So ... Pinterest ...

I've always been a crafty-ish/handy-ish person. I like to knit, always sew/manufacture my kids' Halloween costumes, have painted, wallpapered, spackled my entire house more than twice over. I even refinished all of my hideous 1970s kitchen cabinets.

Best costume I ever made. Blinking lights!

But nothing prepared me for the glut of crafty goodness and inspiration and wonder that is Pinterest.

I've found so many ideas for foods to make, gifts to create and give, and household improvements to implement. And most of them have turned out wonderfully! (not like these) I have a few more things in the works ... but here's a nice run-through of my recent accomplishments around the house.

SOOO much better than before.

This gives you some idea of the kitchen "before."

First of all ... the aforementioned kitchen. In October 2011 we had a minor kitchen fire (everyone's OK!) which resulted in an insurance claim and replacement of the countertops, wallsplash, range and flooring. We took this opportunity to also install pendant lighting over the island (LOVE!) and to replace the grimy and paint-peely range hood with one that vented outside the house. Since I knew paint drips on either the countertop or the floor wouldn't matter, I also took up the challenge of refinishing the cabinets. I used Rustoleum's Cabinet Transformations product in their "Frost" color. The DVD and printed instructions were easy to follow and I think the project turned out great! This was my first time attempting any sort of faux finishing or even painting wood, for that matter. I lucked out on some brushed nickel hardware in the clearance section at Lowe's and a coordinating light fixture in the sale section. I love the finished room! (Please ignore the counter and fridge clutter ...)

Next is a serious of smaller projects. Some took a weekend, some a few hours, some several days ... I'm proud of the way they turned out, or I wouldn't be sharing them here, obviously.  I don't have before-and-after pictures of step-by-step pictures, but if you ask for more info or tips, I'll gladly fill you in.

OK, so I didn't make this. I bought it on Etsy ... but still a great Pinterest idea.

Antique printer's tray purchased on eBay ...

Converted to jewelry storage/display

Using wasted space for measuring spoons and cups.

More are on the door of the neighboring cabinet.

Tie-dye Mickey Mouse shirt!

Remove pictures from frames and spray-paint them all black

Frame out an old builder's cheapie mirror without having to take it down from the wall

Next project due to be finished ... Mod-Podging a world map to multiple Michael's-bought canvases and hanging as a grouping. Pics soon!

--End--

Many Things Make a Post

a la Adrienne ...

I know the Many Things is Adrienne's thing. But today I've come across some things I wish to recall later ... so why not record them here?

Just another way that the Republicans are successfully lying to everyone.

How Google is breaking Google -- We don't use you to make friends, Google!

If you're ever in Scranton ... I can highly recommend this place.

Yeah, Sarah ... because breast feeding is only an option when milk is expensive. Hate to break it to you, but babies shouldn't be fed cow's milk. Keep reading, later she blasts a healthy food for youth initiative, too. The "god-given right" to what, Sarah? Childhood obesity? Diabetes?

And, finally, on a non-political note -- I wish this necklace were cheaper. Emily would simply love it.

--End--

Pinterest ... sigh

This is not one of my Pinterest boards. I just Googled.

For awhile Ravelry took over my life. I drooled over expensive and exotic yarns I would never buy, oohed and aahed over elaborately cabled and intricately lacey projects. I queued up a bunch of stuff I will likely never make. I found a bunch of fantastic patterns I've enjoyed knitting up into all sorts of cozy amazingness.

Then the obsession faded. There was clearly no point in continuing to tag and queue and link to soooo many things so that I would need a sorting and filing system to differentiate between the stuff I loved but would probably never knit and the patterns I want to knit now, today.

Don't get me wrong. Ravelry is still my number one first stop when I want to browse anything knitty or yarny. The comments and adaptations made by others on the patterns are particularly helpful. And, just yesterday I spent a hundred and *mumble, mumble* dollars on yarn and linked said yarn to a variety of projects in my Ravelry queue. Here we go, 2012!

But, Pinterest pwns me now.

What a neat site! Folks (seemingly folks of a crafty/cooky/creative bent) "pin" online items to virtual bulletin boards in order to remember them and find them again later. For example, I have created boards for Christmas, DIY Gifts, Foods to Try, DIY Home, Knitting & Sewing, etc.

