Extra! Extra!

Straight out of BUST Magazine: DYI nail newsprint nail polish. Will try tomorrow, stay tuned for results.

Best Strawberry and Sugar Cookies!

Sharing a great new find with you all, this is a great cookie, use less sugar and more strawberries if you're watching your waist. Yum!

http://simple-nourished-living.com/2009/recipes/dessert/easy-strawberry-shortcake-cookie-recipe/

Masked

No clue where I found these, but they are great, here is another recipe for a home made mask, this one is for the eyes. Again, check for allergic reaction before you apply anything to your face. Since the eye area is sensitive, this might be a great mask to try with a friend.

2tsp. peeled, grated organic cucumber
1tsp. powdered milk

Mix into a paste, apply to closed eyes on the entire area, leave on for 10 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Masked

Oily Skin All Purpose Mask:
The recipe is a variation on the avocado mask specifically for dry skin. As always check and make sure you have no allergic reactions to any of the ingredients before applying mask to your face.

1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. dry black tea
1 tsp. clover honey
1 egg white
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
2oz. row acorn squash or pumpkin


Mash all ingredients, apply to face for 10-15 minutes, rinse off with warm water, pat dry.

Masked

Dry Skin All Purpose Mask:
A great recipe for a face mask, as always, make sure you are not allergic to any ingredients before you apply the mask on your face.

1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. dry black tea
1 tsp. clover honey
1 egg white
1/2 avocado
1 slice fresh peach

Mash and blend all ingredients and apply mask evenly on face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and rinse with warm water and cloth.

Friends, Beer, Chemistry - Sounds Like a Party!

Ever find yourself in this situation?  Food is all done and out on the buffet table, the music is playing, the grill is hot, friends are ringing the door bell and oh! you forgot to chill the beverages.  Not to worry, science to the rescue. My favorite TV personalities, the Mythbusters, have demonstrated that getting beer to it's perfect drinking temperature takes only 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes. How? you ask...

...by adding a mixture of salt & water to the ice in your cooler. The salt melts the ice and lowers the waters freezing point resulting in water that is as much as 10F colder almost instantly.  Use a generous amount of salt for large coolers, just pour it on. Room temperature beverages will chill to perfection in 5 minutes. 

Cheers!

Childhood Favorite

One of my lovely bridesmaids sent me a link to Martha Stewart's "Good Cootie Catcher" - the idea is cute but the design of it is very basic. I customized mine and made it my own using an ornate font and changing the rules back. Let me know what you think!

Comfy Shoes

Here is an idea that I want to share, because it's that good! Throw a Shoe-Stretching-Party! As soon as all my bridesmaids and I purchase the shoes for the wedding day, we are going to throw ourselves a few. Wearing new, tight shoes for the first time will result in discomfort, pain, and maybe even ... blisters! Hosting a few of these parties will ensure that the shoes are doing their job of accessorizing the perfect dress.

Here's what to do. Grab some of your favorite movies or music, light finger snacks, and some bubbly to celebrate the new purchase. Put the shoes on; the short walks to the kitchen and bathroom and the dancing will help to get the shoes stretched, but just wearing them during a movie can do the trick as well.

Do not wear outside! You want to break the shoes in, not ruin them. Of course, this idea is not reserved for the wedding party, any pair of shoes is a reason to celebrate with your friends. Enjoy!

I am not licking all those envelopes!

Until self-sealing envelopes are the inexpensive standard we have to stick to the good ol' dry glue envelope. Just discovered a great new way to moisten the glue strip without getting water all over the desk. Polar fleece! It works very well, it holds the water, so no dripping and glides smoothly unlike paper towels. Highly reccomend it! and before you go and cut up your old fleece sweatshirts or scarves, message me, I will send you a swatch. :)

Glitter Shoes - Step by Step.

Glitter shoes are a show stopping accessory but hard to find or very expensive. This is a do-it-your-self option that is very easy. You will need:
- one pair of inexpensive shoes of your preference
- glitter in the color of your shoes
- glitter glue matching the color of the glitter
- spray paint matching the color of the glitter
- paper cement
- spray on glue clear dry





















I bought a pair of heeled mary-janes in black, my desired look was silver, hence the spray paint. I used KRYLON premium in chrome silver.

First stuff the shoes with newspaper so that you don't spray paint the inside of the shoes.

If the spray paint runs a bit, it's ok, it will all be covered with glitter anyway.

Hold the spray can about 12 inches away from the shoe and with even motion spray both shoes. Let air dry for about an hour.

If you found shoes that are same color as your glitter,
you can skip this step.






























I did not like the strap, so I cut it off using an Excel knife. The knife sliced right trough the straps so there is a clean cut and you can not even tell they ever there.

Now for the fun part. Apply the glue in small sections and heavily sprinkle the glitter, then press it down carefully. Do so until the whole shoe is covered in glitter. Any small "holes" can be covered up with the glitter glue. Repeat with the other shoe and let dry for about an hour.






























After the glue has completely settled and dried, spray clear drying glue all over the shoe where you glittered. Use masking tape to hide any areas that you did not glitter and don't forget to stuff both shoes with newspaper again. Tah-dah!!! Glitz and glamour all on your own!

The Aspirin Mask

I head about this years ago, but could never get the recipe right. Thank goodness for YouTube!
Enjoy!!!

