spXmfsNb-O-Zs6iBj_wJB5w/s1600/threadright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyX7JOPXsiXgdfnVuO1xryD9GjjIxg7PQW9YTzvoD-ag9LA25EA-jkY9RS9PnrfKHZKCsuMfZHIwsZOlCQ2mdmLyr7a89LCRxQzfgZdJvL1aSMW4c3S39-spXmfsNb-O-Zs6iBj_wJB5w/s1600/threadright.jpg" height="300" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Once I had everything working this project was unbelievably easy. The instructions<a href="http://makezine.com/craft/how-to_valentine_heart_chain_f/" target="_blank"> here</a> are great so I wont go over them all again. <br />
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Because I was working with stuff I already had around the house, and I don't follow instructions exactly, I did make some changes. <br />
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1. My strips were 2 inches wide - it worked better with my scrap pieces of felt and the size of felt balls I had (they were 1/4")<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvb4HrNR6ANCWFdHKFkAe7T9QpNUDdL-wXzM0DFmzPPT-vjHLb-hbRtyBxoJM1Y2_Kj9P_07HuzyfgEf1uF2jBNOBAUv22q7pXIfzkdEY60XlMaU7fgQbMlxY9-xoSy4ir9j7fgS4fL1Q/s1600/heartgarland-feltstrips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvb4HrNR6ANCWFdHKFkAe7T9QpNUDdL-wXzM0DFmzPPT-vjHLb-hbRtyBxoJM1Y2_Kj9P_07HuzyfgEf1uF2jBNOBAUv22q7pXIfzkdEY60XlMaU7fgQbMlxY9-xoSy4ir9j7fgS4fL1Q/s1600/heartgarland-feltstrips.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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2. I didn't have a marking pen - so I just used a scrap of paper as a template to cut my hearts<br />
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3. I cut my heart to be 1/2 inch thick (instead on 3/4) - it just worked better with the smaller height and smaller felt balls
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As I said before this was a super easy project and required basically no sewing skills. If you want to give this a try I would suggest the following<br />
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<ul>
<li>Mark with a small dot where you will thread the hearts. When you are marking the cut lines (which would probably result is more uniform sizes then my template method) mark with a small dot where you will thread the hearts. you can mark on the inside - or the outside which will be covered by the felt ball. I eyeballed it and the hearts on my garland are a slightly different heights and depths. </li>
<li>Using clear fishing line. I lost my fishing line (lost, because since I haven't been fishing in 20years I know I didn't use the enormous spool up) so I used while thread instead. I find this bunches and tangles a lot and is more noticeable. </li>
<li>Make extra hearts. Since they are so easy to make you might as well make more while you are at it. I would have liked to have a longer garland but I already put everything away when I was stringing the hearts so just left it </li>
</ul>
I think this would be a great project for kids who are just learning to use a sewing machine. It is also a quick and easy project if you wanted to add some last-minute decorations - and would look great using a variety of colours and would be cute a decoration for a shower or birthday part (not just for Valentines Day). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwisISFHf846TSZMAJx5_6mZ8lYTHfsjanGZ53yfvrGLCCukW2lQh0eVIiPPfzpbLB5K0pqt5SuGX2boKJp6t9aQPubugfXYWeNp0P_IWzJk3d7g1onHc4zXWE8LyFPdDgh8XXvC2dCY/s1600/felt-heart-garland_complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwisISFHf846TSZMAJx5_6mZ8lYTHfsjanGZ53yfvrGLCCukW2lQh0eVIiPPfzpbLB5K0pqt5SuGX2boKJp6t9aQPubugfXYWeNp0P_IWzJk3d7g1onHc4zXWE8LyFPdDgh8XXvC2dCY/s1600/felt-heart-garland_complete.jpg" height="231" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-68030872844400279572014-01-26T15:29:00.000-04:002014-01-26T15:33:41.147-04:00Tie One On<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOTxPAoGHaIczGhHQRnmX90gc1UX1XWNLRhe5w0IK6e5V06XbWxSstP_8CphgqNeTqp8EkwCafE05Naw2YuWM1x4-zRAwW1pn714WeXHmm8IwWnhPmcUeYtu0l9QbZlZRlBK8UYUKydw/s1600/boweties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOTxPAoGHaIczGhHQRnmX90gc1UX1XWNLRhe5w0IK6e5V06XbWxSstP_8CphgqNeTqp8EkwCafE05Naw2YuWM1x4-zRAwW1pn714WeXHmm8IwWnhPmcUeYtu0l9QbZlZRlBK8UYUKydw/s1600/boweties.jpg" height="320" width="263" /></a><br />
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This past Christmas I had 3 new boys in my life that I wanted to give something a little special to. I had saved this <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/30047522486570368/" target="_blank">pin</a> awhile ago - before any of the boys arrived - and thought it would be perfect! <br />
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This idea was too cute and it was something simple that I could make for them myself. And simple was important to me when it comes for sewing since my skills are less than perfect. By less than perfect, I mean that I have a hate-hate relationship with my sewing machine. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZmUzqFPhYy8xSaCcDx3bL7uy1I0TwTgRhN2KVjGj-A5oHlwbJv6eXncS33WCGgXGxW4CmYjr8_y5hlOx4o8okeseyaKyuuT1fSWi5S8VtRoF19m8xymD_KxYignmLckoMfxTmPD7gyg/s1600/bowties-supplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 2em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZmUzqFPhYy8xSaCcDx3bL7uy1I0TwTgRhN2KVjGj-A5oHlwbJv6eXncS33WCGgXGxW4CmYjr8_y5hlOx4o8okeseyaKyuuT1fSWi5S8VtRoF19m8xymD_KxYignmLckoMfxTmPD7gyg/s1600/bowties-supplies.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOTxPAoGHaIczGhHQRnmX90gc1UX1XWNLRhe5w0IK6e5V06XbWxSstP_8CphgqNeTqp8EkwCafE05Naw2YuWM1x4-zRAwW1pn714WeXHmm8IwWnhPmcUeYtu0l9QbZlZRlBK8UYUKydw/s1600/boweties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOTxPAoGHaIczGhHQRnmX90gc1UX1XWNLRhe5w0IK6e5V06XbWxSstP_8CphgqNeTqp8EkwCafE05Naw2YuWM1x4-zRAwW1pn714WeXHmm8IwWnhPmcUeYtu0l9QbZlZRlBK8UYUKydw/s1600/boweties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
The first step was to gather everything I needed.<br />
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<li><div style="text-align: left;">
3 sets of onesies in different sizes (I was making 3 set for 3 different boys) so the little guys could grow into them</div>
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<li><div style="text-align: left;">
Sew-on snaps</div>
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<li><div style="text-align: left;">
Fabric and coordinating thread</div>
</li>
</ul>
For the fabric I purchased two stacks of coordinated fabric from Walmart. I think they are meant for quilts - but there were perfect for this project. I went with a puppy theme (what little boy doesn't love puppies?) and a Christmas theme.<br />
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To make the bow ties I pretty much followed the instructions int he original pin. <br />
I cut the fabric into a set of bigger strips (approx. 5" x 9") and smaller strips (approx 1"x 2") - in the end I could have made them a little smaller since I trimmed them down a bit after. The actual size can vary and will depend on the size of the shirt on onesie. Since I was making them to fit on three different sized onesies I settled on a finished size of 4" x 2" and found it worked well.<br />
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The larger strips were folded in half length-wise (finished sides together) and sewn down the raw edge.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmWpp6FDUFN766DK4-ticbRGQ3LmYyEXcy9lfOk3_yAsq3SgYVEcLsTZp3YC0Ss9LM3QKIf14nCN75kOlMhcgDRXE9ZmXBcKKUhVddfDExOlgMiKtB-f9r90Ya_Faf9XK85H2CHVqIGs/s1600/bowties-sewing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmWpp6FDUFN766DK4-ticbRGQ3LmYyEXcy9lfOk3_yAsq3SgYVEcLsTZp3YC0Ss9LM3QKIf14nCN75kOlMhcgDRXE9ZmXBcKKUhVddfDExOlgMiKtB-f9r90Ya_Faf9XK85H2CHVqIGs/s1600/bowties-sewing.jpg" height="280" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fold length-wise and sew down raw edge</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDfO7A5ipD2gq_FnwPTCW_jLwqf1HjGoDxCPrO8Mx8ALVRnkiwPbcjG44oJU0RtWqmFROQM5Nc7JPu5IUMR87kuylELEmg3tr6D2OlRwxJgeCRLrQLH1gQTNFCBMSluuRsXumANyAKrY/s1600/bowties-size.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDfO7A5ipD2gq_FnwPTCW_jLwqf1HjGoDxCPrO8Mx8ALVRnkiwPbcjG44oJU0RtWqmFROQM5Nc7JPu5IUMR87kuylELEmg3tr6D2OlRwxJgeCRLrQLH1gQTNFCBMSluuRsXumANyAKrY/s1600/bowties-size.jpg" height="280" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished bow ties were 4" x 2"</td></tr>
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Then I turned them right-side out and sewed the ends together. The same process is then followed for the smaller strips. These smaller strips need to be large enough to fit over the larger strips but small enough to to gather the material and give the appearance of a knot. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zFBDFN-c_qI_qNcdRsAc4kbktKpaJgq8XwZ7aTRl4VHhKTgZRES_iqM1p_NaCTv1gpQquCeBu2_SGZj3CYHnvvpIRBgO1UlQCv-PRDf1yKqvwdD6zYk-FkeJ0uEwDx9w7p9BhuumYqs/s1600/bowties-step2.jpg" height="270" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="310" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sew ends together<br />
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</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WJLWYeHTx8irKOpr8-7_EdrTi6wFzPjQDzMNu10UPbAMaVxyjq5vSx_lXGDOVWa3YuRhwnLmYyZdsmXvoWseS1fsKv_uHzJFpNu0colLA0CHu7r9yQM2OrAteay3kUt_pW-pS94HUio/s1600/bowties-step3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WJLWYeHTx8irKOpr8-7_EdrTi6wFzPjQDzMNu10UPbAMaVxyjq5vSx_lXGDOVWa3YuRhwnLmYyZdsmXvoWseS1fsKv_uHzJFpNu0colLA0CHu7r9yQM2OrAteay3kUt_pW-pS94HUio/s1600/bowties-step3.jpg" height="270" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fold the larger strip to make it easier to slide the "knot" over</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The longest part of this project was sewing the snaps onto the bow ties and onesies. If I make these again I would try to find grommet snaps to use instead - though the sew-on snaps will make it easier to move the snaps on the onesie or shirt over to a new one.<br />
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In the end this project turned out really cute. And I only got into a few fights with my sewing machine.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXo_0UeGyhMX-dFF9yUPH-67-5AAgM3FP0m-z4qXWuGKyUSGS4-7wLGZK_cO6DIqmRFbyciJplxgT2DPZ4Mmq6PfU7jJqQin-EAfgHfN2jRyuihBjPyin4P3pXVYtq0KAnJouZGqEZcI/s1600/bowties-boxed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXo_0UeGyhMX-dFF9yUPH-67-5AAgM3FP0m-z4qXWuGKyUSGS4-7wLGZK_cO6DIqmRFbyciJplxgT2DPZ4Mmq6PfU7jJqQin-EAfgHfN2jRyuihBjPyin4P3pXVYtq0KAnJouZGqEZcI/s1600/bowties-boxed.jpg" height="275" width="310" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUsXhenN6Rqc0KvXy1vhVw0wBiAhrJ5OFnXzfL0H6ry4pSqnZIYea4e6iadstDNL7eFs75AHIBdCrbNDiBh5TNwJ5rg09ln7H4gz-RBZLWYVjLpwUzAgiRY0GgJ3hOVEL3w_EonVUH4w/s1600/bowties-finished.jpg" height="275" width="310" /></div>
<br />
In conclusion this was a simple and easy project, and everyone who receive one loved them. If you want to give this project a try here are a few tips:<br />
<ol>
<li>As mentioned above I would suggest using grommet snaps if you are making multiple sets like I was</li>
<li>It is important for the spacing of the snaps to be the same for all of the bow ties on on the shits/onesies - measure and mark where the snaps will go when you can lie the large piece flat before you put the small "knot" on.</li>
<li>I placed the bow ties on the onesies a few inches below the collar so they would not be in the little guys faces and hopefully avoid some drips and spills.</li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvJDZ13hJ4yKzT8NZX59dVRmEIsxHy_a2UP5tg20yJvDPS_ZJyWPxlMx26inBuMXAFSOshWrqGm-zjr7MijgAW5DsHFIL6HR2rJjzrxnRRbGsJPsVbQGkFjPKYWidScnxZQbwFg2MsLQ/s1600/bowties_doggies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvJDZ13hJ4yKzT8NZX59dVRmEIsxHy_a2UP5tg20yJvDPS_ZJyWPxlMx26inBuMXAFSOshWrqGm-zjr7MijgAW5DsHFIL6HR2rJjzrxnRRbGsJPsVbQGkFjPKYWidScnxZQbwFg2MsLQ/s1600/bowties_doggies.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
Getting the house ready to sell took about a month of finishing projects, cleaning, and de-cluttering. As you may know, one of the difficult things with getting a house show ready is making sure everything looks as clean and organised as possible while still trying to live there (i.e. you can't get rid of everything). So after we de-cluttered as much as possible I started to focus on organising.<br />
<br />
Our house was not huge but we seemed to have enough for a family of 10 (instead of 2) so organisation has always been a goal and a focus of of some quick projects around the house, such as my <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2012/05/pegboard-broom-closest.html" target="_blank">pegboard broom closest</a> and <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2012/05/backpack-storage.html" target="_blank">backpack storage</a>. After a quick organising once-over through the house I decided to focus on organising the bedrooms and in particular my pile of jewelry that normally sits on top of my dresser. I had saved this pin awhile back and thought it would be a perfect solution. <br />
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/30047522487821685/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZCRAYBynIRHYem5wqK-FbIoa6iELyNCgx9_Sb6lSOrYHKTEuCj3ZnH7AQlpnHhP3NHm3lEPzFAQgL5WjOWyoIVNvj8CGvGfs4jDU3iB37XwKJWW6R1xRQ92amp__sVyK00u57qNbzuE/s320/necklace-pin.jpg" title="Necklace Holder" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Via: <a hfxgrl="" href="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/72/f7/f8/72f7f8044a6e5d12c28c114f36b5a201.jpg" pinterest.com="" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I decided to take advantage of the unused space on the back of my closest door since when it is closed it hides everything away, but when it is open when I am getting ready it provides easy access to my accessories. I also knew people would be looking at the closest when viewing the house so I wanted something that would keep everything looking nice.
