Birthday Balloon Bandit

It's 2:00 am and I just got done balloon bombing our living room for my Husband's Birthday! I love surprising my family with a bunch of balloons! A few months ago I balloon bombed my Daughter's room, and last week I balloon bombed the inside of my Dad's car while he was at work.  For the living room, I blew up (by mouth) around 250 balloons. It takes awhile, but if you start a few days in advance you can put them in garbage bags and hide them around the house. Unfortunately, I was only able to blow up half in advance. I just got done blowing up the other half. It really is a ton of fun and I think it makes the birthday boy/girl really happy!

There are layers of balloons!

The Elf on the Shelf even joined in the fun!

It reminds me of the ball pits at McDonald's

Even the couches have to be covered in balloons!

DIY: Ombre Bleach Cutoffs

Cutoffs? you ask...Winter is just starting! you say... Well I'm going to Hawaii for Christmas... poor me, I know! I wouldn't be going if it wasn't for having such great parents!

I need a super cute pair of shorts to bum around at the beach. I've really wanted to try ombre denim with bleach, so this is the perfect project. I have this pair of Guess shorts that came from the store as cutoffs, but they are below the knee cutoffs. I thought they would "comfortable". Turns out they aren't super flattering so I rarely wear them. They will make a perfect DIY victim...

There is even a glue spot on them from some other DIY project

There is more leftover glue spots on the back of them

 This is a really easy project. You only need 4 things to get started. I recommend doing this outside. I didn't want to stand out in the cold, so I worked on mine in the bathroom. I kept the door closed and the fan on so I wouldn't stink up the house too much.  The fumes probably killed a few brain cells...oh well :)

 Supplies

• Denim (shirt, shorts, pants, jacket)
• Bucket
• Rubber Gloves
• Bleach

Put a 3:2 ratio of water and bleach in your bucket. I used 12 cups of water and 8 cups of bleach. I was trying to bleach a few other things in the process, so you probably wouldn't need quite that much. If you are going to try the ombre effect, you will need to decide which end of your denim you want lighter and which you want darker. I chose to have the leg end be lighter. It makes no difference other than your style preference.  You will also have to decide how much of the denim you want bleached, I ended up bleaching more of the shorts than I had planned, but they still turned out cute! Submerge a small part of the clothing into the bucket. With your gloves on, push down a little on the denim to make sure the part that was submerged is soaking up the bleach evenly. Then lay the rest of the denim over the side of the bucket. Make sure you are very careful when touching the dry denim, if there is any bleach on your gloves, it will leave bleach dots.

 

This is a shirt I was bleaching, but its that same technique

Set the timer for 10 minutes. Make sure to watch it. There are many different kinds of denim and each will absorb the bleach differently. Every ten minutes move the denim down into the bucket a little more. This isn't an exact science and if your denim is absorbing more or less of the bleach then you will need to adjust the time accordingly. I learned that you should error on the side of less time. Too much bleach can make the fabric very brittle. After your denim has the effect you want, pull it out of the bucket and rinse it really well in cold water. Then wash it in the washing machine on a gentle cycle by itself. You can either put it in the dryer or hang dry your denim. BUT remember, this article of clothing is now fairly delicate. So be nice to it!

Here's how they turned out...

I tried them on, and they still looked dowdy. So I decided they needed to be cutoff! While they were on I eyeballed the length and made a little mark with a pencil. I took them off and cut one side, then folded them in half to line them up. Leave them folded and use the other pant leg as a guide while cutting them to ensure they are symmetrical. Don't make a blunt cut. Make an angled cut with the inner leg being slightly longer. We don't want anything hanging out! Try them on again to make sure they are the length that you like. Again, error on the side of longer. You can always cut more off. To get a frayed look, just pull at the ends. It takes awhile so be patient. Once you are all done you will have these!

TA DA!

I like to fold my cutoffs, just a little

I love the uneven effect!

Bacon Maple Cupcakes

I LOVE BACON! I have been a vegetarian off and on for many years, but I can't ever turn down bacon! 

I have wanted to try a bacon cupcake for the longest time, but none of the bakeries around town have them. And when I ask for them, they look at me like I'm crazy. I have found bacon milkshakes and bacon doughnuts.  They were delicious!

I looked up a few recipes online, but I didn't want to go to all of the trouble of making them from scratch. So I created my own recipe using a box of cake mix and a tub of frosting. It turned out pretty good. I think I might tweak a few things over time, but for now here is what I did...

