Spring Trend {Bright Lips}

I walked into my closet today and realized that all that I have been wearing

for the past few months is black.....well, black, gray and sometimes brown.

C-razy....I know...I'm a very boring winter dress-er.

  So, as spring approaches, I start dreaming about color.  

I recently even bought a t-shirt at JCPenney to refashion that was.....ORANGE!

I also start dreaming about new colors for my makeup.

A while ago I saw Kristie from blushing basics featured on tatortots and jello.

Since then I have really enjoyed following all of her hair and makeup tutorials.

In fact, I had my daughter's hair in a Lauren Conrad inspired braid 

today after watching Kristie's tutorial!

I was thrilled when Kristie offered to give us some advice from

blushing basics for fresh spring lips.....

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this spring, many makeup companies are introducing lots of bright colors to incorporate into our makeup routine. one of the easiest ways to incorporate a bright color is through lipstick because bright eyeshadow can be a bit intimidating.


here's an easy step-by-step makeup tutorial explaining how to best apply that bright shade to your lips.

for this tutorial i am using my Vincent Longo cosmetics

start with your essential tools for lipcolor: a lipstain, a lipliner and a lipgloss.

1. begin with your (exfoliated!) bare lips.
2. apply lipstain. this ensures that your lips won't look wonky once your lipgloss or lipliner wear off. the stain will keep lips looking bright.
3. follow with a lipliner. apply lipliner along outer edge of your lips (for fuller lips) and lightly smudge with your finger tip so that there are no harsh lines.
4. finish with your bright lipgloss. break out your smile and enjoy!

here's a video tutorial if you're interested in achieving a more pouty lip.

xo,

kristie

www.blushingbasics.com

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Thanks for sharing, Kristie!

Here are some of my other favorite tutorials....

Braided Headband Tutorial

All Day Curls

Eye Makeup Tutorial

DIY Manicure

Will you have bright lips this spring?

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Sheet Music Rosette Valentine Wreath

Do you love free projects???  I sure do......and this wreath was FREE with the 

exception that I went and bought new ribbon!

I started by making my heart template out of newspaper....FREE!

I traced it on an old piece of foam board....you could also use cardboard.....FREE!

Then I ripped old sheet music into pieces....the same book I used to make my Christmas ornaments....FREE! 

Here's a link if you don't have your own free music!

I took the ripped pieces and covered the frame...

Then, I glued rosettes similar to THIS tutorial....

I broke down and bought new ribbon from Walmart for $2.00.....I didn't need

to....I have a whole BOX of ribbon in my basement....so essentially,

this project could have been done for $0.00!!!!

I love it when you can make beauty out of trash!!

 If you like this....would you please PIN IT??

Linked to Beneath My Heart Best DIY projects

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How to make your own paint. . . .

There have been tutorials for how to make your own chalkpaint, but what about a tutorial for how to make your own PAINT???

The following is a guest post written by James Lander of Coupons.  Coupons is a consumer savings site that provides couponing tips and etiquette advice. They also offer top-retailer coupon information.

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Paint made with natural materials is easier on your walls because it allows the surfaces to discharge moisture naturally. While there are a number of eco-friendly options out on the market, they are pretty costly – almost twice as much as conventional paint. Making your own paint is far cheaper.

You can choose from a variety of mixtures when trying to make the ideal paint. This is a guide on how to make basic casein paint.

Basic ingredients of paint:

• Pigment – adds color to the paint. Safer alternatives include pigment derivatives from plants, insects, minerals and iron oxides.

• Binder – helps glue the paint to the surface. Natural paints use binders made from starches, casein, and linseed oil.

• Filler – adds bulk and gives the paint texture. Paints made with starches are often paired with clay as filler because it enhances the binding ability of starch.

• Solvents – also called thinners, helps to achieve a practical consistency.

How to make casein paint

Ingredients:

• Non-fat milk – 1 gallon

• Type S lime – 2 ½ ounces

• Water – 2 ½ cups

• Filler – 6 cups

• Natural earth pigment

Instructions:

1. Set milk aside in a warm place and leave for a few days to thicken. Then pour it through a cheesecloth lined colander into another container; it should make about two cups of curd.

2. Blend the curds and the lime powder together using a blender. If mixture is too thick to blend well, add some water. Remove lumps by straining.

3. Prepare the binder and immediately add water.

4. Moisten the pigments and crush. Slowly add pigment to the mixture in bits until you achieve the desired color intensity.

5. Blend with filler.

After the paint has been mixed, spread on a small area to test, and let dry completely. Observe and make adjustments accordingly:

• Add water if the paint doesn’t spread easily.

• Add binder if it dusts easily.

• Add filler if it appears thin.

• And finally, add pigment powder if color isn’t rich enough.

Tips

Mix ingredients in specific proportions so that the paint doesn’t crack, peel and dust off easily. The more the paint dries, the more opaque it becomes, so allow each coat to dry completely. Avoid very thick coats.

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What a neat idea!!

Thanks so much for sharing!

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Basement is almost done!

We are in the home stretch of our basement remodel.......if you'd like to follow the story you can go HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE!

This is a picture of the same window about 6 weeks ago....taken on the night of the flood....

After crying and grumbling and complaining and crying some more, I was convinced by my husband to see the "brighter" side......he reminded me that I never really did like the paint color so it was my opportunity to rethink the room....so I did!

I am now painting the baseboard......hopefully we will be able to reuse it.  We labeled it as we pulled it off and not too much of it was damaged.

By the time we pulled it off, it had started to mold, so I wiped it with a clorox-based cleaner and sprayed it with industrial strength Microban....

Now I just need to keep him from getting his little pawprints all over my freshly painted boards!

