Pinterest Challenge: Nail Art Edition

Image via Young House Love

 

It's that time again...it's Pinterest Challenge time! Hosted by Sherry of Young House Love, Katie of Bower Power, Megan from The Remodeled Life, and Michelle from Decor & The Dog in an effort to stop pinning and start doing. This marks my third time participating in the Pinterest Challenge! Looking back at my old projects I always seem to whip up something girly. I've done a bow clutch, a hair accessory organizer, and this go around I decided to try my hand (pun intended) at some nail art. My instinct is to write a disclaimer here (you know, about my DIY manicure shortcomings) but I won't.

 

Let me first share my Pinspiration. I found several beautiful and awesome nail ideas. My goal was to just do a little experimenting and maybe discover a new technique for doin' my nails at home. I thought this was very chic and looked very simple to do.

 

No link available. Sorry! : (

 

I loved all of the ideas below and you'll see glimpses of that pinky idea in the looks that I did.

Image via The  Berry (click on picture to follow the link)

 

These map nails are SUPER COOL! I didn't get to try it out but I will definitely have to do so very soon.  

 

Image via Need Supply Co. (click on picture to follow link) 

 

For my first attempt at some at-home nail art, I used the following colors: Loreal After Dark (navy), Loreal Not a Cloud in Sight (turquoise), and Nicole by OPI in The Next CEO (gold).

 

 

I used the navy as my main color, added one finger of turquoise for a pop of color and applied some gold triangles to the navy. To add the triangles, I taped them off with mailing labels  that I cut up like so...

 

 This is what the final product looked like. Thank you Instagram for being so forgiving because my manicure skills left much to be desired. I always end up with polish all over the place! So, I wore this around for a day and decided it wasn't my favorite look.

 

 

 I decided to lighten things up by using white polish and the same turquoise and gold color as before. I started with this...

 

 

Then, I added the little triangle detail and tried out the gold stone technique like my first inspiration piece showed with a piece of plastic wrap. I simply added a little gold polish to my ball of plastic wrap and dabbed it over the white nails.

 

 

So, my little DIY manicure was fun because I learned some new ways to add interest to my nails. On the other hand, I also came to the conclusion that...

A. I need longer nails

and

B.  I need some professional intervention to clean up my dry cuticles.

I think I"ll be gettin' on the sooner than later!

Do you have any nail wisdom to pass along to me?

 Any fave products to deal with dry cuticles?

 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to head over to Young House Love to see all of the amazing projects out there. You gotta love Pinterest Challenge day!

 

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Yellow and Gray Baby Shower

 

 

My sweet friend and colleague at school is expecting her first baby next month. This past week our Kindergarten team threw her a baby shower. It was so much fun to plan and I thought I'd share a few of the adorable details that our fabulous team came up with. Alyssa is using yellow and gray in her nursery so we decided to also use that as a color scheme for her shower. Let's take a look shall we...

These centerpieces were by far one of my favorite things and we were able to make them so easily. The yellow chevron paper is simply wrapping paper that we scored at TJ Maxx. We then put a piece of scrapbook paper around a mason jar with a wire bow. You can see the wire better in the above picture. We gathered some twigs (I'm obsessed with decorating with twigs) and put them into the jars. Here are a few shots of the centerpieces. I just couldn't stop taking pictures! I was using my phone so I'm sorry they are a little blurry.

 

 

The papers around the jars were a little game that we had available to play.We asked the guests to list songs that had the word, BABY!

 

 

We also decorated with this cute banner that we made out of scrapbook paper and hung with twine. I know it's hard to see but look at those adorable little footprints!!!

 

 

We wanted the guests to get a little crafty by decorating onsies for Alyssa's little bundle of joy. We hung varying sizes on a clothesline. We provided fabric scraps, paper templates, and iron-on "Wonder Under" to iron the fabric to the onsies. I wish I would have taken pictures of the finished products. They turned out super cute!

 

 

 

 

Finally, we made this advice book out of paint chips. We simply punched a hole in the deck and put a metal ring through it. We embellished the front with scrapbook paper and a title. We had everyone write Alyssa  and  her husband a message or advice as they become new parents.

 

 

 

I love working with such creative and wonderful people. It was a great shower. Congratulations, Alyssa and Andy! Can't wait to meet your little guy! 

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Liebster Award

I received a very nice surprise on Wednesday night as I was checking my blog for comments. My wonderful friend, Liz of My Life in Projects, nominated me and Inspired Adventures to receive the Liebster award. I feel soooooooooooooooo honored!

