When I saw this cake on Pinterest, it looked simple enough (even for me!) to make! I only needed an occasion. The husband turned 25 on Tuesday (but it's been more of a marathon than a sprint). We've been celebrating since Monday! On Tuesday, when his family came over to celebrate, he asked for a Cold Stone cake. And, being the nonexistent often-try-to-bake baker that I am, I didn't argue. But I still really wanted to at least try, and if it didn't work out — oh well. So Thursday night was his first night back to work at the hospital and Button and I figured this would be the perfect surprise! It looks so easy (Pinterest Link) — it was basically as simple as baking any cake mix (I just used what I had in my pantry) in a round cake pan (I did have to purchase this at Walmart for less than $3) and then covering the cake with frosting (again, any type) and then placing kit kats around the cake, filling the top with M&Ms, and wrapping a ribbon around it. Easy right? But what about for... you know, me?

Well, I'm happy to say that this Pinterest baking adventure was a complete success!!

It really was as simple as it looks! If I can do it — believe me ANYBODY can do it (although, when I got to the bow tying — I did get a bit nervous) . I will let you in on a few "trial by error" tips however:

• I bought a round cake pan (wedding section from Walmart) that was 8in diameter and 2inch depth. This was PERFECT. But, know that if you make the cake from the box (you know, like me) the box says it should make TWO 8in round cakes. Because I'm not making a layered wedding cake and wanted something with a bit more substance, I put about 2/3 of the batter in and it was PERFECT. Otherwise I think it would have been too thing for the Kit Kats
• Speaking of Kit Kats, we bought four packages of the snack-size Kit Kats. You only need three packages for the 8in pan.
• One large bag of M&Ms is perfect for an 8in diameter, 2in depth pan.
• While transporting this cake I was SO nervous because I didn't want anything to go amiss between my house and the hospital (roughly ten miles). While nothing is wrong, I'd recommend NOT transporting this cake (I was so nervous) but if it is absolutely necessary — pray much.

Today's Pinterest Project Creation is a little bit... er... different. It isn't actually from Pinterest (gasp!). My mother in law bought her two daughter in laws sewing machines for Christmas this year. Jaycee and I have been learning how to sew ever since. We have been attending one on one sewing classes in Mandan, ND for the past couple of weeks. Even thought this creation isn't from Pinterest, I thought I'd still share with you my awesomeness!

The first night we spent learning about our machines. The next two nights we spent on oven mitts. Yes, you heard me right — two 2 hour session (4 hours total) went into these oven mitts/hot pads. I was thinking it would take me thirty minutes! I may have forgot to count the "binding time" — next time I'm just going to turn in inside out and sew that way. Anyway, this is what I came up with.

That hot mess of stitching you see in the middle — oh, that's what I like to call (because I don't know the real term) "free stitching." It's with this random foot (that I had to buy extra) that allows you to any which way. It was a pain in my OCD butt, but I like the randomness — on this project at least.
Overall, I'm extremely proud of my first sewing creation! I can't wait to see what I come up with next. My all-time life mission (when it comes to sewing) is to hem my own pants! I'm so sick of buying "great deals" on jeans and dress pants only to spend an additional $15-$20 to have them hemmed!
As I begin my sewing adventures, any suggestions on what else to create (remember, uncreative beginner here folks)?

While this Pinterest Project wasn't a Sewing Adventure, it too is not really a Pinterest Project (I promise to get back on track — soon). But, nevertheless, I thought this was worth sharing. A few weeks ago @picky_girl (from The Picky Girl) brought to my attention that Harper Perennial has a pinboard on Pinterest (see the connection) highlighting pets with literary names. Well, I couldn't help but submit by two furry children!

Pippin — Named for my favorite Hobbit (due to his large feet as a puppy). 7 years old.

Primrose (Prim) — Having been saved from "The Hunger Games" aka euthanasia, our shy, timid puppy has grown into a strong, fun, playful creature that is almost unrecognizable. She has adapted so well to family life — we couldn't have asked for a better rescue.
Does anyone else have some great literary names? We threw around the name Poet for Prim in the beginning (which I still really like) and I had an English professor in college whose dog was named Theseus (the mythical king of Athens).

