Wall Art from Christmas Tree Ornaments - ON THE FENCE

I saw this awesome idea on Pinterest to put cheap dollar store ornaments into a shadow box and ta-da you have yourself some pretty neat wall art.

I went to Dollar General that very day and purchased some multi-colored--but mostly pink and purple--small ornaments, since they were to be used as a wall decoration in my daughter's room.

When I got home I discovered that I had grossly overestimated the depth of my shadow box and the ornaments were too large, even though I purchased the smallest round ones available.  This is my fault and why I have labeled this post as "on the fence."  If I am able to find an alternative shadow box I will definitely try this again. 

For now, I stuck the ornaments in a glass boot and some mason jars with little battery operated candles, which is cute enough for now, it adds a nice splash of color to the counter and when the lights are off in the kitchen the candles create a nice warm glow.

I will try the shadow box idea if I can get my hands on one with more depth and for a reasonable price!

If you have tried this idea, please share your results with me!  I would love to hear your story!

South Dakota Meat Loaf - PROVEN

This is yet another pin that I created on Pinterest found in my Taste of Home cookbook that we received as a wedding present.

Meat Loaf has always been a favorite of my husband's so I wanted to make him one that we could both enjoy since I wasn't too fond of it to begin with.  My mom didn't make it all that often, I don't think either one of my parent's were huge fans. 

I found this South Dakota Meat Loaf recipe and decided to give it a go.  This was about 5 years ago!!

Meat Loaf is sort of a love or hate food and I thought I hated it.  Not anymore!  This is a staple in our house and on our menu at least once a month.

The first time I made it I followed the directions exactly, now I use a little more Worcestershire sauce, a green pepper (if I have one) and basically more than double the recipe.  I usually make about a 3.5-4 lb meat loaf!!

Usually, I like to take after photos of my cooked meals, but we are usually so anxious to dig in I am having a hard time finding any!!  Enjoy :)

I don't know what about this recipe makes it "South Dakota-like" but I'll take it!

Make Real Lashes Look Fake - PROVEN

I've never really had a problem making my eyelashes appear long and lush, I was blessed with nice lashes at birth...thanks Mama!!!

Also, I have actually tried to apply fake lashes before and not one person even noticed that I was wearing them.

Although it's not really needed for me, what girl doesn't want fuller looking lashes?  I saw this pin about making your natural lashes appear to be false.

I watched the video one day and decided that I would make this trick a part of my morning routine.  I have documented the results below with photos, see for yourself, this really does work!



Before

Cheap-o Eyeliner I Use ;)

After Applying Eyeliner

Eyelash Curler (or torture device, as my hubby says haha!)

Curling!

 

After Curling

The 2 Mascaras I Used

After 1st Mascara Application

After 2nd Mascara Application

I really love my results, and I have been using this method to apply my eye makeup since I saw the pin and watched the video! 

Hopefully you have good luck with it!  Please share your results!

Also, I want to let you know that I do not buy any eye makeup remover, I use baby oil.  It works wonderfully with a cotton ball.  I swear that's all that is packaged in the eye makeup remover at the store, anyway!



Tomato Cage Christmas Decoration - PROVEN

I am pretty sure most of my friends have used this little trick already, but I thought I would share my experience.

When I saw this pin on a cool homemade Christmas decoration, I just had to try it!

I was able to borrow some tomato cages from my awesome cousins Shanna and Kevin ;) 
I thought I would need an extension cord, but the outlet I was going to use doesn't have a 3-prong socket so I was able to improvise.

 

 

Make sure you CHECK YOUR LIGHTS before you go through the entire process of wrapping them around the tomato cage.  I had tested mine about 5 days prior to this and figured I was safe.   I was wrong.  I waited until it was dark out and flipped the switch inside and nothing happened.  I checked everything and all the plugs were in order, it was the lights.  Something must have happened to them in the 5 days since I had checked them last.  Bummer!

 

Because of my mishap I had to wait until I had some more free time to re-wrap the lights and was just now able to complete my project 3 days later. 

 

 



My front porch has a light and last year I purchased a Light Socket Adapter so I had a good place to plug in Christmas lights.  Since I couldn't use an extension cord with the adapter I purchased I was able to prop up my "tree" on the grill ledge!  Love to improvise!

 

I am very pleased with the results and I would greatly recommend this project for you.  Really, all you need is a tomato cage and a a string of lights.  I guess you could doll it up a little with some tinsel, a star or some other decorations but I didn't want to risk losing anything in the blizzard-like Michigan winter.

 

Happy Holidays!!!

 

 





Homemade Baby Food - PROVEN

Every Spring, my husband and I plant a couple of massive gardens.  We grow everything from hot peppers to pumpkins. 

This year, we had a baby to consider when planting the garden so we decided to plant a few extra summer squash and zuchinni plants.

