It’s so easy to get lost in the grandeur of Pinterest, to think that all the projects and ideas on the site are time-consuming and involve a high-degree of craft ability. But Pinterest has everyday projects for people like me who just want to get some stuff done in super amazing way. That’s why today’s guest post from Wendy Nielsen is so so perfect. Read on!
Wendy blogs over at Wendy-Nielsen.com where she is a constant inspiration to me and to women (and men) all over. You see, Wendy draws from her own experiences with breast cancer to encourage and advocate for a cure. She takes an honest approach to her life and every topic on her blog, which covers everything from motherhood to Wendy’s love affair with coffee to pop culture to her latest party plans. She’s tested out some useful and yummy pins.
(Full Disclosure: There aren’t many people I would do cartwheels for, but Wendy is one of them.)
I am so thrilled that Anna asked me to guest post during her 30 Days of Pinterest challenge! I big puffy heart Pinterest. An early adopter of the social media platform, I use it both personally and professionally. I pin everything from recipes, DIY projects, home decor ideas, my favorite quotes, beauty tips, pictures of my future second husband, and so much more. I am totally guilty though of never really doing anything with those pins. I’ve got 240 recipes pinned to my “Desserts To Be Made” board and not one of them has been baked. I’ve also got 100 different things pinned to my “Things I Need To Look Into” board. Guess how many things I’ve actually looked into. The list goes on and on.
So, when Anna threw down the Pinterest gauntlet, I knew it was time to step it up. I combed through my 63 boards in search for the perfect pins to test out. I chose two pins: a cleaning-inspired pin and a dessert pin.
Use Vegetable Oil to Remove Stickers from Wood
About two years ago, my daughter received a ton of those removable wall decals. Princesses and flowers littered her bedroom walls but somehow one rogue princess ended up on her Pottery-Barn-Kids-perfect wainscoting that wrapped the perimeter of her room. Well, no biggie until I tried peeling it off. Definitely not removable.
I found this pin from JustJoanna.com on how to remove stickers from wood. The secret: vegetable oil. Simply dab vegetable oil on the sticker and the remaining pieces should peel right off. Not so fast, Joanna! The veggie oil definitely helped but I still had to scrape itty bits of sticker off with my fingernails. Desperate to give my poor nails a break, I found a lid to plastic container that I used as a pseudo paint scraper.
In conclusion, the vegetable oil worked but it didn’t work miracles.
Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies
I’ve had a bag of Trader Joe’s Rolled Oats in my pantry for longer than I want to admit. I always have the best intentions of making oatmeal for breakfast but coffee always wins out and the rolled oats remain untouched. So, I thought I’d make a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies but every recipe kept calling for quick oats and I’m not really sure if these rolled oat are quick or not. In the end, I decided to follow the recipe on the back of the Trader Joe’s bag. Now, I also found a pin for this same recipe but it links back to the Trader Joe’s website with no cookie recipe in sight.
These cookies are so-so. While tasty, the texture is like eating a granola bar in cookie form. I expect oatmeal cookies to be soft and these just weren’t. I’m definitely not a baker so I wouldn’t even know how to modify the recipe to yield a softer cookie. So, will I make these again? Probably not.
What lesson did I learn? I should really eat oatmeal for breakfast.
Thanks again to the lovely Anna for having me! As a thank you, I’m sending her a box of homemade Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies!
Oh! I’m a lucky friend, aren’t I? Thank you Wendy! And aren’t these everyday projects and pins something you could do today at home simply? I totally love that. You need to follow Wendy’s blog for the honesty and beauty. Plus, she has Halloween on the brain right now, which is kind of getting me in the mood for ghouls and gobblins. I love her post on Halloween Traditions and the Boo Bucket. And her front porch is already decorated for trick-or-treaters. My front porch totally needs some fall love.
I have never thought of using vegetable oil! I’ve used peanut butter before and it’s worked great.
Jackie recently posted..Quitting
Peanut butter for removing sticky residue? Yeah, I guess the oil in that would work too!
wendy recently posted..Parenthood Returns
I’ve heard to use peanut better if you ever get bubble gum in your hair. It has to be an oil thing. And I’d rather rock some PB than break out the scissors, if it works!
What a great post, Wendy! I have a sticker-happy 3-year-old right now, and I hadn’t yet found anything to get that “sticky-icky” off the walls and furniture. Trying this trick post-haste! Thank you for the great Pins. Repinning and Sharing now!
Amy recently posted..travel with kids #44: budapest, hungary
Thanks for the comment. Thank goodness this was the worst of the stickers…I’ve seen lots worse!
wendy recently posted..Parenthood Returns
I wish I knew what is was about kids that compels them to use all the stickers RIGHT. NOW. we end up with them stuck to the floors and clothes and everywhere. I know I’ll be using this trick in the (very near) future.
I think it must be something about gluten free oats. I made some GF oatmeal/peanut butter/chocolate chip cookies the other day, and at first my family gobbled them, as we do all cookies. But then I think everyone decided they were too try because the rest have been sitting here for a week. Thanks for being honest about these Pins.
Kathy at kissing the frog recently posted..Grief Stories~The Letter She Will Never Read
Thanks for the comment, Kathy! So, the other day at a park play date some GF moms were talking about soaking GF oats (before baking). Now, I really have NO IDEA what that means but I think it might have made these cookies better. 🙂
wendy recently posted..Parenthood Returns
Soaking, huh? Wendy, I’m not for sure, but I think you just soak them in water for a least a couple of hours or over night. I’m going to try it the next time I have a recipe that calls for oats. I will for sure report back!
I think it worms better on a horizontal surface rather than vertical because the oil can soak in to the sticker. I believe in the post to which the pin refers, I did talk about needing to use elbow grease.