Sunday 28 June 2015

Printable Wedding trees! Free and beautiful

Can be found here: http://onefabday.com/uk/diy-project-free-fingerprint-tree-template/?redirect=1

Found here: http://thekavicliving.weebly.com/diy/make-frame-athumbprinttree-weddingand-birthday-partyfun-idea

Saturday 27 June 2015

Product Review - Younique 3D Mascara Mood Struck

I just want to start out saying, I am not a rep for Younique. I do not get anything for writing this review.

I have had my mascara for best part of the year now and I feel I am now in a position to comment on the mascara, the price and the dirty deets.

Firstly, lets start with where you can buy from.

You can buy these directly from Younique.com or from a rep. I think its easier throuh a rep, and they earn points I think, so Its pretty awesome to help support local people.

They come with a money back garentee and cost around £28.

*Please note, ones on ebay are knock offs from China and can lead to all sorts of eye problems. Don't even go there.*

The packaging.
They come in a stylish box, black and silver (it looks a bit like a leather glasses case) and it holds both the mascaras in place. It also comes with instructions.

The product
Two tubes of mascara, one containing mascara and one containing little tiny natural green tea fibres.

Does it work?
Yes. I get longer lashes instantly. They are thick and full. You can do several layers so you can make them huge and dramatic or lightly longer.
It works, 100%.

Does it hurt your eyes?
I ahve sensitive eyes and skin, I cannot say it hurts my eyes at all. Fibres can full off if you dont seal them right, but it does no harm, its just green tea and they are soft and tiny.

Is it worth £28?
Yes, I truly think so. I will be buying again. You can save so much on false lashes with this. Its well worth the money.

Do they do anything else? or just mascara?
They do loads! Ive tried: Mascara, pigments, lip liner, blending buds, lip stain and foundation.
All very good! the foundation covers very very well, teh lip stain is bold and stays! just great products. You get what you pay for here.

3 Sweet cakes to make! Sprinkle cakes, pinky crispy cakes, and rainbow cakes!

Some awesome sweet treat ideas

Find this totally beautiful sprinkles cake recipe here:
http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/11/easy-homemade-funfetti-cake-with-vanilla-buttercream.html

Rice crispy cakes! With pink! Enough said.
Find here:
http://www.projectwedding.com/boards/312837/wedding-sweets

Rainbow cupcakes!
Find them: http://www.howdoesshe.com/30-of-the-cutest-cupcakes-in-the-world/

A few ideas for leftovers - money saving advice

Using leftovers to creat new dishes always seemed crazy to me. I grew up in a home where my mother would throw out perfectly good food on a daily basis.
I moved out when Id just turned 18, with my partner. From that moment I have taught myself not to waste. Leftover fresh meats go in the freezer, I freeze herbs, breads and meals. I wont waste anything unless I have to.

Dinners

Pies
So when I have some leftover meat, veg and gravy from a sunday roast, its not uncommon for me to make some pies out of it.
Just pop it all together and enply into a pastry lined dish.
I like using ready made puff pastry. Serve with some potatoes and its good for a whole new meal. If you have any pies left over you have alwasy freeze them too.

Lamb soup
At the moment in my freezer I have some leftover fresh lamb I have frozen. I also have some potatoes, onions, carrots and leek leftover too.
I will use this up to make a soup in my slow cooker.
I just pop it all in with some stock and its done. Serve with some french bread and it will last a few days.

Rice
A great way to use up left over meats and veggies is to pop them into pan, cook off, add dry rice and stock and boil together until cooked.
I like using: Left over chicken, leftover bacon, chorizo, red pepper, left over cherry tomatoes, onion.
Just pop that with stock, rice, paprika and mix herbs. Its very delicious served with prawn crackers (tesco do packets for 15p!!)

Sides

Garlic bread
If I have some stale bread thats about to go stale I will often wgip up some garlic bread.
Mix butter and chopped garlic togther. Sprinkle some dried parsley in there.
Spread thickly over bread, slice up and bake for a few mins on 180'.

Wedges
Slice leftover potatoes into wedge shapes with the skin on. Spray them with a bit of oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs.

4 totally amazing cookie recipes

Smartie or M&M cookies!

