Serving Up Smiles & A Pinterest Poser Challenge

Last week I threw a little party.  Throwing parties intimidates me.  I feel like everything should be perfect.  But I am here to tell you, that is soooo not true.  You don't have to have matching wine glasses or an organized home to have a party.

As a hostess with the mostess, I took a page out of my limited waitressing experience.  A million years ago, I worked the night shift at a restaurant chain in Pennsylvania called Eat'n Park.  The restaurant is a place you eat breakfast all day.  It's a place where senior citizens go for coffee during the day and drunk college kids go for coffee in the middle of the night.  The restaurant is also known for their smiley face cookies--every customer gets one.  

I found this funny quote on Pinterest from a HILARIOUS tumblr page called: Waitressprobs.  You must click here to go laugh, especially if you were ever once a waitress or ever eaten in a restaurant.

I was probably one of the worst waitresses of all time.  It didn't really matter in the middle of the night because most of the customers were too drunk (or too creepy) to get mad when I got their order wrong.  And I always remembered their coffee and their cookies, so all was usually forgiven.  The occasional  day shift I worked was different though.  They cared about their orders, a lot.  And I got their orders wrong, a lot.  But I always remembered their smiley face cookies and I smiled.  Almost every customer appreciated my smile or my sense of humor.  Usually people thanked me for being nice even if I made mistakes with their orders. They simply appreciated that I was sincerely nice and friendly. And I got pretty good tips.

I never improved as a waitress, but the lessons of sincerity, being nice and smiling stuck.  Those lessons have helped me over the years.  And they helped me again with my party insecurity.  

When my guests arrived I greeted them with my best Eat'n Park smile.  I offered alcohol instead of cookies and fun was had by all.  No one cared about the imperfections.  It might help that I have some pretty rad friends.  Friends that don't blink when I say "Oh, don't open any cabinets because everything I crammed in there five minutes before you walked in will fall on your head." 

The imperfect waitress lessons of yesteryear also helped with my Pinterest Poser Challenge*** projects this week.  I had fun prepping for my party and didn't care if they weren't mindblowing or perfect.  I went a little nuts and it looked a little bit like Pinterest threw up in my house for the party, but I loved it.

 **In an attempt at not being a Pinterest Poser,* every week I  detail a new Pinterest challenge whether it be a new recipe or a craft.   

*My definition of a Pinterest Poser is someone who is all pins and no substance.

Cinco de Mayo Paper Flowers

This project was for one of my party's themes (there were multiple--cinco de mayo, mother's day and more) a little post Cinco de Mayo fun.  I saw this on Pinterest a few weeks ago and fell in love.  

It was simple and cheap.  All you need are multi-colored sheets of tissue paper, a stapler and some time.

• Stack approximately eight sheets of tissue paper and folded them like a fan.

• Staple a few times in the middle and then unfold each sheet of tissue paper.  

• Then tape them up somewhere. I duct taped them to the archway that separates my dining and living rooms.  I couldn't put the flowers all the way down to the floor because of my new puppy who apparently loves to eat tissue paper.

It was definitely a fun and festive decoration for my party.

I love it so much that Lucy and I have decided to keep it up all summer.  

Painted Mason Jar Vases

Another cheap, easy but quite lovely project.  

I bought a box of glass jars at Target for $8.  I found paint in my craft cabinet and used my kids' paint brushes.  The paint was Patio Paint that I bought at Michael's for the kids to paint rocks (a favorite summer past time around here).

• While watching TV, I painted a couple coats of paint on each jar.

• After the paint dried, I took a nail file and randomly distressed the paint.

• Threw some Lilacs in and BOOM, you've got a great centerpiece for a summer table or a garden party.

This was the set up on my porch for my party with the jars. Another theme was wine.  The gift tags were cut 10 minutes before the party and due to a lack of a hole puncher I jabbed a pencil threw each tag to make way for the ribbon.  I'm no Martha Stewart, but they didn't turn out so bad.

This was such a cute project, I made some as a gift for the mothers in my Sunday School class at church the next weekend for Mother's Day.

I also served up an old favorite at the party, the Seven Layer Dip in Individual Cups.  A fan favorite for sure.  Click here to read about how to make these.

There it is, my mismatched dishes, party themes and Pinterest projects all served up with a smile.    Hopefully you feel inspired to paint, craft or host a party.  Whatever you do, I encourage you to sincerely have fun with it.

Have you made something from Pinterest lately?  Had any great successes?  Do tell.

Please share whatever you're working on in the comments here or over on Facebook.  Come on over and follow my Pinterest boards.

