Magnetic Letters DIY...

Well.... it has been a crazy few days.  A lot is changing in my life right now.  Between getting my certification and a new job all in one day, putting in my two weeks notice at my old one, and taking care of my dad (teaching him some new tricks) I've been super busy.  

The weekend is coming and I'm visiting some great friends that have 4 little ones.  So I'm not willing to go empty handed.  Being the ever fun "crafty" Auntie I am I had to come up with something adorable to take to them.  So here you have it:

DIY Magnetic Letters

Birchbox June Customization Time!

Hello all!

I had a wonderful weekend off and even though my first adventure into nail stamping turned out a half fail I learned some things.  The #1 thing I learned from my failure?  Make sure you clean your stamper and plate with alcohol not acetone.  My acetone has vitamin E and aloe in it which caused the nail polish to giggle... and then it stayed firmly in the metal plate.  After I wiped it down with acetone to clean it then alcohol to 'degrease' it I got it to work. (messily, so no pics for you!)  

Next time, I promise pictures everywhere!

But I digress....  What I really want to talk about is the Birchbox choices for June!  I finally got my e-mail from Birchbox saying it was time to pick out what I want.  Here is what they sent:

So this month Birchbox gave us the choice to have one of two different sunscreens (perfect for the June sun!), Dermaclear Micro water (a quick fix to a dirty face), a pair of firming eye gels, or the editors box (The Tig).

I honestly was going to choose the sunscreen, but I looked in my closet at the 6 bottles I already have and thought better of it. The eye gels look super fun to use and who doesn't want firm eyes?  But I have a problem with products that provide so much waste because they are one and done.  I'll stick to a cooling eye gel mask that is reusable thanks!

So that leaves the editor box or the micro water.  There were a lot of things in the editors box I liked.  To be honest the only reason I didn't select it is the perfume sample.  My husband is SUPER allergic to almost all perfumes.  I learned a looooong time ago not to wear that stuff anymore. 

Micro water it is!  I think it will be perfect for me. I do a lot of yard work this time of year, so having the option to refresh my face quickly, remove dirt and makeup, all in a gym-bag friendly adorable size?  Yup!  Sounds like a win for me.  I can't wait to try it out!

So what are you all getting in your Birchbox?  Did anyone pick the editors box?  I would love to know the product you are most looking forward to!

~Love Thyselves!

Jeanette

Happy Memorial Day!

If you have the day off; in between all the gardening, grilling, fun-ing in the sun-ing make sure to take a moment and remember what this day is really about.  This is a day in memory of all our fallen soldiers.  So please, take a moment of silence for them and then tip your hat to these brave men and women because they are the reason you have your freedom (and the day off).

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When I was browsing the internet I came across all these amazing patterns on nails and I didn't understand how all these ladies were accomplishing it.  What do you know.  It is a process called nail stamping.

Well I'm loving the idea so after looking more into it I found that this is the basic process:

 

I've worked hard around the house and in the yard for the last two days and I thought today would be a great day to change the pace and have a girls day!  I made a recent purchase of 50 nail stamping plates so I'm heading over to my mother-in-laws to try them out!  (Yes, we get along.  No, I'm not pretending to)  She is a fellow polish lover and I'm sure she will love all the designs.  

If we are even the slightest bit successful at this endeavor I will take pictures to post them later.  Wish us luck, this will be a first!!


Jeanette

Homemade Peaches and Cream Cuticle Balm...

So with the holiday weekend comes the honey-do lists that need to be taken care of.  After the lawn was cut, the garden weeded, the flowers planted, the flower beds mulched, the kitchen cleaned, and the laundry folded came a little time for myself.

With the idea that I needed to have a little luxury for myself I set out to make my own cuticle cream.  After playing all day in the dirt my hands needed a little TLC.  So here is my DIY to making your own cuticle balm to help out those hard working hands!

Peaches and Cream Cuticle Balm

 

First you are going to need to purchase the ingredients for the balm.  Now, I had most of them on hand from previous DIY beauty and bath projects so it wasn't a big deal for me.  But if you are clueless as to where to buy your quality products here is a list of the places I frequent.  

May Yarnbox Unboxing...

Good day to you all!  