<br />
<br />
Luckily for me I had a small Grundtal bar and hooks in my basement from my last trip to IKEA (this is especially lucky since, as I mentioned before, the nearest IKEA is 3,000 km away). I had purchased it with my shelf that I used as <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2013/06/curtain-call.html" target="_blank">curtain rod/plant stand</a> with plans to attach it under my cabinet and use it to hold mugs for my coffee station similar to <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/293789575662653744/" target="_blank">this</a> - but never got around to it. If, like me, you do not have an IKEA near by the same look (probably even nicer) can be achieved will a towel bar and shower hooks.<br />
<br />
Since this was a temporary solution (as we were planning to move) I decided to use 3-M Velcro mounting strips so I could remove everything when we left without leaving holes in the door. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARij9FnmSZ536QdSjiGV0Yd08RwYqd0bsU0eAbvMOeUgi4BHvKda3lh3-AiW7A_qvLvEJov1tJCRUV4RHbfzNCk8To-OlAJeO1vOlYNu2t-thtki-h16SUH6BoxeQT_1X8ApNAmv-MgA/s1600/necklace-holder-3M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARij9FnmSZ536QdSjiGV0Yd08RwYqd0bsU0eAbvMOeUgi4BHvKda3lh3-AiW7A_qvLvEJov1tJCRUV4RHbfzNCk8To-OlAJeO1vOlYNu2t-thtki-h16SUH6BoxeQT_1X8ApNAmv-MgA/s320/necklace-holder-3M.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Everything held up fine until I moved about two months later. I also added another jewelry holder below for some bracelets and other accessories. <br />
<em>Sorry for the poor picture - I only remembered to get this quick pic as I was packing the room.</em><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOut7SiktPhk3gBB6xndhG9k8AzZJlz2H1yRQVpL9WdykALw-fMlCg0Sl8YN5_GQVFi_BuY5cYNnH4h3fXMzXsOG3cUluhLnt3OQ3gzMip2hMxBnpoWsw9mnc2NhSXfT00wm_JTWOn3qk/s1600/necklace-holder2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOut7SiktPhk3gBB6xndhG9k8AzZJlz2H1yRQVpL9WdykALw-fMlCg0Sl8YN5_GQVFi_BuY5cYNnH4h3fXMzXsOG3cUluhLnt3OQ3gzMip2hMxBnpoWsw9mnc2NhSXfT00wm_JTWOn3qk/s320/necklace-holder2.jpg" width="159" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jewellery Storage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I even decided to use it again at my new place. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcErSa-YOFrfXCz29oJIHdqosi4K__iaLjO-a-qAufYPhUTUaMzOs4wQm5YDXnkyUVwN4bRNY7bQXYLx6oqBtNgGRB9epDucvOvVjyvwPmwtj2gsW3XRTjA5NNlxsNIQenWIrlZO1sqQ/s1600/necklace-holder3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcErSa-YOFrfXCz29oJIHdqosi4K__iaLjO-a-qAufYPhUTUaMzOs4wQm5YDXnkyUVwN4bRNY7bQXYLx6oqBtNgGRB9epDucvOvVjyvwPmwtj2gsW3XRTjA5NNlxsNIQenWIrlZO1sqQ/s320/necklace-holder3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_tmiiwK_TlSmf5CrTJoyDtMNow8FnaPs3M4cbCq88v-SVlJbi5SuBhpH3AbVkUy-6BOcvAz38XzFRs4Capg46_Rjfou8952NpIGmPq34p8phkGKMzbjavx-ERfwwhISh6wbFzC_Enbg/s1600/necklace-holder4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_tmiiwK_TlSmf5CrTJoyDtMNow8FnaPs3M4cbCq88v-SVlJbi5SuBhpH3AbVkUy-6BOcvAz38XzFRs4Capg46_Rjfou8952NpIGmPq34p8phkGKMzbjavx-ERfwwhISh6wbFzC_Enbg/s320/necklace-holder4.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcErSa-YOFrfXCz29oJIHdqosi4K__iaLjO-a-qAufYPhUTUaMzOs4wQm5YDXnkyUVwN4bRNY7bQXYLx6oqBtNgGRB9epDucvOvVjyvwPmwtj2gsW3XRTjA5NNlxsNIQenWIrlZO1sqQ/s1600/necklace-holder3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
This simple solution is great and gives me easy viewing and access to my necklaces and prevents them from getting tangled up or ending up a a pile on top of my dresser. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-28503948334022815682013-08-11T19:39:00.000-03:002013-09-08T16:27:41.847-03:00A Little Paint Makeover<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiglj3ojY9GF0YV2Svf39ruwYGcW5p73cxXsd1b9Zw2rDnxz2HHtFLMKGV7pSDO9fn7Yfi6xWdDR5iBreTs4WLUgfv7aJnxy3WXi5HeLKcybp5IUAWhAQUqvpfYNH1Y-L2GlukoB_hug/s1600/soappump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiglj3ojY9GF0YV2Svf39ruwYGcW5p73cxXsd1b9Zw2rDnxz2HHtFLMKGV7pSDO9fn7Yfi6xWdDR5iBreTs4WLUgfv7aJnxy3WXi5HeLKcybp5IUAWhAQUqvpfYNH1Y-L2GlukoB_hug/s200/soappump.jpg" width="207" /></a>I have been busy lately preparing to sell my house and <br />
helping plan a <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2013/07/sunny-with-chance-of-rainbows.html" target="_blank">2nd birthday party</a>, so I haven't had much free time address the growing number of great ideas I have pinned. But I did manage find some time on a sunny afternoon to for a quick soap-pump update.<br />
<br />
I loved my foaming soap pump that I had purchased a year ago. Partly because I find the foam fun, and partly because I am cheap and the foam soap pump uses less soap. But it was just not pretty enough to have out on my counter all of the time. So after looking through some of my pins I found the perfect solution. <br />
<br />
The inspiration for this quick makeover was a <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522485958270/" target="_blank">pin</a> that I have seen multiple times and is what I would call a "classic pin" - you know, one of those pins it seem that everyone has pinned and has been around since the start of Pinterest.<br />
<br />
<a data-pin-do="embedPin" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522485958270/"></a>
<br />
<br />
This is a very simple and quick process. Basically you:<br />
<ol>
<li>Choose the pump you like and make sure it is empty and clean.</li>
<li>Spray paint it with paint for plastic.</li>
<li>Add soap and put back together.</li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEb8HsVb0aFj1eVLpc1a_p2nxt_O3HePQDS5HaiE_rzV9znRaQQEidhCGrWka8gO41rA3_7nn7VBciMcfmiE9UnF0ILaC5SxgGRyLIk0u-4lweI-ON-tTUk7dgnaxaT5N5qVM2VCyEd8/s1600/soappump-paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEb8HsVb0aFj1eVLpc1a_p2nxt_O3HePQDS5HaiE_rzV9znRaQQEidhCGrWka8gO41rA3_7nn7VBciMcfmiE9UnF0ILaC5SxgGRyLIk0u-4lweI-ON-tTUk7dgnaxaT5N5qVM2VCyEd8/s320/soappump-paint.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The only problem.....I am the WORST spray-painter EVER! No mater what I do I seem to get paint drips and streaking. I try to follow all the painting tips, using a light misting spray, light coats, constantly moving while spraying, but it never seems to work for me. I think I'm too impatient and my light coats are not as light as I should be. So after my first few coats I used high grit sandpaper to even thing out a bit. Another light coat and things were looking better. <br />
<br />
For someone with a better spray-painting technique this is a quick makeover. For me it took a little longer but was still easy. It doesn't look like a high-end soap pump, but it does look 100% better then when I started, and I think it looks good enough to keep it in my bathroom a little longer.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBeOTQ835vy1nohG0MA6lxeS56wQk3KJQSJmCcJOQcL5_OD66f-CaDR6oLmaejMf7KTbKrSjCmqCI7fJseHWnqEdp7xMcGLG8U1dPnbYlymnZFB4m9fdfAmKi2mT_oPYM9s3RcDutqEw/s1600/soappump-before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBeOTQ835vy1nohG0MA6lxeS56wQk3KJQSJmCcJOQcL5_OD66f-CaDR6oLmaejMf7KTbKrSjCmqCI7fJseHWnqEdp7xMcGLG8U1dPnbYlymnZFB4m9fdfAmKi2mT_oPYM9s3RcDutqEw/s320/soappump-before.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34iH4qI_9xvLPfnKubgtcQ0DNK01B-DtJObpv0JGmzVmu2_P_wnZudrXPPzG98iAx7DOM3_woodHE8TlS2VjdBrPS-XhEb7YAR1p0DxnhmoiTF7nfhvAOapCcARsIVGaKcHu9Wuzj2oE/s1600/soappump-after2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34iH4qI_9xvLPfnKubgtcQ0DNK01B-DtJObpv0JGmzVmu2_P_wnZudrXPPzG98iAx7DOM3_woodHE8TlS2VjdBrPS-XhEb7YAR1p0DxnhmoiTF7nfhvAOapCcARsIVGaKcHu9Wuzj2oE/s320/soappump-after2.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34iH4qI_9xvLPfnKubgtcQ0DNK01B-DtJObpv0JGmzVmu2_P_wnZudrXPPzG98iAx7DOM3_woodHE8TlS2VjdBrPS-XhEb7YAR1p0DxnhmoiTF7nfhvAOapCcARsIVGaKcHu9Wuzj2oE/s1600/soappump-after2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
Since I was already in my painting grove - OK it was not much of a grove but my hands were already covered in spray-paint and I did have cardboard laid out on the grass - I decided to update a few other things with a little red spray-paint.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTz_KXdc4OgAZ345G4vjArfleQHZ-_mLFZme38ULNQBnBz9LCgreXHmIXqI-Zcvl0DK-0sYEVwSbYG1PZxT_sWSY-05S9QNiA3l1CFxDapJ_ftBfkYpkSHwpnR1MMbKHQ9j2gAihCGbQw/s1600/redknifeblock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTz_KXdc4OgAZ345G4vjArfleQHZ-_mLFZme38ULNQBnBz9LCgreXHmIXqI-Zcvl0DK-0sYEVwSbYG1PZxT_sWSY-05S9QNiA3l1CFxDapJ_ftBfkYpkSHwpnR1MMbKHQ9j2gAihCGbQw/s320/redknifeblock.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMARd2BXM-Z5tRITLC5PbKU5UyjIIR1ULuhKV0UG39DnZW4ROk53ijEqea1uDX_sx7YXaq3DuS9viidgO-iU4ItmMMGE_oHtO18JxiKFaYktIayErDaDbK-9caK1-IbIxgCKLFSbEhcTc/s1600/red-papertowelholder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMARd2BXM-Z5tRITLC5PbKU5UyjIIR1ULuhKV0UG39DnZW4ROk53ijEqea1uDX_sx7YXaq3DuS9viidgO-iU4ItmMMGE_oHtO18JxiKFaYktIayErDaDbK-9caK1-IbIxgCKLFSbEhcTc/s320/red-papertowelholder.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-78565541071360741692013-07-29T13:37:00.000-03:002013-09-02T13:37:50.089-03:00The Miracle Cleaning Power of WaterI have been getting my house ready to sell and my to-do list seems to be getting longer and longer every day. I am amazed how many things have been on my list since they day we moved in (almost 4 years ago). One of these (never-seem-to-get-to) items is to address this:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHAK-muEWmbPMUvqNPRE0z_-4cf_9X60Uy5Y81Se4OKv7ldeW-1HHgAKfZ-kBuxZ_KrFRv93jo8wESgTIPmf00FrCJSL_iarTm8RHcsoxM6Zw8_5afB-gUR9nDYg-IjwbL2RoywsUq4I/s1600/GroutBefore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHAK-muEWmbPMUvqNPRE0z_-4cf_9X60Uy5Y81Se4OKv7ldeW-1HHgAKfZ-kBuxZ_KrFRv93jo8wESgTIPmf00FrCJSL_iarTm8RHcsoxM6Zw8_5afB-gUR9nDYg-IjwbL2RoywsUq4I/s640/GroutBefore.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
And no, the grout is not supposed to be dark grey. Gross right?<br />
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I find it is one of those tasks that gets forgotten - how many people pay that much attention to the kitchen floors anyway? OK, maybe a lot of people. But it seemed like a big and not very fun task so I kept on putting it off - for 4 years.
Now that I am about to invite a bunch of strangers into my house to criticise it I finally bit the bullet and decided to tackle this gross grout one night. <br />
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I remembered a pin from a friend that made it seem like there was a quick and easy solution. I'm sure you have seen similar pins all over Pinterest. <br />
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<a data-pin-do="embedPin" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/106960559871193072/"></a>
<a data-pin-do="embedPin" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/148055906471021278/"></a>
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After a week of cleaning with various cleaners around the house all week I was also looking forward to a less harsh cleaning solution, and one that promised to be quick and easy.<br />
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I will admit I was a little hopeful (With so many version of the same thing being re-pinned all of the time it had to work, right?) yet skeptical. In principle I do not like vinegar and backing soda miracle "cleaning solutions." On occasion I do clean with vinegar and baking soda separately, but I don't understand why you would mix them together. If you have ever taken a high school chemistry class you know that when you mix the two you will end up cleaning with water. The one time I do mix the two is for maintenance drain cleaning, but it is for the bubbling action not the "miracle cleaner" that results from mixing the two (though water itself is a great cleaner). When it came to cleaning grout I thought this bubbling action may be helpful again.
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So I went through my kitchen cupboards and gathered my supplies.
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqprkzHYZGN6QHfKse0rqGKw822asrNNWrN9CB5a5yD_thinluaLAhnoN-EkYIxfQZ-7palLBUa56ld_A5hEEUG0HkelVUck3lrCYqoDfvQe2tDk7HJmR8BknH1FRQCmzkEzAo0qw_jQ/s1600/supplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqprkzHYZGN6QHfKse0rqGKw822asrNNWrN9CB5a5yD_thinluaLAhnoN-EkYIxfQZ-7palLBUa56ld_A5hEEUG0HkelVUck3lrCYqoDfvQe2tDk7HJmR8BknH1FRQCmzkEzAo0qw_jQ/s320/supplies.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water, Vinegar & Baking Soda</td></tr>
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I adapted the directions a bit to hopefully make it work a little better for me.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDhQo9yMAkhC9R278X8wEAfZh74KDt6HrLGtfD69zsPoveLW6h_PvYBahyphenhypheniPD-DeKnnmMi8TYw8MfIO3KK57TM2pv1hxkeNnhrxSq2rCBOtS6AfuFTcTmHF6wjQnAQBIlz0ArHXaLCdg/s1600/P1090011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<ol>
<li>I made a paste of water and baking soda and using a small brush and worked the paste into the grout and gave it a light scrub.<br /> </li>
<li>I then sprayed the baking soda covered grout with vinegar and watched it bubble away for about 10 mins. </li>
<li>I gave it another light scrub then sprayed with water and wiped the tiles down.
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</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bJndeerwHuk3o0MRXD9oZ413MMdcDmXmbVSXoDGvdL5RPxvj67tmOhOVzDZXgEdJWZVPpyXN-K5X9OIkJnhGGMlmODBjKx-cIl9gdq-cUGsbMZjqxoz9PH1f7O_8aFHH1NmlAaN868Y/s1600/groutcleaning-process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bJndeerwHuk3o0MRXD9oZ413MMdcDmXmbVSXoDGvdL5RPxvj67tmOhOVzDZXgEdJWZVPpyXN-K5X9OIkJnhGGMlmODBjKx-cIl9gdq-cUGsbMZjqxoz9PH1f7O_8aFHH1NmlAaN868Y/s400/groutcleaning-process.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is what it ended up looking like.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCalCcAEhE4YjDZ6dlsdA6rwaYTfYRdVNDqZHcNnpDMa5BEJjs8NcuaXWc0evmga1gNrE9IhDIXv0oH5YEjUkQ92wlKrl6TpNx-YXnhyphenhyphenGIE3VH4qimhL2lL9DG74JEybWUvuaCMqEto3k/s1600/Grout-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCalCcAEhE4YjDZ6dlsdA6rwaYTfYRdVNDqZHcNnpDMa5BEJjs8NcuaXWc0evmga1gNrE9IhDIXv0oH5YEjUkQ92wlKrl6TpNx-YXnhyphenhyphenGIE3VH4qimhL2lL9DG74JEybWUvuaCMqEto3k/s320/Grout-after.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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It is a little cleaner, but I'm thinking I would have had the same results with just spraying with water and scrubbing. It definitely did not end up looking like the pin results. <br />
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In the end I was not really out much (except my time) as I already had everything on hand. There are other version of similar recipes out there that I considered trying. But since I already wasted a night on this in the end I used a commercial grout cleaner. Maybe I will give the others a try in my next house. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-70660805983420076852013-07-26T20:38:00.000-03:002013-09-02T18:39:32.899-03:00Sunny with a chance of rainbowsThis year I was happy to once again help my good friend plan a birthday party for a very special girl. After she decided on a rainbow themed second birthday party I started pinning ideas right away.