Thanks to these ideas, I already have the stir things up in my house bug (Granted, I was bit by this bug when we had a our minor kitchen fire back a few months ago. The fire resulted in replacing the stove, counter and floor, but I also painted all the kitchen cabinets, and Joe and my dad installed a new (vented to the outside for the first time) range hood and put in pendant lighting.). And thanks to Pinterest, I've already bought the vinyl stickers to add this nifty organization system to a cupboard door near the stove.

But now I want to spread the new decor around.

We're going to use leftover vinyl from the kitchen and refloor the foyer. But now, thanks to Pinterest, I also want to redecorate the entryway and coat closet (maybe with a hidden door, like this one).

The family room is getting a do-over as well. While I still have the paint to match the wall, I'm going to remove the 97 family pictures from the wall. They're going to go in coordinating black frames and line our stairwell (like this, but diagonal). I'm finally going to add an official ledge to the top of the simply-painted freezewall, like this one, but painted white to match our trim. (For that matter, I'm going to finish painting the trim in the house, so that it's all white and not a mix of white and ugly 70s dark brown stain.) Then I'm going to store our scrapbooks someplace else or in some other manner, so I can use my wall table to create lovely seasonal vignettes out of stuff we already have but never have a spot for. And with the pictures down, I can free up the wall for something more modern, more "us."

Maybe I'll get these hip subway art Doctor Who prints for a start. It is the TV room, why try to disguise that with country kitsch? Why not embrace the media-center-ness of it? (I'm hoping that once we do our taxes, a nice new flat-screen TV is coming our way.) Or maybe I'll frame some vintage movie posters ... I could even swap them out seasonally for new ones, like It's a Wonderful Life at Christmastime or The Birds for Halloween.

Finally ... our bedroom. Other then new carpeting and moving in our furniture, we haven't redecorated our bedroom in any way since we moved in 11+ years ago. The major reason why not is the horrendous wines and berries wallpaper. We've stripped wallpaper from many other areas of our house to sometimes disastrous effect. Apparently the walls were inadequately primed and/or painted before applying the wallpaper, so removing it rips big hunks of drywall right off the wall. Not. Good. I've become a rather adept spackler over the years, but some of our earliest attempts in the wallpaper-removal nightmare have resulted in the walls looking rather primitively plastered rather than the smoothly drywalled effect I'd prefer. Anyway, I don't think we're planning to recarpet, so that will remain a medium-blue color. And our bedroom furniture is custom-made, natural red oak (made by my dad: headboard, my dresser, Joe's armoire, plus a quilt hanger and two nightstands) ... and that's all staying. So, it really comes down to wall color and linens. Hello, Pottery Barn!

This seems like a lot. Heck, considering the wallpaper-removal, maybe it is a lot. But really it's a bunch of small projects that will update our home a lot, and hopefully amp up its cool-factor, usefulness and hominess. And, I don't have to keep track of any of it in little file folders stuffed with magazine clippings.

I have Pinterest,

Bring it on, 2012!

--End-

Update: just purchased 9 posters for the family room. Going to do an arrangement of 3 16x20-sized prints in frames, and change them out for Halloween and winter. They're combinations of movie posters and classic book cover illustrations. Me likey.

Update: priced ledge at Lowe's.com ... 1x8x8, cove moulding, and a gallon of semi-gloss trim paint = $82.

Planning Ahead....

Attention, everyone ... Please someone make these for my next birthday, in lieu of a traditional cake. I love owls. And these are adorable! And ... chocolate!

--End--

Merry Christmas!!!

I know this site has been hugely popular off and on in the past, but I'm going to try to put it back on people's radar. Today I have all my students contributing to this season of giving.

You should, too!  www.freerice.com

Learn vocabulary (and other subjects) and donate food to hungry people world-wide.

Merry Christmas!

--End--

The Sincerest Form of Flattery

Several items that have recently caught my eye, a la Adrienne's Many Things posts ...

In her latest blog post, my friend, Josette, is right on the money. As she usually is.

Alton Brown is always right. And in the simplest things, he's even more righter still.

I wish these were iTouch sized.

Despite the obvious charm and kitsch (which only adds further to the charm), I can't help but think, "This would be so awkward in my purse."

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Amy's returning ... but more importantly ... only 12 MORE DAYS!

Dogs can fly.


For those who dismiss knitting as too feminine or girly or some other such nonsense. (also check out other projects in Dave Cole's gallery for more odd knitting)

Speaking of The Doctor, and knitting.

--End--

FUNNY!

