Party #4

I am so excited to write this post, so excited that I am actually posting the same day as our party.  We had another successful party today:

The pins we wanted to try

Main Dish (Deanna- Host): Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Source: recipes.sparkpeople.com via Deanna on Pinterest

Dessert (Debbie): Mai Tai Fruit Salad

Source: justapinch.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Craft Project (Krissy): Decorative Picture Frame

Source: shanty-2-chic.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Here are our results:

 Delicious side salad with cherry tomatoes and red onions.

 Even though the temperatures were in the 90s today, Deanna's soup really hit the spot.  Deanna omitted the chili powder so it was less spicy for Debby.  She also made homemade tortilla strips for the soup, but I forgot to take a picture of those.  They were the perfect crunch to the dish!

Debbie was able to get all the fruits for our dessert from our local farm, Lone Pine.  It was a refreshing summer palette cleanser.  Debbie did say, that the juices ran quite a bit and was dripping a lot.  She made two of these, one for our lunch and she was planning on using the other half for a dinner party that night.

 I am super excited to talk about our craft project.  I had a totally different project in mind, but was stuck at Michael's changing my mind.  I decided at the last minute to try these decorative frames.  I only had to shop at two places: Fred Meyers and Goodwill.  Now, I hate to admit this but I am not a big Goodwill shopper.  I am a HUGE donator, but I never really go inside.  I am so happy that I did!  I actually went to two Goodwills to look for frames.  I tried to find 8x10 frames with a decorative border, a sturdy backing, and an arm so that it could stand up on a desk.  While I was there I found some other great treasures to craft with: a cute basket for the classroom, an adorable owl painting, a small pitcher, and a couple of glass bottles. 


At Freddy's I bought magnetic clips and black glossy spray paint.  The frames were ($.99- $2.99), the spray was $4.50, and the clips were 2 for $2.50.  I already had the scrabble ledges and the tiles at home and a ton of scrapbook paper.  This was such an affordable and cute project and I think we all fell in love with the end results. 

Step one: Spray paint the frames and scrabble tile ledges. Be sure to not spray a lot in the beginning because it will run.  Luckily it was hot out and our paint dried quickly.  We didn't need to sand the frames, the spray did a good job sticking to the wood and metal frames.  Once the front was dry we flipped it over and sprayed the back as well.

While we were waiting for our frames to dry, we ended up washing the glass and we chose our scrapbook paper and cut it to size.

Once the frames and ledges were done we put it all together.  To adhere the clip and the ledge we used a hot glue gun.  This is such an awesome project.  I love that you can continually change the background paper to whatever suits you and it's so easy to change out the picture.

Something you may want to keep in mind is the spacing of the clip and the ledge will determine what size photos you can put in the frame.  In Deanna's and Debbie's frame I think they can put a 4x6 or a 5x7 in them, but I think a 5x7 would be a little too tight for mine.

Variation- You can spray paint the frames any color you want.  The original pin had a red frame and that looked bright and adorable.  I also love you can change out the wording to fit the picture.  I have a TON of scrabble tiles and I could have a lot of fun with this. If you don't have a scrabble ledge or tiles, you could also use stickers on the frame or rub on quotes would also be cute.  We also talked about having 4 or 5 of these on the wall in the classroom with each one being a primary school color and matching cute paper and rotate photos through.  You can also have some of the frames go vertical and some go horizontal.  The possibilities are endless.

Deanna's- I love her paper, it matches her house and style to a "T"

Debbie- I like how she spaced her letters.  She had the most ornate frame.  I wish I could have found more of those.

Mine- I love the paper that I used as well. 

We thought that using black and white photos in the frame made it look even more classic.

When I got some I was so excited to clip a photo on it.  I will probably change it out and put one of our wedding photos.  Now, that I look at it I think a 5x7 would work in mine.

Party #3

Our last party was held at my house, which I appreciate because it makes me get off my butt and actually clean up around here.

Here are the original pins that we wanted to try out:

Main Dish (Krissy): Oven BBQ ribs and Slow Cooker Cream Corn

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: bluebonnetsandbrownies.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Dessert (Deanna): Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

Source: bakerlady.wordpress.com via Deanna on Pinterest

Craft Project (Debbie): Fire Bowls

Source: craftgawker.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Here are our results:

 I think overall it was a well planned summer meal.  The ribs weren't quite fall off the bone, but they were tender and moist.  I liked that I was able to do it in the oven because we don't own a grill.  The rub was modified quite a bit because I didn't have chili powder, oregano, and one of the other ingredients.  I also marinated it, with the rub, for 2 days because I didn't read the directions carefully.  The sauce I used was Sweet Baby Ray- Honey BBQ.  I have never cooked ribs before, so I was surprised at how expensive two racks were.  At least there were lots of left overs.

