DIY SHAVING CREAM!

I loved stumbling upon this DIY shaving cream post on Pinterest!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/73394668900751155/

I am one of those girls that HAS to shave with something more moisturizing than a bar of soap.  If I don't, I get razor burn galore and we all know how sexy THAT is.  Shaving cream can be expensive and runs out fast if you're a hairy beast like I am.  I really liked this idea because you can buy inexpensive products and make a lot of shaving cream all at once.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup of conditoner
• 1 cup of shampoo
• 5 tablespoons of baby lotion
• 5 tablespoons of baby oil
• A container to store this when you're finished

Take all your ingredients and mix them up!

Let this sit for an hour, then you're ready to use!

Aspirin acne spot treatment!

Yet another blog about putting stuff on your face!  I struggle with acne, so I'm always looking for new ways to tackle it.  I have tried many spot treatments, but I have noticed that even though they DO work, they all burn my skin.  I end up with a dry spot on my face for days that not even 50 pounds of make-up can hide.  I decided to try out this Aspirin spot treatment after seeing it on Pinterest.  Aspirin is so cheap and most of us have it in our medicine cabinet. This is where I found the pin. 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/442971313318021102/

You basically just crush some Aspirin and add a few drops of water.  I used 3 uncoated pills and 3-4 drops of water.  You want a pasty consistency.  Then you just put it on your problem areas.  I got a little carried away, OBVIOUSLY.

I can't say that this was a miracle worker, but my skin definitely felt dryer (in a good way) and tighter (again, in a good way).  You just remove this with warm water and they you go on with your bad self the rest of the day. :)

Hope you get to try this out!

- Gabby

Delicious face mask

I'm all about that face mask life.  In fact, if you were to follow me around for 24 hours, you'd probably catch me in some kind of face mask for at least 20 of those hours.  I just love trying new things on my skin.  I came across this pin and thought, "this s

ounds delicious!" So of course, I had to try it!

Here is the pin:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/345018021423241730/

You will need:

• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of honey

This is VERY simple! Just mix this up in a bowl and smear it all over your face! Please get all your hair out of the way, it will be a very sticky mess if you don't.  I also recommend you wearing a t-shirt you don't mind honey dripping on, since the honey tends to start dripping after a couple of minutes. And last but not least, yes, you can eat it, I encourage you to lick some off, IT'S DELICIOUS! Here is what I looked like with it on. :)

Keep this baby on for 15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water. Don't be afraid to scrub it off since the cinnamon and nutmeg are gentle exfoliators.  The honey will keep your skin nice and hydrated. Hope you enjoy the face mask!

- Gabby

Born again crayons

I know I'm 23, but I freaking love coloring.  I swear, I find it theraputic.  There is nothing like opening up a brand new box of crayons.  What is it about broken crayons that make them so unattractive?  Why do we never want to use the broken, unwrapped ones?  What do you do with all those "rejects"?  YOU GIVE THEM A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE, THAT'S WHAT!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so I'm being a little dramatic, but I found this pin on Pinterest and thought I would give it a go. Here is the link:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/248683210647493020/

Let's get started!

Start off with a bunch of your crayon rejects, unwrapped please!

Next, grab a cupcake foil.  I also used a rubber cupcake mold to keep it in place, you don't have to use it.  

Now, fill up the cupcake tin with whatever assortment of colors that your little heart desires. 

Set your oven at 350 degrees, once it has reached that temperature, turn it off.  Then, place your colors in the oven for 10-15 minutes.  They will melt in there for that time.  Once they are done, they will have turn into pure liquid.  Grab the cupcake tin and place it in the freezer for about an hour.

After an hour, you can take out your new color.  It should look like this once it's done!

Even though I do think that this multi-color crayon is fun, you would probably get more use out of melting the same color of crayons to create a new crayon, but you know, whatever floats your boat.

- Gabby

Fix your broken jewelry with other broken jewelry!

I don't know about you, but I have a ton of broken jewelry.  Mostly because I buy everything very cheap, but I will also admit to being careless and clumsy sometimes, sue me! Whenever I break something that is too cute to let go of, I put it in a bag and just let it collect over time.  Most of the time I can use the broken cute stuff for other projects and in this case, it worked to fix other jewelry.  I only had to buy ONE thing and even then it was worth it because it was a dollar. 

Here's a look at the first ring I needed to fix.  These two are the same rings, but in different colors.  I wanted to show you the not broken one (left) so you can compare it to the broken one (right).  If you take a closer look, the ring to the left is missing the bottom flower.

My mom bought me this cute necklace from Aeropostale years ago. I later broke it after only wearing it twice, but thought that the little charms were too cute to toss.  

I noticed that one of the flowers fit perfectly into the slot where the ring was missing a flower, so I decided to use it. The little white flower belonged to the necklace, but since it fit, I glued it with a glue gun and now I have a new ring! Here's what it looks like:

This next flower was also off that same necklace, I liked it so much I decided it would make a cute statement ring. 

All I did for this one was go out to Hobby Lobby and in their jewelry section, I bought this little ring.  It was a flat front that is used to glue beads on it.  I decided to glue the flower right on top.

And this is what the ring looks like on my hand. :)

Moral of the story: Don't throw away your cute, broken jewelry!!! You never know what you can make out of it. 

- Gabby

How to organize your t-shirt drawer.

I am a disgusting human being that never has a clean room or organized drawers.  One day I woke up and decided, "HEY, I'm an adult, I need some organization in my life!"  I decided to start with my t-shirt drawer because it was the most outrageous and because I had previously seen a pin that I really wanted to try.

Here is the pin:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/248683210648325835/

If you have a buttload of t-shirts like me and a whole drawer to dedicate to them, then this is definitely for you!  Here is how you're going to need to fold EVERY SINGLE ONE of your t-shirts that go in this drawer.  Don't get lazy because this is totally worth it once you see how beautiful your drawer will look.

First start with a t-shirt and lay it flat. 

Then fold it in half!

After that, fold the sleeves IN.

Then, fold the bottom half, UP.

After that, fold the bottom half UP again, and you should be left with a small, compact, folded t-shirt. 

All of your t-shirts should be stored standing up and they will all fit perfectly into place. 

This is what my t-shirt drawer looks like now. :)

I feel so much better about myself as a citizen of the United States.  So glad I could contribute to my country in a small, but courageous way.  Tackling your messy drawers can be a grueling process, but I promise that the end result is a long-lasting and rewarding. 

Here's to organizing your shit!

- Gabby

HOW TO KEEP YOUR CUTE SHIT UNTANGLED!

Alright, we're going to keep this one fairly simple.  I know that I am guilty of not using my jewelry simply because it has become one tangled piece of hell and I cannot sit down for ten minutes and concentrate on simply detangling the messy situation. I found this little "life hack" on Pinterest (of course) and decided to feature it on my blog. 

Here is the pin:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/248683210646260244/

It is pretty simple, all you need is a gigantic mess of jewelry. 

LIKE THIS!

Once you've untangled this mess, you need to keep it nice and neat.  You will need straws to do this, preferably the bend-y straws, but the ones that don't bend will do. I used the ones that don't bend and this worked out just fine.  This trick will only work for necklaces, so if you have bracelets, you're going to have to figure something out for yourself and let me know about it! :)

All you have to do is slide in one end of the necklace and when it's all in, close the necklace so it doesn't come out of the straw.

Your necklaces should look like this!

Yaaaaaaaaaay for never having tangled necklaces ever again! I think that what usually causes the big mess are the necklaces.. earrings and bracelets are usually easier to untangle.

Until next time!

-Gabby

DIY WORKOUT T-SHIRT!

When I decided to become a runner in the summer of 2013, I instantly became obsessed with workout clothes and everything about them. I wanted all types of colors and styles of everything, but I realized that all of those things became very pricey as over time.  

