THIS is my mothers day present

it's mothers day, and all i asked for was the time to sit down and write this blog post. no joke. that's my present. mostly because i took these pictures the day before we left on our cruise last week (that post is coming next) and so i spent all last week getting excited to write it all down and share the good news with you guys!

i LOVE a good before and after picture. but, because of my knowledge in editing and Photoshop from taking classes on it in college for years, i am very critical. if i see one thing out of place, i basically discredit the entire product review. so... with that said, let me give you a few disclaimers: no, i did not edit these pictures. but... a few things have changed between the before and after picture -besides my makeup- mostly the lighting in the room from my living room window was changing because instead of this routine taking me about 15 minutes like usual, it took me over an hour to finish because i had to take all the pictures with my tripod and remote as i went. so... the sun was starting to set as i finished. also, if you notice, my hair looks a bit darker in the second picture, that's just because i brushed out my curls right before i took the before picture, so they look lighter and fluffier. in the after picture, those curls had settled. i tried my hardest to stay in the same pose, with the same expression for all of the pictures. my sister says i look angry, but i promise i'm not, apparently this is just the face that's easiest for me to replicate picture, after picture, after picture.

now that we've got that covered, let's get onto what i did in order to evoke this transformation!

i skipped all of the moisturizers and primers and just started right in with the new bareMinerals bareSkin pure brightening foundation serum. you guys, this stuff is a dream. today i am wearing the shade "07 bare natural", it is a little darker than my natural skin color but that is on purpose since i have fake tan on my neck and body for the summer. (the fake tan i use is st tropez) i haven't even touched any other foundation since first trying this. it goes on so smoothly, and looks so natural that it even has my husbands seal of approval. he loves that it doesn't look cakey even from his up close view. he is a man that openly admits that he would rather see me in jeans and a tee shirt, with no makeup on and my hair in a ponytail. (sooooo not my style) so his approval is a big deal! i would highly recommend getting their foundation brush as well, it works perfectly when paired with their new serum. the "well" in the center of the brush makes the application of this product so easy and smooth. to apply this product, you just shake the container to mix, and start by dropping two drops into the well of the brush, buff in circular motions starting in the center of your face, or where you feel you need most coverage, and add more product a few drops at a time until you achieve your desired coverage. 1-2 drops is light coverage 3-4 drops is medium coverage and 5-6 drops is full coverage. i use 6 drops because i am slightly changing the color of my face to match my tan. if i was using a lighter color i am sure i would feel like i had enough coverage with three drops. also, some have asked if i use a powder to set the foundation... no, i do not. only because i haven't felt the need for it. the foundation dries pretty matte and i have normal to dry skin. if you have oily skin i would recommend setting this foundation with bareMinerals mineral veil. or, if you found that this product didn't stay all day like you wished, try using the powder to see if it helps. i have had absolutely no complaints about this product and so i haven't tried changing anything.

 ^^gotta love that my camera remote got it's 10 seconds of fame in this shot.

next i added some blush and bronzer. using bareMinerals bronzer in "warmth" and their buffing brush i created a subtle line in the hollows of my cheek from my ear to the center of my cheek and along my hairline. next i apply their blush in "beauty". using their flawless application face brush directly to the apples of my cheek and sweeping upward towards my temples.

 next i pencil in my eyebrows. i use anastasia's brow wiz skinny brow pencil in brunette. i love it because it is so easy to use. i have heard good things about the bareMinerals eyebrow pencil, but until i run out of this anastasia stuff, i feel no need to try anything else. i apply this with soft hairlike strokes along my eyebrow and use the spooley brush on the other end of the pencil to soften and blend any harsh lines. after filling in my brows, i highlight my brow bone underneath my brows and the inner corner of my eye with the anastasia brow duality chubby pencil in "camille sand". i have also used the bareMinerals eyeshadow color in "snow" to achieve this same highlighting effect in matte.

 next i do my eyeshadow. this vary's from day to day, i love to change up my eyeshadow looks depending on what activity i am going to do that day, or what i am wearing. today because i am going for a more natural look, i used my naked palette colors "naked" and "buck" in my crease to create some definition and draw attention to my eyes without the use of shimmer.

next i put on eyeliner using a light hand so that it is not too dark or too thick and one coat of mascara using bareMinerals lash domination. if i am going for a natural look i do only one coat on the top lashes, and if i want to show off the length of my lashes i do 2-3 coats. letting my mascara dry completely between coats and one coat on the lower lashes to balance out the eye.

lastly, i put on some lipgloss. the moxie lipglosses are by far my favorite lipgloss. i currently own 6 of their colors, -it's become quite an addiction- but, my current favorite for a natural look, and the color i am wearing today is the shade "rebel" it's a soft pink with no sparkle. my lips are pretty darn huge, so i need to stay away from sparkle if i'm wanting a natural look,  if your wanting some sparkle, my favorite is "spark plug"

^^i'm a deer in headlights, it's awesome.

makeup is one of those instant self esteem boosters for me, i love wearing it, but i love it even more if people don't instantly recognize that i have any on. this look is by far my most complimented makeup look, and i hope this helps you to create your own natural look!

