A Plethora Of Things

Happy February everyone, filled with no snow and 6 more weeks of winter, supposedly. I have just been collecting a hodgepodge of things for all walks of life, so I hope they can be useful to you. 

Gift Tags --> This was a completely donated idea, and I thank you for it. At the end of the holiday season you always have all your cards that were sent to you, and instead of throwing/recycling them you can make them into gift tags for the following year. Maybe get those scissors that have a funky blade, and cut away the part that is really cute where the back side is of course blank. Punch a hole, run some string through it, and TA DA! you have a sweet new gift tag.

Folding Fitted Sheets --> I just tried this one today, and loved it. Those fitted sheets are always such a pain in the A.

How to Organize the linen closet --> After I folded my fitted sheets, then I grouped together the others and put them in the pillow cases to have them be more organized and space smart in the closet.

This is not a picture of my closet.


Notes on the mirror--> I have been doing this for a while but it didn't really dawn on me until recently that it could be a blog idea. Sometimes I am the phone, or I need to make of list of things and I don't have a pen or paper. For me personally I am always brainstorming in the shower, so I keep some DRY ERASE markers in the drawer in the bathroom and write with them directly on the mirror. Neat! This could also be great with kids, but you do have to watch if they decide to decorate the walls.  It can also easily be removed with windex or vinegar and water. 

Speaker by a simple bowl --> My sister sent me a link to this great idea for taking a bowl and putting your ipod of phone into it to amplify the sound.  It is kid tested, mother approved and does in fact work. It doesn't make it loud enough to hear over an entire room of people, but if you need just a little extra sound it is pretty useful.  Speaker in a bowl!

Keeping that beautiful skin --> I read an article in Allure all about how to make your skin the best that it could possibly be in 2012. It is the year for YOUR skin, how exciting! I found some parts interesting, and thought I might pass them on. 

1. Moisturize after showering- Warm showers strip your skin of it oils, as does the dry winter air naturally, so lube up right after you get out of the shower. It is recommended that you do so within ten minutes of turning off the water, if you wait any longer your skin starts loosing water vapor, drying it out more. 
2. Take off your makeup before bed- I always wait until I am too tired and want to give up on it, but what the article said that I particularly liked was when you are home for the night, take it off right away, so when you are too tired, it is already done. I tell you geniuses that write for that Allure magazine. 
3. Clean up after the gym- This is of course very obvious, but I am guilty of starting to do things around the house or just in general while I am still in my sweaty clothes. The article suggested to switch out of clothes right away and if possible shower as soon as available. Otherwise all those pores get clogged from sweating and your skin will show for it. 
4. Clean your makeup brushes- Makeup and skin oils build up which creates a breeding ground for bacteria that could cause irritation. Wash your tools monthly with liquid hand soap or baby shampoo and luke warm water, rinse well and squeeze out excess water. I did do this but then I just let the brushes dry however they were laid down. My suggestion is reshape them into how you like them right after washing, it helps a lot. 
5. Keep your hands from your face- The act of touching your face with your fingers brings pore-clogging oils and dirts to the skin. Recommended is to not touch at all, but if you are like me and cannot resist, it is suggested applying over the counter hydrocortisone cream right away which helps with the inflammation and prevent long lasting marks. 

A joke to leave you with until next time. What do you call it when you mix a cow with a smurf? Blue cheese! The smurfs movie gave me the pleasure of this joke.