                                          

Liebster, in German, means endearing, valued, lovely, etc. This award is presented as a way to acknowledge up and coming bloggers and to help them be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments within design that is presented on their blog. It was so sweet of Liz to think of me and my blog as deserving of this award. Having a blog has been a wonderful way for me to engage in something that I absolutely love to do, which is write. It has also been a fun way for me to be more creative and to document the process of building our new home. Knowing that many of you enjoy reading my words is so encouraging and I appreciate all of you. So much, in fact, that I would love to know who you are. If you are a regular reader of Inspired Adventures, please take the time to follow my blog by clicking on the button in the right sidebar and/or subscribe to my posts. Thank you again for taking the time out of your day to care!

RULES FOR RECEIVING THE AWARD

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.

 3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.

4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award.

 5. No tag backs.

 

 11 FUN FACTS ABOUT ME

 1. I have a weird thing for trees. I think they are beautiful and amazing!

2. I would love to write full time but know that I would miss my students way too much (and I probably wouldn't be able to pay my bills). 

3. I would prefer to just eat snacks and desserts all day long. 

4. I used to be a clerk for the United States Postal Service. Working the front desk was quite an experience. "Would you like a book of stamps with that?" 

5. My husband, Aaron, and I met in high school. We have been together for 13 years. Cuh-razy! 

6. I played soccer my entire life but quit right before my senior year of high school. I miss it all of the time (and the legs I had when I played). 

7. I have the very cool job of being an inservice leader and teacher for the Ohio Writing Project. It is so much fun sharing my love of writing with other amazing teachers. 

8. I can be very insecure sometimes (and worry that people notice).

 9. I am from a big, Polish, Catholic family and I love every minute of it!

10. I am always running behind. Being on time was my New Year's resolution. It is not going well!

11. I sometimes sing songs that I make up as I go (I'm usually channeling my inner-Taylor Swift). I have passed this trait onto my daughter. : )

 11 ANSWERS TO 11 QUESTIONS FROM MY LIFE IN PROJECTS

1. What magazines, if any, do you subscribe to?

 
The only subscriptions that I've ever had were gifted to me and they were People, Fitness, and Parents. If I treat myself to a new magazine, I usually choose People, Real Simple, or Domino.
 

2. What made you decide to start a blog?

 
When I was on maternity leave, I felt like my brain was going to mush. I didn't know what to do with myself when my daughter was in school and my son was napping. I needed a "project" that was just for me and I that would motivate me to write.

3. When you aren't blogging, what's your favorite thing to do?

 
I love family dates with my husband and kids especially when we are exploring a new place.
 

4. What's your favorite room in your home?

 
Current house - my living room because it is where we spend all of our time.

New house - I have a feeling it is going to our be front porch. I can't wait to spend summer mornings out there with a cup of coffee and a good book.
 

5. Where is the one place you'd love to travel?

 
Italy for all of these reasons and more:

 

• To visit Reggio Emilia and learn more about their approach to early childhood education
• The wine and the food!
• Rome for the history
• The beaches
• Did I mention the wine and food?

6. What blog inspires you the most?

 
This is a difficult question and I don't think I can pick just one. I'll have to settle on the three that I always seem to be mentioning on my blog -- Young House Love, Housetweaking, and My Life in Projects.
 

7. When you go shopping for yourself, what's the first thing you buy?

 
Shoes or jewelry!
 

8. What's your favorite t.v. show?

 
I like t.v. a lot so this is a hard question. One of my favorites of all time was Gilmore Girls (I can't believe I'm admitting this). When I was on maternity leave, I watched the whole series in its entirety. After that, I started blogging! : )
 

9. If/when you go to Target, what area of the store do you spend the most time?

 
I give equal time to all of my favorite sections. Let me, instead, give you a rundown of the route that I take. First stop is the dollar bins, then the clearance accessories, then women's clothing (sometimes I must detour to the fitting room), shoes, baby section, home decor and organization, clearance stationary, and if it is a weekend I usually hit up the food section for a bottle of wine and some snacks like their delish trail mix!
 

10. What is the best book you have read?

 
Recently, it was The Help. I love any book that can make me laugh out loud and cry the way that this one did. Another long time favorite (which may seem weird) is Because Of Winn Dixie. It might a children's book but I enjoyed reading it as much as any adult novel. Read it and you will see what I mean.
 

