The Sweet Smell of Summer

This stuff. It's gonna be on heavy rotation this summer. One of my favorite smells when I'm at the beach is suntan lotion; the coconut-y goodness gets me every time. This week I started using Trader Joe's Coconut Oil instead of lotion. As soon as I get out of the shower, I just scoop a bit onto my fingers and smooth over my legs and arms. The heat of my skin from the shower causes the oil to absorb pretty quickly and evenly without using a lot. And the smell... oh the smell is yummylicious. 

If the smell isn't enough to entice you, check this out... some studies show that coconut oil mixed with neem or other essential oils like peppermint or eucalyptus can deter the pesky mosquitos who kill the mood of every outdoor event. Bam! Take that blood suckers. Need further convincing? How about it's reduction of rashes after shaving? I could go on and on.

Ahhh, the sweet smell of summer has arrived and it is good. Happy Weekend Y'all! xo

Around the House: The New Old Desk

That right there friends is my most recent roadside score. Apparently my neighbors had a garage sale a few weeks back and this desk didn't sale. It was then put to the curb in hopes that someone would provide a new home. Hello desk. Wanna come home with me? Uh-huh.

Right here is when I came to understand why no one had purchased this dreamy desk of awesomeness. Heavy. Back pulling, hernia inducing, heavy. Oh my mercy. All I could grab on my own were the drawers. Then the hubs and I had to take the guts and the top off in order to get it into my studio. Was it worth it? Hellz yes! This baby is a sewer's delight.

After wiping down every inch of the desk, I sanded the varnish off and stained the wood with an ebony stain that we had in the garage. (I couldn't stand the orange-y hue of the original stain. Yuckers.) Once the stain was dry, we put the top back on and bolted her down tight. We had to recruit some help (thanks sister and BIL) for getting the guts back in. You must be asking... "guts?" "What the heck is she talking about?" Only the absolute best part of this desk. The door on the lefthand side opens to reveal another "desk" that pulls out and pops up. Perfect for a serger. I KNOW! Sewers' dream. I die. I think it was originally intended for a 10 key or something. Not anymore baby.

After cleaning out the drawers, I lined all of them with some old wallpaper that I scored a long time ago at a thrift store. And then I replaced all the pulls, which was crazy difficult because 4" centered pulls are not the easiest thing to find. Especially if you want the pulls to actually look good. I finally found these amazing bronze beauties on myknobs.com. 

You guys, this desk is a total game changer. I can sew, serge and work on my computer, all with the swivel of my chair. Whaaaaat? Did someone say, "heaven." Amen sistah. In the end, my new old desk ended up costing my $31.00. It is by far the best thing I have ever scored in bulk trash. I love it so much it's kinda sick. Sometimes I go up to my studio to just sit at my desk and look around. All the natural light, white and tree top views makes my heart go pitter-patter. I want to sew all the time now. Praising God for the little ways He blesses us.

I hope your Mother's Days were amazing. Just like each of you. Happy Monday. xo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: T-shirt Bib

Pointing fingers isn't really my jam. So I'll skip the pointing and just say... there are knit bibs retailing for upwards of $25.00! Choke. Choke. Gasp. Gasp. Yes, they're organic, super soft and have great prints, but if you're anything like me, you can't afford that. Why not make your own knit bandana bibs? It's really easy and will take you less than 30 minutes to make two!

Here's what you'll need:

1 old t-shirt

scissors

marker or pencil

ruler

sewing machine

Serge your raw edges or finish with a zigzag stitch.

This is where it gets fun... feel free to embellish your bibs with fun stitches. I used a neon green thread to create a graphic element on one of the bibs I made.

Here's my proverbial beef with selling bibs that have serge finishes - they fray! Easily. For this very reason, I went back over my ends with a straight stitch, as seen below.

 Bam! you're done. Easy huh? And look at how cute...

Y'all, that's two bibs for 66 cents and about 30 minutes of my time. You just can't beat that kind of return. And if you're wondering what I'm doing with the rest of the t-shirt - think dust cloths and bathroom cloths to clean up my counters every couple of days. (So much better than using a towel or washcloth every time.) Waste not, want not. xo

Around the House: My Round Top Gift

Sisters do crazy things sometimes. The upside of this? Benefitting from their crazy. Last week, my sister forced me to go to Round Top with her during a crazy busy time for me. (Oh, and I should also mention that I had zero dollars to spend.) She and her hubs just moved and are now redecorating with an industrial/rustic look. Since she had never been to Round Top and I had been all of ONE time, I was now the expert. Bring on the miles and miles of vintage, rust, and story filled goodness.