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Ingredients

• Box of any Vanilla Cake Mix
• Tub of any Vanilla Frosting
• 1/2 cup of Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup of Water
• 3 Eggs 
• 1 Package of Bacon Minced
• 3.4 oz of Pure Maple Syrup
• 1 Tbs. of bacon drippings (left in refrigerator to become solid)
• Salt (optional) 
• Butter (optional)

 Directions

Fry bacon, the crispier the better. Put aside for later. (I had to hide mine, to be sure I wouldn't eat it all) Place 1 Tbs. of bacon drippings in the refrigerator to solidify. Preheat oven to 325 F. Make cake mix according to the box instructions.  Add 4 Tbs. of maple syrup. Add 1 Tbs. of solid bacon drippings. Add a small scoop of butter (optional). Add a tiny tiny pinch of salt (optional). Add 1/2 cup of minced bacon. Mix together. Place batter in cupcake liners and bake for 15 mins. Rotate pan after 7 mins for even baking.

 

  While they are baking, its time to make the frosting. I use the mixer for this. It makes the frosting very smooth and creamy. Mix 1 tub of frosting and 3 Tbs. of maple syrup. Add a tiny tiny pinch of salt (optional). After the cupcakes have cooled its time to frost and top the cupcakes. I put my frosting in a large zip lock bag and cut the corner off and use it like a piping bag. Sprinkle the cupcakes with the minced bacon. Add a small sprinkle off salt to the top of the cupcakes, if the frosting is too sweet for you.

These are a very unique treat, definitely worth trying once!

For The Love of Nail Polish!

 I love trying different nail polishes! It's such a fun way to change your look.  You can
pick any color to match your mood or style. I have tried a ton of different brands. Today I am showing you 3 colors.

1. Orly Nail Lacquer in Gum Drop ( Sally Beauty Supply retail $6.99)


I love this color! I'm not normally a blue or green nail polish fan, but something about this color is just so cute. This is the first time that I have tried the Orly brand. It is absolutely my new favorite brand. It goes on great and lasts forever without chipping.









2. Nicole by OPI in My Favorite Gold (TJ Maxx retial $6.00-2 pack)


This is a more of a yellow gold than a copper gold. I have now used the Nicole by OPI nail polish a few different times in different colors. I'm not a huge fan of this brand. I think it's a bit over priced for the quality.


*Painted on ring finger





 
3. Nailtini Nail Polish in Millionaire (I got this in my IPSY Glam bag retail $13.00)

This is a gold glitter polish with blue specks. This is a great quality glitter polish. I like the way that it goes on very evenly. And it really sparkles in the light!


*Painted on ring finger over the gold polish

November Beauty Box Five

Yesterday, I received my November Beauty Box Five.  This is a beauty product monthly subscription that I have signed up for.  It costs $12 a month and that includes shipping. Each month I receive a little Tiffany blue colored box filled with surprises.  I couldn't completely review it yesterday because I had to try a few of the products during my nighttime bed routine. Are you ready to find out what was in it?

No! that's not an eye boogie (its the messy eyeshadow)

 lovely, right?

1. Swagger Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Swagger (retail price $9.50)
This eyeshadow is a very pretty sparkly emerald color. It is a loose powdered eyeshadow. I was excited to try it. And then I applied it, what a disaster! I had to apply a ton of layers in order to see the color. A few specks fell onto my cheeks while I was applying it and when I wiped them away they just left streaks of color on my skin. Which wouldn't come off and looked terrible. So if you want streaks of color on yours cheeks and no color on your eye lids, then this is the eyeshadow for you!

2.Envie De Nuef Eye Mask (retail price $30-10 Sachets)
This eye mask claimed to remove lines/wrinkles, so obviously I was skeptical. It had to sit under your eyes for 15 minutes, so I used it while I took a bath. I could feel it tingle slightly. The mask was pretty big, it went under my eyes and down to my lips. I don't really have wrinkles on my cheeks so next time I might cut off a little bit of it and put it above my nose where I have a gigantic wrinkle! (always wear your sunglasses) After I took the mask off and the serum dried, I noticed that my skin was very tight where the mask had been and the wrinkles were not there! I expected to see them come back this morning, and they are still gone. I assume they will be back in a few days because the directions say to use the mask once or twice a week. I think this is a great product and the 10 pack would last about 2 months. Its a pretty good value.

3. Global Goddess Coconut Hair Treatment (retail price $20.99)
They sent 2 samples of this hair treatment. This product can be used many different ways. It can be used as a body oil, overnight hair treatment, or a 30 minute hair mask; which is the way I used it. After its sits for 30 minutes you shampoo and condition as normal. Because I take my baths at night I let my hair air dry. I didn't use any other products on my hair like I normally do. When I woke up my hair was very soft and shiny.

4. Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion (retail price $8.99)
I've used this lotion before. Who hasn't used this lotion before? I like the cream better than the lightweight lotion, but on the bright side they included a $1.00 off coupon for any Cetaphil product.


5.Model Co Lip Shine in Tease (retail price $16.00)
This lip gloss is the same brand as the mascara that I got in the Birchbox this month. It has the cute little mirror attached to the tube. It went on creamy and smooth. The color was gorgeous, great for an everyday lip color. This is one of my new favorite lip glosses!

 My overall opinion this month is fairly satisfied! This is the 2nd month that I have been receiving this subscription and this month's box was better than last month's box. I still like the IPSY glam bag the best.

www.beautybox5.com

Ramen Noodle Upgrade-Gangnam Style

I love ramen noodles! So when I saw this recipe to upgrade my noodles, I couldn't resist trying it. Who doesn't want an upgrade?

Surprisingly, the recipe is from Ms. Martha Stewart.  I didn't know she allowed ramen noodles in her kitchen?  I guess prison can teach a girl a few things!

The thing that was great about this recipe was that I had everything in my cupboard to make it. I never have everything that I need in my cupboard. I guess I was destined to have a ramen noodle upgrade. Lucky me!

Here's how you make them...

Gangnam Style Ramen Noodles 

                               (I named them myself, makes them sound so cool, don't ya think?)

Ingredients

• 1 package Ramen noodles
• 1 pack chicken flavoring 
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha chili sauce  
• chow mein noodles to garnish  

Directions

  Add boiled water to noodles, let sit for 3 minutes. Drain off most liquid. Add the flavor packet and mix. Toss with soy sauce, peanut butter, and Sriracha. Garnish with chow mein noodles. Eat immediately.

   Side note... This makes 1 serving.  I added snow pea crisps for more crunch. If you don't like spicy food use less or none of the Sriracha chili sauce. I happen to love spicy food so it was perfect for me, but it was hot. Hey Spicy Ladies!!!

This ramen dish is so delicious and very filling. I recommend it to everyone! The fun thing about it is that you can pretty much add anything you want to it. You could add cooked chicken, peanuts, or cashews...just to name a few. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

***UPDATE-We had this for dinner tonight, I bought a head of lettuce and chicken. We turned them into lettuce wraps. THEY WERE SO GOOD!

What the Frankfurter?

I saw this Hot Dog Slicer at Walmart and had to have it! It is suppose to make cutting your hot dogs much more simple. I didn't know I needed to simplify my hot dog cutting?  But why not, instead of just putting a knife in the dishwasher, I would rather hand wash this! So here's how it works (in case it wasn't obvious)

1. Take the dog off of his stand.

 2. Place a hot dog on the green platform.

3. Place the dog back on his stand and press down, then take the dog off of his stand once more.

4. And, TA DA you have a sliced hot dog!

Who wouldn't want one of these amazing slicers! And for only $3.98 it can be yours. You can even put ketchup in his bowl and use it as a fancy hot dog server!

A Great Day For A Waffle!

On my way to taking London to school this morning, I noticed a cute food truck sitting in front of a business by my house. I had to stop! I love food trucks, I love how "city" they feel. If I had any talent in the food department I would totally own one.

This truck is called Waffle Love. They had 4 specialty waffles to choose from. They also had Belgian waffles that you can add any topping to. The prices range from $3.50-$8.00. I chose the specialty waffle called Red Wonder. It was $8.00.  It had half strawberries and half raspberries with Biscoff and cream.

At first, I thought that sure isn't a cheap waffle, BUT once I tasted it...HOLY COW! It was the most amazing waffle that I had ever had. It was worth every penny. The waffle itself had a similar texture as a croissant, but a lot more dense. It was slightly flaky on the outside and very smooth and chewy on the inside.  There was a biscoff spread on it. What's biscoff you ask? I didn't know either...I had to google it! How lame am I : ) According to the Biscoff website, it is a sweet, creamy spread made with Biscoff Cookies. It is soooo delicious, that might become a staple alongside Nutella at our house. The cream was extremely good. The strawberries and raspberries tasted like they were just picked from the garden...

I DECLARE WAFFLE LOVE THE BEST WAFFLES IN THE WORLD!

 Find this truck at www.facebook.com/waffleloveutah  and on twitter and instagram @waffluv

Great Artwork

They cater...maybe they can deliver breakfast to me every morning!

