Tuesday, September 20, 2011

All Natural Tips and Tricks

 image I love reading about household items that can be used in different ways to save me from going out buying yet another product. I’ve found a ton of different tips people have posted about doing your beauty and household regimes naturally and easy so I’d like to share some of my favorite finds with you here:

 

Beauty

imageSoothing and anti-inflammatory, oatmeal contains beta glucan, a soluble fiber that creates a thin, moisture-retaining film on the surface of the skin. Place a handful of whole oats in a clean washcloth and use a rubber band to secure it. Next, immerse it in a sinkful of warm water and squeeze the bag four or five times. Once the water is cloudy, splash it on your face and then air-dry. (If you must towel dry, pat as gently as possible.)

 

image Rich in oil, walnuts make for extra-gentle sloughing. Blend 1/4 cup shelled walnuts, 1/2 cup olive oil (for extra emollients), and a tablespoon of honey (to seal moisture into your skin) in a food processor set on a slow speed, creating a fine-particle scrub. Standing in the shower (if you're scrubbing your feet) or over a sink (if it's for your hands), work the mixture thoroughly over your skin for a couple of minutes. Rinse with warm water.

 

image The fruit acid loosens dead skin cells. Cut a fresh orange in half and squeeze the juice of one half into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup olive oil and then blend into a moisture-rich scrub. Next, rub the exposed side of the other half of the orange over knees, elbows, heels, and any other dry spots. Last, rub in the sugar mixture to slough off dead skin. Rinse with warm water and pat skin dry.

 

image

The lactic acid in milk serves as a gentle skin exfoliant, while its natural fat content acts as a body moisturizer. Add a gallon of whole milk to a tubful of warm water and soak. It's a great alternative to sugar and salt scrubs, which may be too abrasive for people who suffer from eczema, psoriasis, or sensitive skin. If you prefer a fragranced bath, add 10 to 20 drops of an essential oil, such as lavender.

 

image Toss your old used coffee grinds them in with your conditioner to make your hair extra shiny and use as normal. Pretty simple stuff eh? Another great conditioner tip is to replace conditioner with common white vinegar 1-4 times a month (depending on whether your hair is dry or oily) This helps get rid of build up and dullness and gives you a shiny mane.

image Tone and rebuild skin with avocados and carrots by combining 1 avocado, 1 cooked carrot, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 egg and 3 tablespoons of honey. Leave on for 10-20 minutes and then rinse. These ingredients add tons of vitamins, antioxidants and calcium to rebuild natural collagen, tone skin and remove age spots. Each natural element does more than any store-bought item can.

 

image A lemon and egg facial removes the red splotches on your face. Soothe both symptoms away easily by mixing together one egg yolk and the juice of one lemon into a paste. Cover your face with it and leave it on overnight. If this seems like too much work, leave it on your face for an hour. You might not get the optimal results with this time, but you will see a difference.

  

Household

image Keep brown sugar soft by throwing in a marshmallow. Boom, done!

 

image Use this method to clean sinks, toilet, tubs and tile: 1. Halve Grapefruit: 1 medium to large grapefruit will clean your entire bath or shower from top to bottom, including all the fixtures. Simply cut it in half with a knife and you'll be all set. 2. Sprinkle With Salt: Using 1 grapefruit half at a time, sprinkle liberally with salt. Wet your bathtub and sprinkle the remaining salt around the bottom. 3. Take That Scrubbing Bubbles!Scrub your grapefruit around your shower or tub, making sure to slightly "juice" the citrus over each fixture and lifting it every few seconds to pick up fresh salt from around the tub instead of just pushing it around. 4. Rinse: When all is said and done, simply rinse away the pulpy bits and the salt and your shower is as good as new.

 

image Use mayo to get rid of water ring left behind on wood surfaces.

 

image Save yourself the nail chipping and time consuming effort of peeling up the end of the tape by using the bread bag clip to keep it ready for when you need it.

 

imageSave old shower caps to put your shoes in while packing a suitcase and protect your clothes from getting dirty.

