Reruns

After we post up a Pinstrosity here on the blog, sometimes we never see another submission from that same pin. And then there are the pins that I'm sure we'll always be getting submissions on as long as we're running the blog. These are the classics and they never fail to make me chuckle. These submissions are like watching reruns of Napoleon Dynamite...that movie never gets old and gets more and more funny every time we watch it. So today, I thought I'd give you some of these "reruns" of old Pinstrosity classics and the fresh submissions we've received for them. 

The Original Pin:

http://queenvannacreations.com/blog//2012/02/01/ice-ballons/

Colorful ice balls. Great for lining the walk for a winter party. 

The Original Pinstrosity Post:

http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/2013/01/food-coloring-explosion.html

There are easier ways to repaint your kitchen. 

This past January, after a lake effect storm up north, Jenn decided to give these a try.

"So here's my attempt at the ice ball thing. I had it all planned out.. even had a good balloon delivery system (BDS) to ensure that there was no chance that the food coloring ended up anywhere else in the house. Fun fact... I don't use liquid food coloring.. only Wilton gel... after the 1st one ending up all over the wall and sink I went to plan B... the toothpick delivery was amusing.. and the faucet is finally starting to run clear now. Yes dear neighbors, I'm the crackhead making multiple trips outside with no jacket in sub zero temps to deliver my little landmines to their happy homes in the snowbanks. Do you know what happens when you have wet hands and go to open the door back inside? Dude! I'd also like to blame you people for the looks I will be getting for the next few days with my purply red blue green hands.. but we both know that's not the 1st time... so I can't blame you for that one.

Pinterest ice balls the next day... its -8 and I tried them.. they are all very hard. I cut the balloon off the red one and it seemed okay... peeled it back to the immediate glug glug glug of the non-frozen inside pouring out..."

The "Rerun" Submission:

"So yea that will make people stare..heheh" I love that "bloody" balloon. Makes me laugh every time I look at it. Jenn did eventually have success though after 48 hours of the water balloons sitting out in the sub-freezing temperatures:

So, not a super quick and easy pin, but not unattainable either! 

What about those "[blank] in a jar" pins. We get quite a few of those. 

The Original Pin:

Rainbow cake in a jar! 

The Original Pinstrosity Post:

http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/2012/06/sunshine-in-and-out-of-jar.html

Misty submitted our rerun of this classic Pinstrosity. She said, "Rainbow cake in a mason jar fail!  I think I added too much batter.  I wasn't sure exactly how close to the top it was supposed to be when I put it in the oven.  The pin said to use 3 tbsp of each color.  It didn't look like enough, so I added a little bit more.  Guess I'll learn to trust the recipes from now on. "

The "Rerun" Submission:

So we have the "[blank] in a jar" pin...what about the "[blank] in a mug" pins? Those are classics too. 

The Original Pin:

http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2012/03/06/chocolate-chip-cookie-in-cup/

The Original Pinstrosity Post:

http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/2013/06/cookie-in-mug.html

Elizabeth tells this story: "I should've known. Anything that is "quick and easy" and can be cooked in a microwave? I'll be there. I wanted to make a quick delicious cookie but I should've realized that the "Brownie In a Mug" that I made in 5th grade would've ended up just as horrible. I made a brownie in a mug for my brother's birthday, and being the boy that he is, he will eat anything that has chocolate in it. Later that evening, he threw up. Coincidence? I think not. This "Cookie" ended up tasting like frito corn chips and tons of white sugar. It ended up as a crummy mess. The recipe stated that it needed only 40-60 seconds, but it was way undercooked when I pulled it out. I kept putting it back in, and now I have this."

The "Rerun" Submission:

"I think microwave deserts have a thing against me."

And of course if we are going to mention cookies, we can't leave out the ever present and totally awesome cookie bowl. 

The Original Pin

http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Sugar-Cookie-Bowls 

Sadly...too many people just read the pinterest pin's caption and not the recipe on the website and end up with this:

The Original Pinstrosity:

http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/2012/03/cookie-bowl-mayhem.html
http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/2012/10/cookie-bowl-mayhem-take-2.html

Cali sent us in this rerun submission. "So I thought it'd be a great idea to make these cookie bowls that I saw on pinterest to put a no bake cheesecake mousse into for my roommates and I to enjoy, but it just ended up being a ridiculous mess. Note to self, do not use a "just add water" pre made cookie mix if you are trying to be creative. I ended up chiseling off the cookie on the pan and crumbling it up to use it as a crust for my cheesecake mousse on the bottom of muffin paper. Whatever, still tasted the same so I say it's a 3 on the GCT scale!"

