Blog Archives

Have You Heard About... Pinterest??!!

5/26/2011

It's the new thing!
(or maybe I'm just way behind.)
And SO fun!
And SO addicting!
And SO useful!
Introducing you to...PINTEREST!!!

Basically, it's a brilliant way to organize all your favorites; from recipes, to clothes, to websites, to photos.
Pretty much, you have 'bulletin boards' that you categorize, then you can 'pin' anything and everything onto any of your bulletin boards for future reference from any computer. The pin saves the website info from where the photo originally was found, so you can go back and visit that site just by clicking on that photo.

Pinning a photo is super simple.
Once you get a pinterest account, you drag the "Pin It" button (shown above) to your favorites toolbar. Every time you're on a site or see a photo you want to remember, just click that button. A chart of every picture on that page will appear and you just choose which board you'd like that photo to go on.
Check out the About Pinterest Page for more info
All boards are public (somewhat of a bummer, but I'm hoping there is the option of having private boards in the future, as they are still updating and changing the site). So another fun (and addicting) thing is to check out other people's boards (you can 'follow' each other) that have similar interests as yourself. For example: 'future home' is a popular category and oh so fun to browse!
I'm not even sure where I ran across this site, but I know others have blogged about it, so maybe that is where I got it.
I've gotten so many ideas and found so many neat things on Pinterest, and I love the organized way of keeping track of things online.
Here are a few things I have pinned lately...

iammommy.typepad.com

Aren't they sweet!?! :) I'm sure Skyler would love to have these for breakfast some day!

http://whatkatieate.blogspot.com

This is one of my favorite desserts...layer upon layer of it!! I'm gonna have to try this recipe someday! Sooner than later I hope!

aliceindesignland.com

Talk about darling nursery idea! Especially for a smaller house that didn't have the extra room for the littlest little.

picky-palate.com

S'more Cookies!? Really! Yes!!

etsy.com

There are SO many crafty ideas and tutorials as well!

bhg.com

And organization!? Endless!

thedailydigi.com

Dream home... I think YES!

Isn't it just fun!?
All of the photos above I "repinned' from others' boards, I didn't even have to go to oodles of different websites to get these neato ideas!
To join Pinterest, you must have an invitation from someone who already has an account. If you're wanting to join the excitement, send me an email and I'll return it with an invite! Then I'd love to see what kind of ideas you come up with on your boards!

WARNING: This site can take up more time than any other site there is! You know how on Facebook and one picture leads to the next comment which leads to...you know. And blogs... they just keep coming! This. Is. Worse.

I plan on sharing some of the neat things I pin on a regular basis in the future. Happy Pinning!

0 Comments

Homemade PlayDough

5/19/2011

1 Comment

A few months ago (yes, I'm a bit behind in my blogging, so bear with me!), I needed to find something fun for Skyler to do on those rainy winter days.
I'm SO excited to have those behind us (?!?!)... maybe not, this IS the Pacific Northwest after all!
Anyways, Skyler wasn't quite two yet, so I wasn't sure how he would do with it, but he loved it! He is still a bit young to know how to make things, but he likes to just dig in with various kitchen utensils.

I found the recipe here, but didn't follow it 100%.
It was super easy and took probably ten minutes to make. It makes quite a lot too, so if you want, you could divide it and make a few colors out of one batch. I knew they'd all just get mixed up and turn that nasty brown color if Skyler got a hold of them, so I just did green.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour
2-4 tbs Cream of Tartar (because I made three batches, I only had enough for 2 tbs in each and it worked fine)
2 tbs oil
1 cup salt
optional – 10-20 drops food colouring (depends on the colour you want to achieve)
optional – 1/2 – 1 tsp of fragrant or essential oils (you may want to skip this part if you are worried about kids eating it, but it’s a really nice touch. I used watermelon for the pink, bubblegum for the blue and lemon for the yellow.)
optional - body safe sparkles
2 cups boiling water

DIRECTIONS:

Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl and blend. Add fragrance and colour. Pour boiling water over dry ingredients and stir with a big spoon. I’m sure you can do this in a stand mixer, but I didn’t think of it at the time. If you are making several batches at once, add the boiling water to all of hem, then stir each one, taking turns. The mixture is really hot at this point, so it’s not safe for little helpers yet. Leave the lumpy mass to cool for a little bit, and don’t worry if the color isn’t at all mixed in yet. When it is cool enough to handle, knead until it makes a soft, smooth dough and all the color is mixed in.

I would give this recipe 5 stars in texture, speed (to make), and fun for kids!
Go try it for your littles, and thanks for popping in at Whispers of Joy!

1 Comment

Cake Pops.

5/18/2011

1 Comment

I had to try them :)

Skyler turned two in April and I decided to do cake pops for his cake this year. They are SO yummy and quite easy once you get going.

After looking at a few recipes and tips on various sites, I got started. I learned quite a few things in the process:
-Dip the sticks in the melted chocolate/candy melts before sticking them into the cake ball. This helps keep them secure while dipping them later. My mom and I made some more cake pops for my brother's birthday a month later and this was a must!
-Don't add too much frosting to the cake, it will make them soft and hard to dip! Also learned this the 2nd time around!
-Don't add ANYTHING to the melts! I used almond bark and tried to add food coloring...does NOT work and ruins it completely! If you want color, get candy melts instead.
-Keep the cake balls in the fridge and only pull a few out at a time. Otherwise, they start to get too soft and fall apart.
-Test your base first and put all the holes in before you make the cake pops. I tried pushing mine in as I went and ended up bumping them into each other and making a mess. Plus, the foam I was using was very tough and I couldn't make holes very well using just the sticks from the cake pops.
-Keep your melted dipping 'stuff' (almond bark, chocolate, candy melts) in a warm water bath, and stir often to keep soft.

I wrapped the foam in wrapping paper and then created a road to put cars on when the cake pops were all in. Notice 'Cake Boss' in the background...for inspiration of course! :)

I ended up with plain white for the outside (because of the failed food coloring), so I dipped them in different sprinkles, or added M&Ms or Red Hots to the top. Nothing to professional, but it was a fun learning process and I would for sure do them again! They are very addicting to eat, so beware!

Happy Birthday Skyler! I thank God for the two great years we've had together, and look forward to many more! You light up my life with your smiles and giggles!

1 Comment

Hat Series: V

5/9/2011

1 Comment

A hat made for a friend...modeled by Rystin
Enjoying making all these hats...they make great gifts for others too!

1 Comment

Have You Heard About... Pinterest??!!

Homemade PlayDough

Cake Pops.

Hat Series: V

Molly Joy

Archives

Categories