DIY Elastic Hair Ties

Have you heard? Elastic hair ties are all the rage! My Birchbox (click here for more info) even sent me a elastic head band last month, and I LOVE it! It doesn't give me a headache, it doesn't pull or get caught in my hair and best of all it doesn't leave a dent in my hair! Yes, dent! We aren't talking cars here but rather beauty! You know...the ugly indentation your headbands and hair ties leave in your hair after wearing them for any amount of time! Ugh...hate it! Makes it hard for us housewives who work hard all day with our hair in a ponytail to let our hair down for a date night with the hubby later that same day. I am ecstatic about the hair freedom this little tie brings me! Dramatic? I am. I picked up a couple of the actual hair ties at Target and paid close to $2 for them. Pricey! I knew I could make them for cheaper so I surfed the web so find some 5/8" fold-over elastic! I also threw together some cute holders so I could gift these to faimly and friends.  I purchased my fold over elastic online from TheRibbonRetreat.com they have a good selection of 26 colors and  I received my order in two business days! At $1 for 2 yards the price couldn't be beat! 

Here's what you need:

• 5/8"  Fold-Over Elastic in whichever colors your heart desires! 
• Measuring Tape
• Scissors

If you would like to make the holders you will need:

• Card stock print out with a table with two rows and three columns with whatever wording you choose
• Empty cereal box
• Elmer's Glue
• Scissors

 This project is super easy! In fact, it took me longer to make the little customized holders than to make the actual hair ties! Easy peasy, as my son says. Use your ruler, or measureing tape and cut your elastic at 8.5" Making sure to fold the elastic leaving the shiny side out knot the elastic into itself and pull tight. You may want to try out this sizing on your hair to see if you need to adjust it smaller or longer. Also, be sure to cut the ends at a angle to prevent any future fraying or unraveling of the elastic! I actually bought two from Target last week and they were about the same size I made tonight, so it may be a pretty good "universal" size.  I love that they look like little ribbons and you can easily wear them on your wrist while you don't need it in your hair. They don't pull at your hair, or get your hair caught on them in any way. My favorite part is they don't leave any indentations from having your hair up in a ponytail! SAVED! Sometimes we women need to throw our hair up for a short while and would like to pull it back down in to it's beauty flowing glory free of any awkward dents! Now you can! Yipee! 

              

These little hair ties are easy to make and would make great little gifts for family and friends! Nothing like a little beauty item to brighten any woman's day! Making the holders was super easy as well. I created a table on my Pages document 2 rows big and 3 columns wide. The measurements are 3" column width and 3.25" column height. I used a font called CarbonType at 16pts. for my wording. I printed this on to card stock and grabbed an empty cereal box I was about to toss out. I cut out the squares and cut squares out in the same size from the cereal box. Using Elmer's glue I covered the printed side of the cardboard from the box and placed my card stock square over it. This way the back is just brown cardboard looking. Allow it to dry and then add your ties for a sweet gift! 

Cover printed side of cardboard box in glue

Lay card stock piece on top of glue and press firmly to ensure all sides are down

VOILA!

{QoK}

DIY Pottery Barn Kitchen Tablet Holder Knock-Off

Due to overwhelming demand we now offer our hand made wooden tablet stands in our Etsy shop! We have two handle shapes to choose from, three finishes, and personalization as well as a version to fit your iPad Mini and Kindles!

 To order click here!

Coconut Oil...Are You Ready to Jump on the Wagon?