We all loved the corn.  I cut the recipe in half knowing, it was only 3 of us eating and I still managed to have leftovers.  This would make an excellent potluck dish.  It was super easy.  Just throw all the ingredients in and it's done 4 hours later.  I also used a low fat cream cheese and it was just as good.  This one is definitely a keeper.  I'm probably going to use it at our next staff party/potluck.

Salad was store bought, but I thought we needed some greens and it was a good compliment.  It was one of those pre-done kits. 

Deanna didn't think her dessert was a success, but we all enjoyed it.  If you like no bake cookies and Reese's then this is the dessert for you.  I forget exactly what she said, but she was not happy with the consistency of the "batter".  She mentioned she thought it was going to harden more than it did.  She also used chunky peanut butter and I would recommend it.  I definitely liked the added texture and be sure to have it with a glass of milk!

Our craft project was much more involved but I will let you read Debbie's post about the steps and her recommendations.  That's right, both Debbie and Deanna also learned how to blog at our party, so you'll be able to entries written by them as well.  Especially Deanna because she has done a ton of projects on her own. 

Sayonara,
Pinning Pals 

On Fire!

This was my craft project that I brought to Krissy's house today.   It was inspired by this "pin":

Source: craftgawker.com via Debbie on Pinterest

What I learned:

• Mix the concrete and water a little at a time.  We tried mixing to much at concrete at once and it was hard to get a good mix.
• Use plastic tupperware type bowls (the hard plastic bowls don't work well).  Deanna had to learn this the hard way :(
• Timing is everything!  The directions say to take the can out of the middle of the bowl after 6 min.  Trust me they mean it!
• On that same note make sure that you turn your fire bowl out after 17 min.  Otherwise it will be stuck in the bowl.
• We also put a few rocks in while the concrete was firm but not quite set.  You can add more rocks after it is set to hide the fire canister.
• I got a 20lb bag of concrete at a local hardware store for $11.29.  If you aren't going to make a bunch of them, you could get by with box of "Rapid Set" concrete for a little more than $5.00.
• I found the rocks and the chaffing dish fire flame disks (however they are seasonal items)at the dollar store.  
• And the most important thing with this project, PAM is awesome!!!
• Krissy says, "Don't do this project in the hot sun!" too hot for her.  
• Don't forget to have a towels and water nearby so you don't have cement hands in the end.

Here's what our final product looked like:

Debbie doesn't think ours looks the same!

Party #2- Don't Be Blue

Okay, I was trying to rhyme for our title.  Cheesy, I know.  So here are the inspiration pins for party #2:

Host and Main Course (Debbie)- Power Salad and Flavored Water

Source: recipegirl.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Source: nancycreative.wordpress.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Dessert (Krissy)-

Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Craft Project (Deanna)- Frosted Glass

Source: your.schoolfeed.com via Deanna on Pinterest

Here are our results:

 Salad was delish and very filling.  There was the right amount of textures that made it really feel like a meal.  Debbie mentioned that pine nuts are really expensive and said slivered almonds would be a cheaper alternative.  She had a little of both and we couldn't taste a difference. 

 Debbie also made her own salad dressing and for a little crunch in the salad she had found these onion strings @ Fred Meyers, that were quite tasty.

 Not homemade but we ate it and it was good!  I did forget to take a picture of the water though.  Sorry!

 Our cool craft project- Notice the different widths of rubber bands?  Very important.  Debbie said the smaller thinner ones did not work out for her. 

 Insider's tip: Buy this at Home Depot because it was only $5, where Michael's was charging almost $10 for the same thing.  Remember that you want an even coat and to spray it outside.  Another tip: It sprays on clear, so when you put your second coat on it's going to be hard to tell right away if you missed some spots (like me).  You want to be as even as possible.  It dries really, and I mean really, fast so there's instant gratification.

 This is when I realized my spray had also coated the spider web on the ground besides me that I didn't know was there.  Ewwww... I hate spiders.

While we waited for our vases/candle holders to dry we ate my dessert.  I have to say this was a successful one as well!  I ended up cooking all the puff pastry so I could add the middle layer.  I think we ended making a total of 4 of them.  I also doubled the pudding recipe.  I think if I had tripled it, then I would have had enough pudding to cover (and make) two more and use up all of the puff pastry sheets.  I also didn't end up using toasted almonds on the bottom because they ended up burning (I blame my addition to "The Hills").  So I had some candied walnuts from Trader Joe's that we used and those ended up being just as good.  I also used Fat Free Redi-Whip instead of Cool whip for the Whipped topping part.

 Here is Debbie's modified dessert, without the puff pastry and she said it was still delish.

 This is our final result of our craft project.  Debby put her hydrenga's in her's and made it into a vase and it looked so pretty!  I am going to keep one of mine as a candle holder and one a a vase to be used at our next party.  This is a great cost effective craft!  Deanna found all of these vases at Goodwill ranging from $.49-$.99 each!  Plus the spray is only around $5 and the possibilities are endless.  You could use picture frames and words, you could do beer mugs, etc.  The only issue (if I remember correctly) is that it's not dish washer safe after you spray it. 

Laters (yes- copied from my new favorite read),
The Design Divas

1st Gathering

This isn't the actual date of our first party, but it took me this long to upload my photos onto my computer :).  I really need to find a better system for this.

Here are the original pins we wanted to try out:

Host (Deanna): Main Course- Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Source: chef-in-training.com via Deanna on Pinterest

Appetizer (Debbie): Mini Caprese Salads

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Debbie on Pinterest

Craft Project/DIY (Krissy): Canvas Art

Source: twogirlsbeingcrafty.blogspot.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Those are the links for the actual projects that inspired us.  Here are our creations/critiques and notes:

 Debbie's appetizer- Her garden hadn't produced enough basil leaves, which is why they aren't on here, but the mozzarella balls were had them in the marinade so it still had the taste.  These were really good, but the cherries were really BIG and juicy. I tried to take the first taste in one bite (big mistake) and the tomato ended up squirting all over poor Debbie who was right next to me.

 Main Course- This was really good!  Debbie can't have pasta so she had just the sauce and it was hearty enough.  I really thought the penne pasta was a good choice.  Deanna and I talked about adding mushrooms, or more chili pepper flakes (for more spice), or other variations to it.  Deanna also mentioned if tasted even better the next day when the spices had a chance to mingle longer.  We think this would also be a good meal to make ahead and freeze the sauce and then bring it out for night you don't really have time to cook from scratch.

 Notice the candle's on Deanna's table?  Those are also a pinterest project.

 Our craft project:  These turned out great.  I got the canvas set from Michael's.  There were 5 16 x20 canvases for only $20 (I think I also used my coupon).  I also had to buy glue sticks for all of us.  But the cost overall was still low because if you are a crafty person like us, you already have modge podge, scrapbook paper, and brushes at home.  I changed the project from the original one, which used paint chips.  I kept the dimensions the same and we made 4 inch circles.  I have to warn you there was some math involved and cutting skills is a must.  We recommend choosing only 4 different types of scrapbook paper and it's best when the patterns/colors are related somehow. We also didn't need the plastic wrap they used.  Mine set down fine, Deanna and Debbie has some wrinkling and they were going to add another coat.  I forgot to ask how it ended up.  We also talked about how you could paint the sides of the board to match. I loved how they turned out!

 Overall, party #1 was a success!

Signing off,
Your crafting goddesses

Welcome Pinterest Fans

If you read the description of this blog then you know what these entries are going to be about.  If you didn't, well shame on you, but since this is our first entry I will do a mini recap...

My 2 friends and I have been "pinning" on Pinterest like crazy.  If you don't know what Pinterest is, you need to crawl out from the rock you've been living under and get on it!  It's accessed through an invite only process, so ask around (or us).  Well, we didn't want to be those people who just pinned things and never tried any of them out, so we started these "Pinning Parties".  We are starting off small just so it's easier to organize and buy things, but we are always willing to open it up to more people. 

We have our parties weekly and different houses.  Each person is in charge of bringing something of their boards.  Whomever host the party is in charge of the main dish.  Typically, we have been meeting at lunch because it's easier.  Then someone can choose an appetizer or a dessert they have pinned.  The last person picks a craft or DIY project from their board.  The craft person has to bring all the supplies for everyone to try out the craft.  I should also interject and let you know that we all work in the school setting, which is why we have the ability to meet once a week for a long lunch.  We've already talked about what we'll do when the school year hits us (literally) and have decided to meet once a month.  There are too many cute holiday crafts to pass up!

If you are Pinterest obsessed, like us, and you have some close friends who also shares your obsession, then I highly recommend this.  It has been so fun!  I great way to gather, gab, and craft away.

Some of us (AKA Deanna) have been trying a lot of solo projects as well, so there may also be individual posts on here as well.  Anything that has to do with "Pinning" I say!  If you want to follow any of us on Pinterest you can click on the links on the left. 

Enjoy!

The Team from Pinterest Obsessed (not a real organization btw)