In 2015 I realized that while I relied on Pinterest for all kinds of things a lot of my boards were being seriously neglected and even in the boards I did use regularly there were still plenty of pins collecting dust. And that's where 52 Pins in 52 Weeks came from. At the first of the year I make a board called 52 Pins in 52 Weeks and fill it with 52 pins that I want to do over the course of the year. I've tried to include a good mix of food, holiday, and craft pins and push myself to step a little out of my comfort zone. I pin my results on my 52 Pins in 52 Weeks Results board. Some pins are wins and some are most definitely fails but it's always interesting to attempt them!
This year I hope you'll share your Pin Wins and Fails with me and link up below! The format is totally up to you. Just post about the pins you've tried over the month (it can be multiple posts) and link up here! The link up will the the last Saturday of every month and I can't wait to see what everyone is doing!
The Basic Idea: Chocolate Chip Cupcakes topped with a silky Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
My Results: These are everything chocolate cupcakes should be. They're rich and chocolate-y but not too sweet and the frosting is just a dream. I stuck with butter and didn't add the 4 T of Crisco she called for. I could really just sit down with a bowl of the frosting and be perfectly happy. These are definitely on my repeat list.
The Basic Idea: Chocolate-y Oatmeal-y deliciousness
My Results: There's no picture of these cookies because they disappeared to fast. They were soooo good. Just the right amount of chocolate to oatmeal.
The Basic Idea: Use 3 dots of concealer - one on each corner and one in the middle, blend with 1 finger and continue your make up routine.
My Results: The pin itself was basically an ad for a Dior BB Cream concealer but I did find the 3 dot thing effective. I don't get dark circles but I do have issues with puffiness and this crease that runs under my eye that reminds me my skin is no longer 25. While the concealer does work what produced the biggest change was finding an eye cream I like (I'm using one from Juice Beauty and loving it).
The Basic Idea: A brownie topped with a marshmallow crust, pastel colored candies, and a chocolate drizzle.
My Results: Meh. Luckily these weren't much work but it seemed like the marshmallow crust drew the moisture from the brownies so I ended up with sticky marshmallows and dry brownies. I tried them and then ended up tossing them.
The Basic Idea: A baked macaroni and cheese
My Results: It was good. Not sure if it was the best but it was good. It seemed a little extra complicated having the sauce and the macaroni and cheese recipes in 2 separate posts. The sauce used an aged cheddar which for eating was amazing but I think in macaroni and cheese form I would have preferred a gooier cheesier flavor. We all enjoyed it but I have a few other macaroni and cheese recipes I like more so I'll probably stick to them.
The Basic Idea: A breathing exercise that is supposed to calm the mind and the body and relax you into sleep.
My Result: Mixed. I really struggled with the short breath in long breath out combo. I'm not sure if it's because I have asthma or it's just hard but whatever the reason it wasn't relaxing. When I lengthened the breathing in slightly I found it worked much better for me. I wouldn't say it made me fall asleep in less than a minute but I did find it relaxing and the focusing on breathing helped quiet my tumbling thoughts.
These are the pins I tried this month with some good and some not so good results. How did you do?
Week 13
The Pin: Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from My Baking AddictionThe Basic Idea: Chocolate Chip Cupcakes topped with a silky Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
My Results: These are everything chocolate cupcakes should be. They're rich and chocolate-y but not too sweet and the frosting is just a dream. I stuck with butter and didn't add the 4 T of Crisco she called for. I could really just sit down with a bowl of the frosting and be perfectly happy. These are definitely on my repeat list.
Week 14
The Pin: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies by Brown Eyed BakerThe Basic Idea: Chocolate-y Oatmeal-y deliciousness
My Results: There's no picture of these cookies because they disappeared to fast. They were soooo good. Just the right amount of chocolate to oatmeal.
Week 15
The Pin: Under Eye Concealing Tips from The Small Things BlogThe Basic Idea: Use 3 dots of concealer - one on each corner and one in the middle, blend with 1 finger and continue your make up routine.