Found here! http://picky-palate.com/2013/04/03/how-to-make-perfect-m-and-m-cookies/

http://hostthetoast.com/best-chewy-cafe-style-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Chewy chocolate chip cookies

http://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2014/11/30/the-ultimate-healthy-soft-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/

Oatmeal and Raisin cookies

http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/607380

Plain cookies

A few money saving tips for around the home - living on a budget

With me about to become a full time uni student, and my partner doing the same next year we have decided to pop ourselves on a bit of a budget.
We have found many ways to save money here and there and still not feel restricted.

We have some credit card bills to pay off ready for uni so we need to make quite a few cutbacks.

My partner feels strongly about "looking after" our items more.
End of last year we bought a new microwave, washing machine, fancy kettle and more. He has become obsessed with keeping them in tip-top condition so we dont need to pay out for them again.

Looking after what we have:

Meaning no more keeping wet washing in the washing machine, no over filling it, keeping it lovely and clean by manually cleaning it all out every month and keeping an eye on the filter.
The microwave has nothing stored ontop of it (Is it just me or does anyone else pile fruit bowls and stuff ontop of the microwave? Maybe im just weird) and we have started making sure its always keep sparkling clean.

Sometimes it all seems a bit much, but he is right, after paying hundreds of pounds we need this stuff to see us out as long as poissible.

I have started making a few changes on our less expensive items, here are a few things I do around the home to save us ££

1) Towels.
Maybe its just us but our towels are always fading and getting off white. We wash them every time we use them but I have a feeling Ive not seperated colours enough and now my beautiful white towels are grey at best.
Normally we would just chuck them out, head to BHS and pick up some new ones, costing us a good £20 at least. Instead I plan on re-storing our towels to new again.
This is how I do it:

What you Need: Old Towels
Vinegar
Baking Soda
HOT Water 90' wash
What to Do:
Using the hottest water cycle on your washing machine, wash your towels with a cup of vinegar.
When cycle is complete, leave the towels in the washing machine and run through another hot water cycle, this time adding a 1/2 cup of baking soda.
Once this cycle is complete you can stick the towels in the dryer and dry as normal.

2) Keep the colors in your clothes brighter by adding a pinch of salt to your laundry load. Also air dry over tumble dry, it will keep your colour longer and stop clothes shrinking.

3) Keep your bedding and mattress clean.

Bedding: Always wash twice a week on at least 60' to keep clean and hygienic. Choosing pale bedding is best to avoid colour fade on requesnt hot washes. The idea is to buy items that will last.

Mattress: Every month sprinkle the matress with baking soda, hoover it up after an hour or so and wipe down the bed frame. Beds are expensive to replace so keeping it in fantastic condition is important.

Duvet & pillows: If you have a big washing machine you can pop these in aswell and get them nice and clean, puffy and like new again.

4) Use vinegar in the kettle and boil it twice to remove any limescale or buildup.

5) Use cheap cola /coke on drains, just pour down the sink and this will help keep drains running well.

6) Use a damp microfibre cloth for dusting, I refuse to spend money on polishing wipes.

7) Look after carpets, any spills wipe them up right away. So much cheaper and easier than replacing carpets in the long run.

Friday 26 June 2015

5 Tips For Cleaning Your Home Using Lemon

1. Clean windows and mirrors: Put a few tablespoons of lemon juice and water into a spray bottle. Wipe it off with newspaper or microfibre cloth.

2. Fridge cleaning: Place a lemon peel inside your fridge to absorb the odor and make your fridge smell fresh and clean.

3. Air freshener: Simmer some lemon peels in a bowl of water on stove along for a natural air freshener.

4. Laundry Brightener: To brighten whites, add 1/4 cup of lemon juice to the wash cycle to brighten up any fading whites.

5. Dishwasher cleaner: Add lemon peels to your dishwasher every so often to help rinse and deodorise it.

Things I want in my make up bag this year!

https://www.toofaced.com/p/mascaras/beauty-blogger-darlings/

£14 set of 4 products

https://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/view/operation-pore-proof

“Mission accomplished” pore kit £28.50

http://www.thebalm.com/cosmetics/lips/how-bout-them-apples.html

Lip and blush set by TheBalm £21

Simple And Easy Beauty & Hair Hacks - Dry Skin Bath - Frizzy Hair Mask - De-puffing Eyes

Simple and easy moisure bath.
15 mins to soft skin.

