Eye Makeup Tutorial + DIY Glitter Jar Makeup Holder

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LorealBeauty #CollectiveBias

Today marks the third week of back to school for us, and like I’ve mentioned before, I’ve yet to get any sort of routine down at all between the events and traveling I’ve had, but I think that’s all going to change this next month as I settle into a new schedule of having a solid 6+ hours a day to myself. 

One thing I’ve already been trying to do is get my house (especially my bathrooms!) a little bit more order because honestly during the summertime it gets a little out of hand with everyone here. The other thing that I’m finding nice about having the kids in school all day is that I have the ability to get ready when I want and don’t always have to feel rushed. Since we live so close to the Grade School I walk Emma and Noah there every day, and will normally just throw on some workout pants and L’Oreal mascara until I get back home, then I’ll get myself ready for the day and put my makeup. I’ve got a pretty good routine down for my every day makeup look that doesn’t take me very long, so I can get back to better things, like blogging or attempting to organize this house. ;)

Easy Easter Bunny Cards

A few years ago I used to be so on top of cards. Making them, sending them; from Christmas to Easter to thank you cards – I did a pretty good job.

Then somewhere along the way things have gotten busier and busier and I don’t take the time to make them like I used to with the kids, and that makes me sad. I don’t want to be so busy that I forget to teach the kids the importance of letting other’s know that you are thinking of them – and my kids are such little artists; they enjoy creating and sharing what they do.

So, since it was spring break this week, and we were having a stay-cation, I helped them make their own Easter bunny cards to share with our family. They were so easy to make and it gave the kids the freedom to decorate them however they wanted, so it worked out perfectly.

Here’s what you need:

Construction paper

White paint

A variety of paints and markers

Sponges and paint brushes

Fold the construction paper into fourths, creating your card.

Then carefully paint your child’s palm, middle, and ring finger with white paint.

Next, spread their two fingers apart, firmly place onto the construction paper.

Repaint for each print until you have the desired number of cards.

Let them dry completely.

Then, allow your kids (or yourself!) to create their own unique Easter bunnies!

Now that we finally have the cards all finished I just have to physically put them into the mail! Guess I’d better get on that since Easter isn't very far away!

~Melissa

Is it Time to Give Your Bathroom an Affordable New Look?

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FoamSensations #CollectiveBias

I’m going to try not to gloat when I talk about how beautiful our weather has been this last week, because I know in most parts of the country it’s been very cold and snowy – but it has been so wonderful to have sunshine and 64 degree weather – I’m going to miss it when it’s gone and the grey sky and rains return!

The sunshine makes me long for spring and when I think of spring I think of cleaning and updating around the house. I actually started an affordable little project back in January but got super busy and didn’t get it finished until yesterday!

You see, I've been contemplating painting our main bathroom for years now, it was painted a dark purple color by the previous owners and like most things that happen when you are raising young children – it gets put off for a while. Honestly the entire house needs an update – it’s got all of the ‘fabulous’ (I say this with a touch of sarcasm) red oak stain and brassy colored fixtures that were made famous in the 90’s. Painting though, is one of the easiest and cheapest things to do to update a room, so I finally did it!

I wanted to keep the room with a purple hue, as our rug and shower curtains could then still match, and also because the kids didn't really like the idea of getting rid of the purple altogether. I originally bought a very light purple but didn't think (or realize) that I needed to make sure it had a grey undertone, and after painting the entire bathroom I realized that it looked very, very pink, and that wasn't the look I was going for, so I ran back to the store and purchased a very pale colored purple with a cool grey undertone, and learned my lesson about warm and cool colors!

Finally, I was pleased!

I've also purchased some tile that I would love to install someday soon – the bathroom has had this hideous linoleum and I think a nice neutral roman tile will make the room look so much nicer. The cabinets I plan on staining a walnut color and I've been practicing on the towel rack and toothbrush holders so I don’t mess anything important up on the big project!

Hopefully I’ll get it all done soon and will have one updated room in the house. I've already begun stocking up on new baskets for towels and fun new hand soaps as well to update the room a little more. I found these new Foam Sensations from Softsoap at Walmart last week and love how they look on the counter – and feel on my hardworking hands. They are nice and moisturizing and come in Whipped Cocoa butter, a Jasmine and White Cotton and a Kitchen Citrus Bliss (which is a perfect scent for the kitchen sink!)

Is it time to give your bathroom an affordable new look? Here are four easy ideas on how you can do this:

1. Update the paint - you can change the color, like I did, or just repaint the same color to brighten it up and give it a fresh new look.

