Uh NO, Pinterest. {Clothing}

First and foremost, I need 4 more followers on Pinterest to hit 1,000. FOUR MORE, y’all. Which ones of y’all are going to be those 5? You KNOW you want to follow me on Pinterest and see what crazy stuff I pin on my Uh NO board. Oh, and you know, those other 105 boards I have.

Let’s address this. Would you just suffocate if you did place it over your face and mouth? Think about what size bra you wear, then just plan to die either way. It’s on rethinksurvival.com. Yeah, I’ll rethink survival at that point.

Some things do NOT need to be pinned. I’m sure on the RIGHT person, this cardigan would be pretty cute and not pair with an old denim shirt. AND quite possibly that RIGHT person would consider wearing a bra. Before you ask, I did actually go look at this Etsy shop. Not a single picture or item is this “model” wearing a bra. I’m NOT EVEN KIDDING! Its a shop out of Solvenia. Do they now wear or sell bras there?? Also, lets address the belly button. UNACCEPTABLE.

I’m obviously not the only one that thinks these are ridiculous. These were pinned from ugly-sweater.blogspot.com. Not a sweater, but they are knitted or crocheted shorts (for men OR women). Even worse? I have 2 pair pinned. TWO pair! How many pairs of these ugly things are there? Wait, I don’t want to know.

First, how exactly is lace going to prevent “chub rub”? I’m thinking the lace would be like creating a fire between your legs. Maybe that’s just me. Secondly, lets discuss the model’s legs. Do they really think we believe that chick has an issue with her thighs rubbing together?? You’re right. She doesn’t.

We Texas girls love a good pair of flip flops. A GOOD pair of flip flops, not these things. I’m guilty of having a flip flop tan line. Why? Well because I wear flip flops year round. Can you imagine the awful tan lines you get from these? No, don’t imagine.

I need to give you something – the definition of fancy. Fancy – elaborate in structure or decoration. These things maybe elaborate in structure, but sweet Jesus, who is going to wear this? When did YARN become fancy to wear on your ears? Or drinking straws? I guess after a long night of clubbin’, when you stop by Whataburger and they forget to give you a straw for your drink you can just pop one off your ear.

Please don’t pin stuff that is absolutely ridiculous, or do if you want to be featured on Uh NO. It’s up to you. This was just a “clothing” edition. Apparently I went through a pinning phase of awful clothing items. Don’t worry, I have PLENTY more where these came from.

Tarah’s Haven Conference Recap

….because I KNOW you want to know what I thought. It’s been a week since we got back from Haven. Yeah, it took that long for me gather all the wonderful thoughts and ideas in my head.

I bring you Tarah’s Haven Conference Recap!

Where to start? How about the night before we caught the OBNOXIOUSLY early flight at 6:15AM. Yes, I said 6:15. Heather, Sars and I decided to stay at a hotel the night before and catch a cab. Heather and I ordered pizza and enjoyed a little relaxation (with the temperature down to 62, not kidding!) and TV. We found “Dirty Dancing” on a channel and settled in. Who doesn’t love “Dirty Dancing”? Except one person that I know. She’s crazy. Nobody puts baby in the corner. We also found ourselves watching “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” while packing up to leave Atlanta. Actually, we watched the end of it, then the beginning of it. Isn’t that the way you’re supposed to watch movies?

Once we arrived in Atlanta, which was NOT hot by the way, we stupidly walked through the whole airport. I don’t know why we didn’t remember to take the silly train to get our luggage. We hate the Atlanta airport, by the way.

I have two points that go together. First, the parties. Oh, the parties …and putting yourself out there.

After registration there was a fabulous cocktail party on the terrace of the hotel. Many attendees gathered in the lobby area. Heather and I met up with Jessica at Gourley Girl and Guy and Melody at My Passion for Decor. We sat around and chatted for a while. They decided to freshen up for the cocktail party. We then met Paula at Sweet Pea. She might have been more shy and timid than I ever thought I was! She was super sweet. I saw her every day after and she was with a new friend EVERY time. I was so proud of her for putting herself out there. You go girl!

Something I’ve learned both years: ALWAYS go to these parties/gatherings. You absolutely never know who you’ll meet, and you may never know what you might receive or get from the party hosts! The Ryobi guys started walking around the party with flashlights and giving them to whoever was following them on Instagram.

Before you ask, yes, we all have drinks in our hands. We just had to walk across the street, so there was no driving either. We’re good girls.

