HOLY. GREATNESS.
I have finally figured it out! I have a major problem with dry hands in the winter. Only the winter though! I read that it's because my pores close up to help protect from the cold, and in turn my body doesn't secrete the natural oils that keep my hands soft.
Here is how to do it: (I'm so excitedddd!!!)
Step 1: Mix 2 cups of sugar with 1 cup of oil. I'm using extra virgin olive oil, but I think that baby oil would work best.
Step 2: Add whatever scent you want! For vanilla, add 1 tsp. of vanilla. For lemon, mix 1 tsp. of lemon extract or lemon oil to the oil you're using, and then mix with the sugar.
Step 3: Can it. That's it! Then, use your yummy smelling scrub whenever your dry hands are calling for it!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
How to Organize
I have a problem. Actually, a few problems. My house is constantly getting cluttered by all of the stuff that my husband & I bring home. I KNOW how to organize, it's just a matter of the time commitment!
So, here are a few ways to organize....First of all, if you have a space or room that is cluttered, here are some easy steps to take care of that:
1. Throw stuff away. Seriously, do you REALLY need that birthday card from last year? What about that thing that broke 7 months ago that you're going to fix? Make some serious decisions here! Do you NEED it? Do you LOVE it? Will it make you money? The fact is, if you haven't looked at it or touched it (except to move it out of the way) in the last year, it needs to go.
2. Put it away. The hubs will tell you this much: according to Jenna, everything has a place. When everything has a place, and is PUT in its place, it's much easier to find, use, and put back away! How often do you just throw stuff on top of stuff on top of stuff and they say "Where the heck is....????!!" If you put it away, you will know exactly where to find it.
3. Label. Label. LABEL. Honestly, I like labels. Actually, it goes beyond liking: I HEART LABELS! After you have thrown the unwanted out, and everything is put in its place, label it. Labels are ESPECIALLY important for bins, boxes, baskets, etc. I say this because we have all done this: grab a bin down from the verrrrry tippy top of the storage closet, and it's not what you want. So frustrating! There are many ways to make labels or you can buy some super cute ones, too. I think my favorites so far are the baskets with chalkboard labels from Target. There are desk organizers with chalkboard labels, and also file boxes with chalkboard labels from Target. Another option is to reuse those bins, baskets, and boxes and make your own chalkboard labels with chalkboard paint from Lowe's. You can make labels on your computer with Microsoft Excel or Word, or you can order some from places like organize.com, which is one of my most FAVORITE websites. Also try Etsy...that way, you can have them personalized.
Now, after you have organized your space, you can leave it all be, right? Wrong. I have organized, reorganized, and started over from scratch to organize spaces. I always come back to this: Why does it always come back to being messy? We put stuff back where it belongs. I realized it's because of our lack of time. I go to school full time, and I work two jobs. My husband works two jobs as well, so we are just WAY too busy to be constantly cleaning. So here is my solution to that:
Make a schedule. I mean, literally write out a cleaning schedule: who does what when, how often, etc. You can go to any store such as Walmart and buy a regular list notepad, or you can go as far as ordering personalized ones (I did!) from people like Jen Jones, of IHeart Organizing.
Now, I can look at my list and know for sure that tomorrow I need to vacuum after school and before work, I need to clean the bathroom and do laundry on Sunday, Casey needs to clean the office on Saturday, and so on. It's such a great way to keep track of things! And, you can just glue some magnets onto the back of your list and hang it on the fridge! That way, you won't lose track of it.
I hope that these tips help out with future organizing...just remember, if all else fails, take a deep breath and just go through one item at a time!
Have fun!!
So, here are a few ways to organize....First of all, if you have a space or room that is cluttered, here are some easy steps to take care of that:
1. Throw stuff away. Seriously, do you REALLY need that birthday card from last year? What about that thing that broke 7 months ago that you're going to fix? Make some serious decisions here! Do you NEED it? Do you LOVE it? Will it make you money? The fact is, if you haven't looked at it or touched it (except to move it out of the way) in the last year, it needs to go.