Last week I mentioned the Social Media Bandwagon, today I'd like to specifically talk about Pinterest. I'm relatively new to Pinterest but am already addicted. I like it a bit more than Etsy because I can make what I want myself. The problem is that I'm not very creative. I have, however, found a few projects that I've liked and subsequently tried. While I won't go into step by step detail (I'll a leave a link), I do want to give an honest opinion on how attempting these projects worked out for me. I hate when I see something that a creative person dubs as "simple" or "easy" and it's not.

The first project I tried was to take a curtain rod and hang the stockings using only two stocking holders. Here is the link to the Pinterest Page and here is the original photo:

This was a great first project for me because I had just found stockings for D and I (the dog already had a stocking) and was preparing to put nails in my walls to hang them. The way I see it, the fewer nails I have to make the better. Because I don't have a fireplace, I placed the stocking holders in the rectangle window in my dining room. I found the snow flake stocking holders at Hobby Lobby for $20 (for the pair) and I had the curtain rod in the garage as I brought them with me from my old apartment. It was a simple project that took me less than ten minutes (after buying the stocking holders) to put together and I think it looks great! I think this is a great idea as our family continues to grow.
Here's my picture. Other items in the window are my random gnome from high school, our wedding sand, and our wedding cake topper.

Overall verdict: I'm so glad I did this project! Now if only I could find Pippin a stocking with a P (Hobby Lobby was all out). I had the perfect place for it (although, now that I'm looking at it I can see it needs to be centered) and it was inexpensive!
What do you think? Would it be something you'd be interested in trying?

This Pinterest Project Creation is a little bit different than the others as it didn't really take a lot of effort or creativity (sort of).

I found this Christmas Card Photo idea (link to Pinterest Page) and absolutely loved it! So I decided to try to recreate it! Twice.

First of all, it took me FOREVER to find a strung together "Merry Christmas" sign. I went to Target, Walmart, and finally tried Party America. Even Party America had slim pickings — they only had every reflective colored signs. I didn't try the dollar store — but I will for next year*.

The first time we attempted to take the photo it was too dark out an the letters reflected (plus, the photo was NOT very flattering — so much so that I may have already accidentally deleted it from my camera. The second time we tried it was dusk and, while it isn't awful, there is this weird fog thing (demons? angels?) in the photo that was not there when we took the picture. And, you can't really see what it says — I think it's more distracting than pretty. But the rest of the picture looks nice!

Final Verdict: So, for this year*, we went without. But when I have more time and am not so rushed to find the strung letters, I would like to try this photo op. again next year. Tomorrow I'll post what our final Christmas looked like — if you're interested!

Do you have any suggestions for an uncreative person in regards to "pulling off" this photo?

For the Super Bowl Party I attended yesterday, I wanted to make something creative. Don't laugh! So when I saw this picture on Pinterest (Pinterest Link | Actual/Recipe Link) that combined my favorite cookie (No Bake Cookie) with football — I thought it would be perfect! I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but the recipe link doesn't work for me, so I basically went with the flow here (without really looking at the above picture in detail until just now). So, apparently I'm a little unsure of what a football looks like.

I'm not sure, because the link didn't work, how this person got the cookies to be 3D and football shaped, because mine were flat (you know, like No Bake Cookies). Also, I see that I'm missing a few lines in here — but whatever, I think you can tell what they are supposed to be.

Anyway, these cookies were definitely not the hit of the party that I thought they would be. They were good — but I'm still a little sad that no one bowed down at my awesomeness in the kitchen — maybe next time? Maybe I'll try again next year (as I'm sure Manning is thinking as well).

Anyone have an idea to make a 3D No Bake Cookie?

BBRAW prompts will be posted tonight! Stay tuned and get excited!

So when I made my "melting snowmen" cookies this weekend, I also attempted these Andes Mint Cookies (Pinterest Link) .

In comparison to the snowmen cookies, I thought these guys would be the easy ones. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Again, the original recipe calls for ingredients that I (mostly) had lying around in the pantry:

• 1 cup unsalted butter — softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 49 Andes Créme de Menthe Thins

While I am impressed with the golden browness of my cookie, the overall effect was that there was a little bit of mint in an otherwise bland cookie.
This was not as easy as it looks and took more time than the super cute Snowmen Cookies and even though these cookies are easy to transport — I'm going to have to call this one a Thanks, but No Thanks as a Final Verdict.
Also, Pinterest Update: Remember when I made that Christmas Card Wreath and I was undecided? I'm going to have to with BUST. It's not pretty by itself and it's completely chaotic with actual cards on it. I'm okay with a little chaos — but this is too much for me. There's also not enough space for all the cards I've received.