The "Rerun" Submission:

And then there's one of my favorites. This hails back to the very beginning of Pinstrosity with one of our first posts. 

The Original Pin:

http://blog.hwtm.com/2012/01/diy-tutorial-creative-yarn-chandelier/

The Original Pinstrosity:

http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/2012/02/bunch-of-hot-air.html

Melanie says, "My friends and I just moved into a new suite and the blank white walls were desperately in need of some decoration. My suitemate saw this craft and asked if I would try it. I bought balloons and glue and got out my utilitarian brown yarn and skimmed the directions…big mistake. Turns out, in order for this to work, you need to mix the glue with corn starch and water. And you need to dip the yarn in the glue mixture, not coat the balloon with it. When I popped the balloon, the whole thing crumpled. It was a sad sight to behold. I hung it up anyway, as a testament to the necessity of reading directions."

The "Rerun" Submission:

Oh these make me chuckle, I love it! I could add so many more, but you probably weren't looking for an epistle to read today. That just means we'll have to do another "rerun" post in the future. Oh darn.

Have a Pinstrosity on your hands, but we've already posted someone else's submission of the same project? Send it to us anyway! 

Salted Lawns

For those of you who live where it rains (which isn't here, as we've mentioned before)...you may be tenderly caring for your garden, struggling with your lawn, and trimming up your flower bushes. Here in NM, or at least parts of it, you can get a huge fine for watering your lawn...so if you're the only one in the neighborhood with a green lawn, you know something's up. So while all our plants are dying (whether by lack of water or because all the wildlife are starving and they come eat what little green shows), in other areas of the country and world there is the opposite problem. I think there are a few places getting normalish rain...somewhere. So for those of you who can water a lawn, you probably have grand visions of lush, soft, green turf...maybe with kids or grandkids somersaulting down the yard, or garden parties oohing and ahhing at your master work. Whatever your vision...I imagine some shade of green is what you're going for. 

Lori wanted a green lawn and found this pin that she decided to try out:

The Original Pin

I'll get to the source in a minute...hold on

The caption on the pin said, "Epsom salt is particularly useful for preventing a yellowing lawn and creating lusher, softer, deeply green grass. It can be applied using a tank sprayer (which can also be used on your flower and vegetable gardens), a lawn spreader, and by using a hose and spray attachment. Use three pounds per 1250 square feet If using a tank sprayer or a hose and spray attachment, make sure to dilute the salt in plenty of water (enough to make it dissolve), so that it is a concentrated solution."

Lori said, "With the warmer weather coming I was all excited to get my lawn looking good.  I was intrigued by the pin about using Epsom salt as a fertilizer.  I had to try it.  The magnesium should make my lawn lush and green." So she gave it a go and here's what her lawn looks like now:

The Pinstrosity

Definitely not what she was going for. At all. 

Not being a lawn specialist myself (my front yard consists of dirt and cactus), I knew I had to do some reading on this (you guys make us learn all sorts of cool things!). I started first with the actual Pinterest pin. 

When I clicked on the pin, it took me to Google image search for "lawn"...not an actual site with any information about Epsom salts, lawns, or even pink furry unicorns with horn amputations. So the next step, I copied the entire caption and pasted it into Google and found this:

http://www.saltworks.us/gardening-with-epsom-salt.asp

LAWN CARE & EPSOM SALT

Just as Ultra Epsom Salt can revitalize your garden, so does it improve the greenery and sustainability of your lawn. Epsom salt is particularly useful for preventing a yellowing lawn and creating lusher, softer, deeply green grass. It can be applied using a tank sprayer (which can also be used on your flower and vegetable gardens), a lawn spreader, and by using a hose and spray attachment. Use three pounds per 1250 square feet (25’ x 50’), six pounds per 2500 square feet (50’ x 50’), and twelve pounds per 5000 square feet (50’ x 100’). If using a tank sprayer or a hose and spray attachment, make sure to dilute the salt in plenty of water (enough to make it dissolve), so that it is a concentrated solution.

