DIY Hot Glue Snowflake Ornament

Original Pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/231724343298567815/

Original blog post: www.bystephanielynn.com &  http://www.pitterandglink.blogspot.com/

Pin rating: 4.5

Duration: 20-30 minutes

Here's a nice fast and simple project for today's blog post.  And it's great for kids too!  I was watching my nephew the other day and after he finished his homework I gave him the option of reading comic books or making snowflakes.  Since he's not a huge fan of reading and just finished reading about 20 pages for homework he immediately shouted make snowflakes.  So I had him help by reading off the directions from the blog (got him to do more reading after all) and help with glittering.  So I highly recommend this project!  The only thing is that practice makes perfect so don't be disappointed if your first snowflake isn't perfect - mine totally looked rigged but it's okay every snowflake is different!

• Snowflake print out to use as stencil
• Glitter (The glitter shown was picked up at the Dollar Tree) 
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks (I used at least 2 for 1 snowflake)
• Soap detergent (to create a buffer for ease of removal)
• Wax paper
• Martha Stewart Glittering Glue w/ Brush (Or Mod Podge and a brush)
• String or wire
• Paper plate (or something to sprinkle glitter all over :))

Oven Cooked Bacon & Bacon Jalapeno Poppers

Original Pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/231724343298689221/

Original Blog Post: http://www.hellohue.com/2011/01/pop-em-like-theyre-hot.html

Pin Rating: 4.5

Duration:
Prep time: 20-30 minutes
Bacon Bake time: 17-20 minutes @ 400˚ F
Popper Bake time 15-20 minutes @ 375˚ F

One thing that I liked about making the Honey sauced chicken in the crock pot was that I can just prep it and then have time to make a second dish.  Also, if you haven't tried oven baked bacon you're in for  treat!  These poppers weren't as delicious as the chicken but they're still a quick, easy and delicious appetizer to bring to a party.

Yields 16 pieces

• 2 jalapeño
• 1 can of crescent roll
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 5-8 slices of bacon (the more the merrier!)  
• Baking sheet
• Foil

Crock Pot Honey Sauced Chicken

Original Pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/231724343298477947/

Original Blog Post: http://mmmcafe.blogspot.com/2010/01/honey-sauced-chicken.html

Pin Rating: 5

Duration: 20 minute prep & 3 hour slow cook in crock pot

I brought this chicken over to a Friendsgiving Dinner party and they were a hit!  This recipe took such little efforts and was so delicious! I doubled the original recipe to bring to the party and used wings since they were easy to grab and eat and I went home with pretty much an empty tupperware.  The beauty of this recipe was that it allowed for me to prep a second dish to bring over to the party as well.  Will definitely be making this recipe again.

• 2 lbs Chicken Party wings (Can use chicken of your liking)
•  1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 cup of honey
• 1/2 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbs vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
• 1 clove garlic minced
• Dash of red pepper flakes

DIY Pearl Ribbon Bracelet

Original Pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/231724343298464677/

Pin Rating: 3

Difficulty: Medium

Duration: 40 minutes

When I saw this pin I was in awe of how pretty it looked and easy it seemed to be to make.  After I clicked on the link I realized that it was part of a round up blog post and didn't actually include the original link or instructions.  Clicking on the link provided led me to a Pintrest pin and basically I went in circles.  Looking at the link on the website I see that it's a website in another language that I don't see any content.  So all in all I felt disappointed in the original pin which is why I gave it a 3 pin rating.  So I did this pin going off of the pictures alone and felt like this pin is one of the first pins where it looked really easy but wasn't when I actually tried to do it.  Overall result is a great DIY bracelet, but it took a little patience and made me wish I had a 3rd hand to help.  Hopefully this tutorial will help you guy out a lot better than the original pin I found floating around on Pintrest.

