Clothespin Photo Frame Tutorial

A few years ago I got this fabulous frame from Michael's in their "oops" section. It was only $8 for a 24 x 28 inch frame. WOW! Such a great deal.

I loved the faux zebra-like edges.

It had been sitting in the corner of my bedroom waiting for the perfect project. Last month I was lost in Bloggerland and came across this tutorial at Lemon Tree Creations and knew I found my frame's purpose.

To paint or not to paint was a huge decision for me. Literally I sat on it for days. In the end I decided to just go for it and paint. I chose a light cream color I found at Jo-ann Fabrics.

I wasn't very good about taking step-by-step pictures, but I'm sure you can figure it out. I covered foam board with a light quilt batting and then my fabric. I wrapped both around the foam board and used my hot glut gun to secure it.

I found this twine at Jo-ann Fabrics (I also got my mini clothespins there too), it was less than $2.

Using a 4x6 photo as a guide I hot-glued three strings of cord to the back of the frame. I recommend pulling it tighter than you think. The weight of the clothespins and pictures will bring it down a little. After the cord was secure I glued on the clothespins (looking back, this was unnecessary, they don't really need to be glued on). Then I attached the board to the frame with hot glue.

I LOVE the finished project!

I love the collage look of it. I'm thinking of adding two more rows of clothespins...I feel like it's a little too spread out.

You can use so much more than pictures too.

Postcards

Sweet notes from your baby

Ticket stubs

And great candid shots of the family

The best part is that there is no real commitment. You can change things up as often as you'd like!

Makeover Your Monday

Happy Monday everyone!

How did you do on last week's challenge? I really enjoyed it. I decided to write a note to a very special family I have been blessed to get to know the past few years. They are amazing, strong and an example to all of us. I wanted them to know how wonderful they are. Like I said last week, I really feel that writing your thoughts and feelings in your own handwriting just emphasizes them. It's something that I'm going to really make an effort to continue.

This week's challenge is to be patient. As a mom I feel like I say, "You need to be patient" about a million times a day to my children but I often find that I need to take my own advice. So this week let's be patient. Patient with our children (my goal for the week), our spouses, the car in front of us as we rush to work, the slow internet connection, and just life in general. This week we stop to smell the roses. We'll check in next Monday and see how we all did.

Have a great week!

The Salsa and Pesto Garden

It FINALLY stopped raining long enough to get our garden planted. It's our second year with a family garden and we have high hopes. We had a pretty good harvest last year.

The girls favorite thing we grew last year was this:

Our bunnies...they were the highlight of our garden. The girls are hoping they come back this year but I'd prefer to have only veggies in my garden.

Our garden area needed lots of TLC

Grass and weeds growing everywhere. Good thing I had my two helpers.

They love any chance they get to play in the dirt.

So much better!

A few hours later and we successfully planted the following:

• 7 tomatos
• 4 jalapenos
• 5 habaneros
• 4 basil
• 1 rosemary
• 1 thyme

Our homemade garden markers look fab-u-lous!

I can almost taste all the yummy salsa and pesto we are going to eat!

Our next outdoor project...taking care of the ENORMOUS weeds around the patio.

Fun Run

Today was my second half marathon of the season and no joke, it was super fun! It was the Geist Half Marathon and if you are in the area I totally recommend it! Since it was two weeks after the Indy Mini I was only running it for fun. I had heard quite a bit about it and was eager to give it a try. Originally I was going to run solo, but I was so lucky that my friend Christy wanted to run it too and she was totally down for a fun run as well.

Here are my stats for the day:
Time- 2:03:02
Pace-9:24
Overall-942/2579
Division-59/230
Gender-282/1298
No bad for a "fun run"

As with most races, our day started VERY early. Our goal was to be out the door by 6am and we were. We arrived at the parking lot to find we were the first two there. I'm sure those that know us are not surprised. We hopped on the shuttle and were dropped off about 1/2 mile down the street...seriously we could have walked. Our promptness gave us time to chat, use the facilities and pre-hydrate with the complementary Gatorade.

Then it was time to line up.

Here is where it got a little strange....First they had a local glee club sing a very SLOW song, then Spongebob Squarepants wished us a good run from a little boat on the reservoir, next Brooke Roe (a former American Idol contestant) sang the National Anthem, then Jared Fogel (the Subway guy) said something inspirational and to end the bizarre hodge-podge of an opening ceremony three fighter planes flew over us. So weird! I kinda felt like I was in the Twilight Zone, not sure who would pop up next!

Then we were off....

The first half of the race was nice and flat and by the water so there was lots of beautiful scenery to look at. Whenever anyone mentions the Geist Half there is always talk about the hills. "It's not a good race for time because of the hills" or "It's a great race except for the hills." Around mile 7 or 8 Christy and I made the mistake of commenting on how the hills were not that bad. Just a lot of low rolling hills, we were expecting much worse. Then we turned the corner. That is when the hills started and real fun began!