Fortunatley for us, Madison was loving squash baby food right at the time it was coming ripe in the garden.

Summer Squash

I found this recipe for Homemade Baby Food on Pinterest and have used it several times since.  It is very easy, even if you don't grow a garden, produce can be quite a bit cheaper to purchase than baby food!


Squash, cut into chunks, skins on, boil until tender (only leave on skins for ages 6 months +, smaller babies have a hard time digesting the skins.

I made several batches of this food, I used summer squash and zuchinni mixed or just summer squash alone with no added flavorings and it was a huge hit in the Denig house!



Pureed in Food Processor



I saved all of her purchased baby food containers for easy storage

All done!  Ready to eat!

Explosive Shower Head Cleaner - PROVEN

Finally!!!  I used baking soda as a cleaner and I wasn't disappointed.   

Once again, we have a water softener on the brink of a break down and well water that is really rusty, so we get a lot of rust build up.  Scrubbing the tub, sinks and toilets is a constant pain but I wanted to test this idea out I found on Pinterest to remove water residue and build up called the Explosive Shower Head Cleaner.

I wasn't expecting much, since I haven't had great luck with the cleaning pins, but I wanted to test it anyway.




Before



Vinegar and Baking Soda Mix (Explosive Mix)

Let soak overnight (I didn't have a twist tie so I used a large hair tie!)

I noticed that the water build up and residue was greatly diminished, if not gone completely in most places on the shower head. Also, it actually removed some of the rust, which I wasn't expecting (I'll have to scrub with some CLR or "The Works" to finish the job) but that's fine with me.

After using this product the shower seems to have more water pressure since there is no more build up around the spouts!

Overall, I am very pleased with these results!

Treating a Pimple with Toothpaste - BUSTED

Risking embarassment and showing pictures of a pimple I would usually cover up completely.  I'm here to give the facts people and sometimes that comes at my own expense!

I read on Pinterest (and elsewhere) that putting toothpaste, not gel, on a pimple overnight will greatly reduce it's size and appearance if not remove the pimple completly.  I put this theory to the test last night.

Below are my before, during and after pictures, don't laugh....

Before applying Toothpaste

I used Colgate

Redy for bed!

Bummer, not much difference at all!

I left the paste on all night and in the morning, I swear it was more red.  This after pic is after applying foundation but no concealer.  Looks like I should just use my toothpaste for my teeth!  Better luck next time, Pinterest!

Cleaning a Glass Top Stove with Baking Soda - BUSTED

From now on, I am only using my baking soda for baking.  Last time I used it to clean my dishwasher I was disappointed and ended up without any in the cupboard when I went to make Banana Bread.

This pin says to use baking soda, hot water and dish soap to get your glass top stove sparkling clean.  I should have known it was too good to be true.  Although the results weren't non-existent, I probably would have gotten these same results using just a wet rag and some elbow grease.

Here are the before pictures of my glass top:

In Process Pics:

 

 

 

I followed all the directions exactly, except I did leave the rags on longer than 15 minutes (it said to do this for added effect)

Below are pictures of the result.  Not the greatest.  I'm not saying that this process didn't work at all, but I was expecting more "wow" factor.  I'll stick with my trusty glass top stove cleaner and plastic razor blade, in fact, I will probably go finish the job the baking soda didn't right now.

Homemade Fabric Softener - PROVEN

My sister, Ann, shared this pin with me on Homemade Fabric Softener.

I'm very happy that she did.  I love using Fabric Softener and even though my washing machines doesn't have a spout for it, I use a Downy Ball.

If you're like me, you're probably outraged at the prices of fabric softener at the store, even at the Dollar Store!  I get so mad because the really good smelling, softening and long lasting softeners are just too much money!

I gave this recipe a shot and I loved it.  I still use it now and I change up the type of conditioner I use, just trying to find my favorite.

I did cut the amount of vinegar it calls for in half because to me, it still smelled too much like vinegar with the full 3 cups.

Lighting Candles with Spaghetti - PROVEN

This summer, I bought a really neat candle at a yard sale.  It's tall and skinny and had never been lit, until I bought it, that is.

It smells really nice and I love the jar it's in.

The only problem is, once the wax went down I had no way of lighting it without going out and purchasing a long lighter, i.e.: a grill lighter, which we really didn't need.

Then, THANK YOU PINTEREST, I found a pin that told of how to light a tall candle without having to purchase a new lighter!

This really works.   I always have spaghetti noodles in the cupboard so I gave it a shot and no kidding, it works wonderfully.

Not to over-state the obvious, but please don't cook the spaghetti first, that won't work so well!

2nd Method to a Heavenly Smelling House - BUSTED

Gave this little trick a try a few nights after I tried the oranges, should have stuck with the oranges!!!

I followed the instructions exactly, and I suppose this is where smell-o-vision would come in extremely handy because..... 