Hey! Same picture. Perfect. So the caption wasn't someone just yanking our chains, it came from a real website. Good deal. So this sounded legit. But I decided I should read a little bit more. I Googled "Epsom salts and lawn care" and found a number of sites lauding the virtues of epsom salts for your lawn, garden, and house plants. Oddly...many of them were epsom salt companies or sites...so of course they are going to tell you how awesome they are. One Home Guide article of an online San Francisco periodical did say that epsom salts will "help yards better absorb nitrogen and phosphorus and aid in the production of chlorophyll, ensuring vibrant green grass." So everything sounded good to me. 

But then I have play the devil's advocate too...so I looked up "epsom salts harm lawns". According to gardenguides.com, "The Epsom Salt Council, a trade group, promotes Epsom salts as a gardening supplement that will produce more flowers, increase chlorophyll, make plants grow bushier, and increase the likelihood that seeds will germinate. Some gardeners also believe that Epsom salts will deter slugs, voles and other pests. The University of Washington's Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott cautions that scientific tests on Epsom salts only show that it increases magnesium levels and therefore, she concludes, all other effects that people attribute to Epsom salts are possible misconceptions."  When people quote a University study, I tend to believe it. But just in case...I looked up Dr. Chalker's study (I'm feeling nerdy and research happy this morning). 

You can read her article (the one I linked to above is only 5 pages and it's not too dense of a read to get through), but I'll summarize for you. Basically she says that the only real thing we know for sure is that Epsom Salts temporarily add extra magnesium to the soil, but since it dissolves so fast, it doesn't stay in the soil. Her final paragraph says, "The science behind the use of Epsom salts is only applicable to intensive crop production in situations where magnesium is known to be deficient in the soil or in the plants. It is irresponsible to advise gardeners and other plant enthusiasts to apply Epsom salts, or any chemical, without regard to soil conditions, plant needs, and environmental health." Another article I read says that some think that the excess magnesium "accumulates in the top soil and create toxicity problems for the plant."

So pretty much...there's a much bigger science behind adding Epsom salts. Your soil may not need it. In fact, if you don't have grazing animals or you aren't on a irrigating farm, your soil is most likely pretty okay. How do you know? Take a sample of your soil and send it off for testing (but unless you're a lawn enthusiast, that's a little overkill for most of us). 

So what is your best bet? Save the epsom salts for baths and soaks and just buy lawn fertilizer that is specifically designed for turf. Ask at your local nursery (try to find an actual nursery and not just the Walmart Garden center...nursery owners usually know great plant tips for the local climate and soil conditions) about what helps lawns/plants in your area. 

Food Coloring Explosion!!

I am alive I promise! 

Every time I miss a post day I feel like I haven't posted in weeks! Then I feel terribly guilt ridden and I have to remind myself that, well, sometimes other things in life happen and you just have to make the best of it. 

I added a lot of other "life stuff" this week, but the big one is: I am going back to school! Today was the big first day!

 Yep, it's back to school for Em and it has been all brain consuming the last few days getting everything put together in time, so it is nice to take a break and Pinstrositize!  

Thanks for being patient with me Pinstrosipeeps!

I have an awesome winter activity chuckle for you from Mike! Yay for crafty dudes!

The Original

http://queenvanna.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/ice-ballons/

Ice balloons!! Fun huh?!

Now I know those look AWESOME, and I have seen them on every Pin Board EVER, but I am not entirely sure what you do with them other then decorate? 

Snowman bowling?

Snow Bocce?

They don't seem that they would be sport friendly. They are obviously solid ice so that is a major no go, which means winter dodge ball is out of the question. I can just hear my brothers and nephews groaning "Awe man, you're taking all the fun out it!" Haha. 

Anyway, these fun winter "marbles" are made by just putting water and food coloring in a balloon, then freezing, and then you cut away the balloon after they are all frozen! The original blogger suggests using black gloves (the cotton stretchy kind) when taking them out of the balloon because as they start to melt they get coloring on everything.

The Pinstrosity

Mike said they were filling the balloons at the sink, with the coloring already in the balloons, when the balloon on the faucet broke.

 Been there done that.