 

image No more crying when you cut onions! This tip came thanks to watching the movie The Help last weekend and I was glad to hear it because I cry like a baby when I cut onions. All you have to do is put a matchstick between your teeth while you cut and you wont cry (unlit!) If you don’t have any on hand trying chewing gum. This works for some people too.

 

image  Soak a dryer sheet in with cookware that’s been burnt or has baked-on food in warm water. It makes the scrubbing far less work on you later. Also works on cook tops and dingy cabinet doors.

 

image I’m always really impressed by these tips. It makes me feel so empowered to not buy into the latest nonsense product that companies put out. Give some of these a try and see how they work for you, I hope you have some success!

 

(Credits go to Martha Stewart, Inspiring Pretty, Anne Taintor,  Pinterest and Google Images)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Falling For Fall

image My absolute favorite season is Fall. I am completely in love with the colors and smells it has to offer. I also really adore decorating and dressing (and eating) for Fall so I’ve been trying to find some inspirational ideas to get myself into that harvest-lovin’ mood. Here’s some of the things that have been grabbing my attention lately:
 
image 
image

image       
image
 
image

image    image
  
image

image  
image 
image
   image 
image
  
image

image  
imageI’ve hauled all my fall decorations out of hiding and have been working away at making my house look the part for the season. I’ll be posting some pics soon of how it all looks once the job is completed to my satisfaction. 
Do you decorate when the seasons change? What sorts of things do you put up for Autumn?
 
 
*Photo credit Pinterest*

Sunday, September 11, 2011

-Snapshot Of The Week-

image“You have to make peace with yourself. The key is to find the harmony in what you have.”
-Ms Naomi Watts
 
*Picture credit Pinterest*

 

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Ornate Frame DIY

DSC08996My sweet dear old mama decided she wanted to do some redecorating at her house and wanted to toss out these spiffy (and outdated) pictures. Before they met their end I snatched them up and told her I had big plans to re-vamp these babies. That was sort of half true…

DSC08990She got them from my grandma’s house after her passing. They do have a very antique-y baroque look to them that does sort of say, “To grandmother’s house we go!”

DSC08998I’m not saying they’re ugly or anything; I’m sure in the right setting they would fit right in. However, that setting is not in my house. But as I was saying, I had big plans in my head for these guys. I do have plants to give them a fresh new look but past that point I’m hitting a dead-end.

DSC08993 I thought they had really nice details and would make a very dainty touch to a girly girl’s room like mine.
 
DSC08995That is to say, after some major elbow grease to scrub off the 20 plus years of accumulated gunk built up. Cue the Q-tips and rubbing alcohol.

DSC09002I did feel a little hesitant to tear into these suckers. They put in so many years of hard work decorating lovely ladies spaces. But then I got over it…

DSC09000After some prying and splinters and a little bit of banging on the ugly carpet floor, I managed to remove the ‘painted’ canvas from the gold frame. Right after this I spray painted my little heart out. After a few coats of an ivory white I got this:
 
DSC09243 So cute right? I managed to get the dainty girl look I was hoping for. Success! But going to my original point. ‘What to do now? What to do now?’ Maybe you guys can help me out in some kind of vote or advice, I’ll take what I can get.

So far these are some of the DIY ideas that I’m digging. Some of them would need tweaking to fit my frames but I’m using these images as inspiration for the final product:
imageCute canvas look with a DIY’ed fabric flower
  
imageCanvas with a family letter or some other meaningful symbol
 
image
 
Using them as 3-D frames to show cases items rather than pictures
  image
 
image Bulletin board frame

image   Chalkboard frame

image Simple look of empty frames on a shelf
 
So what do you guys think? Any winner ideas in the bunch or is there some other fabulous project I’m missing out on completely? I’m anxious to get these purdy frames back in action. Share your thoughts!
  
*Photo credit Reckless Bliss and Pinterest*

Sunday, September 4, 2011

-Snapshot Of The Week-

image“Don't wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you've got to make yourself.”

-Ms Alice Walker
 

*Photo credit Google Images*