Pinterest Trials

Although I haven't been blogging recently, I have had a creative outlet the last few months as I've joined the Pinterest craze.  At first I found the site difficult to use, and was bored by the minimal posts coming across my "Following" section.  But, as the people I followed became more involved, I too became a regular "pinner", and I've gathered a good collection of recipes, craft tutorials and helpful hints.

Since school ended, I have had time to put many of my Pinterests pins to the test.  I have decided to review some of my trials in this, and future, posts.  Feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree, or have similiar results. 

These are pins I have actually tried:


Bird Seed Feeders

I am going to start with a project I absolutely ADORED!  My older kids and I whipped up this little project in about a half hour, and it was super easy and produced great results!  And the supplies were inexpensive and there was plenty for tons of bird feeders.



Photo Credit:  Eighteen 25

Eighteen 25 gets all the credit for this fun project.  Check out the blog post for the full instructions.  I made double batches (which created about 10-ish feeders per batch), and a small bag of birdseed was enough to do two double batches and still have lots left over.  I did add extra birdseed to the gelatin mix since it seemed a bit wet to me with the measurements on the original post.

Another tip- cut your string longer than you think you need to.  Once you make the loop, and press the end into your mixture, you will have a smaller loop than you expected (at least I did!). 

  
Also, when I tried using two cookie cutters (hearts), I had a hard time getting the feeder out without breaking.  I'd like to experiment with more or less gelatin, or maybe even using some kind of cooking spray to help it glide out easier. 


However, these feeders make great gifts and look great in your own yard, too!


Miracle Cleaner for Pans

I came across this pin for removing those tough, greasy stains from your baking pans.  I have a cabinet full of once-shiny cookie sheets and muffins tins that could use a good de-greasing, so I put this tip to the test.  The original post comes from One Good Thing By Jillee, and I followed her instructions and used my very best scrubbing.

Photo Credit: One Good Thing By Jillee

I'm sorry to report my pans didn't transform like the pans in her photo.  I read through the comments on her blog, and it seems people got mixed results.  You should still give this tip a try; you may have better luck than I did.


Creating a Workout Tank Top from an Old T-shirt

After looking at a few tutorials, I settled on this one from Dollars Sense and More because it didn't require any sewing.  The original blogger was RIGHT ON about her instructions-- everything was clear and easy to follow, and all of the tips and tricks helped me get just the right style and fit with my workout shirt.

Like the blog suggests, I recommend using a shirt you don't really like the first time around to experiment with the project.  I ended up cutting down the back-side neck area of the shirt, which I didn't end up really liking.  When I tried a second time, I just cut the collar off and let it be. 

The second t-shirt I used was a little big on me, so to give it some extra flair and a better fit, I cut strips across the side seams and tied the strips into knots.  I was able to customized how deep I cut and how tightly I tied the strips, which helped me control the fit I wanted. 

Take the advice of the tutorial's author, and cut more off the back of the sleeve than the front.  I didn't really take any off of the front side at all.  As a general rule, cut a little at a time-- you can always cut more.  And, like the tutorial says, use very sharp scissors!  I used facric scissors for all of my cuts and didn't have any problems! 

The best tip for this t-shirt project is just to put the finished product on, then tug and pull at it until it lays the way you want it to.  (I had my husband help me so I could make sure the knot stayed even).  Sometimes the top area "bunches up" in a funny way, but if you pull on the fabric underneath the knot, you can fix it easily.  And, have fun repurposing a t-shirt into something different and new!

I hope you enjoyed my first Pinterest Trials post.  I have many, MANY more Pinterest projects and recipes I have already tried that I plan to review very soon!