11. What is one food you could eat every day?

 
Ice cream! I have been known to skip dinner and just eat a big bowl of vanilla with peanut butter, bananas, and chocolate syrup. YUM! I justify this because I'm still getting calcium, protein, and potassium. So, there!
 

LIEBSTER AWARD NOMINEES

Here are the 11 blogs that I am nominating for The Liebster Award. I did my best to find inspiring blogs that are relatively new. They all have amazing things to share and are perfect candidates for the award. I hope that you take the time to check out each one of them.

Stuck on Smith

Two Live Colorfully

Heroth Home

Sewing Barefoot

View from the Fridge

Huckleberries & Heels

Craftivity Designs

Creating Space for 5

Fabulously Vintage

Fourth House on the Right

Healthy, Wealthy, & DIYS

11 QUESTIONS FOR THE NOMINATED BLOGGERS

1. When it comes to blogging, what have been your highs and lows?

2. What is the last book that you read? Would you recommend it?

3. What is your favorite time of the year and why?

4. How would you described your design style?

5. Do you have a color crush? That is, a color that seems to show up in all aspects of your life (home, clothes, etc. )

6. What are your views on reality TV? Love it or hate it?

7. Do you consider yourself a writer?

8. Are you a music person? What are you currently listening to?

9. What is your favorite and least favorite thing that you purchased for your home?

10. Where is your favorite place to shop?

11. What is your favorite meal?

If you made it this far, you probably know more about me than you ever cared to know. This has been a fun post to write and thank you again, Liz, for making it possible. Be sure to check out her blog, My Life in Projects, along with all the others that I nominated. Happy reading!

 

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Shades of Pink

Earlier this week I shared part one of my adventures in painting the kid's bedrooms in the new house. Before Will's blue wall was dry, I was already prepping the space in Audrey's room. I have probably asked her a thousand times what color she wanted her new room to be and every single time she has had the exact same answer. "PINK, PINK, PINK!" When I was putting together her nursery I refused to decorate with pink. Not that I don't like the color I just wanted to go a different, less traditional route so I chose greens and purples. Well, five years later my very opinionated little girl knows exactly what she wants and who am I to stand in her way? I  didn't want to paint the entire room pink so, again, I decided an accent wall was the way to go.

 

The original plan was to do vertical stripes in two different shades of pink. We chose Charisma and Gala Pink from Sherwin Williams (color-matched at Lowes). I had it all planned out and then I came across this picture on Pinterest.

 

image via www.apartmenttherapy.com

I fell deeply in love with the ombre effect. Something about it made it feel a little more sophisticated than vertical stripes. Like it was a look that could grow with Audrey, rather than becoming too juvenile within a couple of  years (not that I would be opposed to changing things up if she really wanted to down the road). The problem with my late night Pinterest epiphany was that I had already bought the paint in only two shades of pink. Well, keep reading and I'll tell ya what I did and it didn't involve going back to Lowes...

I taped the baseboards and the white walls and ceiling all the way around the wall I was planning to paint. At this point, I called in a reinforcement to help me out. I am not a math person and although measuring some stripes and taping them off could probably be handled by a few of my Kindergartners; I was terrified of screwing it up. So, I decided it was the perfect job for Aaron. He is a high school math teacher after all. I decided to just do three different shades of pink. So, he measured the entire wall and divided it by three. He used that measurement to measure from the ceiling down and he drew a line with a pencil. Then, he taped under the pencil mark. I painted this stripe with the Charisma shade, which was the lightest one that I purchased.

 

After that was done, Aaron used the same measurement to measure from the bottom of the wall up. Again, he drew a line and this time taped above his pencil mark. I painted this stripe with the Gala Pink shade. This is what it looked like at that point. Aaron decided that I should stop there. And...I decided it looked like a flag and that I needed to stick to my plan.

 

 

 We couldn't tape off the middle stripe until the other two dried since the tape needed to go directly on the newly painted stripes. This gave me plenty of time to do a little mixing. If you remember, I only bought two shades of pink. All I had to do was add some white paint to the darker Gala Pink color. I used a plastic cup to keep track of how much I was using of each shade in case I needed to make more in the future. I was satisfied with my new shade after mixing 2.5 cups of pink paint with 1 cup of white. Here's a shot of the colors all lined up as I was making sure the new shade would tie in well. I used a baby formula container to do my mixing. I knew those things could be useful for something one day!

 

I also slapped a little on the wall even though I couldn't paint the whole thing, yet.