1) Run a warm bath, while its running add in some raw cocoa butter. This can be bought for around £1 on ebay, and that will last you months.
2) And a cube in or small pinch, let the water run.
3) When our bath is half full, and in a handfull of oats.
4)Climb into the chocolate oaty smelling lagoon and relax for 10mins.

When you get out your skin will be so smooth and have a light film of moistiriser.

Very simple de-frizz natural hair mask.
2 hours to manageable hair

1) Take half a cup of olive oil and heat it in a bow until its just above room temp (slightly warm)
2) Rub the oil into the lengths of you hair.
3) Tie your hair up away from your face and get on with your day indoors for a couple of hours.
4) Was out well (Twice if need be) and continue hair care as usual.

Your hair will me super smooth and healthy looking.

Get rid of puffy tired eyes
10 mins to bright eyes

1) Take two tea bags
2) Dunk in cold water for 30 seconds
3) Place one over each eye
4) Relax with some good music.

Take off and your done, bright eyes.

Thursday 25 June 2015

Fall in the UK - Autumn foods I love

Found on southernbite.com
Slow cooker fall-off-the-bone ribs

Great end of summer dish. Fanastic served with vegetable rice or salad.
Gluten free • 4.5 hrs to make • Makes 1 rack of ribs

Found on threebeansonastring.com

Housewife Chicken, Apples and Fall Vegetables

Uses thighs and cheap but tasty chicken cuts. Fall vegetables which are of course much cheaper around end of summer. Fantastic healthy meal for pennies.

Serve with bakers crusty bread or a french stick.

Found on thecandidappetite.com

Roasted Autumn Vegetable Pot Pie

Ultimate pot pie for colder nights.

Serve with mashed potatoes

Found at: www.skinnytaste.com/2009/11/crock-pot-minestrone-soup

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

Great to pop in the crock pot and leave as you go out. Come home to a delicious soup ready for you.

Wednesday 17 June 2015

My usual pre christmas cleaning routine

My festive cleaning routine

Does anybody else have one of these? Every year on the run up to Christmas (normally the start of December) I have a huge binge cleaning day.
Here is what I get up to

IN THE MORNING
Living room:
Strip the sofa of its covers & cushion covers, pop them in the wash.
When the sofa is put back together I add extra cushions and throw blankets on to keep cosy.
Add a festive plug in air freshener to the room

All rooms:
Spot clean the carpet, then go over the whole carpet with skake n vac and/or baking soda. Hoover up after an hour.
Take down all curtains and nets and give them a wash, wipe around all window seals and clean the windows.
Pull out all units and hoover behind them, taking everything off and dusting as I go. Clear off any junk that shouldnt be there.

Bedroom:
Hoover of the matress
Dust my daughters memory area
Tidy my dressing table and bin any rubbish
Sort out the bedside table and clothes draws
Add a festive plug in air freshener to the room

Bathroom:
Do my usual all bathroom clean

Kitchen:
Do my usual kitchen cleaning routine
Bleach the sink and clean the drain
Vinegar the washing machine to keep it clean and running well
Pull out all oven racks, soak them and scrub the innter oven with vinegar and baking soda
Vinegar in the kettle for a boil to clean

This will take me all morning and some of the afternoon. Around 4 I will start putting the Christmas tree up, lights and holly wreath on the door. Get the home very fresh and festive.
That evening I most likely wont feel like cooking so will order s takeout.

Sunday 14 June 2015

How we will be budgeting in a lovely Christmas this year

How we will be budgeting in a lovely Christmas this year.

June: Plan what we will buy and when. Make a food and drink list, decor list and gift list ready.

End of the month we will make our first purchauses.

I will be buying some meat joints to freeze and some drink.

July: More alcohol will be bought and taken to store at my mum in laws home. I will be taking advantage of any online deals with the body shop or boots to buy a few gift sets in.

At the very end of July I will pick up our new tree, lights and decorations. These are all very cheap online at the moment as it is off season and there is no demand.

August: Buy main christmas prezzies for family.

September: Buy all remaining meats and freeze them ready for December. Also start buying goodies for the festive time. Pringles, chocolate fingers and all those goodies and non perishables. I will grab them when they are on offer and just pop them away.