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I found a lot of great ideas, but since the party was to be simple and low-key we choose a few of our favourites and planned a perfect summer time gathering. <br />
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Here are a few highlights of the day:<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Rainbow Cake</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VXVdbVHTQLZM5kKBwVu2krZceRx0JzCOSocvOraWoJii8PS8jJ4wWO2Enf0XF-5OMRfCudu6Kx0OK9lPdJycFnPJjj4urvoazRddCXaoU40PgwVvGZXgvVwMARG81EWN6-VQ096dNm0/s1600/rainbowcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VXVdbVHTQLZM5kKBwVu2krZceRx0JzCOSocvOraWoJii8PS8jJ4wWO2Enf0XF-5OMRfCudu6Kx0OK9lPdJycFnPJjj4urvoazRddCXaoU40PgwVvGZXgvVwMARG81EWN6-VQ096dNm0/s640/rainbowcake.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Decorations</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3nf7G5jTge7VFKXOQ1ixX19ZyYkEqNO3KfT4YiejUVx-gOmMz58PYFQd6AJ2XdHOxe-gFfxnH9V_KIQrxy_5BFEYDePqNVG6pV7U7ipo-wINi0U5DG7bwlyLHFoPWTJfQ3tRJsprLEY/s1600/rainbow-decorations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3nf7G5jTge7VFKXOQ1ixX19ZyYkEqNO3KfT4YiejUVx-gOmMz58PYFQd6AJ2XdHOxe-gFfxnH9V_KIQrxy_5BFEYDePqNVG6pV7U7ipo-wINi0U5DG7bwlyLHFoPWTJfQ3tRJsprLEY/s640/rainbow-decorations.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Bubble Party Favours</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlg9ubxXPeNUno09pNFvwfkCimtUxq994jwMt7RDqNxq1BR96YYmzrVGn_8THXrzQpGIYnqG-i19_9VA3r_RZoIqAsRtJkhHR4M0ukYK7tUQSiwj8oSCob-9x2zbBxk6efVaLinRW9NY/s1600/rainbowfavours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlg9ubxXPeNUno09pNFvwfkCimtUxq994jwMt7RDqNxq1BR96YYmzrVGn_8THXrzQpGIYnqG-i19_9VA3r_RZoIqAsRtJkhHR4M0ukYK7tUQSiwj8oSCob-9x2zbBxk6efVaLinRW9NY/s640/rainbowfavours.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Food</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkTxsh007ge5QcDHtkT97BFMH-poCEPSjwAyqhs79LEaNITCgnjbwAgUozZNLs3yEghuCOZoPzrAZKI7sDaZXVwX9Bq0GfHQ6dRZ8ECOVtAg2nSz0nIB1UyCP4Hh_OCPulZ57Uy3ASFw/s1600/rainbow-food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkTxsh007ge5QcDHtkT97BFMH-poCEPSjwAyqhs79LEaNITCgnjbwAgUozZNLs3yEghuCOZoPzrAZKI7sDaZXVwX9Bq0GfHQ6dRZ8ECOVtAg2nSz0nIB1UyCP4Hh_OCPulZ57Uy3ASFw/s640/rainbow-food.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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One of the great things about the rainbow theme is that it is really easy and quick to put together. All you need is a variety of colours and you have a rainbow party. One of the best pins I found was for this site <a href="http://catchmyparty.com/blog/free-rainbow-birthday-printables-from-printabelle">http://catchmyparty.com/blog/free-rainbow-birthday-printables-from-printabelle</a> which have free party printables. I used it for the water bottles, and a few other things I did not have pictures of. It also has many other great party theme printables. </div>
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There are a lot more great ideas that we didn't have time to try, but if you are thinking of a rainbow party check out my pin board and have fun planning your own perfect party.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiha_YMMvSzH3eXfV3fXMNSBxtA1ymAJUelP1IU1sLC9uF8FzkexHKv4u0xhfW99oH6JsGrWVy1n5AVjQJG-HTEKIz8shGUEqwn0nIytXv_1SN-eQRyNULxgOXY0Rww6Vrad4pAHeeLXe0/s1600/party-pooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiha_YMMvSzH3eXfV3fXMNSBxtA1ymAJUelP1IU1sLC9uF8FzkexHKv4u0xhfW99oH6JsGrWVy1n5AVjQJG-HTEKIz8shGUEqwn0nIytXv_1SN-eQRyNULxgOXY0Rww6Vrad4pAHeeLXe0/s320/party-pooper.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sign of a great party</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-219321101947600162013-06-17T12:34:00.000-03:002013-06-18T13:46:42.996-03:00Curtain Call<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a 1em="" auto="href=" href="http://www.blogger.com/null" pin="" pinterest.com="" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCLiRnNOAZ3FnHD-Mo2Th6aCyHKhoqhoL9UdNv0Ek7Yma2oeIShJZ_-cA5SkZPv-dvtS0cl36RV0OdITeREZZ_8pvDEzwNjZVxtj5-9coQuyrFiLJf-HE9yqlr8D-MZLsQGwVEIZPiVw/s1600/kitchen-shelf-curtain-PIN.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://www.bhg.com/decorating/window-treatments/no-sew-windows/easy-no-sew-window-treatments/?page=2" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">BHG.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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</tbody></table>
This pin was originally for the curtains made from dish towels and curtain clips. It's a cute idea, but I actually pinned it because I loved the look of the shelf in the window for plants that doubles as a curtain rod.<br />
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This was one of those dream pins that I like to look at wistfully hoping that some day I could make it happen. It's not that his would be a complicated project at all - it is actually a simple 15min project (if you are not sewing your own curtains) - the problem is that the shelf is from IKEA, and the nearest IKEA is a thousand km away. So it's not like it is a quick run to the store. <br />
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Fortunately (I think) I found myself on an impromptu trip to Montreal this winter with the-other-half to buy his childhood dream car and drive it back.<br />
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Which meant I could make an impromptu IKEA run! Unfortunately the two-seater dream car was not designed for an IKEA trip so I was limited to a few small buys - but the shelf made the list.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvO1TL1TUt_ulW4R_wuJ7u2YRlO1fgzRfEpUxriFegascDMs_t3-ahFMaLvD7EuQ7z9fIbIBfOTirAOYBY84-Ul_0nqJIP04xqii8_HggTxz5857HekztlD2KxTaE7OCf5-Pkn84VKG0/s1600/kitichen-shelf-curtain1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: currentColor;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvO1TL1TUt_ulW4R_wuJ7u2YRlO1fgzRfEpUxriFegascDMs_t3-ahFMaLvD7EuQ7z9fIbIBfOTirAOYBY84-Ul_0nqJIP04xqii8_HggTxz5857HekztlD2KxTaE7OCf5-Pkn84VKG0/s320/kitichen-shelf-curtain1.jpg" title="IKEA Kitchen Window Shelf" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen Window Shelf <br />
using IKEA Grundal Shelf </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgWrU1VJ52wSb30Kee61sqBl9r4XZpFD6hkAHk1zjj4Knulg9ZsSDWs88hyphenhyphenaxlBzYprqM_q8GzR1MlJGrrDHP8aCFLkDX-QyZVbhjOwY-9h6-scADqwvE2LDosiF9-psfl-izmShZMqk/s1600/kitchen-shelf-curtain2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgWrU1VJ52wSb30Kee61sqBl9r4XZpFD6hkAHk1zjj4Knulg9ZsSDWs88hyphenhyphenaxlBzYprqM_q8GzR1MlJGrrDHP8aCFLkDX-QyZVbhjOwY-9h6-scADqwvE2LDosiF9-psfl-izmShZMqk/s320/kitchen-shelf-curtain2.jpg" title="Window Shelf Curtain" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelf and Curtain Rod <br />All in One</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-71551151503506564632013-05-19T11:00:00.000-03:002013-05-19T12:47:38.677-03:00You might be a redneck if ....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQNZG7eZ-kKtCNxuYGs7Y7qqLS0ATUPAf-ZLoIpf4OXNRrP9OTanvJhss731tTAGeIA5FqxaK0_dLpukrPMjSNox6XMfaKa4a1tEZnAfHgRv1n_rIHUbLMJYeUDm13ha4u3AhWaU183E/s1600/redneck-party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQNZG7eZ-kKtCNxuYGs7Y7qqLS0ATUPAf-ZLoIpf4OXNRrP9OTanvJhss731tTAGeIA5FqxaK0_dLpukrPMjSNox6XMfaKa4a1tEZnAfHgRv1n_rIHUbLMJYeUDm13ha4u3AhWaU183E/s640/redneck-party.jpg" title="Redneck Party" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last weekend my cousins threw my aunt and uncle a joint 60th and 65th birthday. The theme was ... you guessed it ... a redneck party!<br />
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This theme was perfect for my family. I would like to think we are a little bit country and a little bit rock-and-roll, but it ends up that we may be more redneck than country. So even though our redneck side can appreciate all of the redneck decorations and games, we are just far enough removed so the theme is fun (and not mocking) and is still an obvious theme (not just a normal Saturday night). But the best part was that the only thing that we needed to purchase for the the red-neck decorations were the teeth (we actually have a dentist in the family). <br />
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Once my cousin asked for some help with planning the party I did turn to Pintrest. And found quite a few great ideas such as these:<br />
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<a data-pin-do="embedBoard" href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/you-might-be-a-red-neck/"></a>
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The difficulty was in choosing the best ideas that we could put together within the week before the party. This is what we came up with:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrFMFMsfAEswm4JTrXsmL56XD0EV-pD1RYmejPuNL6z0XdsUu3YzVyfTq7rFRvZV1-x1EAe7NCZ_OAqCA5kShioE0n8DneMwMZGUg67rk8gWPhh8VphjJYKgNTPYdfWCu5JX-LY0y1bU/s1600/redneck-redsolocuplights-w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrFMFMsfAEswm4JTrXsmL56XD0EV-pD1RYmejPuNL6z0XdsUu3YzVyfTq7rFRvZV1-x1EAe7NCZ_OAqCA5kShioE0n8DneMwMZGUg67rk8gWPhh8VphjJYKgNTPYdfWCu5JX-LY0y1bU/s200/redneck-redsolocuplights-w.jpg" title="Red Solo Lights" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Solo Lights</td></tr>
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1. <strong>Red Solo Cup Lights</strong> - This was actually my mother's idea. She found mini solo cups at the grocery store - they are shot glass size -and I drilled holes in the bottom so we could stick them on a set of Christmas lights (and garland) we had. You probably do not need a drill for this project, I was just a little power tool happy at the time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjso2Nlo_7Mpqxx8Fp7xhUsNwDydWyCO8HqjXQ08eFZ_Kwve5SCnCgSQv5VeFXppEqDfnJX7FGad3RADgdcFNqoTO6mTIYxym-PlrgKg15t0IBmxSDX1sCqjUbfOfczyHWhllFgCbrNsxw/s1600/redneck-teeth-w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjso2Nlo_7Mpqxx8Fp7xhUsNwDydWyCO8HqjXQ08eFZ_Kwve5SCnCgSQv5VeFXppEqDfnJX7FGad3RADgdcFNqoTO6mTIYxym-PlrgKg15t0IBmxSDX1sCqjUbfOfczyHWhllFgCbrNsxw/s200/redneck-teeth-w.jpg" title="Redneck Teeth" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup - a jar of redneck teeth</td></tr>
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2. <strong>Redneck Teeth</strong> - You can't have a redneck party without redneck teeth. My cousin found bags of teeth at Walmart in the party section. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9RDpys7ZgQWJry4zv2zjBq7_bZIMU5ABbjDwIdtFH3J8ZU-qGaS3QF9eBxkkk146cqduxAI54shorbWUbM2ea706URe53EHxQh2mouPvaIBMRx4WP4CapnCyMgkm4tdXDPNIvcZlDBc/s1600/redneck-soap-w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9RDpys7ZgQWJry4zv2zjBq7_bZIMU5ABbjDwIdtFH3J8ZU-qGaS3QF9eBxkkk146cqduxAI54shorbWUbM2ea706URe53EHxQh2mouPvaIBMRx4WP4CapnCyMgkm4tdXDPNIvcZlDBc/s200/redneck-soap-w.jpg" title="Jack Daniel's Soap Pump" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Daniel's Soap Pump</td></tr>
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3. <strong>Jack Daniel's Soap Pump</strong> - When I first saw this idea I loved it! It is so simple to do. You take an empty Jack Daniel's bottle, fill it with soap, and screw on the top of a soap pump. I filled it with Softsoap and happily found out that the top fit perfectly!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQsDBmODPVfLML8yYQn4ka5sSSblUEGzg8EA8AYs0VPG1ifztwyFKrl4X2tMFMfcO6cNYARko0kfJwLiF17BqzlUAIjgtgnQOPBi2jJjEspn1TRnB88rmQ_hvwklMwvY9vEPISrM-6FI/s1600/redneck-patiolights-w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQsDBmODPVfLML8yYQn4ka5sSSblUEGzg8EA8AYs0VPG1ifztwyFKrl4X2tMFMfcO6cNYARko0kfJwLiF17BqzlUAIjgtgnQOPBi2jJjEspn1TRnB88rmQ_hvwklMwvY9vEPISrM-6FI/s200/redneck-patiolights-w.jpg" title="Beer Can Patio Lanterns" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheers!</td></tr>
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4. <strong>Beer Can Patio Lanterns</strong> - I knew there was a reason I didn't return my recycling. Once again I brought out my power drill and made patterned holes in the beer cans so the light could shine through. Then I hung them on a string of Christmas lights by inserting the bulbs in the hole and twisting the tab over the hole to keep them in place. If you really want to be redneck (we just ran out of time) take your cans out to a field for a little target practise instead of using a drill. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzPEbh9UzW4A6raO8ZSNc80lTuiQnfles4wMVTouQib3lgUtCHD3iZQn4lvqbTaOlIzF9FjlpSgIT_scYRnkvYBWHcES8FNiFIMP6LM5Bbixl3576uBoMOCypIlJtNxkpjXSKWXU7loo/s1600/redneck-bootyshaking-w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzPEbh9UzW4A6raO8ZSNc80lTuiQnfles4wMVTouQib3lgUtCHD3iZQn4lvqbTaOlIzF9FjlpSgIT_scYRnkvYBWHcES8FNiFIMP6LM5Bbixl3576uBoMOCypIlJtNxkpjXSKWXU7loo/s200/redneck-bootyshaking-w.jpg" title="Redneck Party Sign" width="197" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Booze, BBQ & Booty Shaking!</td></tr>
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5. <strong>Party Sign</strong> - I basically copied the idea from the post above. I found some scrap wood in the garage, gave it a quick coat of prime and a quick sand, then then I wrote on it using a Sharpie.<br />
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6. <strong>Camo Bunting</strong> - This was a simple no-sew project that took less than an hour. I made a triangle template on a piece of cardstock, traced it out on some scrap pieces of camo (as I said we didn't have to buy anything - there was actually quite large amount of camo available) and cut them out. I then laid out long pieces of Duct Tape - sticky side up - place the triangles on about 1/2 inch from the edge and 1/2 triangle apart, then folder the Duct Tape over (sticky sides together), and was done!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPo3-z4Smp-BWAzGHhFGjvuVhUo5cQSmZExS5Ska2_72ZaLSHy__fk1DemySkWP5-upgtweUZ2MbNfz_FHGWz_4sCVOB5i8fIOC6Oowpd6GjaxJwJ_nhms6KmlwjBxn51SZsThKrtu3w/s1600/redneck-bunting-w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPo3-z4Smp-BWAzGHhFGjvuVhUo5cQSmZExS5Ska2_72ZaLSHy__fk1DemySkWP5-upgtweUZ2MbNfz_FHGWz_4sCVOB5i8fIOC6Oowpd6GjaxJwJ_nhms6KmlwjBxn51SZsThKrtu3w/s320/redneck-bunting-w.jpg" title="Camo Bunting" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfGny6sieyUGhqlvPLZyR1IBjqbi0e26qkkrdkZN7l7TIFCSj_cDtYVJEYRdecWZOSEAk0mvdgsgRSDgW88O-XQy6qa63464vn05KpHNamIG5BAIVR_ujSB1WefpLLXEkYk9wNf92FZY/s1600/redneck-photobooth-setup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfGny6sieyUGhqlvPLZyR1IBjqbi0e26qkkrdkZN7l7TIFCSj_cDtYVJEYRdecWZOSEAk0mvdgsgRSDgW88O-XQy6qa63464vn05KpHNamIG5BAIVR_ujSB1WefpLLXEkYk9wNf92FZY/s200/redneck-photobooth-setup.jpg" title="Redneck Photo Booth" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redneck photo booth set-up<br />
(picture taken after it started to rain)</td></tr>
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7. <strong>Photo Booth</strong> - We set up a photo booth so everyone could take pictures. A large piece of camo was hung from the rafters of the garage and wrapped with an old set of Christmas lights. An old plastic chair (that we still use during outdoor parties) and an old tire that was outside - do you see why we may be a little redneck - was added to round it all off. We then had a selection of redneck clothing (think camo and trucker hats), mullet wigs (yes, we already had these on hand), and of course redneck teeth. Everyone seemed to enjoy acting out their inner redneck.<br />
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I set-up a camera on a tripod and light (as it was a little dark in the garage), and everyone could either use the camera remote, or have someone take the picture for them. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qMoMrIT7pxImgPCALxShIfNK_1wTCqy8DtcD7mk2OniVjBCiQ3gF7QOWBsxI6FldDF9Ui3HE6SpWYkZ30v2OHYP7xHxsWfZOHv7vHO7eXs1kFRXXVYsqowSDEZtQa9ZyqpqcGFtN8to/s1600/redneck-pinkflamingo-w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qMoMrIT7pxImgPCALxShIfNK_1wTCqy8DtcD7mk2OniVjBCiQ3gF7QOWBsxI6FldDF9Ui3HE6SpWYkZ30v2OHYP7xHxsWfZOHv7vHO7eXs1kFRXXVYsqowSDEZtQa9ZyqpqcGFtN8to/s200/redneck-pinkflamingo-w.jpg" title="Redneck Decorations" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right at home</td></tr>
