I Made My Own Scarf...And You Can, Too!

Some of the best accessories are the ones that are UNIQUE, CHEAP, and HOMEMADE! I came across this wonderful find on Pinterest several months ago, and finally got around to making it! Now that I know just how little time it took to do, I really am kicking myself for negating it for so long. Hey, what can I say... I'm a busy woman!

To start out this adorable, easy-to-make, infinity fringe scarf, you need a plain t-shirt. I got mine from Hobby Lobby. This week, they are having a sale on t-shirts. I got size 3X so that it was big enough to wrap around my neck twice. If you only want it to go around once, then I would suggest a small or medium!

Lay the t-shirt out flat. Then make two cuts: one across the top, right underneath the "armpits" of the shirt and the second right above the stitching that makes the seam at the bottom of the shirt. 

Please excuse my kitchen scissors...I happened to be in the kitchen and was feeling much too lazy to go upstairs and get my craft scissors. ;)

After you make the two cuts, start cutting slices into the shirt on both of the "open" sides, aka the "long" sides of the fabric. You can make these as skinny or thick as you want! 

After you are done cutting the strips, start pulling the strips to stretch them out. Can you tell a difference? I stretched the left side, and when I took this picture, the right side had yet to be stretched. After that, you're done! 

Homemade Eye Cream

As most of you know, I'm all about using homemade and natural products. I've learned more than I wanted to about some ingredients that they put in creams and products that they sell in stores.

You need only TWO ingredients to make this fantastic eye cream and you will see so many benefits to it! It's also a lot less expensive than the creams available in the stores. Plus, you know what is in it!

Vitamin E is an essential part of skin care. It is an antioxidant (it protects the skin from UV light, pollution, drugs, and other free radicals that damage skin cells). It also plays a role in anti-aging by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamine E also reduces stretch marks and age spots. It's practically magical!

Find a small jar (about an ounce). Fill it with coconut oil and warm it in the microwave for a couple of seconds until it is liquid. Take three vitamin E capsules and poke a hole in them to release the liquid in them and pour into the melted coconut oil. Use a toothpick to stir the mixture together and place into the refrigerator until it is solid again!

Easy to Make Eye Make Up Remover

I love trying out fun new ways to put my make up on. I have different day and night looks and it's fun to try out new color combinations and new techniques. Make up can be so fun to put on! I wish it were that fun to take off...

I spend a lot of time each night taking the make up off of my face. This is very important to do because it's not good for your skin to have make up on it all the time. I was once told that each night you go to bed without taking your eye make up off, it adds thirteen days to the age of your skin. That doesn't seem like too long but it sure would add up quickly!

I found a recipe for an easy to make eye make up remover and it works great. It's easy to make and it saves so much time at night because my eye make up comes right off with this great, homemade product. I had a 3 fl. oz. travel container with a flip top lid that I used to store my make up remover.  I added 1 oz.( 2 Tbsp.) olive oil, 1 oz. (2 Tbsp.) baby shampoo (tear free), and 1 oz. (2 Tbsp.) water. Shake it up and put some on a cotton ball or cotton round and see just how easy it is to get your face clean at the end of the day! Your skin will thank you. :) 

A Fun, DIY Make-Up Board

I love finding cute ways to organize and hold my make-up and I feel like I really hit the jackpot with this one! This is a make-up board that can hang on the wall next to your vanity, in your bathroom on your wall, or hanging near a make-up table in a walk-in closet or in your bedroom. All you need is a frame from the dollar store, a metal board from Ace Hardware (or another hardware store of your choosing),  some spray paint, and some magnets that can be cut to size.

Spray paint the metal board and frame, and attach to the wall (however you usually hang things, I prefer nails). Cut the magnets to size for the make-up products and attach them. When they are ready and finished, you are able to remove them with ease. This also saves time from digging around in my make-up bag looking for what I need!

DIY Face Strips

I love to make as many beauty products at home that I can. This way, I know EXACTLY what is in the product and it's a lot less expensive to be able to make it myself.

I used to buy those Biore pore strips to clean out the pores on my nose (blackheads are disgusting and a pain in the butt).  They are also super expensive! It adds up when you have to buy them twice a month. I found a DIY recipe that's super easy to make (only TWO ingredients!).

All you need is 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin and 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix it together in a disposable container until it gets chunky. Mix quick! Microwave the mixture for 10-15 seconds, stir quick and immediately apply it to your face! It hardens quickly, so act quickly! Put it in whatever trouble spots you have. I put it on my nose and chin. Let this dry for 15 minutes or more. Your face will be so soft when you're done!

Get Silky, Soft Legs

I found a great beauty DIY at home recipe for silky, smooth legs. I know it's not summer, but that is not to stop you from being able to have the smoothest legs ever! All you need for this leg scrub is 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/2 cup oil (of your choice) and 1 1/4 cup sugar. Combine these ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

Start by soaking your legs in warm water for 5 minutes. Then shave your legs. Rub the sugar scrub all over legs and massage well. After it's been rubbed in really well, rinse your legs off. Shave again (which gets the dead skin off) and dry off legs! I always like to lotion my legs afterwards, it really locks in the moisture!

A Cheaper Way to Get Matte Nails

I love the look of matte nail polish. It's been trending for quite a while now and I have no doubt that it will continue to be a trend in the fashion world. This puts a unique spin on traditional nail polish for a look that's super chic.

Instead of buying that matte nail polish that is super expensive, make your own! All you need to do is paint your nails with a normal nail polish (that shines when dry). Once it's all the way dry (you can use a second coat if needed), add some corn starch to a bottle of clear nail polish and shake well. Once it's mixed well, coat the nails with this new mixture and allow time to dry. This is a great way to get that gorgeous matte look for a lot cheaper!