October: Some new candles, throws and cosy homewear.

November: Buy eachothers gifts and load up on Champagne and finishing touches.

Complete my usual pre-christmas home clean.

December: Buy fresh ingredients needed and advent goodies.

Its all pretty simple. The costs are so spread out that we can spend a bit more than usual and not go beyond our means or get into any debt. Ready to start the new year with all bills paid and behind us.

December is mostly going to be filled with sorting out place settings and decorating for christmas.
Its going to be nice not last minuite shopping hoping to find bargains and having to make cut backs.

Last year we started in september I think, and we still managed to get in debt and put £££ on the credit card. Well fingers crossed, not this year.

Christmas 2015 - Planning already!

Some may think I am crazy, but here in mid June I have started preparing for Christmas.
Truth is, Christmas is an expensive time of year for most families.
I figure, if I start early, I can arrange a beautiful festive season and spread out the cost over half a year.
We lost our daughter a couple of years ago, so it is just me and my partner living at home. Id like it to be a classy adult couples Christmas this year.

I am thinking beautiful chunky knit throws around, candles and holly in crystal glass jars and a beautiful colour scheme of white, silver and blue.

Spreading our costs is helping me include lots of little extras we wouldnt normally have the money or time to include.

We will certainly be following this beautiful candle design. We already have the fish bowls and jars ready. I would love beautiful bits like this scattered around the living room.

Our living room is all whites and blues now, so this will fit in perfectly.

We are going for a large tree this year, around this size, maybe a little bit smaller. We are having it white which is a little untraditional, but if done right, I know it can be classy and perfect for a young couple.

We will be having a holly wreath on the door to our appartment, same colours I think. It is rather beautiful.

Beautiful living room. Ours is becoming similar to this but with blues in the mix.
I love the chunky knit throws and candle box.

Will be having an artifical fireplace going on our new tv this year. Add a touch of classic and crackle background noise.

Little touches here and there will really make the run-up extra special.

xxx

Friday 12 June 2015

How I save money on my beauty routine - The frugal girls guide to looking and feeling good for less.

My hair

When it comes to dying your hair try and keep it close to your normal colour. If you are on a budget bleaching your hair every few weeks just isnt practical and adds ££ to your bill every month.

I only dye my hair to keep away greys and sort out any colour fading.

My roots are a dark brown and I like to keep my hair a dark chocolate. This means I can go months without dying my hair. Not only does that save me money and time each month, but also my hair is the healthiest its ever been! Which in turn means less expensive hair products need to be bought.

When I feel like my hair needs a bit of a shine or smoothing boost, I use a few drops of pure argon oil on the lengths. Cheaper than any product "containing traces of argon oil" and works just as well if not better. one tiny bottle lasts me over a year.

I dont like using heat on my hair too much, so I heat style my hair many once or twice a week on low setting. Not only is this saving me so much time, its also keep my hair healthier and less dry. Which for me means less hair dresser trips, less electric used and less products to try and fix frazzled hair.

My bath and body

I love having luxurious feeling baths, but in all honesty, I cannot justify spending £20 a month on luxury bath treatmeants like oatmeal bath scrubs and shea butter drops. So I make my own. I buy a small batch of refined pure cocoa butter, heat it up over a pan of hot water until its liquid, then i pop it in icecube moulds to set. These normally last about half a year and cost around £2 to make.

I pop one in the bath and you wouldnt believe how good your skin feels afterwards. Better than any in bath (or after bath!) moisturiser I have ever used. Non sticky and its smells liek milky chocolate.

I also make Goats milk, honey and oat scrub bars and shea butter drops.

Ebay sells all this stuff very cheaply and its all 100% natural.

My skin

I always use cleanser & toner on my skin. I use just an asda young own brand for this. It lasts ages and cost me £1. Ive tried loads of different ones and this is just as good as any of them.

To exfoliate I use a 100% organic cotton washcloth i made myself (crochet) with a body shop exfoliating salt scrub. I got the scrub on sale for about 1.50 and it lasts ages.

