a little how to

it's old news that i'm a pinning maniac. so when i had to come up with some fresh and innovative ideas to not only save money but to spiff up my classroom for my twenty-four six year olds, i turned to old reliable: pinterest.

rainbow-esque colored clothes pins!

 

now, there was a wonderful tutorial that i found and of course managed to botch up the directions and take probably twice as long. but here is what i found out worked best:

 

1. start off with generic clothes pins. i bought a bag of fifty at walmart for dirt cheap and bought a second bag just for good measure (i was making 25 at the time and two for each student. plus, always leave wiggle room for mistakes.)

 

i tried both the egg dyeing food coloring and the generic shur fine brand - the generic brand takes the gold medal. last, grab some old containers that you might not mind getting discolored.

 

 

2. bring just barely two cups of water (this measurement varies depending on how dark you want the color, less is definitely more) and 1/2 cup vinegar, and the food coloring of your choice, to a boil.

 

*food coloring drops vary. i put the drops in until i had a nice vibrant color. experiment and always start out with less. in the case of the orange and the green, do more of the lighter color (i.e. more yellow than red, more yellow than blue).

 

3.  put the amount of clothes pins you want this color in your containers.  i was making a set of two for five kids, so ten clothes pins in each container.

 

 

4.  pour the boiling mixture over the clothespins.  let this sit until the water begins to cool or until the clothes pins are the color that you prefer. CLOTHES PINS WILL DRY LIGHTER THAN WHAT THEY APPEAR AFTER REMOVING FROM THE DYE.

 

5. lay out paper towels and place clothes pins there to dry.  it took mine about a day to fully dry and i made sure that i switched them to the other side about half way through.

 

*the vinegar will oxidize the metal clip part. no worries, this just gives them that "vintage" look.  if you don't want this look you can pick up clothes dye packets to give it a nice, shiny metal finish. this diy gives a great explanation of the clothes dye packets:  raising oranges blog

 

now go and make yourself some pretty colored clothes pins!

happy saturday!



guest post >> favorites for fall.

Happy Thursday! M is currently up to her eyeballs in getting her classroom ready for her very first first grade class (so proud), so I'm taking over duties today. I'm sure you've seen me around here before, I'm Kera from Nugget On A Budget. Big sis to M. And sisters gotta support each others' blogs, ya know.

But boy do I have a treat for you today...everything I'm totally into regarding fall wear for moi and for baby girl. Pinterest-style.

Really, who's NOT ready to welcome in fall and leaves changing color and cooler weather? Exactly. So here are a few tidbits of style to make you wanna get your shop on.

For the Mama (with or without baby sidekick)

>> I'm pretty much obsessed with getting myself a great pair of boots and wearing them with everything. And infinity scarves. They dress up any outfit and you can get them at TJMaxx for $10.

                                                                                                                Source: blogging2fun7123.blogspot.com via Murphy on Pinterest

>> This layering combo and the awesome necklace just scream comfy-ness. Although S would have a hay-day with that thing. (Oh and minus the pregnant part...not ready for that just yet!)

                                                                                                                 Source: pinkpistachio.com via Melissa on Pinterest

>> There's the boots obsession again. I love them with the jean jacket and bulky warm scarf.

                                                                                                                      Source: fashionfreax.net via Emery on Pinterest

>> Isn't this blazer great? I love the lace touch. And I love anything with 3/4 sleeves. Not so into those '80s jeans though.

                                                                                                               Source: howtobestunning.blogspot.com via Emery on Pinterest

>> Everything about this outfit is perfect for a cool fall day out shopping or running errands. Boots, a must. Skinny jeans and big long cardigan, definitely. I usually don't wear bracelets or watches, but these can be worn with just about anything.

                                                                                                                Source: ohjoyy.info via Tristan on Pinterest

For the Little Lady

>> Probably the most adorable little girl outfit that I've come across in the past few days. I love the layering for fall and the bloomers + tights combo is just too much.

                                                                                                                                           Source: gap.com via LaFawn on Pinterest

>> I usually would never put S in an all denim outfit (I just feel all that jean material seems so uncomfortable for a baby)...but the stripes, ruffles, and bows make this too adorable.

                                                                                                                                    Source: zulily.com via Anesthasia on Pinterest

>> Classy mary-janes for a classy cutie. Best part? Can be worn with just about anything!

                                                                                                                                    Source: zara.com via Kera on Pinterest

>> My new favorite place for kids' clothing is Zara. They have absolutely lovely things for little girls. Including those shoes above and this dress (come on, how sweet is the detailing at the neck and that bitty belt?) and boots to match below. Now I just wish I could afford them!

                                                                                                                                        Source: zara.com via Kera on Pinterest

>> That dress with these boots and your little one will be the talk of the baby style world. 

                                                                                                                                             Source: zara.com via Kera on Pinterest

That's it! Hope you enjoyed and became just a little bit more excited to dress yourself (and maybe your little one) for this fall season. I don't do style posts very often over at my blog...I'm more into writing about my life and living it up with my baby girl. Like what you see? Stop on by, I always love meeting new friends :)

just keep pinning, just keep pinning

in preparation for the long awaited week before the first week of schools (a.k.a this week! holy cow i cannot believe it is here already!) i began pinning like a mad woman who was hopped up on wayyyyy too much caffeine. and when i say "like a mad woman who was hopped up on wayyyy too much caffeine", in actuality i mean, i was about five cups of coffee deep and/or was sleep deprived and just began pinning like my life depended on it. such is life.

now, i have way too many cool things that i tried out in my room and absolutely adored that i cannot wait to share with you. but, sigh, my tired little brain and my even more tired little body just can't get themselves to cooperate and put together a diy post.
but, i digress, you will indeed get some of these diy posts in the very near future. pinky promise. but in the mean time, you'll get some of my top favorite pins. and some sneak peaks tomorrow (fingers crossed) of what has been going on in my little old first grade classroom.
excited?

source: the first grade parade

cutest little newsletter/ source: tpt

pssttt...hint hint / source: mrs.phippen

source: miss a's kindergarten

 

source: peace love and learning

to follow more of my pins, check out my an apple a day pinboard by clicking on the nice little "p" button on my sidebar

it's like the world is speaking to me or something

i've learned to face the fact that i am an overthinker. an over-analyzer. a worry-wart if you will. "hello my name is m and i have a problem."

as i was driving home wednesday night from all of the hoopla of our countries birthday i got this funny feeling inside of me that made me embark in a conversation with God and thank him. for no particular reason, just two little words: thank you. just him and i, no need for explanation, because we both know how loaded those two little words are.

twenty seconds. i didn't know it was what i wanted, what i needed, but He knew. i think we all need a little more of those twenty seconds. they are the some of the most valuable seconds i've ever spent and some of the most life altering ones as well.



image source

pinned it, did it: summer punch

as we all know, pinterest is the next big thing compared to chocolate cake. okay, well not everyone knows this, but hey, i rank it pretty high up there on my list of pretty spectacular things.

so this weekend, with the holiday amidst us and the rising temperatures, oh and that fact that i am currently sitting on the deck at the beach, i decided, what better time then to try out something new that i most recently pinned (really, it is the last thing pinned on to my "mmm mmm good" pinboard).

Sarasota Lemonade

original source here

you can find the recipe for this little party in a cup right up there on the original source to the pin. i decided to switch out a few things (sierra mist for sprite) (powdered pink lemonade mix for the concentrate) and i used only one bottle of moscato because there were less people. what a perfect, and pretty, little drink to end a wonderful day with family in the sun.

happy friday and happy memorial day weekend!