mommypalooza™ ~ a daily dose of mommy mayhem.

How to create + upload a pin on Pinterest

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Have you fallen victim to the Pinterest craze yet?  I know many of us have and use it religiously to keep some of our favorite recipes, organizational tips, and even those favorite phrases + sayings that we want to remember.

But recently I've seen a boat-load of comments on my Twitter + Facebook streams about peeps feeling sort of "lost" on the site simply because they couldn't figure out how to "pin" something.  I'll agree that although the site still has a lot of room for improvements, I think it is pretty straightforward and can become such a great resource if you can figure out the best way to use it to your advantage.

So, here's my no-frills, simple tutorial on "pinning" on Pinterest.  I hope this is able to help some of you out there who are struggling with getting going on the site.  And while you're there, why not follow me on Pinterest?  I'd love to connect with you there!  Happy Pinning!

 1.  Once you login to the site from this link, you'll see something similar to this (bear in mind if you have zero pins you will see empty boards instead of ones with photos in them like in mine below):

 
2.   Click the "Add+" button in the upper right hand corner.  This will then show a new screen like this one:

3.  Click the "Add A Pin" option.  This type of pin will allow you add a website/url/video/pretty much anything online that you have a link for.

4.  You're then taken to an upload screen where you'll be prompted to enter the url (website address or link to) whatever it is you are wanting to pin.

5.  Copy and paste your link from its source into the box.  Or, alternatively you can simply type in the entire link / url of whatever it is you'd like to pin, like so:

6.  After putting in the link (either by pasting it in or typing it in manually), click the "Find Images" button and you'll get this new lovely on your screen: 

7.  Notice the link to your pin is still visible and now there may be an image associated with the link, which will appear on the left side of the box that opens up.  If you want to change the image or if there is no image that previews there, simply click "Next-->" to slide over to an alternate image.  Notice also that there is a default "board" associated with this pin.  In this case, it has defaulted to my "Get Organized" board.  There is also a small box below that which is where you can type in any description or special notes that you want associated with this pin.  I love this little text area.  I use it to remind myself of why I am pinning this in the first place or to make other random notes that correlate to my pin.  If you would like to change the default board that this pin is assigned to (e.g., instead of "Get Organized", I want this filed under something else), see #8 below.  If not, simply click the red "Pin It" button to complete saving your pin.

8.  To change the board that this pin will be filed under simply click the drop-down box and you will see all of your current boards.  Note that if you would like to start a new board category, you can simply start typing where the text "Create New Board" appears and then click "Create".  A new board will now be created with the title you just typed!  You'll then need to click the red "Pin It" button like in step 7 to complete saving your pin.

9.  And there it is!  Isn't she lovely?  After clicking "Pin It", you will be taken to the board where you've saved your pin and you'll be able to see it - along with all of your other related pins - instantly!

10.  Pat yourself on the back!  You're officially "on Pinterest"!!

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{FYI - the pin used in this example are free and beautiful printable lists and calendars from Life Made Lovely, which was a feature on my most recent {friday finds}.}

DIY: Camo bandana 2nd birthday t-shirt

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Today my baby Jacob is TWO!  Seriously?  Nu-uh?  Really?  Yep, he sure is.  Sigh.  Where's my little baby gone?  Even my older two kids are a bit disturbed that he's growing up so fast.  Last night as I was putting them to bed, they both started crying because they were suddenly realizing that Jacob's growing up before their very eyes.  Serioulsy, it was a weird experience for me to have been consoling them for something that they're guilty of doing themselves! 

They went on and on about how "cute he is" right now and how they "don't want him to get bigger because he's so cute right now."   They were crying their little eyes out and I had to remind them that that's exactly how I felt about them growing up, too.

Ok, but that's a whole other blog post.

I'd had this idea a while back, of taking an old bandana and using it to cut out a number (in this case "2") that I would then sew onto a plain t-shirt.  The problem is that I didn't have an old bandana.  Well, I do, but not one that I wanted to use for the t-shirt that ultimately Jacob would wear on his birthday. 

So, I took my craft store coupons and went to work.  I took this:

and made it into this:

And I am SO not a crafter or a seamstress so for me, this project was HUGE!