Last year, we attended the first little cocktail party and then we stayed and ate together every night after. This year was completely different. We had dinner with a huge group of ladies the first night (Mexican in Atlanta, yeah, I know. I KNOW!), then Ryobi gave a party at the Intercontinental Hotel the next evening (with food and drinks, drinks and more drinks), and the last night we had a quaint little dinner at FarmBurger. We met so many new people, it was truly awesome! I’ve never been so open to making new friends.

The ladies on the Haven team did a great job on creating the sessions for the attendees. It was so hard to choose which ones to go to. I ended up enjoying the design sessions and 2 blogging sessions. I learned mass quantities of information in all of them. Like last year, I came home inspired to do so much, and I have. Again, this year, I left feeling inspired, but inspired on a whole other level. It’s a great feeling, yet overwhelming! I want to do so much more in both DIY/decorating and for our little blog. I learned so many new blogging ideas, especially in New Kids on the Block: 15 Fundamentals – that was taught by Tauni at Snap!, KariAnne at Thistlewood Farm and Heather at At the Picket Fence.

When we checked in for the conference, we got this awesome tote from Ballard full of goodies. Its so nice of all the companies to just freely give us some fabulous products to try. I can’t thank the team enough for all they did for us.

So THIS picture. This picture. THIS picture was sent to me with the words “Suck it, Tarah”

The story goes – Heather and I participate in Google+ Hangouts. For y’all non blogging people, it’s like video chatting/Skype. One of the Google Hangouts included Beckie at Infarrantly Creative, Brooke at All Things Thrifty and Court at The Blog Builders. I made mention that I thought Court was pretty darn cute. Fast forward to Haven. Last year at Haven, Heather found Leslie, better known as The Bearded Iris, and chatted with her about one of her blog posts and how a friend tried it. Said friend was in the same session and Heather introduced Leslie to her. The blog post was HILARIOUS. Anyhow, Heather made sure to let Brooke (All Things Thrifty, also Court’s sister) how her friend “that’s in another session thinks Court is SOOOO cute”. I most definitely laughed! Was I embarrassed? Nope. He’s totally cute! Right?

(ETA: I think he’s cute too, but Tarah was a good excuse! Thanks for taking the picture, Brooke! – Heather)

Quick decor project

Y’all, I whipped up a quick decor project. I have a frame addiction. I always pick up an unwanted frame or 2 when I’m out thrifting. I found a good one at Goodwill. It retailed for $30 (the sticker was still on the back), but I scooped it up for $5.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this particular frame. I ran to HobLob one night and grabbed my last name initial. In case you live under a rock and haven’t been in HobLob (or even JoAnn Fabric), they have an aisle that has wood pieces. The letters come in different sizes and a few different fonts in MDF. I also stole used some burlap we had left from my best friend’s wedding.

Ignore the Sharpies. I never ended up using them, but I had good intentions! I also painted the “H” in a completely different step. 🙂

First, can I point out my BEAUTIFUL wedding ring set? They’re so sparkly and distracting. In October, we will celebrate 10 years of wedded bliss and I still love my rings. Oh, and I guess the boy who gave them to me. Okay, back to the point of the picture. See the awful white background behind the burlap. It looks terrible and cheap. With a little thought (and a run to the craft room with my little 2 yo assistant), I found something to help take the terrible and cheap away! And yet, another leftover item from the BFF’s wedding – brown paper bag colored cardstock. Also, grabbed my hot glue gun. If you can’t do a project without a glue gun, then we just don’t need to do it.

This may have been one of the quickest and easiest projects I’ve done in a while. I even had a small handicap with a 2 year old who thought she needed to help out. I think it took more time to tell her “no” to the glue gun then it did to put it all together. This project could be an easy Christmas gift or house warming gift. Since last name initials have become so trendy, it would be perfect for even a wedding gift.

The mantel will not be it’s permanent home, but it looks good there for the moment. I do love how all the textures work together in this simple little vignette. I’m pretty sure my mantel is my favorite place to decorate in my house. It comes so easy for me.

 

I can paint!

I’m still alive in case anyone was wondering. When I said I was going to write a blog post, my husband sarcastically said “Oh, you still do that?” He’s a funny guy.

A few months ago my friend, Melissa, sent me a picture of her guest room bedding and asked if I could paint her something to coordinate with it. Of course I could. I can paint!I finally got started on it and went to town. I’ll be honest, it changed a few times. I was just going to replicate the bedding, then I decided against that. I made a trip to one of my favorite stores, Hob Lob and picked up the supplies. Some craft paint, brushes and a canvas .. or 3 like I did.