Overall the hills weren't too bad and as Christy pointed out it's often the downhills that are harder. We ended strong and it was great to have a race where I wasn't dying at the end. We are already planning on running it again next year. I have a feeling our "fun run" is going to be an annual event!

A cool thing about the Geist is their Month of May Club. You can sign up for it if you run two half marathons in the month of May. Since I'm totally down with braggin' rights and extra swag, I was in! You get an additional t-shirt, yummy post race grub in their tent by the water, better parking, free massages after the race and they combine your two race times for your total "marathon time." My combined time was 3:58:12-which is no where near what my actual marathon time would be, but it's fun to dream! They even give you a nice print-out of all your stats.

It was a great day with a great friend!

What's next? My next "fun run" is the Mudathlon in June (Hoosier Dirty Girls in da' house!!!) and then the Morse Mini in early September....a few weeks off and then training starts again...and I couldn't be happier!

Do You Pinterest?

There's been quite a lot of buzz in blogger land about Pinterest and it's my new obsession! I do admit that I was a little bit overwhelmed when first introduced. Honestly it looked too complicated which couldn't be further from the truth...it is so amazingly easy to use!

Do you rip out pictures in magazines of your favorite crafty, decoration or food ideas? Do you bookmark a million different sites because you like an idea they have? Yes and yes? Than you are totally going to LOVE Pinterest.

As you surf the web each day you can "pin" the ideas and creations you like. Pinterest organizes them for you and puts them all in one place. Connect with your friends through Pinterest and share your pins. You can even add a "pin it" button to your tool bar in your web browser making it totally easy, peasy, lemon, squeezy!

Here are a few things that I recently "pinned"...

Wouldn't this be so sweet over a baby crib?

This is perfect for a bridal shower or a Mother's Day brunch.

I'm totally going to be hunting for rain boots on my next Goodwill trip!

Perfect for the playroom! What an inexpensive and  great way to display your child's artwork. It would also work in a home office.

Planning a wedding? There is a whole category dedicated to you. Everything from hairstyles to party favors and EVERYTHING in between. This would be amazing for an outdoor reception. 

And for your next party...strawberry margarita jello shots...

Seriously it's totally addicting...this post has taken me FOREVER because I keep "pinning" all my favs! For a great tutorial on Pinterest and an immediate access to the site click {HERE}.

HAPPY PINNING!

The Legacy Continues

Around these parts something wonderful happens when you turn five...it's the magical age where you get to take horseback riding lessons.

Please meet the newest cowgirl in Indy. Like her two older cousins and her grandma, she is now a member of horse riding gals!

She had her very first lesson and she was in heaven!

She totally looked the part too! You know, part of the fun is getting dressed up (...and getting to look like Taylor Swift of course!).

She gets to take her lessons with her friend Grace. They spent the first half about learning safety, grooming, the names of all the equipment.

The second half was the real fun...the riding!!!

She was very timid at first, but by the end she was much more relaxed. Please note the intense concentration and her death-grip on the reins!

After riding the girls got to brush the horse again, give her a treat and climb up to the hay loft. I doubt there are two happier girls in this world right now!

...and how did my little monkey handle watching her big sis ride while she waited on the sidelines??? Totally in style of course!

...and you can bet on her 5th birthday she will be demanding lessons!

Pam's Artichoke Salad

I first had this rice salad at a neighborhood pitch-in a few years ago. I promptly plopped myself at the buffet table and proceeded to eat plateful after plateful...after plateful! It is SO good! I have no idea who Pam is, but I do know that she makes a wonderful dish! (I do think the name is a little misleading because I think it is more a curry rice salad). 

The truth is, no matter what you call it, if you make it, you will be the hit of the party!

Ingredients

• 1 box of Chicken Rice-a-Roni
• 2 6oz jars oil packed artichoke hearts (reserve the oil)
• 1 can of Chickpeas (drained)
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2c slivered almonds
• 5 scallions, finely chopped
• 1/2c dried cranberries
• 1/2c mayonnaise
• 2T fresh lemon juice
• 1T curry powder
• 1t salt

Directions

• Cook rice according to package directions. When it is done, transfer to a sheet pan and spread it out so that it can cool
• Place artichoke hearts, Chickpeas, bell pepper, scallions, almonds and cranberries in a large bowl. Add the cooled rice and toss to combine.
• In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, reserved artichoke oil, lemon juice, curry powder and salt. Pour the dressing over the rice mixture and fold to combine.
• Refrigerate up to 12 hours
• Tastes wonderful at room temperature.