Yes, I'm still grading papers. Thanks for thinking of me.

Two Pinterest posts in a week! You must be freaking out! This is another recipe I tried last weekend for the Super Bowl Party that I thought would be a fun, new, adult food that we could enjoy: Drunk Gummy Bears (Pinterest Link | Recipe Link) .

This was another experiment that I feel like the directions were lacking or I'm just that moronic. We bought the gummy bears and took the generic vodka we had in the house and poured it, covered it, and let it set for three days.

When I tried the first drunken gummy bear prior to the party my initial reaction was, "Oh, this is good!" and then I got to end of the gummy bear and that reaction turned into "Oh my gosh, spit it out!" So we thought we'd dry off the bears so that, perhaps, the alcohol on top (as it's a very sticky bear) would come off. It didn't help. We ended up throwing most of them away but keeping a few so that family at the Super Bowl party could at least try them. Turns out — everyone else LOVED them! Apparently D and I complete wusses.

Upon reading the actual recipe now I note that it does say for less strong bears use less vodka. Noted.

I also think if we do this again we will try a more pleasant tasting vodka — like Birthday Cake!:) D also had the idea of using cinnamon vodka so it would be like a cinnamon bear! I think that sounds like an awesome idea.

Final Verdict: I guess this is one of those times where you live and learn by trial and error. We'll probably try this idea again sometime. Hopefully we get it right.:)

Wow, it has been forever since my last Pinterest Post (remember the Kit Kat cake?) ! Well on the opposite side of the health spectrum: this time I'm talking Green Smoothies (Pinterest Link | Recipe Link) !

I've tried these healthy shakes before (using oatmeal, spinach, plain yogurt, bananas, strawberries, cinnamon, honey — and even peanut butter), but the problem is that I never get up early enough to make the shakes! And, even though I know they're good for me and they don't taste THAT bad, they don't taste good either and I end up not eating them.

But that was all going to change this time — or so I thought.

I ended up making this shake the night before and it wasn't awful. But when I got up the next morning and put it in my school bag it was much more solidified than liquid so it the texture was pretty rough going down.

I ended up throwing a most of it huge chunk of it out. I'll try this one more time tomorrow morning (if I can wake up) because I do like the idea of a breakfast to go that is healthy and I think, if it's a liquid, I can just suffer through it. But don't let anyone fool you — healthy does not taste good.

This is just a quick plug post as I've recently taken social media by storm! I've been on Twitter and Goodreads forever — but just recently I've joined Etsy and Pinterest. While I'm still knew to these sites — I'm missing my book blogging friends! I love the sense of community book bloggers have created and I'd love for that community to accompany me in other areas of my life as well! So please, if you're on these social media sites please either join me or leave your links below!

I've linked directly to my profile on the respective sites and I've also listed my usernames. Are there any other up-in-coming social media sites I should be aware of (besides Tumblr — I'm still holding out on this one as I'm a bit confused)*?

Etsy — reaganurbanec (I didn't realize I could combine these communities — otherwise I would have kept with my maiden name)
Pinterest — google
Twitter — google
Goodreads — google
MyFitnessPal (I definitely need support here! haha!) — google

*Okay, on the topic of Tumblr: I don't understand how Tumblr differs from my blog and Twitter? Do I post the same things? If not, how can I possibly be that interesting where I'd have enough content to post in three different venues? Color me confused.

I hope to see you around — you know, outside the world of books!:)

Okay, okay — another Pinterest post that has nothing to do with Pinterest (besides the fact that it's inspired me to be crafty). My sewing adventures have continued and I've officially done the impossible — I've hemmed my own pants! Don't laugh, this is no small feat! Not only did it take me a considerable amount of time less than making those stupid hot pads, but it has saved me a considerable amount of money as well! Plus, no more high waters (yes, I'm that teacher sadly).

It wasn't nearly as difficult as I had thought and the result, I thought, was flawless! Now it's time to do some shopping!!

Dogs poop.

Two dogs poop a lot.