Because this remodel was completely unexpected (and unbudgeted!), we've been trying to be as cost-effective as possible!  


One way to trim costs was to use MDF.  MDF comes in 1/2 and 3/4 inch sheets.  We bought the 1/2 inch sheets and my husband then ripped the boards on the table saw to a width of 3 inches to make our trim.  So far, we've only used 1 full sheet!

We then had my dad run the MDF boards through his router to add the fancy trim.....he added the rounded edge to the bottom and the groove.....all it cost was his time and he works for cheap.....a Misto shake at Rita's paid him in full!

My hubby attached the trim boards with nails, but we also needed to add some liquid nails to attach them......the same stuff that I used on my bathroom mirror frame!

We still have a cap to add to the top of the trim......baseboards to attach and rugs to stretch and reattach, but the...end...is...in...sight!!

Now lest you think that the room is actually cleaned and organized, here's a photo just to keep it real!!

I used some creative cropping to keep all of the "floor shots" out of the other pictures!!

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Frame your bathroom mirror. . .

When I think about remodeling a room, usually, my main influence is the bottom line.....how much is it going to cost?  Most often, I am working with a very minimal budget!

When I started remodeling my downstairs half bathroom, I knew that I wanted a change from the red, but I didn't have a lot of money to spend....

I started with a can of blue paint that my friend, Erin, had given me and lightened it by dumping exterior white paint into it.....not the most scientific of lightening techniques, but it worked and was FREE!!

Once I lightened my walls, I darkened my cabinet by painting it black...

I also added beadboard wallpaper to the doors and side of the cabinet to give it a different look....the cost for this??  NOTHING because I had leftover wallpaper!!

But the room was still missing something.....a cool frame for the mirror!  Months ago, I had seen a tutorial by Sasha at {show & tell} and I knew that I wanted to recreate it...cheaply!!

I went to Lowe's and bought two 4 x 4 pieces of MDF. Have you discovered MDF yet?  It's amazing!!  Handles like wood and reasonably priced!!  I think that I spent $9.00 for the two pieces.  You can also buy it in larger sheets, but MDF is heavy and I was shopping by myself.

I also had a $2.00 piece of crown molding that I had purchased at the Habitat Restore....it was a little moldy and gross, but I knew that I was going to paint it!

Because I've been slightly overworking my hubby in the basement, I called in reinforcements.....my dad!  It took him all of about 60 minutes to put this together!  He took measurements of my mirror, cut the MDF to fit and attached the crown with nails and glue....

Then, I painted the frame the same black as the cabinet and distressed it slightly with heavy grit sandpaper...

My hubby was away for the weekend and I was way too impatient to wait for him to hang it, so I went and grabbed some liquid nails off of his work bench.....

I love this stuff.....it's amazing!  But you definitely have to commit that whatever you are gluing is going to be there forever!

Ever the blogger, I grabbed my camera and took a picture while holding the frame filled with liquid nails....good thing I didn't drop it or I'd have a frame permanently attached to my head!!

I wish that I could get a picture of the entire bathroom, but it's very small and I don't have a wide angle lens....you will have to trust me when I say that the frame added the needed focal point.....it looks gorgeous!!

If you add in the $11.00 cost of the mirror, the total cost of my bathroom makeover is still under $30.00!!  

To be exact, the makeover cost $26.50!! 

You can see the breakdown HERE for the other costs!

I just love the difference that it makes....all for very little money!

Places I party.....

{31 days of Paint Projects}

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Camera Strap Tutorial. . . .

We spent the past week in the Pocono Mountains enjoying 

fall's amazing colors and spending some quality family time.......

We took school on the road...

hiked in a boulder field.......

enjoyed gorgeous waterfalls...

and drank caramel hot chocolate....

I was also determined to learn how to use my camera to take better pictures....

We've had our Nikon for almost 1 year now and I still have SO much to learn!  But taking excellent pictures is critical to blogging.....

One thing that I have noticed is that many bloggers have these adorable camera straps for their cameras......after taking pictures all week, I was definitely getting "strap burn" around my neck!  Now, I know, that these strap covers are also functional!

Laura Beth From A Step in the Journey linked a wonderful tutorial for a homemade camera strap to this week's Thrifty Thursday....  

I've seen them to purchase all over the place, but this is the first tutorial that I've seen explaining how to make it....(and she made it from an old dog bed!!)

What I love about Laura Beth's tutorial is that she includes lots of PICTURES so that I know what I am doing!!  I need pictures or I just don't follow really well!

So for the complete TUTORIAL for how to make your own, head over to A Step in the Journey!

I've just got to figure out a way to make a manly-looking, but cute strap since my husband and I share the camera.....

Any suggestions???

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Junked Dresser Makeover. . . .

A friend contacted me and asked me to help her pick paint colors for her son's room.  While I was at her house, I saw this dresser and 2 matching pieces.....

I asked her what she was planning on doing with them....I was nervous that she was going to throw them away! Yep.....that's exactly what she was planning to do....so I hauled this guy into my car and brought him home!

Lori looked at me doubtfully.....this was her junked childhood furniture....but look at the results!

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this piece, but I knew that I needed to smooth out the peeling paint.  After I started sanding, I realized that the dresser was solid wood, so I decided to stain and seal the top!

Because I used heavy grit sandpaper (and my palm sander!), sanding only took about 30-40 minutes to sand to this smooth finish!


I'm still debating whether or not to distress the drawers.  It doesn't have really nice lines to distress along...

...I may grab my palm sander again and distress it along the drawers....I'm also wanting to try out furniture wax....

There may be a part two coming!

Places I party.....

{31 days of Paint Projects}

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