I am joining the Halloween train, y’all. I don’t usually decorate for this holiday – for two reasons: #1) I love my fall décor and really dislike the idea of taking it down and then putting it back up through Thanksgiving, and #2) I don’t really love spooky stuff and I’m not a huge fan, personally, of skeletons and skulls and severed fingers and zombies. (I don’t mind this stuff out for the actually holiday, but I don’t really like it in my own home for an extended period of time. I will say that I have seen some people use skulls and skeletons with flowers, and I think in the right space that looks so elegantly spooky – so if that’s your jam, you do you!)
However, having said all of that, my boyfriend Jake is a HUGE Halloween fan. I am still not at all planning to have bloody limb décor or anything too scary, but I am compromising and doing some more traditional Halloween décor. Things like traditional ghosts, classic jack-o’-lanterns, et cetera. I’m thinking lots of wood and twine to make it looks really rustic. I find that style to be charming and match more with my personal tastes.
I am only going to be decorating for Halloween for one week – because, seriously y’all, I love my fall décor. The week leading up to and including Halloween, I will incorporate several Halloween pieces I’ve found that are starting my future Halloween collection.
Yesterday, I made an additional décor set to go with the few purchased pieces I’ve found. So today, I’m going to take you along my DIY journey on how to make these cute, rustic candy-corn jar lanterns!
Here’s what you need: 3 mason jars; craft paints in white, yellow, and orange; paint brushes; 3 flameless votive candles; twine; glue gun & sticks.
First, it’s important that you know that the idea is to dry brush on the paint – so don’t wet your brush down. Instead, pour a little of each paint on a paper plate (or artist palette if you’re getting fancy).
I started with the orange paint in the middle. (And in case it’s been a calendar year since you saw candy corn, remember that the colors, from top to bottom, are white then orange and then yellow. I had to check because my organized mind wanted to put them in color-wheel order.)
When I brushed on the paint, I did the entire middle section – encompassing the “ball” raised logo on the jar. Once you’ve covered the middle, let it dry. If you’re short on time or impatient like I am, you can use a hairdryer on low to help the drying process along.
Then, paint the white section at the top. Only paint down to or on the first part of the raised wording/branding, and be sure to paint up to the lip at the top of the jar under where the lid screws on. You should let this dry now, too.
Finally, paint the bottom with yellow, covering the “mason jar” writing. Let this dry.
Once all of the paint is dry, screw the lid back on but without the flat-top seal lid. Essentially, you’re using the metal twist lid, open, for the sake of country décor. Trust me, it looks cute – gives it a little of a galvanized metal feel.
Now, get your hot glue gun ready and cut your twine. If you’re making three of these as a set like I did, you want to cut three lengths of about your wingspan. (Mine is about 5 feet, so that’s what I cut three times.) I then wrapped these around the top of the jar from lip to the start of the metal lid, using hot glue as I went to secure them in place. They don’t have to look perfect – in fact, a little imperfection looks great with a country rustic décor theme.
After these are securely glued on, I decided to add little twine bows to really up the quaint & cute factor. I tied these and then hot glued them on, using a dab of glue behind the knot of the bow and on the end of each tail.
Once all of your jar decorating is done, it’s time to place them and add the lights! I got my flameless votives from Walmart in a large pack for under $8 – you can get flameless tea lights at Dollar Tree too, but I like that the votives give a little more height, and I figured I’d get a bigger pack and use the others elsewhere in the future.
I absolutely love how these turned out! I think they add a fun, whimsical touch to my newly-acquired rustic & traditional Halloween décor!
What do you think? What Halloween DIY décor items do you love in your home? Comment below – would love to hear from you!
I’ve said it before: I am not a seasonal food person. I think if you like food, you should be able to eat it whenever you want, so that means chili in summer or hot cocoa in spring. However, some things are just the right amount of cozy for certain times of year. Think Christmas cookies or, in this case, crockpot soup.
I love homemade food, but as a working single momma hen, I don’t always have the time to make everything completely from scratch. Even before I was a mom, or when I was a mom but before I was divorced, I didn’t always have the time to make the homemade things I wanted. So, I created some easy hacks to still make the food I wanted without simply making things straight out of a box from the store. This soup is one of those hacks.
If you love a warm bowl of soup on a chilly day (or let’s be honest, any day), this recipe is something you have to try. All you need is a crockpot and the following ingredients:
one can of beef broth
3/4-1 cup of frozen corn
3/4-1 cup of frozen green beans
3/4-1 cup of frozen peas & carrots
onion flakes
salt & pepper
Before you start, I do recommend using liners because they’re not that expensive and they help keep your crockpot a lot cleaner. I didn’t have any in my cupboard when I made this batch, so you won’t see one pictured here, but I do prefer to use them usually!
Go ahead and add all of your veggies to the pot, then pour the broth in. If you pour the broth in first instead, your veggies will cause it to splatter, so I always do my vegetables first. Go ahead and stir everything up so that it’s all mixed together and you don’t end up with a pile of smooshed peas on the bottom.
