Pins and Procrastination

Happy First Blog Birthday Pins and Procrastination!

Susie — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 11:20:15 +0000

I have officially been blogging for one year! It’s my first blog birthday, or blogiversary, or whatever silly word you want to come up with. And here I am! What a journey it has been. I’ve gone from getting about 30 views a day to about 3000 views a day! And I have had so much fun.

I figured that for the occasion I should look back over this past year and go through some of my favorite posts and milestones! So- here is Pins and Procrastination’s first year in review…

First, let’s start with a few firsts.

Pins, POTS, and Procrastination was my first blog post ever. I wrote it back when I was still blogging on blogger and before I bought this domain name. It is basically an introduction into why I am blogging.

You can see how much my style (especially photos!) has changed over time!

The first time one of my posts was featured on another blog was my post about Borax Free Dishwasher Detergent Tablets. One of my favorite blogs, Living Well Spending Less, featured it on Weekend Wandering and I was crazy excited and honored. And I’m still excited and honored. It was such a great moment for me!

And the first post I wrote that ever went “viral” was 15 Things Not To Say To Someone With A Chronic Illness. I put a lot of work and thought into it, and it felt amazing to see it shared so many times. I started getting thousands of views a day (as opposed to less than a hundred that I started out with…) and I was crazy excited.

Another first I had this past year was writing my first sponsored post. I was able to make a really fun DIY tutorial using Elmer’s Probond- which is actually an amazing product, by the way. I had a lot of fun and put a lot of time into making this awesome Chalkboard Magnetic Vanity.

The other cool thing that I did over this past year was start an etsy shop. After having enough people tell me that they would rather buy some of my products than follow the tutorials and make the products themselves, Susie’s Naturals was born!

I’ve had a really amazing first year. So now that I’ve gone through a little bit of my journey, I thought I would highlight some of my favorite posts. I’ve tried not to highlight the most popular ones. I want to highlight ones that I’m proud of that I think deserve a little more attention.

So now on to some of my favorite posts…

Kitchen Organization: Solutions for Small Kitchens

I spent a lot of time taking all the pictures for this post. That’s not to mention the amount of time I spent organizing the kitchen… but I would have done that whether there was a blog post or not. I’m still pretty proud of how functional our tiny kitchen is.

How to Make Natural Homemade Hairspray

It’s not a super exciting post, but I do love my homemade hairspray. And one of the reasons it is so great is that in making this post, I finally learned how to curl my hair. I never used to be able to, but thanks to a trick I learned on pinterest I can now! You’ll have to read the post to find out the trick…

How to Use Your Beauty Routine to Get Ready for the Day Ahead

This post was really wonderful to make. I basically put inspiring messages on all my grooming products. They’re still there, and they make me smile. Seriously, you should do this.

10 Ways to Love Yourself More

This is something that I think we should be taught in school. What skill is more important than loving yourself? You have to spend the rest of your life with yourself. You have no choice in the matter. So these are some tips to help you get to know and love yourself more. I loved writing this post and I really think the message is important.

The World’s Best Pork Chops

You may not believe me, but these really are the world’s best pork chops. You won’t find a better one. They are so amazing. I should make this again in the imminent future… So the reason I love this post is because I took a chance trying out this recipe I made and it totally paid off.

Well, thanks for listening to me ramble about this past year in blogging! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

The post Happy First Blog Birthday Pins and Procrastination! appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Romantic Cash Giveaway!

Susie — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 03:22:45 +0000

#RomanticCashGiveaway

Happy New Year everyone! I’m happy to be a co-host of the Romantic Cash Giveaway! Enter at the bottom of the post to win up to $500 PayPal cash! The prize comes just in time for you to get a great Valentines gift for your significant other… or yourself.

Honestly, there is no reason not to enter! All you have to do is like or follow a bunch of AWESOME bloggers social media pages. It’s super easy, and no risk. These bloggers are all people you won’t regret following! So enter before it’s too late!

Thanks to 66 amazing friends and supporters of

A Peek Into My Paradise we are spreadin’ the love with a

*CASH PRIZE of $1,450!

*Two winners of $500 each

AND One winner of $450!

Meet your lovely co-hosts!

Please be sure and thank the amazing bloggers who helped me put together this phenomenal cash prize! I encourage you to hop over and take a peek into their paradise!

And a big round of applause to our sponsors!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide to participants with a verified PayPal account.