I'm so very much excited to announce that I received my Yarnbox Classic today!  I would like to thank my hubby for this box. He bought me the subscription when I was feeling down in hopes that it would cheer me up. *hugs* 

This is my very first Yarnbox so I'll let you know my first impressions of the service and what I think of the value of the box itself.

So Yarnbox is a monthly subscription service that sends quality artisanal yarns to your doorstep.  Included in every box is at least 2 skeins of yarn as well as patterns that you can knit or crochet (depending on craft preference). 

The thing that I found wonderful is that Yarnbox has you fill out a questionnaire about your crafting and color preferences.  They won't send you certain colors if you ask them not to.  You can even select if you don't want to work with lace weight or bulky yarns.  I kept my profile open for the most part.  I did tell them that my main craft is knitting, I like all colors, and I don't like working with bulky yarn (I prefer delicate work and intricate patterns).

Long Holiday Weekend Ahoy!

So I should be getting some love this weekend in the form of a Yarnbox.  Until I do I thought I would share with you a little honey-do list I made for myself for this holiday weekend:

•  Garden.  That's right! Its finally safe for me to plant those flowers and make my yard shine! 

• DIY Chalk.  I'm going over my to my friends house next weekend and I never go empty handed.  They have 4 kids and I'm sure they'll love this chalk I'm going to make in different shapes for them!

• Cuticle Oil. Batch #2.  The first batch I made with a wonderful lemon essential oil that not only smells great but strengthens nails.  Unfortunately with summer on its way any citrus essential oils can be photo-sensitizing.  So it's time to whip up a batch that can be used by the poolside.  (By the way, this too makes an excellent gift.  Especially for overworked exhausted mother's of 4)

• Lotion Bar.  Hubby has been asking me to make these for him since I first got into making my own lotions and bath products.  I wrote them off as too simple.  Now I'm taking a second look and seeing if I can add my own twist.

• Plan my next knitting project.  I want to dig out some yarn and start organizing my stash, while I do that I hope a project taps me on the shoulder.

• Clean.  Yeah no fun.  Needs to be done.  'Nuff said.

• Family. Time to spend some quality time with the Mother-in-Law.  I think we are going to play with the nail stencils I acquired  (shhh.... she doesn't know about them)

• Friends. Long overdue quality time with some gal pals that need hugs.

What kind of plans do you all have for the Holiday? 

~Jeanette

June Julep Maven Reveal...

So I can't help myself the colors Julep put out this month are amazing!

So after looking at them. Over and Over and OVER... I think I have what I want figured out.  First of all I'm not selecting any of the Jelly polishes.  I'm not a fan of the finish so I'll hold off on those.  However, I am indulging in 5 of these lovely shades.  And really I'm doing so because I just got a new nail stamping kit and I can't wait to play with it.  (stay tuned for that fun!)

So the conclusion I reached??  I'm getting the top 3 polishes as well as the 2nd and 3rd in row 2.  So lime green, pale pink, shimmery sky blue, coral, and a periwinkle blue.  I think this will be super fun to experiment with the nail stamping.

So thank you Julep... I'm now officially and addict!

*runs away laughing maniacally* 

Shhh.... Spoilers! Julep June Selections!

So I've been trying very hard to not stumble upon spoilers for the boxes before they arrive.  However, in Julep's case you can't help it.  From the 20-24th you log in to your account and make your selections for your monthly box.  Of course Julep has already leaked the June information in a online chat session as to what each style profile will have in their boxes.

So I'm having a bit of trouble deciding what I want to get inside of my June box.  Here are the options, Julep's theme this month is called The Deep End Collection:

Luxe up your lips in Blushing Rose

Isabela, a rich blue creme polish

Polly, a pretty pink shimmer polish

May Birchbox Review...

Hello and a wonderful Tuesday to you all!

I just have this one last box to go over with you all and I'm officially caught up!  I have a Yarnbox on the way and few selections to make in the next couple days, however, for now I can focus on the DIY and crafting bit!  (and boy do I have one brewing!)

So I'm a bit of a makeup novice.  I'm amazing at stage makeup.  I can make some really scary Halloween makeup.  But to give myself a normal day to day look... yeah novice.  So in order to improve my beauty know how I subscribed to Birchbox. 

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box that sends 5 samples (sometimes deluxe size or even full sized) of high-end beauty products to your doorstep for only $10.00 a month.  I'm excited about June because they have already announced that a full sized sample will be coming with every box! You can also sign up for a year subscription in advance and pay $110 dollars (a $10 a year discount and most of the time you can find a coupon for a free full sized item with your year subscription).

Also Birchbox has branched out and started a Men's subscription box for $20 a month.  Inside you can find manly grooming products as well as tech gadgets, socks, and other items of interest.

One thing I liked about Birchbox is that they have a points system.  You earn points when you purchase a box, when you purchase items from their store, when you refer friends, and the great part... when you review the items in your box.  Every 10 points is worth a dollar in their online store!  Every review I make on one of their samples is 10 points.  This can rack up to a deep discount on a product or a free product rather quickly. 

My only complaint is that the box is so tiny.  However, considering that it contains samples it makes sense.  It's actually kind of adorable.  But to give you a sense of size I took pictures of it with a q-tip and with my computers mouse.

So here is the very first box I received.  Please note that I used a coupon code to receive the RMS Beauty Lip Shine for free and it was not part of the box itself.

Mystery Box Monday! May Julep Mystery Box Review...

Top of the Monday to you all!

I have been in the midst of insanity and wanted to review these boxes earlier, but alas life happens!

So Julep recently released their May Mystery Box and after seeing the absolutely adorable bag in fun spring colors I had to have it. (I just kept thinking what an adorable project bag it would make for my knitting projects)  Again I believe they are evil marketing geniuses over there because I keep ordering their stuff!

So if you want my opinion and first impressions of Julep, please read my Welcome Box review blog.  I go into much more detail.  The May Mystery Box was being sold for $29.99 with optional mystery add-ons for $4.99, $9.99, and $14.99. Now I want to show you the goodies I got!  Keep in mind this box was entirely a surprise (well except for the Argan oil I ordered in the impulse buy window).  Julep only gave the promise of a spring theme.  I also purchased the Major Mystery Add-on with this so keep that in mind.

Here's what I received:

 

 Now this was taken when I first recieved the box in the mail.  I was super impressed!

 

So here is the breakdown...  The bag, top row of colors and the mascara and lip gloss were all part of the original mystery box.  My understanding is that the Duo for hands and the other two colors are the mystery upgrade that I selected.  Also, if you care to look before purchasing the mystery box there is usually a code for a free nail polish, so that white-ish sparkly one is my freebie.

Subscription Sunday! Julep Welcome Box Review...

Happy Sunday!  

As I said before I'm going to give this themed day thing a try.  At least for Sundays so that I might share with you all my boxes that I get.

The previous post about nails was actually intended to be this review, however, it got out of hand and ended up more of a story and tutorial than how I ended up with a nail polish subscription.

With my new-found obsession with my nails I thought to get nail polish and do them up occasionally.  Well when I found Julep, it was love at first site.  Let me tell you of my weakness:  packaging.  That's right, I am a total sucker for cute and well thought out packaging.  So Julep's little stylish nail polish bottles and colors instantly attracted my attention.  And the first box free?  yes please! 

So this review is my take on Julep Maven, its nail polishes, packaging, thriftiness, and cool factor.  I paid out of my own pocket for this subscription.  (so the company holds no power over my opinion)  Julep is a monthly subscription box company that costs $24.99 a month, or $19.99 a month if you purchase three months at a time (which I did)  When you become what they call a "Maven" you then receive a discount of 20% on all products and free shipping.  Also there is the option of skipping a month of your subscription if you don't like the color collection, or (and here's the fun part) you can send a month to a friend as a surprise.

Also let me tell you that Julep knows how to keep a customer engaged in their products!  They open your Maven Box from the 20th-24th of each month.  This is the opportunity to select your nail polish colors, swap for beauty products, change your beauty profile, send your box to a friend, or say "naw, not this month".  The boxes start shipping on the 27th. So as you are waiting for your box to come and you think you are done for the month they open a Secret Store.  Only available to Mavens, this store usually opens on the 1st and contains items at deep discounts for a limited time period (maybe a week).  Once the Secret Store goes away then you have a small break before Julep releases their Mystery Box on around the 15th.  They curate one every month and try to make it season appropriate. Again they sing of amazing deals ($150 of product) for just $29.99.  They do this EVERY month.  Evil.  Pure marketing evil genius.