Add onion flakes and then salt and pepper. Remember you can always add more salt and pepper later, but you can’t take it out once you add it in. My tip is to always salt and pepper moderately in the beginning, and taste test when the dish is closer to done.
Turn your crockpot on low for four hours. If you’re home and able to check it occasionally and stir it up, that’s great. If you’re not home, it should be fine, but I do recommend trying to be home a little before your four hours is up to stir it at least once or twice.
At the end of four hours, your veggies and broth should be hot. This is a great time to test for additional salt and pepper. Then it’s ready to serve alongside a grilled cheese, hot hoagie, or warm Italian or French bread.
My entire life, I have been deemed a “girly girl,” and, even as a certified #BoyMom of a superhero-and-sport-loving toddler boy now, that is still absolutely true. My makeup time sometimes is the only “me” time I get in a day, so I really try to take that time to get myself ready and feel good about myself.
In one of my summer blog posts, a post about yogurt parfaits, I got a little real about my struggle with an eating disorder and body image issues. I have to be really careful and intentional when it comes to body positivity and self-care. One of the ways I do that is by challenging myself to wear make up that enhances my existing features, rather than wearing too much makeup to alter how I look.
A few summers ago, I joined Avon as a representative. This was right after I had my son, and my budget changed completely when I had to make the decision to switch from breastfeeding to formula feeding, and I was beginning to run out of diapers provided from the baby shower. So my “extra” expenses, like personal care and makeup, were becoming difficult to justify. Avon had a low-cost sign up to become a representative and I knew that if nothing else, I could make enough to help cover the cost of my own cosmetics.
This isn’t an Avon call to join post, so I’m not going to spend a ton of time on the whole “join me” thing – instead, if you have questions, reach out to me anytime. This post actually features some other beauty vendors and companies, too, so I’ll be sure to share those as we go.
Let’s get into the makeup with me situation! I have found that taking the time to put on my cosmetics and spending some energy to make my makeup affordable has paid off in a big way for me. It makes me feel good to look good, but by making sure that I use products that compliment my natural looks also keeps me from spiraling back into an existing internal issue with body image.
I want to share the products and process I use to put on my makeup.
As a note, I always buy ELF makeup brushes. I usually pick mine up at Target or Walmart, but you can also find really cute sets on the ELF Cosmetic website.
I always start with a clean face. And while I promote healthy skincare, I also know that it’s unrealistic to think that all mommas or working ladies always take the time to wash and moisturize before bed. There are definitely mornings that I am waking up with yesterday’s makeup still on. I don’t have a picture of it, but I use and recommend Equate Beauty Night-Time Soothing Makeup Remover Wipes from Walmart. They’re affordable and the are fairly soothing to the skin. I try to use mine at night, but, like I admitted, I sometimes have to use them in the morning.
After I’m sure my face is fresh and clean, I’m going to start with primer and liquid foundation. I use Ink Lasting Primer, and I spread a small amount over my face. Then, I use Ink Lasting Foundation; the shade I use is C10 0 “neutral ivory.” I use a blender sponge first and then use a foundation brush to fill in places like under-eye circles.
After my foundation is set, I use a foundation powder. This one, Avon True Color Flawless Mattifying Pressed Powder, is actually no longer made, so I’m going to have to try another line soon – and you can tell I’m almost out. Then I use the Blushed in Love blush & highlighter palette, adding the blush to the apples of my cheeks and the highlighter to the top of my cheek bones right beneath my eyes, to the top of my forehead, and to the bridge of my nose to give some highlighted definition to my face structure.
Next is my eyes!
Y’all will find this shocking if you are knowledgeable about direct sales, but I actually use a Mary Kay Eyelash Curler. I bought it from my boyfriend’s sister when I didn’t have one available in my own brand, and I really love it.
After using this, I pull out my Mono Pop Eyeshadow Palette. I use one flatter-tipped eye shadow brush to brush on the darker shade I want to use. Then I use a larger eyeshadow blending blush to add in a lighter color – you can see the shade I use up most here.
After my eyeshadow is applied, I use ELF Cosmetic’s liquid eyeliner. I use more on my top lid, using just a little on the bottom lid to connect the outside corner of each eye and give a really small “wing” effect. I think big eyeliner wings can really work and look great, but I personally reserve them for bigger or more special occasions when I might really want to look “dolled up.” After eyeliner, I apply my favorite ever mascara, Love at 1st Lash. I apply 2-3 coats on the top lashes and a quick coat on the bottom lashes.
Then it’s on to the lips! I use Nivea’s Milk & Honey lip balm. It’s my favorite because it’s really soothing to my lips but doesn’t have a super sugary or concentrated flavor to it. I don’t know about y’all, but the allergens I experience in East Tennessee coupled with wearing a mask every day has my lips dried out for real – and I find myself using this a few times a day to keep them moisturized and soothed.
I also use lipstick on top of my lip balm. I like the color it brings, but lipstick can crack, so the foundation of balm helps. I use this shade of Sparkling Rose.
If you don’t use a setting spray, I highly recommend that you find one you like. Mine is True Color Setting Spray, but I know that companies like ELF make them too. These make a difference in the day-long lasting effect your makeup can have. I won’t say it WON’T rub off or wear off, but I do find that I get an extra couple hours’ wear out of my makeup when I spray it.
