Pinterest

So far I am enjoying Pinterest, although I don't think I have enough time in my life to do all that I want to.  Here are a few that I've done:

Tomato Basil Soup

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 - 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

1 - 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes

2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)

1 tsp of sea salt

1 tsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup of heavy cream

3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned

parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the crushed tomatoes.  Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up.  Add the juice from the whole tomatoes, as well.  Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar.  Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes.  

To finish, reduce the heat to low and stir in heavy cream and basil.  Serve topped with parmesan cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich.  Get the recipe for The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich here.

  

This turned out really well, I loved it!  I usually hate soup, but this was excellent!

Okay, I added too much salt, but it would've been perfect otherwise.

Well, thats really all I've done so far, but I pin more than recipes and crafts, also art and places I want to go, Pinterest just keeps it all in one place and I don't have to copy and paste it all here on my blog.

Crafty Wood Cutouts

http://craftywoodcutouts.com/

This store is now in Orem!  I'm so excited because I've been looking for crafts to do that would be easy to just paint or whatever.  The nearest wood store is in West Valley and I don't make it up that way very often.  This new store has some really cute things, I'm going to be checking it out soon, you should too!

Pinterest

Okay, so instead of putting my favorite craft ideas on this blog I think I will be using Pinterst.  If you want to check out my favorite crafts some more go check this out.  I will probably still post on here, but not as much. :)  Thank you!


http://pinterest.com/jenntedj/

"Stainless Steel" Appliances for $10? Yes, Please!

http://stillwaterstory.blogspot.com/2011/06/stainless-steel-appliances-for-10-yes.html



I had read mixed reviews of other bloggers using stainless steel spray paint....some people with success, and some people that claimed to utterly regret the decision. I weighed the pros/cons carefully, and in the end decided to go for it because: 

1) Our trash compactor is a small appliance - much smaller than spraying say, a fridge. I figured with less surface area, there is less room to mess up. 
2) The trash compactor is old and always looks dirty - no matter how many times it's been scrubbed down. In my eyes...a slightly imperfect paint job (that was clean looking, at least) would be an improvement to a dirty appliance.
3) All of our other appliances are stainless steel. The white trash compactor sticks out like a sore white thumb.
4) If all else fails and I botch the compactor up something fierce...well, it can be replaced. It is an older appliance - probably going on 10 years, now...at some point, we were bound to replace it. Why not spend the $10 on spray paint first to see if we can give the ole' compactor a face lift that will buy us a few years?? And lastly.....
5) My Mom, the mecca of all crafty, DIY projects, had sprayed my younger brother's appliances stainless in his first apartment and said it was a piece of cake....and she had tackled the big boys - fridge, dishwasher, etc. Even though I had read mixed reviews online, getting in-person feedback from a highly trusted source gave me the last bit of reassurance I needed to get in the rink with a measly little trash compactor.

I really wish I had taken more pictures of the icky white "before" trash compactor to show off the extreme difference in the before/after shots below...but I just couldn't bring myself to photograph that thing up close and personal when it was in our house. So, here are the best "before" pictures I have - with glimpses of the original compactor:

Compactor is in the bottom left corner...

Here are the afters:

Is my "new" compactor perfect looking? No. Would I do it again, though? YES! For an hour or so of my time and for $10, I am beyond pleased with the results. 

Here are my tips for spraying appliances stainless steel:

* Clean your appliance! Get it as clean as possible so you have a nice, even surface to work with. Make sure you dry it thoroughly, too.
* If possible, move your appliance outside. Not only will this help to dissipate spray paint fumes, but you won't have to worry about carefully covering up your kitchen floor, counters, cabinets, etc. 
* If you aren't an experienced spray painter, practice on something else first! Grab some cardboard boxes - anything! Practice until you're comfortable.
* Spray in even, thin coats. Multiple thin coats will always look better than one heavy, goopy coat.
* Buy extra spray paint. I thought I could get away with only one $3.99 can....then halfway through my paint job I had to make a second run to Wally World to pick up two more cans. In reality, I probably should have bought at least three more. 
* Consider buying a spray gun handle. I actually don't have one of these (yet), but my carpenter brother in law suggested I get one...especially for a job like this. A spray gun handle is inexpensive and would make the job much easier on your hands. Here is one for under 4 bucks.
* Use a paint brand you trust. This is not an area to try and save a buck or two. If possible, go with a product brand you're familiar with, or ask a salesperson for a recommendation if you're a novice sprayer. I went with my old standby, Krylon stainless steel....Walmart sells it for $3.99.
* Let your appliance fully dry before moving it back inside - follow the drying time recommendation on your spray can.
* Make sure you get the entire area covered. I even sprayed inside the trash compactor; if I hadn't, you'd see the original white every time you opened the door. Who wants that?!?

