DIY Clothespin Pushpins

My mom had some old school clothes pins that she wasn't using anymore, and I wanted to find a creative way to incorporate them into my office space. Because I saw some glittered clothes pins at Michaels (like 5 for $3), and I thought they were such a rip off, I wanted to show other people how to transform these simple items into fashionable pieces for their office.

 Materials

• Clothespins 
• Pushpins
• Paint or Decorative Paper
• E-6000 or Super Glue

I took my clothes pins and pushpins outside to prime them with white spray paint (just so my colors could show through really well). I put them on a pizza box because it made it easier to pain both pins all around without smearing. 

 Next I placed the clothes pins at the edge of the box (below) so I could mark where I wanted to place the push pins. Also to paint the pins the color I wanted. I  glued the push pins just past the Torsion Springs of the clothespin.

Below are the finished products. What's great about these are that they canbe customizes to your individual style. Hope you enjoy!

Make a Difference Day.

On Saturday October 25, 2014 it is Make a Difference Day.
I will be participating and I hope you will too!
Let's all get involved in our communities (not just this day, but any day you have available).
If you want more information about Make a Difference Day in you community, Click Here!
This will link you to the website where you can find out whats going on in your area.

For any of you in the Seattle area, I will link a few community service activities in this area going on Saturday down below.  These places still need volunteers.

Tacoma:

Renovate the Salvation Army Emergency Family Shelter in Tacoma. Volunteer Here!
The Salvation Army emergency shelter for homeless families in Tacoma is in desperate need of renovation.

Gig Harbor:

Million Cookie Challenge--Make a Difference for a Soldier. Volunteer Here!
Invited our community to bake cookies to send to our troops attached to Joint Based Lewis McCord's 201st, who will ship them to Afghanistan

Auburn:

Fall Cleaning for Elders in Auburn. Volunteer Here!
Volunteer Chore Services provides free chore assistance to low-income seniors and disabled adults to help them remain living independently.

Renton:

Wetland Habitat Restoration. Volunteer Here!
Wetland Habitat Restoration: remove invasive species, trail maintenance, native plant installation, bird box installation

Seattle:

Neighborhwoods 2014 Forest Restoration Project. Volunteer Here!
Friends of Interlaken Park -- Seattle Volunteer Forest Stewards, are restoring this 60 acre forested greenbelt in the heart of Seattle.

Tree Planting at Discovery Park. Volunteer Here!
Come spend a day planting trees The KING 5 Team including Paul Silvi, Dennis Bounds, Jeff Renner, Rich Marriott, and Joyce Taylor.


I hope we all take some time out of our busy schedules to try and make a change in our communities!

Is Ipsy Worth It? A FIVE month review!

via Ipsy Instagram

 What is Ipsy?

• Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription where you pay $10 (that's including the shipping!) and every month a team of stylist selects beauty products to give you. You get 4-5 delux amples and full size products based off a beauty quiz you take when you sign up. you also get a bag.
• You can also redeem points by telling Ipsy what you thought of the products in that months bag. You can use those points to purchase products in the Ipsy store and they will send the products in the next months bag. 
• Also when you first sign up you may be put on a waiting list that usually last 2 months. You can get off the waiting list by promoting Ipsy on your social media, following the Ipsy stylist on social media (but this doesn't necessarily get you off the list). If someone signs up with your link you are off the waiting list. I used a friends link and I was not on the waiting list. 

 

Some partnered brands:

 NYX, Benefit, Urban Decay, Jose Maran, Pixi, bareMinerals, Ole Henrisksen, Buxom, Sexyhair,  OPI etc. 

If you are thinking about becoming a "glam subscriber" then you are probably doing your research too. I thought it would be most helpful to share my Ipsy bag reviews with you, how I feel after multiple months of subscribing, and if I feel like my ten dollars was wasted or worth it!

June 2014: Pretty in Paradise 

What's in the bag?

1. NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair. Full size. Retails for $5.00. Find it here!
2. Carol's Daughter Sacred Tiare Anti-Breakage & Anti-Frizz Styling Cream. Sample size. Full size retails for $12.00. Find it here!
3. Nicka K New York Shimmer Eyeliner in blue. Full size. Retails for $4.99.  Find it here!
4. OFRA Universal Eyebrow Pencil. Full size. Retails for $13.99.  Find it here!
5. Real Tree for Her. Deluxe sample size retails for $6.99. Full size retails for $24.99. Find it here!