You can see some polka dots that I painted over because I didn’t like them. And I just noticed the below picture is upside down. Awesome. From this point, you’ll be able to see the changes I made as I was painting.
At the last minute I grabbed some burlap and buttons. Also, around the edges of the canvas I finished it with burlap ribbon. I did 3 canvases because I thought it would look cool. I hope when she hangs them, she spreads them out a little.

I’m hoping to get a quick project done to show y’all. I have an itch to decorate above my couch and this little project I’m thinking of will go perfectly with what I have in mind.

Pin there. Done that. {It really does work!}

I know, it’s a been awhile since there was a Pin there. Done that. If you’re a new reader, welcome! Pin there. done that. is very simple. I find a pin on awesome Pinterest and recreate it my way. I’ve combined a few pins to make one, failed at painting while recreating a pin, and then the one time, what had happen was … I nearly killed my husband. You can call that last one a fail or a win, depending on the day.

Do you ever pin something on Pinterest and think “I wonder if that really works”. I have an Interesting Ideas board with some pins that I often wonder if they work.

Last week when I spent hours and hours outside in the garage (with both doors up), I needed some tunes. A few weeks ago I upgraded my phone but didn’t think anything of it. That is until I went to plug my phone into a little iDeck. Yeah, I bought it years ago and up until the iPhone 5, it worked for everything. Dang you, Apple, for changing the charger cord. I had to improvise. I knew I had pinned something that could “blast” my music for me. I mean, I really needed to get my Pitbull fix (and obviously Kelly Clarkson).

 

Do you have a board like this on Pinterest? Have you tried any of the “interesting ideas” that you’ve pinned?

Pretty! Purple!

The long awaited “AWESOME” post I was going to do on Friday. My child is now feeling much better and I have found time (at 10pm while watching the Rangers FINALLY WIN in a week). Last week we were childless. The kids went for a visit to the grandparents and I had a list a mile long of projects to get done. I had some furniture piling up in the garage (my $20 Craigslist find, my dumpster dive and a free dresser from a friend). I started off Monday morning with a list, some money and some paint colors in my mind.

Which piece did I want to start with first? Well, since I am planning on reselling the Craigslist find and the dumpster dive find, I started with the piece that was staying in my house – the dresser.

I desperately wanted a purple. Not just any purple, a deep purple. In case you don’t know, none of our favorite paints that we mention continuously have a deep purple. I took to Pinterest and found a “recipe” to make something similar with non-sanded grout and latex paint. I can report back that it worked wonderfully.

Before putting the paint on, I did do a light sanding on the dresser because of the finish it had. I wanted that paint to stick. It most definitely stuck, 2 coats of it. 2 coats = 2 cups worth of paint. I only bought a quart to begin with because I don’t need a whole gallon of purple paint. Want a gallon? Yes. Need? Not so much.

After the 2 coats dried, I moved onto the wax. I stopped by a local retailer and picked up some Maison Blanche dark antique wax.

I’m not a very good “waxer”. It definitely requires a skill set and I’m getting there.

While I waited for the wax to set and “cure”, I decided what I wanted to do with the hardware. I was sure I wanted a dramatic look for this dresser. I went to my paint shelf to check out my spray paint collection. Aqua, bright chrome and purple just weren’t going to work, but the can of black spray paint that wasn’t even half-full. I was quite hopeful it would be enough. I was wrong. A text with a picture to the husband asking nicely for another can of black paint, and viola! I was the proud owner of a full can of spray paint.

After the black dried, I just topped it with a clear protective coat. I may or may not have missed a spot on one piece of hardware that I didn’t see until I was completely done.

Now, with the furniture refinishes I’ve done, I always find that there’s something I did wrong or that I don’t like. This piece though. This piece I absolutely LOVE. LOVE!

How could you NOT love that? Its beautiful and definitely perfect for the dramatic “big girl” room that I have planned in my head for Savannah. I sent a picture of it to Heather and her reply “Pretty! Purple!” which was the inspiration of the title. 🙂

I linked up with Project Inspire{d}!

 

I linked up with Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Feature Friday!

Vintage babydoll crib

WHAT IS THIS? Well, it is the vintage babydoll crib I used for my baby dolls when I was younger. What you don’t see, that I apparently forgot to take a picture of — an ugly bass fish sticker on the other side. This little piece of history is going to be used by my daughter but not before it’s had a little facelift makeover. It’s in need of one, don’t you think?

