Re-post: My DIY Christmas Card Display

How about a little festive DIY to get your week started off right?  Last year at this time I think I had less than 10 followers, so now that a few more of you are around these parts, I thought I would re-post this very easy DIY Christmas Card Display project. 

You can do this on any door in your house where you'd like to display your holiday cards. 

Recap of previous post:
I was sitting on my couch when my eyes kept catching the clutter of Christmas cards that had taken over my bar.  It wasn't long before I was off the couch and rounding up supplies for a little DIY project.

A few years ago I got a "Real Simple" book with everyday household solutions, which is what sparked my idea for this DIY project. One of the projects in the book suggested using double sided tape to hang ribbon on your refrigerator with mini clothespins to attach pictures, post cards, etc. to the ribbon.

I adapted this "ribbon on refrigerator" idea to hang cards from ribbon over the door to my laundry room. It was very easy to do and took all of 10 minutes. All you need is:

• Festive ribbon
• Hot glue gun 
• Push pins
• mini clothespins (Bought mine at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Can't recall)

First, I cut the ribbon I was going to secure the cards on to the length I wanted, and then cut a shorter piece to use to tie bow.

Next, I hung the ribbon over the door using a push pin to secure the ribbon on the other side of the door. I tied my bow, and hot glued it to the top of the ribbon.

The last step is to take the mini clothespins and secure your holiday cards to the ribbon. Before you know it, you have a festive DIY card holder!

Here are pictures of each element (hopefully the pictures will help make more sense then my explanation):







There you have it!  If you have any questions about the instructions, let a girl know.

Hair how-to: Loose curls with curling iron

Well, well, well.  There were so many sweet compliments (thank y'all!) about my hurrr in yesterday's post that I decided to forgo the NOLA recap until tomorrow and bring you a hair how-to today instead.

Believe it or not, what I use to create this look was this Remington 1.5 inch ceramic curling iron, which I recently purchased from Big Lots for only 10 bones.  I love it, it works like a charm and is pink and black. Need I say more?   

I let my hair air dry yesterday and this is the masterpiece I am left with.  Are you green with envy? 

Next, comb any tangles out and section your hair with clips.  The ones I'm using from Sally's Beauty Supply come 12 to a pack and are only $1.99 from what I recall?  No need to straighten before curling.

Whoopsies, I almost forgot: Be sure to spray each individual curl with hair spray after you release the curling iron.  Once you have finished your entire head, spray again.  I use and highly recommend Elnett (my fave) by L'Oreal. 

A few of you were wondering if my hair is real and yes, it is all mine.  If I had extensions, I'd most definitely be the first one to tell you girls where to go get them for a bargain.  This is the result of genetically thick hair and $5 Tresemme shampoo and conditioner.  Happy curling!

If I die from a heat stroke, tell Bradley Cooper I love him ...

I decided to check out weather dot com this morning to see what temps I was working with for the weekend, and I started sweating just reading our 10 day forecast:

Excuse me, 104 today?  Not cool.  Literally.  And these are just the temps before you factor in the heat index.  I've lived in Texas basically my entire life, so I'm used to this.  It doesn't mean I like it. 

I always wonder how people in the North survive the winters and blizzards, but I'm sure y'all wonder how we survive our sizzilin summers.  You just stay inside as much as possible and accept that you may pass out from a heat stroke at any time. 

In case you don't want to take out a loan to pay your summer electric bill, here are 5 ways to avoid a heat stroke on the cheap:

1. Cool your pulse. Wrap an ice cube in a towel and apply it to any of your body’s major pulse points (wrists, behind the knees and inside elbows) for a minute, then remove it for a minute—repeat until you feel sufficiently cool.  Pulse points are areas with the best circulation, so lowering your blood temperature in those spots will carry the cooling effect throughout the entire body.

How cute are heart shaped ice cubes?  I found this heart ice cube tray on Amazon for $6.99:

[BUY]

 2. Try a hint of mint. The menthol that's in mint creates a cooling effect. Chewing a piece of gum that contains menthol will trigger cold-sensitive nerves in your mouth, making a glass of water taste colder than it normally would.  Similarly, lotions and soaps that contain mint or menthol will lend your skin an icy sensation.

Bath & Body Works carries a Mentha Body Vitamin Body Lotion for $14:

[via]

or Target has a Mint Mojito lotion for $5.99:

[via]

3. Go downstairs. It's true that heat rises: warm air is less dense, so it floats upwards. If you're in a house, head to the first floor or the basement to enjoy chillier temperatures. A good way to rid upstairs rooms of hot air is to place a fan in a window to suck the warm air out.

4. Slice up a cucumber or watermelon. On a hot day, eating fruits and vegetables with high water content will not only help keep you hydrated, the added fluids allow your body to release heat by thinning the blood.

Watermelon is so good in the summer!  I can't get enough of it.

[via]

5. Sit still. Though it's tempting to create a breeze by fanning yourself, excreting energy by moving around in the heat will actually end up making you feel even warmer. So stay calm—and stay put—to avoid raising your own body temperature.

Get a personalized fan instead like this pink personal air circulator for $19.99 from Target:

[via]

Stay cool this weekend bargainistas!  If you need me, I'll be in my apartment slathering on mint lotion, inhaling watermelon and taping ice cubes to my wrists.  TGIF.

How I did my "Floating Shelves Photo Wall"

Two "how-to's" in a row, I'm on a roll!  I first talked about my vision for a photo wall in my living room here. 

