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So there is this thing floating around the blog world right now called the Pinterest Challenge. A few girls, including them on Young House Love (a blog I read) decided to set a challenge where they actually had to make something that they had pinned on Pinterest. Stop-pinning-start-doing type of idea.

Scott and I just finished a project that I originally saw on Pinterest so it fits the brief! We are thrilled with the way it came out.

This was my inspiration:

Unfortunately there weren’t any instructions, so we struggled a bit at first with getting ours to work but still managed to finish in one day, so that’s pretty good. Here is my tutorial:

Things you need:

  • 12″x12″ scrapbook paper (I needed 66 papers)
  • masking tape
  • some kind of level
  • scissors
  • something to make the gaps uniform (ruler, cardboard strip, etc.)

First thing I did was rip open the pack of paper and lay out the squares in the order I wanted (random) on the ground. I wanted it to be somewhat balanced and definitely not two of the same colour touching each other.

The part I was most concerned about was getting the squares level, because i thought you would be able to tell if it was crooked in real life. We didn’t have a level so I started off just measuring it off the floor and ceiling. Unfortunately it seems nothing in our apartment if square, flat or level, so that was annoying.

A laser level would most definitely be the best tool, but those were too expensive so we just bought a regular long level. Made of plastic… total garbage… will return this week.

I originally planned to have the gaps in between the papers be 1″, but the level itself was 1.25″ and it was a lot easier to just go with that, so we could hold the level against the ceiling/bottom of the papers, make it level, and then trace a line on the bottom edge of the level. Scott held the level and then I squeezed in and drew the line.

Then Scott attached four loops of masking tape on the back.

And then I lined the top edge up with the pencil line, and the right sized gap on the sides. At first I used a ruler that was also 1.25″ wide as a guide, but after the first row I just eyeballed it. And it looks even to me! I erased the pencil as I went along.

I had to cut around the light switch and plugs, which was pretty annoying. Please don’t look too close at them, haha.

All done. I love it! I can’t help but keep seeing that optical illusion with the black blobs in between the corners of the paper. Definitely livens up our otherwise beige apartment!

Add me on Pinterest if you want: http://pinterest.com/jornakat/

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Watching Masterchef on our ridiculous new 43″ TV doesn’t require 100% attention so here’s another quick blog post! Double post day!!

We were lucky enough to get a free TV for signing a year lease on our apartment. It’s weird, no other places in Vancouver offer incentives. We don’t know why they gave us the TV but were happy to take it. So far we have not noticed anything horribly wrong with the place… I guess it’s just because it’s managed by a really big apartment company or something.

ANYWAY.

Our apartment shortly after moving in. It looks better now!!! I’ll post proper pictures after I’ve hung up our art and flags and things.

Last Wednesday we went out to Kits Beach to watch the fireworks competition. I thought we should watch from this side of the water because it was a weeknight and I didn’t want to get home too too late. Yeah it wasn’t as crowded, but we were a little far to get the full-on amazing firework experience.

Saturday night was much better. We decided to brave the crowds and go right to English Bay. We met up with Zsofi and Dylan and then went over and found a great spot right on the beach. We had a picnic dinner of extreme amounts of cheese and bread, and carrots and hummus. The fireworks were great and I really had an awesome awesome evening. There were several kinds of fireworks that were new to me, including sort of arrow ones that go upwards, and huge ones that blink on and off three times. Super cool, and seeing them in time with the music was really neat.

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Check out my nails!! I am v. proud of myself, hehe.

I used a technique called water marbling. First you do a quick coat of white nail polish, then you mask off as much of your fingertip skin as possible with masking tape. Then you drip drops of nail polish on the surface of the water in a little tub and swirl it around with a toothpick until you see patterns that you like. Then you dunk a few fingers in and the nail polish sticks to your nails like magic. I could only do two at the same time. Then you pick up all the extra nail polish on the water with another toothpick before you take your fingers out. A quick youtube search for water marbling should bring up something useful. I finished off each nail with Seche Vite, which is also magic. Totally totally dry in 5 minutes.

They look even brighter and awesome in real life!

Edited to add: I have done up a water marbling tutorial. Check it out here!!

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Last Thursday we had a really fun impromptu night.

It all started at 3:45 PM when I got a text message from Brian saying that they were at a bar on Granville Island with $1.59 beers and that we should join him. That’s pretty close to my work so I was first to arrive. Scott headed over too. I don’t drink beer but they also had $4 bellini slush thingies too which were very tasty.

I only planned on staying for a bit, but we were having fun and the drinks were good and more friends kept arriving so we ended up staying.

Then another friend said we should meet him at the beach so we took a funny little ferry over to English Bay and chilled there for a bit, killing time.

Brian had been recommending this all-you-can-eat sushi place for a while and when I brought it up again he said we should go RIGHT THEN. So we did.

It was only $14 but you have to wait until 9:30 PM. Ack. Anyway it was decent for all-you-can-eat sushi, but definetely no Tojo. ;) Service was pretty bad- they kept not bringing us some things (like yam tempura) and that meant Scott and Morgan had nothing to eat for a very very long time. Also they didn’t have yam rolls for some reason.

I ate lots of salmon sashimi.

It was very difficult to get home from all the way in the west end of downtown. It was a very late night for me considering it was a weeknight, plus insomnia, as usual. I was tiiiired on Friday, but I can handle it on Friday’s because I know the weekend is coming soon.

I asked Scott at the end of the night if he would rather have all-you-can-eat sushi six times or Tojo one time. He said all-you-can-eat, but I say Tojo’s. What about you?

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Last Friday Scott and I went to a CFL game. We saw the BC Lions play the Hamilton Tiger Cats. I got the tickets off Craigslist as an anniversary present (paper!) for Scott. He had never been to a football game before and really wanted to go.

Gene Simmons was there for some reason. He did the coin toss, and then he left.

The first 10 minutes I had absolutely no clue what was going on. None whatsoever. Luckily Scott didn’t mind answering all my questions. Plus I got to have a hotdog with bacon and cheese, so I was happy.

The lions lost by one point. One confusing point. Why would you get a point when you miss a kick??? I’ll leave this for Scott to talk about in his blog (eventually) because IDGI.

I ended up having an OK time, although I don’t think I would pay to go again. I would go if it was free!

P.S. DID YOU KNOW cheerleaders don’t wear skirts anymore??! They just wear underwear!

On the way home a dude yelled at us from his car and it STILL makes me mad to think about it. We were crossing the road in a crosswalk at a busy intersection and he zoomed up making a left turn and yelled at us for being in the road when the red hand signal was flashing. Um, we started crossing when it was still walking man, I don’t think we are expected to get all the way across before it even starts flashing. I yelled at him. Scott told him to “Shut up, idiot” too.

I wish you got more time in situations like that. He’s the one who shouldn’t so be so close to us while we’re crossing, and I would have liked to tell him that!!! Dumb angry man.