We left Thursday, shopped all day and were back at it again early Friday morning. My sister got all kinds of amazing things from chairs, rugs and washtubs to an amazing, one of a kind, 8.5 foot farm table with railroad pipings (or something like that) for the base. Because my sister is a giver among givers, she bought me this amazing rug for my kitchen as a "thank you"/birthday gift. Y'all... I die. As if the trip wasn't great enough. Look at these amazing colors.

Come on... how sweet was that? We laughed till we cried, shopped till we dropped and had the best (and only) sister trip ever. I can't wait to do it again. We hope to make it an annual trip; not for the shopping, but for the good times and laughter. We talked the whole car ride down (4 hours) as if we were old friends that hadn't seen each other in years. (And y'all, we talk several times a week.) We needed this trip more than we needed the items that we brought back. It filled my heart and my soul to do something special with my sister that blessed her, and I think, brought us a little closer. That was the best gift of all.

Do you and your siblings take special vacations with one another? xo

Fox. Bull. Owl. Meow.

I'm not "kitten" you, sometimes I shop in themes. Unintentionally of coarse, but it happens. It's been a while since I've done any shopping. Most of my days are spent with my sweet family and or hunched over the sewing machine. Lovin' it! And yet, sometimes a girl just needs to take a coffee break and get in some good ol' fashioned girl time while hitting a few estate sales.

Last Saturday I did just that. I scored a couple of things for me, a few gifts and a precious goodie that I think I just may upcycle and sell in my shop. Y'all, I go crazy for books. Books I have no intention of reading but can't leave behind because they're so pretty and cost next to nothing. Not so with the books I picked up recently. I may just have to read both of them...

Crazy Like a Fox by S.J. Perelman - I'v only read a couple of excerpts while flipping through, but it looks funny. (Has anyone read this?)

And this little jewel - Not For Children. I die. Funny, silly little poems about animals that give me a smile. I might be taking our relationship a little too far when I share this, but it's the perfect bathroom book. Too much? Sorry.

And because I'm so in love with wall hangings, and the like, I might have to disassemble my handmade owl chimes to make some sweet accessories for nurseries inspired by the wood bead sculpture from Fine Little Day. 

The kitten coasters seen in the first image are for my Grandmother-In-Law. She's a cat lady and has a wonderfully kookie aesthetic that I love! Meow. 

Happy Friday Homies! Here's to a new weekend and more theme shopping. xo

The Buff - Part 2

One more deal for you over at Brickyard Buffalo today. As Spring nips at the heels of Winter, we're all ready to shed some layers. The infinity scarf is the perfect accessory for your littles. Throw one on with a long sleeve tee to keep the last gusts of winter at bay during their afternoon play. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! xo

Brickyard Buffalo + Pure and Noble

What happens when a buffalo falls in love with my bibs? Sweet deals. Today thru Sunday you can score my bibs over at Brickyard Buffalo for a steal! Happy Valentine's Day!

BRICKYARD BUFFALO + PURE AND NOBLE = SWEET DEALS

Beauty Products That Deliver...

and don't break the bank. Y'all know I'm a thrifty girl. And when it comes to beauty products, thriftyness still applies. I'm sure that Creme de la Mer is amazing, but at $285 for just 2 ounces, my gag reflexes kick in and I kind of throw up a little bit. Just a little. Seriously? I don't care how profound it's "powers of transformation" are, I can't go for that. Does that mean that the other 99% of the world that isn't insanely wealthy can't have beautiful skin and look great? Mais Non!

Beauty is for everyone and can be found at every price. Here are a few of my faves...

A Good Clean Start: I should begin by telling y'all that I've had problem skin most of my life . Cystic and hormone induced acne have plagued me into my adult life. Add to that the highs and lows of trying different birth control options that only exacerbated the problem.  For years I used ProActive, but I got to a point where I just didn't want all those chemicals on my face and it stopped working after a while too. I have finally found the magic formula for my skin - In the shower, I wash with St. Ives Green Tea Scrub. It's amazing; great clean smell, exfoliates and leaves my skin feeling so clean. At night, I wash my face with Cetaphil bar soap. (Both my boys have sensitive skin so we always have plenty of this on hand.) For moisturizing, I use Target's Dual-Treatment Moisturizer (oil free) at night and Olay with SPF for my daytime routine. The Dual-Treatment moisturizer is inexpensive, hydrating and has a great new scent. I know it's strange to have separate day and nighttime routines, but it's what works for my skin.