Coffee, not just for drinking.

Baby threw up on the couch? Last night's party got out of hand? Cover the stinky stain area with instant coffee to get rid of the odor. It eliminates it COMPLETELY! Be careful however, coffee might stain certain fabrics, especially the light colored ones, so test beforehand.

Goddamn Winter Itch!

I know, I know... it's only the middle of September, but my skin chose to ignore that. Woke up with itchy dry skin; arms and legs especially. Time to initiate the skin hydrating [and softening] regime... which is Johnson's baby oil gel w/ aloe vera & vitamin E.

Shower, soap, rinse and add a dime size drop of the oil gel on your loofah with the water running. apply to arms, legs, stomach, back etc... pat dry. Your skin will be a bit greasy for 5 minutes, then smooth and soft!

Enjoy!

Face Mask

I learned this one, aw... about 12 years ago. It's for tightening pores. The recipe is:
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon [fresh squeezed]
3 drops of vitamin E oil

Mix together and apply to face, carefully avoiding the eyes. Keep on for 10 minutes, rinse with warm water.

Whiter Teeth

Twitter is fantastic for great info, here is an article by Karina Timmel from Health.com:

"The secret to this inexpensive home whitening method is malic acid, which acts as an astringent to remove surface discoloration. Combined with baking soda, strawberries become a natural tooth-cleanser, buffing away stains from coffee, red wine, and dark sodas. While it’s no replacement for a bleaching treatment at your dentist’s office, “this is a fast, cheap way to brighten your smile,” says Adina Carrel, DMD, a dentist in private practice at Manhattan Dental Arts in New York. “Be careful not to use this too often, though, as the acid could damage the enamel on your teeth.”

You need:
1 ripe strawberry
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions: Crush the strawberry to a pulp, then mix with the baking soda until blended. Use a soft toothbrush to spread the mixture onto your teeth. Leave on for 5 minutes, then brush thoroughly with toothpaste to remove the berry–baking soda mix. Rinse. (A little floss will help get rid of any strawberry seeds.) Carrel says you can apply once a week."

An Informative Re-post from Naturalist David Mizejewski

10 Tips for Keeping Mosquitoes at Bay

1. Remove unnecessary standing water around your home. Typical hot-beds for mosquito reproduction are clogged gutters, flower-pot drainage dishes, children’s play equipment, tarps and any debris that can hold water.
2. Share this advice with your neighbors. Mosquitoes that emerge in their yards will easily travel to yours.
3. Empty and refill birdbaths every few days. It takes a minimum of about a week for the metamorphosis from egg to larva to pupa to winged adult to be completed, so this eliminates any chance that your birdbath will serve as a mosquito nursery.
4. Attract mosquito predators. Add plants to water gardens to attract frogs, salamanders and dragonflies and put up houses for birds and bats. Fish feed on mosquito larvae, just don’t release goldfish or other exotic species into natural areas.
5. Don’t use insecticides or put oil on the surface of bodies of water. This kills beneficial insects and mosquito predators and causes air and water pollution.
6. “Mosquito Dunks” that contain natural bacteria that kills mosquitoes can be added to water gardens without harming fish, birds or other wildlife. (Closely related insects, some beneficial, could be affected though.)
7. DEET-based repellants are effective but if you want to avoid synthetic chemicals, aromatic herbal repellents also work if applied frequently.
8. Avoid going outdoors at dusk, which is peak mosquito time, or wear long sleeves to minimize exposed skin that could be bitten.
9. Bug zappers aren’t effective against mosquitoes. Zappers do kill thousands of beneficial insects a night.
10. Mosquitoes are not strong flyers and the breeze created by a fan is often all you need to keep a patio or deck mosquito-free so you can enjoy the outdoors.

Dirty Nails

Recently I fell in mad love with a new nail polish color: Gunmetal Grey. The problem is that it is a dark color and it stains nails. I asked my manicurist if she could prime my nails with a clear top coat and then apply the gunmetal gray. It worked! My nails looked perfect and once the color came off my nails were not stained. I don't know why they ever stopped doing that.

Cucumber Madness!

According to a tweet by Good Health magazine, and i quote "Cucumbers contains silica, which improves the complexion & health of the skin. Plus, they're a good source of fiber, potassium, & magnesium."

For a simple but oh! so healthy salad, mix diced or sliced cucumbers with green seaweed, add some almond flakes and tah-dah! Bowl of delicious nutrition... effortlessly.

Rain drops keep falling on my... bbq...

Here in the New York area it's been raining every day for over a month... tonight my sister and I are hosting a bbq - it will probably rain again. So here is another party planning tip to add to the check list: tents and tarps. Tents if you have the extra $150 for rental, most of us do not, so tarps. Home improvement stores like Home Depot and Loews have semi-clear tarps for around $15. The semi-clear lets enough light so your guest don't have to fell like they're in a cave. To smooth out the crudness of the tarp, conceal the corners & decorate the edges with vine, lanterns, or streamers. :)

Peeling Skin Remedy

Peeling skin ruining your favorite outfit? Here is a great tip to smooth the edges of that peeling skin - use your favorite heavy hand cream. Neutrogena has a great one, but my favorite is Burt's Bees "Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey & Grapeseed Oil Hand Creme." For more info check out burtsbees.com.