In an effort to become more healthy and find natural alternatives for beauty I have turned to Coconut Oil! I have long head of the many benefits or coconut oil, and that it can be used for virtually any and everything! I thought it was a natural craze/phase that would soon roll in to another before long. I have continued to see pins pop up all over Pinterest so I decided to do a little searching and take the plunge! My number one reason for purchasing some was to use as a super conditioner on my hair overnight, and let me say it is awesome!  Since purchasing my first tub (Around $15 for 1.5L @ Costco)I have been adding it daily to my morning smoothie, using it so sooth my sons eczema, using it as a skin moisturizer(especially great for rough patches like knees and elbows!) and using it to condition my hair. I have been loving the results and the pleasant coconut smell reminds me of Islands of Hawaii!  I want to share just some of the benefits of Coconut Oil:

• It is a natural SPF 4 sunscreen
• It supports healthy thyroid function
• It is a great cuticle moisturizer
• It is a great massage oil
• It can be used to help with runny noses, allergies, sore nostrils, etc
• It can be used as a lip balm
• It soothes eczema
• It can be used on new tattoos to help healing
• It can be used as a face wash
• It can be used as a furniture wood polish
• It can be used to treat infections
• It can be used as a homemade vapor rub
• It works great to shave with (both men and women)
• It fights athlete's foot and toe fungus
• It helps heal bruises, scrapes and cuts
• It is a filling and gives a energy boost
• It is an eye makeup remover
• It can be mixed with baking soda for a natural "Goo Gone"
• It can be used as a home made deodorant or lotion bar
• It is a super hair conditioner
• It is a intensive night time moisturizer for the skin
• It is a great replacement for vegetable oils in any recipe cooking or baking
• It can help speed weight loss when consumed daily
• It can help improve sleep when consumed daily
• It can be used to treat lice
• It helps with bladder infections and yeast infections
• It can help prevent stretch marks
• It can help treat thrush
• It can help with ear infections
• It helps de-frizz hair
• It naturally clears up cold sores
• It can be used for oil-pulling

While this is only a limited list of it's uses you may be thinking to yourself, "This list is all over the place, there's no way it can do such a broad range of things!" Well, it can! Coconut Oil is known to be, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflmamatory, anti-viral, anti-parastic, infection fighting, non-toxic to humans and animals. the possibilities seem endless for this amazing oil and it's natural! I would suggest unrefined, virgin, organic, coconut oil ESPECIALLY for internal uses. So are you ready to jump on the coconut oil bandwagon? Which ways have you used coconut oil?

{QoK}

Thrift Store Find Turned Chic White Bunny

When I hit the local thrift stores, I have a mental list of the items I am in search of. They are mostly home decor type items that I can either currently use or will fit in to a future holiday/season scheme. Right now my home is decorated for the Spring/Easter season with a focus on cherry blossom branches and teals, white and pinks in varying hues. Some of you may have seen my DIY Pottery Barn Knock Off Easter Eggs post (Click here.) that I was inspired to make after seeing a Pottery Barn Ad! I absolutely love the collection of white bunnies underneath the centerpiece and knew I needed to start a collection. The Pottery Barn white ceramic bunnies are $29 a pop! Wow! That just doesn't fit in to my budget so I knew I would be going the DIY route with this! I did have two white bunnies to start my collection off, but my darling son managed to break the ear off of one so he is MIA and the second is currently occupying my Peter Rabbit themed hutch this Easter. I am a simplistic gal who LOVES me some white, especially white ceramic! My mind automatically jumps to "Paint that white!" when I see items i the thrift stores that wouldn't match my home decor. Just a tip, there are many an item you would easily look over because it was not the right color or maybe just plain ole' U-G-L-Y! But with a little creativity and armed with a can of your favorite shade of spray paint you can change the look and feel of almost any piece! I spotted this cotton candy pink, childish looking bunny in a local thrift store and paid $2 for it! $27 savings! However it doesn't quite meet my white guidelines, but I knew I could easily change that! I have many a can of spray paint sitting in my garage waiting to be used to transform pieces, so this transformation was just the cost of the ceramic bunny! Score! I happened to have Rustoleum Ultra Coverage in white gloss at home so that is what I used. Normally I would opt for Krylon as Rustoleum says "apply to wood, wicker, metal, plaster or unglazed ceramic" I had no issues though. When working in spray paint read all the directions in the can and work in even light strokes! Many thin coats is better than one or two thick, gooey, dripping coats! It took me about 4 thin coats to get the entire pink gal covered up and I am loving the end result. Here is a brief picture tutorial:

BEFORE & AFTER

Removed all stickers or in this case tape

Used my Krud Kutter to clean and remove any sticky residue left on

                                    

Handy dandy spray paint!