I love his "chef" outfit! He looks just like the little chef statue I have in my kitchen!

 

November Birchbox

Today I received my November Birchbox . This is another beauty product monthly subscription that I have signed up for.  It costs $10 a month and that includes shipping.  It comes in a little brown box. The contents were...

1. Color Club Nail Polish in Put a Pin In It (retail price $8)
This nail polish was not a full size product, but the color was very cute. It is a rose gold shimmery color. Which is very IN right now. It looked great on, it was a nude color with a little bit of pizzazz! 

2. Lulu Organics Hair Powder scent Lavender and Clary Sage (retail price $30)
This hair powder is a dry shampoo to be used in between hair washing days. It smelled AMAZING! A little goes a long way especially if you don't want white hair. I'm not very coordinated and ended up with it in my hair and all over my shirt. I will probably just continue to use the dry shampoo that I have in a areosol bottle.

3.ModelCo Fibre Lashxtend Lengthening Mascara in Black (retail price $24)
This mascara went on smooth and was not clumpy at all. I'm not sure that my lashes looked much longer than any other mascara. It was a more natural look and I prefer a more glam look. The mascara had a mirror attached to the tube which I find very convenient.

4. Stella Cadente Parfum scent Miss Me (retail price $35-$69)
This perfume smelled good it had a very clean powdery smell. It reminded me of Barbie Dolls and Cabbage Patch Dolls. 

5. SoyJoy Snack Bar flavor Cranberry (retail price $6 -5 pack)
This snack bar was very yummy! They are natural gluten-free bars made with real cranberries. I am totally buying more of them.

My overall opinion this month is moderately pleased. This is the 2nd month that I have been receiving this subscription and I will continue to receive it but I prefer the Glam bag from IPSY. It has good products but they are generally a sample size.

http://www.birchbox.com/

November Glam Bag

Today I received my IPSY November Glam Bag.  This is a beauty product monthly subscription that I have signed up for.  It costs $10 a month and that includes shipping. Each month I receive a cute little makeup bag filled with surprises. This month the bag was brown with a pretty gold zipper. Very chic, it will match my LV purse. Drum roll...and the contents are!

1. Nailtini Nail Lacquer in Millionaire (retail price $13)
This nail polish is a very cute gold sparkle. It would look great over any color. It applied very evenly, unlike some sparkly nail polish. I would buy this polish in more colors!

2.BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Daredevil (retail price $18)
This lip gloss is a very pretty plum color. I have used bareminerals lip gloss in the past and have been very happy with way the color stays on your lips. This color went on and was very creamy and smooth. The color went on a little lighter than it looks in the tube. But I love the way it looks on my lips!

3. Chella Defining Eyebrow Gel in Clear (retail price $18)
This eyebrow gel had a pretty strong nail polishy smell. A good amount of product came out on the wand and it applied smoothly. My eyebrows felt smooth after it dried. They weren't left feeling crunchy.

4. Starlet Intense Eyeliner in Chocolate (retail price $11)
This eyeliner went on very fluidly. The color was also great to use as an eyebrow pencil.

5.theBalm Meet Matt(e) Eyeshadow Platte in Matt Batali (retail price $34.50 -9 color pack)
This eyeshadow seemed to have a high pigment quality. The color went on easily. I usually buy shimmery eyeshadow so I am very pleased to have a matte color in my collection.

My overall opinion this month is very satisfied! This is the 2nd month that I have been receiving this subscription and I would recommend it to everyone. It has great products and I think it is a pretty good value.

http://www.ipsy.com/ 

 

The beginning of something new!

Most of my adult life I have left my Husband, Family and Friends wondering why I'm always changing things.  I started wondering myself if there was something wrong with me?

 I have been a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead. I have had long hair and short hair. I have sold every product out there, Mark Kay, Lia Sophia, Cookie Lee, Beauti Control... and not stuck with any of them. I'm constantly changing my house decor and my personal style. I try beauty product after beauty product.

 AND I finally realized, there is nothing wrong with me! I just LOVE to try new things. I find it very fun! I am someone who learns through experiencing it myself. Even if someone says oh that movie was terrible, I still have to see it for myself.  Sometimes I like the new things I have tried and sometimes I hate them-like the pixie haircut I got a few years ago. So I decided to blog about all of the things that I try-for the people out there that don't like trying new things, you can check in with me to determine how it worked out.

I hope you enjoy my blog! I hope you learn about products you may be interested in. If nothing, I hope you will get a laugh at my expense!