Pinthetic? Bookends as floating bookshelves

I recently switched bedrooms with my children and so I've been spending some time redecorating it with Pinterest inspired projects.  One of these projects was this floating book, bookshelf idea.

Here's the original pin:

 

Now the original pin didn't have any instructions, but it seemed simple enough.  Get a metal bookend, screw it to the wall, add books and Bob's your uncle you're rocking out some sweet floating bookshelves right?  Well not quite.  But I got it accomplished:

 

 When I started planning on actually putting it together I asked myself, "How the hell is the bottom cover of that book attached to the bookend Also, as a sad consequence of the current state of our economy, the local Bookends R Us store went out of business so I couldn't even find a bookend that would work for this project.

I'm sure maybe I could have found something online but I have no patience so I just went to my local hardware store and found the thinnest metal brace I could find.  This was from the decking section and is intended to secure the posts to the frame or something along those lines.  It was around $4.

 

 I also got some small screws (about 1/2 inch long) and a lovely hard cover book from the dollar store. I had come up with several scenarios as to how to possibly attach the book to the bracket so that it wouldn't be permanent, but they all just seemed too complex.  I also contemplated just using some double sided tape or other semi-removable adhesive so that the bottom book could be removed, but since I knew I'd have other books stacked on top of it, I really wanted that bottom book securely fastened to the brace. 

 So if you attempt this project just bite the bullet and find some cheap book you don't care about, but like the cover of.  I removed the dust jacket, marked the center of the cover and just screwed the bracket directly into the book.  My screws went through the cover and a little bit into the pages to make it nice and secure. 

 Now all you need to do is slip the dust jacket back on to your book.  Mark and cut out a section from the back flap and then pry up the edges of the pages and slide it back in. This covers up your bracket and screws.

Then it's just a matter of screwing your bracket to the wall, adding your books and topping it with a gnome or two.  It's a requirement people, everything is better with gnomes!

Not bad eh?

Stop the presses! New item in the shop!

There is reason to celebrate folks - I've finally completed a project and have listed it in the shop.  It's been a pretty long dry spell but it's finally been broken.

Here's the crocheted blanket I hinted about a couple posts ago:

You can check it out in the shop here.

Pinthetic?

I think the only thing more popular these days than Pinterest is the number of blogs about Pinterest projects gone awry. 

I'm shamelessly jumping on this bandwagon because unfortunately I spend a lot of time on Pinterest.  I wish I didn't, but then again I wish I didn't have to suck in my gut and lay flat on the bed every time I put on my favorite jeans either. However I'm finding my willpower is just as weak when it comes to sweet DIY pins, as it is when a Little Debbie snack is within arm's reach. . . . Anyway, my point is that I might as well make something productive out of all those wasted hours online - and why not turn my inevitable Pinterest project failures (or maybe even a rare success) into blog content?

That being said, today I'm launching my first Pinterest project blog post - aptly named: "Pinthetic?" (because I like to try and be clever -  and "Pintastrophe" was already taken). 

Let's start with my Pinterest inspiration:

 

Just look at this spooky eyeball wreath!  Perfect for Halloween right? I thought it was a great mixture of scary and gross and whimsical.  I couldn't wait to put one together and hang it on my front door. 

When I found plastice eyeballs at the Dollar Tree I knew that me and this wreath were meant to be.  I got my eyeballs, my glue gun, my grapevine wreath that I had spray painted black and I got . . . this:



It's not horrible right?  I mean it kind of looks like the original.  My eyeballs were smaller than hers, plus they didn't have the cool red veins and stuff on them that really made the original pop.   Oh, and you see those gaps here and there. Yeah, that's where my eyeballs popped off after the hot glue had dried and the cat batted them underneath the furniture and I just didn't have the energy to try and find them.

The original Pin showed the wreath hanging in front of a distressed window with chicken wire in it. Now if Pinterest has taught me anything it's that everything looks better hanging in front of distressed wood and chicken wire.  See below:

without distressed wood and chicken wire:

with distressed wood and chicken wire:

But unfortunately I didn't have any distressed wood or chicken wire lying around. I tried hanging it on my front door but it just looked really kind of sad.  Like some mentally challenged (oh sorry, it's "Intelectually Disabled" now) person had ranomly glued ping pong balls on a wreath.  So I ended up hanging it on the garage - which nobody can see from the street.  It's my eyeball wreath of shame.