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8. <strong>Pink Flamingos</strong> - One of the pins suggested hanging strings of Christmas lights and putting plastic pink flamingos on the lawn - check, and check - these were already existing in place. You might be a redneck if.....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdx_I1y5asziG3r-aeEMgyHHD7G8iMBU1zvkNje3hf992_wHNnBn6wABk8a12xMd9ulr8RQFsaSHajWWGC-Yt3eQBzlveml-UO-m21ymKRMw_X4Q_k8RF6NuuFEybHThP-8umqGY-QayY/s1600/redneck-dogplopbingo-w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdx_I1y5asziG3r-aeEMgyHHD7G8iMBU1zvkNje3hf992_wHNnBn6wABk8a12xMd9ulr8RQFsaSHajWWGC-Yt3eQBzlveml-UO-m21ymKRMw_X4Q_k8RF6NuuFEybHThP-8umqGY-QayY/s200/redneck-dogplopbingo-w.jpg" title="Dog Plop Bingo" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little pooper</td></tr>
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9. <strong>Dog Plop Bingo</strong> - This was the great idea of my other cousin. It is played like Cow Patty Bingo - an area was marked off in a grid as the Bingo "field" (and the dog was allowed to roam around this area). Everyone then wrote their name down in a square on the corresponding Bingo card. Whoever choose the square (or the one closest) where the dog had his first plop (i.e poop) won. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdS1HRBSbdkPWMefOjLDm2ZDRpxoCbEYPEbF9385fqUyWI8g0-81wxFsWy04wIQtuRj3mTd1dVPDlPnutX_T8oA48Ipd2eg0kAdDMo0HqnZTzbIpK0LFCAoASAgfIxV2ytDyueGZhE_4/s1600/redneck-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdS1HRBSbdkPWMefOjLDm2ZDRpxoCbEYPEbF9385fqUyWI8g0-81wxFsWy04wIQtuRj3mTd1dVPDlPnutX_T8oA48Ipd2eg0kAdDMo0HqnZTzbIpK0LFCAoASAgfIxV2ytDyueGZhE_4/s200/redneck-flag.jpg" title="Redneck Birthday" width="187" /></a><br />
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To round out the decorations we had a camo flag, picnic tables and red check plastic table cloths, camo coasters, a deer skull, and a whole lot of Duct Tape. All the decorations were put up with Duct Tape. Even the flag pole - which broke in a storm last summer- was held up with Duct Tape. <br />
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<strong>Conclusion:</strong> This was a great theme for our party! Decorations were easy and cheap to make, food could be kept to simple BBQ items, and everyone had fun. The only downside was that the day turned cold and rainy so we had to postpone the other redneck games. But since we had so much fun we are planning on holding a part 2 this summer. So there is more to come...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWd88WnvITdbJzisbA612TUwX-MoV3oHCPx0njtkXSw21MYglBDoyOEmTsJTXsxUEd_d7mRh6mMnnmSj-0V5eP1plmNVk06QX20FB6gAcgpf7Y4n0RxezSN0OrGciHTRclx7wvac5tUQ/s1600/redneck-youmightbearedneck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWd88WnvITdbJzisbA612TUwX-MoV3oHCPx0njtkXSw21MYglBDoyOEmTsJTXsxUEd_d7mRh6mMnnmSj-0V5eP1plmNVk06QX20FB6gAcgpf7Y4n0RxezSN0OrGciHTRclx7wvac5tUQ/s320/redneck-youmightbearedneck.jpg" title="Redneck Party Decorations" width="320" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-66300813021798069792013-05-12T14:00:00.000-03:002013-05-12T14:11:38.324-03:00Happy Mother's DayDuring my last play date with Kate I had decided to spend some time making a Mother's Day gift for Kate's mom. I was a little worried about the results of our <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2013/05/play-date-with-kate.html" target="">homemade finger paint project</a> so I wanted a back-up.<br />
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When I saw this fingerprint necklace I thought it would be perfect!<br />
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6NIfEkpWp87duZ3Jl3aWibW8VDOk7IYpHQQgYWr0gCKR86PzSgU9kJEdZs3kby8zkvhqNYYpNrWtxki2rvXhQc1YTgZgvYVnHEIA_fChcyorxcGcbGxaFznqeVP7dUWFtya3bdr0SVQ/s200/fingerprintnecklace-pin.jpg" width="175" /></div>
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Source: <a href="http://www.according-to-kelly.com/">/www.according-to-kelly.com</a> <br />
via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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It is so simple and sweet. Would be super easy to make, and as a huge bonus I had everything on hand.<br />
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Before Kate arrive I opened an old package of white Fimo I had (and when I say old, the Fimo was part of a bead making kit I receive when I was around 14....which is almost 20 years ago!) and I softened it up my kneading it for a bit. Then I rolled a few small balls and set aside for latter.<br />
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After our finger painting was complete I just flattened out the balls out and helped Kate press her finger in the middle. It worked great!<br />
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I set everything aside and we went for a walk in the park.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNBY07slORDV2r8ikP36f0HRIQpvkZopNgKilEGLcKZFpnZet3mGGGC1SeU7SYNrO_3xOUMhaok7LoGySbZf4kBeCRUu7zqulXlQ3dY1dLjozQrbVWhuleXD3YboW6r4vaa_2V9OLRN4/s1600/fingerprint-necklace1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNBY07slORDV2r8ikP36f0HRIQpvkZopNgKilEGLcKZFpnZet3mGGGC1SeU7SYNrO_3xOUMhaok7LoGySbZf4kBeCRUu7zqulXlQ3dY1dLjozQrbVWhuleXD3YboW6r4vaa_2V9OLRN4/s320/fingerprint-necklace1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fingerprints</td></tr>
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Later that afternoon (after Kate went home) I baked them in the oven.....and burnt them. It may have been the age of the Fimo, or the general baking time didn't apply since they were so small, but most likely it was because I placed them on tinfoil since I didn't like the idea of them baking on a cookie sheet I actually use for cookies. When the white Fimo burns it turns purple and splotchy. But the still looked so cute so I set the aside and tried to figure out if there was a way to fix it.<br />
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In the end I decided to try to give the a coat of paint to see if that hid the purple colour. The only problem was if the paint was too think it would fill in the finger print and defeat the point of the whole project.<br />
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In the end I used paint markers that I already had for the <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2012/09/happily-ever-after.html">Anniversary Plate</a>. I painted each pendent, let it dry for about 30 seconds then dabbed it with some paper towel. After the paint dried I thought it looked great.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKA1uOKNEUdjHXUA1vKWBiXukjb-JbYUhT76c1QtKViJG7mJtsAq_r0YoZFFU0D0ZI49PXxJzJzP7cvTuz8VcB17DvX9vzniqEHcA7iYXrS4sX5LW92EsysTewfVWK7uuAToZAu4iln4/s1600/fingerprint-necklace-gold1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKA1uOKNEUdjHXUA1vKWBiXukjb-JbYUhT76c1QtKViJG7mJtsAq_r0YoZFFU0D0ZI49PXxJzJzP7cvTuz8VcB17DvX9vzniqEHcA7iYXrS4sX5LW92EsysTewfVWK7uuAToZAu4iln4/s320/fingerprint-necklace-gold1.jpg" title="Fingerprint Pendant" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikegxiRflGBZdhTXTwwdiANoZeAw4UdfQYuKHp54YzJStfgeugNL610OJI_dW1Aas-c8jcAptnVI-N1GxBfdtgOflfEg38z8Xv9LmVNRTBoxNvGvqrD5MF_tx6YoK-MsyDuiB4ICLf2RQ/s1600/fingerprint-necklace-gold2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikegxiRflGBZdhTXTwwdiANoZeAw4UdfQYuKHp54YzJStfgeugNL610OJI_dW1Aas-c8jcAptnVI-N1GxBfdtgOflfEg38z8Xv9LmVNRTBoxNvGvqrD5MF_tx6YoK-MsyDuiB4ICLf2RQ/s320/fingerprint-necklace-gold2.jpg" title="Fingerprint Key Chain" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikegxiRflGBZdhTXTwwdiANoZeAw4UdfQYuKHp54YzJStfgeugNL610OJI_dW1Aas-c8jcAptnVI-N1GxBfdtgOflfEg38z8Xv9LmVNRTBoxNvGvqrD5MF_tx6YoK-MsyDuiB4ICLf2RQ/s1600/fingerprint-necklace-gold2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
I added some jump rings and a clip to turn the larger one into a key chain charm, and a chain to the other to make a long pendent necklace or a wrap bracelet. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_K3tSaEWtfzsQajXf3S4ryDdLxqtnMAVTipnIhx26AG8TukYSRqwsC5bB6Z5JOkQ25wu22X9lypebjF6TymsOqu4-xqhkADcd0ITOh_q8RsfzRfaRD08gKEWaliyfAcpbnkz2CQz5a8Y/s1600/fingerprint-keychain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_K3tSaEWtfzsQajXf3S4ryDdLxqtnMAVTipnIhx26AG8TukYSRqwsC5bB6Z5JOkQ25wu22X9lypebjF6TymsOqu4-xqhkADcd0ITOh_q8RsfzRfaRD08gKEWaliyfAcpbnkz2CQz5a8Y/s320/fingerprint-keychain.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fingerprint Key Chain Charm</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vvlC4GOCxQTq8MY_M-qDQkVmTqOy7CovInjdaAHXon6KewxIphfeYVSWms8P2p3PyYqrhYwVSAIOvxNRBf2-gdcYuaOajytyXHMjcDOlnyGZ3dD2-zddY9_RqjGWNydcLrzpC70LYsU/s1600/fingerprint-necklace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vvlC4GOCxQTq8MY_M-qDQkVmTqOy7CovInjdaAHXon6KewxIphfeYVSWms8P2p3PyYqrhYwVSAIOvxNRBf2-gdcYuaOajytyXHMjcDOlnyGZ3dD2-zddY9_RqjGWNydcLrzpC70LYsU/s320/fingerprint-necklace.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fingerprint Pendant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<strong>Conclusion:</strong> This is such a simple craft to do with young kids (even a baby could do it) that looks great. I have seen similar ideas for Christmas ornaments that would be easy to make and family would love to receive as gifts.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-28251491248549399602013-05-04T14:50:00.000-03:002013-05-10T15:34:50.571-03:00Play Date with Kate<strong>Finger Paints!</strong><br />
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Last month I had a play date with my favourite little girl (I can say that as I only have nephews). Since we don't have kids of our own our house is lacking in kid friendly toys. So when I have a play date I usually have to plan ahead - especially now as Kate gets older she may figure out a plastic spatula and a paper towel tube is not a toy...well at least it can't be every time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.huckleberrylove.com/2013/02/homemade-finger-paint-recipe.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtHLgjuqa33Iy4Tg8MxcoK7pImSP5EG0rXdArqGVVtd1dXDcZN7e-0kqiE4je6yX1pMadSKWQVgaZ9e9rmGWKIkUWjgmYDl-sDkLk2TdZQyCOb6mzoA8CRso_w2Eh5-1jHiiFUvhKsGs/s320/fingerpaintpin.jpg" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.huckleberrylove.com/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">www.huckleberrylove.com</a> <br />
via <a href="http://www.huckleberrylove.com/2013/02/homemade-finger-paint-recipe.html" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://www.huckleberrylove.com/2013/02/homemade-finger-paint-recipe.html" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Finger Paint</a></td></tr>
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I wanted to try painting, however since Kate is still at the age where she likes to try and eat everything I was hesitant about buying finger paints from a store.Now since Kate isn't my kid I can be a little over protective. It is one thing to make your own kid sick, let them fall and bruise, or run around in dirty clothes, but it is another thing when you have to return the kid to their parents who trusted you to be responsible for their child for a few short hours. And I'm not judging here, if I had kids I am sure they would be the dirtiest, sickest, most bruised kids on the block. <br />
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So after some searching I found this recipe that looked simple and seemed to make a nice vibrant paint. And best of all it was editable - though (personally) not appetizing. <br />
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The finger paint has a jelly texture which make the colours a little transparent so the colours were not as vibrant as I expected, and I really wanted strong vibrant colours. Checking the recipe again to see if I did anything wrong I notices they used gel food colouring and I had used liquid. I tried adding gel and found it did make a difference. <br />
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After following the instructions (and using gel colour) I ended up with this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BppemiBCEmb9B67knUpmCLg3plYEITcFtf3LthsT81fUM073vUR33apwoIKtYBdSvWZrvJwIc4_Rf7yJLXATeiCPJHZZu-KCa15kIqffaTcmhMvySPDTkrllBUQAbaW3HjnGrNdfx1Y/s1600/fingerpaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BppemiBCEmb9B67knUpmCLg3plYEITcFtf3LthsT81fUM073vUR33apwoIKtYBdSvWZrvJwIc4_Rf7yJLXATeiCPJHZZu-KCa15kIqffaTcmhMvySPDTkrllBUQAbaW3HjnGrNdfx1Y/s320/fingerpaint.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Conclusion:</strong> The paint was super easy to make
and Kate loved painting with it, and eating some of it. Though even with the gel dye (that I would totally recommend) it is still a gel paint and not as opaque as I was looking for - it will never quite be the same as commercial finger paint.</div>
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<strong>Time to Paint</strong><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtwLGaRKr_OJfbOxfmY95N4b6umu8Tp5aMTg9h6WqiuOa_mPu0tbG8tp9NieMaPTKHzpsUcFJsFDXjWi7niNNAyJSvYFbogUepfmMkjdB1KmY9kXuoHg328bw-2GptEKzvRrywlIJrXc/s1600/fingerpaintingpin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtwLGaRKr_OJfbOxfmY95N4b6umu8Tp5aMTg9h6WqiuOa_mPu0tbG8tp9NieMaPTKHzpsUcFJsFDXjWi7niNNAyJSvYFbogUepfmMkjdB1KmY9kXuoHg328bw-2GptEKzvRrywlIJrXc/s1600/fingerpaintingpin.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.astimeflies.ca/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">www.astimeflies.ca</a> <br />
via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></td></tr>
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After seeing this pin I thought it would be perfect for our play date and could be a great Mother's Day craft Kate and I could do for her hard working mother.... and a perfect use for the new finger paint. <br />
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Even though I would have like more concentrated colour, in the end I decided to use it for the Mother's Day project anyway. Kate still likes to put new things in her mouth so I wanted to use something that I knew what was in it.<br />
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Instead of using the tape to spell out words I used letter stickers that I had. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEw_9LUUc29tHUkZ_1ZLj-xzZTngnIjTahzcRLiOGC2NifqScaaBFpu5EMnJNSQ5yiaR1OgUKCsenJOfAR9nK2JI77hMingAqGlUObUmOHV6qYXzEC7vypbvfDyTL5SH_dAB4yyxtnvg/s1600/fingerpaintstickers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEw_9LUUc29tHUkZ_1ZLj-xzZTngnIjTahzcRLiOGC2NifqScaaBFpu5EMnJNSQ5yiaR1OgUKCsenJOfAR9nK2JI77hMingAqGlUObUmOHV6qYXzEC7vypbvfDyTL5SH_dAB4yyxtnvg/s320/fingerpaintstickers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Because of the gel paint I also painted a basecoat so there would be enough contrast when I removed the stickers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk3zLljWAQylmz0YjwHKnU852tVtFnb7ek41pKFnz1b8_Ao9kRqOaopt0Kxq13w-Bc9uLiZ9mefcTWz9_M13IZ8VCLJBd24th1ynI1l3GLS-7Me9TmYnZrNEe5O-k_MYu9giZFqHRiBk/s1600/fingerpaintpicture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk3zLljWAQylmz0YjwHKnU852tVtFnb7ek41pKFnz1b8_Ao9kRqOaopt0Kxq13w-Bc9uLiZ9mefcTWz9_M13IZ8VCLJBd24th1ynI1l3GLS-7Me9TmYnZrNEe5O-k_MYu9giZFqHRiBk/s320/fingerpaintpicture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then Kate did a wonderful job of painting!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxhPOlV0GHswLbulMyC15L2bB7qSkY62ui4oSR49Pr6wRWN3uTqxwqRi51AWt9AZ5yEiChAr4aO8Kt38ChQMCTtFAzM8y2u7Yh4VULeSHjDGJbpE_KF6ghtadUA3yiP0x3_yLZkFKMoc/s1600/fingerpainting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxhPOlV0GHswLbulMyC15L2bB7qSkY62ui4oSR49Pr6wRWN3uTqxwqRi51AWt9AZ5yEiChAr4aO8Kt38ChQMCTtFAzM8y2u7Yh4VULeSHjDGJbpE_KF6ghtadUA3yiP0x3_yLZkFKMoc/s320/fingerpainting.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I actually had a hard time removing the stickers from the the small canvas. I'm not sure if it was the canvas, or the paint glued them on. But it worked well for the larger (stiffer) canvas, which luckily was the Mother's Day one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkoVhFopMoqsfDNzNxIlL7HwYHchM29OdbUnZ5_wdHIgkCB1w5rMy9qV_9A9X-AAOmnFhTQqAI4GZnKGQy6TtOE4kvj0LDhEXPiEAdRN3cS4nlRbIqQqmQV32XIrzu315jDpfEvhMyyc/s1600/fingerpainting_kate.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkoVhFopMoqsfDNzNxIlL7HwYHchM29OdbUnZ5_wdHIgkCB1w5rMy9qV_9A9X-AAOmnFhTQqAI4GZnKGQy6TtOE4kvj0LDhEXPiEAdRN3cS4nlRbIqQqmQV32XIrzu315jDpfEvhMyyc/s320/fingerpainting_kate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAGWllp1jaJ1q3u2IbjyVm9jPOYvSEVSKlkoxXmTDS0h9KRL1Kfw-ZIsmYC3OslPXzQsBHNSXKSBES6tQPauIIDyFYP-0OQUcD_ZSeZFSSa6CU8qOmeYHn0ypbbzH3zi2yBO09oMDqSo/s1600/fingerpainting_ILoveMyMom.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAGWllp1jaJ1q3u2IbjyVm9jPOYvSEVSKlkoxXmTDS0h9KRL1Kfw-ZIsmYC3OslPXzQsBHNSXKSBES6tQPauIIDyFYP-0OQUcD_ZSeZFSSa6CU8qOmeYHn0ypbbzH3zi2yBO09oMDqSo/s320/fingerpainting_ILoveMyMom.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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What do you think? Will Kate be an artist some day?<br />