Poop needs to be picked up; I refuse too pay for Martha Stewart poop bags so we use Walmart bags. Unfortunately we have been overrun with plastic bags in our garage so when I saw this bag on Pinterest and after evaluating my sewing skills — I figured I'd try this:

I found some great puppy print fabric at JoAnns and without a pattern I basically created the bag. The elastic part wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be so I actually did elastic on both ends so that the bags wouldn't blow out of the top while it was hanging in the garage. I used a half of a yard of fabric for an extremely long bag (perfect for two dogs worth of poop bags).

I'm definitely proud of the finished product.

Speaking of puppies — last week I mentioned Prim's hair cut. Many people wanted an "after" photo — here you go! We weren't expecting the typical "Schnauzer" look so we ended up shaving the "hot mess" that is the Poodle hair on her legs. I think it would have looked better if she were full Schnauzer, but the hair on her legs was just crazy! I do sort of miss her curls so I think we'll have a Schnauzer for the summer and a poodle for the winter:)

This weekend I did some baking and I thought these cookies (Pinterest Link) were super cute! The recipe (direct link to recipe and directions) calls for almost everything I had in my home with me — all I really needed to buy was the cookie icing.

• 1 package Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
• 10 large marshmallows
• Betty Crocker Cookie Icing (white and orange)
• Wilton Decorating Icing Tubes in Black, Red, Green, Blue and Pink (although I only used orange and black)

I like this guy because he looks like he is actually melting

So as you can see, without the right icing and the small(er) mallows, these snowmen don't really have the "puddle effect."

Now, these cookies weren't exactly hard to make — they were actually pretty easy and they are adorable! But the reason the Final Verdict is BUST is because these cookies are impossible to eat (and retain their cuteness) and impossible to transport (and really, who is going to eat ALL of these cookies!). So in conclusion — despite the cuteness, it's just a sugar cookie and mallow so unless I'm going to show them off to others (in which case I'd need to transport them — which is impossible) — it's kind of pointless. Very cute cookie but not worth it (in my opinion).

And yes, I'm still grading research papers.

What is with me and food?! Anyway, this project is a few weeks old but I thought I'd still share.

I love buffalo sauce and I especially love buffalo chicken. So when I saw this recipe (Pinterest Link | Recipe) I knew I had to try it and I figured the family New Year's Eve party would be the ideal time (yes, that's how old this project is).

Now, I know I'm totally making an excuse — but remember, I'm not a good cook. The big problem with this recipe is that how it is written implies the whole thing should really take less than twenty minutes. What all new "home makers/cooks" need to realize is that this doesn't factor in cooking the chicken. The recipe says this exactly:

1. Preheat oven, or toaster oven, to 350*.

2. Mix all ingredients together, hold 1/2 cup cheese. The Kitchen Aid with a paddle attachment does an amazing job of creaming it all together. Super easy! 3. Transfer to 9×5 loaf fan (or another baking dish), sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. 4. Bake for 15 minutes. 4. Broil for 1-2 minutes to get the cheese extra golden on top. Nowhere here does it say "Cook the chicken then do all this stuff." So before you freak out, yes I did cook the chicken, BUT I was definitely stressing out because I only allowed myself 30 minutes to put this concoction together before we left (and cooking the chicken wasn't part of the plan). So I wasn't completely unprepared and unimpressed.
It was extremely stressful because I hate being late (especially when everyone else is always thirty minutes early — or so it seems). I even yelled at D a couple times! I ended up not having the fifteen minutes that recipe requires because I was already leaving at the time I was supposed to be there (across town). So I ended up baking it for ten minutes, grabbing hot plates and a towel, taking it to my sister-in-laws and putting it in their oven for more time (which is completely embarrassing).
I also didn't know what "shredding" chicken meant and since I didn't have the time to google it, I just cut it up really small.
Anyway, if you can't tell, this was a completely stressful experience. Granted, it was mostly my fault for not looking into the recipe a little bit more and planning ahead — but what a hot mess! This picture was taken while I was at a stop light on my way over.

It wasn't a bad recipe, but I wasn't really impressed either. But this could be due to the stress it put me through. I loved the buffalo taste but didn't like the chicken chunks. It also made WAY more than it said it did — notice the difference in pans?
Anyway, final verdict: Complete Stresser (on my part). But I'll probably try it one more time while following the directions and not planning on transporting it.