Cleaning Green

http://womenwhodoitall.blogspot.com/2011/07/green-cleaning.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WomenWhoDoItAll+%28Women+Who+Do+It+All%29

Hi, I'm Paige from The Crunchy Mamacita and I'm so excited to be the bi-weekly green living contributor here at Women Who Do It All! There are so many ideas I want to share but today we are going to start things off with green cleaning. Over the past couple of years I've tried hard to green up my home. I've ditched the traditional toxic cleaning products for greener versions like Earth Friendly Products and Seventh Generation. I feel like I could do better though. These products still require energy for manufacturing and transportation, not to mention the plastic bottles they are packaged in. So, I have vowed to start making my own cleaning products and I hope you will join me! These are some of the easiest cleaning recipes I have found.


Dishwashing detergent
1 part borax
1 part baking soda
Mix the ingredients together in a container and use 2 tablespoons per load. Add a splash of white vinegar to the rinse chamber to prevent spots. Check out this cute gift idea!

Toilet cleaner
1/4 cup baking soda
1 cup vinegar
Mix ingredients, pour into toilet, let sit 5 minutes, then scrub with a brush.


All-purpose cleaner
1 part water
1 part vinegar
essential oil optional
Mix in a spray bottle and clean just about anything! To make glass cleaner just add one drop of dish soap or liquid castile soap but leave out the essential oil because it will cause streaks.


Furniture polish
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice or a several drops of lemon essential oil
Mix well and use to polish hardwood (spiders hate citrus so this is a good deterrent to use on your baseboards).


Carpet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
18 drops of essential oil
1 teaspoon liquid soap
Mix baking soda and essential oil. Mix in liquid soap until a creamy paste forms. Apply to spots on carpet, scrub and blot dry. I haven't tried this one yet but it seems to me like you might want to spray a little on it before you blot it up. Has anyone tried something similar??

Red, white and blue rice krispy treats

http://the-wilson-world.blogspot.com/2011/06/red-white-and-krispy-treats_30.html

Rice Krispy Treats are a favorite quick snack at our house, and nothing makes Rice Krispy Treats better than dressing them up for the holidays with a little bit of food coloring:)

To make Red, White, and Krispy Treats you will need to make three separate HALF batches of Rice Krispy Treats.

{1 1/2 tbsp of butter, 2 cups of marshmallows, & 3 cups of Rice Krispies}

You also need a 9x13 pan, a 9x9 pan, a star shaped cookie cutter , and red & blue food coloring.

Start each batch by melting down your butter and marshmallows. Leave one batch plain...

...add a little bit of blue food coloring to one batch....

...and a little bit of red food coloring to the other.

Make the blue batch of Rice Krispy Treats first and put them into the 9x9 pan that has been sprayed well with cooking spray.

Next make the red batch and add it into your 9X13 pan filling up only half of the pan.

Last make your batch of plain Rice Krispy Treats and add them into the 9X13 pan with the red treats.

Once the Rice Krispy Treats have cooled, turn them out of the pans onto a cutting surface.

Using a bread knife, cut the white and red into long strips about an inch wide. I ended up with 4 strips of each color.

Place your blue treats into the top left corner of the larger pan and estimate the size that you want it to be. Trim off the excess blue treats with your knife and then place your blue square of treats into the pan.

Starting at the bottom with a red strip of treats, add in the strips alternating red and white, ending with red. I used 4 strips of red and 3 strips of white. You will have to cut the top three or four pieces to fit into the pan next to the blue treats.

Use the star shaped cookie cutter to cut a few stars out of the leftover strip of plain Rice Krispy Treats, and then add them on top of the blue section of treats.

Even though there are a lot of steps, this is actually really easy to assemble...the hardest part was washing my pot between each batch:) I'm sure adults and kids alike will be really excited to see this fun patriotic treat on the dessert table for the 4th of July!

4th of July Bean Jar

http://www.makoodle.com/4th-of-july-decor-ideas/

Apothecary Jar Holiday Decor

I used red kidney beans, northern beans, and black beans to create my display.