After that, I’m all done, and I just have to do my hair and get dressed!
What does your makeup routine look like? Do you have products you simply can’t do without? Comment below – I’d love to hear from you!
I have always liked the M&M cookies in the grocery store. You know, the ones that come in a plastic container and are made by the bakery and deli at the grocery store in your local neighborhood store? They have M&Ms or some attempt at M&Ms – some chocolate coated candy baked into them. And as a kid I always thought it was really neat how the color of the M&Ms absorbed a little into the cookie.
I wanted to figure out if I could make my own. I know there are a lot of recipes on Pinterest for cake batter cookies. My mom had handed me a recipe before for cake batter snickerdoodles – and it’s delicious. Now she, my sister, and I all make them.
I wanted to try my hand coming up with an M&M cookie recipe using cake batter as its main ingredient.
Here’s what I used:
1 box of Pillsbury yellow cake mix
1 box of M&Ms (think movie-theatre style box, but a bag or two would work too)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of cooking oil
I preheated the oven to 350F. Then I mixed my cake mix, oil, and eggs together until they were all blended well. It’ll create a sticky sort of dough.
I slowly stirred in my M&Ms so they are evenly dispersed.
Then, once your batter is all set, spray your cooking pan with a light dusting of nonstick baking spray (and yes I do this even if they are nonstick pans), and set down rounded, ball-like scoops of dough. I spread them apart pretty far here because I wasn’t sure how large they’d bake to be, but I think you could reasonably fit 6-8 on a standard-sized cooking sheet.
Bake at 350F for 10-11 minutes.
Y’all, these are so soft and delicious – I was surprised at just HOW good they were; I thought that with a made up attempt at a copycat recipe, they might not be super great, but here I am, blogging about them the very next day because I actually like them better than what I would buy from the bakery at my grocery store!
One batch should make about 18 large cookies, or, if you used smaller dough portions, 24 smaller cookies.
It’s fall, y’all! I know it’s just now September 1, but like I told my favorite Walmart cashier (and yes I have one because she is the sweetest), “if decorating early for fall makes you happy, then by all means, decorate early!” (We also talked about watching Hallmark Christmas movies, but that’s neither here nor there.)
I started prepping for fall weeks ago – and, honestly, I would have done a lot of decorating much earlier, but I decided that I had to get a larger project done alongside decorating: refreshing my living room.
When I first moved in, I had a lot of furniture that had been passed down to me from my grandparents. When my gram passed and my grandfather moved into assisted living, I was also in the process of moving into my first apartment with my now-former husband. My grandfather gave me a lot of furniture that he didn’t need as he moved from his apartment into a smaller assisted living space, and then when we bought our house, my mom handed off some additional furniture that was helpful. I had two bookshelves with storage cabinets in the bottom that were pretty worn, but worked well. I have used them for the past year, but for a while now, I’ve wanted to update the living room space of my rental, and I just knew that more modern shelves could do that.
before the living room refresh
My biggest concern was that I have a Queen Anne-styled sofa table that I use to display my TV, and it was a cherry color – so VERY traditional. I wasn’t sure how to merge the two styles I wanted, but I did want to keep the Queen Anne table, as it had been my gram’s and also fits my space perfectly. I also don’t love houses that have only one style in them – when someone says that everything they own is one style (whatever style it is), I cringe a little. I appreciate variation – and I think we are comprised of the things we love, and our homes should be, too.
I saved a little for new shelves, and I decided to refinish my Queen Anne table. I asked my mom if she thought my gram would have been okay with this, and she literally laughed – my gram was the queen of refinishing furniture. We decided she might be more offended if I didn’t.
My new shelves are from Walmart.com (click here to see the Gymax 4-Tier Ladder Shelves), and because they featured black and wood, I chose to refinish my sofa table black. I asked my dad what he would use to do this project, and he happened to have Miniwax PolyShades in black, which is stain and polyurethane all-in-one.
This was super easy to do – I simply had to use steel wool to scrape off a thin layer of the previous stain (not too much – you’re really just scrubbing off enough so that the new stain sticks), then using a paint brush to restain. I did 3-4 coats because I wanted a really thick, solid black color. This process took a few days because I did want the stain to dry between new coats, and I did use a little steel wool between each to let the next layer adhere a little better.
It’s by no means perfect, but I really do love how this piece turned out!
I also decided that, because my rental has wood paneling in the open concept living space, I should probably paint my wood and brown lamps a lighter, brighter color to pop off of the black and wood furniture. (Two of my favorite furniture pieces are the end tables that my dad got at a garage that he completely refinished for me, which have black wrought iron legs and wood tops – so the lamps standing out against these tables and the paneled walls was the goal.) I decided to take the lamps outside and do some spray painting. I used Rustoleum’s Heirloom White spray paint to paint all of these lamps, and I think they turned out even better than anticipated.