2. Change out your old soap - new Softsoap Liquid Foaming hand soaps are a fun soap with an clean look that smell amazing, and freshens up your sink (goodbye old bar soaps!)

3. Find some new accessories - things like shower curtains, rugs, and candles can completely change the look and feel of your bathroom.

4. Flooring and staining - if you have a little extra time and money on your hands you can easily update the bathroom with new flooring and by re-staining the cabinets which can completely change the way your bathroom feels!

Have you wanted to paint and/or update your bathroom? Which of the three new Softsoap Liquid Foaming Hand Soap scents would go great on your sink?

~Melissa

My Daily Makeup Routine

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias

Hey everyone! I've had a few people ask me about my makeup routine before, so I thought that it would be fun to share it with you today! I have always loved to wear makeup - I think it's the artist/creative person in me that like to enhance my features - after all, makeup should be used to compliment your natural beauty, not cover it up, right?

Unless there's a random day that I'm home for the entire day, I've got my makeup on - and even though I've love to take my time every morning, some day's I just can't - (I'd rather hit snooze for 15 more minutes!) So I've got my makeup routine down pretty well and unless it's a special occasion it doesn't change much from day to day.

Here's what I do:

1. Moisturize - I apply a moisturizer to my face almost every night and then again in the morning.

2. Foundation - foundation for me is a must because it helps even out my skin tone and hide imperfections. I've been using Neutrogena's nourishing long wear makeup for quite some time and love it because it gives my face good coverage and doesn't make it feel heavy or caked on and it's really reasonably priced!

3. Conceal - if I have any blemishes this is when I would cover them up with a bit of concealer.

4. Eye shadow - I always use neutral colors, tans and browns are my personal favorites because they look the most natural when blended well. I always start with a light colored base and use a darker shade on the outer lid, and blend blend blend!

5. Blush and/or bronzer - when I was younger I thought that blush was only for old women, then at some point in my life I realized that a little blush can actually help shape the face and bring a youthful glow to it. Now I use blush daily. I like to use a light peachy color with my complexion.

6. Eyeliner and eyebrows - I almost always apply eyeliner to my upper lid - it just makes my eyes 'pop' and creates the illusion of thicker lashes. I've found the key to wearing eyeliner is to keep it as close to the lash line as you can and to increase the thickness of the line outward as you go. Also, if I have a few extra minutes I'll apply eyeliner underneath and smudge it a bit with the Neutrogena nourishing eye liner. Their eyeliner is amazing because it's super smooth and just glides on, plus there is a smudger on the opposite end so you can blend it well. I also use an eyebrow wax and powder to quickly fill in my eyebrows

7. Mascara - I like using black mascara that lengthens and volumizes my lashes like Neutrogena's healthy volume.

8. Finishing Powder - a couple quick sweeps of Neutrogena's shine control powder to set my makeup and I'm nearly ready to go....

9. Lip Moisterizer/shine - lastly I need something for my lips. I'm not a huge lipstick kind of girl because it always smudges on me or it just doesn't stay on the way I want it to, but I still like having a bit of color and shine, so I'm loving Neutorgena's MoistureSmooth color stick in Juicy Peach right now. It's so smooth on my lips, plus is smells like fresh peaches, so I find myself reapplying just so I can smell it!

And there you have it - my daily makeup routine in a nutshell. I've got it down to about 10-15 minutes of time. So, now the question is, do you where makeup every day, and what is your daily must have's and #AllDayLook ? I realize for me it's the whole package, but I know some of my friends will only do lip gloss and mascara, or some just blush and eyeliner....everyone's different!

Right now until 8/30 you can load this cartwheel deal from Target and get 20% off of Neutrogena Cosmetics! Target and Neutrogena have also teamed up to bring a Target Beauty Concierge event at select Target stores around the country this month! The event begins August 24th. Limited quantities are available. Check out your local Target store for the Beauty Concierge day and times! :) 

    Fore more beauty tips check out these makeup routines by Hayden on and off of the set of Nashville:
 

~Melissa

How I Built a Raised Garden With a Little Help From Tom's of Maine ;)

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

If you follow me on Instagram you would know that last week my friend came over and we were working on a ‘top secret’ project that I wasn't going to share until I was finished. Well, it’s done. With the help of cool drinks and anti-perspirant (!) I got all of the hard work done and I can officially check one thing off of my summer DIY bucket list!

