DIY Night Stand Lanterns

Hello again and happy Monday!

This is my 100th published post! How exciting!

I'm going to apologize for the lack of pictures, but my mom and I were having trouble with the drill, so my uncle ended up drilling holes for us. We made these lamps for my mom and step-dad's nightstands and they were so easy I decided to blog them!

What you need:

• Lanterns (or a vessel of your choice. These were $15 each at Hobby Lobby after some coupons)
• Lamp Socket
• Chord
• Light Bulbs
• Drill

The lamp socket and chord together cost around $7. You can buy the lamp kit, but there are a bunch of extra parts that you may or may not need. And you can customize it more if you purchase them separately. All together, these lamps cost my mom about $25.

First, you want to drill a hole in the bottom of each lamp. We used the largest drill bit we could find and just moved it around until the hole was the correct size. (Sorry, I don't really know the measurements or anything).

Once you have drilled the hole, you need to connect your chord to the socket. Simply follow the instructions that are included with the chord. Also, don't connect them upside down! We made that mistake (whoops)!

Once your socket and chord are connected, simply slide the chord through the hole and nestle the bottom of the socket it.

Screw in your bulb and you're done!

Props to my mom for coming up with this idea and letting me blog it! I can't take any of the credit here! Also, how cute is her senior picture?

If you use this tutorial to create a  lamp, I want to see it! Use my hashtag!

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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Gray and Blue Arrow Manicure

Good Morning!

Today I'm going to share with you my most recent manicure, which I did last Tuesday, February 2nd, and I am still sporting it today. Granted, it's nearing the end, I have found an almost fool-proof way to make your manicure last a week or more without having to go to the salon!

This manicure was actually inspired by the ceramic coffee mug that I bought from Target, which you can see a picture of at the end. I also want to thank Tommy for helping me decide what to do, and for suggesting that I do a chevron pattern. What would I do without him?

What you need:

• Base Coat (Avon Ridge Filling Base Coat)
• Gray Polish (Maybelline Color Show - Audacious Asphalt)
• Light Blue Polish (Pure Ice - Bikini)
• Gelous Top Coat
• Fast Dry Tops Coat (Pure Ice)
• Small Detailing Brush
• Small Chevron Vinyls

Make sure that your nails are clean and dry. I always swipe mine with some acetone before polishing. Paint on a good base coat. If you aren't sure how good your base coat is, paint it on with nothing else and wear it for a few days just to test the wear! I did this with a strengthening base coat that I love and found out that it does not last well at all! It literally chipped off when I was washing dishes!

Once your base coat is dry, paint two of your nails gray and the other three blue. I ended up needing between 2 and 3 coats of each color, depending on the nail.

Once those are mostly dry, paint a coat of your quick dry top coat on your blue nails and allow it to dry fully. Once dry, apply your chevron vinyls and paint your gray polish over those. Make sure to remove the vinyls while the gray polish is still wet for the cleanest lines.

Then you will want to paint some small arrows on your gray nails with your blue polish. This takes some getting used to, and as you can see, mine aren't perfect, but they're still fun!

Once these designs are somewhat dry, apply a coat of fast dry top coat and allow to dry. After this is dry, apply a coat of your Gelous top coat, let it dry a bit and then finish with your fast dry top coat!

The key to getting your nails to last at least a week is the Gelous top coat. It essentially makes your manicure a gel manicure - but without the light.

Have you tried Gelous? What do you think?

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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The BEST Way to Clean Make-Up Brushes

Hello again!

I'm finally clearing out my drafts, which is scary, yet exciting at the same time! I have 5 left (including this one) so I need to get moving and come up with some new DIYs and such for you guys!

Today I'm going to show you my new favorite way to clean make-up brushes! I've been using this method since November and I love it!

All you need?

Zote Laundry soap and some dirty make-up brushes! This whole thing of Zote soap costs a whopping .97 cents at Wal-Mart in the laundry aisle! And let me tell you, it lasts forever! I've been using it for 3 months and I have barely made a dent in it.