DIY Skin Care Ideas and Tips

I love finding great skin care regimens that I can do at home. It can be so expensive to buy all of those products at the store and if you check out the ingredients on some of them, you'll be surprised by some of the ingredients that they contain! It's also great to save some money (especially during the holiday season!) with these at home DIY solutions that will do just as much as those store-bought products.

1. Use fresh lemon juice and apply to your face and neck. Leave it on for about ten minutes--rinse it off and notice your lighter and brighter skin!

2. Drinking at least a half of a gallon of water a day can eliminate blackheads and treat your dry skin.

3. If you have a pimple, apply tea tree oil to a pimple with a cotton swab. Do this every few hours and and about an hour before bed, apply vitamin B oil. Watch your pimple disappear!

4. Put some champagne on a cotton ball and rub in evenly on your face. This will shrink pores, give your skin a glow, and add antioxidants to your skin.

5. Mix sugar with your face or body wash. This prevents pimples and keeps the skin super smooth!

A Homemade Face Mask for Dry Skin

The temperatures are dropping and the air is getting a lot drier. This happens every year and I can see and feel the changes in my skin. My face feels a lot drier and it started to get a couple of really dry patches. My daily moisturizer is no longer enough to keep my face hydrated. My lips are also started to get more chapped and I am constantly applying chapstick. When it gets like this, I know that it is time to do a face mask. I like the homemade ones because store face masks are a lot more expensive and there are many unnecessary and sometimes harmful ingredients in them!

Here is the recipe for a fantastic homemade face mask for dry skin.
You will need:

• 1 tsp powdered milk
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 1 tsp aloe vera gel
• 2 drops essential oil

Mix ingredients well, apply to face, let sit for 15 minutes, wash off with warm water. 

Let me know how it works. I personally love it! 

How to Save a Ton of Money by Making Your Own Body Wash

I love having body wash in the shower. I am not a huge fan of the bars of soap. I feel like they are messier and it seems a little gross to have everybody in the family sharing the same bar of soap! Body wash is, however, much more expensive than a bar of soap. I do most of my shopping at Target, and they carry 4 packs of Dove bar soap for just around $4 while a single container of body wash is about $5-6. It would save a lot of money to use the bars!

I found a way to make the bars of soap into body wash. All you need is the bars of soap, some water, a cheese grater, and an empty body wash bottle to fill. Grate the bars of soap with the cheese grater. When you are finished, put the grated soap into a sauce pan with a cup or two of water (depending on which consistency you prefer). Turn the stove on to low-medium and warm the mixture for about 5 minutes until it is combined and the soap is completely dissolved. Pour the soap into the bottle(s) and allow the mixture to sit overnight.

Natural Jewelry Cleaner

A woman loves jewelry more than almost anything else. For me, the more blingy it is, the better! I love dressing up a regular everyday outfit with fun and pretty accessories and jewelry. I have quite the collection going and I could never part with my jewelry and I love to keep it looking nice. I try to frequently clean my jewelry but the cleaner in the store is always so expensive!

All you need for ingredients is:

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon dish detergent

1 cup of water

aluminum foil

Heat the water in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Cut a piece of aluminum (enough to cover the bottom of the bowl). Pour the hot water in the bowl over the aluminum foil. Add remaining ingredients and place jewelry on top of foil. Allow jewelry time to sit for at least five to ten minutes. Rinse jewelry completely with cool water and dry with a soft cloth. Discard solution when finished--don't reuse! You will love the sparkle and shine that your jewelry will have! 

DIY Nails

I love having my nails looking nice as much as possible. It's a great way to accessorize. You can custom your look in so many ways by having your nails done!

I don't have the funds to go to salons and pay the outrageous amount of money that it costs to have somebody else do my nails. I used to go to the salon every two weeks and it added up to about $70 a month (about $840 a year!!)

I found this great idea on Pinterest. All you need is a bottle of nail polish and some loose glitter (I get mine at craft or hobby stores). When the nail polish is still wet, sprinkle as much or as little glitter as you want to add some "bling" to your nails. I like to put it towards the bottom of each nail like the picture shows. There are so many color combos you can try with this great idea! For a night out on the town, I'm going to try black polish with gold glitter.

Pink Heels

Hello fashionistas! I hope everybody is excited and ready to start their weekend. Mine is filled with work Saturday and Sunday with a test Monday morning. After that, however, I will have a break on Monday evening and Tuesday all day. That can be my weekend instead. I shall celebrate! My friend from college is celebrating her golden birthday Monday evening and I can't wait to get out on the town again.

Every girl, no matter who you are and no matter what your style---needs a pair of pink heels. It's like an unwritten rule or something...

I found these heels once upon a time online and saved the picture because I fell in love with them. I love them so much that I want a pair (which will make #5 for pairs of pink heels I own), however I can't remember which site I found them on. If ANYBODY knows where I can find these, let me know! I'm desperate.

In the meantime, I think I'm going to make my own, since Monday is only a few short days away. I'm gonna buy pink chiffon and take a pair of my pink pumps and attempt to match this design by looping it around the heel and tying them by my ankle.

Save Yourself the Humiliation

Do you ever wear jeans that you constantly have to check to make sure the zipper is still up cause it falls down a lot? If you use a key ring (the silver one shown in the top pic) and attach it to the zipper. Put the key ring around the button of the jeans and button your jeans and there you go!

Great Use For Coffee Beans

Coffee beans in an open container are a great way to keep the bathroom smelling fresh and awakening! It also has another use-and that is a holder for your make up brushes! I love the idea. It keeps the make up brushes easily accessible so you don't have to dig through your make up bag to use them.