Here are some of the projects I've already attempted, the good and the bad:

Earth Day Cupcakes- Click here

Nail Art-click here

Homemade Photo Booth Fun- click here

Fake Bangs- click here

DIY Subway Art- click here

Furniture Painting and Bench/Chest Makeover- click here

Thanksgiving-y Project/Gratitude/Holiday Countdown- click here
The Smoothie-click here

The Free Printable Turned Artwork in a Boring Hallway- click here

The chalk board-click here
Seven Layer Dip in Individual Cups (my favorite so far!)-click here
The pumpkin address-click here
The Kitchen Dancing Sign--click here

Come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

Oh yeah, and come follow me on Twitter @AngelaYBlood and subscribe to my MomPulse YouTube channel here.

Spray Paint & Mother's Day (A Pinterest Poser Challenge)

It's almost Mother's Day.  And that's cool.  It's nice to have a day dedicated all us mothers.  

In honor of this special holiday and my weekly Pinterest Poser Challenge***, I have the perfect Pinterest craft for all you awesome mamas.  

 **In an attempt at not being a Pinterest Poser,* every week I  detail a new Pinterest challenge whether it be a new recipe or a craft.   

*My definition of a Pinterest Poser is someone who is all pins and no substance.

I chose this black folding chair.

Here's what you need:

One can of spray paint, any color.

A piece of furniture or wood or metal or etc.

(You might want some newspaper to put down before you start painting whatever it is you've chosen to paint.)

Maybe the yellow blooms in this out of control forsythia was inspiration. And as you can see I did not put any newspaper down, so now we have a decent size patch of yellow grass too.

Here's what you do:

Spray the hell out of whatever you chose to paint.

What's the point?

To make something brighter and shinier of course. But it's also so you can feel like you completed something.  

I am so in love with my new yellow chair.

Because a lot of times motherhood can be frustrating like that.  Your job is never done.  Whether you work outside of the house or in, mothering goes on and on and on.  Oh yeah, there's a few minutes after they are all in bed asleep when you can finally sit down and relax.  But after a few minutes, that feeling of accomplishment is over. Gone. Done.  There is laundry to do, school forms to fill out, lunches to make for the next day (if you're that kind of plan ahead mom and if you are, you are awesome and I am jealous), there are calendars to organize, emails to send, more laundry.  By this point, maybe one of those sleeping kids has come downstairs with a bad dream and asked to get in your bed and you walk your kid back to bed (if you're that kind of disciplined mom and if you are, you are awesome and I am jealous (said the mom that usually has two children in bed a few nights a week)).

There's no punching out.  There's no quitting time.  You can't yell "take this job and shove it" like the old song from the 80s.

So, maybe you veg out on Facebook and/or Pinterest for a few minutes.  Sometimes that feels great to connect with friends or get inspired to decorate and craft.  But sometimes it can make you feel more tired, like you should be doing more and better.

This Mother's Day give yourself the gift of saying screw you to perfection and more and better.  Give yourself the gift of completing an easy project called Spray Paint the Hell Out of Something.

Then email or call a mama pal and tell her she's normal if she's totally exhausted and that she's doing a great job.  For real. Do it.  Wouldn't it be great to open an email that just said "You are a wonderful mom" from a friend?  Not an invitation or a request or something you have to RSVP to (if you are one of those moms that is really good at RSVP-ing than this isn't such a big deal to you and you are awesome and I am jealous).

Here's one of my favorite clips from the first season of Desperate Housewives when Lynette feels like a failure as a mom.  She wishes moms would tell each other how they struggle and they don't all have it together.  It's goooooood.

Go do it.  Go spray paint something, preferably that you own.  I'm not trying to start a revolution of renegade mama graffiti artists/vandals. But it sort of sounds cool in a whole Legend of Billie Jean (movie circa 1985) kind of way.  Okay, stick with what you own, but you can totally sing Pat Benatar songs while painting.

Then tell another mom how great they are. It's the Mother's Day Golden Rule rule--treat another mother how you want to be treated.

And then of course it's back to your laundry, whomp. whomp.

Tell me how you like this challenge!  Share here in the comments or on my Facebook page. And Happy Mother's Day.

Have you made something from Pinterest lately?  Had any great successes?  Do tell.

Please share whatever you're working on in the comments here or over on Facebook.  Come on over and follow my Pinterest boards.