My Results: The pin itself was basically an ad for a Dior BB Cream concealer but I did find the 3 dot thing effective. I don't get dark circles but I do have issues with puffiness and this crease that runs under my eye that reminds me my skin is no longer 25. While the concealer does work what produced the biggest change was finding an eye cream I like (I'm using one from Juice Beauty and loving it).
Week 16
The Pin: Spring Celebration Brownies from Betty CrockerThe Basic Idea: A brownie topped with a marshmallow crust, pastel colored candies, and a chocolate drizzle.
My Results: Meh. Luckily these weren't much work but it seemed like the marshmallow crust drew the moisture from the brownies so I ended up with sticky marshmallows and dry brownies. I tried them and then ended up tossing them.
Week 17:
The Pin: World's Best Mac and Cheese from Martha StewartThe Basic Idea: A baked macaroni and cheese
My Results: It was good. Not sure if it was the best but it was good. It seemed a little extra complicated having the sauce and the macaroni and cheese recipes in 2 separate posts. The sauce used an aged cheddar which for eating was amazing but I think in macaroni and cheese form I would have preferred a gooier cheesier flavor. We all enjoyed it but I have a few other macaroni and cheese recipes I like more so I'll probably stick to them.
Week 18:
The Pin: How I Learned to Fall Asleep in Under a Minute from ByrdieThe Basic Idea: A breathing exercise that is supposed to calm the mind and the body and relax you into sleep.
My Result: Mixed. I really struggled with the short breath in long breath out combo. I'm not sure if it's because I have asthma or it's just hard but whatever the reason it wasn't relaxing. When I lengthened the breathing in slightly I found it worked much better for me. I wouldn't say it made me fall asleep in less than a minute but I did find it relaxing and the focusing on breathing helped quiet my tumbling thoughts.
These are the pins I tried this month with some good and some not so good results. How did you do?
Looks like most things were at successful. I have to go pin those cupcakes and cookies now!
ReplyDeleteThose cupcakes sound so good! I would have stuck with only butter too. I should check out those oatmeal cookies. :)
ReplyDeleteI really need to do something about my boards -- I don't have nearly as many as you do, but there are some neglected ones. I've accumulated a lot of Likes, too, and they're now going to do away with that feature.
Kudos to you on trying new recipes.
ReplyDeleteOverall it looks like a pretty successful month of trying your pins. Those cupcakes look delicious and I'm craving one (for breakfast!) ;-) I need to try more of my pins and join in one of these months.
ReplyDeleteBut the brownies are so pretty...sorry they were meh for you. The cupcakes and cookies sound amazing. Can't wait to see what you tackle next month!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I'm seriously impressed. I managed to get a few pins up a long time ago and can't remember how to do it again, can't find the help section and when I googled it, I got pages from other users. I need Pinterest for Dummies!
ReplyDeleteI love any and all oatmeal cookies and I am always assured that they will all be mine (unless my nephews stop in) because Baz does not like them. I will have to try the cupcakes, too, at least the frosting. I love the way you iced it to look like a rose. That would be nice for Mother's Day. I did a mac n' cheese pin, too! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't bake much (other than bread) but those chocolate cupcakes with the chocolate cream cheese icing are calling me.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. The cupcakes! Noms!
ReplyDeleteI'm so trying the falling asleep in one minute technique. Either I fall asleep or I waste a minute not worrying about trying to fall asleep. Either way, it's a win!
ReplyDeleteThe first two recipes sound amazing! Too bad on the spring brownies -- I hate tossing food. I may have to try the falling asleep breathing thing ... I toss and turn quite a bit before I drift off.
ReplyDeleteI have asthma, too, and have tried a lot of different breathing methods. I think it doing any of them do help you fall asleep in part because your brain is concentrating on the breathing which helps you put the rest of your thoughts away for the night.
ReplyDelete