Bag Value: $30.97!

*btw the OFRA pencil was larger but I use it so often, that's why its so small. 

Bag review:

 When I first saw the contents of the bag, I was disappointed. But then I kept an open mind and tried the products. I loved them all, surprisingly even the perfume. When I signed up and took the test, I said that I was adventurous with make up. So not everything I get will be included in my day-to-day routine. I loved this bag. And the actually glam bag was designed by Rebecca Minkoff!

This bag was worth it!

July 2014: Sensationally Sunkissed

What's in the bag?

1. Elizabeth Mott Tints and Sass. Full sized. Retails for 22.99! Find it here!
2. Benefit They're Real Mascara. Deluxe sample $8.99. Full size for $23.00 Find it here!
3. bareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15. Sample size. Full sized Retails for $18.00. Find it here!
4. Pixi Beauty Mini Tinted Brillance Balm. Sample size. Full Size retails for $14.00. Find it here!
5. Hang Ten Dark Tanning Oil SPF 08. Deluxe sample size. Full Size retails for $11.99 Find it here!

Bag Value: Over $31.98!

Bag Review:

A little confused on the tanning oil, considering I am black lol. When you take the test they ask you your skin tone, and I chose dark, so that was weird. I saw a few other girls on the site say the same thing. I was really happy to try the Benefit mascara. I also got Jojoba gel instead of the Pixi balm, but I traded with a friend. 

This bag is worth it! 

August 2014: Beauty Schooled

What's in the bag?

1. Absolute Lip Balm in Grape. Full size. Two retail for $5.99. Find it here!
2. Urban Decay Perversion Mascara. Deluxe sample size. Full size retails for $22. Find it here!
3. Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refining Primer. Travel Size (5.00). Full size $45.00 Find it here!
4. Coastal Scents Forever Blush Sample Duo. Sample Size. Single Full sized blush $7.95.Find it here!
5. Lord and Berry Silk Kajal Kohl Eye Pencil. Sample Size. Full Size retail $16.00. Find it here!

Bag Value: Over $13

Bag Review:

Super disappointed with this bag. They were all pretty small samples. The lip gloss reminded me of a lip gloss in fifth grade and I signed up for no blush (btw even if you say you DON'T want something, there is still a possibility that you WILL get it). The eye liner was super tiny, but the formula was awesome (I guess a way for the company to lure you in). The primer was nice and I loved the mascara so much. But I was just very disappointed in the size and selection of some of the products this month. 

This bag was NOT worth it!

September 2014: Street Style 

What's in the bag?

1. Mitchell and Peach Luxury Hand Cream. Deluxe sample. Full size about $27. Find it here! 
2. Cailyn Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss in Love Affair. Full Size. Retails for $19. Find it here!
3. Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/ Crease Duo Brush. Full Size. Retails $17.50. Find it here!
4. Pacifica Natural Water-Proof Eye Pencil in Gun Metal. Deluxe sample. Full size retails for $11.00. Find it here!
5. Nourish Organic Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser. Deluxe sample. Full size retails for 13.99. Find it here!

Bag Value: over $54! 

Bag Review:

Very happy to see this bag. Great to see them incorporating other types of beauty products like the duo brush. I am iffy on skin care because I have extremely sensitive skin, but the scents were appealing and also the face cleanser was all organic and vegan, so I know it wouldn't be too harsh on my skin. It was also nice to see the full size products after the previous months epic fail. 

This bag was worth it!

 October 2014: Beauty Candy 

What's in the bag?  (starting from the top and then left to right)

1. KISS iENVYbyKISS Lashes in Au Naturale 02. Full sized. Retails for $2.99. Find it here!
2. Épicé International Purifying Exfoliant. Travel size. Retails for $4.99 Find it here! 
3. Micabeauty Mineral Eye Shadow in Harlequin. Full sized. Retails for $14.95. Find it here!
4. Starlooks Lip Gloss in Guilty Pleasure. Sample Size. Full size retails for $12.00.Find it here!
5. Ayres Patagonia Body Butter. Travel Size. Full size retails for $28.00 Find it here!

