living creatively.
I’ve been planning a big patio furniture upcycle reveal. I was hoping to have part one of that project completed to share with you this week but, well…I opted to relax with a glass of iced tea instead. It’s been about 80 degrees and sunny all week in the Chicago area and the summery weather has just been begging me to enjoy it while drinking a cold beverage.
When Tiffany introduced the “Clean Eating” series a few weeks ago, I was inspired and excited to adjust my own diet. I’ve not exactly been demonstrating the greatest eating habits lately. Despite my best efforts back in January to make doable New Year’s resolutions involving exercising and healthful eating, those resolutions lasted about as long as the bag of chips (that used to be) in my pantry.
Yesterday morning, I looked out the window while I was getting ready and decided, “You know what? It looks like flip-flop weather!” I’m not quite sure what got into me, but I got dressed and was completely convinced that I would get to work and everyone would be wearing summer attire.
My lovely sister (R) recently relocated to the happy little city of Lexington, and I could NOT be more thrilled about it. She’s staying with us while she gets settled in, and clearly all we’ve been doing is our hair. That’s not entirely true, but whenever she’s doing her hair, I’m kind of hovering in the doorway asking her to explain her genius methods! She always has new tips to share about hair health and styling, so I asked her to demonstrate this great heatless curling technique, and she obliged. We even filmed it!
FindersKeepers Market is an interiors shop in Lexington that I’m absolutely in love with. It’s one of those places you walk into and think, “How did they know this is what my dream house looks like?!” It’s a cozy two-room space but I can never manage to keep a visit short. I’ll spend no less than an hour or two just browsing and imagining redesigning and redecorating every one of my rooms with their vintage and modern treasures. It’s such an inspiration.
I started making soap this past fall, and since then I’ve enjoyed researching recipes, ingredients and techniques. I love experimenting, and when my first soaping mishap turned out to be fixable, I realized making a mistake wasn’t that big of deal – so why not try some new things? After taking a break over the holidays, I decided that one of my first crafting tasks for 2013 would be a new soap recipe. I wanted to experiment with ingredients I’ve never used before, so I worked on creating a milk-based soap.
When the cold weather hits, you can almost always find me with a hot beverage in hand – cider, tea, hot chocolate and nearly any type of coffee concoction. One of my favorite wintertime treats is the peppermint mocha. It’s the perfect drink to kick off the Christmas season – chocolatey, minty and needlessly caloric. What more could you ask for?
An inspiring environment breeds creativity. I realized this for the first time fresh out of high school when I decided to redo my bedroom. Picking out paint colors, carpet textures, a bed set and some new furniture was so exciting. Once the room came together I felt so cozy and motivated to create. I started to draw more, I started to get into crafting more – my life just felt more organized and productive. Ever since then, it’s been my goal to curate an inspiring space wherever I live.
My tastes definitely drift and change at times, but I’d say my overall style is clean, bright, rustic, vintage and natural. I love the rough textures and warm tones of reclaimed wood paired with whitewashed walls and brightly painted pottery. I love chipped and worn wrought iron chairs with a ruffled floral vintage apron draped over the back. I love quirky little gadgets like misfit toys that have found a home on my shelf.
There’s always something new to learn about how to do makeup. Every time I pick up a new tip, I wonder how I got by so long without it! Eyebrow shaping is one of those things. I remember going to get my makeup done when I was in my teens and the artist asked me if I had ever “done my eyebrows.” I had no idea what she was talking about so I said no! She then showed me how to shape my brows and WHAT a difference it made. Ever since then, it’s part of my weekly beauty routine. It really freshens up your entire face while making you look more awake – and who doesn’t want that?
Brow shaping ties right in with today’s tutorial: how to do makeup if you wear glasses. I’m not a glasses wearer, but I LOVE the glasses look so I started experimenting with “glasses makeup”. I noticed that glasses seem to dull down eye makeup significantly between harsh glares and dusty/smudged lenses, yet they draw attention to the upper half of your face – so it’s important to have your brows and eyes looking tidy and defined!
I’m a makeup junkie. I admit it. I spend hours upon hours flipping through magazines, watching tutorials on YouTube, browsing Sephora and Ulta.com, wandering the beauty aisles at the drug store… and the list goes on. I absolutely LOVE doing makeup. My goal for this tutorial was to put together a pretty and casual look that fits just as well at the office as it would at the local coffee shop. A good friend of mine, Elizabeth (of Bluegrass Goodness) recently got an amazing job offer (CONGRATS!) and asked me what kind of makeup would be work appropriate! So I’ll share my own personal routine here and hopefully it will help anyone out there with the same question. I look forward to doing a future post with Elizabeth, documenting her very own “work makeover”!
This blog is all about living creatively. We're big fans of DIY-ing, soapmaking, cooking and baking as well as girly stuff like fashion and makeup! Our goal is to inspire and be inspired while we share bits of our homemade lives with you. We'd love you to join us!