I wash my make-up brushes once a week and this is the fastest way I have found to get them perfectly clean and looking brand new! All you do is get the bar of Zote and your brush wet, then gently rub the brush on the Zote.

Once you have done this, simply wring out the soap and all of the nasty make-up gunk, rinse, and repeat if necessary.

As you can see, it got all of my brushes, as well as my blending sponge perfectly clean.

You may notice that the color of the sponge faded. That is likely because I paid a dollar for it at Dollar Tree. I'm sure more high quality sponges would not lose their color!

Have you tried this out? What do you think?

What is your favorite way to wash your make-up brushes?

Let me know what you think!

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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Shop with me! Avon and Storenvy

Business Casual: Poncho

Hello everyone!

Today I have another post to add to my business casual outfit ideas! Recently, Meijer has been having amazing deals on sweaters, and this girl loves sweaters! With all of my new sweater purchases, I have been trying to come up with some creative work outfit ideas, since I work 5 days out of the week, and need to dress business casual 4 out of those 5 days.

Before we get into the details, I want to thank my wonderful mom for taking the full outfit pictures. I don't know what I'd do without her assistance!

Poncho: $5.25 at Meijer (similar)

White Shirt: $5.99 at H&M (Buy here)

Khakis: These were a Goodwill find a few years back (similar, similar)

Boots: $25 from Amazon (Buy here)

Lips: Avon Glazewear Lipgloss - Perfect Nude - currently on sale for $2.99!

Necklace: $2.00 at Meijer (similar)

Let me know what you think!

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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Shop with me! Avon and Storenvy

Healthy Breakfast: Pre-packaged Fruit

Good evening everyone!

This is going to be a short post, but I wanted to show you all just how easy and inexpensive it can be to eat healthy.

I'll admit, I don't always eat super healthy, I mean I had a bowl of baked beans for lunch today, but I am trying to eat a little healthier. 

I think the hardest part about eating healthy is that everyone thinks it's super expensive. Believe me, I was in that same boat too. What it really comes down to is looking for the best deals. 

I spent $6 on fruit this past week, and with that, I have 5 days worth of breakfast, plus an extra days worth for Tommy if he wants a snack. That comes out to $1 per day for breakfast. I will also have a yogurt, which I paid about .58 cents for, so my breakfast every morning only cost me $1.58, which is way less than a bacon egg and cheese bagel from McDonald's. 

So, what all did I put in, and how much did each item cost?

5 Kiwis: 5 for $2

2 Mangos: 10 for $10 ($1 each)

2 Star Fruit: 5 for $5 ($1 each)

I bought all of my fruit at Meijer. They were having their 10 for $10 sale last week, however, the mangos were the only fruit included in that sale. The price for the kiwi and star fruit is the normal price.

I simply cut all the fruit up and combined it in a bowl. Once it was all combined, I scooped it into some Ziploc sandwich bags. I had an extra bag, so I put Tommy's name on it so he can have it as a snack.

It really is that easy and inexpensive! 

What are your favorite fruits?

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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Jingle VoxBox: Final Thoughts

Hello again!

I actually had this almost finished yesterday, but when I went to put my links at the end, the entire post was replaced by my skater dress post and I couldn't get it back. Talk about stressful! Enough with the excuses and on to the point of this post!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Jingle VoxBox from Influenster and all of the wonderful things inside! If you have no idea what Imfluenster is, it's a community when Influensters (like myself) write reviews on products. You can earn different badges and also ask questions about certain brands and get 100% honest answers.

The best part about Influenster? You can get free products sent right to your mailbox in exchange for an honest review! It doesn't get much better than that! If you are interested in joining Influenster, use the following link and sign up with Facebook! You won't regret it!
 

Hallmark itty bittys - Spiderman: These cost $6.95 at your local hallmark store or online. There isn't a lot to review here, other than to say they are super cute and there are a ton of different options! I'll be giving this one to my cousin Jayson next time I see him!