The Foundation: I think it's easy to get wrapped up in all the hype here, but I'm not one for a lot of make-up and I don't think you need a lot to bring out your natural beauty. I recently found NYX cosmetics and whoa baby... I am in love!  They are inexpensive and provide great results. To even my skin tones and give my skin an overall glow, I've found the following products work great. NYX finishing powder "Set It & Don't Fret It". It works just as good, if not better, than Bare Minerals at half the price. If I'm going to church or out for dinner, I add L'Oreal's B.B. Cream in Light for a bit more coverage. Adding color to the cheeks completes the foundation. I use NYX blush in two different shades (because they are so dang affordable) a more neutral mauve tone for a bronzer underneath the cheekbones and a pink shade for the apples of the cheeks. Voila! A fresh natural looking face.

Eyes That Sparkle: I typically go one of two ways with my eyes - just mascara or the works. But no matter how subtle or how bold, I start both looks with NYX Concealer Wand. After two littles and countless sleepless nights, that aged me more than I care to admit, I have circles under my little windows to the soul. Dark circles. To open my eyes and give myself a restful look, this concealer does the trick. It is truly the best I have tried and I've tried loads. I also use it on any red spots around my nostrils or chin. Love it. For my liner I love a duo stick because I do a copper brown and black both. NYC has a great duet pencil for just $1.99 and it works great. Recently I found a new eyeshadow palette that I die for by Mabelline. It's called Color Plush in Copper Chic. I use the darkest shade to set my eyeliner, the copper and pinkish tones are awesome hues for the lids and the highlighter works on brow bones as well as the inside corners of the eyes. (I also use it as a cheek highlight when I want to kick it up a notch.)  Mascara is basic and straight forward - blackest black. I think Cover Girl is the best for volume, defining and zero clumps. But that's just one girl's opinion. 

*The eyes are where I splurge. Shu Umera has the best, yes, THE BEST, eyelash curler on the market. It has a rounded pad so it doesn't crimp your lashes unnaturally and it won't pull them out either!

The Cherry on Top: Lips. lips. lips. I am all over the place here. Cherry Chapstick is my number one fave, providing just the right amount of under-stated pink hue. If I want more color Revlon has a great neutral and NYX does as well. I think finding the right lipstick is like finding the right underwear... it's personal and you have to try on a lot to find the right one.

So there you have it. If I'm right, you are currently thinking, "why the heck am I gonna take make-up advice from a gal who rarely shows her face on this blog and mostly does crafts?" Answer. I have no idea. But I will say that I have loved make-up since I was 5 and have considered it my medium of choice since introduction. When I have time, I love wearing it and making friends up too. Lastly, I love a good deal. Not cheap stuff; inexpensive but good quality items. And I want to share what I find with you! xo

Last Minute Christmas Gifts (On the Cheap)

If you're anything like me EVERY Christmas, you are scrambling for some last minute easy and affordable gifts. I get it. I'm not quite sure why I do this to myself, but it happens every year. I'm pretty sure most people would qualify me as a procrastinator. I think I'm super busy, but if I'm honest, I think the real issue is that I don't prioritize my time well. Yup, that's it. Time management. Whatever, the "label" if you are looking for a few last minute gifts for under $5.00 (which I love) then look no further... run, don't walk, to the Dollar Tree.

I found this cute jar at the Dollar Tree along with gift bags, wrapping paper and tissue paper. Throw those into the mix with your friends', teachers' or co-workers' favorites and you have yourself gifts galore. My youngest has a teacher that loves fruits and nuts. Toss them into a jar with a handmade gift tag (cardboard from an Amazon box) and you have yourself a gift for about $4.00. Add some rainbow loom bracelets on tissue box card stock and you have gifts for everyone in the class (or office). WIN!

Want to add a little more zing? You guys, I found this awesome red baking dish at the Dollar Tree and it looks like it came straight out of Anthropologie. For realz. Add some fruity tea (which my oldest's teacher just happens to love) along with some of favorite colors on the tips of wooden cooking spoons and you have yourself a gift that looks like a million bucks for mere pocket change. Seriously, I think this give cost me $5.00, max.

Spoons - $2.00 at the grocery store. Painter's tape - on hand. Acrylic paint - on hand. Just tape the spoons off wherever you want the color to stop. And then paint with your friend's favorite colors.

I put bulldog clips on the ends of the spoons so that I could paint them and allow them to dry while painting the next spoon...

After you paint the handles of each spoon with acrylic paint and allow them to dry, apply a coat or two of Modge Podge. (I used matte finish for this gift.)

Allow the spoons to dry and then tie with a ribbon. I used red here because Jude's teacher's favorite color is red. (Clearly.) Once the gifts are all tied up, slip them into a gift bag (I just reuse gift bags that have been given to me - bonus of having a December birthday) and you are good to go. Gifts galore for well under $10.00. 

What are your tips and tricks for great gifts that don't break the bank? xo