So without further ado let's start out with the box.  It was advertized to me as this:

 So yes, with those bright colors dancing in my head I clicked on over to Julep's site and subscribed.

The Healing of Nails...

So first off let me start with a confession.  I'm a reformed nail biter.  Almost my entire life I've had horrible nails.  I had long given up on the hope that I would ever have nice ones.  I would come up with many excuses as to why I would never have nice nails:

"I don't have the right finger shape"
"My nail beds are too short"
"I have my Dads fingers"
"I'm too artsy and hands on for nice nails"
"I'm in too many chemicals on a daily basis"
"I don't have time to keep up with nice nails"

The list goes on and on.  I really had a lot of reasons my nails sucked.  But the simple truth?  (and I'm keeping it real here)  They were always in my mouth.  I would file my nail edge with my teeth.  I would get those pesky hang nails by chewing them off.  In hopes of getting nicer nails I would get manicures at nail salons (and being ignorant in terms of beauty stuff in general) that had power tools and clippers-of-doom that ruined nails and cuticles alike.  I never moisturized.  Certainly never used silly things like cuticle oil or nail strengthener.  I just had a lot of bad habits that made my nails horrendous.  

Then one day it all stopped.  I think it was mid-scurry of me trying to get a baby blanket knit as a gift that I just stopped all these bad habits.  The blankets yarn was drying my hands out so I actually moisturized.  I started taking a hair skin and nails vitamin and in my craze of getting the blanket done, I kept my hands out of my mouth.  Next thing I knew I had nails.  And they were pretty healthy.

So what's the first thing I did with these new found keratin based accessories on my body?  Well I took them to a butcher shop called a nail salon of course!  I got myself a nice looking manicure in a bright springtime color and was happy with the results.  But after a day my cuticles started looking red, swollen, dried out, and nasty.  Alas!  I was doomed to bad nails!  Even a manicure couldn't save me!! 

With tears of desperation streaming down my face I consulted the Google-gods. What do you know!  Everything I was doing was wrong.  Clipping your cuticles are evil.  A good portion of nail salons are evil.  And there was still hope for my hands.  Here is how they are now:

This is honestly the healthiest my nails have ever been!

    




 
So here is a step-by-step guide on how to get yourself to nail and cuticle nirvana as well:

A New Way of Looking at Things...

Hi everyone!

This will be my first ever post of the first blog I've ever had.  Needless to say I'm a newbie so you will all have to deal with any blog-ignorance or fuax pas that I accidentially stumble upon.

So I suppose I should start with a mission statement of sorts.  I guess this is my little corner of the world where I can remind others (and myself) that while taking care of your family, friends, loved ones, perfect strangers, charities and the like is a noble and just thing to do.... sometimes you have to take care of, love, cherish, and spoil yourself as well.  Hence the blogs name... To Thyself be Kind.

This will be about all the little obsessions I have, the products I like, the hobbies I adore, the time I find for myself, and the crazy projects that I tackle.  I think I want a theme for the days of the week I post.  But honestly I'm having a hard time convincing myself its not cheesy.  Maybe I'll try it out just to keep me on track with posting.

Quick info about my current obsession...  Subscription Boxes

Wow!  Why didn't I know about these sooner!  Its like getting little surprise gifts to your door.  I can't seem to get enough of these right now!  A great idea if you are in love with certain products (*cough* yarn *cough*)  or if you just want try new things out without a major monetary commitment. 

My husband is to blame for getting me started.  I really wanted the Yarnbox and was looking at reviews and the like for days.  Finally when I was having a particularly bad day he decided to cheer me up by subscribing me to the service! 

Well... that just opened the flood gates.  I still haven't gotten my first yarnbox because of the schedule they send them out on, but I have received my first Julep Maven box and Birchbox!  I will be doing separate posts on each with full reviews and thoughts so far on their services.

That's all I have until box reviews are posted!

Until next time, take care of thyselves!