I simply took the camo bandana and sketched out the number "2" with chalk.  Yeah, I ended up messing up a few times but the chalk came off pretty easily with a damp washcloth and I was able to start over until I got just the look I wanted.

Then I cut it out, stitched it up with needle and thread, and voila!  It came out just perfect for that special someone:

I'm pretty stoked about this project because it came out so dern cute, yet was a steal to make!

$.35 - embroidery floss (you could just as easily use thread)

$.1.29 (after 40% off Michael's coupon) - packages of 8 embroidery needles (I needed these but if you use regular thread, a regular sewing needle is sufficient)

$1.79 - camo bandana

$1.97 - plain black toddler tee (after 40% off Hobby Lobby coupon)

Total including tax:  $5.87 = not too shabby!

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Pinecone project

This weekend I was able to spend some time with the kids doing a fun craft project in preparation for Thanksgiving.  Can I just say that Glue Dots are the best invention for crafters, ever??!!

Anyway, I got the idea for these Thankful Gobblers from a magazine (which I've already recycled and so, I can't remember the name of it), and I immediately knew I wanted to do this with the kids.  Aren't they cute?!

 

This craft is super simple, especially for those who are craft-challenged, like me.  It's simply a pinecone-turned-turkey with construction paper tail-feathers.  On each of them the kids wrote down one thing they are thankful for.

What we did first was take our pinecone and adorn it with a cute pom head, a set of googly eyes, and a construction paper beak.  All using Glue Dots, of course!

 

Then it was time to write in what we're thankful for and attach those strips of paper to the pinecone turkey.  And then, voila!  Turkeys complete.

 

The most fun part about this project was hearing all of the wonderful blessings that my kids are thankful for.  The three "thankfuls" Nathan settled on writing were "home, friends, & family".  William's "thankfuls" were "toys, brothers, & friends".  Their fun Thankful Gobblers are now the centerpiece on our kitchen table.

I kind of took the project a step further and thought these could be used as really cute place cards for your guests for Thanksgiving dinner, just by switching up the words on the tail feathers like this:

If you're looking for a fun and simple craft to do with the kids before next week's big feast, I hope you'll consider these "Thankful Gobblers"!   So cute and simple! 

Inspired? Yes.

 

I just registered for Jessica Sprague's FREE class, Inspiration Everywhere, that starts on November 29th.  I am so thrilled to be delving back into her classes!  She is amazing!

A while back I took another one of her free classes she was offering called Stories in Hand and I loved it because if forced me to savor each day and document it at that time.

Her latest class, Inspiration Everywhere, looks like it will focus on calling your inner creative soul out, which is something I am looking forward to.  I definitely think I am a creative person, but not when it comes to being crafty.  Ask me to create a blog, tagline, or some other marketing-type of work and I am all for it.  But, if you ask me to help make your holidays homemade, THAT I will need help for!

So, if you're looking for something fun to do for about a week and half that will indulge your creativity, I encourage you to give her class a try!  It is FREE to sign up for, after all.  You can link to it here or from the little badge I've put over on my middle-right sidebar.              -->

Spidery Halloween Wreath

I am so in love with my little Halloween wreath I picked up at World Market the other day.  First off, it's black - probably my most favorite color in home decor - and it's glittery!  What could be better for Halloween?

I brought it home and thought it needed just a bit more spookiness so I decided to throw my little plastic spiders on it from last year and voila!  The kids love it.  It's simple, spooky, and cool!

 
 

Closet Dividers. They Make Me Happy!

My two older boys share a room and a closet, so I've been wanting to come up with a way to separate my oldest son, Nathan's, school uniform clothing from his other clothing.  I knew I wanted it to have something to do with a closet divider/hanger of some sort.

So, I began researching if there were templates and what not already created before I decided to create my own.  I stumbled upon these over at Little Big and they were perfect!

I actually used these little 5 x 7 sheets of foam I had in my craft closet instead of cardstock and they turned out really nicely!

After printing and cutting out the template, I traced it onto the foam twice so I could stick each divider back-to-back with the peel back adhesive on each sheet.

 
Then, after cutting each piece out and placing them back-to-back, I took a few little foam letters I had and lined up each divider with how I wanted it labeled.  The letters had adhesive on back too which made it easy to just peel and stick!

