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How to Do Dip Powder Nails

 Staying at home means avoiding the nail salon, and as someone who always  smudges regular nail polish (seriously, how is it possible that they can still  be ready to smear by the time I go to bed?), I have a newfound appreciation for the variety of modern manicure solutions available. I previously reviewed Ohora's at-home gel strips , which are a great option for hassle-free designs. Another option that I really like, even though I am far  from a pro, is dip powder. Dip powder is essentially an acrylic powder that contains pigments or glitters. You purchase a set of liquids that can be used with the powders of your choice for a quick and clean manicure that requires very little dry time. Dip powder is easily accessible, and if you're new to dip nails in general, I'd suggest a reasonably priced option for practice. I started with the Lavender Violets brand on Amazon, which comes with a set of powders + all the liquids you need for a beginner. I did find that the l...
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Sustainability, Lashes, Painting, and Fall

 It's been a while since I've blogged, and so much has changed in the past year-- not just for me, but for everyone! We've obviously been dealing with a pandemic situation, and whether you're in an area that is still under lockdown, recovering, or somewhere in between, there has certainly been an adjustment over the past several months. I've always been a bit of an introvert, so I've actually embraced the opportunity to be a bit more focused at home. We've completely revamped our life, but I think it's for the better, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to grow; while at first, it seemed like the coronavirus pandemic would be a quick disruption, I've shifted to a home office, long-term, abandoned daycare for a mix of in-home care and virtual schooling, and finally (finally!) started to organize this "new" house. We bought our first home because it had "potential", and while I don't regret living there, I don't t...
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$45 Bathroom Cabinet DIY

When we first bought our home, we knew that there were plenty of things that we would need to update. Add in a few "oh my gosh the refrigerator is dead/pipes froze/furnace is broken" moments (insert amused, all-knowing "welcome to homeownership" comment here), and there have been plenty of times when I sat, staring at bare walls and leaking doors wondering why I didn't just move a little  further north, to a brand new home. *Sigh* Taking all setbacks into consideration, our house is far from complete. I still walk downstairs and think "oh right, that  room needs XYZ." However, while it is a work in progress, I still love our home. But now, I'm in even more of a time crunch, because I'm pregnant, and if I don't do it now , when will any project be finished? So that is what led me to tackle the bathroom, last weekend. Ever since we moved in, I have wanted to paint the kitchen cabinets, and, at some point replace the countertops. I decided to ...
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Painted Brick Fireplace

Today's post is a classic example of a DIY gone wrong, that actually ended up even better than anticipated. When we moved into our home a few weeks ago, I knew that I wanted to paint the fireplace. Some people love old brick, but it just wasn't working for me, and it made the room in the basement look a lot darker. Plus, there was a section of mismatched brick and ugly mortar in the middle of the wall, where a hole was clearly patched. I was at first inspired by this gorgeous painted fireplace , so I started by following those instructions. The two paint colors that I chose were "Creamy White" by Behr Ultra, and Behr "Blanket Brown", both satin enamel. I used a roller to paint the brick with the white shade, and a paint brush to paint between the bricks and completely cover the mortar. I used roughly two coats, to completely cover the brick. Now, the blogger at the previous link stated that her brick had a rough texture, and was uneven, which helped to get t...
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DIY Centerpiece Vases Without Flowers!

Budget a was a big concern when planning our wedding, so we immediately crossed flowers off of the list for centerpiece ideas. While they can be lovely, bouquets can also be expensive. Plus, I wanted something "sparkly" and a bouquet of flowers in a vase just wasn't going to cut it. We/I spent a long time discussing/researching the different possibilities. We eventually found a set of plain glass cylindrical vases which we could buy in bulk, and that came in assorted sizes. We also ordered enough floating votive candles to float in each one, and estimated how many tiny acrylic gems to buy to sit at the bottom of the vases. Originally, the idea was to buy flowers in bulk, and submerge them in the vases. The trouble came when I started researching types of flowers, and learned of the risks of certain flowers fading, wilting, or breaking apart. Unfortunately, the flowers that were most suited for this type of display were either expensive or unappealing to me.  Source: googl...
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Popular posts from this blog

How to Do Dip Powder Nails

 Staying at home means avoiding the nail salon, and as someone who always  smudges regular nail polish (seriously, how is it possible that they can still  be ready to smear by the time I go to bed?), I have a newfound appreciation for the variety of modern manicure solutions available. I previously reviewed Ohora's at-home gel strips , which are a great option for hassle-free designs. Another option that I really like, even though I am far  from a pro, is dip powder. Dip powder is essentially an acrylic powder that contains pigments or glitters. You purchase a set of liquids that can be used with the powders of your choice for a quick and clean manicure that requires very little dry time. Dip powder is easily accessible, and if you're new to dip nails in general, I'd suggest a reasonably priced option for practice. I started with the Lavender Violets brand on Amazon, which comes with a set of powders + all the liquids you need for a beginner. I did find that the l...
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Apple Cinnamon Sheet Pancakes and Bacon

If you've seen my post about  Peachy Cinnamon Sheet Pancakes , you already know how I feel about sheet pan recipes. These sheet pancakes pull together all the goodness of regular pancakes, plus the ease of a casserole-- no more standing at the stove flipping batter! UPDATE: These make a great breakfast sandwich -- perfect for a crowd! If you have not checked out that recipe, I recommend you check it out , as this is a significant improvement over an adaptation of the first. Since it's fall, and we have been doing all the fall things-- like a family pumpkin painting day, and trying to brave the fall festivals even though it's unexpectedly hot-- these pancakes bring a taste of fall with apples, cinnamon, maple syrup and bacon. Yum! Read on for the recipe. Apple Cinnamon Sheet Pancakes Ingredients: 1 cup gluten free bisquick 2 tbsp cooking oil of choice, plus a little for greasing the pan 1 egg 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus extra for...
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Curly Girl Routine for Wavies: My Secretly Wavy Hair

My hair has been straight for my entire life. Puffy-straight. "Needs time to calm down" after blow drying it, straight. Works great with extra heavy conditioner, straight.  Sure, occasionally I'd wake up with a few curls here and there, but after brushing my hair-- because brushing is a must!-- they would disappear into a puff of frizz, so I'd add some serum and calm it down. It literally never dawned on me that my straight hair struggles were happening because my hair wasn't straight. Sure, it had some  wave, sometimes, but I just assumed straight hair was the default. Mine was puffy and needed help all the time, but it was straight. It turns out, I'm not alone. In fact, this blogger  had the same realization, and the descriptions of her hair rang true for me as well. I've always had "damaged ends" or "a texture issue", even right after a major haircut. So what gives? About two years ago I decided it was time to do a big chop, and cut ...
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