Since I had spent a few days working on the paint projects, and because I was still waiting on the delivery of my shelves, I figured I could shop, shop, shop for some updated fall décor! Last year, I had just moved into my rental around the fall season, so I didn’t buy a ton of décor, but I had about one box full of pumpkin-related décor items. I started sorting through that – and my two-year-old son kept picking things up enthusiastically, “pumpkins! Oh, I love it! Leafs, oh I love it!” It was precious. (He now has a felt leaf garland in his playroom on the window because he seemed to the love the fall décor so much.)
When I looked through what I had in storage, I realized I could use some more pumpkins and a few small items here and there. As I waited for my shelves, I went to a few low-cost décor places: Dollar Tree, Walmart, and Old Time Pottery. (If you haven’t explored an Old Time Pottery yet, you absolutely should! It’s one of my favorite stores – probably because my mom and gram used to love going in Ohio when I was kid – and the prices are great. My sweet boyfriend knows how much I love it, and since my son is on vacation time with his father this past weekend and week, Jake suggested that we make a trip. He never even complained, the whole time we were perusing the store – and we had such a good time looking around and finding some new fall pieces! Girls – get you a boy who takes you to craft and décor stores and makes the best of your shopping sprees. That’s love.)
I’ll take some time below to show off the completed living room all put-together as well as to show off the new fall décor pieces I found this season!
We’ll start outside. The first picture is my front porch, which, as I’ve said before, is a huge blessing! The original owners of the house built it backwards, so the front faces away from the road or driveway, but it’s because this view is breathtaking! So every season, I feel like I need to decorate a sweet space to see the view. This year’s was primarily brought to us by Walmart’s seasonal section – the pumpkins, gord, flowers, square hay bale, and pillows are all from Walmart. The scarecrow was a Dollar Tree purchase, and the fall sign was actually a reused piece of decor from last year.
The sitting area in my car port (featured in my spring blog here) was a quick fix this year for me – probably an area I can invest more in next year. I just grabbed a few small signs from Walmart. The door though, is a spot I love. My sister made this twine wreath for me right before I moved into the rental house, so I wanted to display it on the door. I’ve started adding floral picks or wood signs to give it a little seasonal flair, and this sign was under $2-3 at Walmart and the pick was under $1.
When you come through the door pictured above, you step into my kitchen. I have a few small touches of fall in the kitchen. The ceramic glass pumpkins are from Dollar Tree, the green pumpkin plate was a set I had found last year at Bargain Hunt (originally Target), the glass pumpkin plate was from Bargain Hunt as well, the “grateful” sign is a Walmart find, and the galvanized metal cylinder with a pumpkin cutout was a gift from my sister last year, which she found at AC Moore before they closed.
As you look out from my kitchen, you see my dining nook and living room, which are open concept. There’s a built-in bar between the kitchen and the dining nook, so I decided to decorate the bar a little for fall as well.
I am loving all of the decorated tiered trays on Pinterest and Instagram! I have wanted one for a while, but didn’t want to order one that looked exactly like what everyone else had. So I searched a lot of places, but I ended up finding one on Amazon; this is a metal, oval-shaped, two-tier tray, and I love it! I invested in it because I know that I can use it each season to decorate with smaller items that I either already have or can get on the cheap!
On my two-tiered tray, I have a wooden leaf I found at Target last year, a glass ceramic pumpkin from Dollar Tree, a sign from Walmart (“you are the apple to my pie” – too cute), mini fall floral picks from Dollar Tree last year, two mugs I got last year at Big Lots, a fall pumpkin pick from Walmart, and farmhouse beads from Amazon. These farmhouse beads came in a set of three – two small ones and one large one – and they have a nice mustard-like yellow tassel that I love for fall!
The green pumpkin pate is the second in the set I found at Bargain Hunt last year, the “beyond blessed” sign is a Walmart find, and the Rae Dunn mug was actually a thrift store find last year.
Moving into the dining room…! My pumpkin garland was a Target deal last year in the $1-$5 section. It’s wooden, and it was one of the décor items that my toddler said “I love it!” to – and I couldn’t agree more! The centerpiece is a placemat from Walmart (like $4 or less), a fall mini pitcher from Walmart with a pumpkin pick from Walmart combined with a cotton pick from Old Time Pottery in it, a Mainstays candle in Cozy Gathering scent from Walmart (my favorite – you should order one!), another small strand of my farmhouse beads from Amazon, and plastic pumpkins from Dollar Tree in a sunflower bucket that originally came with a floral arrangement from my boyfriend a few weeks ago.
I recently bought a small piece of furniture for really cheap from a place in my hometown called Dandridge Furniture Outlet. I’m using this storage table for mail sorting and other important small items. I quickly decorated the top with a pitcher I got from Old Time Pottery last year filled with dried floral pieces I already had, a ceramic pumpkin from Dollar Tree, and a frame from Old Time Pottery with a recent picture of my little one.
The living room probably has the most fall décor – with new shelves, I took the opportunity to do a LOT of seasonal decoration.
I’m really happy with how the freshly-painted lamps look on my wooden tables, and I am obsessed with throw pillows, so my few fall-inspired ones bring me a lot of joy. The “thankful grateful blessed” pillow was a Walmart purchase last year, but my location has some this year, too. The mustard yellow one on the couch was from Walmart.com and it’s a soft faux-fur material.