2. Put it away. The hubs will tell you this much: according to Jenna, everything has a place. When everything has a place, and is PUT in its place, it's much easier to find, use, and put back away! How often do you just throw stuff on top of stuff on top of stuff and they say "Where the heck is....????!!" If you put it away, you will know exactly where to find it.
3. Label. Label. LABEL. Honestly, I like labels. Actually, it goes beyond liking: I HEART LABELS! After you have thrown the unwanted out, and everything is put in its place, label it. Labels are ESPECIALLY important for bins, boxes, baskets, etc. I say this because we have all done this: grab a bin down from the verrrrry tippy top of the storage closet, and it's not what you want. So frustrating! There are many ways to make labels or you can buy some super cute ones, too. I think my favorites so far are the baskets with chalkboard labels from Target. There are desk organizers with chalkboard labels, and also file boxes with chalkboard labels from Target. Another option is to reuse those bins, baskets, and boxes and make your own chalkboard labels with chalkboard paint from Lowe's. You can make labels on your computer with Microsoft Excel or Word, or you can order some from places like organize.com, which is one of my most FAVORITE websites. Also try Etsy...that way, you can have them personalized.
Now, after you have organized your space, you can leave it all be, right? Wrong. I have organized, reorganized, and started over from scratch to organize spaces. I always come back to this: Why does it always come back to being messy? We put stuff back where it belongs. I realized it's because of our lack of time. I go to school full time, and I work two jobs. My husband works two jobs as well, so we are just WAY too busy to be constantly cleaning. So here is my solution to that:
Make a schedule. I mean, literally write out a cleaning schedule: who does what when, how often, etc. You can go to any store such as Walmart and buy a regular list notepad, or you can go as far as ordering personalized ones (I did!) from people like Jen Jones, of IHeart Organizing.
Now, I can look at my list and know for sure that tomorrow I need to vacuum after school and before work, I need to clean the bathroom and do laundry on Sunday, Casey needs to clean the office on Saturday, and so on. It's such a great way to keep track of things! And, you can just glue some magnets onto the back of your list and hang it on the fridge! That way, you won't lose track of it.
I hope that these tips help out with future organizing...just remember, if all else fails, take a deep breath and just go through one item at a time!
Have fun!!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Wedding Idea #3: Unity Sand
The laundry room has come to a halt for the moment (we are planning on building some cute shelving!), so I thought I'd at least share with you some other great ideas we had for the wedding.
The first is the unity sand. I wanted to do a unity candle, but because we got married outside, we ran the risk of the candles blowing out! So we chose to do a unity sand set instead. First, we ordered the set from Wedding Star, which is where we got a TON of stuff-like our cake toppers ("C & J"), cake serving set (they engraved them too!), and it is another wedding mag that I lived by for a year.
When we ordered the unity sand, we had many options to personalize it (which is why we loved Wedding Star!). We had it engraved, which was beautiful, and we also ordered sand in our colors with it! So worth the extra $9 or whatever!!
I love these, because they are heart-shaped! And so is the container that holds the sand:
You can't see the small C on the left, and I apologize again for the crap lighting in my house, but basically it's a small C, then a large C, then a small J. Underneath the letters is 08.06.11, which is our wedding date. Isn't that pretty?? And it came with that stand!
I was just in Michael's the other day and I happened to pass through the wedding isle, and they sell this in there now! It's probably much cheaper than it was on Wedding Star, and you can buy different colors of sand there, too. However, if you want it engraved, (we also had our cake serving set engraved) then I would order it from Wedding Star. It takes a couple of weeks, so don't hesitate!
The first is the unity sand. I wanted to do a unity candle, but because we got married outside, we ran the risk of the candles blowing out! So we chose to do a unity sand set instead. First, we ordered the set from Wedding Star, which is where we got a TON of stuff-like our cake toppers ("C & J"), cake serving set (they engraved them too!), and it is another wedding mag that I lived by for a year.
When we ordered the unity sand, we had many options to personalize it (which is why we loved Wedding Star!). We had it engraved, which was beautiful, and we also ordered sand in our colors with it! So worth the extra $9 or whatever!!
Copyright August Light Photography
Here is how we did it:
You can look up all kinds of different ways to do a unity set, but the way we did it was we left it empty until after we did our vows and ring exchange. Then, my now brother-in-law poured the base sand, which was an off-white. Then we exchanged a few lines, and I poured part of mine, then Casey part of his, then part of mine, then part of his, and then we poured ours at the same time. That's to signify that two become one (and the whole time we had "Better Together" by Jack Johnson playing in the background so it wasn't just silent).
Sorry about the poor lighting in these pictures-there is NO overhead lighting in any room in my house besides the kitchen and dining room!
Anyway, these are the 3 bottles for the sand. The small one was for the base, and it had a large "C" on it for Callison. Mine had a "J" and Casey's had a "C."
I love these, because they are heart-shaped! And so is the container that holds the sand:
I was just in Michael's the other day and I happened to pass through the wedding isle, and they sell this in there now! It's probably much cheaper than it was on Wedding Star, and you can buy different colors of sand there, too. However, if you want it engraved, (we also had our cake serving set engraved) then I would order it from Wedding Star. It takes a couple of weeks, so don't hesitate!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
More Wedding Things!
While I work more on my laundry room update, here are some wedding photo ideas (some of my favorites):
Copyright August Light Photography
Copyright August Light Photography
We were lucky enough to have my sister-in-law around to do my beautiful bouquet! She owns her own flower shop, and my mother-in-law was a florist for like 25 years, so I got an AMAZING bouquet for cheap! Thanks ladies!
We were also lucky enough to have a beautiful day! It had rained literally ALL SUMMER up until about a week before the wedding. Then, the skies parted and we had this beautiful sunshine. I love Big Sky Country!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Laundry Room Update!
Okay, so I finished the coat of primer over the old brown paint in the laundry room entry way, then did two coats of the white paint, and I decided.....
I'm going to repaint the whole laundry room! The old paint is kind of an off-white rather than a bright white, and of course it all has to match!
So here is a picture of the new entry way:
I'm going to repaint the whole laundry room! The old paint is kind of an off-white rather than a bright white, and of course it all has to match!
So here is a picture of the new entry way:
See how much prettier it is? It's just so nice and cheery. I also ended up painting the trim on the laundry room side white, just because it looked cleaner.
To hide the laundry, I got onto Target's website and bought two of these in white (LOVE them!) and I am going to make iron on transfers with my mom's Cricut cutter in yellow (one will say "whites" and the other "linens"). I'm so excited! This laundry room is going to be my sanctuary :)
Saturday, February 18, 2012
I'm Working on a New Project!
Don't worry, I haven't gone far! I'm currently working on updating my laundry room. My husband and I run a small motel in Western Montana, so our house is attached to the motel office. When customers walk in our front door, they can see directly into our laundry room (which drives me absolutely crazy), which is totally outdated! There is blue and white linoleum from the 1970's, dingy white walls, shelves full of stuff never used, two newer front-loader washers, and a huge industrial dryer. We keep our shoes out here, along with all of our cleaning supplies, which are kept in a large brown plastic storage cabinet that is worn out.
Here is what I'm doing first:
This is what our customer's see when they first walk in (it's usually not that messy, there is just my new project stuff laying around in there!)
This is the same brown that is in my living room and dining room. I want to redo the color scheme in my laundry room so that when guests come over, it's nice and bright and cheery! There is nothing like walking into a home with a color scheme that is warm and welcoming.
First, I did a thin coat of Kilz primer over the brown. I want all of the walls to be a bright white color, so it was important to use a primer.
I just used the Kilz because it was the only primer left in our basement, but any primer will work! I also found some leftover bright white paint in the basement, so the only thing that will cost me is the new storage shelves that I'm going to buy!
Today, I'm going to paint the bright white and try to hang up curtains so that people can't see into my laundry room! I will keep you updated as the project moves along :)
Here is what I'm doing first:
This is what our customer's see when they first walk in (it's usually not that messy, there is just my new project stuff laying around in there!)
This is the same brown that is in my living room and dining room. I want to redo the color scheme in my laundry room so that when guests come over, it's nice and bright and cheery! There is nothing like walking into a home with a color scheme that is warm and welcoming.
First, I did a thin coat of Kilz primer over the brown. I want all of the walls to be a bright white color, so it was important to use a primer.
I just used the Kilz because it was the only primer left in our basement, but any primer will work! I also found some leftover bright white paint in the basement, so the only thing that will cost me is the new storage shelves that I'm going to buy!
Today, I'm going to paint the bright white and try to hang up curtains so that people can't see into my laundry room! I will keep you updated as the project moves along :)
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Easy, Eco-Friendly Way to Clean Your Coffee Pot
I make coffee every morning. Every. Single. Morning. I don't think I could live without it, actually.
The problem is that I rarely have time to clean my coffee pot. I make my coffee, rinse out the pot, and rush off to class. I get home, change, eat, and go to work. That's my life in a nutshell. So, I obviously don't get much time in between to clean.
Here is an easy way to descale that scary coffee pot! Not only is it EASY, but it's eco-friendly -- no chemicals, no cleaners.
Here is what you need:
First, I put the ice into my coffee pot:
I REALLY recommend doing it in that order. At least you need to put the salt in last, because if you put the ice in, then the salt, the ice cubes stick and don't go anywhere when you're cleaning it.
To get the coffee pot clean, basically just shake and swirl the coffee pot so that the ice moves all around. The acidity of the lemons helps to lift that yucky scale, and the salt acts as an abrasive, as do the ice cubes. When you are finished, just dump all of the ice, lemons, and salt out, and wash your coffee pot out with warm soap and water.
If your coffee pot is really scaled up, you can repeat the whole process while adding more lemon slices and more salt. This will help to lift the scale.
The problem is that I rarely have time to clean my coffee pot. I make my coffee, rinse out the pot, and rush off to class. I get home, change, eat, and go to work. That's my life in a nutshell. So, I obviously don't get much time in between to clean.
Here is an easy way to descale that scary coffee pot! Not only is it EASY, but it's eco-friendly -- no chemicals, no cleaners.
Here is what you need:
- Ice cubes
- Table salt
- A couple of slices of lemon
First, I put the ice into my coffee pot:
I only use 4-5 cubes, just so that the bottom of the coffee pot is covered.
Then, I put the lemon in:
To do this, just sqeeze the lemon slices into the coffee pot.
Last, I pour the salt in:
I REALLY recommend doing it in that order. At least you need to put the salt in last, because if you put the ice in, then the salt, the ice cubes stick and don't go anywhere when you're cleaning it.
To get the coffee pot clean, basically just shake and swirl the coffee pot so that the ice moves all around. The acidity of the lemons helps to lift that yucky scale, and the salt acts as an abrasive, as do the ice cubes. When you are finished, just dump all of the ice, lemons, and salt out, and wash your coffee pot out with warm soap and water.
If your coffee pot is really scaled up, you can repeat the whole process while adding more lemon slices and more salt. This will help to lift the scale.
Happy Cleaning!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Wedding Idea #2: My Veil!
My big day was approaching, and I still hadn't found a veil.
Well, that's a lie.
I had found one at the same boutique that I bought my wedding dress, but it was TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. Seriously? I couldn't stomach buying a veil for $200.
So, we made one. By "we" I mean my mom and my aunt and I. I described exactly what I wanted, and my aunt (who is a sewing GODDESS...she made my bridesmaids dresses AND my veil AND my flower girl's dress.) got to work.
I wanted a veil that was one piece. I wanted a blush veil, but instead of TWO pieces of fabric, I wanted one. So we cut a piece of the veil material that I wanted into an hour glass shape, so that the sides came up just below my shoulders, and the back of it to about my tailbone. The front came down just to my midsection.
My aunt made a beautiful scalloped lace embroidery on a separate piece of tulle, then my mom and I very carefully (painstakingly, more like) sewed the embroidery onto the bottom of my veil. We then bought flat-backed pearls and rhinestones (from Michael's) and glued them onto my veil sporadically on both sides (remember, I had a blush veil so they had to be on both sides of the tulle so when my dad flipped it back...you get it?).
This took FOREVER, but it was seriously perfect! It looked almost exactly like the one I had wanted at the boutique, and it cost us about $50 to make all together.
Here is the end result:
Well, that's a lie.
