Pinterest Projects: My New Style Hero

I came across her outfits on some of the Women's Apparel boards in Pinterest. These pins have been the inspiration for many of my outfits lately.

Her name is Blaire Eadie, or Bee, as she refers to herself (really?... even her name oozes glamour). She's a Senior Merchandiser for Gap and the sole contributor to the blog Atlantic-Pacific. Though only two years old, this blog has caught on like wildfire. Once I knew who she was, I began to recognize her pictures in many of my own style inspiration pins that I had already collected the past couple months.
Both classic and eclectic, with a penchant for over accessorizing and dark lipstick, this girl's style is right up my alley!

I really appreciate that she reuses many pieces for various outfits. Through repetition, it's evident these really are her clothes, proving it's OK to rewear items (which is not a common message we receive from media and celebrities). She also frequently combines high end and low budget items. Something I too am accustomed to these days (the high end items being collections from past Neiman Marcus discounts and higher income times). The result is a great outfit every time.

I love her use of color, classic inspirations, and unexpected pairings. She's helped me find new ensembles in a closet that feels all too familiar.

Looks from her blog continue to pop up as pins. She will definitely be a style hero to me for many outfits to come!

Pinterest Projects: Green Onions

This experiment combined two pins in one.
The first was the suggestion to chop all green onions in a bunch at the same time. Dry them and keep them in an empty water bottle in the freezer. It allows you to keep the entire bunch usable, as they come in large quantities at the store, but most recipes only call for a few stalks.

The second was to place the leftover white stems in a small cup of water and set near a sunny window (sun is a bit of a tall order in Seattle these days). Supposedly, the green onions would begin to grow again. The original stems could be used indefinitely for new onions.

The first idea works great except for one thing. Make sure the chopped onions have dried completely before freezing. (This was instructed in the pin, I just seem to have issues following directions) I didn't find that it creates freezer burn as warned, but it makes the onions impossible to use for anything but a cooked dish (no salads, sandwiches, etc).

The second idea went exactly as promised! I feel like a 6th grader with a science project again. The onions literally started growing the afternoon I "re-planted" them. My guess is there is a two week growing cycle before the onions are usable. But with all my frozen onions, I probably won't need any before then.

These pins aren't exactly saving me a ton of moola. But it feels nice to be resourceful. And truth be told, green onions, like cilantro, basil, and other leafy herbs, are one of those things I've always had to throw away before using them all because of wilting in the fridge. At least now, I can feel less wasteful and have something close to a live plant in my house again.

Duh. Pinning.

Pinterest has become my new time suck. If I have a free minute, I'm no longer updating my Facebook profile, wandering aimlessly through friend's albums, or falling into random twitter feeds.... I'm collecting quotes, recipes, crafts, fashion how to's, workouts, and dreaming of a better life through images and placing all these things on the social pin board known as Pinterest.

A couple months ago, my pinboards were nothing more than things I thought were interesting. I'd repin images I liked. Now, I'm uploading my own pins from sites. I'm using the platform to keep track of my own ideas. Most importantly, I feel challenged to actually put my pins to practice. The result has been new outfit ensembles with clothes I already owned, new makeup ideas (without having to spend $50 and 2 hours at the MAC counter), new hair up dos, recipes, crafts, and decor.

I've decided to add a new blog page to keep track of my pin experiments. Each post will explain the process, if it truly is the "best recipe/tutorial/easy decor idea ever", and my results. Additionally, I'll link my original pins with the post.
(If you care to peruse or follow my ideas before action, my Pinterest page can be found @ http://pinterest.com/carinamae/)

Happy Pinning indeed.