Pinterest From the View of a Teenager - Craft Edition

Well, It happened.  My 13 year old TEENAGER asked if she could have her own Pinterest account.  :-)

She's actually not a super "crafty" girl, but OH my!  So far, she has probably pinned and made more projects/recipes than I have!

She had to give me her password, but that's a must in our household when it comes to the internet.  (plus I am hoping now that she knows I have her password she will stop pinning so many Thor posters on her "Avengers Assemble" board....you have to watch out for those Marvel comic characters! ) :-)

Found on her Pinterest Board :-)

Her first project was making an amazing Chai Tea Latte.....She used brewed tea bags, lots of different spices with milk, water and sugar....OH and some cream with real vanilla in it.  SUPER YUMMY!

Taste of Home Recipe - Chai Tea Latte

Her next adventure was making a SPRITE and GUMMY BEAR Popsicle!  I'll admit I did not try the concoction but according to my children, it was amazing too :-)

Simply stuff some gummy bears in a popsicle mold and carefully pour in some sprite.  Freeze away!

I will say, the designer in me loved the pretty colors!

And in the light - even prettier.  :-)

It was a BIG hit.....so be sure and pin this on your board for summer fun!!

And just a few other random things I enjoyed on my 13 year old's Pinterest board was.....

A friendship puzzle necklace set....

You use real puzzle pieces covered in mod podge and cover in pretty paper or spray paint them chrome.  I thought that was a lovely idea for a girl's birthday party as no one would get left out of having a piece of a "friendship" necklace.  

And one of her closest friends is turning 13 on the 13th....so her Golden Birthday.  My daughter plans on making her a gift based on the picture below.  I also realized you could make one full of fun black gifts for someones "over the hill" 40th birthday :-)  

(*update edit* We had SO much fun making this "golden sunshine" birthday package - a lot of the things I bought at the dollar store.  It was a huge hit - I should have taken a picture of ours too - opps! :-)

You can get that little sunshine print off Happy Money Saver.

I also enjoyed looking through this 35 easy DIY gift ideas everyone will love article.  It seems harder and harder to get creative with gift giving so this was a fun to get some creativity going!

So far so good with having her own Pinterest account.....now I'm just hoping she'll start a yummy dinner board so I can blog instead of cook meals every night - ha! :-)

Here are two of my favorite EASY and fun gift pins :-)

Stained Glass Cookies - Any Holiday

Cinnamon Elmers Glue Ornaments!

Have a great weekend my friends!

 Don't miss out on any other posts - I'd love to have you sign up to receive my once a week home decor inspiration :-)

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Under Stairs Storage Ideas - From Bathrooms to Bookshelves!

Hi Friends!

I know there are a lot of people who are building homes and wondering how they could best use the empty space under their stairs.  

So with this post, I compiled a BUNCH of fun ideas for you. :-)

I love the craftsman/coastal feel of this home below. By adding glass doors with a grid, it made this storage area a perfect addition to their home decor.  It was a great way to make the most out of the empty stair space.

BHG.com

If you have a large enough space - why not use the area under the stairs for a guest bathroom.  

And if all else fails :-)  Turn the space into a little reading nook.  So cozy!

southern living

One thing that often gets missed when buying a new home (or building one) is a space for the pets.  If you have a dog like mine, you can understand the frustration of continually having to step over your sleeping pet as they plop down right in the middle of a high traffic area. /-:

Using the extra stair space for a pet area is a GREAT idea!

  

And if you ever need to sell your home and the people looking didn't have any pets - just tell them it's a hideout for the kids.  :-)  Honestly, what kid wouldn't love a space like that!  All they need is a flashlight and a good imagination for hours of spy like fun. 

In my new home, we don't have any extra stair space but I did think through where we could put the dog bowls.  I knew there was some extra wall space off the kid cubby area so we did a little built in dog dish area.  It's been PERFECT, I no longer worry about kicking or tripping over the dog dishes.  (I now just trip over and kick the DOG when he's sleeping!) 

These next few pictures have a lot of my favorite elements - dark wood and black iron.  I love the idea of a wine rack built into the extra stair space.   

Manning Marable

In my own home, we took the empty space by the kitchen bar and turned it into a computer area with a wine rack above.  Yes, that is where I sit every day typing blog posts and emailing.  It's now stocked with lots of wine in case I need a drink....which is often. :-) 

I LOVE this staircase and what a great idea to build little drawers and bookshelves into the side.  I'm sure the extra storage in this smaller size kitchen is much appreciated.

The home below happens to be Reese Witherspoon's home.  What a fantastic idea to make an arch cut out under the stairs to form a small office space.  Simply beautiful.

live journal

Another classic idea is to turn the area under the stairs into a bookshelf.  

You can't go wrong with adding drawers for extra storage space!  

Indulgy


I like this idea because it is simple.  The stair space was left open and the homeowners added a desk and chair.  Simple yet very efficient.  





And this last idea is gorgeous.  Now a days, more than ever before, having a small space for our laptops is a must!  This space is perfect and they really put it to great use.

BHG

I hope you guys have enjoyed looking through this post and marking it for your future home or fun ideas on your current home!

Have a great weekend!

Coastal Home Decor Ideas - Beach Theme

Hi Friends!

As you can tell, I am still thinking about warmer weather home decor!

If you have any beach trips planned this summer - PIN this post :-)  I collected a bunch of driftwood/beach themed ideas for your home (or your beach home!) 

How about the next time you head to the beach, collect some driftwood for a basket (as long as it's OK to do that on the beach you are at!) Wire baskets have so much character and you can usually find them on eBay, other fun home decor stores and antique shops.

This fish makes such a BOLD statement - what a fun idea to build a fish out of driftwood!  I completely agree with the art verbiage. "The Beach, where doing absolutely nothing, IS doing something"  I think I'm ready to go to Aruba. :-)

This That and Life

I know this isn't driftwood but what a clever idea for the guest room in a beach house!  Old oars used as a headboard - I love it!

This is such a simple idea, but it beats putting up an old metal rod!  Hang a piece of driftwood to add some character to your laundry room (or that could just be in a babies room....as extra hanging space?)

Do any of you guys collect sea glass?  I enjoy looking for sea glass when I go to the ocean. If you aren't familiar with what that is,  they are glass shards found on the shoreline given up by the sea after years of being tumbled naturally by currents, waves and other elements in the ocean water such as salt, sand, shells, rocks and miscellaneous beach debris.  Some people call sea glass, mermaid tears......a rather fun and fitting if you as me. :-)  

I could see this sea glass sign in any beach home!

Live Coastal Etsy

If you have always wondered what to do with your collection (or your kids collection!) of seashells how about trying this! Buy some wooden letters at any craft store and hot glue your ocean treasures onto the wood.

Live Coastal Etsy

Lastly, I recently added some fun beach "debris" to my son's Explorer theme room.   The map on canvas is one of my most popular posts.  You can click the link to see my step by step tutorial how to make your own map on canvas.

To be honest, I'm not even sure WHAT these round airy wooden things are, but I liked them. :-)

Like always, I hope to get your own Creative Juices flowing so the next time you are at the beach, you can load up your car with drift wood and have your significant other think you've officially lost it!  I blame it on the artist in all of us.   :-) 

Till next week  :-)

Getting Ready for Spring Outdoor Inspirations

We finally had a warm week over here in Idaho!  The thought that spring might actually be here has me very excited - I am READY for the sun to come out and warm me up!

With all the sunshine, I decided to write a post on beautiful outdoor decor to  get us in the mood for this coming season.

What do you think about this gorgeous hanging table!  Isn't that beautiful!

{Images via GWS by Jess Graham}

{Images via GWS by Jess Graham}


And just to be fun, what's better than a hanging table?  How about a hanging bed :-)




Or how about spending some time outdoors relaxing in a white shabby chic hammock.





Both of the pictures below have lovely climbing roses.  I still need to figure out what I should grow on my own pergola! 

SIMPLY gorgeous - huh :-)

I love how paper lanterns can add a magical touch to any outdoor space! The landscape below is so inviting and relaxing. 

Even if your home doesn't have a big outdoor area you can turn it into a cozy little courtyard full of character.  This couple placed large flagstone on the ground and let Mazus fill in around it. 

PerfectWorldLandscapes

Here is another small backyard......Such a charming area.

Mediterranean Landscape by Encinitas Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers debora carl landscape design

Do you have any new landscape/garden ideas for this year?  Our biggest outdoor plan is putting in a sports court - pickleball and basketball.  I would add a picture but there isn't anything pretty about it! Once we plant all the trees around it maybe it will reach the pages of this blog, We'll see! :-)

Enjoy the inspiration my friends!!

*EDIT:  You can go over to the Completed Pickleball Sports Court post to see it all complete, landscape and all :-)