• Stretch Magic cord
• Pearl beads
• Ribbon
• Needle with a big enough hole to thread the stretch magic string
• Scissors

 You can probably do this with a regular thread instead of the stretch magic cord if you're making it for yourself so you can make the exact adjustments, but since I'm making these as gifts I wanted some stretch room just in case.  :)

DIY Scrabble Pillow Case

Pillow will spell out "HOME"

Original Pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/231724343298484042/

Pin Rating: 5

Level of difficulty: Medium (basic sewing experience required)

Duration: 1 hr for pillow case + 15 minutes for lettering (For initial pillow case)

It seems as if all of my friends are either looking to buy a new home or have just received the keys to their new place.  Hats off to them!  This gives me plenty of opportunities to make them gifts for their new home.  I have a few friends who love Scrabble so when I saw this pin I knew I had to make it for their new homes.  I was a little worried at first since I never really worked with a zipper before when sewing, but when I found out this pillow case didn't need a zipper I was excited to get started right away.  Also, this pin is a little different since it's really pinned "For the Home" instead of DIY but I always have a DIY mentality so that's how I approached this pin.  (Also, I apologize since photos were taken with my phone since I didn't have the camera handy.)

If you don't feel like trying to make this yourself, I plan to put this up for sale at my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyPinspirational) after I complete the current set I am working on.  So please do keep an eye out for the pillow cases.

UPDATE:  Pillow cases are finally listed on my Etsy shop.  You can purchase a set of 4 here.  https://www.etsy.com/listing/119560993/scrabble-pillow-case-16-x-16-set-of-4

• 16x16 pillow (Purchased from Hobby Lobby.  Other sizes also available but this process is for a 16x16)
• Fabric - I purchsed Calico 100% cotton, color: Kona.  I found out that the fabric is 38 inches long which is perfect to cut up 1 pillow case.  
• You need 1 18x18 square and 1 square with at least 18 x 20 (added 2 inches for sewing room and additional 2 to fold the flaps in for cleaner backing) square which will become your pillow back
• When you purchase the fabric keep in mind how many pillows you are making
• For this case I found this rule to be a good rule of thumb: 2 pillows = at least 36in (1 yard) 
• Sewing items (pins/needles, scissors, measuring tape)
• Fabric chalk pencil - something that you can mark for measurements with and will wash off
• Fabric marker - to color in the lettering and it won't wash off
• Optional - small blade/knife & paper binding clips

DIY Marble Necklace

Did you miss me?  My boyfriend took a pretty bad spill on the tennis courts on Sunday so I've been making sure to be available for him in case he needed anything.  He's no longer bed ridden so things are slowing going back to their normal routine.  Hopefully I can also get a blog post up for tomorrow.  If not let's just hope next week I'll be back to my MWF posting schedule.

So, there's only 1 week left until Thanksgiving and I haven't done a single Thanksgiving related post!  Can you believe it?  I can't.  Where has November gone?  Maybe it's because the stores go directly from Halloween to Christmas and Thanksgiving doesn't really get much love.  Since everyone is gearing up for Christmas I decided to as well.  I decided this year for Christmas, seeing that I'm on an unemployed budget, I'm going to make Christmas gifts for my friends.  Since I have quite a few gifts to make I decided I have to start early,  especially since some of my friends live out of town and are visiting in early December so xmas gifts need to be ready to go in a couple of weeks!  I'll probably post a Thanksgiving post later next week when I actually have Thanksgiving dinner and use a recipe from Pintrest, but for now, let the Christmas crafting begin!

Also, friends and family who do read/follow my post I hope you're still surprised to see your gift when you get them since the blog post won't reveal who the gift is for.  :)

(Original pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/231724343298624586/)

Pin Rating: 3.5 (Keep in mind this is a pin rating and not a rating or the final product b/c I love the way it turned out)

Level of difficulty: Medium (If you don't already have sewing experience this may be a bit difficult)

• Marbles or Accent Gems (I picked some up at the Dollar Tree)
• Tulle or some sort of transparent/see through fabric (I used Organza since I had A LOT laying around)
• Sewing items (Sewing machine, pins, measuring tape, scissors, needle, thread, safety pin)
• Cute accent button