One thin coat

Two coats

Three coats! Almost there but still some pink peeking through in the ears

Four coats and finally done!

{QoK}

Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Shine Hair Care System

Have you seen the commercial for Suave Professionals new line of Moroccan infused hair care products? The hair on the model looks so incredibly shiny, smooth and silky!! "I have to have these products!!!!" My exact thoughts when the commercial ended. Then it hit me, the hair on commercials always looks amazing because they have professional stylists! My hair will never remotely come close to looking so smooth and beautiful!! *Insert sad face* I decided to take out my iPad and search the web for some reviews on this new line, but I really didn't find much of anything. It was then I knew I had to purchase it and try it out myself! I have naturally wavy hair that is more on the frizzy side and honestly most nights after taking shower I just go to sleep with it sopping wet. Horrible I know, but being a stay at home mom means that more often than not my hair is up and pulled back so there is no reason for me to spend time and product on blow drying my hair each night. With that said I decided to pick up some of these new products while I was at the store yesterday. I picked up the Shine Shampoo & Conditioner System with Moroccan Argan Oil and the Deep Conditioning Shine Mask with Moroccan Argan Oil all for around $13. Here are some excerpts from their website:

SHINE SHAMPOO WITH MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL

This shine shampoo, infused with authentic Moroccan argan oil, gently cleanses while making hair brilliantly shiny.

SHINE CONDITIONER WITH MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL

This shine conditioner, infused with authentic Moroccan argan oil, conditions hair while smoothing the cuticle to make hair shinier.

Shine System infused with Moroccan argan oil:

• Noticeable shine
• Long lasting conditioning
• Luxurious fragrance

DEEP CONDITIONING SHINE MASK

This indulgent deep conditioning shine hair mask , infused with authentic Moroccan argan oil, noticeably improves hair texture, intensely moisturizing for touchably soft hair that shines.

Infused with Moroccan argan oil:

• Noticeable shine
• Intense hydration
• Soft to the touch hair

My hair in its natural state!

I picked up the largest size of shampoo and conditioner I could find as well as the deep conditioning shine mask. Because my hair is on the dryer side I knew I wanted to start with using the deep conditioning shine mask in place of the regular conditioner to put it to the test! I shampooed my hair and it lathered up really nicely and had a pleasant but not overwhelming smell. If something smells bad, there is NO WAY I will be putting it on my hair!  After rinsing out the shampoo I opted to use the deep conditioning shine mask in lieu of the regular conditioner. I didn't want to start using the regular conditioner to start softening my hair because then I could rate the true workings of the shine mask on my very dry and wavy hair.  I evenly covered my hair as per the instructions and left it on for the full 5 minutes. As I was rinsing it out I could immediately yell my hair felt softer and less tangled than normal. I was ecstatic! After jumping out the of shower I began to blow dry my hair. My hair is usually frizzy and kinky even after blow drying so I wasn't sure what to expect. As my hair started drying I could immediately see great shine and my hair was incredibly soft to the touch!! Above is a photo of my hair in its natural raw state, see the frizzy-ness and the waves? BLEH! Below are some photos after blow drying and using the products for the first time. I used no additional products in my hair other than the shampoo and shine mask! Impressive! It was so sleek, soft and shiny it was incredible!

Sleek and Shiny!

Silky & Smooth!

Shiny!

BEFORE-Frizzy and wavy out of control hair that cant be tamed!

AFTER-Here is my hair after blowdrying with a paddle brush!
No straightening or any additional products added!

