Pinterest Pin Test: Brush Cleaning DIY

When I saw this Pin I knew I had to try it. Seemed really simple and so completely affordable that it is just to good to be true right?

Homemade brush cleaner:
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp of dawn soap (I just used my own face wash)
And warm water all in a cup-let sit/stir until all the nastiness has come out then
wash under the faucet until water runs clear, shape and dry laying down

As a makeup artist and skincare 'professional' as my day job now, I figured it was time to start taking my own advice to all my customer's and start cleaning my own brushes everyday to help reduce on bacteria transfer and put an end to acne breakouts.

Well the results were undeniably successful!

And now that I've started cleaning them after every use (soaking and soaping included) I've already started to notice less breakouts except for those monthly ones. Hallelujah right?!

A little handbag love

Yesterday I had an incredibly busy full day of just cleaning and organizing. It appealed to my OCD tendencies that have been going crazy this past week or so because I've been unable to clean since I've only had time to work, go to school, and sleep. Midterms always equal a messy house. Has anyone else noticed that? Another reason why I can't wait to graduate, I won't have stressful school weeks that are ridiculous since all your professors decide to test you within a three to five day period of each other.

Along with seven loads of laundry to run through the washer, I had a couple additional from the week before that needed to be folded: making a grand total of about five heaping hampers needing to be put away. Plus a whole sinkful of dishes and a dirty floor that needed to be mopped, the chores list was almost unending. But I couldn't help but stick in a little project of organizing my purse.

I'm the worst about keeping my recipts, and things just magically gather in my purse that my husby fondly refers to as a 'Mary Poppins' bag. If I don't clean out my lovely Coach about every two or three weeks it gets so full I feel like I'm carrying around the kitchen sink. Lotions, pills, markers, pens, recipts (lots of them crumpled in the bottom), tampons, pads, lipstick, lipgloss, chapstick, a spoon (for yogurt of course), tons of free hairties and bobby pins, nickles and dimes, kleenex, baby wipes, and even an un-deposited paycheck! All these things rattled around my purse and made it an all out war to find my phone or keys when needed.

Before:

After seeing a nifty little to-do idea on Pinterest I went to the store and got travel size's of lotion, sanitizer, a nice small container of q-tips, and a mini size sanitary wipes package. Plus I went to the school supply section and got two pencil cases with zippers and a see-through front. In these two carriers separate papers, recipts, coupons, and those embarrassing tampons and pads into one. In the other put all the lip-wear, kleenex, baby wipes, hairties and bobby pins that you can easily find.

It is amazing how much space I now have, and how easily I can find exactly what I need like my keys or phone! Doesn't it just look pretty?

Any fun cleaning or organizing projects that were a new concept for you? I love organizing websites like this: I Heart Organizing.

p.s. you can see my Coach has given a good five years of service but a new one is definitely on my Christmas List and my Bucket List.

My very first personal business

except those childhood lemonade stands. But no, seriously, it's official! After weeks of having friends and coworkers trying to convince I should take my Infinity Scarf making to a higher level, I finally listened and...made my very own Etsy store! I'm actually really nervous/excited to hopefully get some clients and orders! As of right now I'm only doing 'made to order' items, but I intend to really concentrate of getting some basic items stocked up to be ready to send immediately.

Isn't my model Khrystalle just gorgeous?! A big thank you Khrystalle!

As I tried so carefully to explain this to the hubs, "these scarfs are THE fashion accessory must-have on everyone's list for the fall/winter time this year. AND these are better quality then anything you'll find at department stores, and unique to what you want." He just rolled his eyes and said, "whatever blows your dress up honey." Men just don't get it, but these would be something ideal for Christmas presents to loved wives/sisters/daughters...or maybe even yourself if you catch my drift. Every girl needs one and they don't break the bank. Please go check it out HERE! I'm totally stoked to have my own little project that I can do in my spare time that I actually love to do and can be beneficial for our family!

P.S. I made my own banner and everything. Whatcha think? Can you see yourself wearing one?

DIY project: fun with chalk

This project was very last minute, fly by the seat of your pants kind of deal. Those are really the best I think. When inspiration hits just at the right moment and everything just falls into place. Its nice for a 'planner' mindset like me. Takes the work out of it I think.

When I was on my way out of HD (home depot) with the paint for this project, I happened to see this Chalkboard paint sitting there in the aisle, screaming for me to take it home. I had seen some projects with it on the all-be-known pinterest and had really wanted to recreate them. And it was only $9. With that kind of price it was like I would be loosing money if I didn't take it home. Really it just would have been a loss of gas if I'd had to come back and get it, which I knew I would. So I took it.

I took it even though I had nothing to have it be painted on. But that's ok.

Funnily enough though, I got a call from one of the people who'd been advertising their second hand ikea bookcases off of KSL who lived right in Bountiful, that he was home and I could come see it before he left. I'm sorry but I really am to cheap to spend $50 on a plyboard bookcase. $25 is really more reasonable. And who cares if it might be a little scratched up or pre-used. As long as its still functional right?

When I got there it was exactly what I wanted, the guy realized I only wanted the bookcase and none of the additional furniture he was trying to get rid of, so he offered to give it to me for FREE!

Score. Got a bookcase. Didn't pay a cent. How awesome is that?!

So I lugged it back to Jer's grandpas and we painted the top and sides with my super cool chalkboard paint that Jared now didn't think was so dumb, and it did turn out rather nice if I do say so myself.

Isn't that fun? I can't wait to use it on some other fun things to put around the house. Happy and productive Saturday!

-Melissa

DIY project 2

This is definitely the biggest, and probably the absolute last DIY project that Jer is going to be willing to help me with. Since we got married I've been trying to get all of our various family collection furniture to match so that it doesn't look like we mixed and matched so much. For example, our kitchen table is a like colored oak, our nightstands are a medium mahogany color, and our dresser and desk were a dark cherry.

And as you can see to someone like me who is slightly a OCD person. Ok maybe really OCD, it was kinda driving me, NUTS!

So originally the idea was we'd recolor both our TV stand (which was a lighter mahogany-almost darker oak) and our nightstands. I didn't realize how much work it would be. And how tired my husband would become of painting so quickly. So we stopped at the TV stand. But my goodness, it looks so much better and I seriously love it. So now basically all our furniture is dark like I wanted.

Before:

So stupidly, I didn't take a before or during. And I don't have one single photo from our entire marriage of that piece of furniture. But you get the idea of the color. Kind of.

After:

We sanded it down, and then painted it. It was a lot of help to have Grandpa Smith there to guide us and to make sure we did it right. Thanks so much Grandpa!

I'm really happy with it, and how it goes with the rest of our family room/kitchen area. The good news is that we are almost all done with decorating our apartment. I'll be glad when its done.

-Melissa