What I DO HAVE is a buttload of old t-shirts that could use a little jazzing up and as I came across this pin .. 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/248683210648675623/

I realized I had everything to up-cycle an old t-shirt.  I decided to start try this out with a t-shirt I did not really care about.  I will warn you that this was my very first attempt at this, so it didn't come out PERFECT, but it was a good try.  I plan to buy fabric scissors and practice a little more on t-shirts I don't care about in the future. Here we go!

This is all you will need: 

You will absolutely have an easier time using fabric scissors, but if you don't have any, grab the best pair of scissors that you own.

First start by making these cuts:

You will also need to cut off the neck area and the bottom stitching of the shirt. You will need to save the bottom stitching to wrap around the back of the shirt.

Now flip the shirt over and grab the back side of the shirt, you will need to scrunch it up.  Once you have it how you like it, start wrapping the scraps of t-shirt that you cut off around the back of the shirt.

After you have finished wrapping, tie the end of the scrap of t-shirt that you used in a knot and cut of the remaining parts.  That was the last step, now you try it on!

This is how it looked in the front, not bad! 

This is the back side, it obviously isn't perfect, but it isn't the most hideous thing I've ever worn. (haha)

Next time, I will definitely invest in a pair of good fabric scissors, use a way cooler shirt, and probably also choose one two sizes bigger instead of just one size bigger. Hopefully your shirts turn out way cooler! Good luck!

-Gabby

 

Clean your make-up brushes girl, they dirty!

I am obsessed with make-up. I watch make-up tutorials every single day and I also try to pick up some tips through Pinterest.  Having bad skin since 16 has made me more conscious as to what I put on it and what to keep off it. I have noticed that the cleaner my brushes are, the clearer my face is.  After finding a pin on Pinterest about cleaning your make-up brushes with vinegar and water, I was automatically interested.  I like to keep things simple and usually spend way too much money on brush soap.

I found this idea here:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/248683210648078986/

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar
• dirty make-up brushes
• 1 bowl
• hot water
• cold water

First, start by pouring in 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar.

After that, pour in some hot water, only enough to cover the brushes.  I used a kettle to warm up the water, but stopped it before it boiled.  You could do whatever you'd like, as long as the water is hot.

Let the brushes sit in the hot water and vinegar for 20 minutes. 

After they have soaked for 20 minutes, use cold water to rinse them off.

Take out as much water as you can form the brushes and just lay them out to dry.  I used the empty bowl to do this so the brushes would have room to dry without touching each other.

They need about a whole day to dry, but after they are done, they look brand new!

The only down side to doing this is that the brushes kind of stink up like vinegar.  Not the most delightful smell to have around as you apply your make-up.  It definitely does not leave your skin smelling like vinegar, but still, this could bother some people.  I hope you all enjoyed this way of cleaning your make-up brushes and consider using it! 

- Gabby

Fabulous keys!

If you're like me, you seem to have three hundred keys that all look the same. I've tried buying those colorful things you can put on your keys, but they remind me of my grandpa and I'm really trying to be as least grampa-y as POSSIBLE! THANK YOU!

I stumbled upon this really cute idea on Pinterest. It calls for using your fabulous nail polish, (girl, I know you have like twelve hundred) and your three hundred keys. In my case, I will only use three keys. Here is where I got the idea from:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/248683210648675623/

Here is what you'll need:

• keys
• acetone
• napkin
• nail polish (any color of your choice)

You are going to have to start with some keys that you would like to be painted. I used a napkin and some acetone to rub them clean before using nail polish on top of them.

After that I chose what color of nail polish I was going to be using on my keys. I wanted my keys to be glittery so I chose base coats and glittery top coats that matched.

After you have made your selections, it's pretty simple, just start painting the keys with the base color and once one side has dried, turn the key around and paint the other side.

Once both sides have dried, you can start painting them with the glitter if you chose to use it.