My largest, non-window and non-door wall houses my TV and shelves. You can see the end result of the Queen Anne sofa table and the new shelves all assembled (thanks, Jake – he’s my boyfriend and my assembly man!). I am SO pleased with how these turned out!
The yellow throw in the left corner on the basket was supposed to be a larger couch throw, but it was TINY when I got it – I guess I didn’t read the Amazon description closely enough, but that’s okay because it gives a great pop of color behind the white, rustic pumpkin I got at Walmart last year. The pumpkins and fall décor on my shelves from a variety of places – Target last year (the fabric ones), Bargain Hunt last year (the terra cotta one), Dollar Tree (the small ceramic ones), Walmart (the larger one by the candle sticks), and Old Time Pottery (the wooden one on the top right). The wooden leaf was another Target find last year, and I have the wax warmer cubes in the scent Cozy Gathering (again my favorite at Walmart) in the black and tan warmer on the second left shelf.
The “autumn” sign was a find last year at Walmart, and it fits perfectly on my TV base, right under the screen to bring that mustard-yellow across the room. The floral arrangement on top of my BluRay player is a combination of a pumpkin pick from Walmart and a cotton pick from Old Time Pottery in a thrifted vase I found at Goodwill recently. You’ll also notice I have the longer strand of farmhouse beads on the end of the second shelf – I wanted to pull a lighter color into the corner and the mustard color all the way over the wall display.
My little boy has this cuter-than-pie rocking chair that I found at a local Goodwill over a year ago. I stuck a fall board book on it for him and placed it in front of his handmade rocking horse that a church friend made for him this past spring!
Overall, I’m so pleased with my living room refresh and my fall décor! Have you started decorating yet? Where do you find your favorite fall décor items? Comment below – I would LOVE to hear from you!
When I was little, I hated green beans. And when I say I hated them – I mean, y’all, I would count them out so I only ate as many green beans as my mom said I had to. Oh, three bites so I could leave the table? The three shortest beans, it was then!
Now, as an adult, I find myself making green beans a lot. It’s sort of a side dish staple for me – and I’ve come up with a recipe that I absolutely adore!
If you are a vegetarian or are preparing meals for a vegetarian, I hate to break it to you: this is not the blog entry for you.
Here’s what you need:
Fresh green beans
Onion Flakes
Salt & Pepper
5-7 cooked slices of bacon
1 can of chicken broth (14.5 oz)
First and foremost, make sure that bacon is fried up! (I make a whole pound and then eat some, honestly – and use the rest for this recipe. The more bacon, the better – always!)
Next, rinse off your green beans in a colander and then start breaking! If you’ve never been taught to break beans, this is important: you HAVE to snap both ends off – the reason green beans are called “string beans” is because they literally have string-like fibers along each side. When you break the ends, the strings will pull out. You don’t want to have strings in each bite of green beans – and you’re bound to miss a few, but I made some recently that I somehow missed the strings on a good handful and it was like nature’s floss on my plate. Do NOT cut with kitchen scissors or a knife – physically snap the ends of the beans off so that the string pulls with the break.
Once you’ve snapped them all, put them in the crock pot. Pour in your chicken broth, then sprinkle in onion flakes, salt, and pepper to your preferred taste.
Break up your bacon strips into small chunks and add to the mixture. You can use bacon bits if you want, but I prefer the grease and flavor of real bacon in mine if I have it.
Stir everything together well so your bacon and seasonings disperse somewhat evenly. You can put this on low for 4 hours or so, and they will be ready to serve.
Enjoy with your regular weeknight dinner or a holiday or special event dinner!
If you are like me, you save and reuse those plastic Walmart (or anywhere else) bags. I use them for everything – particularly rough pull-up explosions (because while we are learning to tinkle in the potty, we outright refuse to do the other in the potty), bathroom and bedroom trash can bags, car trash bags, and puppy accident clean up bags (ugh, potty training TWO, I suppose).
I’m happy to reuse the bags because I absolutely hate the idea of them just being used once and tossed – the earth doesn’t have time for such literal garbage. But I do have a few rules:
I toss out all bags that had items with condensation in them so they don’t mold as they’re being stored.
I toss out bags with ripped handles or holes.
I toss bags that carried raw meat, so that they don’t stink or carry excess germs.
I don’t use these bags as fast as I end up collecting them, and a bag full of bags is ugly in the kitchen hanging on a hook or doorknob, so I decided to get crafty!
Check out this DIY no-sew plastic bag holder.
All you need is…
Precut fabric in the color/pattern of your choice
Liquid stitch
Bias ribbon-tape (or ribbon in a similar width)
I got all of these items in Walmart’s craft section. You could easily use a fabric fat quarter too, but I preferred getting a yard in case I messed up or to double up on the fabric for thickness.
The first thing I did was cut my fabric yard in half. Then that half got folded evenly to double up the fabric. I laid out my now square of fabric to have the folded end closest to me as the bottom and frayed but matched ends at the top. Because I folded in half, I have the pattern facing the inside (facing up) and outside (facing down on the table top).