First and second entry drawn will win $500 PayPal Cash each. Three entry drawn will win $450 PayPal Cash.

All entries will be verified. In the event an entry can not be verified participant chooses to forfeit that entry and another winner will be chosen.

Winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email.

Giveaway will run from January 1st, 12AM Pacific Daylight Savings Time to January 31st, 11:59PM Pacific Daylight Savings Time.

Any taxes or fees associated with the winnings of this contest are the sole responsibility of the winner according to their county, state and/or country laws.

CASH prize is in US Dollars and will not be converted to any foreign currency.

Void where prohibited by law.

The post Romantic Cash Giveaway! appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Great Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals!

Susie — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 16:43:10 +0000

I know I don’t often post deals, but hey, it’s time for holiday shopping. While I’m all about homemade gifts, I also can’t resist a good sale. So here are some of my favorite deals!

Susie’s Naturals

Wouldn’t it be bad if I didn’t start with my own shop? Well, I now offer gift wrapping and I have a great sale going on for at least the next week!

Get 20% off your entire order in Susie’s Naturals with the coupon HOLIDAYSALE. If you spend more than $45, get free shipping with HOLIDAYSALE2.

Amazon

I love Amazon. You saw it in my thank you notes. I use it all the time. There are so many great deals, so make sure you check them out! Definitely something for everyone.

Shop Amazon – Black Friday Deals Week

Shop Amazon Cyber Monday Deals Week

Braintree Clothing

Braintree’s philosophy is to design and make beautiful, timeless fashion while caring for the environment. What a great brand. Get the deal below!

EXTRA 20% OFF SALE ITEMS with code BLACK20

Udemy

I love Udemy! I am all about continuing education and learning new skills. Anything new you want to master next year? Buy the class now while they’re on sale!

Save up to 90% on more than 6,000 courses!

Teavana

I love me some tea! Teavana is probably my favorite. Free samples, anyone?

Cyber Monday! Save $25 off $60 + free shipping at Teavana! Use code CYBER14 (Valid 12/1 from 12:01am EST to 12/3 at 11:59pm PST. Online Only)

Juice Beauty

If you’re into natural and real beauty products, Juice Beauty is the place to go. Great skin care and makeup. Am I the only one who had not heard of Super Saturday until now?

Super Saturday Sale: Free Full Size Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturizer ($38 value) with any $40 purchase, plus free shipping. Use promo code SS14 at check out (Saturday, November 29)

Cyber Monday Sale 11/30 & 12/1. Exclusive gift box includes up to $133 worth of free skincare and makeup, yours when you spend $75-125, plus free shipping. Each box has a promo code associated to it,

Reuseit.com

Reuseit.com is the best for getting products that help you live a greener lifestyle. They sell tons of my favorite stuff. Make sure to check out their deals!

Black Friday Deals + Free Ship @ $30+ on ReUseIt.com! Use code: LSRUBFRI14

Save $10 on Orders $50+ Use Code: LSRUTENOFF

Novica

It feels good to support local artisans. Why not support them from around the world? Novica is a great source for gifts and you feel good about who you are supporting.

Save $10 off $50, $15 off $100 or $25 off $150 at NOVICA! Enter SAVE10, SAVE15 or SAVE25 at checkout. Valid 11-26-14 through 11-30-14 11:59 PM PT.

The Honest Company

For more natural cleaning products, the Honest Company is a great place to look. This deal is amazing. They have a lot more than cleaning products, too.

Receive 25% off SITEWIDE at The Honest Company!* Code THANKSGIVING2014 *Valid 11/28/2014 12:00am PST through 12/1/2014 11:59pm PST. Terms and conditions apply.

Sharper Image

I’ve always thought the Sharper Image was just the coolest store. I had so much fun walking around there. Well, the website is even MORE fun to browse with all the cool inventions!

Get Free Shipping on any order at SharperImage.com $50 and over! Use code AFFRSHP

1-800-Flowers

What better way to say thank you or celebrate someone than with flowers? You can’t go wrong with a classic. Great deals.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Savings All Weekend Long! Save 25% on Your Purchase of Select Items at 1800flowers.com! Use Promo Code: HLDYTWNTYFV at checkout. (Offer Valid From 11/28/2014 12:01 AM EST to 12/01/2014 11:59PM EST)

Don’t miss out on these deals! Yay for savings!

The post Great Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals! appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

One to Watch Blogger Award

Susie — Mon, 19 May 2014 11:12:17 +0000

So I was moderating my comments yesterday, and among the usual awesome questions and comments (and spam posts) I got a really exciting comment from Kaelyn from MyFairDaily!

