Pinterest Review

I don't know about you, but I have an addiction to Pinterest.  It's become one of those sites that I must check regularly, right up there with email, and it even bumped (gasp!) facebook.  I get so many great ideas from this site and I've tried a bunch of them, from recipes to crafts and I thought I would share a little review of those here.   

Source: thevintageapple.com via Christa on Pinterest

In case you're not on Pinterest yet (Don't do it! Total time suck!  But, you know you want to!!!), here's an invite from me to you! Don't forget to follow my boards, I update all.the.time! (Click button below!)


I'll even introduce a crafty ratings scale from one to five scissors!
(based on ease yet high end result, time involved, and final result) 
(Bear with me, I'm avoiding writing my thesis!)

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Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

No-sew T-shirt scarf: Follow this link if the picture doesn't connect you right away.
I actually bought a cheapo red Tshirt at Target (where else?!) to make this and I love the scarf I ended up with!  Perfect for fall, light, comfy and just that extra little bit of warmth to get me to work in the morning.  Best of all, no sewing, just some easy and forgiving cutting! Rating: """

Kind of on a scarf kick here, fall was approaching. 

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

T-shirt yarn scarf: I made this using an old yellow Tshirt from the softball team I was on (that lasted all of three games!). While super easy, I wasn't as impressed by the final product.  Was it a scarf?  Was it a necklace?  Not really sure and so I never wear it. Rating: "

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

Maternity-friendly Maxi Skirt: I've been following this blog for a while now, simply because I am so impressed with the garments she makes, not thinking that I could ever make something for myself.  Kids clothes are easy, they can be loose and cute.  Women's clothing needs to fit.  However, when she posted the tutorial for the maxi skirt that would be perfect for a maternity skirt, I had to give it a try.  I have to say that I love it!  I made it in a royal blue fabric and have worn it many times.  I did make it a little big for my current belly, but we know that's going to grow so no concerns there!  This blogger is holding a link up at the end of this month of all the maxi's we have all made and I will be linking up mine there.  This did take some know-how, especially since it was sewing with jersey knit, so I can't give it the full rating I would like to give.  Rating: """"

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

Austumn Veggie and Rice meal: My mouth is watering just looking at this picture!  This was so good!  In full disclosure, when I made it, my rice wasn't instant and it was still, um, crunchy, but that didn't hold me (or hubs) back from eating left overs!  And, right now, any food that makes me hungy is good in my book.  Even better, this was an easy, one pan dish.  More please!
Rating: """""

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole: Made this on our hiking trip for the last morning.  The morning we all leave is usually filled with stripping beds, laundry, cleaning, packing and little time for a wholesome breakfast.  Mission accomplished, everyone liked it and said it was great.  I wouldn't know.  I was so nauseous that morning, I couldn't eat a thing!  Too bad for me.  Rating: """


BTW, I'm starting to notice a lot of these are foods. :)

Source: chichoskitchen.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Hasselback Potatoes: These were delicious!  Since my mom was pregnant with my sister, 26 years ago, I have hated baked potatoes and only recently have I wanted them again, but they take so long to bake!  These were only a minor improvement in the time department, but the taste was so good!  Layered with garlic, salt and pepper, topped with cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  Mmm-mmm!  Yum! Rating: """"

Source: asmallsnippet.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Spicy Thai Noodles: Ok, so I made this one last night.  While my first attempt at making the sauce burned, the second worked well and it was amazing!  So absolutely yummy!  I added a lot more carrots, cilantro, and green onion than the recipe called for to make it a little more veggie-full.  I also limited the red pepper to one tablespoon. B and I love spicy food and even with just one tablespoon there was plenty of heat!  So good! Rating: """"

Source: None via JJ on Pinterest

Crocheted rug out of sheets: I have a weird thing about sheets.  If they're wrinkly, I need to fix them regardless of what time it is.  My poor hubby has been woken up in the wee hours of the morning by me fixing the sheets.  Anyways, my favorite set that NEVER wrinkled ripped and I was devastated.  This project let me honor their contribution to my sanity by preserving them forever as a throw rug!  At first, I only ripped up the torn sheet since the top sheet was still intact.  However, it is currently only a small door mat size rug right now after using the entire fitted sheet.  I will go back and use the top sheet to finish this project.  For now, it keeps my feet comfy while I relax on the couch.  The drawbacks to this project are the length of time involved and there not really being a pattern, per se.  My rug was definitely getting a little ruffled on the edges.  However, there is a lot of flexibility and after stretching it out a bit and flattening it under the couch cushions, it is nice a flat.  This is still an ongoing project, hopefully one I will finish soon. Rating: """