At the folded end at the bottom, I went ahead and tucked in one long piece of the white ribbon tape. It nestled perfectly into the crease. Above where the ribbon tape laid in the crease, I drew a thin line of Liquid Stitch. Then, I folded the fabric back and pressed the Liquid Stitch into place. This created a pocket for that ribbon tape, which can (when dry) become a pull-able and tie-able end.
At the top, frayed end, I wanted to create a smooth edge, so I drew a zigzag of Liquid Stitch and folded over, pressing down to seal.
Then, I cut another strand of ribbon tape. I cut two minor slits in the now-glued top edge. This allowed me to thread through the ribbon tape. I glued the edges down to create one handle. This is going to be the top of the bag, where it can hang and where you can place in your plastic bags easily.
The remaining side edges are frayed (or have potential to be) as well, from having been cut. These edges will need to come together to create a round tube for the bags to be held in.
I first folded over the edge that would be the exterior edge so it looks smoother and cleaner. Then, on the other (non-folded) side, I put a thick amount of Liquid Stitch.
I pressed my neatly folded edge into the Liquid Stitch fabric glue until it seemed to seal. Now I had a tube made of fabric.
When you pull the bottom ribbon tape into a pretty tight bow, it creates a small opening from which you can pull one bag out at a time. If you need more than one, you can untie your bow and collect many (or all) of your plastic bags.
This quick, no-sew project created a useful kitchen storage solution that looks as cute as it was simple!
And the best part – if the Liquid Stitch wears off (which I don’t anticipate since I really do trust this brand), I can add in really small stitches to hold it together. But for now, it’s a complete no-sew project that makes life just a little bit easier!
What do you reuse plastic bags for in your home? Do you have a storage solution?
For over a year now, I’ve kept my kitchen and steak knives in a drawer. They were in a silverware separator, at the back of the drawer, and it was the highest possible drawer so that my son couldn’t get to them.
I lost my nice knife block, which was a gift from my parents, in the divorce process. The knives I have now are a cheap set I had pre-wedding that didn’t come with a block; when I got the nicer set from my parents, I set aside the cheaper set. My sister, a few years later, moved out on her own, and I gave her the cheap set to use at her first place. Then, as I was getting divorced, she was getting married, and she was gifted a nice knife set, so I got the cheap ones back. They’ve served us fairly well, for a store brand set.
But now that my toddler is getting taller (seriously – I’m hardly 5’4” so where is this coming from?!), I needed to move the knives up even higher to be extra safety-conscious.
I decided to keep an eye out for an empty and used wooden knife block. While thrifting with my mom and sister one weekend recently (with masks and sanitizer and on a weekend when my son was staying with his father), I found one! It was $4.99, and it was at a KARM (Knox Area Rescue Mission) thrift store.
I also purchased sandpaper – I bought a pack of small sheets at Dollar Tree, actually, and a can of spray paint at Rural King in Heirloom White. I really do like the Rust-oleum brand of spray paint for any project – it’s just really durable for indoor or outdoor use.
After a Lysol spray, I sanded lightly – just to knock the shine off of the wood block. Then I spray painted all sides.
Once that dried, I knew I wanted to stencil something on the block to give it a little extra character. My sister has a Cricut and she printed this cute sprig stencil for me on cardstock. Once the spray paint had dried, I used a sponge brush and some deep tan paint to paint on the stencil design.
I didn’t get it perfectly even, but that’s okay – I like the DIY look and think it looks fairly even with the bottom portion taken into account as surface space too, which was where my initial thought process took me.
I love how this turned out! I think it looks good, coordinates my kitchen well, and – most importantly – keeps my knives up in the hard-to-reach counter corner, away from little fingers.
Safe, cute, and all for under $10! What DIYs have you done for your kitchen?
I’ve added a new member to my family: my basset hound puppy named Flash!
Unless you know me personally, you probably don’t know about my recent history with dogs. I love them – absolutely love dogs – but I’ve not had an easy way to go. Let’s go on an abbreviated trip down memory lane.
Buddy
When I was still married, we had a wonderful rescued golden retriever, who was, honestly, making it hard for me to consider divorce even in the toughest parts of my marriage. In a best-case divorce scenario, you can co-parent a child; you can make sure you have time to pour into that child, to teach and lead them, and to love them unconditionally. When you divorce with a pet, the dog goes with their original owner, and, unfortunately, my ex-husband was the one to adopt Buddy officially. You can’t co-parent or make a custody agreement for a golden retriever, y’all.
Buddy was the best, and I knew as I seriously considered divorce, that I was not just giving up a marriage I had been determined to make happen, a house I owned and wanted to raise my children in, the potential for more than one child, or a traditional two-parent home for my son, I was also going to be giving up my sweet dog.
The day before I ended up leaving my husband, Buddy had to go to the vet, and they found a large mass in his throat and neck, which ended up being from lymphoma. They needed to put Buddy down because he had lymphoma and it was really pretty rough. We decided, tearfully, to take their recommendation.