Bag Value:  Over $27.93

Bag Review:

I thought this was okay. I really liked the color by Mica and Starlook's lip gloss. the eyelashes were very pretty and dramatic, but still very natural. and the body butter had a nice herbal and relaxing scent. I have yet to use the face exfoliant.

Overall Subscription Review:

Overall I think Ipsy is worth $10 a month. Each month so far my bag has been more and most of the time worth well over that. Sometimes I am iffy about the products, but I always have to remember to try them before judging, I usually really like them. I got this subscription to try new products that I normally wouldn't have gone for or wouldn't have known about. I differently get my money's worth every time (except August, even though the value of the product was over the $10, I wasn't really satisfied with that bag), but hey it's pretty cheap and I've liked majority of my bags each time.

**If you want to sign up with Ipsy using my link Click Here!

***Originally Posted Thursday October 23, 2014 at 12:02 PM

Designer Replica: DIY Kate Spade Inspired Nesting Boxes

I think we've all seen Kate Spade's amazing nesting boxes. I must say I fell in love with them as soon as I laid my eyes on them. But after I saw the price, I had to back away. $60 for three boxes was just too much for me. Don't get me wrong, the quality of these boxes is more amazing than what I could recreate, but I knew I'd be happy if I could get somewhat of the look I wanted. So if you want the look, but don't want to pay the price, then this Designer Replica is for you! Let's get started!

Materials 

• For this project you are going to need three different size boxes (small, medium, and large to create the nesting box look). But I used three of the same Memory Boxes by Recollections because they were on sale at Michaels 5 for $10.
• You will need paint brushes. I purchased an eight count of brushes by Craftsmart for $1.79 at Michaels. I like these because they offer a variety of brushes that you may want to use during this project.
• The most expensive thing I used in this project was the Mod Podge, which is around $7, but Elmer's Glue can work as well if you don't want to pay for that.
• Scissors
• Floral patterned paper by Recollections which I got on sale at Michaels 7 for $1 (awesome deal, these are regularly a little over 50 cents each). 
• Circle stensils by Heidi Swapp 

• You'll also need paint. Craftsmart paint is 69 cents each at Michaels.
• A  paint pen. This is by Craftsmart and you can get a two pack for around $1.50.
• And last painters tape or a ruler. 

So all the materials are pretty inexpensive.  You can replicate this look for less than half the price!

Circle Patterned Box

• This will be your smallest box, or if your boxes are all the same, it will be the top.
• First you want to pain your box all white, if it is not already. This will take a few thin coats. (above is my box after just one coat). I used a sponge type brush for this.
• Next your'e going to want to paint on the circles. If you are worried about painting with the stencil, you can draw them on with a pencil first and then go over it with paint. Now for this stencil, I decided to paint every other dot of every other line. 

• If you don't want to buy the stencil, I suggest using this circle sponge brush. I actually preferred this size, when  I painted the inside of the box, I liked this look better. Its all preference. 
• Make sure the top two rows of circles on the lid, correspond to the top lines of the main box so the pattern doesn't get messed up.

 

If you get any paint on the front bracket you can scrape it off with a butter knife or a coin. you'll want to do this for the last step.

Take the gold paint pen and paint the front bracket as well as the very bottom of the lid and the very top of the opening of the box. You will probably have to go over it two times. 

Striped Boxes 

• Take your painters tape and mark the box. The space between my boxes is the same width as the tape  (2"). If you are using a ruler, you'll just need to mark the width of the lines with a pencil and paint in between the lines. 
• Make sure all the lines are going horizontally. And the lines on the lid of the box correspond to the top lines of the box. 
• Do a few coats to make sure the white is pristine. 
• Last add the hints of gold, with the paint pen.

Floral Patterned Box

• For this box I measured the length and width of the are I was applying and marked them on my pattern (with a few added cm in case I didn't cut straight).
• For each section I measured. I did not use the over lay from one area to cover another. (I actually did this, but did not like the way it turned out, so I do not recommend it.)

• After getting the paper the perfect size apply the glue of your choice and smooth out all the bubbles with a firm card, like a credit card. 