Purple is my favorite color. As you can see, I’m trying the force my love for purple on my child. Its what every good mom should do. I had this purple paint left over from painting her nursery at our last home. I’m going to start planning her “big girl” room soon, so I just decided to use this paint on small stuff.

After covering up the little bear and ugly bass fish, I felt that the ends needed something. Luckily, Heather thinks ahead and brought her stencil set from Royal Design Studio that she used on her Barcelona Orange dresser for her craft room. I just took some acrylic paints that I brought with me to the Pinterest Party. (If you go to our April Pinterest Party, you’ll see this pretty little makeover in the front. At least half of the makeover)

I know. You don’t have to say anything. It’s ugly. And most definitely does NOT go with the pretty purple crib. Time to fix it.

As our Facebook “likers” heard yesterday, I did something with fabric. You know, the person that doesn’t want to sew or do anything with fabric. I totally tried it. I left the ugly fabric on because I needed the thickness. However, it wasn’t enough so I had to add something else so that the staples from the staple gun wouldn’t go through.

Enter piece of cardboard. Yes, I totally used cardboard. Don’t judge. You work with what you got.

Please notice this piece of “wood” looks like it was a piece of 1970s paneling. See the little crease to the right side.

 Look at that perfect corner and use of staples with the staple gun. Its almost like a hospital corner. Yes, I do make the beds with hospital corners WHEN they get made, which I’ll admit isn’t often enough.

 

I chose a duck cloth to use for it’s durability. It is going to be used by a child and hopefully she’ll be able to pass it on to her children. Maybe she’ll even want to make it over as well, but I’m sure paisley will still be in style, or back in style.

 

I most definitely like the after. It looks so cute. I’m sure that the baby dolls will love it, along with my children, who will probably end up sitting in it. (They tried it out while it was sitting in my craft room before the makeover.)

This was an easy fabric challenge for me. Just fabric and a staple gun, simple. I might venture into making some of those fabric flowers that Heather is addicted to making. I did see a cute wreath made with them.

What do you think? Did I do a good job with the fabric? Isn’t it cute?

Sweet potato-apple dish

We love sweet potatoes in our house. We especially love this sweet potato-apple dish. My mother-in-law started this dish, but I’ve changed it a bit. Her version has cranberries, and while I love cranberries, they aren’t always readily available. I normally just make it with the potatoes and apples, but this past few times I’ve added in the pecans. It’s like a nice fall evening in your mouth. (I even made myself laugh with that one)

I just wanted y’all to see my awesome photography and photo styling skills. Maybe I should start a new hobby.

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I know, I know. It’s not Tex-Mex or Mexican food. Pick your jaw up off the ground. 😉

 

 

 

 

Mother’s Day cleaning

I hope y’all had a great Mother’s Day! I had breakfast made for me, watched a movie with my 2 little boys, giggled with my sweet little girl and they gave me a beautiful new purse. It’s stunning and has purple accents! I love purple!

While I know most mothers relax on Mother’s Day, I suddenly felt the urge to do a “mother’s day cleaning” of the banisters of our stairs. I have been going up and down those stairs, noticing them getting dirtier and dirtier. I rarely have that “urge” so I ran with it. However, after going through the cleaning supplies, I found that I didn’t have any “all purpose cleaner”.

• spray bottle
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 2 TBSP dishwashing soap

Directions are very simple – mix it all together in the spray bottle. See, very simple.

I started cleaning with a paper towel, the graduated to a sponge and followed with a paper towel. Now, there’s a before and after picture. Don’t judge. Remember, I have 3 young children that go up and down these stairs at least 50 times a day.

I found a few “recipes” for this all purpose cleaner. I just went with the one I had all the ingredients for. Cottage Sweet Cottage is the one I chose to use. Big Box Detox also has one that’s similar. Any of these will work. I think it worked very well and I love my clean banisters

I finally used the white vinegar for what it SHOULD be used for instead of, I don’t know, plotting to seriously injure my husband.

Tex-Mex Chicken Salad

And again, with the Tex-Mex food. We clearly have an addiction to it.

I found this recipe at Weight Watchers. I did change my version. I never use fat free/reduced fat anything. They seem appealing but they only add in more stuff (typically sugar or sodium) to make the stuff taste decent enough to eat. Just don’t do it, use the real stuff. The original also never mentions exactly how you should eat it. A typical chicken salad you eat on bread. This Tex-Mex chicken salad (which we’ve had twice) is best on a bed of lettuce or salad mix.

Kids loved it, husband loved it and my parents loved it. My brother was on the fence even though he had two helpings. I’ll say it’s a winner.

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