What do you think?  How Pinthetic is it?

What the Hell?

I've been slightly absent from this blog for a little bit (I have a flair for stating the obvious, I know).  I have plenty of good excuses: I moved out of my house, moved back into my house, got a different job, freaked out about possible breast cancer which turned out to be just a lumpy tit, and started taking mood enhancing drugs.  For full details you'll have to wait until my autobiography is published (dont' hold your breath).

But it's all water under the bridge my friends, because I'm back . . . typing . . . about stuff. Okay, I've got things to say, really I do. I mean I don't want you to think that during my blog absence I wasn't doing anything crafty. I mean, I pinned a hell of a lot of shit on Pinterest. My 'pin it' button was on fire people!

What? That doesn't count?

Ummm, I found some pretty freaky crafts in my Mom's house:

 I had nightmares for weeks afterwards.

No, NO!! She's trying to suffocate me with those pom pom hands!!!

ahem . . . I've also been working on a fabulous crocheted blanket.  My son said to me one day, "Mom, are you going to be working on that for the rest of your life?"  It felt like it, it really did, but it's almost finished and hopefully will be in the shop soon. 

I've got some plans for new stuff for the shop, that may or may not reach fruition.  It's hard to tell with me.  And I'm also making it my mission to actually do some of the crafts I've pinned on Pinterest and I'll be sharing the success (or more than likely, failures) of those here on this blog.

So to sum things up: Sorry I was gone. I'm back. I don't promise anything spectacular but with the help of prescribed medication, I shall do my best! 

It was like being embraced by the entirety of Scandinavia

Recently I visited my mom in Phoenix and of course we made a trip to IKEA.  I adore IKEA.  If anyone has a petition going to get an IKEA into Iowa I will sign it. . . and then legally change my name and sign it again!  I suppose I could start a petition myself but hey, I'm busy.

Anywho, as we're strolling through the store checking out all the Lerbergs's and Ekby's and Byholma's, we entered one of the little mini house/apartment displays they have set up within the store.  If you've never been to IKEA, they usually have several small display "homes" which showcase what the economy and functionality of their furniure can accomplish in tight quarters.

As I entered the bedroom of the 380 sq. foot display, something on the wall caught my eye.

Hmmm, that silhouette on the right looks familiar....Let's take a closer look

No, it can't be!

 Yes, yes it is!

It was my very own Edward/R Patz silhouette that I offered the free jpeg of on this very blog, back in November of 2009!  They had printed it and placed it in one of their frames and used it as decoration in a display inside an IKEA store.

I literally almost crapped myself! I just kept circling this 380 square foot display space like a crazed maniac; snapping photos of the wall with my phone.  I mean in the grand scheme of things it's no big deal.  Who knows who found it or even where.  Maybe some designer from IKEA found it off this blog when she was looking for free artwork to grace the walls and blend with the black and white palette of the room.  Maybe they got it off Google Image. Who knows.  But there it was, my work being displayed in IKEA!

Now after I explained to my mother why I was circing this room like a vulture and squealing like a pre pubescent girl at a Justin Beiber concert.  She asked if I was sure it was mine.  I mean after all anyone really can put together a silhouette, especially of someone famous, whose image is everywhere on the web.  However, I know my work and I had obsessed enough about those front two curls of hair and whether or not they looked natural, that there was no doubt in my mind.

Here's my original jpeg I offered to all readers:



Oh yeah, it's mine (with flip and a little bit of stretch, but still mine), and I shall be forever giddy!

The Horror!

Just because Peeps are a symbol of spring doesn't mean that things like this should happen:
Even if I were able to look past the blatant waste of what I believe to be one of the greatest holiday treats in the world (which I'm not), I still can't fathom the idea of having hardened stale marshmallows hanging on the front door.
Is it just me or do some of these bunnies look plain evil?
Tulle and rock hard marshmallows, my favorite combo.
Look at their poor little exposed marshmallow patches and their haphazard placement. It's like a circular open grave of my fondest childhood Easter memories. Oh the carnage!