It stunk.

I mean, STUNK!  I could hardly air the house out fast enough as soon as the vanilla began heating up. 

Perhaps I should have cleaned the oven first, but it's really not that bad to cause this smell or else it would smell terrible whenever I turned it on!

I am warning you now, you can try it if you want but I would wait until the weather is nice enough to open the windows, because if your experience is anything like mine, you will be airing it out!

Heavenly Smelling House - ON THE FENCE

We were having company over a few months ago and I am always using those Scentsy wax warmers, candles and plug-ins.  Seems like I need one in every room, the scent just never carries the way I would like.

I saw this on Pinterest and thought, hey I have oranges and cinnamon, might as well give this a try.

The recipe for a Heavenly Smelling House is very simple.  Boil orange peels with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon on Medium heat.

This did make my house smell nice, mostly in the kitchen and living room, which are connected, but even faintly in our bedroom.  I was pleased with the results. 

However, I must not have used enough water and after an hour of the peels boiling most of the water had evaporated and caused a sticky mess in the bottom of the pan.  Burning cinnamon doesn't really smell that grand.

That was my error though, and I want make sure you all have the information that I didn't. 

I suggest using a large pan with plenty of water and perhaps more cinnamon for a more concentrated scent since more water will dilute the smell-good effects this really does have.

Sparkling Clean Dishwasher - ON THE FENCE

First of all, I am really upset that somehow my before and after photos have disappeared.  So, I apologize for not having any hard evidence here, but you will just have to trust me on this one. 

Unfortunately the before and after photos look exactly alike, I probably would have had a hard time labeling them as "before" or "after"

Although this once again proclaimed "miracle" did NOT get my dishwasher "sparkling clean" I think it has more to due with built up rust stains from our periodically hard water than anything else.  I will say this, my dishwasher certainly had a fresh scent and I have used the baking soda cycle several times since to keep it smelling fresh.

I probably should give it a try with bleach, and if I do I will post those results.  Since I didn't have any on hand when I tried this, I omitted it (it was optional, anyway)

You might want to give this one a try on your own dishwasher, but for me, the appearance of the inside of mine is still the same.

You can find the pin here: Sparking Clean Dishwasher

Pumpkin Pie Spectacular - PROVEN

Ok, another recipe I didn't originally find on Pinterest, but it's on there now because I put it there!  Found this one, yet again in Southern Living Magazine (have I said how much I adore that magazine??)

Pumpkin Pie Spectacular

Before I added the Gingersnaps

This recipe is over the top, out of this world fantastic!!!

Pecans needed are a bit pricey, but totally worth it.  I made this a couple years ago for the holidays and I probably should have made a few more because it was gone in minutes!!

It's creamy and rich, it's almost like a pumpkin cheesecake, but not really. You will have to try this one for yourself and with the holidays rapidly approaching I thought it would be a good time to share.

Topped off with Gingersnaps!

Enjoy, bookmark, pin or print this one, whatever you need to do to remember!  It's amazing!

Footprint Keepsake - PROVEN

This is one of my favorite pins to date! 

I followed the instructions exactly for these Salt Dough Footprint Keepsakes and it turned into an amazing Father's Day gift for my husband.

Don't forget, if you want to hang it on the wall after it's done, you need to use a straw to make a hole before you bake it!

The only thing I did not do is paint it, I liked the natural look.

I also wrote Madison Joline Denig, the date and Happy Father's Day on the back for memorie's sake!

Eggnog Pound Cake - PROVEN

Sorry that most of these posts so far are recipes but, I love to cook and a lot of my Pinterest experiments have a lot to do with cooking!  So here goes another one.

Eggnog Pound Cake

I originally found this in Southern Living Magazine (I know I live in Michigan, but this magazine is amazing)

I pinned on Pinterest because it is just SO DARN GOOD!!!  Wonderful flavor (even for those who aren't huge fans of the thick and creamy 'nog) it's moist and delicious every single time.  Perfect for the upcoming holidays and super easy, so I wanted to share!

Breakfast Muffins - PROVEN

Pinterest recipe for Breakfast Muffins looked interesting.  My husband had a pot-luck coming up at work so I decided to try these out since they say they can be eaten warm or room temperature.

I believe he ended up heating them in the microwave for better flavor but they went over good at the pot-luck!

Mixture with Peppers

Made Pepper and Jalapeno Breakfast Muffins

Mexican Stuffed Shells - PROVEN

Pinterest Recipe for Mexican Stuffed Shells

I loved this recipe.  It was kind of messy to make and it took longer than indicated but it was well worth it.  These little pockets of awesome-ness were delicious and fun to eat!

Before Baking (I used my Mom's Homemade Salsa and our Homemade Taco Sauce)

They're done!  I added much more cheese than indicated in the recipe!