Here we go, our first edition of my favorite monthly link-up for the new year! If you”re new to this series, it happens on (or around) the last Friday of the month, and the goal behind it is to inspire us to do more than just pin fun ideas to our Pinterest boards– let”s bring some of those projects, ideas and recipes to life each month.

I always link to my pins, but from there you can see the original post. And hey, let”s remember, we find things via Pinterest. Pinterest doesn”t bake cupcakes, decorate houses or give us brilliant tips; it is simply a collection of ideas from a variety of creative people.

I love seeing what you guys create from your pins and I also love recapping what I”ve done, so I can see what I”ve accomplished. I”ve got an eclectic little collection of things to show you as we wrap up January.

Homemade dog bones

When my retired parents travel, we sometimes dog-sit their dog Sydney. This last time, my dad forgot to pack dog bones, which my kids love to give her for her morning treat. So, I thought, why not make some?

Side note: Am I the only one who heads to Pinterest to search now instead of using Google?

Sure enough, I found a recipe, and even a tutorial on how to make bone-shapes (We also used some cookie cutters just for kicks).

The kids loved this whole project, and so did Sydney. We even delivered some treats to other doggie friends since the recipe made plenty!

Our beautiful stair railing

Being a homeowner has meant that I can finally pin to my Home, sweet home board with the intention of actually doing some of the more in-depth projects (some are still pie-in-the-sky, of course).

Our condo had completely open stairs (the original had been torn out years ago), and we knew that wouldn”t fly for our family– too many little people around here. We didn”t make this ourselves, but after finding some inspiration online, I was able to tell our carpenter essentially what I was looking for in our railing.

We still need to paint it (it”s going to be all white) but I just love our railing. More photos to come of this (that aren”t quite as artistically blurry) when it”s done.

P-dub”s Sloppy Joes

As much as I love Pinterest for crafty inspiration, homeschool ideas, style suggestions, and more, recipe organization and discovery is what I love it for the most right now. I”m sure I”ve tried more than one new recipe lately, but this one sticks out as being a new family favorite that will be now be on regular rotation.

Why oh why did I ever use a powdered sloppy joe mix? These are downright delicious and super easy to make. Thanks, Pioneer Woman.

Now it”s your turn! If you blog, you can write a post and link up below. You can also share a link to a photo or use the hash tag #pinteresttoreallife on Instagram.

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