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

Milk jug ghosts: These were a lot of fun once I got all the sticky labels off!  They look great lit up too!  Can't say they were free, I had to buy white Christmas lights and a Sharpie marker, but for that price, it's a great Halloween decoration! Rating: """"

Source: crochetspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Cozy, chunky, cowl: Doesn't this cowl look super warm and comfy?  I started this project as my contribution to the current Cowl-Along, hosted by Luvinthemommyhood.  I don't knit, so I haven't joined previously, but crocheters were specifically welcomed this time, so I jumped at the opportunity.  This project is super quick and actually really easy despite the "intermediate" skill rating listed with it.  Plus, it is a free pattern!  I've actually finished the rows called for in the pattern and its still a bit short, so I'm sure it's my clusters that are small, but I'll be adding a few more rows to the pattern.  I'm making this as a gift, but I will definitely have to make one for myself too!
Rating: """""

Coincidentally, I realized that I have ten reviews here!  I'll be linking this post up to the Tuesday Ten at Miss Mommy and Under the Table and Dreaming.  See the buttons below!

Halloween decor

Earlier this week, I gave some hints as to what I've been crafting on lately.  I had a surge of energy last night and this morning and got a ton done!  Actually, the surge of energy was more the fear of guests coming over tonight with my house a mess and no decorations up!  Haha! Nothing like a little motivation, huh?

Anyways, here are some of my decorations and beauties!

These are my standard, store bought decorations that I put up each year.  I got both of those Halloween cats for a total of $15 on Halloween day a bunch of years ago, marked down from $45 each!  Sweet!

This is what I've been working on:

My Halloween rag wreath!  Simply tied strips of black netting and orange and yellow fabric around an old grapevine wreath I had.  Love it!  I put it up with 3M Command Strips.  I hope it holds!

Milk jug ghosts!  I may make a few more of these, time (and milk consumption) permitting.  Lesson learned, use Sharpies, not T's washable markers!  The have white Christmas lights in the back of them so they light up at night - so cool! 

 

My piece-de-resistance!  I am in love with this!  Let's take a closer look, shall we?

I spray painted this awesome branch I found and an old clay pot with black glossy spray paint.  I found the paint in my basement from the previous owner and the pot and branch were free, total score!  Once dried, I inserted the branch into potting soil and wrapped black netting and sparkly orange tulle around the base.  I tied strips of orange fabric around some of the branches and the pot to add some color.  The s'mores guys were previously purchased.  I made mummies out of crepe paper and T.P. rolls.  I cut up paper towel rolls and wrapped felt around them, attached a handle and drew faces on them with a Sharpie.  The Frankensteins and Ghosts were totally inspired by this blogger, Kiki creates.  I love how it came out!  I hope my cats don't equally love it!  They tend to knock things over!

To top off my Halloween decoration morning, after I took our dog out one last time before work, I deposited his, um, "stuff" in our trash can only to be followed by a whole mess of scratching.  Upon closer inspection, there was a rat in our can!  Not just a rat mind you.  They get big around here, like R.O.U.S. big!  (Rodents of unusual size!)

It must not have liked me peeking at it cause it let out this unearthly shriek!  So of course I screamed, then our dog started howling.  Lovely.  Still grossed out!

Sweater refashion into: Boot Socks!

I love summer and I'm always a little sad when fall arrives and I have to say goodbye to hot humid days, long hours of sunshine, fresh local produce, and dreams of the ocean.  sigh.

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

(BTW, the above picture is of my favorite beach of all time.  If you're ever in the southern Massachusetts area, check out Horseneck Beach!)

Luckily for me, I love the promise of fall fashion!  Being able to bring out the sweaters and pants again makes me happy.  However, the one thing that I was most looking forward to wearing this fall was my knee high, flat brown boots.

I saw these on one of my favorite bloggers, Ms. Ashley of Little Miss Momma, and I absolutely had to have them!  I never regretted the money spent that's how awesome they are.