Alyssa Rose Ivy is stopping by today for a guest post to celebrate her recent release, The Hazards of Skinny Dipping.

If I had a Bucket List…
Maybe it’s because I’m optimistic I’ll have time to do everything I want, but I don’t actually have a bucket list. However, I do have plenty of things that would be on one.

I’d love to travel more. There are so many places I’ve never been that I hope I get the chance to see. I’m starting to get the travel bug more and more lately, and I could probably fill an entire notebook with the places I’d visit. First I need to see the rest of the U.S. (my experience with the west coast is pitifully small), but then the sky’s the limit.

Relating to wanting to see more of the world, I want to sail a boat around the world. Being completely honest, I don’t actually want to be the one to sail, I’d like someone else to sail me around the world (or at least on a long trip). I love water and boats, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

I want to learn how to play piano. When I was younger I played both the viola and the guitar, but I’ve never played the piano. Sometime when I have more free time, I’m going to.

More than anything, it’s the personal experiences I hope I get to have. I want to watch my kids grow up, their graduations, weddings, and I want the chance to meet my grandchildren. If I get to see those things, I’d die a happy person.

The Hazards of Skinny Dipping by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Published: May 17th, 2013
Reading Level: Young Adult
288 pages
Summary:
This isn't a deep book about first loves or self-discovery. If you want a book like that, I'd be happy to recommend one, but I don't have that kind of story to tell. Instead my story is about rash decisions and finding out that your dream guy is bad in bed. It's the story of when I finally went skinny dipping, and how my life was never the same again. Oh, and it's also the story of my freshman year of college and realizing Mr. Right might have been there all along.

Author Bio: Alyssa Rose Ivy is a New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.
Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlyssaRoseIvy Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5047249.Alyssa_Rose_Ivy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlyssaRoseIvy Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/alyssaroseivy/ Website: http://www.alyssaroseivy.com/

Q: What would you prefer: reading your favorite book over and over again until you got sick of it OR reading 100s of mediocre books? Why?

Sunday — "It's Monday" Meme Monday — "Pinterest Project Creations" | Superbowl No Bake Cookie Monday — BBRAW Prompts for next week! Tuesday — Book review of "Double" by Jenny Valentine Wednesday — My Last 20 Books Thursday — "Pinterest Project Creations" | Drunk Gummy Bears

BBRAW starts on Monday! Are you participating?!
Have a great week everybody!

It's no surprise that I absolutely adore Kimberly Derting. The Body Finder was one of the first books I read as a blogger and I was instantly in love with the story. From that moment I have been a stalker… ahem… fan of Kimberly's.

Believe it or not, it's not just Kim's writing that makes her incredible. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure to talk to. She is nothing but kind and considerate, and when I was just a newbie blogger who had no idea what I was doing, she was one of the first authors to be on my blog.

For all those reasons, I was completely thrilled to be her blogger for the Dark Days tour. I've always wanted to be part of the Dark Days tour, but to have Kim as my author, makes it so much more special!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kim again and, trust me, you guys wanna check out her answers!

1. What are a few of the most important lessons you've learned while writing The Body Finder series so far?

Aside from never, EVER talk to strangers, and learning the difference between “lay” and “lie” (I’m still shaky on this one!), I think I’ve learned to be a more patient person. When I was a newbie author, I was always in a hurry-up-and-wait mode, and now, not so much. I’ve come to appreciate the downtime, even though there isn’t usually much of it.

2. What is the most difficult part of the writing process for you?
For me, it’s trying to set a writing schedule and actually sticking to it. I find myself constantly distracted by Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest (OMG Pinterest!), blogs, and email. Also, my family’s constant need for food and attention can be a little distracting as well!: )

3. Can you tell us one way Violet has changed throughout the series?
Violet has always been really (really!) private, probably stemming from a lifetime of keeping her gift a secret. She’s learning to open up—and even starting to lean on others a little. I think it’ll probably take a while to get the hang of it, though!

4. Can you share with us a few of your favorite lines from The Last Echo?

“Mocking me will get you nowhere.” But he [Jay] leaned down, his breath tickling the side of her neck, and a rush of warmth flooded Violet’s stomach. “There are other ways to break me, though.”

Claire pursed her lips. “Don’t do it, Chels. They’ll spit in your food if you send it back. You don’t want them spitting in your food, do you?”