 Only I did it with just water, and outside, in the summer, when it's warm. 

This is a bit different.

Mike says he kept his cool though, pun intended and that most of it cleaned up easy, and he only had to treat a few spots with the Magic Eraser. He didn't even murder anyone! What a cool craft dude. 

Red dye makes me angry in general, so I probably wouldn't have been as chill. 'Nother pun intended, are you sick of them yet?

The key to this is to have two people in on this project: one to fill, one to put the dye in the balloon after the balloon is filled, and I might do this in the sink so that if something does happen (see above) then you are over stainless steel and not carpet. 

Oh that would be a nightmare!

*Flashbacks of spilling strawberry slushie on white carpet...cringes.*

I would also suggest not filling them to the brim (for tying purposes) unless you are prepared for dye all over your hands and kitchen. Just something to think about when filling them up.

As kids my siblings and I used to put food coloring in our milk. Mom was always so adamant that we keep our "magic milk" in the kitchen. Looking back now I can't imagine why ;)

Well Pinstrosipeeps have a great weekend!

Redneck Water Bed

Em here, Kette is busy busy with lots of photo shoots and traveling for the next week or so, which means your stuck with goofy me for a while, sorry! Anywhoo, Rachael sent us today's Pinstrosity, and my my my it is a doozey, and it is messy( all the better I say!)! But is also looks like A LOT of fun, here goes!

The Original Pin

Sadly due to copyright issues I can't post the picture here, but pop over to this awesome blog and check out the original :)

And if you are just too lazy to do that (like me, depending on the day), it looks like a giant ziplock bag filled with blue kool-aide water, if you were wondering.

Here is the link for the original picture and post:

 http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/2012/02/redneck-waterbed.html

The Pinstrosity

http://amsd2dth27.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/interest-not-included/

The Mishap: Rachael thoroughly read the blog, the directions, and had all the materials she needed, except for one, flat ground. The project called for one clear plastic tarp, (10'x25' 3.5 mil), lots of duct tape, a hose, some food coloring and small little toys that you can put inside for the kids to see. Rachael followed the directions and taped all the way around the edges of the tarp making it like a big enclosed pillowcase. She used a bucket to raise up the entrance of the hose so that the water flowed downwards, and just waited. Here is where is started to get hairy. The ground has to be flat, or else your water bed becomes a steamroller. The water moves the  tarp to the lowest point and then the hose comes out, the water leaks and mayhem ensues. Once she finally found a flatter spot the duct tape job just didn't cut it and water was EVERYWHERE. She said she sat on it just for the sake of someone playing on it (she said the picture above is as close to it as her toddler would go), and she consequently got soaked, that's when they called it quits.

A few pointers:

• A flat area to do this project is pretty much vital.
• Double duct taping, go around the tarp the first time to connect the sides, and around it a second time to really make sure it is sealed.
• When filling it with water elevate the opening and the hose.
• Other than that I think she had the right idea, if her yard had cooperated better this wouldn't have been such a to do, but now she knows where NOT to do this project!
• I for one love love love this idea, and forget the kids, totally trying this one out at the family reunion for the adults, looks like fun :)

Oh and just an added note, we love rednecks around here, the title is in no way trying to offend anyone ;)

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

                                             -Emilee

My House is a Pinstrosity

I have such mixed feelings over Pinterest. On one hand I love all the ideas that can be found there, and it is such an easy way to keep track of ideas. I no longer have to create word files to keep track of all my internet inspired ideas and projects. Another plus...I've learned some new techniques and have been able to do/make some new things. On the other hand, it's kinda become the Wal-Mart of creativity. And, just like WalMart, sometimes you find great deals and other times it's just a waste of time and moolah. Another frustration (and this one is 100% my fault), I have so many things pinned that I start projects all the time to get through  my pins, but many many of those projects go unfinished (or even unstarted...as if pinning the idea was starting the project).

That right there is my Pinstrosity for today. I know it's not technically what we've been doing with it, but it's my major Pinterest frustration today, so I figure it counts.

Let me show you a little bit of what I mean.

The Original Pin

http://sproutrobot.com/plans

I found this awesome site through someone else's pin that would help me plan my garden. It would tell me when and how to plant each seed/seedling. I knew my garden was going to be a success. I picked all the plants I wanted, submitted my garden plan and got my first email telling me that I needed to start cabbage indoors right away. I knew my garden was going to be a success.