 



 

I was then on a break for the next several hours while my stripes dried. Later that night, I was able to tape off the middle stripe and finish the wall. It didn't take long before I was snapping pictures of a completed pink ombre accent wall.

 

 

Audrey was sooooo excited when she saw her new wall. She is loving it and can't wait to move into her new, super-girly bedroom. She's been such a trooper having to share her room with her little brother so I am so happy to be giving back her own space (even though I think she's going to miss having Will sleeping right across from her).

 

 

 

 

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Little Man's Room

Ah, the four-day weekend. What a perfect time to bust open some paint cans! We aren't in the new house, yet. No, we don't have a move-in date. The fact that I have to type these words irritates me to no end. So much, in fact, that I can barely talk about it. For right now, I wake up each morning and stare at a "mostly" completed home that I can't move into. Grrrr! Anyways, since we aren't moving in yet and since I had some time off; I decided to paint the kid's bedrooms. We had the painters just paint them white but I always knew that we would one day want to do something else. Well, why not one day be right now. Today I'm going to share what I did in the little man's room. Will really is becoming our little man. He will be turning one in a month and a half. Craaaazzzzyyy!

 

I did this mood board for Will's bedroom awhile back but realized that it was missing something.

www.polyvore.com

If I was decorating the room for a newborn it probably would have been perfect and I would have gone with my original plan of painting his room with horizontal beige stripes. Remember, when I talked about that here? Well, fast forward several months; I will now be decorating for a little boy about to enter toddlerhood. So, I decided that I needed to kick up the masculinity in his room.

I really like dark colors for a  bedroom. For example, look what color Dana, over at House*Tweaking,  painted her daughter's room. So lovely!

image via www.housetweaking.com

I would have never thought to use that color but it works really well! I ended up choosing a dark blue color called Indigo Batik. It is a Sherwin Williams color that I had color-matched at Lowes in Olympic One. I considered painting his entire room in this color but thought I would just take it one step at a time. Aaron also suggested that I just do an accent wall so that is the route that I went.

Here is a little play-by-play for ya... (Sidenote: I'm wishing my camera would take a wider picture. I have a hard time photographing smaller rooms. Those of you who have DSLR cameras, is there a lens that would help with this? Not that I would actually invest in new camera anytime soon, I'm just curious).



Prepping the space. I had to tape the baseboards and all the way around the entire wall so I didn't get blue on any of the white. How do people do that without taping? I am not that talented.



I used a brush to do the entire outline around the wall.

Then, I rolled it with two coats of paint.



Things are definitely looking a little more boy now! I love the way the dark blue and the turquoise of the globe light go together. That lighting fixture needs to be lowered, though. It is driving me crazy! I plan to put Will's crib against this wall and want to either do a gallery wall or one large art piece over his crib. I can't wait for that part!



 

So, that was phase one of my day of painting. I will be back to share what I did in Audrey's room later this week. Until then, I will leave you with a new and improved mood board for Will's bedroom. I just made a few tweaks here and there.

 



http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=68214504



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A Few Snippets of Love

REMINDER: My Valentine's Day Giveaway ends tonight at 10:00. If you still want to enter for a chance to win a pair of earrings, follow the link to that post and leave a comment at the bottom. I know some of you have had problems leaving comments with your phones. Sorry about that! I don't know why that is happening but if you use a computer it should work just fine. Good luck!

 

I know that Valentine's Day is now behind us but like my daughter said, "It will be here again next year, won't it?" So, I thought I would quickly share a few snippets of our DIY Valentine creations that you could file away until next year. Or, some of these ideas would be perfect gifts for Easter, Mother's Day, or "just because."

 

Audrey and I both made paint chip bookmarks as our valentines this year. She decorated hers with stickers for her friends and classmates. On the back we put a label where she wrote her name.

I decided to add my studnets' first initials with a fun font. These were so easy and inexpensive and I know that many of my students were excited to receive one.

 

Audrey made these clothespin candle holders as gifts, as well. We cleaned out a small tuna can, which she attached the clothespins to. Then she painted them and we added a little heart border all the way around. We put candles in ours but they could easily hold a small plant or a treat bag.

 

 

We also did a little card making...