OMG, they're being nailed to this thing with toothpicks and then they just hang there until they're stored away in a dark cavelike rubbermaid tote until they're resurrected....for next year's display. Wait, why does this sound familiar? Maybe it's an analogy of something...

Anyway, my point is: Please don't make the Peeps die for your decorating sins.

A Valentine's Day Lesson

I have two small children. So I'm no stranger to the vast and educational wonders of kids programming. One of my daughter's favorites is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Recently I picked up this Valentine themed Mickey Mouse book for her and I was awed and astounded by the real life lessons it bestowed. I couldn't help but share it with you.

Mickey has just remembered that it's Valentine's day. Here kids learn that fictional anthropomorphised cartoon mice suffer the same stereotypes as human men in that they are always unprepared for romantic holidays.

Mickey doesn't know what to get Minnie. This is probably because he doesn't really pay much attention to her and takes their relationship purely for granted since she's the only female fictional mouse of his acquaintance and while he fancies Daisy more, interspecies romance is apparently considered taboo in the clubhouse. He's obviously just coasting through this relationship.

Luckily a "stranger" appears at the door and offers to assist him with finding the perfect gift. (Is it just me or does this look like something else? Like maybe Mickey's thinking he might see a whole other side of sweet innocent Minnie? Hmmm.)

However, to set the correct expectations, and perhaps because he's slightly daft, she employs the use of visual aids.

"Knit that fine rodent a hat, man!" And so Mickey proceeds to locate a sheep, sheer it, spin the wool into yarn, and dye it. Thereby educating the youth of today on the wonders of the fiber arts and that a seemingly straight male can find enjoyment in making his own yarn.

The mysterious stranger even provides the knitting needles, though honestly they seem a rather small size for the weight of that yarn, but it is fiction so I'll let it slide.

And wouldn't you know it, Mickey is able to create the perfect gift for Minnie, therein bringing home the most important message of all to young girls.

Girls, if you want that perfect gift, you're better off just getting it for yourself. That is unless you enjoy wearing trench coats (and then having to make it clear, that no, you are not there to role play as a stripper), drawing pictures of exactly what you want and supplying all the tools for him to make/get it for you.

Happy Valentine's Day all! Go out and get yourselves something nice.

Intervention: Put down that virtual pushpin!

I, along with the majority of women in the world with an internet connection, am currently obsessed with Pinterest. I can’t even tell you the number of hours I’ve wiled away in front of my laptop screen scrolling through pin after fantastic pin.

Pinterest is great. I’ve gotten tons of inspiration, but that’s the problem. It’s inspiration overload, and I’m so drawn to finding that next great inspirational pin, that I never actually create anything based on an idea or pattern I’ve pinned. I don’t have time – I’m pinning too much other crap.

It’s taken me a while to accept my addiction and that’s the first step toward recovery. Are you addicted as well? Take the quiz below, and find out.

1. Have you even pinned a quote or image about pinning?


2. Do you find yourself jealous of your Facebook friends, not because of their great hair, flawless skin, or skinny ass, but because they’ve pinned more cool stuff than you have?

3. When someone at work sends you the recipe for that great dessert they brought in for food day, do you catch yourself looking for the “Pin It” button on your work computer?

4. Do you ever have a burning desire to crochet a rock cozy or glue plastic painted toy animals to the tops of jar lids simply because these items photograph well?

5. Have you ever sent your children to bed in their clothes and with unbrushed teeth, because, “Mommy just wants to look at one more thing – go tuck yourselves in sweeties.”

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be addicted to Pinterest. Seek medical attention as soon as possible.

My plan is to wean myself off slowly and try to cut my Pinterset browsing down by half. This time will be spent crafting instead of just planning on crafting by looking at pins of other people’s crafts. I’ll keep you pinned, I mean posted on my progress – right after I pin this one thing I saw earlier today…..