 ...and now for a picture of me actually smiling to show how happy this makeup makes me feel!!! :) Happy Mothers Day!

We represent the lollipop guild and welcome you to munchkin land!

The wizard of oz has always been a favorite of mine, an older friend of mine was Dorothy in the school play when i was younger and because i idolized her, i inevitably idolized the "land of oz" as well. so, when i saw those red ruby slippers on sale at target about a month ago it all came together in my mind. we would dress Bay up as Dorthy,  i would be the scarecrow, Garr could be the tin man, and we would cut baxter's hair to look like the lion. well, after letting it grow out for a few months, we just couldn't get the whole dog/lion concept to work out so we just gave him a normal cut and brought him along as toto.

sans one member of the well known clan we still enjoyed ourselves on the rainy, coldest night of the week at the trunk or treat party. in the ward we all come together to let the kids "trick or treat" from the trunks of our cars, some trunks have fun little games to play and others are just plain ol' spooky. as soon as garrison caught on to the wizard of oz theme he decided to go all out. here's a picture of our truck "trunk"

 he made the wizard's castle out of shipping material from his work, and the witch was cut out of a piece of cardboard. we made dorothy's house a few weeks ago as a fun play house for bay and last minute decided we could use it as part of the scene squashing the wicked witch and leaving only her socks and some red shoes behind. we gave out lollipops from the "lollipop guild" and the yellow brick road from butcher paper. when night time came, we turned on some flashlights and lit up the wizard's castle which garrison had covered in glitter so it really sparkled.

oh, and garrison's arms were literally spray painted with silver paint, and his face, hair, and neck, with the silver/glitter hairspray stuff. somehow he always gets the uncomfortable costumes.

my first attempt at upholstery

this ottoman  from Target (and only $17.00!) has been used for so many things. i bought it when i first moved out of my house when i was 18. and have continued to find many uses for it from being a chair, to holding my printer, to now being a key part of Bayli's nursery. i love the storage space in the ottoman and have found it to be the only place in her nursery that fits all most of her blankets.

to be honest, when i started this project i really was just winging it. i have never done any work with home furnishings before (besides curtains which don't count in my opinion cause they are so easy...) i really was surprised by how simple this was, i guess because there is wood and staples involved it seemed daunting but to be honest it was much easier than making a shirt. but... because it was my first time doing anything like this, i only decided to do a tutorial for it halfway through the project, which means i'm missing a few pictures so, here's what we've got. -i am going to refer to the two pieces of the ottoman as the "body" and the "lid"-

Supplies:
1/4"/6mm staples
stapler/staple gun
1 yard of material (mine is from Hobby Lobby)
 knife/pliers (for removal of staples)
seam ripper
scissors
thread to match
pins
sewing machine

first you remove all the staples that hold the teal material and the black/brown lining to the wood. my husband did this with a knife and pliers. make sure you pay close attention to how they were stapled together as you will be replacing all those staples at the end of the project. (not pictured)

 next unpick the teal outer covering of the ottoman, this ottoman was held together with just bias stitches so it was a lot easier than i thought it would be. this is done because i used the unpicked pieces as my pattern. once they are unpicked you should have items like those pictured below.

 cut out the four sides of the body, i did this by folding the material in half, and in half again, then cutting out the rounded square on the non-folded corner. the left over material you will use to do the lid's top and sides and the binding.

 next you sew the four sides together (with at least a 1/2" seam allowance) by placing right sides together until you form a loop.

then sew that to the lining of the body. this is a bit tricky. there is a wood base that is inside the lining, so, making sure the right sides are together, pin and sew the two together (with 1/2"" seam allowance) by flipping the outer material inside out and placing it inside the lining all the while keeping the wood inside. you might need someone to help hold the wood upright while you sew.

check to make sure it fits around the frame of the ottoman, if it does, you are finished with the body... mostly.

next you do the binding of the lid, the styrofoam binding that the manufactures used, i just recycled and used again but they sell binding at the store if you want to use that instead. cut a 2" strip that is the length of the binding, fold in half with the binding on the inside (right sides out) and sew up next to the binding.

 i didn't know a more professional way to connect the two edges because the styrofoam would not slip through the material like a usual binding so i simply sewed them together and cut off the excess. this is the one "blemish" on my ottoman, but i could not figure out how to do it differently. if you know a way, then feel free to say so in the comments below.