{QoK}

DIY Vintage-Like Easter Banner

{DIY Vintage-Like Easter Banner}

DIY Glitter Banner for Valentines Day

I am the type of gal who likes to decorate my whole downstairs floor according to the season/holiday we are in. We have been in our home about a year and a half  and this is the first year I have been going all out as far as decorating! Because we are one one income and I stay at home with the boys I DIY pretty much all of my seasonal decor! With Easter soon approaching I knew it was time to get started on some cute decor that would match with the rest of the colors and styles in my home. I have made two glitter banners for Christmas, and Valentines Day (See photo on right) which turned out fabulous but I wanted something with a little more color and texture this time around. While I love cute holiday and seasonal decor at the stores I also like to customize and DIY things for the least amount of $$$ possible! So when Hobby Lobby had 50% off of all scrapbook paper I scooped up a handful to make my banner! One sheet of paper will make two folded circles, so to spell out Easter I needed 3 sheets of each paper. Choose one paper as your larger background circle and another for the small circle you will place your letters on. I decided to do a solid for the back since I have TONS of teal in my home and I wanted it to be the primary color for this banner. I found a awesome chevron pattern with great Easter colors I chose are my smaller circle! I think I spent $3 on all six sheets of paper! Score! This project is super easy, but a bit time consuming!

Here is what you will need:

-3* 12" x 12" Paper for the larger circles (1 sheet makes 2 circles)

-3* 12" x 12" Paper for the smaller circles (1 sheet makes 2 circles)

-Glue Gun

-Scissors

-Ruler

-Glittered Letters

-String or Clear Fishing Wire
-3/8" Ribbon

Start by measuring and cutting all of your paper. I used the teal paper for my larger circle and the sheets were 12" x 12", so I simply folded them down the middle and cut them in half- 6" x 12". Your second set of circles need to be smaller to allow your other to show so I cut the paper to about 4.5" x 12". Once all your paper is cut it is time to fold! This process was time consuming but easy! Fold your paper in an accordion like manner using 1/2" folds as best you can until you reach the end. Then find the center and use string or clear fishing wire to tightly tie in the center.

 

 Begin on the end making 1/2" folds

Use a string or clear fishing wire to tightly tie in the center

Tie in the center!

Now you are ready to start gluing! Fire up your hot glue gun and run a line down the right of side of one of the ends of your folded paper (see below). Carefully using your hands, attach the glued side to the un glued left side of the paper and firmly press down making sure the ends meet and are lined up. Press down ensure that the two sides are attached to one another making a half circle form! Do the same to the other side and a circle is born!

Run hot glue down the right half of the paper!

  

       Firmly attach side together allowing glue to dry before releasing!

                           

Go through the same process until all your solid and patterned circles are complete. Use hot glue to attach your smaller circle to the larger and then get ready to begin lettering each circle! There are a couple of different routes you can go for lettering depending on your time and budget. There are ready made cardboard cut out glittered letters available at craft stores but they run around $7 and may not include enough of the letters you need. You could also purchase wooden letters and used glue to glitter them, but that is costly as well) I have experience creating glittered letters for my holiday banners in the past and I had everything on hand so I went that route again. This is time consuming but very low cost if you have the supplies on hand. I went on to the computer and chose a chunky font and spelled out "EASTER" and printed it on to some card stock! I used scissors to cut out each letter by hand, (this was the time consuming part) and used some basic Elmer's glue and glitter to cover each letter completely. After drying I use my BFF for this project, hot glue to attach the letters to the center of each patterned circle! I was debating on whether I should attack the circles to clear fishing wire like I have to banners in the past and opted for something a littler nicer this time around! I picked up a couple of coordinating shades of 3/8" organza ribbon and threaded them through the back so I was able to move and space each circle when it was hung on the mantel! To do so, I poked through holes through the back of the teal ( be sure to do this close to the center in a area that will be covered by the patterned smaller circle), larger circles making sure the placement of my holes would allow the lettering to remain as level as possible. I threaded the two ribbons together through the backs of each circle and voila! If you look super close up you can see the seams of the paper but it is hardly noticeable. All in all this project cost me around $6, because I had  some of my items on hand. I love the vintage like look of the banner and you can create the same look for any occasion! There are so many great scrap booking papers readily available at craft stores the possibilities are endless!!