I created a raised garden in my side yard – and it wasn't quite as difficult as I thought it would be. First I hooked up our trailer and headed into town to get supplies. I decided that I wanted to make the garden 5’x12’ and 16” deep. We had to figure out how much soil I would need too, and luckily most of the time if you ask people they will help you figure all of that technical stuff out (since math and me aren't real good buddies). Anyways, turns out 2 yards of soil worked out perfectly. It didn't sound like much – until it filled the whole back of the trailer! The kids loved watching them dump it in.

We then purchased 8 2x4x12’s and 8 2x4x8’s and the guys at the store were kind enough to cut the 8 footers down to 5 feet for us, which saved us a bunch of time. We already had the screws to assemble the frame, but I did buy some chicken wire to keep all of the random bunnies we seem to have away.

By the time we fed all 5 of our kids and got home it was of course the hottest part of the day! We drank some cool drinks and I was so glad I had my Tom's of Maine Naturally Dry Deodorant on because or else I would have really smelled like a you-know-what. I love using Tom's products because they have no artificial ingredients, colors, or preservatives.

The first thing we did was make sure the area was level enough (Note: I’m not a professional or perfectionist here) and then we assembled each 5x12 square one at a time, and then positioned them where they would stay. We stacked them as we built them until all four were on top of each other. We then took the 3’ scraps we had left from the pieces that had been cut down and screwed each one of them in a corner to connect them all together, along with one on each side in the centers to secure it.

When everything looked right we filled the bottom of the garden with newspaper a couple of inches deep. I read somewhere that it helps to keep the weeds away.Then, shoveling. We live on a hill, so my driveway is an in incline, but I was so proud of myself for backing the trailer up to within an inch of the garden on the first try. (Not shown in photo) I think I may have did a little fist pump in the air. J I spent hours shoveling all of that soil in, and worked until 10:45 that night with the street lights as my guide, you know, just to keep my neighbors wondering.

After day one I came in, cleaned up and sat down exhausted. I don’t normally watch too much television, but I do surf the internet probably more than I should, and I remembered I had an Amazon gift card burning a hole in my online pocket, so I did a little late night shopping and stocked up on Tom’s Deodorant – since I have that long DIY list that’s going to be forcing me to work in the heat a lot.

The next morning I finished shoveling dirt, then painted the walls white to match our house trim, and the kids helped me plant our plants. I then put the chicken wire around it and voila! We have a nice sized area to grow our own veggies! I’d like to trim the 2x4’s down to the level of the chicken wire soon, as well as fill in the side with gravel. I had also ended up moving two wine barrel halves (remember our wine barrel summer salad garden?) to below the raised bed, which required me shoveling all of the dirt out to move them and then filling them back in.

I was definitely sore after day two, but it was totally worth it! It’s such a good feeling to tackle and finish a project.

Thanks #CollectiveBias and Tom's of Maine (#NaturallyFresh) for helping me make this garden possible! 

~Melissa

My Summer DIY Bucket List

Lately I've felt like I could totally transform into a hermit and I'd be completely cool hiding out in my own house. I'm sure that I'd get tired of it after a week or two, but the thought of it's been pretty appealing! I think it's just because I've felt like I've been on the go more this past year than ever before.

It's been officially summer for four days now and I know that last year I was very much into creating a summer bucket list of things that I wanted to do with the kids. While I still love the idea of doing that again, I think this summer I'd like to shift my focus from going and doing so many activities to more DIY activities around the house. After 7 summers here it's time to start sprucing up.

My husband works pretty long hours most of the time, and having had babies and toddlers since we've moved in here, there's a lot of things that haven't gotten finished (or started!) at our house. With Anika turning 11 this summer, Emma 6 1/2 and Noah being 4 years old now, I feel that I can actually accomplish some of these things with both of my hands while having the kids here. People take things for granted like mowing the lawn, or even weeding - because it's so hard to do when you have a baby teething or needing fed! I think the kids are finally at ages where I can work on something for more than 2 minutes at a time while they play together.

So, this summer bucket is still coming (if you need ideas for yours here's 31 summer activities), but here's a glimpse at my to-do list. I know that it won't get all done in the next 11 short weeks, but that's okay as long as I keep plugging away at it.