My then-husband was with Buddy at the vet. I was, unknown to everyone but my mother, at my childhood home in my childhood bedroom. I had taken a personal day off of work to pray about the state of my marriage and of myself as a wife and mother. I was at my wit’s end with my circumstance, and I was hurting really badly. I was praying over and over and over again in my empty childhood home, and that’s when I got the call that they needed to put Buddy to rest. I was a complete mess – but I also had a very clear realization that everything was going to come together to allow me to make the decision that was ultimately best for me and my son.
Eleanor
Around Christmastime of 2019, about 5 months after the divorce was final and my son and I were living in our rental, I started to get really lonely on the nights he spent with his father.
I had missed Buddy so much, and had still been accustomed to a dog when I was living with my parents during the 11-month process of my divorce, so I knew that some canine companionship could be helpful.
I started looking at dogs in the East Tennessee shelters. I found a few I was interested in at a really nice shelter in Knoxville. I met Eleanor, about an 8-10 month old dog that likely had some cattle dog in her. She was really shy and reserved, and the shelter said she had been bitten by another dog, so she likely wouldn’t be comfortable with other dogs, but had been good with children and adults in their experience. She was a sweet girl and took to me right away in the visit room. She came home that evening with me.
At first, she and my little one got along really well. She obviously loved him and he was over the moon for “Ellie dog.”
However, after the first two-ish weeks, she started to seem really anxious with his running about. She actually growled at him a few times for running near her, and I could tell his energy level was causing her severe stress and discomfort. I made a REALLY hard decision for her and for my son – that I would have to surrender her back to the shelter for a family with older children or no children. I was terrified that her anxiety and discomfort would lead to an altercation and could hurt my son. I didn’t want her to live in an environment that triggered her, for my son to be potentially hurt, or for me to be stressed about “what if” constantly.
It was so difficult to come to that decision. Jake, my boyfriend, was with me when I decided, and he dealt with a lot of my tears and feelings of guilt. I wasn’t able to take her back myself – I had my son and was afraid to have them in a small enclosed space together on the drive there. Jake made accommodations to take her back for me – which was challenging since they usually only allow the adopter to surrender back – but eventually they agreed with my license, a letter with my signature, and a lot of conversation and explanation.
The good news is that I saw a picture of Eleanor in the shelters post featuring one of their foster families. It looks like she was being trained to be more comfortable around other animals and people, so I am extremely glad to see that the effort was taken to make her available to the right future family.
I was – and still am – heartbroken at the loss of her for my family. She was just a a nervous, scared dog, and wasn’t violent, but I am relieved to know how well that shelter took my feedback into account and said they would use it to train her and to get her into the right home.
When I posted on my private social media about the heartbreak of having to take her back to the shelter, my aunt said something that really comforted me: “Momma knows best!” And the realization that it was obvious that I was putting my son’s needs above my own heartache was so reassuring to me. That simple comment helped me remember that my priorities were in order, even if it was difficult to come to terms with the situation.
When I told my landlord and my parents about the situation, both parties suggested that I get a puppy, which I would train myself and would grow up with my kiddo and be used to his energy level. My landlord offered to hold my pet deposit to see if I found a puppy that was a good fit in the coming months, which I appreciate so much.
Fast forward 6-7 months, and I found my puppy.
Flash
It was a couple Friday nights ago, and my son was spending the weekend with his father. My boyfriend was coming over to go to a family game night with me, my parents, and my sister and brother-in-law, but Jake works a lot later than I do, so I was dressed and ready and waiting for him to arrive. I was just netflixing and social-media scrolling when I saw my local animal shelter had a basset hound puppy!
I had always wanted a basset hound – even when I was a kid. And this dog was just 3 months old. I immediately messaged the shelter on Facebook and asked if he was still available; he was, and I could make an appointment to meet him the next day!
I immediately told my family and Jake that I was considering adopting him – and they were all so supportive! Well, Jake was admittedly concerned that it might lead to another Eleanor situation, but we talked and said that we could just meet Flash and see his temperament and learn more about him before making any decisions.
That Saturday, Jake went with me. Flash was so calm in the shelter, even with tons of other dogs barking and yapping – and he rolled over as I started petting him. We read more about him on his kennel tag, and I was in love. Jake could tell, too – he said “you’re getting this dog, aren’t you?”
I put a deposit on him and they planned to neuter and chip him before I could retrieve him the next weekend.
My parents helped us surprise my toddler – who was over the moon with his new best friend. He adores Flash – I keep hearing “c’mon, Flash! Let’s go, Flash!” And the sweet sound of the little hound scampering along around the house behind him.
So now I’m potty training two – my toddler son and my hound pup!
We think Flash might have a little beagle in him – just from the size of his ears and the features in his face, although he absolutely has the traditional basset hound coat, legs, and eyes.
Here are some precious pictures of this sweet addition to my family!
My hair is mega long. Like when it’s straightened, the longest layers are at or past my waist. It’s long and it’s thick – every hair stylist I’ve ever gone to has been like “shew girl, you got some hair.”