Violet wanted to nod, but she was too afraid to. Their lips were far too close. Dangerously close.

“I gotta say, if you’re gonna get hurt, this is the place to be. The drugs here aren’t half-bad.”

Sara dangled the familiar surfboard keychain Jay had gotten her when he and his mom had gone to Hawaii. It said Maui on one side and Victoria on the other, the closest he could find to Violet.

There was a thin veneer of frost that coated every surface of her skin and dusted her perfectly tweezed brows and the thick fringe of her lashes, making them look brittle but beautiful.

BIGGEST Questions
This is the biggest Dark Days event so far, so we are celebrating by asking each author
some"biggest" questions.
Biggest Celebrity Crush
George Clooney. (Sorry, honey!)
Biggest Pet Peeve
People who start sentences with “Not to be rude… ” but then say something horrible about someone else.
Biggest Guilty Pleasure
The Kardashians, or any reality show featuring the Kardashians.
Biggest Book-Boyfriend Crush?
If I just say Jace, do you know who I mean??? (Hint: I mean Jace from the Mortal Instruments series.)
Biggest Embarrassing Moment
There was a moment when I was 19, involving an adult filmtitled “Beaverly Hills Cop” which I mistakenly thought was “Beverly Hills Cop”. They are not, I repeat NOT, in fact, the same movie!
Biggest Fan-Girl Moment
When I met Kim Harrison, I was so excited I told her I was a “Harper Arthur” too! Turns out I’m an “author” not an “Arthur.”
Biggest Fear
Anything involving spiders, sharks, vampires, being buried alive, snakes, exercise (I’m sure there’s phobia for that!), Big Foot, or having toilet paper hanging from the back of my pants when I leave the women’s room. I may be a little neurotic.
Biggest Accomplishment
Not ever having toilet paper hanging from my pants when I leave the women’s restroom.
Biggest Addiction
Online shopping. (This may fall under the column Biggest Guilt Pleasure as well!)
Biggest Regret
Not a fan of regrets, so yeah…

The Last Echo is the third book in the Body Finder series.
USE GOOGLE to add The Body Finder Desires of the Dead The Last Echo … to Goodreads

Published by HarperCollins Date: April 17th, 2012

Schedule for leg 4

See the authors in person

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Stay connected to all things Dark Days on the Pitch Dark Facebook page, including exclusive content features every Wednesday! Make sure you check out this amazing widget that will tell you everything you need to know about the Dark Days authors and their books.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ARC of The Last Echo.
• 4 winners will receive a swag pack from The Body Finder series.

• You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US/CA only and ends April 24th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

Thanks for entering! Good luck!

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | HarperTeen

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Last week I conquered the Christmas Stockings on a Curtain Rod project, this week I attempted to conquer conquered the Christmas Card Wreath. Remember I'll leave a link to how to do the project, but this post is more or less meant to show you how it actually turned out for an uncreative, not artistic person.

When I saw this Christmas Card Wreath (link to the Pinterest Page) , I knew I wanted to try it. I had just received two Christmas cards in the mail and wanted to display them but didn't know how. While I did have to purchase most of the supplies for this project, much like the Stockings on the Curtain rod, the supplies were not expensive. I had a wire hanger in my closet but I did have to buy clothes pins, red beads, ribbon, glue, wire cutter (strong pliers), and green spray paint (for a complete list of supplies and the step-by-step instructions, please visit Gwenny Penny) .

The first thing I think you should know (that is left out) is that if you are only making one wreath — a small can of spray paint will do. However, if you are planning on making a wreath for a gift or (as I am) are throwing a "Create a Christmas Card Wreath" Party — you'll need multiple cans of spray paint. I started out with a small can and I ran out and had to purchase more. The clothes pins were easy to find at Walmart and were very inexpensive, as were the rest of the supplies. I did have to purchase a wire cutter (pliers) as my pliers were a flat end and didn't really cut through anything. I also bought Krazy Glue, but I'm wishing I would have just bought fabric glue*.

You should also know that spray paint is sticky. I painted the clothes pins on Thursday night and by Saturday night, while they were dry, they were still a bit sticky and it was very hard to get off. Maybe creative people know that, but as an uncreative person who doesn't deal with spray paint often — this would have been nice to know.