And as I mention in my original post, the first time I knew I wanted to do a floating shelves photo wall in my living room "entry way" was from watching my fave non-reality show, Parenthood.  Then I stumbled across Kristen's floating photo wall she copied from this lovely lady and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. 

It only took me, ohhhhh, 2 months to finally finish, but hey ... it's done, I absolutely LOVE it and that's all that matters.  Not kidding, I kick back on my couch and stare at it every day:

HERE IS HOW I DID IT:

1. Gather Supplies

Priority one was buying the shelves.  I got mine at Garden Ridge for $24.99/shelf and they are 3 feet long in an Espresso color.   I found a very similar shelf at Hobby Lobby for $44.99 half off last week ($22.99/shelf), but I wasn't going to mess with returning and re buying just to save $6.  Although I should have, gas prices are too high and I'm too lazy to mess with that. 

I'm not going to lie to you and tell you the shelves were easy to hang.  They were anything but.  I was sweating and cursing trying to get those biatches hung.  It literally took me 2 days to finish hanging them because I quit half way in.  I needed a break.

Priority 2 was getting everything to put on the shelves. 
While I was at Garden Ridge, I bought 2 picture frames.  One was $2.99 and the other was on clearance for $3.99.  The rest of the picture frames I bought at Burlington Coat Factory of all places.  Super random, I know.  I got them in a package that was 10 frames for $9.99.  They were a hideous gold, but I knew I could easily paint them. 

I already owned the candle + candle sticks (from Target) and 2 of the picture frames that I used (Kohl's).

I bought the round mirror and large "L" at the Hob Lob for $9.99 and $3.50 ish.  They were both half off.

2. Once I got the shelves hung (FML), I "staged" them so I could figure out which frames were going where before I painted them. 

3. Next, I painted the tacky gold frames.
I bought acrylic paint and a paint brush from Michael's.  As y'all saw here, my living room is mostly deep brown with red accents, so that's what I painted the frames.

It's currently around 100 degrees in Dallas, so I just put them on my balcony to dry and it took less than hour to dry even with 3 coats of paint.   

4. The last thing I did was print pictures @ CVS. 
I converted each picture to a Sepia color using Picnik.  I had a hard time deciding if I wanted the photos in color, black and white or sepia, but eventually decided on sepia.  Sepia has a brownish tint to it, and since my living room is mostly browns, I thought it would match best.

I saved this fortune that I got when I was in a really sad place after the break-up with Lucifer.  I've always had it on my fridge, but I decided to mat it (used gold wrapping paper from Christmas) and frame it.  It means something to me because the fortune was so true for me, so I love it.

Once everything was painted and framed, I decorated the shelves.  This is the finished product, I hope this "how-to" helps you if you are looking to recreate something similar!  If you still have questions (I hope I didn't leave anything out), just email  me or comment this post and I will be happy to answer!

How-to: Easy fake lash application

Before I get to the main event, I had to show my chi curled baby poof.  I watched Pink Lou Lou's "how-to poof" instructional "booze bag" video (Her sis calling her a booze bag in the vid was my fave part)  last night.  You may not know this, but PLL is THE best hair poofer this side of the Mason-Dixon line ... just a little FYI.

So this is my attempt at recreating her magical poof. Mine is a baby poof.

 What's with my hand looking like a creeper claw?

OK, enough about my sucky poof skills, In yesterday's post I said I would try to put together a step-by-step "how-to" for my false lash application trick if i could figure out how to explain it.  Well, I'm still not sure I've figured it out, but here's my best effort.  You can't say I didn't try.

You need these three things: lash strips, lash glue and tweezers.

Please excuse my haggard MAC lashes, they have been used and abused.  They're just a prop.

Before you do anything, apply your eye make-up as your normally would including eyeliner and mascara if you wear it.  Read about my eyeliner obsession here and my fave mascara here.

So once you've applied your make-up and are looking gorge, follow these steps:

1. Put a generous dab of eye lash glue on the back of your hand. 

2. This next step may sound weird, but just go with it ...

3. Transfer the glue from the tube to the lash line.

4. Wait about 30 seconds for the glue to become tacky. 

Use tweezers to apply the lashes to your natural lash line, getting as close to the base as possible.  Tweezers make it much easier to manage the placement of the lashes as opposed to trying to use your fingers.

Do as I say, not as i do.  I had already washed my face when I remembered i was going to do this how-to for y'all. 
You want your make-up done before applying lashes. 

5. Use your fingers to press and hold the lashes in place until they are completely dry.  

Here's the finished product.

(I'm wearing MAC lashes in this pic because this was taken 

prior to me discovering the bomb $1 elf natural lashes.)

[SOME FINAL WORDS OF BLONDE WISDOM]

• If this is your first time ever wearing lashes you should know they are going to feel weird when you first put them on, but you'll get used to it and it's totally normal.  Just trust me.

• To remove the lashes, use a warm wet wash cloth.   Let's be honest here ... I'm normally stumbling into my bathroom after a night out, seeing double and just rip those hoes off.  Totally kidding No I'm not.

• I've come to the conclusion that I  have larger than normal eyes.  Lash strips are never long enough for my eyes,  but a lot of people have to cut their falsies down to fit their eyes.  If you are one of those people, just cut them to fit.

It's time!  Get to glamming your eyes up ladies!  I wanna see pics of your lush lashes if you try this how-to.  I hope it helps.  Do you have any additional tips I didn't cover?