I was immediately intrigued and went over to learn more about the award. It is given by bloggers to other bloggers that they feel are worthy of recognition. Which is a really awesome idea. I love the blogging community- they are so creative and supportive and collaborative. If you are a blogger and you aren’t already participating in link parties– check some out, and you will see what I mean.

Anyways- many thanks to Kaelyn! I am a big fan of Kaelyn’s blog and I’ve been following her on pinterest for a while now (check her out on twitter and youtube too!). She is a fabulous beauty blogger and graphic designer. We share a love of pickles, in case you were wondering. If you like makeup tutorials, you will basically fall in love with her. Check out some of her awesome posts: My Shoe Obsession and Cinco de Mayo Tutorial.

Well, this is super exciting for me. I am posting this on the two month anniversary of me purchasing this domain name! I couldn’t have imagined how much fun I would be having and how quickly my blog would grow two months ago.

I started this blog because I was having a hard time with the chronic illness I live with (POTS) and I needed something to keep me busy. I was already making my own cleaning and beauty products and doing crafty DIY and organization projects when I could, so why not document it? Staying home most days and suffering is no fun, so having a goal and something productive to do really makes me feel a lot better about life. And I have a lot of fun with it.

So why call it Pins and Procrastination? If you haven’t made your way over to my about me page yet, let me explain. I got the name from something my cousin told me when she switched careers. She told me that you should base your career on the things that you do to procrastinate doing your real work (which is what inspired her to become a hairdresser, and a really awesome one at that). Well, that line stuck with me. I am a procrastination expert, and so I decided to make my blog about my typical procrastination activities which usually involve pinterest. So there you go- Pins and Procrastination. And I hope that this site ends up being a really great procrastination tool for you too! Because when you think about it, procrastination is actually productive, and it helps you find your passion.

My crafty procrastination skills: I spent time making my halloween costume instead of studying for my environmental policy classes

One of my favorite things about blogging is that I get to spend time playing around with graphic and web design, two things that have been hobbies for me since middle school. So really, blogging about crafts, green cleaning, and DIY natural beauty was probably inevitable for me.

So, enough about me. Let me introduce you to some other really awesome bloggers who I think are worthy of this award:

Jacklyn at Mrs. Penguin is a midwestern graphic designer who blogs some absolutely mouthwatering recipes (um, hello gluten free coconut cheesecake!) and shares my love of SVU.
Liz from Green Revival is a newlywed navigating married life while trying to live life in a greener way, and she is starting a series on how to take advantage of the sharing economy which you definitely should read.
Johanna at Max and Moses is a designer living in Finland with her husband, baby, and two dogs (Max and Moses). She does some pretty amazing furniture makeovers and I love the style of her blog. And she blogs in two languages, which is pretty impressive.

If you are nominated or want to learn more about the award, head on over to Bloggers Required to read more about it.

Thanks again to Kaelyn and congratulations to all the bloggers who are nominated for this cool award!

Visit Pins and Procrastination’s profile on Pinterest.

The post One to Watch Blogger Award appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

New Group Pinterest Board: Homemade Solutions

Susie — Fri, 16 May 2014 11:00:29 +0000

So I had this great idea to start an awesome group pinterest board. I figured this would be a great avenue for me and other bloggers to keep up to date with awesome things that are happening in the blogosphere. And without the stress of making it on time to a link party so you aren’t the last one listed.

Anywho- you can find the board here: Homemade Solutions

How to Join

So, first things first, how do you get pinning onto this awesome board? You just have to do a few things. First, you have to follow the board. Second, send an email with the subject, “Homemade Solutions Group Board” to the email susie (at) pinsandprocrastination.com. Include your pinterest username and email. And it really is that simple! I’ll send you an invite to the board, and all you have to do is accept!

That being said- please consider board etiquette before you decide whether or not you want to join.

Board Etiquette

In order to keep this board awesome and un-spammy, there are some simple guidelines you should follow:

Only pin things you have made yourself (i.e. homemade makeup, homemade cleaning products, homemade decor…. you get the idea)
Do not pin links to things that are for sale or shops
Keep your pins to 3 or less per day

If you repeatedly can’t seem to follow the board etiquette, you will be removed.

Follow Pins and Procrastination’s board Homemade Solutions on Pinterest.

So, come one and all homemade fans and follow or join the new group board!

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