The Pinstrosity

I haven't even walked in the garden gate yet this year. 

Here's another. 

The Original Pin

http://www.landscape-design-expert.com/woodlandgardens.html

We decided to start working on a patio so we'd have somewhere nice to sit outside in the summer evenings. This pin was a bit like what we wanted to do (only we're gathering the rocks off the hill behind our house). We worked hard...for a few days. 

The Pinstrosity

See the nice pile of rocks we've gathered. And we trimmed branches. What a nice patio we have. And now summer is fast approaching and it's nowhere near done. Maybe we'll have it done just in time to move. 

More?

The Original Pin 

http://www.veetje.be/

We have this great stack of magazines that we've collected from our old subscriptions, from friends, and from what we've found lying around. This cool bowl is only one of the ideas I've had for those magazines.

The Pinstrosity

Just one of our magazine stacks...not in the shape of a bowl. Not in the shape of anything except for a stack of magazines. And now it looks like there's car manuals and other books in there as well.

Wait, there's more.

The Original Pin

http://www.stitchesandscissors.com/2011/03/wonky-starburst-mug-rug-tutorial.html

I have an awesome bag full of fabric scraps, plus a little cabinet full of fat quarters and larger fabric scraps. I've been saving them for fun scrap projects, like the awesome scrappy mug rug above. I've just known that I'll create some awesome scrappy decor.

The Pinstrosity

Beautiful, isn't it? And that's not even the large bag full...that's my little cabinet. Maybe I should finally do this other pin I've had pinned for a while to help me get things organized with the scraps.

http://recycledcrafts.craftgossip.com/how-to-make-recycled-jar-fabric-scrap-organizers/2011/06/24/

Speaking of organization...

The Original Pin

http://www.marthastewart.com/308036/how-to-keep-matching-sheets-together-in?xsc=eml_org_2011_02_03

What about this awesome idea that most of us have pinned?

The Pinstrosity

I somehow can't seem to get even the simplest of pins done.

Trust me this list could go on. Unfinished paintings. Piles of fabric for sewing projects. Recipes to be made. Toilets to de-ring. Flower gardens to clean up. Naps to take (if only Pinterest could accomplish that for me).

And then there are the projects that were inspired by pins that I've given my own personal little spin on...only they sit there half finished (or barely even started). I'm not ready to reveal their final purpose yet (because someday I might actually finish them...maybe), but here's all the progress I've made.

 Woo hoo. I bought a wood person. Much accomplished with this project. : |

And my lovely thrift store painted vase (from that pin we all pinned of course) and the start of some diy ribbon and fabric flowers. The idea was great...the work ethic on the other hand, not so great. 

So...today, rather than testing a pin I am going to get working on pins I've already got started, starting with catching up on this pin:

http://madebymarquette.blogspot.com/2012/01/cleaning-schedule.html

So I apologize that today's post isn't funny or all that exciting. But it's reality. How to fix today's Pinstrosity? Getting off the computer and getting to work. Here I go. Wish me luck.

Mt. Dew Dud

I've seen this going around and around on a bunch of different sites. I know how it turns out, but because of its continuing popularity, we decided to do an official test and post it up.

The Original Pin

http://www.maniacworld.com/How-To-Make-Glow-In-The-Dark-Mountain-Dew.html  

How to make Mt. Dew glow. The video looks convincing. Looks like fun. But this is the result:

The Pinstrosity

"There's nothing in that picture!" you say. Wrong...my husband is in that picture holding the "glowing" bottle of Mt. Dew. Seriously. As you can see...it doesn't glow! Just look at the Cam-man's disappointed and disgusted face below when the flash was used.

Every time one of my friends posts it I tell them, "Don't bother, it's a hoax. It doesn't work." Slowly the word is getting out. Mt. Dew does not glow when you add baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. According to snopes.com, "The results claimed in the original video were likely created by the surreptitious introduction of a glow solution into the Mountain Dew bottle, either through off-screen manipulation or via a substitution covered by editing."

We were finally able to make it glow by cutting open a glow stick and pouring the liquid in the bottle. The exuberance lasted about 10.2 seconds. Then it just wasn't cool anymore.