Is there a rule that you should try to wear red on Valentine's Day?
Hmmmm, maybe...but I'm not one for rules anyhow. ;)
The man and I went out for a delicious dinner sans baby (!!).
Yes, it was an hour to an hour and a half wait when we walked in the door- but that ended up being fine since we scored a seat in the lounge rather quickly.
Since I'm still(!!) not back into my pre-baby clothes, I feel that my wardrobe is somewhat limited these days. Hence the infrequent posts. Sorry about that.
Here is what I decided on for our night on the town (which these days consists of dinners AND appetizers).
I looked at the calendar today, and I couldn't BELIEVE that I have been back from the Dominican for almost a month already?!!
I sat myself right down at the computer and started writing this post. I had a reader ask me shortly after I got back for some tips on what to bring on a sunny vacay, and I promised to get this out before she left in February... Hope I'm not too late!
Every time I go away, I write about the thrifted items that I bring (Cuba, Dominican, and Madrid)...So this trip to the Domican Republic wouldn't be any different. :)
Apart from a sunhat, a few pieces of jewellery, and a couple of pairs of sandals, these are the thrifted items that were in my Domican closet (this year):
A couple of maxi skirts. And a couple of black tanks. This maxi skirt I wore over leggings on the plane and was able to easily take the leggings off when we landed in Punta Cana. The tank I wore under a black sweater and jean jacket, which I wanted to have in case the evenings were cool. I never needed it.
Skirt- Value Village $7.99
A couple of strapless maxi dresses. I love these for throwing on for breakfast or for pulling over a bathing suit. I also love that these can be folded over and worn with a tank if you'd prefer to wear it as a skirt. Extra versatile!
Flowered Maxi- $12.99 Value Village
A couple of comfy, cotton, easily-rolled and fun-to-wear dresses for the evenings.
And, of COURSE, I packed a couple more maxi dresses (my faves) that had straps. I love the comfort, that they can be dressed up or down, and that they can be rolled up to take up very little room in the suitcase.
Top Dress- Value Village 50% off $9.99
Bottom Dress- Value Village $12.99
And here is the Just One bracelets that my sister brought for my birthday gift. Love.
Well, thanks for reading about what I had in my Dominican Closet, friends.
If you are heading somewhere warm soon....don't forget the sunscreen! :)
I believe this a great how-to for all you curl-loving ladies out there!
In case you ever wondered how to get a certain type of curl, here are some tutorials on what tools to use AND how to wrap the hair (which incidentally is JUST as important as the tools you use).
In case you don't go to that post, I shall give you my version here.
This is your basic curl. It is relatively uniform from top to bottom. You start out at the top (roots) and curl the strand by inching your way down the hair shaft with the iron. This is done by a constant pinch and release of the iron all the way down.
This is likely the way that you are trying to curl your hair, and wondering why it never looks quite right. This type of curl seems to make the most sense because you simply clamp your ends and roll up with the iron. The curl that is achieved with this method, however, is a very tight curl at the bottom and no curl at the top. That is because by the time the iron reaches the roots of your hair, the heat will not be able to penetrate through all the layers of hair that are already wound around the iron barrel.
I love to use this curling method on my brides (because it has the chance to cool in the curled state, thus amping up the holding power of the curl), or when I am trying to acheive that "Old Hollywood Glam" type of look. You want to be sure that you curl the entire strand of hair and then clamp it with a clip or bobby pin. When cooled and brushed out, you won't believe the volume achieved!
This is probably my favourite curl and the one that I will do on 99% of my brides and bridal parties. It is more of a 'perfect' curl, which is great for more formal occassions. And when brushed out, you achieve that sought-after S-curl. It is tricky at first to make sure that the hair stays flat against the wand and doesn't twist as you wrap it. I like the idea that the website suggests of practicing with the iron off first.
Twist wrapping around a wand produces a very natural, asymmetrical type of curl. This is a perfect curl to blend in with naturally curly/ wavy hair. Just be sure that you twist loosely in the same direction that your hair curls and do NOT brush it out. Simply pull apart gently with your fingers.
This method of curling produces an uneven, boho-chic type of curl. It is a great curl for girls with really long hair, because you will get the curl all the way to the top of the hair shaft, but the weight of the hair will pull it out a bit, so it will not look so perfect.
Here is a video how-to on the beautiful waves this method can produce:
This is the method that I used exclusively on myself and every client...until I bought my wand. Now I find that some hair curls better with a flat iron (usually fine, uncoloured hair or naturally curly hair- because it is taming frizz and curl from both sides, I believe), and some with a wand. To get this imperfect curl, I'll tell you right now- it will take practice. You need to learn to start at the root and give the iron a quick twist (If you hold it in one spot for too long, you will get a line of demarcation) and pull slowly through the entire shaft.