Lotus Biscoff Cookies: These are $2.98 for a pack of 2 at Wal-Mart. I love these cookies and had them for breakfast with my favorite Good Earth Matcha Maker tea, which you can also find at Wal-Mart for $2.48. The cookies have a slight Gingerbread taste, without being overly spicy and overwhelming. The only downfall for me would be the price, as almost $3 for one breakfast is a bit expensive on a college budget.

NYC Cityproof 24hr Waterproof Eyeliner - Black: This is $3.99 on the company's website. This is my absolute favorite product in this box! It creates a nice, opaque line the first application and makes a winged liner look super easy. I use it every day to give my eye look an extra flare. The only downfall to this product is that it is not a twist product, so you do have to sharpen it. If you ask me, it's total worth it for the results! I will warn you though, when they say waterproof, they mean it!

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream: This runs anywhere from $9.99-$17.87 at Wal-Mart. My skin is very oily, so this cream did not work for my face. It is a very thick cream and would be great for anyone with super dry skin. I was ready to give up on this product and give it to my sister, Breana, when I saw that someone had used it as a lotion, so I gave it a try! This works awesome if you have dry winter hands! I also think this lotion would be great to use on a tattoo, as it is fragrance free, and very moisturizing!

Ore-Ida Tater Tots: Sorry, no link for this one, because you can't really buy tater tots online! These run about $3.99 in store! I used my coupon to get a bag of regular tater tots and tried out a totcho recipe. What are totchos? Nachos, but instead of chips, you use tater tots! Fun, right? I made a ton of them on New Year's Eve and topped them with Venison burger, cheese and sour cream! A total hit!

KISS Lashes in Posh: These are $2.98 at Wal-Mart. I also received Kiss Lash Adhesive with Aloe which is also $2.98. I am personally afraid to use fake eyelashes, and my eyes are super sensitive, so I gave these to Breana to test out. She said they are very easy to apply and feel natural on.

Side note: she just started a YouTube channel! Check her out here!

Pure Ice - Bikini: This polish is only sold at Wal-Mart. It is $2.00 per bottle. However, I can't find this particular color on their website, so sorry about that! It is a really pretty color and reminds me of Essie's Bikini So Teeny. What I love about this polish is that it lasts a decent amount of time and is easy to apply for the inexpensive price.

Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts?

Let me know what you think!

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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Shop with me! Avon and Storenvy

Business Casual: Skater Dress

Hello again!

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I've posted! Whoops! So much for posting on a regular basis in 2016! I'm trying, I swear!

Today I'm going to show you one of my favorite outfits recently! I love this outfit because it's super versatile and can be changed depending on the season, you can add a pop of color, and you can wear literally ANY shoes with it! I also want to give a shout out to Tommy for taking this picture! Sorry that it's a bit dark, but it was getting dark outside, and we don't have the best lighting in the house, so I made due!

Let's get into the details!

I got this dress from H&M. I originally saw it when we went shopping in Chicago, but they didn't have my size, so I ordered it online instead. It was only $10! What a deal! Unfortunately, it looks like H&M took the dress off their site, but I found this dress, which is very similar, they just don't have plain white. I'm honestly kind of sad now, because I really wanted to get more of these dresses! I'll keep my eyes open for you though!

The leggings are gray fleece-lined leggings that I purchased from Meijer for $12, but Wal-Mart has some for $7.88! I'll include some links for you: here, here, and here.

I got the cardigan as a gift a few years ago, I know it was purchased from Meijer, but cannot say how much it cost. Here is something similar for $12 at Wal-Mart.

The booties were purchased from DEB over 4 years ago. They're getting a bit rough, so I'm in the market for some new booties!  Leave me a comment with your favorite place to get booties for around $20! I tried to find some similar for you, but after searching for 20 minutes, I've come up empty handed!

The earrings and necklace were purchased from Avon for around $20. That's a bit more than I like to spend on jewelry, but I had been watching these for some time and I figured it was worth the investment! They no longer sell this set, but here is something similar.

If you have any ideas for blog posts, let me know through an email or in the comments below! I love hearing from you!

Let me know what you think!

Recreations? #countryclassdiy

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Shop with me! Avon and Storenvy