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<strong>Conclusion:</strong> This was a fun and super easy project. As you can tell the paint was put on pretty think so cracked a bit when it dried. It may help to limit the amount of paint used and/or help spread it around a bit. I am happy wit how it turned out and will include some pictures I took of Kate making it with the gift.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-42583605439854197712013-04-22T20:10:00.002-03:002013-09-08T16:35:00.728-03:00Cloudy with a chance of keys?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522486344880/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/550x/f8/0a/e6/f80ae62de8d0f329bb5a5bcbfa8f0c2d.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://fab.com/sale/18456/product/89269/?fref=hardpin_type105&frefl=Pinterest_Hardpin" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">fab.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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When I saw this magentic key holder I loved it. It is such a fun and simple design. And since keys go missing in our house everyday I was thinking this was just the thing I needed.<br />
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But when I started looking for them on the Internet I was surprised to find out that they retail for $12-24! <br />
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So maybe I didn't love it that much. It is cute but really, $24 for a plastic cloud with a magnet? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hpEbaevC3op9pi21fE-FUVW8vBEhsuwhSP1x2INrPdX33AE9djiaiIG8GAO5vGZEu-TG5N5oWvhOpdphQD3TELUKAsgP3GFrRiGFcJLwGajtof8vQwlPpX23BIOqXu7H3UsMVcMftP0/s1600/coludbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hpEbaevC3op9pi21fE-FUVW8vBEhsuwhSP1x2INrPdX33AE9djiaiIG8GAO5vGZEu-TG5N5oWvhOpdphQD3TELUKAsgP3GFrRiGFcJLwGajtof8vQwlPpX23BIOqXu7H3UsMVcMftP0/s200/coludbox.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>
Not to be dismayed I was determined to keep looking, so I was thrilled to find them on focalprice.com* for around $6 including shipping. <br />
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Once they arrived I loved them. <br />
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Stealing an idea from one of the customer photos from the Focal Price site I decided to frame them and create a little key centre in our entryway.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFybzlXjqblgK8zr_hKXkVtgsmBqQfpr2QwssuZOlCjfH_Y-3wplSU4iypMCmAg_DmZ-aVF8S1zfq42dqwTjO2mlimfeXIe4R0J3pH7qGozzrt985ducUAKTE6UisZKafxsglVKJfqTTo/s1600/cloudkeys2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFybzlXjqblgK8zr_hKXkVtgsmBqQfpr2QwssuZOlCjfH_Y-3wplSU4iypMCmAg_DmZ-aVF8S1zfq42dqwTjO2mlimfeXIe4R0J3pH7qGozzrt985ducUAKTE6UisZKafxsglVKJfqTTo/s320/cloudkeys2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conclusion: I love them. They hold the keys really well (even my heavier set as you see in the picture) and it's just as easy to attach them to the cloud as it is to throw them on a table - and this way they don't get lost under a pile of stuff.<br />
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These magnetic cloud key holders make keys easy to find and grab them on the way out of the house.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRoTcgax47CRvd7SbjhC8IJia0NlsbYy8kXmDy8c5igL9oKHezhUxGyASb35MSs5bUl-cAlmV-S3SOFLVKtZ6dJYjdfNP32xLl0GkiRz2wOxvXcNYQVWmvlWd76sFqtnUZettpY_mAkk/s1600/cloudinstructions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRoTcgax47CRvd7SbjhC8IJia0NlsbYy8kXmDy8c5igL9oKHezhUxGyASb35MSs5bUl-cAlmV-S3SOFLVKtZ6dJYjdfNP32xLl0GkiRz2wOxvXcNYQVWmvlWd76sFqtnUZettpY_mAkk/s320/cloudinstructions.jpg" width="320" /></a>* <em>Focal Price is one of those wholesale/retail direct from China sites. Looking a reviews I was a little hesitant as some reviews are great but others were really bad. However, since they were so inexpensive I decided to buy 4 (one was for a birthday present) and if something went wrong I would be only be out $25, which is an amount I can blow on coffee and treats for a week. So long story short I receive my clouds 3 weeks after I placed the order, though I did have to contact them a few times to ask for my confirmation/tracking number which they forgot to send. Oddly enough the shipping date was the same date I contacted them - so if you plan to order from them I would recommend following-up with them right away if something is off.</em></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-85391845851734695872013-03-18T18:02:00.000-03:002013-05-30T21:11:47.172-03:00Oh my GuinnessKiss me I'm Irish!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522484110703/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimCgPRieqGTLgMfqRxlFnyFTYlfBR9T1yO3k2gWx_BA2jvBRAj1FKfQnhIXZaGklele2A85bwNaBxRtlxZ76GIuaYJUEqqLLayhBe6pek2B0MKN_k1q6UHz6I60DEg3eHwhhMIQas7pY/s1600/GuinnessIceCreamPin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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Source: <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bittersweet-chocolate-and-stout-beer-ice-cream/detail.aspx?lnkid=ARPinIt" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">allrecipes.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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OK, so I'm not really. But I do love to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Maybe it's because of the green beer, or Irish food, or because it's the only day that is is OK to dress head-to-toe in green, but I think it is mainly because in Canada St. Patrick's Day is an excuse to have fun with friends with no strings attached.<br />
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So once again we invited our friend over for a little Irish themed festivities. <br />
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After the success of the <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2012/03/irish-cupcakes.html" target="_blank">Guinness Cupcakes</a> last year I decided to try a recipe that I pinned for Guinness Chocolate ice cream.<br />
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It is a great simple recipe that only has 4 ingredients! <br />
(Beer, Sugar, Cream and Chocolate)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio63MQOf4Bhi1ducux753tkUrs-cMaVronkoby5pqqD9JlMOCVcWllxoNqYudT5wVMxxylmmS3wHhDGfeaxCJUos50021LkU3XJ8KdTGxiPWGHjGKIB81MuuyH9Kt93d1-1HgjmnbeYcs/s1600/4GuinnessIceCream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio63MQOf4Bhi1ducux753tkUrs-cMaVronkoby5pqqD9JlMOCVcWllxoNqYudT5wVMxxylmmS3wHhDGfeaxCJUos50021LkU3XJ8KdTGxiPWGHjGKIB81MuuyH9Kt93d1-1HgjmnbeYcs/s320/4GuinnessIceCream.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So I pulled out my ice cream maker (that I don't get to use nearly as much as I would like) and whipped up this <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bittersweet-chocolate-and-stout-beer-ice-cream/detail.aspx?lnkid=ARPinIt" target="_blank">recipe</a> in no time at all. <br />
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I really loved the taste and texture of this ice cream. You can taste the Guinness more in the ice cream than in the cupcakes, but it is not overly strong or distracting. It is smooth and light more like store bought ice cream and not as dense as custard based ice cream.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYthHvR_BF2Br5JJNBXGiyHPK1RE1Y0KUXhFu2q5SeLJv40A-WP6hkpQLDqmkuWFCR5bP01NSCmNvDEP-eYEqqwpkTqCQwMglGwF3H3SuHYJrtDqz3QghwoNtQLt5CsH_lbB3meCCQdpE/s1600/GuinnessIceCream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYthHvR_BF2Br5JJNBXGiyHPK1RE1Y0KUXhFu2q5SeLJv40A-WP6hkpQLDqmkuWFCR5bP01NSCmNvDEP-eYEqqwpkTqCQwMglGwF3H3SuHYJrtDqz3QghwoNtQLt5CsH_lbB3meCCQdpE/s320/GuinnessIceCream.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I did have have a problem with the chocolate chips though. Maybe because I bought store brand which may not be as high of quality (though I think store brands are usually comparable) or maybe I did not stir enough, but I had problem incorporating the chocolate into the mixture. The chocolate seemed to cool faster than the mixture and small bits of chocolate came out when it was setting. I did try to strain some of this out when I poured into the ice cream maker but I still had some gritty chocolate in my otherwise perfect creamy ice cream.<br />
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I plan to try this again with different chocolate and/or try incorporating the chocolate chips while the mixture is still on the heat. Because it is so easy to make so it will be no problem to try again. <br />
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I also made the <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2012/03/irish-cupcakes.html" target="_blank">Guinness Cupcakes</a> again this year. Since I was planning ahead I made the whisky ganache that I did not have time to make this year. Not surprisingly these were a big hit. The ganache tasted great and not at all boozy. The Guinness chocolate cake with Irish Cream icing and Whisky chocolate filling is a great combo. Though if you are short on time I still think they are great without the filling as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_a0gmnaUIclRCPh8cFlv19wo7JS5rBsv6dS5Whd_rCWkuqXQZjyZV412Ln3w41faA8Pb7Qw2NrnG6E_Pe3R6sI2AnsGh7x7UtpLpjXQK9oDWXJXhwutKnNkABxuUBjyfuNs9TjIRnLxI/s1600/GuinnessCupCakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_a0gmnaUIclRCPh8cFlv19wo7JS5rBsv6dS5Whd_rCWkuqXQZjyZV412Ln3w41faA8Pb7Qw2NrnG6E_Pe3R6sI2AnsGh7x7UtpLpjXQK9oDWXJXhwutKnNkABxuUBjyfuNs9TjIRnLxI/s320/GuinnessCupCakes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-25702274675977924272013-03-13T13:03:00.000-03:002013-09-02T10:48:29.424-03:00Keeping it freshSo I have been a little bad with updating with new posts. OK, I have been awful about it. Hopefully I will have some time this week to finish up some late posts and get them on here.<br />
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Is back-posting a no-no in the bloggersphere? Oh well, who will know.. :)<br />
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In the meantime there is one pin I found working today in the back of my fridge. As I noted <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2012/04/for-love-of-veggies.html" target="_blank">before</a> my fridge is the place where vegetables go to die. I have to admit that celery is one of the most common victim. I usually end up buying it for a recipe (or oh a whim), use 10% then the rest wilts and decomposes into a slimy mess in the back corners of the fridge.<br />
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Now I can't find the original pin (likely part of one of those list of tips) but it is a quick and easy to explain so here it goes.<br />
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1. Trim the bottom of the celery<br />
2. Place in a tall cup with a little bit of water <br />
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So far the typical storage advice. I think what makes it work is the next step...<br />
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3. Place a plastic bag over the celery<br />
4. Place in fridge<br />
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This worked great for me. My celery was in the fridge for over a month (probably more like 6 weeks) and I took it out today and had a piece. It was fresh tasting and crisp (probably better than the day I bought it).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEQUi0y9JfJCAKXkg-cuQTjDi-sZoPyip4q9aGiGLq0HIjlfi8XuT7RZrZrCfQM1ozeTiRHj7yfR2Sphg4cbugW2hkb9vsuAmV4y7dwAIvxNYkBWiEXhgSME9mfCOU1p8xNBTD2QsBYE/s1600/celery-storage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEQUi0y9JfJCAKXkg-cuQTjDi-sZoPyip4q9aGiGLq0HIjlfi8XuT7RZrZrCfQM1ozeTiRHj7yfR2Sphg4cbugW2hkb9vsuAmV4y7dwAIvxNYkBWiEXhgSME9mfCOU1p8xNBTD2QsBYE/s320/celery-storage.jpg" width="162" /></a></div>
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I would recommend this method for longer time storage.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-57893842316861569822013-01-22T22:15:00.000-04:002013-04-05T10:21:38.002-03:00Jello Roll-UpsOK I'll admit it, I'm a big Jello fan. I can't think of anything that is especially great about Jello, but some days you just need a little Jello to brighten your day.<br />
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I love this idea to add a little more fun to my occasional Jello treat so was was excited to see this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522485764882/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://media-cache-ec1.pinterest.com/550x/6c/46/1c/6c461c45a0231404ff62273246436d5d.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Source: <a href="http://www.joyofjello.com/?p=1085" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">joyofjello.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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And it was really easy to do.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJGlbB2l7zFC0dmPn-VheI2UcGsN0-UHpwwRPadw7mM2QD-fHCIQrUc2Vs9fX6kdv9zDcXwqVRWniuwi9LrZScz3_h3yjxYX7Gz_Fl4TdthLfg2xeRyB9zEFS1aTNQFb68zg_T_I0viI/s1600/roll-ups1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
All you need is 1 package of jello, 1/2 cups of water, 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows and a little cooking spray.<br />
<ol>
<li>Heat Jello and water for 1 minute in the microwave. Add marshmallows, and heat for another 30-40 seconds until they just start to puff up (my microwave is old so I heated for the full 40 seconds). </li>
<li>Whisk until marshmallows dissolve.</li>
<li>Poor into pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Place in fridge and let set.</li>
<li>When you remove from the fridge it will be in two layers. </li>
<li>Roll (it said to roll tightly, but I'm not sure how tight you can roll something made of Jello) </li>
<li>Cut into slices.</li>
<li>And you are done! </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQWUvwFiw70LXLgxwRk35oDf0IjGYn_T9leTrMIDuyMJEypJZ5pUKHYliCwoBDbHVMYDQhs-AlXt66RGLIoM2-RujUN3y1MoGQWJhVv63UzvRE55dGipWxoyF3RCGpNE1a5oGSzyt7uA/s1600/JelloRoll-ups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQWUvwFiw70LXLgxwRk35oDf0IjGYn_T9leTrMIDuyMJEypJZ5pUKHYliCwoBDbHVMYDQhs-AlXt66RGLIoM2-RujUN3y1MoGQWJhVv63UzvRE55dGipWxoyF3RCGpNE1a5oGSzyt7uA/s640/JelloRoll-ups.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Conclusion:<br />
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Overall this worked great and was really easy and quick to do. I found it a little too sweet for me, but I can see how kids would love it. Also, for some reason I made it with watermelon Jello (I'm susceptible to the opinions posted the Pin description) which I am not a big fan of. I will definitely try this again though (maybe with cherry next time).