 

 

Last but not least, I made these notebooks for the kids. Can I just tell you that I love writing and I also happen to love notebooks. I have always played around with the idea of having a back and forth notebook between me and my children. A place to write letters and leave messages to one another. I know that Will's will be a little one-sided, at first, but hopefully he will one day cherish the words that we write to him as a baby. I thought it would be fun for the cover of the notebook to be a chalkboard. The easiest thing to have done would have been to find chalkboard contact paper but I could find any and didn't feel like going to a bunch of different stores. I had some chalkboard paint so I just went that route. Here is how they turned out...

 

 

So, there you have it. A few gift ideas for the special people in your life. I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Have a great weekend!

 

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Spreading a Little Love: Valentine's Day Giveaway!!!!!

***Patricia, you are the winner of the giveaway! Congratulations!***

I don't know about you but I love Valentine's Day! I know people say that it is a greeting card holiday but I completely disagree. To me it's all about showing a little love. It's a little reminder to do something special for the people in your life that mean the most to you. So, as we're  preparing  to show some love to those closest to us around here; I thought I'd take a moment to send a little love your way in the form of my very first Inspired Adventures giveaway! I am soooooooooo excited!

The item up for grabs is this navy and white pair of button covered earrings. Yes, of course, they were handmade by me and I hope that the lucky winner loves them as much as I do! All you have to do is follow the directions below and these could be in the mail and on the way to your doorstep!

This is just a little token to say thank you for being a reader! I still get all giddy inside when I hear some of you say things like, "I loved your last post!" Or, "I've been reading your blog and you do such cool things!" It means the world to me that you take the time out of your day to see what I've been up to. You are the best!

Now for the details...

**You must be 18 years old and live in the U.S. to enter**

PRIZE: One pair of handmade button covered earrings

TO ENTER: In the comment section below, simply tell me a little about how you plan to "show some love" this Valentine's Day. Are you going out with your sweetie? Making a special dinner or dessert? Surprising the kids? Exchanging a love note or two? Just having a relaxed evening at home with your family?

DEADLINE: All entries must be received by Friday February 17th at 10 PM.

WINNER: The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Saturday!

Good luck everybody and Happy Valentine's Day!

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DIY Statement Necklace

It has been a crafty few days for me as I've been busy using thrift store ties to make some DIY jewelry. Last weekend, I shared this little gem that I made. In keeping with the same theme, I am back to share a necklace that I also made out of a tie. I have been wanting to add a couple of shorter statement necklaces to my wardrobe. I noticed that most of my larger necklaces are longer and beaded and that doesn't always go well with a little boy who thinks everything is his play thing.
 
After some Pinterest perusing, I landed on these adorable necklaces and a great tutorial to go along with them. This blog, Artstar by Aletha, has a lot of amazing jewelry tutorials. I have a feeling I will be visiting often.

image via Artstar by Aletha

This one required the sewing machine. So I drug her out of the closet, blew off a little dust, and set her up. Can I just tell you how excited I was that I was able to thread the bobbin from start to finish without any issues? I didn't have to look in the owner's manual one time! It looks like we have turned a corner in our relationship. You might even consider us "friends" at this point. I chose to use this navy tie with teal stripes.

 

 

To kick off this little project, I had to completely disassemble the tie. I took out all of the stitching in the center of the tie and took out the insides. This is what it looked like when I was done with that step.

 

The next thing that I did was press it and then trim it so that the entire tie from one end to another was about 3.5 inches wide.

 

 

Next, I folded it over so that the right sides were together and I pinned it.

 

 

Then I began sewing. The tutorial explained to leave a 2-inch opening about every 3-inches or so. This was so that I would have room to add the beads. Oh, yeah, the beads! Somehow I didn't take pictures of them. This project requires several round beads. I had eight wooden beads on hand and they worked perfectly.

 

 

Once the sewing was complete, I turned the entire thing inside-out and pressed it flat on the seam. It looked like this.

 

 

All that was left to do now, was to slip beads into the openings and tie knots. It sounded easy enough but for some reason this took me a while. It took a lot of playing around to figure it out and get it to look symmetrical. I also couldn't get my knots to look as tight as my inspiration piece. I wonder if the tie I used was a little thicker. Since my hands were a little busy at this point, I didn't even think about taking pictures. Hopefully, you can see how I did it by looking at my finished piece.

 

And here she is (posing in a few different places)...

 

 

 

 

I am sooooo excited to wear it! I think it will be a very versatile piece. Something that can easily be dressed up or down. I also love that I made this for a mere 75 cents! What do you think? Is this something that you would wear? Thanks for stopping by and have a Happy Thursday!

 

 

 

 

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