Thanks, Adrienne! This cracked me up. A lot. I even read it out loud to my mom. Who kinda didn't get it, over the phone and all. But .... FUNNY! Earned the blog a spot on my links.

--End--

Quickie Link Post

I have been finding articles on The Art of Manliness blog to be endlessly fascinating. Of particular note tonight, 100 Must-See Movies and 100 Must-Read Books (conveniently Amazon Listmania-ed).

And through this blog, I linked out to this Field & Stream article on how to make an Altoids-tin survival kit. Too cool.

--End--

Playing Catch-up

Look over there ----> Yeah, over on the right. See where it says "Where Do I Go?"? Those are websites I visit at least daily (except for the ones I know only update on certain days like Foxtrot or XKCD).

I like them. They inform, amuse, entertain. But sometimes they feel like such a chore. Sometimes (like when returning from a non-Internet vacation) it feels completely overwhelming to try to dive back in and catch the jist of a blog after missing nine episodes.

So, I'm quitting. Not cold turkey. And not entirely. But, I'm not going to worry about staying current with every little thing that happens out there in my personal hunk of Internet real estate. It's just not cool to spend more time doing that than ... I don't know ... name just about any useful and not-sitting-on-my-backside endeavor.

I'm still going to check family and friend blogs daily. And XKCD (Because it cracks me up and is brief). And Woot. And a few other things, I suppose. But mostly, a lot of sites are going to be diminished to "when I feel like it" or "when I have free time" or "when I'm bored" status.

That said, I'm going to attempt to blog daily, myself. Probably not with anything especially pithy. or thought-out or all that interesting. But, I like the idea of having regimens, routines, order. I like the idea of giving myself goals to stick to (or not).

Today I'm working on PhotoShopping the hundreds (upon hundreds) of pictures I took at Disney World. I also have a few errands to run (fall allergy perscription pick-up, watch repair (the second hand just fell off), eyeglass repair (I can't for the life of me shove Emily's left lens all the way back into place), milk (Why isn't milk cap color standardized? I reached for the light blue like I always do only to realize with much chagrin upon returning home that it was not fat-free, but 2%. *sigh*).

This link posted by my brother is my offering for the day. Until tomorrow. Oh, and this one, too ... I agree, Chris, it would make an awesome blog. One new Nardo email daily. Get permission from the author and go for it!

--End--

Bizarre and Fantastic ... Green Porno

If you have not yet seen Isabella Rossellini's Green Porno (she produces, writes and single-handedly stars in these shorts), you really should check it out. It's more or less safe for work, as it's not actually porno. Well, not actually human porno. The audio does include words like "sex," "penis," and "vagina," (with images to match) so let that be your warning. The costuming and origami-type paper sculptures are worth the price of admission (cheap as free!) in and of themselves.

It's basically the how-to manual of non-mammalian sex. And ... such .... variety. Impressive and ... disturbing variety.

Season One: spider, fly, earthworm, snail, bee, praying mantis, dragonfly, and firefly
Season Two: limpet, why vaginas and penises?, starfish, whale, anglerfish, and barnacle

--End--

Consumer Reports

My folks got Consumer Reports magazine when I was a kid. For some geek-dork reason, I used to read it every month. It didn't matter if they were rating orange juice, blenders or credit card deals ... I read the whole thing.

I'm still a firm believer in checking with CR before making any real purchase of any of the sorts of things they rate ... cars, cameras, appliances, weedwhackers ... anything. I don't get the magazine, but their online subscription is a pretty good deal.

If you're reading this, and you're not in the CR family, consider checking it out. They have lost of services and articles available to non-subscribers .. buying guides, how to choose a good microwave, that sort of thing. Their actual ratings are only available once you pay, though.

Best Places

I always find lists like these utterly fascinating.

--End--

SO Beautiful

The universe is such a beautiful place.

Scientists agree. I haven't listened to all the sound clips yet (I'm at work), but these pictures are worth more than their requisite thousand words all on their own.

--End--

Links for a Friday

Sci-Fi Movie Generator flowchart here.

A cute, belated office supplies Valentine trick here.

And who doesn't love the Gashlycrumb Tinies? It's been a coffee-table staple in my house since...well, since before we had a house.

This has been around awhile, and I've known about it for awhile, but in case anyone's still out of the loop, you really ought to check out the Literal Music Video of Aha's Take On Me.

--End--

Links Galore

This is how to keep an idiot busy (for at least a couple of minutes).