Spending some time on pinterest, I started loving the idea of these boot socks, but not the prices.  Seriously, $20+ for a pair of socks?

Source: freepeople.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: svpply.com via Melissa on Pinterest

But hey, I figured, I could just make my own!  A little old sweater refashion, shall we?  Get ready for my first ever tutorial!

I started off with this old grey turtleneck sweater that I just never wear any more.  It's a nice warm wool, but the neck always bothered me and I won't be needing anything that fitted for a while right?

Lucky for me, being 5'1", the length of the arms on my sweater were the perfect length of my legs!  I determined how long I needed them to be by just sticking my legs into the arms!  I'm sure for the majority of you out there who are at least six inches taller than me, a larger size sweater than you normally wear from a thrift store would do just fine.
For me, I cut off the sleeves just at the lowest point of where the sleeve attaches to the body of the sweater.

This next part gets tricky, so bear with me.

I took each sleeve, wrist end down and stuck my legs in toe first.

That's it!

Now I have these adorable sweater-y boot leg warmers to wear all fall and maybe into the winter!

(don't mind the horrible laminate floor in the pictures above, I'm in lab.  Obviously I'm getting a ton of work done on my thesis and my experiments right now.  haha.)

So, I will admit that it would probably be best to do some finishing on the cut end of the sweater sleeves.  If I had a serger, I would probably do that in a cute contrasting color - but I don't.  (still watching craigslist for a cheap one in my area!)  Or, if I had some elastic thread, I would probably use that to give the cut end some elasticity.  I'll figure it out.  In the meantime, these are adorable and free and done in less than two minutes!  Enjoy!

Panic button!

Ok, ok, I know.  My posts have been a bit fewer these days.  Between my sister actually requesting more blog updates and the new tab screen on Internet Explorer saying that blogger has been "less active", I've received the message, loud and clear!

The thing is, I've actually spent a great deal of time writing lately, my thesis that is!  I am aspiring to graduate this December, defending my thesis on December 2nd.  That's the plan and what I've been working towards ever since I found out my boss was leaving the university and I had better get my act in gear.  All along, I've been thinking "December, I have time.  December, I have time..."  Last week, B said to me, "Are you going to be able to finish in two months?"  Two months, who was he kidding, I had until December!  Except that it was the end of September and I'm defending on the second day of December, so really, yeah, two months.

(Here's where I go into a spiral of panic!)

I've been working on the same three experiments/goals since July with limited success.  I've finally finished my first author paper manuscript and got that off my to do list, now my actual thesis is looming in front of me (all while trying to finish those same three experiments).  ARRRGGGHHH!

So, I apologize if I haven't updated more, but between being nauseous (and throwing up in the morning), researching, reading and writing for my thesis, and trying to get these last darn experiments to work when everything in the world of research that can go wrong will, I just haven't been able to do many blog updates.  (Seriously, between cell contamination, my incubator breaking, and my supplies being back ordered, what else can go wrong?  No.  Wait.  I'd rather not find out, thank-you-very-much.)

I have found some time to do some crafting.  I'll try to write some updates about those very soon.  Here are some hints, courtesy of pinterest (are you following me there yet?  check it out! http://pinterest.com/melissa_w_hayes)

Source: makingmemorieswithyourkids.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: kikicreates.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I'm also doing some custom dresses for a friend for their annual family photo shoot.  The material just came in this weekend and is waiting to be washed.  Their two adorable girls will be wearing pillowcase dresses in these fabrics:

So that's the update.  I'm about to get waist deep in the exciting details of the "inflammasome".  If you're interested, maybe I'll write a post about what I actually research.  Since you're probably not interested, I'll write some updates about my craft projects very soon.  Pinky swear!

The Sickies

If you're a regular, you saw how my day went from gloom to glory on Thursday.  Then things took a turn for the worse.  Miss T got sick and B had to go back to his meeting.  T had a fever and was cranky, whiny, and clingy all day and I just had to get stuff done at work.  Luckily, my hero, Colleen came to our rescue for a few hours and with mere minutes to spare, I was able to finish what I needed to do and come home.  Just before I got home, I received this picture of my babe:

Now my child is not the kind to just fall asleep anywhere; rarely in her carseat, almost never outside of her crib.  For her to have fallen asleep on the couch told me she was really, really sick.  Sure enough, her temp was 102.5F.  Poor thing.  We spent the next two days on the couch watching Sesame Street.  Despite my own nausea and urges to be sick, I stayed by her hot little side.  The sweet girl that she is, she kept trying to be happy and be interested in things, but you could tell just how miserable she was.

