Monday, September 24, 2012

Sassy Single: Pinterest Interest

"I found it on Pinterest."

My non social media savvy friends have really stepped up the Pinterest questions, so to give a little bit of insight into the matter, here is the 441. (411 is slang for useful information)

What is Pinterest? 
First off, it is pronounced "Pin - trest" like "trust" but with an "e". My friend Kelly C. corrected a bunch of ladies at a pre-wedding brunch for my best friend so a great deal of us now know.
Basically, remember when you would cut out pictures from a magazine and put them in an idea book? Same concept. The magazine is now the Internet and the scissors and glue stick are the "pin" and the book is a virtual "board".
What makes Pinterest unique? 
In the old days, you just saw the magazines, but now you can see everyone else's idea books or "boards". The inspiration for the user is other people with similar interests as well as large companies.
Why should I be on Pinterest? 
In High School and college I learned A LOT from my friends and other chicks. Hair styles, tricks to stopping a run in tights (clear nail polish), what new trend was right for me. Now all that girl talk is not as it once was. Welcome Pinterest. I can see what ladies in Minnesota and Maine are making in the crock pot AND I can see what former "The Hills" star Lauren Conrad is doing with her eye liner all in one place. GENIUS.
Who can join? 
Everybody. It is mostly women, but men are welcome. Provide your email or even link to facebook and you are in.
What is a pin? 
A pin is the action of book marking a item you find on pinterest and placing it on your "board".
What is a board? 
A board is the online document that houses all your pins. You can create as many boards as you want. Home decor, cooking dinner, Halloween, baby shower etc. The board takes place of the book.

OK OK OK. Now for the fun stuff!

What do you find on Pinterest?
For this I have enlisted the help of my dance partner at work Kyle Unfug now Mrs. Anderson. Kyle is the Co-Host of Your Life A to Z. She is also an avid baker and LOVES Pinterest.
As any gracious partner would do, she supported my mission to bring Pinterest to the masses and here is her take.
The biggest thing with the baked goods, is that it is a similar concept to a cook book. The picture looks great, but will it actually turn out that way? Since the recipe came from another human being who is not necessarily a photoshop wizard or award winning chef, the guise is that the photo is realistic.

Follow Kyle on Pinterest

Baked Good A. Egg Muffins
Pinterest Photo












Kyle's Photo

Pretty impressed with my girl's skill in the kitchen.

Baked Good B. Zucchini Chips
Pinterest Photo


Kyle's Photo

Now you might be wondering why there are only sliced veggies in this pic. Unfortunately for my dear friend, the warning of, "this tool to cut has some seriously sharp blades," was not made abundantly clear. You see, there is a safety edge on the creature that dices. When said safety is not in use, than the likelihood of a nice surprise slice is high. This was the last photo taken of the chip adventure. Moments later, her precious finger would be caught in the blade and... you can guess the rest. 
Needless to say don't let Pinterest fool you into thinking it is always easy and safe.

Christina's Pinterest

I am more of a random find gal. If I am looking for idea or something for a new project I go on Pinterest. Follow me on Pinterest

Top 5 Pinterest finds in no particular order.
1. Chocolate Chip Storage  2. Makeup Organization  3. Random Tricks  4. AMAZING dress  5. Cowboy Cookies
  
Hope you learned a few things and are not afraid to go on the web and start "pinning". Try things out, see how it goes and find out what is out there. Let Pinterest spark your interest!

Work your magic!






Sunday, September 23, 2012

Sassy Single: Celebrate Holidays

As a single gal I used to think, "please let there be a spa special this Labor day". The last thing I wanted to do was hear about how all my couple friends were doing yet another holiday get away together.

Times have changed. Holidays are not just for couples anymore.

Attention Single Ladies: Make the most out of your holidays!
It takes a different approach to social gatherings, but fun will be had... I guarantee it.

Guidelines to a successful Single Holiday.
1. Go Big or Go Home. 
Be committed to the holiday 110%. If that means dressing up or participating in an activity or being outside your comfort zone, put on your best heels and ROCK IT!
2. Actively participate. 
Don't feel the need to be the "planner" of the group, but do bring something to the table. Get everybody on the list or just provide a few drinks. If you have a purpose while celebrating, you are needed to celebrate. AND if you play a role, than it is your duty to talk to everyone... even the hot guy and his friend. ;)
3. Look for outside entertainment. 
If there is something to do during this holiday season DO IT! Watch a concert, see a show, water ski, sky dive, do something where the reason to celebrate is to experience something new. If your holiday plan is to meet a group for drinks please pass on that plan. If the plan is to have a wine tasting of the best organic wines... well now that is entertainment.
PS. if that is your plan for a holiday I am always open to a new Moscato.

Side note: Couples are always welcome. They always have, "someone you might really like" in mind.

Taking my own advice here is an idea for a fun single holiday.

Holiday: Cinco de Mayo/Kentucky Derby
Short and sweet of it.
Meet at bar at 10:30am. Take party bus to race track. Watch races, eat lunch, participate in costume contest and take photos. Take party bus back to bar by 3pm. Happy Cinco de Mayo.
 1. Go Big or Go Home. Dress to impress. The ladies donned Derby dresses and hats while the guys sported their best "Big Money" outfits. Every girl in our party wore a dress and a few spent HOURS creating their hats. I stepped it up a bit and added the southern belle white tea gloves and matching fan. Oddly, I already own those two items.
2. Actively participate. While we took a party bus from one of the local bars to the track, the boys of course lugged around the cooler of beer. But what good southern woman drinks beer from a can with white gloves at 10:45am? No distinguished debutant that I know. Here is what I participated... MIMOSAS for all! My three favorite morning drink items; bottle of champagne, gallon of OJ and another bottle of champagne. Men say they are fine with beer, but they will never turn down a mimosa from a pretty lady.


3. Look for outside entertainment. At a race track a few things occur. Review horses, place bets, watching horses race. Repeat. Jump up and down when you win a few George Washingtons is in there a few times as well. Pretty simple. Fun, entertaining and definitely not something I do everyday.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo/Kentucky Derby was awesome. Met a few new faces, made a few new friends and did it all as a single gal.



Here is my segment on Your Life A to Z. What you do not see is Suzanne's mic dyeing and me wondering why Mario the floor director has stepped on our set and is making his way toward our camera. Enjoy!

Work your magic!