The most difficult part about this is putting the paper around the front bracket. To do this I measured a small rectangle and just kept adjusting it, making it bigger to fit around the bracket. But  do not cut to the widest part of the bracket because you'll make it a little to wide. *A little trick is to cut half of the rectangle. Then to fit it, gently and slightly life the edges of the bracket. Slide your rectangle in there and slide the paper into the bracket. When its nice and snug cut the other side to fit perfectly. I recommend using a whole sheet of paper and just cut off the excess. Glue and smooth out.  

 Name Cards

• For the name cards I used the back of a business card because I like the thickness, makes it seem more professionally made. 
• Cut to fit and place in the bracket.

 Inside of Boxes

When I was making the boxes I messed this part up, but I'll tell you the way I would have done it. 

 I believe in the Kate Spade boxes both black and white patterned boxes have the floral inside, but I wanted them to all be different. 

 So for the inside you, I'd recommend that you use for the bottom box use floral, the middle use circles, and for the top box use stripes. 

On the lids of the box I also took some gold lettered stickers from Sticko and wrote short meaningful words like "Dream", "Strive', and "Inspire". 

Final Product

Hope you enjoy!

And if you want to pin anything, just scroll over the image! xoxo

PNW FOOD: Original House of Donuts

* I wanted to dedicate a section specifically to my home, and by home I mean the Pacific Northwest, even more so- Washington. When I tell people who are not from this area, I find that they feel sorry for me. Mostly because they are plagued with the misconception that I am from Seattle and it rains 360 out of the 365 days of the year. (Not even close btw!). But this section is just to show how awesome the PNW really is and they treasures you can only find here!

So this WAS one of the best kept secrets around, but it's gained a lot of publicity lately. It's my favorite donut shop of all time, and being from the PNW I have to say, no it is not Voodoo Donuts lol. It's the Original House of Donuts! It's located in Lakewood, WA so if you ever in the area, might as well stop by and try one, right?  

When I was young my parents would take us here every so often and it was like an euphoric experience lol. There is a Movies to Go building next door, so we would get donuts and movies. The owners and employees were so nice, they always took the time to talked to you. It was a business where you would come in and they would remember what you liked (love that). And they were the most amazing donuts I had EVER tastes in my LIFE! 

I would take everyone there. When my husband came back from deployment he wanted to stop by there, but the building was closed. Months passed by and we seen a sign that said they would be reopening soon. When it finally reopened we went in. An employee told us that the old owner sold the company to the new owner along with his donut recipes, but they had altered them so they would be bigger and taste better. And they've added some super yummy flavors like maple bacon. Also a mass cleaning of the place and changed the look of the building.

 I was able to taste a slight difference in some of the donuts. I prefer the old recipe, but don't get me wrong, the new one is still BY FAR better than ANY donut out there. 

This brings up the "Best Kept Secret" aspect. It was a place you could go, order donuts and make small talk, but now it's always crowded. There is always a line out the door, which is great for them! It's has also become a bit of a tourist attraction. You can see tourist coming and taking pictures outside of the building, and they have started selling merchandise such as shirts there. I think any local hates it when their favorite small local business becomes a hotspot for tourist- but I am not mad about it because it generates money for them, which allows them to make more donuts for me to eat! Also the price of the donuts have increased, but that's understandable given the upgrades they have made (including the new boxes, although I'd take the brown box back if it saves me a couple dollars!)

But regardless, no other donut compares. So here is a local telling all you tourist to invade my favorite place.

Check out how these yummy donuts look and the menu!

Click HERE to go visit their website.

(Also check out my Pinterest (here) page, where I mentioned this place a few years back....) 

Family Themed Halloween Costumes

This is my first Halloween with my son where he can actually participate and somewhat understand what's going on around him. So I thought themed dressing up would be so much fun, especially since when he's older, I am sure he'll protest it. 

These are some of the costume ideas I had. They all include a child or children, but if you don't have a child you can use the costume idea for a friend and complete these things with friends. Also majority of the children are male, but majority are also animal costumes so they are unisex- But for the costumes that are not, you can change them for more feminine characters (or add a bow, whatever works for you).

If you are interested in any of these costumes, check me out on Polyvore! my username is Merlisha