I had found one at the same boutique that I bought my wedding dress, but it was TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. Seriously? I couldn't stomach buying a veil for $200.
So, we made one. By "we" I mean my mom and my aunt and I. I described exactly what I wanted, and my aunt (who is a sewing GODDESS...she made my bridesmaids dresses AND my veil AND my flower girl's dress.) got to work.
I wanted a veil that was one piece. I wanted a blush veil, but instead of TWO pieces of fabric, I wanted one. So we cut a piece of the veil material that I wanted into an hour glass shape, so that the sides came up just below my shoulders, and the back of it to about my tailbone. The front came down just to my midsection.
My aunt made a beautiful scalloped lace embroidery on a separate piece of tulle, then my mom and I very carefully (painstakingly, more like) sewed the embroidery onto the bottom of my veil. We then bought flat-backed pearls and rhinestones (from Michael's) and glued them onto my veil sporadically on both sides (remember, I had a blush veil so they had to be on both sides of the tulle so when my dad flipped it back...you get it?).
This took FOREVER, but it was seriously perfect! It looked almost exactly like the one I had wanted at the boutique, and it cost us about $50 to make all together.
Here is the end result:
Copyright August Light Photography
(That's my mom and I when we were getting ready for the wedding) Okay, so see what I mean by the veil being one piece? Instead of have a blush veil as one piece, then the back part one piece, it's all just one! It's classy and timeless.
Copyright August Light Photography
There is a close up of the scalloped lace! Beautiful! It took us forever to make, but it was so worth it in the end, and it also was more than just a veil. It was a veil that my mom and aunt and I made together!
Here is a picture of the front. See how it comes down just to my midsection? You can kind of see the back...it comes to just about my tailbone.
The good thing about doing the scalloped edge lace was that it weighed my veil down, so the breeze didn't just blow it around. It was the perfect veil, especially for an outside wedding!
Here are some good links to help you get started on YOUR perfect veil:
Save On Crafts - This website is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Not only does it have cheap tulle and combs, it's got all kinds of ideas for weddings! We bought garden stakes to go down the isle from here, as well as a bunch of Japanese lanters for the reception.
Crafty Stylish - This is also a great website for ideas. There is a whole page on wedding veils and how long to make them, what combs and tulle to use, etc.
Real Simple Weddings - I absolutely ADORE this website. Wedding cost calculators, how to pick your wedding colors, and even bridal shower games are on here! I lived by this website and their magazine for about 11 months before the wedding.
The Knot - This is another one that I lived off of for almost a year! There is a ton of great ideas, and they also have a magazine (sold at any Barns & Noble) that is like a wedding NOVEL. After you get married, check out The Nest, for married couples (they've got good recipes, organizing ideas, decorating ideas, etc.) and for when you have children, check out The Bump.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Wedding Idea #1: The Candy Table!
My mom and I literally put together my ENTIRE wedding ourselves, minus the flowers and wedding cake! We bought wedding magazine after wedding magazine and researched endlessly to put together the perfect day for my husband and I. Let me tell you, my mom missed her calling for wedding planning and interior design!
We didn't want our guests waiting forever for us at the reception while we stopped and took photos, so my mom came up with an awesome idea -- set up a candy table. We bought Hershey's Kisses in silver and red (my wedding colors were red and dark orange), lolly pops, candy canes, mints, gum balls, and a TON more candy, including personalized M&M's with our names and wedding date. It was a huge hit. We went to Michael's and found apothecary jars to put the candy in, and we also put a few Kisses on the table with our tags (shown later in this blog). Here are some pictures of the candy table:
Copyright August Light Photography
Copyright August Light Photography
Copyright August Light Photography
How we made the tags:
We did a label template in Microsoft Word, picked the font type, color, etc. and printed it onto glossy photo paper. Then, we glued the glossy paper onto some scrapbook cardstock (which I think we found at Michael's also), then punched a hole through it, tied a ribbon through the hole, and glued a flat-backed pearl onto the hole so you couldn't see it. (We found the ribbon and the pearls at Michael's as well.)
This was an easy and fun way to keep guests entertained while the wedding party took photos. It's great for any occasion: birthday, anniversary, or even just a small get together!
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