We did do some little crafts to take breaks from TV.  We made welcome home cards for B inspired by our (really, my) favorite night-night book "Guess How Much I Love You", and I finally got around to making something with her seashells and pebbles from the beach this summer.

Saturday night, she was still on fire, but was clearly feeling better.  I could only hope that the next day, her fever would be gone.  This little girl happily appeared Sunday morning!

Just look at those pigtails!  Those were her first!  And, yes, she picked out the Ugg-like boots.  This girl loves shoes and I love letting her choose her footwear every day.  Sometimes I nix her choices, like flip-flops on a cold rainy day, but most of the time, she does a pretty decent job!  I'm so glad she's better.  I knew to expect the sickies now that she's in daycare, but its just such a horrible helpless feeling to know you can't do anything to make your child better.  Ah, well, all is back to normal.  B is home, T is in daycare, and I'm back at work.  I'll leave you with one last close up of those piggie tails!  Love them!

p.s. Don't mind the blur, all pics taken with my iPhone!
p.p.s She became sooo attached to her minky and binky while sick, it will take us days to break her of it!

Free Dress Patterns/Tutorials

I mentioned last month in my Tuesday Ten round up, that I was working on party dresses for the girls.  Well, I finished Miss T's dress this week and thought I would share.  This dress was made possible by the lovely, talented Lindsay Wilkes at The Cottage Home.  I absolutely love how it came out!  The skirt is full and twirly.  The sash is satiny sweet.  Miss T seemed comfortable in it too!  It made me think that this dress pattern could be used for a number of occasions: flower girl, birthday party, holidays.  I can see it in all sorts of fabrics too, cottons, satin, taffeta, jersey knit.  Maybe, just maybe, this dress will make an appearance in my shop.  Hmmm.  For now, here are pics of T.  I need to get to work on K's!

I love, love, LOVE that there are so many free dress patterns and tutorials out there for everything from cutesy pie baby girl dresses to gorgeous sophisticated women's dresses (as well as shirts, skirts, you name it!). I'm so inspired to try and make something for myself. However, I am reminded of that summer when my roommates and I thought it would be super easy to make ourselves skirts (it's just a tube of fabric, right? oh, so wrong.). That was a glorious FAIL! I think for now, I'll stick to girl's clothes and maybe some boys stuff too.
Although, some lovely ladies have gone to a great deal of work to compile lists of free patterns and tutorials for a gal just like myself, looking for a challenge.  The extensive compilation at Think Liz is just amazing!  And then there's the lists that Luvinthemommyhood have put together, even a collection of maternity DIYs!  iCandy is running a series called "fun in the sun dress" where a new tutorial is posted everyday!  Everythingetsy.com has a post of 101 Sewing Tutorials for Summer.  I can't forget about Prudent Baby.  My lovely sister attracted my attention to this blog and I will love her forever for it!  They have a couple of posts, "25 Free Dress Tutorials for Baby and Toddler", and "25 of the Cutest and Coolest Free Tutorials for Boys Clothing".

Now, if only I could find the time to try out the bazillions of patterns and ideas swimming around my head right now!

Ruffle Bottom Romper

The Mr. got away with some friends for some much needed man time.

Poor guy, with me and Miss T, he's surrounded by pink all. the. time!

Anyways, since I don't know how to just sit and relax, I made good use of my time and tried out a new pattern that I recently purchased from Ms. Lizard King.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE her patterns!!

This one was a bit of a challenge for me, but sooo worth the extra work!  Check it out:

So cute, right?  I mean how cute is this ruffle bum?

Can you just imagine how cute this would look on an adorable, blond haired, blued eyed, nearly 14 month old?  Well, you don't have to wonder anymore!

So, what do you think?  Isn't this just the cutest?

I'm thinking about offering these on my etsy shop.  Now, for a name...

Ruffle Bottom Romper

Ruffle Bum Sun Suit

Ruffly CUTENESS!

OK, so I'm not the best with names, can ya help a girl out?