{QoK}

Have You Heard of Birchbox?

A couple months ago I found out about a awesome program called Birchbox! It is a $10 monthly subscription that delivers you the latest and greatest in beauty and skin care product deluxe samples! Sometimes you get a full size product, score! Based off of a profile you create online they customize each months box for you!
Here is an exerpt form their website:

Every month, you'll receive a box filled with beauty, grooming, and lifestyle samples from both up-and-coming and well known brands. Each delivery will include a mix of categories, as well as lifestyle items. Samples are generously sized, with enough product to allow you to figure out if they're right for you.

This months theme was Red Carpet Ready! It had five items this month, one of which I've been dying to try! One thing I immediately noticed about this box was it representing this years "IT" color in term of products! Emerald!!! I have been a life time lover of green so I am psyched to see this shade making a comeback and two of this months items were Emerald! The item I have really been looking forward is the twistband headband! As a stay at home mom, I typically keep my hair up and away from my face while at home. Regular headbands leave indentations in your hair that make it virtually impossible to re style for a date night later in the day! I have heard great things about their products as they also make hair ties that don't pull your hair or leave ponytail indentations! Yay! As a woman with long hair I have a feeling this will be my new hair go to each day! 

 Here is a list of this months items:

*Color Club-Nail Polish  in Wild Cactus

*Dr. Lipp-Original Nipple Balm for Lips

*SKIN&Co Roma-Cleansing Body Gel with Olive & Sicilian Orange Extracts

*twistband-Thick Headband

*Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares-Milk Chocolate with Caramel Filling

{QoK}

Say No to No Breakfast!

We are not big breakfast eaters around here, unless its for lunch or dinner. Waffles...yum yum! In fact, the hubby and I rarely eat anything before lunch time and because he is a store manager for Starbucks Coffee Company he usually downs tons of drip coffee on a empty stomach. We in the process of making some healthy lifestyle changes, which for me includes 4-5 miles of walking/ jogging with my boys 5x a week or hitting up our community's gym. One great thing our HOA fees go towards! I notice that not eating until I am starving is doing no good for me, so I decided to start making myself smoothies as a late breakfast or afternoon pick me up. I don't measure out my ingredients but here is an approximate rundown!

-1.5 Cups Frozen Strawberries

-1/4 Blackberries or Blueberries

-1/2 Cup Organic Vanilla Yogurt

-1/2 Cranberry Juice

-1/2 Cup Whole Milk

-1 Banana

-1/2 Ice

-2-3 Fresh Spinach Leaves

-2 Tbl Protein Powder

-3 Tbl Honey

*Sometimes I add a bit of sugar if it needs sweetening. 

 Blend until everything is well incorporated and smooth. Add juice or ice as needed to get a pourable and smooth consistency. It seems like a lot of ingredients but for example, I am not a milk drinker so I like to add that to get some dairy in. You can tweak your smoothie to fit your tastes and needs! I have been blending these up just about every morning and they keep me full for a good 3-4 hours and give me plenty of energy to go work out or walk with the kids. You can add or substitute just about any fruit or juice that you prefer. I am a strawberry girl at heart so the majority of my fruit will always be them! When strawberries are on sale I will purchase and use fresh berries rather than frozen. Trader Joes sells 1 pound frozen bags regularly for $1.89 and that price is hard to beat around here! If you aren't a big breakfast eater or find yourself cranky and run down try blending up a delicious smoothie!

{QoK}