I let my keys dry on a counter for a day before putting them back on my key ring.  This is what they looked like after a day of drying.

FABULOUS!

- Gabby

The good kind of strawberries

Hi everyone!

Valentine's day just passed and even though I'm not into the whole Valentine's day thing, I am into the whole, "stuff your face with chocolate" thing. Like always, Pinterest gets me excited over every little thing and makes me think I can do anything. I stumbled upon this post on Pinterest:

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/50/49/a1/5049a1ec4fe77faff34edeeed8922d82.jpg

I LOVE  chocolate covered strawberries and adding a little kick to the same old, same old, really grabbed my attention.  I already had a bottle of marshmallow flavored vodka laying around that was begging to be used anyway, so I went ahead and used that one. This recipe calls for:

• Chocolate
• Two pots (to create a double boiler)
• Strawberries
• Vodka (a sweet flavored one preferably)
• wax paper

First thing first, please wash your strawberries!! AFTER you wash them, set them in a container that has a lid and fill the container up with your vodka of choice.  Leave them in there for 24 hours and place them in the fridge. 

After you wait the 24 hours, drain your strawberries from the vodka and stick them in the freezer for an hour. After the hour take them out of the freezer and they should look like this:

Dry your strawberries with a paper towel and leave them out to continue drying.  Grab your two pots to start using them as a double boiler.  Your going to have to fill a pot with water and put the other on top with the chocolate.

I set my stove to a 7.5 and it worked well. Stir the chocolate every so often to make sure it melts correctly. 

Once the chocolate is completely melted, start dipping your dry strawberries into it carefully. After you dip them, lay them on your sheet of wax paper to cool off and dry.

I have to admit, these strawberries were SO disgusting.  I don't think that it was because of anything I did wrong, it was probably the vodka flavor.  I suggest that if you try this recipe, you should try a chocolate flavored vodka or even a strawberry flavored. I plan on trying this again once I buy a new bottle.

I was sad that they weren't as great as I thought they would be but I will definitely attempt to make them again!

DIY FACE MASK

Dear God,

Why did you give me acne?  I am sure I was a sweet baby angel before I stepped foot upon this horrible earth, so why, why, WHY, did you give me a crater face?! 

Ok, in all seriousness, my acne has improved drastically throughout the years.  I am always willing to try new things and new face masks.  I have burnt my skin many times from all my at home experiments, but I never learn!  I found an interesting face mask on Pinterest that was both for acne and exfoliation, (ooooh scandalous!) I decided to try it because I actually had all three of the ingredients at home and I was extremely bored on Friday night. 

Here is the pin that showed me how to do this

http://codenamedredin.blogspot.com/2014/01/diy-facial-scrub.html

Things you will need for this mask:

• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• bowl
• spoon

Here are pictures of my ingredients. Please, use a disposable bowl and spoon, ain't nobody got time for washing dishes. 

First, dump all your ingredients into the bowl and start mixing.  The texture of this mask is really slimey and grimey. Think about muddy sand with honey, yeah, exactly like that.

Once you have this thick consistency and vomit looking color going on, it's time to put it on your face. Yes, I know, EXCITING! I used the back of the spoon that I used to mix to put it on my clean face.

Once it's all on, you're going to look so sexy and so fabulous, you're going to want to take a lot of pictures of yourself and send them to your loved ones. You're probably going to look like this:

Keep the mask on for five minutes, then rinse off with warm water. As you are rinsing off, you should take the opportunity to scrub as your remove the mask.  Don't scrub too hard, you don't want to irritate your face.

In the end you face should feel nice smooth.  I really liked the results from this masks, I want to do it at least once a week to remove all the dead skin and crap I accumulate from just being a filthy human being. As I walked around the house with this mask on, my dad had so much fun making fun of me and how silly I looked, he ran out of nicknames to call me.  Yes, I looked THAT special, but it was all in the name of BEAUTY! Us girls are crazy, I'll admit. 

- Gabby