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For better instructions visit the origional post on <a href="http://www.joyofjello.com/?p=1085" target="_blank">Joy of Jello</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-76667043966564945822012-12-01T22:52:00.001-04:002013-05-30T21:06:05.899-03:00The Countdown Is OnI always loved chocolate advent calenders when I was a kid. There was something great about knowing that you were going to get a special little treat everyday, like mini-Christmas for 24 days. The only down-side was those little chocolates in those advent calenders were never that great.<br />
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Last year I wanted to make a calender and stock it full of better chocolates. I was thinking of using those magnetic spice tins. They would be big enough to hold a variety of treats, and I loved that I could put them on the fridge acting as Christmas decorations and a reminder of my special daily treat. The only problem was that the best price I could find for these containers was almost $10 for a set of six. $40 for an advent calender was a little too pricey for me.<br />
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So when I saw this pin I thought it would be the perfect solution.<br />
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Source: <a href="http://lovemikao.blogspot.ca/2011_11_01_archive.html" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">lovemikao.blogspot.ca</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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I bought everything and assembled a calender in one night. The above pin provides a good explanation so I will not go into the steps (they are also pretty obvious), but here are my tips.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQUE_NDIkxJ_bBP3Stp2TJ_jkExZW_7xA4vdfp_xHb7HPPvWfxs1VVZSjUepeh9fWMqP3JG_3eZ3snDSeSULVbUubxN7-Dre0t2VrcVxwrym0FxA1A4RN3YbMppsjYRRKTvscmgViAZI/s1600/advent-tins-fridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQUE_NDIkxJ_bBP3Stp2TJ_jkExZW_7xA4vdfp_xHb7HPPvWfxs1VVZSjUepeh9fWMqP3JG_3eZ3snDSeSULVbUubxN7-Dre0t2VrcVxwrym0FxA1A4RN3YbMppsjYRRKTvscmgViAZI/s320/advent-tins-fridge.jpg" width="208" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-Iw08Eg3uDUDprWXZtvyqm8_5gXKuVjKuhDh9GXQHhorJxCzuVBpdYaA6hxKKDX6XhaFcNlQu9PCVPWe8QGDNTmBhSz-G1ee6UQ_4bCwk0zUR8vOxBuiA6NylharptcfrhzPcE8wJ5c/s1600/advent-tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-Iw08Eg3uDUDprWXZtvyqm8_5gXKuVjKuhDh9GXQHhorJxCzuVBpdYaA6hxKKDX6XhaFcNlQu9PCVPWe8QGDNTmBhSz-G1ee6UQ_4bCwk0zUR8vOxBuiA6NylharptcfrhzPcE8wJ5c/s320/advent-tree.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<ol>
<li>I used the magnets from magnetic picture frames purchased at the Dollar Store to glue them on the back on the watchmaker's tins. So far they work perfectly. I cut them in 2" circles then super-glued them to the back of the tins.</li>
<li>Since I have a 2" paper punch I use it to cut out circles of scrap-book paper. Since this is slightly smaller than the tin lid I needed to glue them in place. I use Mod Podge to cover the glass surface of the lid then placed the circles on top and smoothed out the bubbles. I suggest a fairly think layer of Mod Podge to best prevent bubbles. When I used a thinner layer they did not dry as clear.</li>
<li>I also needed to pinch some of the lids to make them fit more tightly. But it is a simple solution that works well.</li>
</ol>
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<ol>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWG5lg0TuwBVlG42blYk_Q2Fl0o7mQPznDtq_0ROsoN5ZARuH7WTptCMN6VaS4HFG-EVpv371vMRSf-lGMnM1FGRZrv7sPJ-Y_vSC1F9iChClS7bUQD1-Z_kYVAm5zySOqqdu24BdvKI/s1600/advent-tins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWG5lg0TuwBVlG42blYk_Q2Fl0o7mQPznDtq_0ROsoN5ZARuH7WTptCMN6VaS4HFG-EVpv371vMRSf-lGMnM1FGRZrv7sPJ-Y_vSC1F9iChClS7bUQD1-Z_kYVAm5zySOqqdu24BdvKI/s320/advent-tins.jpg" width="240" /></a></ol>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-32416700931136322422012-11-19T21:47:00.000-04:002013-05-30T21:01:36.195-03:00Map QuestWe have a bit of a map theme in our living room so of course I found loads of things that I wanted on Pintrest.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; height: 178px; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left; width: 203px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483877392/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7SQZXKtCoA0BgD_nzv4tCquesP6Y6ckK8PlnK3-8_EkseLRgFosCMoF0ufduOLkd0jLjjjjvZWcXGpHgueP3JZ4mBTf9KZC594jBNQ9KAyLUhf47NT7TG40OyOnh2DmZP8f9BmgkkNI/s1600/map-cutout1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/61522970/personalized-mapcut-10x10?utm_campaign=Share&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_source=Pinterest" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">etsy.com</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> via </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tanya</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> on </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pinterest</span></a></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; height: 219px; text-align: right; width: 199px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483836445/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_uLfBlkI31Rv7STWu2TjNhuLZ7j6DGWrZhXB_Xl1EpK813KLBh05ltF9tp4EafFmlsIwdwhIogvJ9K1_0UcievvN6lKDxlhIWU-Ltg2_g4vQVoDSQyVsHxA8_1y195CtwPIzR_6BLWQ/s1600/map-3.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center">
<div style="float: left; height: 11px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 182px;">
<div align="center" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://cityprintsmapart.com/university-of-maryland-map-art" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">cityprintsmapart.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 253px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; width: 178px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483877378/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXiESbb6961ozPpDBVJi47iXPgUAguT_NUlNE_4vrdGEafQyKzYePltAypkHjQI3O8i2z26KAuwagw3nNPEb5FmmOHKwJbMNRVGCWSdGN1mx58kik9oo5kd2dewlh4nK8wMXin587eDo/s1600/papercutmap-2.jpg" unselectable="on" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: </span><a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2009/09/famille-summerbelle-paper-cut-nyc-maps.html" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">designsponge.com</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> via </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tanya</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> on </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pinterest</span></a></td></tr>
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<br />
As with any theme I try not to go over the top. I also like to keep my investment fairly low as I can be a little fickle and decide to change everything if left alone too long on a Sunday afternoon (and because I can be a little cheap). <br />
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So I thought I would try this as a DIY project. And it was actually easier than I expected. The quality may not be the best, but from a distance it actually looks quite good.<br />
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If you want to give this a try this is what you need to do:<br />
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1. Find a map of the area you want (I used google maps)<br />
2. Create a digital copy of the image of the map (Ctrl + Print Screen for an online maps)<br />
3. Paste the image in an editing program (I actually found Microsoft Word worked well)<br />
4. Optional: adjust the image setting to enhance the lines for the roads<br />
5. Flip the image so it is a reverse image.<br />
6. Adjust the size and crop to the select the area you want.<br />
7. Print the file on heavy weight paper (I used cardstock).<br />
8. Using an x-acto knife, cut away all areas that are not roads.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd1xQN4kqwmQkupAv_xoJfM4u9RLOYTADXuEi7RjVUEDBi7c7VYmjZuVaK0KEFeRG2Q3AYsZQW0PWvygu-0g2kICJOU8R1cBcu1DN0tNrTPQYRL3XFOE5Qaoj1OoNf6dz8czPbOCV2Es/s1600/map_cutout2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd1xQN4kqwmQkupAv_xoJfM4u9RLOYTADXuEi7RjVUEDBi7c7VYmjZuVaK0KEFeRG2Q3AYsZQW0PWvygu-0g2kICJOU8R1cBcu1DN0tNrTPQYRL3XFOE5Qaoj1OoNf6dz8czPbOCV2Es/s320/map_cutout2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRvUyHcFet8LsxktApICfkra6JRgTcJ22HwL9S38-A3YHVgb6yr2Qv37TGPyomt7KP_SMVdxeNfL8pKQmYBfy-vMCsH1680B55mqCB14sCi0HCMQlqddY_ov3L6KF7TApzJEAGLDYZTc/s1600/map_cutout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRvUyHcFet8LsxktApICfkra6JRgTcJ22HwL9S38-A3YHVgb6yr2Qv37TGPyomt7KP_SMVdxeNfL8pKQmYBfy-vMCsH1680B55mqCB14sCi0HCMQlqddY_ov3L6KF7TApzJEAGLDYZTc/s320/map_cutout.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
9. Flip it over and frame.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCeKqD3idz9UBvOqR2VkvUbV0VidMAR0G6E_JeIMgciH7ypkpabsBVISDHUatNuuWVcAdLP7Z8WU5pDttr62oE0vjao_xo1OZigN_F0rndarOwtAHO44aPS8KKFQfPXBzpnfUcQn-ql0/s1600/map_cutout-complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCeKqD3idz9UBvOqR2VkvUbV0VidMAR0G6E_JeIMgciH7ypkpabsBVISDHUatNuuWVcAdLP7Z8WU5pDttr62oE0vjao_xo1OZigN_F0rndarOwtAHO44aPS8KKFQfPXBzpnfUcQn-ql0/s320/map_cutout-complete.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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It probably took me about 2 hours in total (truthfully more like 3 since I made a mistake and cut a few roads out on the first try). So it was fairly quick and easy to do. Though for more detailed cut-outs or more complicated areas the purchase price of inspiration maps seems quite good. And the quality is much better. However, for a quick weekend project I would suggesting giving this a try.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-25363549042394610532012-09-04T17:54:00.000-03:002013-05-30T21:34:32.525-03:00Happily ever after....I haven't been up to much over the summer. With all the beautiful sunny days and warm summer nights my long to-do list did not seem to get any smaller. However, my care-free summer caught up with me quickly in September as my in-laws 40th anniversary quickly approached and we didn't have anything ready. Thankfully with the help (and reminders) from some wonderful friends of the happy couple we celebrated with a nice end of summer BBQ surprise partly.<br />
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I had gone to Pintrest to started gathering ideas back in the spring when we first thought to plan a party. I had it all planned out.....<br />
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<a _blank="_blank" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522486001878/"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6MtGW5jrdsBsyyWXdHztnfCgWtNxz5eh2wnZzCy5ghVFNlDbWysC27aSRPJzADwVcE-2BxtRazn1TFA8X4TkyKlkNMRpLHxKBRJ7G9dPTMsxnaa8l_Xl7qSpPBZm6EwmDxbzrY47RDE/s1600/pompoms.jpg" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483968871/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDd0OvaMAv2UqCLv5R6qt0g2FzLheiOFBvDCMv0l4tX5hikxnytPvltV9KjifjNlhaJjdxKiwliInIO6YdqEwvaU17e1HHhQCpXy1LtMH4kjHIYXYaq7vwYGI5ascWognqBz0qw7H9iw/s1600/photolantern.jpg" width="150" /></a>
<a 1em="1em" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483713806/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbiVRW7NGN1q3tBRAQuWlzXk3QoNc-6sZW3m5l1F0OyBQ5BIbtRAKbQqgtdNyp5l4v57KYw8ITBig2bdwo09edrH84NwbLlL7rpettACmXyHERCb9KslVPukVF5Fozoxno8iECKeFX8U/s1600/glasscandleholder.jpg" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483965506/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GwVCX-ChIcaA2Uv5otUljW7_rxcJ86NyhLa4RAb5wqK8Tb6W7YjW0bMLobMJC08hUJ5aexV2BIBeWNOubrLI7gym7T3AWTzfqxcXlH-0-IuHy9Dyzcxk8SdWgzYrrSo3JffABsr6ATg/s1600/balloonpictures.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
But a week before the party I still had nothing ready and not a lot of time to go shopping (we also did not have any pictures of the couples so that ruled out my favourite ideas). So I started looking around the house to see what I had on hand that I could use for decorations. <br />
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I remembered one of my first pins:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483713826/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQVPxCvO5jhHgY0_aglpHBpogsH32Y0VHc4nYnwgk-2byw-jTw9kMB-7T4PBuiuYyj_xfpO2Fpci4YAvMPBTBLlnLzgCn-iJXdFIcK0Sgwvyspu5HwLh0TgS5004vTl7C1CZlVQRzO6s/s1600/phototransferwood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://theartgirljackie-tutorials.blogspot.com/2012/01/embellished-photo-transfer-on-wood.html" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">theartgirljackie-tutorials.blogspot.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
This would be perfect! I had everything I needed on hand....except I didn't have any pictures. After some consideration I decided on a simple sign with "and they lived happily ever after.." It seemed perfect for a 40th anniversary, and would be great for photos. <br />
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I wasn't 100% sure of the technique above since I was not transferring a full picture. Looking around for other techniques and suggestions and found these:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/106045766195837884/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQoECfs7qeIJ-y6N3KM-D5Ed9wmEvxpyEAM_TJqNlIIjTsxR8FgMIxPLQQKvYsosDhhBvS2ngTCfCrOn33fE657gghQiO2XZclEiwNap1fUDJFef0WMVwyLbr7EpagrPJotyZLjLVws64/s1600/transfer1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://matsutakeblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-transfer-inkjet-images-to-wood.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">matsutakeblog.blogspot.com</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522484899911/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ACVfifHJQ0YLlQgBxOGxtOnOq3nXH0u1rXP89cObwm_pA75k9Y68PD6-_Y2U1RNXfdWtq-zvUM0PAddsTyT8WQ7ysjZVj_OGDRmP0DvFhLK39E32qFkbOwLAclwEEprApPN1fZD4lpE/s1600/transfer3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.unexpectedelegance.com/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">unexpectedelegance.com</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522484260773/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-JVDob2liLnIXXQg-6-zgHAzta9Rr5xYNKg5qK3CQYgk6jmeHK-nRXKgoMJvD0LKBnW91LlyrH2-lYjy85kLyS1mOaZbEmrZH-lMi6Nc4z38PrH96QCbcTjZNjU36_UB90QBDQzH7r4/s1600/transfer2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://diddledumpling.blogspot.com/2010/05/tutorial-vintage-looking-painted-sign.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">diddledumpling.blogspot.com</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In the end it took a lot of trial and error, and a lot of clean up. I didn't find a technique that would work for me. Since I was working with what I had around the house I may not have been working with the best tools. I can't remember how old my Modge Podge is, but I am thinking my purchase was more like a decade then a few years ago. Also the paint had a bit of a glossy finish. I gave it a light sand, but that may have not been enough.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-L7Z7o506fcNJtcomW0a_9h5_37PpLC28uDyzORxqzh-BcjSnx4rGJertjxZ2FL20ynL6eVD7qHKQt5XtekpfKhK4QdKY28mry6nox2Um1mHGypBG6QIUFryubf-DtwNWs5-s9OQUt-M/s1600/happily1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-L7Z7o506fcNJtcomW0a_9h5_37PpLC28uDyzORxqzh-BcjSnx4rGJertjxZ2FL20ynL6eVD7qHKQt5XtekpfKhK4QdKY28mry6nox2Um1mHGypBG6QIUFryubf-DtwNWs5-s9OQUt-M/s320/happily1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modge Podge and rubbing paper off - did not work</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1G2OwkAYEisCU7vtO8yAm-wbqzYWTp4u-97LmTVeEhkTxxgor40pjwK9yYmxJ8UfkeaGcyDpwCBv2ltivb-c-OAfa7-E5ELyuCbdn5ikPoqX6ZzqoaMqnx_27usBcWSXi-YK6abCWCI/s1600/happily2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1G2OwkAYEisCU7vtO8yAm-wbqzYWTp4u-97LmTVeEhkTxxgor40pjwK9yYmxJ8UfkeaGcyDpwCBv2ltivb-c-OAfa7-E5ELyuCbdn5ikPoqX6ZzqoaMqnx_27usBcWSXi-YK6abCWCI/s320/happily2.jpg" unselectable="on" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elmer's Glue method worked better (<span style="font-size: xx-small;">with Sharpie help</span>)<br />
- but I now need a new printhead for my printer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Elmer's Glue method worked the best, though it gummed up my printer, and left a glue residue that I was not happy with. So I decided to scrap it and try an old-school carbon copy method. I printed off what I wanted, flipped the paper over then took a pencil and rubbed the back to leave the carbon behind (when you flip the paper back over and trace the letter it leaves a carbon imprint). But after I finished rubbing the pencil over the back I lifted up the paper and found the ink had rubbed off on my desk. So I tried again rubbing the mirror image words on my piece of painted wood. Success!<br />
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It came out light, but I coloured in it with the Sharpie and it looked great. This is similar to the water and rubbing method, just less smudgy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjTx0c1y4xSPgUM4kvPjLRGYvR25kh7cYsH1d5PB5el-LxA75TJvLFII8yNayBMvB4gjGfUjCQvqYDdSxufPYRACEcaAb6ZjifUe7ZD7mv3EGN8W4KqM-PTYm1P404xzcg31NliBrAlw/s1600/40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjTx0c1y4xSPgUM4kvPjLRGYvR25kh7cYsH1d5PB5el-LxA75TJvLFII8yNayBMvB4gjGfUjCQvqYDdSxufPYRACEcaAb6ZjifUe7ZD7mv3EGN8W4KqM-PTYm1P404xzcg31NliBrAlw/s200/40.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPOzDM8KfDKxBF31OMgfh-1-eOWsQ3V317jBRnt6bYSYZS8ag0NnH8JfvUUlpWap9RM5Q6C4T4paeMhhBkC1YNXrufulO9jk_MYEaI0URNpbDL5QwfXRsoGDwRLnp8cyd3tui6rTi8Tg/s1600/40th_baloons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPOzDM8KfDKxBF31OMgfh-1-eOWsQ3V317jBRnt6bYSYZS8ag0NnH8JfvUUlpWap9RM5Q6C4T4paeMhhBkC1YNXrufulO9jk_MYEaI0URNpbDL5QwfXRsoGDwRLnp8cyd3tui6rTi8Tg/s200/40th_baloons.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lL1XtmhoLSDe6vQy31bFvkmEf6q9AmCBccmlMkc-ASPdv_gs9H8u3LLEgMHmGyCM-wYVtdsS8Co69BCcyabJz8jAPdJF_zNgURyQRNprjSndRm3wP29loLuzGwfD4SACRt6vAdVkjQY/s1600/guestbook_plate.jpg"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lL1XtmhoLSDe6vQy31bFvkmEf6q9AmCBccmlMkc-ASPdv_gs9H8u3LLEgMHmGyCM-wYVtdsS8Co69BCcyabJz8jAPdJF_zNgURyQRNprjSndRm3wP29loLuzGwfD4SACRt6vAdVkjQY/s320/guestbook_plate.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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To add to the decorations I picked up some red balloons and napkins (the 40th is the ruby anniversary) and a few 40th items from a party store. Since my in-laws already had anniversary plates on display I decided to add to their collection by creating a 40th Anniversary plate guest book (approx $3 for the plate and $10 for 5 ceramic pain pens at Walmart). </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-43092479210038560272012-07-25T21:29:00.001-03:002013-05-30T10:24:24.891-03:00Lettuce Have Fun!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483951318/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVME43Jer0C6QnrgZ-Z_AUDRDQKPLCCZtS0TDhVwhSgIOhZ6twwvgHNEYgW-yQ59VoxJOZThMVG9OxRz0MbznO0BEph7mkAGDDGvAIB7Ie1r6rAEbOXZvAGfSCfyOnjCVrkY7KttVAk40/s320/lettuce.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
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Source: <a href="http://threepsandq.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/peculiarities-and-plants-romaine-lettuce/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">threepsandq.wordpress.com</a><br />
via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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So my pin projects have been put on hold with the nice summer weather (living in a place where we usually only have a 1-2 month summer at most you take advantage of any warm weather you get).<br />
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Last Friday as I was making a quick salad before heading out for the weekend I remembered this pin on re-growing lettuce and tossed the stub in a small bowl of water before heading out. <br />
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Easy as that!<br />
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When I arrive home a few days latter there was already lettuce sprouting. By Wednesday there were a few tiny leaves making me think this just may work.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIDMe_DvBKMVKQ4FV-BoQfXP_vH-hVRchPZ_5MJl4ULoAnxoUkx9ZmeE8emcyV7GMHqVfR-cI27xhTzczibl-b_57A1_EKtokBrilAA6CmPGQmjqL-t9RuDo6w8gCmi3Pu34H_mcA4W0/s1600/LettuceFun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIDMe_DvBKMVKQ4FV-BoQfXP_vH-hVRchPZ_5MJl4ULoAnxoUkx9ZmeE8emcyV7GMHqVfR-cI27xhTzczibl-b_57A1_EKtokBrilAA6CmPGQmjqL-t9RuDo6w8gCmi3Pu34H_mcA4W0/s320/LettuceFun.jpg" title="Re-Growing Lettuce" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 Days Growth</td></tr>
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It has only been a week so I am not sure how much lettuce I will get, but since the stub was going to be tossed anyway it was at least worth the try.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIKyLMShlD7ut3UXXenXNHExp4vqZ3nJ-3x_u5v4xMpOl9YUhfcZWReFvxTaPWCw4KQ9ShbR3AfDp8zwZGq4Xu58g4SvUaaEVff13q5KZRuXPLubBHKr-HRvknx87bASAa_EOudagFVE/s1600/green-onion-update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIKyLMShlD7ut3UXXenXNHExp4vqZ3nJ-3x_u5v4xMpOl9YUhfcZWReFvxTaPWCw4KQ9ShbR3AfDp8zwZGq4Xu58g4SvUaaEVff13q5KZRuXPLubBHKr-HRvknx87bASAa_EOudagFVE/s200/green-onion-update.jpg" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Onions first purchased from<br />
store 2.5 months ago</td></tr>
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As an update I had also tried to <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2012/06/growing-green-onions.html" target="_blank">re-grown green onions</a> with good success. As noted in this post the roots and onions started to get a little slimy when not rinsed often. They finally reach the point when the roots were getting too long and looked like the slime was taking over. Since the weather was now nice, and I have a small vegetable garden, I decided to try planting them outside. a few weeks later most of them are still growing (those that didn't make it looked as though they may have been pulled up by some local animals). Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-65757136233192380982012-06-05T11:26:00.000-03:002013-05-30T20:46:43.841-03:00Growing Green OnionsWhen I saw this pin it was so perfect! Whenever I get green onions I find I only use 20% then the rest eventually die in my fridge. The idea is so simple that I couldn't believe I haven't been doing this for years. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483951308/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinterest.com/upload/286611963755737155_KRWC22g3_c.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
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Source: <a href="http://homemadeserenity.blogspot.com/2011/03/putting-food-by-beef-onions-and-vanilla.html" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">homemadeserenity.blogspot.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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You just take your remaining green onions and place them in a container with a little water and they continue to grow and provide fresh green onions whenever needed.<br />
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I first gave this a try over a month ago. The biggest problem was that they kept on growing and I wasn't using them fast enough. I had to trim them back more that I was using them.<br />
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A week and a half ago I finally had a recipe that required a 1/2 cup of green onions and was able to use the full bunch for the first time since I bought them a month earlier.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTAkL6lFMHL2jMvrpLvE17W0bSeioCHWCNyBrca91kaJj_QRgOZbCxsCCezIQXWNjm2yZtpZbmQB3QdJafpTPuhiz_cJlw1c08u44s5eReHWs-82mQfYc6uqreyttTjTTOK7meO14rSg/s1600/green-onion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTAkL6lFMHL2jMvrpLvE17W0bSeioCHWCNyBrca91kaJj_QRgOZbCxsCCezIQXWNjm2yZtpZbmQB3QdJafpTPuhiz_cJlw1c08u44s5eReHWs-82mQfYc6uqreyttTjTTOK7meO14rSg/s320/green-onion.jpg" title="Re-growing Green Onions" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 1/2 weeks growing.</td></tr>
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<br />
<strong>Conclusion:</strong> This works great. The onions grow fast and keep fresh for a long time. I have found that I need to drain the water and rinse the base of the onions at least once a week to keep them from getting slimy. <br />
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Even if this doesn't last forever it is well worth it as I have received at least 2X more onions then expected when I originally bought themUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-17217953711938977542012-05-19T14:04:00.000-03:002013-09-08T16:36:02.768-03:00Pegboard Broom Closet<br />
I love pegboard. I love how it can easily be adapted to fit your current needs. I love that you can change the configuration of hooks, shelves and holders on a whim and do not have to worry about filling holes and creating new ones.I even love the style of it, with the little peg holes in perfect rows.<br />
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I have been waiting to use pegboard in the house for some time now. I had started to collect pins to get ideas of where it could go and how I could use it.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; height: 171px; text-align: left; width: 188px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483704445/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBglnLRNqrDR8kxaaJoV_BiHbnSAkl3X4yffiUXAmrjl6ENHTl5BNpWeqP6DyFc-Yg2HRq0hZhrPQnhV90CAO-16vlOwbzmvWdAqDNce_AyCxCp3QWVWPhvHNE2vzuyaLWllkB3iyvF4/s1600/pegboard-recycle.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
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Source: <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/pegboard-recycling-stations-78589" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">apartmenttherapy.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483704465/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsvBjhEtlFNHwhR6oGdf_pEIKf593S68Fj3HwkXWRceBED-radqRWQgeIZv135MKKGsvLyV6z2ac78xMaMa7ZfJ8Vr09-hYg5SGGIqkPCgwd9vhq8IQaAAICY0us7HVF6uhYQef-npPxM/s1600/pegboard-pin1.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
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<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/6-places-to-use-a-pegboard-72244" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">apartmenttherapy.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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The opportunity finally arrived after an impromptu renovation of the basement stairwell (started with replacing the side-entrance tiles and ended up with patched and painted walls, and a new wall cap, and new handrail). So after removing the old and ugly hooks that were used to gather random items that found their way in the side door, we were left with a blank wall that needed something a little special. At the same time we need a broom closet. The kitchen didn't have a space for brooms and other items, and they often got lost in the basement among everything else that gets thrown there. <br />
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This was a perfect spot for pegboard. This often wasted space can be difficult to make functional with the sloped ceiling and narrow depth. But with pegboard each item can be arranged to fit the space.</div>
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For this project we required 2 sheets of mdf pegboard, trim (important for uneven walls), paint (I used what I had leftover from the living room) and a pegboard accessory kit. Luckily the kit came with spacers to help hang the pegboard and allow for space to insert the hooks. We also found similar small plastic spacers with other hardware. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAyog9aXKrjukfVXgCJy4AQRiuNK9s5dq_kiobzf-cIpwxsgfg5mO_3_Dw7NWpyduuBdWr1wmtHUYsl9y8EMLOJKhdjSk7KeOYsGHzXUQeJC-EdZnY-dnFqUuL_cerLd-ME6fQEhTAiA/s1600/pegboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAyog9aXKrjukfVXgCJy4AQRiuNK9s5dq_kiobzf-cIpwxsgfg5mO_3_Dw7NWpyduuBdWr1wmtHUYsl9y8EMLOJKhdjSk7KeOYsGHzXUQeJC-EdZnY-dnFqUuL_cerLd-ME6fQEhTAiA/s400/pegboard.jpg" title="Pegboard Broom Closest" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pegboard Broom Closest</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPZgaTovLjhqydqCBVf4FZ6lQK7qovQsijeiKT8ePNGHqvRqcVN3g2hukl4kKDrf4rg5JhUkc42yMVnsidRI3tOGBJniR5w3pihIbpzzLcHRyhGfA1GCLGepurVdk1vSRkNI3PeveaRg/s1600/pegboard_brooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPZgaTovLjhqydqCBVf4FZ6lQK7qovQsijeiKT8ePNGHqvRqcVN3g2hukl4kKDrf4rg5JhUkc42yMVnsidRI3tOGBJniR5w3pihIbpzzLcHRyhGfA1GCLGepurVdk1vSRkNI3PeveaRg/s400/pegboard_brooms.jpg" title="Pegboard" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baskets to hold smaller items</td></tr>
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<strong>Conclusion:</strong></div>
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I love it. It was easy to install (though a little tricky to cut with the ceiling) and holds everything perfectly. We even have some extra space that I am thinking of adding the pegboard shelf. Everything is also easily accessible and easy to find. <br />
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Since we had extra leftover we even used it in other parts of the house. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblUnk_DGIaKUnPNYVrZrEmTEZl6SHHlZQ1O15uuJ08ffAU_O2_D7-wn9mC8P3prdjTjNjZgZTIrIn3gjg5c_dSNAAhq5s8LHybqFpvLckxp4OuMemdWMU_QUcFWB7pGZAEszjU6selGY/s1600/pegboard_storage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblUnk_DGIaKUnPNYVrZrEmTEZl6SHHlZQ1O15uuJ08ffAU_O2_D7-wn9mC8P3prdjTjNjZgZTIrIn3gjg5c_dSNAAhq5s8LHybqFpvLckxp4OuMemdWMU_QUcFWB7pGZAEszjU6selGY/s320/pegboard_storage.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pegboard in Storage Closet</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUaTvfhMhbONKhmJerM-lHpTmsUIg4IW7jiYPzS2vO5vgZsS4GhGn7M9eTaoeA_zNnQVGbbwI-ZjR9d6xvoiHH9z6qc9g4vRPfMzUqqItwqtXoxJAdUD6Ct_kBxoiqJoCzRDKGnKFOS0/s1600/pegboard_tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUaTvfhMhbONKhmJerM-lHpTmsUIg4IW7jiYPzS2vO5vgZsS4GhGn7M9eTaoeA_zNnQVGbbwI-ZjR9d6xvoiHH9z6qc9g4vRPfMzUqqItwqtXoxJAdUD6Ct_kBxoiqJoCzRDKGnKFOS0/s320/pegboard_tools.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pegboard Tools</td></tr>
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This is also a cheap solution. Though I did not remember to keep my receipt, I think the whole project was around $40 (using leftover paint we had).</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-44581811711102547842012-05-11T17:52:00.001-03:002013-05-30T20:23:18.651-03:00Greek Yogurt Chocolate CakeI have seen a lot of posts lately for 2 ingredient cakes or other variations on the boxed cake recipes. Now, I have never found the regular 2-3 ingredient boxed cake recipes that difficult to make. So alternatives that offered shortcuts did not seem that exciting. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522484114472/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3u4xcdKdmEtdbEHTuWnmWdXBn8j97pHqun2YZbyi_q4_U-Jmng1E1YMD5b2PpKPRSWG3oQgviEmjPlrmsQ78vyLZXbfIUyHw8xjC_t6Yl72qwXZPJdXTBy-ZMr9caEjiQkRjlxhsfKc/s1600/HungryGirl.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
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Source: <a href="http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1543" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">hungry-girl.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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But I did end up saving this pin from <a href="http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1543" target="_blank">Hungry Girl</a> that contained a collection of these recipes. Not because I finally got tired of the 3-step cake mix, but I often find myself missing eggs, one of the 3 main ingredients needed. <br />
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Or, as happened the other day, I have an ingredient that I need to use. After finding a container of Greek yogurt in the back of the fridge that I wanted to use I decided to give one of the recipes a try, <a href="http://cake%20mix%20+%20fat-free%20greek%20yogurt/" target="_blank">Cake Mix + Fat-Free Greek Yogurt</a>.<br />
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<strong>Result:</strong> Not surprisingly it does work. The cake was a little more moist than the regular version but was still a good result.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1HlP8iemyoOfpfWvVq06U_R_toV6x64rjCJ3NfeT6CX1vPnfq0NQE_0RvbRunLIXbDcd8bkUDoR60vTcj_hilo3Hywuq4G3FbfOgWhUUgTdmFNDw9TyDwg-xV0u6vmCOKNnh6K2QUJo/s1600/yogurt-cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1HlP8iemyoOfpfWvVq06U_R_toV6x64rjCJ3NfeT6CX1vPnfq0NQE_0RvbRunLIXbDcd8bkUDoR60vTcj_hilo3Hywuq4G3FbfOgWhUUgTdmFNDw9TyDwg-xV0u6vmCOKNnh6K2QUJo/s320/yogurt-cake.jpg" width="314" /></a></div>
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<strong>Conclusion:</strong> Not the best cake ever, but more than editable, and great if you need to use up some ingredients or in a pinch if you are missing oil, eggs or water.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-83803481777446180712012-05-10T16:18:00.000-03:002013-09-08T16:36:44.953-03:00Backpack StorageOur house has very little storage, and a lot of our DIY projects and renovations around the house are based on creating more and better storage solutions. I saw this pin a week or so ago and loved it. It provides multi-use storage and does not take up much room. But I really didn't have a place for it. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522484147898/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IVdIkiPhlBl5rFpLnGG5Md2RfjkI0Pzuy438WQW0mlqqrwDDgLi_YDrQE2Srt56piBmZ8f3PlmVw25mnoGLSWfleIJKgqD2es-gR-073kHW5MaFux_sAy9rDkFrq3g-X2BimO3HmJU8/s1600/GrundalEntry.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Source: <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/using-ikea-kitchen-accessories-to-create-an-organized-entrywaybetter-homes-and-gardens-169796" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">apartmenttherapy.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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The front hall closest is one area that causes problems. We always seem to have more than we can fit in. Our recent problem is all of our bags for the gym and work. They pile up and often end up spilling out on to the floor.<br />
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Looking for a solution I remember this pin that offered a solution for keeping bags off the floor. Even more perfect I happened to already have the IKEA grundtal bar and hooks that were not being used. <br />
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So after gathering everything I needed I set to work, and 10 minutes later I had it installed and the bags off the floor. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsP0tCc4cxlsh7CK0J1AemmnWCp8sY-o-g2E0ccKyokBno1I3hBrbGNtgOgD0cV0j2rgyH34hDNoD6gjkWI2FaZqEQjrTlsm5NvFxsBGYzCFUKg3zDr4FGJ6K4oSqq0SZpCUsemZmstw/s1600/backpack-storage-before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsP0tCc4cxlsh7CK0J1AemmnWCp8sY-o-g2E0ccKyokBno1I3hBrbGNtgOgD0cV0j2rgyH34hDNoD6gjkWI2FaZqEQjrTlsm5NvFxsBGYzCFUKg3zDr4FGJ6K4oSqq0SZpCUsemZmstw/s320/backpack-storage-before.jpg" title="In need of storage solution" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CrHTL1IqLlx_vZk1Jllsn5RYWZgDxbBmNgGeQ34wzA1jOMqS5xkDvLlTFBirG20YJTr9i6C-BerczWNMplBJELTFS2zhtQYtkt3l4Rjk3v6TqXGW1qJ7OTN59U5275dNapP8jsAv-PE/s1600/backpack-storage-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CrHTL1IqLlx_vZk1Jllsn5RYWZgDxbBmNgGeQ34wzA1jOMqS5xkDvLlTFBirG20YJTr9i6C-BerczWNMplBJELTFS2zhtQYtkt3l4Rjk3v6TqXGW1qJ7OTN59U5275dNapP8jsAv-PE/s320/backpack-storage-after.jpg" title="Backpack Storage" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
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It may not be the final solution for our lack of front hall storage but it will hopefully keep our bags in order.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-38318861612308003952012-04-30T23:30:00.000-03:002013-05-30T20:06:28.891-03:00Good Clean FunI'm a liquid pump soap kind of girl. I can never seem to wrangle wet bars which often end up on the floor, or sliding around my counter. In the shower I will inevitably find the slippery buggers under foot, often while I have soap in my eyes, leading to some acrobatics that my body was not made for. However, I do have a nice collection of bars of soap that I was given as presents that I want to use, I plan to use, because they just smell so good.
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I received such gift a month ago. I loved the smell so much I would often stop in my bathroom to just smell the little bar wrapped up in its cute packaging. So when I saw the following tutorial on Pintrest I knew it would be the perfect thing to try next. I was going to turn my beautiful bar of soap into a gallon of liquid soap! I just looked so quick and easy.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483966608/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkssD1ZcfJ7dr2F1_WCkEch6prIy-9aBBXkPSaS1h-zgslb3Dnihdp77gAqoX4-vZTKDemwTHTHbpOJMcRqHjdK3xGDW9f61k-iUB0GwyeQRvl_sSDIWxlkEgrlbEE4DggacvIVs0iKxc/s1600/liquidsoap-pin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Source: <a href="http://www.thefarmersnest.com/2011/11/liquid-hand-soap-diy.html" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">thefarmersnest.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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Or so I thought.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yBnkFYGtZyJAjce7XF2XGOZZ_q4vnvHrdhQfNTd7g8VisLmxrqLzpbPP16AXHWJfzKQM5xw3FwIkOcbxAF3vMMxV1iXr0gUyg2tXBBIWJ415XHx4HWtB4Iti4kJhR1PE0IwOFRwwd1M/s1600/liquid-soap-supplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yBnkFYGtZyJAjce7XF2XGOZZ_q4vnvHrdhQfNTd7g8VisLmxrqLzpbPP16AXHWJfzKQM5xw3FwIkOcbxAF3vMMxV1iXr0gUyg2tXBBIWJ415XHx4HWtB4Iti4kJhR1PE0IwOFRwwd1M/s200/liquid-soap-supplies.jpg" width="176" /></a>I gathered everything I need. It actually took a few tried to find glycerin as I was looking in grocery store pharmacies (I was already there after all) but had no problem locating it in the first-aid section of a large pharmacy. The actual process was straight forward it only took a few minutes to prepare. I grated the soap, threw it in a pot with water and glycerin and let it dissolve. Since my bar of soap was 5oz instead of the 8oz in the original post on <a href="http://www.thefarmersnest.com/2011/11/liquid-hand-soap-diy.html" target="_blank">The Farmer's Nest</a> I adjusted the other measurements accordingly (I knew all that math I learned in school would come in handy some day).<br />
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So after following all of the instructions, letting it cool overnight, giving it a stir, I ended up with.....soapy water.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOF4LCRWMVV6j5upnHys8B8llHvqoKIqYJUY2z3sRbYA74nnUIh4eQIbLuumPDb9APJjiuWJVyE88U8bz9rZgxOkLuG12pUl_6Km9MZQzdjANe9IE1ahgFv6Bklj-tYB79De4nggPSJiM/s1600/liquid-soap-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOF4LCRWMVV6j5upnHys8B8llHvqoKIqYJUY2z3sRbYA74nnUIh4eQIbLuumPDb9APJjiuWJVyE88U8bz9rZgxOkLuG12pUl_6Km9MZQzdjANe9IE1ahgFv6Bklj-tYB79De4nggPSJiM/s320/liquid-soap-1.jpg" title="Liquid Soap " width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liquid soap looking a little too watery</td></tr>
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It looked nothing like what the tutorial had promised. But since I knew the process was pretty basic I was certain that I should be able to get liquid soap out of this. To save my precious bar of soap I decided to concentrate the soapy water. I ended up letting it simmer for around an hour. After letting it cool and set it looked more like what I was expecting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pZWJ8Ptl0PmMVR9e6uv7EOfbK9T5lrI3AE0MRZUoFhTHs9CDSOfLxMEt82TsWiZD6GcU8i85eGQbXpsQXhdoWDTXe3OMR_wghyphenhyphenfjzBbKShI_CUfyF6wjsCnV1LZGYAX_IbSIA5rx88c/s1600/liquid-soap-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pZWJ8Ptl0PmMVR9e6uv7EOfbK9T5lrI3AE0MRZUoFhTHs9CDSOfLxMEt82TsWiZD6GcU8i85eGQbXpsQXhdoWDTXe3OMR_wghyphenhyphenfjzBbKShI_CUfyF6wjsCnV1LZGYAX_IbSIA5rx88c/s320/liquid-soap-2.jpg" title="Liquid Soap Attempt 2" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for second attempt at liquid soap to set</td></tr>
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Of course I had let it concentrate a little too much so had to add a little more water back in and mix. But in the end I did end up with liquid soap. And after two days of heating the mixture the house smelled wonderful!<br />
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<strong>Conclusion:</strong><br />
I did not end up with a gallon of soap as in the tutorial. As was suggested this is likely since the soap I used was softer and required less water. I did manage to fill 2 soap bottles and refill a slightly larger one in my kitchen.<br />
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The soap does not seem to lather as much as commercial liquid soap, but this may be due to the original soap rather than the process of turning it into liquid. I was also not able to get the right consistency. It comes out a little snotty (sorry for the descriptive, it is the best I can think of). I will admit I did skip mixing it with an electric mixer in the end, and instead whisked it by hand. I also may not have added enough water back in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqg-vuYHTdDE1qf-XDdNW-UO-R9c3UTaif0yisLK416ntgt3zJV4vYJIH-1yBXfRd_r7FSwNLsE5ANAPUXYUe8pQg9ej_hDCYELsQTBOmeLQcCV3MyIRjEPa19gIDa7n2H2PLuna2EWo/s1600/homemade-liquid-soap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Homemade Liquid Soap" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqg-vuYHTdDE1qf-XDdNW-UO-R9c3UTaif0yisLK416ntgt3zJV4vYJIH-1yBXfRd_r7FSwNLsE5ANAPUXYUe8pQg9ej_hDCYELsQTBOmeLQcCV3MyIRjEPa19gIDa7n2H2PLuna2EWo/s320/homemade-liquid-soap.jpg" title="Finished Product - DIY Liquid Soap" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished Product</td></tr>
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Since it is a very quick and easy process, and I have more bars of soap in the house, I will try it again. Next time I will start will half as much water as it is easier to add more water in the end than it is to concentrate it back down. I will also mix with an electric as instructed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-39440766312975375232012-04-23T19:25:00.000-03:002013-05-30T10:43:30.200-03:00For the Love of VeggiesIf you are at all like me you have a fridge full of limp veggies that you bought will all intentions of eating. You start off well, you did buy them with a plan to eat them after all, but leftovers get pushed to the back where it will eventually waste away, shrivel up, or turn into a pile of goo, to be remove the day you eventually get around to cleaning your fridge.<br />
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I do get pangs of regret as I toss out these forgotten veggies. This problem generally only happens in the winter months (which in Canada is from October to June) as I am able to select only as much as a need from my small, yet fairly productive, garden during the summer. The rest continues to grow waiting for the day when I need to return for some more. <br />
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With this in mind I have started to become interested in re-growing veggie from things you get at your local grocery store. This solves two problems for me: 1. I do not have to feel as bad about the shrivelled up veggies I am about to toss as part of it will continue to live on; 2. I am able to grow new vegetables that I can enjoy and only harvest as much as I need. It also helps that I can be a little cheap, and this way I get 2 for the price of 1.<br />
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When I saw this pin on growing celery from the discarded end I wanted to give it a try next time I brought some home from the store. I enjoy celery, but it has to be #1 veggie that is destined to never leave my fridge looking the same as when it went in.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483951304/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicaetpcp0u3_PJwRGwSeDixIitSNnRvqfWuknmhbMoQzXukeux5U-lB_BG1IyPnetSaj9W_C2BPxFATsSNqRByKjlMJcZZWHSW9pxO4p1FKwhPKl7lo0mxBBoBWLRFk9-1DYgVZuK7tk/s1600/growingcelery.jpg" title="chickensintheroad.com" width="415" /></a></td></tr>
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Source: <a href="http://chickensintheroad.com/farm-bell-recipes/re-growing-celery/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">chickensintheroad.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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About 2 weeks ago the opportunity arrive. After I finished cutting up what I needed, and placing the remainder in the fridge, I placed the bottom piece in a bowl with water. It probably sat there for about a week before I had time to think about it again. By this time I could see a few little roots develop. Since it is not fit to plant outside here in April I decided to plant it indoors with the plan to transplant it into the garden once it is warm enough. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizh1KvE0yzBO7pl2ldlxlczMUx3uLtl-0Zy5HHlFnW7z_pd0OAdD3HKcUuTbB1m-6OKQ1xQuMAMsvc6u7HI6y5nVPPDaZcgtSgMhdhYDtqS8HueIyYZDi0T4GNMTEWJWVPmUgakKBhjDk/s1600/re-grow_celery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Re-growing Celery" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizh1KvE0yzBO7pl2ldlxlczMUx3uLtl-0Zy5HHlFnW7z_pd0OAdD3HKcUuTbB1m-6OKQ1xQuMAMsvc6u7HI6y5nVPPDaZcgtSgMhdhYDtqS8HueIyYZDi0T4GNMTEWJWVPmUgakKBhjDk/s320/re-grow_celery.jpg" title="Growing Celery" width="240" /></a></div>
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And if you were wondering, yes the rest of the celery that I had placed in the fridge is still there waiting to be tossed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6333549743309219602.post-36007845578139164932012-04-17T20:09:00.000-03:002013-05-30T10:38:03.200-03:00Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Cauliflower Icing....yum?After the success of the <a href="http://pinitiativeproject.blogspot.ca/2012/03/irish-cupcakes.html" target="_blank">Guinness Chocolate cupcakes</a> I decided to go out on a limb again with these avocado cauliflower cupcakes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483960396/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPaXYFZTEM_RjvdnVaUF1ksYL5h4bmEAK2y8iF6CUavpyP7SKI30iohhwPI0Gdmp0rziDC1rVE0DP07EhOTISPNZt5UGGPykIu0QVvaZHgo7r_hYKe8ofst_j8luS41Lvq6PbtOw0oTU/s1600/cupcakeicing.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
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Source: <a href="http://glorioustreats.blogspot.com/2011/08/cupcake-basics-how-to-frost-cupcakes.html" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">glorioustreats.blogspot.com</a><br /> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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I wasn't actually looking for odd cupcake combinations to try. It happened after finding a pin how to decorate cupcakes. My friend sent me a message about how she was trying to focus on eating healthy when she was distracted by my pin that appeared on her Facebook news feed:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/30047522483961243/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1qQKOLA2D_RUezgVoKOtQLf5q07cwtUkBBuCKvGco1vEjRxL-zimzFUWb1W1-fTclRkS1YI40ZKl3Y-pythMYPSzW9CwsrUc8HuZiXee9Ld2zV4fhlpwoN54PfxHSyD-H7_XRM45tx4/s1600/chocolateavacadocupcakes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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Source: <a href="http://sweetlifebake.com/2010/02/27/chocolate-avocado-cupcakes-with-cauliflower-frosting/#axzz1qjNIOsAH" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">sweetlifebake.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/hfxgrl/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tanya</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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So to balance everything out I decided to look for healthier cupcake options, and I came across this recipe for Chocolate Avocado and Cauliflower cupcakes. When I originally pin it I did not actually intend to give it a try. But after I kept on seeing it on my Pintrest and seeing the interest in it I decided to give it a shot. <br />
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The cake turned out great. It was a nice dense chocolate cake almost like a brownie (if you like a fluffy cake like you get with boxed mixed this is not for you) and once cool I was not able to taste the avocado. The batter is very thick and will need to be scooped into the cake tins as it will not poor. I may also have over-cooked it a bit as a toothpick will not come out clean when cooked like other cakes (I did not trust and left them in the oven for an extra 3-5min). <br />
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On the other hand the icing was a complete flop for me. The recipe posted on the <a href="http://sweetlifebake.com/2010/02/27/chocolate-avocado-cupcakes-with-cauliflower-frosting/#axzz1qjNIOsAH" target="_blank">Sweet Life</a> is from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious and calls for 2 Tbsp of vanilla extract. I am now questioning if this should be 2 tsp as my icing turned out to be a very runny mess and would not stay on top of the cupcakes. My cauliflower may also have not been drained well enough after it was steamed. Either way I scrapped the icing and just went with a standard buttercream.<br />
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These were not nearly as good as the Guinness cupcakes but I will likely make them again. Hopefully I can get the cauliflower icing to work next time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkAXZFShutwYIs4x_aj9uSOpOkFiAjK8NasL-qf8KUT3tFzxDWONnal57tE0FBnagiw09w_EtyJPrYWNty2EMxTmOapmkQbmz1Cr6ipmiQcUGGnQKQJHozwqRk7TQZhyphenhyphen9U9zfaOKJTMM/s1600/avocado-cupcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chocolate Avocado" border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkAXZFShutwYIs4x_aj9uSOpOkFiAjK8NasL-qf8KUT3tFzxDWONnal57tE0FBnagiw09w_EtyJPrYWNty2EMxTmOapmkQbmz1Cr6ipmiQcUGGnQKQJHozwqRk7TQZhyphenhyphen9U9zfaOKJTMM/s320/avocado-cupcake.jpg" title="Chocolate Avocado and Cauliflower Cupcakes" width="320" /></a></div>
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Are there any other strange cupcake combinations that you enjoy?</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0