Delicious Dishes: Baked ziti and summer veggies

Well, I tried another recipe I found using Pinterest. You can find the recipe here. It was actually fantastic even though this picture isn't at all pretty. Honestly, the husband and I were so hungry that I had to stop him before he dug in. I needed my photo after all. Usually he's annoyed by me being a photog, but he's ok with anything that gets him more delicious meals.

It was easy to make, a little bit of prepping veggies, but the rest is mixing and baking. I liked it a lot since it was nice and airy, no red sauce, and packed with veggies since the husband has requested less rice and more living foods...

Photography spot: Blackberries

Craftilicious: Washi binder clips

Like I said, I'm obsessed with washi tape projects. Thanks to my Pinterest board, I have lots of ideas for future crafting. Here's some binder clips I had in my stash that are now lovely:

Opera singer in the making?

I always catch her making the funniest faces. This was no exception.

I just love her little mushroom clip made from a sticker and some felt.

For Sale and For FREE: romantic flower hairpins

I had a little crafting time the other day, and a whole lot of supplies I wanted to use up. These hairpins are so adorable and if I actually had some decent hair, I would be keeping all of them. That's not gonna happen anytime soon, so I've decided to give someone else the chance to love them. If anyone's interested, I have two of each option, but once they're gone, they're gone. I can not guarantee when I'll have another chance to make anything of substance, especially if it involves e6000 glue...

If you are interested, just give me the number of the color combo you would like either here in a comment, on Facebook or email tinkerellen@yahoo.com and make sure to put 'HAIR PINS' in the subject line. They're $5.00 per set with free shipping and would make perfect gifts for someone lovely in your life. I'll make sure to update when stock is out.

1: navy, yellow and white on silver bobby pins 2: cream, rose and khaki on vintage gold pins 3: turquoise, orange and tangerine on silver pins 4: pink, lavender and light purple on brass pins 5: bright green, turquoise and light turquoise on vintage gold pins 7: leaf green, bright pink and black on silver pins

Giveaway: Here's a nifty little freebie for one lucky winner! These lavender lovelies can be your new hair bling, just comment for your chance to win. I'll announce a winner next Monday, 5/20. Good luck!

My future's so bright...

She loves her sunglasses, and I'm just happy she actually keeps them on. It makes for less jerking and sneezing from the sun. But a lot of times when she's in the moment and running from here to there, they don't stay on her nose. Like this moment:

And then I ask her to give them to me so I can hold them for her, and she does:

And I just adore her perfect little nose, her perfect pink lips and how her hair is starting to flip out on the sides:

Craftilicious: Washi covered light switches

Another washi tape project checked off my list. I've been crafting a lot with washi tape lately because 1: I'm obsessed, and 2: it's the easiest grab and go crafty supply that's curious-toddler or night-in-front-of-the-tv friendly. These were quick and easy and I think the switchplates are under $1 a piece at any home improvement store.

But here's the problem, I don't have anywhere to put these! SO, consider this your weekend giveaway. Just leave a comment telling me which one you prefer {chevron or polka dots} or if you're ok with either. I'll pick two names, one for each design, on Monday morning! Good luck!

Mini-me glitter style

There are things I never thought I would do. Like buy shoes identical to my daughters. But here's the thing, it's my style. It's not something I do on purpose. She isn't old enough to decide for herself. A lot of times I'll find we're 'coordinating' because I woke up and felt like wearing blue, and I also happen to pick out her outfits every morning...

So when I found an adorable pair of shoes on clearance AND they happened to have a pair in my size, I decided 'why not?'. So there it is, out there for the world to see, I bought us matching shoes. And I'm not planning to apologize anytime soon.

The girl who loved all things dirt

Ok, I'll admit it. Sometimes I have these dreams of grandeur and then my attempt leaves me, well, sad. But then there are times where I forget about the end product and just enjoy the moments, and in the end I realize that's more fun anyway.

Case in point. An attempted photoshoot with a bebe in a tutu and a yellow chair. I wanted this adorable photo and instead I had a girl who wanted nothing more than to play in the dirt. I mean, what other reason is there to venture outside anyway?! So although I wanted the favorite shot of that ten minutes to be one of these:

It actually ended up being this:

Isn't life funny that way? I mean, when I look back through my thousands of images ten years from now, I won't see a posed photo of a girl being something she isn't, instead I'll see a little girl being exactly what she was.

Craftilicious: Painted rocks

No really. I painted rocks. I figured, if she was going to play with them, they might as well be pretty.

I've been trying to do something crafty every day. Either something small, or a big project on my list. It gives me some creative time, and gets a lot of things marked off my 'to-make' list. Painted rocks weren't really on the list, but I saw something along the lines on Pinterest a while back and it all clicked now that my loves-the-outdoors girl is playing with them ALL DAY. Honestly, I don't know why I buy toys. So far the best investments have been a twelve dollar play tent, a twenty dollar table set she can draw on and free rocks. Awesome.

With these you can be as detailed as you want or keep it simple, they'll still look good. If you haven't painted rocks before, it's pretty therapeutic. AND you should definitely do it with your kids if they're old enough. Think about maybe some larger rocks you could give to grandparents as paperweights. They love that crap. I'm thinking of making some chevron pattern large rocks for friends. How cute would one of those be holding down all those bills you need to remember to pay?

Now here's the really important part: seal your rocks! Do it. I used a clear coat spray varnish. It locks in the paint and saves your hard work from being washed off after a day in the dirt.