Here are some of the projects I've already attempted, the good and the bad:

Earth Day Cupcakes- Click here

Nail Art-click here

Homemade Photo Booth Fun- click here

Fake Bangs- click here

DIY Subway Art- click here

Furniture Painting and Bench/Chest Makeover- click here

Thanksgiving-y Project/Gratitude/Holiday Countdown- click here
The Smoothie-click here

The Free Printable Turned Artwork in a Boring Hallway- click here

The chalk board-click here
Seven Layer Dip in Individual Cups (my favorite so far!)-click here
The pumpkin address-click here
The Kitchen Dancing Sign--click here

Come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

Oh yeah, and come follow me on Twitter @AngelaYBlood and subscribe to my MomPulse YouTube channel here.

A Yellow Lamp In the Bedroom With Meryl Streep

It's time again for the Pinterest Poser Challenge.  In an attempt at not being a Pinterest Poser,* every week I  detail a new Pinterest challenge whether it be a new recipe or a craft.   

**My definition of a Pinterest Poser is someone who is all pins and no substance.**

This should be everyone's Pinterest prayer while they're browsing, oh and it would work for Facebook too.

In college I went through a phase where I was an artist.  Or at least I loved acting like one.  I sketched with pastels and painted.  I painted pictures, walls, flower pots, anything and everything.  Most of my pictures were dark and deep (just like me or so I thought).  Most of my pictures were not very good.

But I loved the splash of color around my tiny dorm room.  Many of those items moved with me several times after college.  When I met my husband, Mr. Beige, he asked if I could get rid of the painted upon items.  Since I was madly in love I obliged and have since lost them along the way.

Over the past 15 years together, my husband has become less beige and much more open to my need for self expression and color and putting my thoughts and feelings out there.  Hello green walls in our dining room and um, hello blog.

So the other night, I was sitting in bed watching a movie and I looked over at my lamp and was inspired.  "It needs to be yellow," I thought to myself.  I hopped out of bed and rushed to the craft cabinet.

 There I found yellow patio paint my kids had used to paint rocks with last summer.  I snuggled back under my covers and started painting.  

While I painted I was watching a Meryl Streep movie, It's Complicated.

I love Meryl Streep.  Who doesn't love her?  There might be just like a handful of people that don't like her.  

She's creative, brilliant, earthy, funny, smart. She's an actress, a wife, a mother.  I know, you're thinking if you love her so much why don't you marry her.  I totally would. Wait, what?  You weren't thinking that?  You mean your brain doesn't sound like Pee Wee Herman?  Well, bottom line I love her.  I don't know her, but I feel like she is brave and compassionate; and tough and vulnerable.  I imagine her to be a little of every character she's played.  If that's wrong, I don't want to be right.

In my mind, Meryl would paint her lamp yellow on a whim.  She would eschew a high-priced yellow lamp for one she could paint basically for free.  She would applaud my plucky craftiness and then she'd make us a beef bourguignon like she did in Julie and Julia.  Okay, I know I've lost touch with reality, but you get what I mean, right?

Back to the lamp, it was instant gratification.  You want a yellow lamp? Boom. You have a yellow lamp.  Pinterest projects don't have to be complicated.  Grab what you have and brighten up a room.  Or reignite a passion.  Ask yourself what would Meryl do?

Once I started painting, I couldn't stop (just like in college, except I wasn't painting eyeballs and scary crucifix looking images...I was goth before it was a thing).  Here's a frame I made with a quote from Meryl as Julia Child in the fabulous movie Julie and Julia.

This simple project included a $1 frame from The Dollar Store, a can of spray paint and old scrap booking paper from the days when I pretended to be a scrapbooker.  Per usual, my cutting sucks and my lines are crooked.  But I think it's a cute addition to my desk.

Cheap.  Easy. Inspirational. Boom, you got it.

Have you made something from Pinterest lately?  

Do tell.

Please share whatever you're working on in the comments here or over on Facebook.

Come on over and follow my Pinterest boards.

Here are some of the projects I've already attempted, the good and the bad:

Homemade Photo Booth Fun- click here

Fake Bangs- click here

DIY Subway Art- click here

Furniture Painting and Bench/Chest Makeover- click here

Thanksgiving-y Project/Gratitude/Holiday Countdown- click here
The Smoothie-click here

The Free Printable Turned Artwork in a Boring Hallway- click here

The chalk board-click here
Seven Layer Dip in Individual Cups (my favorite so far!)-click here
The pumpkin address-click here
The Kitchen Dancing Sign--click here

Come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

Oh yeah, and come follow me on Twitter @AngelaYBlood and subscribe to my MomPulse YouTube channel here.