Pinterest Tip to Try: How to Make Labor Day Cocktails Even MORE Festive!

Hey Ya’ll,

Ever since I signed up for Pinterest, I’ve come across hundreds of brilliant ideas and tips that have made my life more beautiful and a lot easier too! I’ve decided to start sharing the best of these tips with all of you on a more regular basis, in the hope that you’ll do the same.

Since today is Labor Day, I thought I’d share a really great tip sure to make any cocktails you might be whipping up even more festive… h/t Alicia Cooper!

Who knew that the key to making those picture perfect clear ice cubes was boiling water?!?! Simply boil water for 5-10 minutes, let it cool, fill the tray and freeze!

If you decide to give this tip a try, here are some ideas for items to freeze inside your crystal clear cubes: raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, tiny plastic flags, small flowers, pineapple, cucumber, kiwi, lemon, lime, fig, rosemary, sage, mint, basil, lavender, honey, the sky is the limit! Just make sure your guests don’t choke on anything ; )

Image via ABeautifulMess.com

Image via http://www.brit.co

Image via http://www.brit.co

Frozen wild flowers!

Add these to dress up a Gin and Tonic!

Play around with shape…

… and size!

Head to DIY Cocktails for plenty of delicious drink recipes to toss your fany cubes into! Like this Watermelon and Thai Chili Labor Day cocktail!

So, are you on Pinterest? (If so, follow me here: 
http://pinterest.com/brianworley
). What’s the BEST tip you’ve learned from your fellow pinners? Let me know in the comment section below.

Happy Labor Day, everyone!
-Brian

“25 Clever Ideas to Make Life Easier” via the Daily Buzz

Via The Daily Buzz: http://www.thedailybuzz.com.au

Hey Ya’ll,

Thanks to a heads-up from my mother, today I’m re-blogging this excellent post entitled ’25 Clever Ideas to Make Life Easier’ from The Daily Buzz blog. These ingenious ideas will have you saying, “Why didn’t I think of that!?!”

Via: amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com

Use a straw to make hulling strawberries a snap!

Via: apartmenttherapy.com

Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes.

Via: unplggd.com

Remove crayon drawings from your TV or computer screen with WD40 (also works on walls).

Via: athomewithrealfood.blogspot.com

Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch box by securing with a rubber band.

Via: marthastewart.com

Overhaul your linen cupboard – store bedlinen sets inside one of their own pillowcases and there will be no more hunting through piles for a match.

Via: realsimple.com

Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone / iPod in a bowl – the concave shape amplifies the music.

Via: savvyhousekeeping.com

Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags.

Via: iheartnaptime.net

Add this item to your beach bag. Baby powder gets sand off your skin easily – who knew?!

Via: realsimple.com

Attach a velcro strip to the wall to store soft toys.

Via: flickr.com

Look up! Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rolls against the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the floor.

Via: instructables.com

Gotcha! Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting a stocking over the vacuum hose.

Via: realsimple.com

Make an instant cupcake carrier by cutting crosses into a box lid.

Via: stephmodo.com

For those who can’t stand the scrunching and bunching: how to perfectly fold a fitted sheet.

Via: sprwmn.blogspot.com

Forever losing your bathroom essentials? Use magnetic strips to store bobby pins (and tweezers and clippers) behind a vanity door

Via: realsimple.com

A tip for holiday packing. Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirty soles rubbing on your clothes. And you can find them in just about every hotel!

Via: familyfun.go.com

A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy. Magnets hold the plastic cups down to make them tip-resistant.

Via: unplggd.com

Bread tags make the perfect-sized cord labels.

Via: kiboomu.com

Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones – so much more fun and easier for kids to eat. Definitely doing this!

Via: squawkfox.com

Microwave your own popcorn in a plain brown paper bag. Much healthier and cheaper than the packet stuff.

Via: jengrantmorris.blogspot.com

Brilliant space-saver: install a tension rod to hang your spray bottles. Genius!

Via: 9gag.com

Win friends at breakfast with this heart-shaped egg tutorial.

Via: wilton.com

Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough over the top and voila – you have cookie bowls for fruit or ice-cream. Click here for recipe.

Via: realsimple.com

Freeze Aloe Vera in ice-cube trays for soothing sunburn relief.

Via: lifehacker.com.au

Gutter garden: Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.

Via: re-nest.com

Idea #25: Use egg cartons to separate and store your Christmas decorations.

BONUS TIP: Egg cartons also make egg-cellent jewelry and hair accessory organizers in bathroom drawers (for both kids and adults!).

For more awesome tips and tricks, head to www.TheDailyBuzz.com.au. Let me know in the comment section below if any of these tricks surprised you!
-Brian

Something That Piqued My ‘Pinterest’…

Hey Ya’ll,

Have you heard of Pinterest? I recently became a “pinner” myself, and since I’m having so much fun on the site, I’m giving anyone who hasn’t heard of it yet a quick heads up!

Pinterest is a social bookmarking site that lets you organize and share anything and everything you find inspiring, interesting, helpful, exciting, beautiful and beyond, from anywhere on the web. It’s very easy to use, although signing up is still by invite only, so you’ll need to submit your email and wait about 3-4 days to set up your profile.

For the most part, the site seems to be populated by women who are planning their weddings or re-decorating their homes. There are also a lot of foodies who are sharing and organizing their favorite recipes and of course, the creative DIY crowd. However, it seems like over the last month the site has grown to feature a much more diverse user population, so there’s even more to look at and be inspired by!

Once you create a profile, you should download the “pin it button”. This allows you to pin items from outside of the site itself. Also, beyond pinning to your own boards, you can browse pinboards created by other people–which is a great way to stumble on new things and get inspiration! It’s fun to connect with people who have my same interests. Whether it’s a tie, a recipe, a photograph, or a beautiful color scheme for a spring wedding! Best of all, the content in my feed is constantly changing but always on point in terms of what I find interesting–because you choose who’s ‘pins’ you’d like to follow. When you’ve seen everything they’ve ‘pinned’ recently, you can even click ‘Everything’ from the site’s main navigation to see what everyone else has been pinning!

So here’s where you can find me on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/brianworley/
. I hope you’ll follow my pins and please feel free to leave the link to your Pinterest profile in the comments section below so that I can follow you! Happy pinning!
-Brian