• Buy and install a new screen door
• Build a raised garden (hint - this one will be on the blog soon!)
• Stain the fence and decks
• Tile the bathrooms and repaint the walls
• Clean the bedroom carpets
• Repaint the house
• Fix our garage door - so it will actually work!
• Clean the garage and organize it
• Finish building the play structure for the kids
• SOMEDAY lay hardwood flooring down
• Create a chalkboard wall that I can hang on our fence for the kids
• Mulch the yard

Do you have a summer DIY list started? What's your number one project to get done before school starts back up?

~Melissa

Cute Bridal Shower Gift Idea with My M&M's

“I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf ofMillennial Central for MY M&M'S. I received product samples to facilitate my review and to thank me for my participation.”

A couple of weeks ago I shared that one of my good friends is getting married this summer and how I was going to do a little something special for her prior to her big day. I decided to get her some personalized My aM&M's for gifts to give at a shower that I will be holding for her. I had never ordered personalized M&M's so I wasn't quite sure what to expect - but I think they turned out great!

They give you plenty of options for customizing your order, including three different color choices and wording, clipart - even a photo option which I thought was really fun! 

Since my friend is a country girl at heart and love all things camouflage and pink camouflage, I decided to get her My M&M's in white, pink, and dark pink. They arrived in a handy insulated bag with ice packs and even though I know how many pounds I ordered, it sure seemed like more when carried in the box! When I opened it to take a peek at them I couldn't help but eat a couple (handfuls that is!) and had to stop myself from eating way more than I should!

What I did was purchase little clear plastic bags to place the treats in, and they even sent me a very handy scoop to divvy them out with - each bag got three scoops. I had tried to find pink camouflage ribbon but didn't have any luck, so I improvised with pink ribbon along with traditional camouflage ribbon. 

I always love creating little gifts and favors for people and I think that when we do have the bridal shower these will be a bit hit! I just have to figure out where to hide them from the kids (and myself!) before then.

  

Have you ever hosted a bridal shower before? This will be the first time for me… and I’m fairly certain it will be an intimate casual party filled. Do you have any tips to share?

 ~Melissa

Easy Kitchen Update: How to Paint Cabinet Knobs

 I am now in countdown mode for the last day of school and summer to officially begin! Noah’s preschool graduation (his participation) was so cute last night (I’ll share pictures soon!) and then the girls will officially be on break June 11^th!

The past week I've been making a list of all of the little DIY projects that I want to get finished up this summer – and let me tell you, the list of getting pretty long. I may just have to share it with you one of these days. A lot of the projects are outdoor stuff, but I have lots of inside updating I’d like to do as well.

I've noticed that many of the indoor updates that I want to finish are pretty time consuming (like flooring, room painting, etc.) except one: updating the kitchen cabinet knobs. We have a small house, but are lucky to have an open kitchen with many cabinets and drawers – 32 to be exact. We also live in a 1990’s home that has yet to be updated, and I was painfully reminded that every time I looked at my brassy gold kitchen knobs. I have nothing against the color gold, in fact I like it, but this yellow-y shiny golden hue is just hideous in my opinion.

I hadn't bought any new ones because I’m still sitting out on a limb trying to figure out what I want to do with the kitchen. I pretty much would like to change everything someday – the counter tops, re-stain the cabinets, paint, etc. I like the red kitchen idea, but I also know that it makes the kitchen pretty dark and gloomy in the winter, so I've been mulling over painting it a light color, and also don’t care for the oak stain on the cabinets either, so I think that would have to change after I painted. Anyways, I didn't want to shell out $3-$10 per kitchen knob until I knew what I was going to do, but in the meantime these knobs had to change. I decided to paint them a different shade that blended in better for now, so I bought a can of  Rust-Oleum ® Universal® Spray Paint and went to work.

It was so easy to do – the hardest part was just waiting for them to dry!

How to Paint Kitchen Knobs

1.    Remove all of the knobs from the cabinets and clean + dry them.

2.    Next, using course sandpaper, rough the surface of the knobs up (this will help the new paint stay longer)

3.    Go outdoors or in a ventilated area and place all of the knobs in an upright position on scrap cardboard and paint them using the Rust-Oleum ® Universal® Spray Paint  (be sure to follow the directions located on the side of the can.)

4.    Let them dry to touch (approx. 1hr) then turn the knobs over and paint the opposite side.

5.    Let them dry overnight and then place them back on the cupboards!

Rust-Oleum ® Universal® Spray Paints offer a variety of on-trend colors and unique finishes, and boast the first-of-its-kind 360 degree any-angle delivery system that allows DIYers to tackle those hard to reach areas, even upside down.

~Melissa

“Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Rust-Oleum® via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Rust-Oleum®.”