Here is a great how-to video:
This is a tough curl, in my opinion. If you like the look of this wave, I would recommend using a waving iron, like in the next method. If you are determined to try this curl, however, you basically move the flatiron like an 'S' down the hair shaft. You can check out a tutorial on this method here.
This method is probably the easiest since you ALL owned a crimper at some point, yes?? ;) All you have to do is squeeze the hair between the 3 barrels, release, move down the hair shaft and squeeze again. You repeat down the entire strand.
I recommend using a waver with larger barrels than the one shown here. I've seen good results from the Hot Shot Tools Deep Waver and other Deep Wavers.
Here is a video tutorial for using a Deep Waver:
Well there you are friends, every type of curl out there and the best methods of achieving them.
Please, try them out and let me know your favourites!
I know, I know friends...this post is VERY late. Blogging about Christmas in JANUARY?? Seriously?
I apologize.
I took a much needed vacay. I celebrated my 37th birthday on the beach.
Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic.
It. Was. Phenomenal.
And VERY much needed.
But, back to the real world....
Since I gave out the other DIY gifts that I made for my friends AFTER New Years, I had to post on those gifts quite late.
For 2 of my besties, I gave some of my children's blocks that I had repurposed.
I received these blocks for free from a daycare that was getting rid of them.
Omigoodness, my boys are SO small here!!
Maybe I shouldn't advertise that I got them for free, since my girlies may read this... ;)
Anyhoo, similar to the picture that I made for my sister with the words of her 3 favourite things,
I did the same for them.
Here was my process:
painting the wood
adding the wording
Hopefully, they loved them.
I also gave them some Christmas wall decor that was handmade that I purchased. I fell in love with the detailing, and maybe I will take on something like them for next year??
Maybe if I start now.... ;)
Here are my purchased handmade items:
I love that you could use repurposed wood pieces and scrap pieces of fabric to make these.Add some twigs and some paint, and voila! Beautiful handmade wall decor.
Although I'm late, I really do hope that you all had a very blessed holiday season and are looking forward to this new year with as much enthusiasm and optimism as I am.
To me, the best gifts are homemade. Gifts that are heartfelt, that took time and love to put together.
These gifts are usually one-of a kind,made by the giver with the givee in mind.
So that's what I tried to do this year. To give gifts specific to people in my life to show how much I care. Here were some of the gifts that I gave:
Crafting with my little man.
Repurposing some frames by painting them all white.
After one coat.
Finished gift for my sister. Three of her favourite things and a quote on how awesome she is to be a nurse.
For my parents and my grandparents.
The boys and I made these hot chocolate snowmen for our neighbors. We had an abundance of baby food jars, so this was the perfect year to repurpose them. The neighbors loved the snowmen. I blogged about the idea of these baby-food-jar snowmen here.
We added a small bottle of Bailey's as a Christmas gift for my son's grade 2 teacher. Because, well...I'm sure she needs it being around grade 2's ALL day. ;)
There are still some gifts that I need to give, so I won't blog on those quite yet.
Thanks for reading and I hope you got some ideas for some repurposed, DIY gifts that you can give to some loved ones throughout the year.
About a year ago, I wrote a post answering a question that I had been asked on wearing leggings.
I stated that, in my opinion, patterned leggings should only be worn by girls in their early 20's.
Well, today I am admitting that I have been breaking my own rule. I have been wearing patterned leggings. And loving them.
Here are some pics of me wearing them to the Aquarium recently:
They are beyond comfy and super cute. I am a patterned legging convert.
I snapped up a couple of pairs at the last Clothing Swap that I went to. So, those multi-coloured aztec style leggings were FREE.
I have also heard of a company Sweet Legs, that is a Canadian company that sells through independent suppliers and they have a HUGE selection of designs.
Check them out, if you want to break my rule, too! ;)
Or, do what I do and scour the thrift shops or consignment shops for them.
If you do decide to be brave and wear patterns- send me a photo! I'd love to see you in them.
I came across this fabulous DIY idea on facebook yesterday for lost socks in the laundry room. I KNOW everyone else has the same problem...you are POSITIVE that a pair of socks went INTO the wash....but one a single sock comes out.
Here is a place to put that one sock until it's mate turns up (which happens, what? 70% of the time??) :
I thought that this was such a great idea, I went looking on Pinterest for some similar ideas. And I found some awesome ones!
If you are crafty at all, these would be pretty easy to make. You would just need a peice of wood (preferably second-hand!) and some clothespins. Otherwise, I found some similar signs that you could purchase on Etsy here.
Here are my Lost-Sock DIY favourites:
Love the added jar for change found while doing laundry!
I also love this idea of a wall decal over a 'clothesline' attached to the wall. It would be easier for the not-so-crafty out there:
