blame it on pinterest

This is what happens when you find a fabulous site to save and organize all of those ideas that you'd otherwise see or read about online and say a big "CUTE!" to (and maybe even make plans to create your own version) but then quickly forget about by morning.

 I love reading mommy blogs with lots of DIY posts and I have a slight obsession with etsy, so I'm always trying to keep track of all the mass amounts of ideas by people far more creative than myself. However, my Google toolbar is full of bookmark folders with links to these, but I rarely go back through them to remember what I saved.  Then Pinterest entered my life.  Oh my geekness.  It's got "boards" that you can create according to topic and then you "pin" things on it from the web - but with a picture rather than words which is a thousand times better.  When you click on a specific board, you can see all the pics that you've pinned to it, and each picture is a direct link back to the original site/blog/idea.  Have I made that totally confusing? -It's hard to explain, but it is ah-mazing.  ;)   As my husband would describe it, it's like a perfect tool for organization freaks like me.  My favorite thing is the "pin it" button that's on my toolbar now, so all I have to do is click that and select a picture to add, rather than get on the their full website every time I want to add something.

Here's a shot of what a board looks like.

As a result of Pinterest, I've become a craftier, more motivated, happier, healthier, wealthier person.  hehe- Well, that may be a bit overboard.  But I have actually followed through with more things that I say I want to do - like try new recipes I see, do more little crafty activities with Drew, make more things for the house or on my sewing machine, buy more creative gifts for people.

After coming across some end of year teacher gifts, I pinned them and shockingly used a few of them.

I got Drew's teachers the currently popular freezable cups w/straws, filled them with strawberry lemonade packets, a Subway giftcard, some M&Ms, a note from both Drew and I (my fav gift when I was a teacher), and then I used some old crayons to make and frame their last name initials which I thought was cute for a preschool classroom.
Drew's also had the same kids in his class for the past 2 yrs, so I decided to make small parting gifts since he's really going to miss them.  I pulled ideas from pinterest, re-purposed more crayons, and made up some summer packs for his little friends.

(swirled heart shaped crayons glued to cards that say "I'm sure going to miss you for 'crayon' out loud!", small notebooks with a sticker front in their name, and bubble gum tape)

I've also had fun making some cute snacks for the boys like these apple slices with marshmallows stuck in the middle with a little peanut butter

(this is the pinterest photo, I didn't get one in before they were eaten)

...and am in the process of making a wreath like this to hang on our front door (never thought I'd utter those words, may have just had a moment of embarrassment over my mommy-ness)

Also, I am loving personalized/monogrammed things right now and I will definitely be giving some gifts from Pea Pod, but haven't quite figured out the who or what, so for now I just see them on my pinterest and it makes me happy.

..and you better believe I've got many pics stocked up for parties and cupcakes in my future!

Ok, so enough gushing about my newest distraction.  You get the point.  However, I will add the disclaimer that I my enthusiasm has not exactly spread to my husband.  The other night Brandon came home from work and I was surprised to find that it was already 6:30pm.  "What's for dinner you ask?  Hmmm.. I'm not sure yet, I've been busy baking crayons all day."  ...Not exactly "his thing."