Giveaway!~ I Spy DIY: Wire Bow Ring

Pin Rating: 5

Duration: 5-10 minutes

I stumbled upon a pretty awesome blog today - ispydiy.com!  I was looking around on Pintrest to see what I can do for today's Fast and Simple  Friday post and I saw this cute little wire bow ring.  When I followed the pin back to it's original source I was blown away by the posts of blogger Jenni Radosevich with her hip/fashionable DIY tutorials on her blog.  Each blog post has step by step picture instructions as well as written instructions on how to turn high fashion into DIY projects.  This is the first Simply Pinspirational post of her project but it certainly won't be the last!  This project in particular that I did was indeed fast and simple and it gives any outfit that nice little pop/flare in your every day wear.

• Snipping pliers
• Flat nose pliers
• 6" of floral wire (Jenni used Artistic Wire)  You can find floral wire at the Dollar Tree or Michael's.
• Tube of chap stick for sizing

Haunted Mansion Photo shoot @ Disneyland

I'm interrupting the usual Pinspirational blog post with a special announcement today.  Do you remember when I blogged about my Double Rope Braid Bun for my photo shoot with White Rabbit Photo Boutique?  Well, the photos from the photo shoot are up today and I love them all!!  Check them out!

http://whiterabbitphotoboutique.com/blog/2012/11/when-hinges-creak-in-doorless-chambers/

Photo Credit: White Rabbit Photo Boutique

Garlicy Baked Shrimp

Pin Rating: 4.5

Duration: 5 min for prep & 25 minutes for the shrimp dish to bake(~ 20 minutes for the spaghetti - water takes forever to boil!)

My sister has been trying to clean out the freezer for a couple of weeks now since we've seemed to have stock piled the freezer full of food and haven't touched any of it yet.  We just happened to have 1 pound of shrimp and we weren't sure what to make for dinner until my sister reminded me I have a yummy looking shrimp dish pinned on one of my Pintrest boards (http://pinterest.com/pin/231724343298452022/).  The dish came out pretty good, but lacked a little flavor and it was probably due to me not adding white wine since there wasn't already a bottle at home. But other than that, delicious!

• 1 lb. of Medium or Large Shrimp (pre-peeled and deveined will save you a lot of time!)
• 1/4 cup softened butter (I let mine sit out to room temperature)
• 4 cloves of garlic (It calls for sliced but I had some minced - not pictured)
• 2 tbps white wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp parsley
• Olive oil

Homemade Taco Shells & Bowls

Pin Rating: 5

Duration: 20-30 minutes (7-10 minute cook time per batch)

Mini Rant about the pin: The taco bowl pin drove me a little nuts because when I went to go look at the original instructions there were none!  This was an actual upload by a user so it didn't link up to a website and the pin itself didn't have any instructions.  I'll repin my own picture in a bit with instructions so that there's a good copy out there on Pintrest for everyone to repin.   End of rant. :)

Last month my boyfriend decided he wants to start budgeting a little better so we went grocery shopping.  Some Guerrero corn tortillas were on sale so we grabbed a pack.  Once we got home he decided to have a snack and took one bite of it and almost immediately had a frown on his face.  Apparently these are not the tortillas that he likes.  So since we bought them and we have them I turned to Pintrest for some ways to spice them up a bit so that they're more to his liking.  This quick and simple recipe did the trick!  He loved them and said they were way better this time.  (I made this over at my boyfriend's house and only had my phone so pictures aren't that great but hopefully you can get a good idea of what is going on)

Here's the original pin for the taco shells: http://pinterest.com/pin/231724343298465668/  I used the instructions from this pin to make both shapes of tortilla.

What you'll need:

• Cooking oil (spray or have a brush handy is recommended)
• Tortillas
• Oven rack
• Muffin tin
• Oven @ 375°F

First microwave your tortillas wrapped in paper towel for at least 30 seconds.  This gets them soft and flexible so that they won't break as easily when you're handling them.  I didn't have a brush handy or a spray so I poured some olive oil onto a plate and then dipped the tortilla evenly on both sides.