next you cut out the rectangular sides and the top of the lid, using the pieces you unpicked as a pattern. make sure if you are using a material with a design that you match the designs up, for example you would not want your stripes to all be horizontal for the sides and vertical for the lid, etc. (not pictured)

now  make a loop out of the four side pieces then you pin them all together with the binding in the middle, right sides together.

sew. make sure that when you sew them together you hug as tightly as you can to the binding "poof" and be careful around the corners. this way, your stitches from when you sewed the binding inside won't show when everything is flipped right sides out and pulled taught.

 place over top of the lid to make sure it fits the way you want, if it does, you move onto stapling.

because you remembered where and how to staple the material to the frame, and the lining on top of it all, like i said earlier. i am not going to type it all out. also, i wasn't the one that did it so i honestly don't know. but, you want to make sure that you use staples that are 1/4"/6mm long. any longer and it might poke through. pull tight so that it looks professional, and cut off any excess that might show.

the finished product! i seriously love it, it looks so much better in the nursery than the awkward teal one it was before. i must admit, this upholstery thing is kind of addicting. i'm currently on ksl looking for some chairs or stools to do next!

Re-Vamping Shoes (with paint)

 these white shoes have only been worn once, but got those brown scrapes on the side from the rubber heel of the other shoe while walking. the toes were still nice and clean but the sides were just ugly. so, with some tape, newspaper and neon yellow paint, these shoes were transformed. unluckily they are my sisters shoes so i can't wear them but, i still think they are awesome and was so happy to do them for her.

i feel the pictures are self explanatory but if you'd like a description of what we did here ya go.
taped down newspaper in the area that we wanted to remain white.
used our Martha Stewart multi-purpose paint and painted the rest of the shoe. I just used a normal paint brush and it worked great. the shoes needed two coats in order to completely cover the scuff marks, making sure to let the paint dry between each coat.
remove tape and newspaper. all done.

we also painted this neon yellow onto a white pair of sandals of mine that were completely worn out. i thought these shoes were beyond repair, but i guess they just needed a new coat of paint. besides the soles, they look like new!

i used white shoes to paint on top of because i figured the color would turn out the best. depending on the material your painting, i assume you could use any color of paint. the overall color might vary depending on the original color of shoe. as a rule of thumb i'd paint at least one shade darker than the original shoe, or plan on doing multiple coats of paint.

Re-Vamping Shoes (with glitter)

you know those shoes that you bought a few years ago, you love them. they have finally, over the course of those years, become completely broken in. honestly, they are more like an exact mold of your foot. maybe they stink a little bit, and maybe they are a bit dirty but who cares. they are the most comfortable things ever. meet my shoes:

i knew that it was time to throw them away. but i just kept staring at them next to my garbage can, wondering if i should put them back in the closet or not. 

about this same time i started looking online for some cute glitter shoes. most of the ones that i liked were a similar style to my white shoes that were next to the garbage can. 

1+1=2! i would just modge podge glitter onto my already perfectly worn shoes! 

here's what i did to save my shoes from utter dispair:

-washed the shoes in the washer cause i'm lazy. it would be better to hand wash them with a tooth brush and  cleaner but... like i said, i'm lazy. 

-let them dry completely. this will depend on what material your shoes are. mine are leather so it took about 2 days to dry completely. 

-get your supplies:

clean shoes

modge podge or some other adhesive

glitter (i used martha stewart because her glitter is more fine than most and she has so many colors to choose from)

paint brush

tape (optional)

funnel (optional)

something to put underneath your shoes to catch excess glitter

container to pour modge podge into

-if you wish to tape sections off, do this now.

-next, in small-ish sections paint the modge podge directly onto shoes.

-quickly sprinkle glitter on top of modge podge making sure to cover well. it's better to dump excess glitter than having too little.

-tilt shoe on it's side and tap excess glitter off onto paper or whatever you have underneath.

-repeat until all of the shoe is covered.

-remove tape

-if the shoe is glittery enough, then apply one final coat of modge podge to seal it all in. **it will look white/milky but as it dries it will dry clear so don't stress. once that is dry (about an hour or two) your shoes are done!!

-if your shoe is not glittery enough, then repeat the entire process again. this will make a thicker coat so it could peel/chip away faster but, it really does make them sparkle. 

-if you run out of glitter than take the paper underneath with the glitter on it, fold it in half and pour back into glitter container. using a funnel for this would be best. if not, just be careful and tap the paper slowly. 

 **this is the "milky" effect i was talking about. don't worry, it will dry clear.

i did two coats and i ended up using about 1/2 the martha stewart tube. if i would have done the entire shoe i'm sure i would have needed the entire tube of glitter.

my sister and i compared our glitter shoes, hers are store bought and mine are DIY. we had lots of fun at the arcade in our glitter shoes. you should have seen us doing dance dance revolution... we drew a crowd. no big deal. :)

(i'm sure it was the glitter on our dancin' feet that caught the crowds attention.)