And, if you ever thought anything vaguely NC-17 was behind the scenes of the Fellowship of the Ring, this would be your "proof."

I doubt anyone would ever permanently get tired of this. I think I could poke at it all night. But, then I'm simple.

OK, some of these are in pretty poor taste, but that doesn't mean they're not also funny. You know, in that way you don't really want to admit to.

And this "infomercial???" is creepy and disturbing (maybe saying that is redundant). I mean, don't you think that things that shrivel away in anthropomorphic terror are really saying, "Tickle Me?" And the kids singing in the background? Don't they also do that in horror-movie soundtracks?

Finally, I really kind of like these ideas for alternative applications of Christmas lights. Not everyone has room for a Christmas tree. I would totally have done these in my dorm, had I thought of it.

--End--

Some Things Make Me Smile

This makes me smile. I'm so jealous that this guy essentially gets paid to travel the world and dance (albeit badly).

--End--

Post of Many Things

Haven't Stumbled around the Net lately, but had a chance to tonight. Some of the more interesting findings:

The anti-theft lunchbag is an interesting concept. Is sandwich theft in company breakroom refrigerators really this rampant?

I'm always a wealth of unnecessary knowledge ... ask any of my friends or family. So, I think this site is worth a bookmark. I'm not sure of it's actual value, as "facts" can be uploaded by anyone on the Net pending "aprove"-al (sic) by the site admin.

All writers occasionally are blocked. Maybe you can't call your actual 911 line, but 911 Writers (sic) Block might be able to help you out.

I'm actually a big supporter of singing karaoke after a couple of cosmos at Bennigan's on a Thursday night, or anywhere and anywhen the blood-alcohol content and peer pressure, etc are appropriate to overcome whatever stagefright you possess. But, I find the idea of singing karaoke to your computer at home alone in your office/family room/bedroom/dorm a bit sad. Of course, without just such videos, YouTube's library would be significantly depleted.

Whatever happened to reddish bricks with a big ol' oak mantel, maybe a wrought iron rack of tools alongside?

I'm not entirely sure all of these are as "irresistable" as the title claims, but some of these are surely gadgets that prove that 1) there's a market for just about anything and 2) folks in Taiwan or China or wherever this stuff is manufactured spend a good part of each day thinking, "What the hell is this? Really? I mean ... really?"

Enough for now. Time to tell the kiddos reading time is up. Time for lights-out.

--End--

Seven Days

In the past seven days I've...

• baked six dozen ginger cookies
• taken my car in for its 120,000 mile service
• planned an 8-day canoe route through Algonquin Provincial Park
• Googled the lyrics to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• said, "Dorothy" no less than 168 times
• painted two 3x15' strips of canvas green and two 3x15' strips of canvas yellow
• watched Psych, Stargate:Atlantis, Eureka, The West Wing, and Juno
• picked Emily up from camp
• received my new fabulously comfortable Teva water sandals
• had the ice cream man come by three times (and fell for it twice)
• whip-stitched two large green satin curtains
• baked five dozen back-of-the-canister oatmeal cookies
• read The Nanny Diaries, Lord John and the Hand of Devils, and The Horse Whisperer
• sent 34 e-mail messages
• walked 19 miles
• set up our new dome tent
• laughed so hard my sides actually hurt
• ripped Hello Dolly! from the DVD
• wondered how I can justify buying these popsicle molds

...and gotten entirely too little sleep. :)

--End--

A Little of This and That

I positively adore pop-up books (not as much as this guy). I have several for Christmas-time that I bring down and dust off and peruse with the kids every December. Now, I want to get ABC 3-D, too.

This is a clever puzzle concept I haven't seen before. You can compensate for toppling blocks and get them to rebalance. Clever!

Some of this list seems like something horrible a penthouse mom (a la The Nanny Diaries which I've just finished re-reading) would instruct her nanny to do. I mean, really? Five ways to frustrate your preschooler in one quick (but seemingly endless) afternoon.

I think every one of my 8th graders last year must have memorized this website. When I asked them to bring in self-written poems to practice formatting them in Word, you should have seen what they came up with.

Can I just say how much I miss bubblewrap? Damn Amazon and their giant manufactured bags of air.

And, because there are never enough math-based comics.

--End--

Flight of the Hamsters

Tip of the Hamster Wheel to Adrienne.

Shockingly adorable and addictive game. Makes me really wish my dad read my blog. He'd love this.

--End--