I haven’t always kept my hair long, but I’ve had it this long twice. The first time was as I was leading up to my (first) wedding. I wanted it long for wedding pictures, but I didn’t really have a routine for hair care outside of brushing, washing & conditioning, and styling it. I wasn’t in the habit of really spending time or money on my hair to keep it healthy, so it was the hot mess express. I actually ended up with a pretty serious knot before my wedding, and my parents (yes, both mom and dad) had to help me get it out so I wouldn’t have to hack my hair before the big day.
Once I was married, I did like a lot of girls do after a big life change, and I got it hacked short – like shoulder length.
When I became pregnant with my son a few years later, I was already in the process of growing it out, and it was already what most would call medium-long in length. Having my little one actually dried my hair out a lot, so my entire pregnancy and still to this day after, I don’t have to wash my hair except every 5 to 7 days. (Kinda a great push present, honestly.)
You might think that I sound like the kind of girl who would go get it chopped again when the divorce happened, since I was so eager to change things with a relationship life stage previously, but I was bound and determined to keep my long hair. I love my mermaid hair, so it was staying, even if my husband was not.
I did start investing in way better hair care, though. I decided I wasn’t going to wear it up all the time, and I wasn’t going to skimp on my products, either. (Not to say I spend a ton on hair products, but there was a lot of financial control in my marriage, and I was on such a strict budget each month that I didn’t have extra money to invest in a lot of the things I had wanted to try for my personal care. Looking back, that’s really unhealthy and should have been a red flag, but hindsight is 20-20, and I can devote a whole separate post to that in the future, if you’re interested.)
All of that to say that when I was finally on my own and responsible for my own finances, I started making sure I could afford reasonably priced hair care items. I wanted something that was set aside for me, and that seemed like a reasonable priority to have, and I’ve kept up with it pretty well since then.
I’ve gotten into the habit of deep conditioning my hair every couple weeks. A few weeks ago now, I posted a few pictures from an adventure to an old prison in East Tennessee with my boyfriend (LINK TO FB), and a few friends posted comments about my hair, and one suggested I try a tutorial-style post on my blog. So I took some pictures and a time lapse the last time I deep conditioned my hair and styled it after.
I’ve used a lot of different conditioner packets, and my all-time favorite is Palmer’s Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Protein Pack. I can usually get 2 uses out of a packet, and with my long and thick hair, I think that’s pretty impressive. First, I suds up my entire scalp with the Aussie Miracle Volume Shampoo and wash like normal. Then, I only apply the Palmer’s Conditioner to the bottom half of my hair, so about earlobes down. I let this sit, then rinse it out after about 10-15 minutes. My hair immediately feels silkier and smells AMAZING.
After my shower, I let my hair towel dry. If I’m doing this in the morning, like I was this day, I let it towel dry while I do my makeup. If it’s in the evening, I’ll let it towel dry while I fold laundry, run the vacuum, work on a graduate school assignment or reading, or watch an episode of a sitcom. It really only needs to towel dry for like 20-30 minutes, since I always blow dry it too.
As you can see in the time lapse above, I blow dry my hair on high for a good little while (again, I have a ton of it). Once it’s fairly dry, I spray in some OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco, just on the ends – similar to where I put the conditioner – to give it a little extra shine. I use the blow dryer on low this time and just make sure I can brush through it really smoothly. (Even if I’m just re-straightening my hair throughout the week when I’m not washing, I’ll often do a few sprays of the Argan Oil again. I think it really makes my hair look shiny and smooth and put together.)
Then, I separate my hair out into sections. I use an inexpensive hair claw-styled clip to pull the sections up that I’m not straightening yet. Something like this works really well. As I straighten it, I also use dry shampoo at the roots to give a little lift – and to keep me from having to wash my hair earlier than about 5 days. For a dry shampoo that works fairly well but is still affordable, I like Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturing Dry Shampoo. You do have to brush through to diffuse some of the powdery spray, but it holds up really well for me.
As you’ll see, my toddler son felt he needed to make an entrance toward the end of my time lapse video. He really likes for me to do his hair when I’m doing mine, so I always share a spray of my detangler of choice, Not Your Mother’s Knotty to Nice detangler and then brush through his hair for him. This detangler is my favorite one that I use throughout the week when I’m not washing or conditioning my hair in the shower, so I definitely recommend it if you have long hair that you wear in a messy bun often.
The final step for me, before doing a final brush through but after I’ve finished straightening my hair, is to protect my ends from too much damage. Let’s be honest – most of us aren’t getting our trimmed as often as we need to (I’m world’s worst at this) even when there isn’t a pandemic raging around us. So while COVID-19 is running the show, with salons requiring masks and it being harder than ever to prioritize your hair’s health, your ends are gonna be SPLIT. So this product is one that a stylist recommended to me, and I absolutely love it and think it makes a huge difference in my hair health. Strong Sexy Hair Seal the Deal is a split-end mending product made with aloe that really makes your ends appear smooth and uniform. I can’t recommend this enough, seriously.
So that’s my straight-hair tutorial for long hair! What do you do with your long hair? Do you have favorite products that I should try? Comment below!
Kate with a Twang 