Actually putting together this project was fairly easy: red bead, green clothes pin, red bead, green clothes pin and so on and so forth. When I got to the last few beads and pins it got interesting. The Krazy glue I bought wasn't sticking to the metal clothes hanger. So I ended up manipulating the clothes hanger to wrap around the end (in a very unattractive way) and then wrapping the hanger with the red ribbon. I then used the ribbon to make a make-shift hanger (not like in the original post directions) and used the Krazy glue to put the two pieces of fabric together*.

Here is my project:

I'm not 100% happy with it as my hanger is less circular and more "hot mess." Also, I think I'm going to add a bow to make the wreath a bit more complete — but I haven't figured out how to create a bow yet (something the original post left out or assumed I would know how to do). Some of my pins put pressure on the other pins — I don't know if this is because my hanger is too small or not, but the pins are a bit cramped.

As a person who doesn't deal with clothes pins on a regular basis, I also wish someone would have told me that they won't stay "pin down" on the wire, they constantly need to be manipulated. But once they are hung the pins use the wall as support and stay where I put them. I also wish I would have spent more time painting the pins. But because I had people coming over on Sunday to make the wreaths and I didn't know that the spray paint took so long to dry, I didn't have time to turn my box with the pins on it upside down and get the underside of the pins green as well.

Overall Verdit: This project definitely wasn't as easy as it looked and my finished product is no where near as beautiful and put together as the example. But it doesn't function well and once I figure out how to make a bow, I think this project will come together quite nicely. I'm glad I attempted it, but it was definitely a "figure it out as we go" type of deal in regards to the left out helpful pieces of information.

Also, my ribbon is probably too big.

Edit: I tried my best to add a bow. I'm still not very happy with it and have changed my Verdict to BUST. There are some other great ideas to display Christmas cards and I'm just not feeling it. It's not circular and the bow is and ribbon is complete chaos — you can call me an uncreative perfectionist if you'd like.:) But unless it's perfect and I'm proud of it, I'm just not sure I want to display it in my house as part of the decor haha.

I don't know about anyone else, but this week has been amazing so far! I've met so many new bloggers and have been reading some great posts! Thanks to everyone who is participating along with me!

Yesterday I talked about what I enjoyed about other blogs and today I want to find out what you, the reader, feels could be improved on my blog.

Take this opportunity to survey your readers; maybe you haven't done this in years or perhaps ever. Find out what it is about your blog that your faithful readers love, what they wish you wouldn't do (constructive criticism is never a bad thing), what keeps readers coming back for more, what posts they'd love for you to do more of (vlogs etc). The possibilities are endless!

Rather than doing a formal Google Docs deal (I'm a little Google Doc'd out), if you could just leave a quick comment in regards to the above questions I'd appreciate it.

If you do a survey this week for BBRAW make sure to link it below! Also, folks, MVR Nominations close tonight at midnight! I'll announce the MVR Winners tomorrow afternoon!

Do you want to join the bravest faction of them all? If so, now is the time! We are recruiting members to be part of our faction and help spread the word about Team Dauntless.

What is Team Dauntless?

What does the Street Team do?

What do Street Team members get?

*UPDATED PRIZE LIST FOUND HERE

How do I sign up?

Please remember

• We will be posting new assignments regularly. Those assignments will be emailed to you.
• Your first assignment is listed below!
• Please use the hash tags #TeamDauntless, #Dauntlessfaction, and #DivergentNation with the link http://bit.ly/choose_dauntless OR http://bit.ly/dauntlessfaction
• Remember to grab a button/badge for your blog and/or avatars!
• Keep an eye out for new giveaways that will be posted each day.
• You will be featured in a Street Team post with your answer from the form below.

Now that you have taken the plunge, grab a button and badge and start spreading the word!
Banners (Transparent Backgrounds)

Button

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You are now part of the DAUNTLESS team! Start spreading the word and you will be hearing from us soon. Please email me or one of the other members listed above if you have any questions.

Street Team First Assignment
We will be tweeting with the hashtag #IfIWasFearless this week. Please tweet that tag with the #DivergentNation tag and link then tell everyone what you would do if you were fearless.

Example
#IfIWasFearless I would sky dive! Be brave, face your fears and choose #TeamDauntless! #DivergentNation http://bit.ly/dauntlessfaction

*UPDATES*
The first street team challenge post is found here (4/5)