As a facewash I normally use any of the simple brands (i buy the mini ones as they work out far better value for money! £1 each and last ages!) or my body shop foaming tea tree facewash. this was £5 from the body shop and it great for tired skin or spotty skin.It comes in a big bottle and where it foams you need only use a tiny bit each time. It will last me the year easily. My hubby uses it to. I use the matching clearing lotion for breakouts (which dont happen often but where I am now on artifical hormones due to cancer I have to be careful as they do come along now and again)

Moisturiser I just use a mini simple, or tesco own brand day and night cream. I also have a huge olay. I have to use quite a lot of lotion as I do have very dry skin.
I only tend to buy things if I know they will last me a fairly long time and are suitable for my skin type, which saves me so much money in the long run. Most products last me a good 6-12 months.

My nails

I dont get my nails "done" if you like very often at all, last time I had them done was 2 years ago. I keep them short and clean. I use mostly clear gloss protecting varnish or maybe a peach now and again. I keep it simple and it costs me pennies. I use a good handcream, always have a soap and glory or berts bees on the go for when I need it.

My brows

I went through a bit of a phase getting my brows threaded every few weeks but I think I am going to stop that for a while now. It was £15 a month for somthing I can do myself really (well, pluscking anyway!) I just liked the convience of it.

My feet

I may be weird here, I am 23 and have never had to exfoliate or use a pumice stone on my feet. They have never been dry or hard looking really but I think I will start anyway. I like to use foot cooling lotion by the bodyshop on them after a nice foot spa at home. Pennies a year and nice soft tootsies.

Hair removal.

I shave, I used to use Nair but it burnt me and I wont use it again now. I dont get on with wax. Wax = pain. No thanks. I shave using disposables at the mo, go through aboout one razor a week. pack costs me £1 (bic lady) and lasts about 2 months per packet.

Tanning

I use the St Moriz tanning mouse. Its a dupe of the St Tropez tanning mouse. It works perfectly with a tanning mitten. No streaks, no smell, no fuss. I go through a few bottles a year and its £3 a time. Cant argue at that.

How to decorate your wedding venue on a very tight budget! the DIY bride.

When you are getting married, there are just so many costs to take into account. People seem to thing that decorating your venue must be one of them. I just dont believe thats true at all!

BEFORE you do a run round buying bits and bob that you may not even use in an excited rush, think.

When it comes to decorating a venue for an after party there are just so so many ways you can cut down costs.

KISS - Keep it simple stupid!

This is very true. If you want a budget wedding that looks "put together" you NEED to stick to a colour scheme. White is the very best to keep it simple and beautiful.

Here is a simple wedding venue decor list and I will add up the totals and show you where you can buy there items!

This is assuming that your venue will sort out table clothes, plates, cutlery and glasses for you.

The tables.

Center peices.

Use empty/clean sauce jars as vases. Tie a little ribbon around the top and nobody will know!

As family to send you any of their spare jars so you can use those too!

Fill these with flowers, see if you can pick some the day before your wedding from families gardens or go to a supermarket, they often have lots of big cheap bouquets for around £4, you could split one pack between 3 vases easily.

Jars: free

Flowers: £4 for 3 tables.

Scatter fake rose petals over the tables, these are not only cost effective but so traditional too.

You can get packs of 100 petals for 30p on www.aliexpress.com

You should only need £1 worth.

Buy a load of tealights (the ones in a little metal holder) to scatter around the tables for a touch of romance. You can buy these almost anywhere. Amazon or ebay normally have packs of 100 for £4 and that will be plenty.

For napkins try your local pound shop, you can normally get 100 for £1.

Print out table numbers and place settings yourself, I will have some uploaded here n a couple of days if you want to use these free ones.

Hanging.

Hang paper buntings made out of doilies aound the venue if you want a budget bunting idea.

White balloons are cheap and cheerful, but above all, they are great at filling spaces.

Pack of 50 white balloons on ebay will cost you about £2.

Clear christmas fairy lights dangled round the venue can add a nice touch, ask family and friends if you can borrow some.

The cake table

In one of my previous posts, I show you how you can make this simple wedding cake for less than £5. If you have lots of guests coming get cupcake baking and surround your cake with cute white iced cupcakes. Cake for all!

(Next post will show you how to make your own DIY cupcake stand (cost me around 35p to make!)

Add some simple jars filled with sweets around the table. Tesco have jars for £1 and the poundshop will sell jumbo bags of sweets and lolly pops. One of my next posts will be free printable sweetie bags, they may be great for this!