Then I just repeated for two other hangers since I wanted one for "spirit wear" and "other".  Then, I just slid each hanger over the closet rod where I wanted them, and organized accordingly.  It was so super easy and my son absolutely LOVES how it's organized now! And, I must admit, so do I.

 
 
 

STRIKE!

So I blogged before about the cutest little book my kids got me for my birthday.  Today was the day for us to try out one of the cupcake designs.  And since my middle child, Will, is quite the bowling fantatic, we opted to try those first!  I am so proud of how cute they came out!

Suffice it to say the kids were "bowled over" with joy!  ♥

 

The Valentines: How to personalize boxed conversation hearts

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This year I opted to do something a little different with the kids rather than just buy them a box of valentine's to pass out to their friends.  It was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be and assembly was a cinch!

I've always loved the little conversation hearts for Valentine's day and so do the kids.  After scouring the internet and blogosphere for some ideas, I settled for these.

 

I think they came out cute and the kids had fun with them.  It was actually quite a simple project too.

First I had the kids draw out their special message.  They had to go over it a second time so that the crayon would be dark enough to show up.

Then I reduced the size of each image so that it was small enough to fit on the candy box, about 2 x 3 inches.  I then used Photoshop to place copies of the image on one document.

 Then it was time to trim each one down so they'd fit nicely on the box.  Then of course, it was glue stick time.

These were so super easy and fun! Can't wait to try them again next year!  I hope your Valentine's Day was super special!  ♥

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Giving Thanks: Kid-craftiness.

 

One of the most therapeutic {and messy} things we all do as moms with our kids is craft.  Now, I'm not talking your run-of-the-mill Saturday night scrapfest or knit-a-thon, but your everyday craft "projects" {as my kids call them} that are complete with glue and paint and other random stuff you've managed to salvage over time that kids now deem as craft-worthy.

Although I'm not a spur-of-the-moment  crafty person, I do enjoy making things.  I do NOT enjoy making a mess.  That has, of course, gone out the window though with two kids who don't understand that a dab of glue is not a puddle.  I like to plan my crafts out and make sure we have the necessary materials, accessories, etc., and prefer not to just wing it. That's the Type A in me but my kids have adapted well thus far. 

A couple of weeks ago we picked up a very cool {and very old} kids craft book at the library after N saw it referenced during an episode of Reading Rainbow.  Since then he's asked incessantly to make something from the book.  So this week I indulged him.  There was this one project in the book that he was just dying to make - egg faces.  I told him it was more of an Easter craft but he still wanted to do it.  Fine, I decided, but we were not going to use real eggs - too wasteful.  So I went digging around in the basement through our Easter decor bin and found our plastic eggs from last year {I also found the ones still in their packages I bought on clearance after Easter at PBK, but there was NO WAY I was going to use those!}. 

The craft was fun and afterwards the kids had a puppet show with their newly crafted egg faces.  So today I am thankful for kids who love to craft and the fact that I get to experience the wonderment, fun, and messiness of crafting, through their eyes.  I'm grateful that as their mom I am able to spend so much enjoyable time with them making things.  ♥

 

Create your own stories.

I am so psyched about a new class I just registered for over on Jessica's site. 

  Stories In Hand will not only be a cool inside look at Jessica's tips and techniques for preserving everyday life stories, but will also feature a fun and do-able project!  Oh, and did I mention it is completely FREE??!!!

Registration is going on now through November 8th so hop on over to JessicaSprague.com and register yourself NOW!

Here's an excerpt from the class page:

In class, we will learn:

>> Techniques for capturing memories from our own lives and from others

>> A cool system for capturing the stories happening in your life right now, AND for listing the stories you have yet to tell

>> Printable goodies that will make your “capture” system work, AND keep it cute! (you know we gotta keep it cute - there’s nothing in life that’s not better with a great design)

>> “Next steps” video tutorials for turning your stories into pages

>> Technologies you can use to help you gather your stories together with photos, video, your blog, or any other media you have that gives a peek into your life

>> And we will make a REALLY CUTE project! (You’ll find out the supply list when you register). You are not required to have Photoshop to complete the project.

I hope you'll consider registering and leave a comment if you'll be in the class with me!! ♥