Domestic

A few years ago my sister surprised my mom, sister and I with handmade silver bracelets with our initials carved into them.  It was such a thoughtful, beautiful gift and I love looking down at it knowing the other Feezor girls are wearing them too.

When I came across the Coordinates Collection, I knew I had to add a gold piece to our jewelry boxes. The premise is really neat (and simple).  Pick a location that has special meaning to you – the place you went to college, where you met your boyfriend, your favorite vacation spot (the options are endless), and the longitude and latitude coordinates will be engraved on a piece of your choice.  They have everything from necklaces to rings, and ever metal imaginable (14k gold to pink to antiqued silver).  You can even add gemstones!

I used the coordinates of the house we grew up in and engraved “The Feezor Girls” inside.   Most recently I’ve added an addional member to my line-up with the coordinates of the exact spot I married J.  Kind of special right?

With the holidays right around the corner, might as well start filling that gift closet now (you know you always plan on starting earlier than you do!).   Right now Coordinates Collection is having their Friends and Family sale through tomorrow 9/30, so you can get 25% off with the code WEAREFAMILY.

What are you going to put on yours!?

While I would like to tell you that I religiously clean my brushes once a week, it usually comes down to me breaking out and not being able to figure out why… “well it MUST be my brushes” (and have nothing to do with sleeping with my make-up or eating junk food…).

I have tried half a dozen of Pintrest’s cleaning methods, and while I am not sure which help your brushes to be scientifically “cleaner,” each have their pros and cons (brushes smelling of vinegar, oily residue, etc.).   Today I want to share one of my new favorite methods!

My mom gifted me this rose scented Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap a couple of months ago, and I’ve loved using it for everything from household cleaning to body wash.  Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more versatile, I came across a brush cleaning tutorial featuring the product and had to jump on it!

1. Wet the bristles of your brush (facing downward) – trying your best to avoid the “ferrule” aka metal part (as to not loosen the glue and have the bristles fall out) by gentling dipping into a bowl of warm water.
2. Drop a dot of soap into your hand.
3. Swirl the brush in the palm of your hand to help release some of the makeup.
4. Rinse the brush, and repeat swirling brush on your soap-covered hand, until the water runs clean during the rinse “cycle.”
5. Lay brush flat on a towel to dry in a warm, sunny area (a window sill is a great spot).

I love being able to use organic and natural options when available, and this is an easy (and cost effective) option!  You can pick up your own bottle here!

In honor of Spring and the deep cleaning associated with it, I want to host a simple tip every week to help you (slowly but surely) get your home into tip top shape for the warmer months!

Before

First up? How to clean the grime from your shower head.

Combine the following in a plastic baggie:

• 1/3 cup baking soda
• 1 cup white vinegar

Then using a twist tie/rubber band or simply tying a knot with the bag itself, secure the baggie (and its liquid) around the shower or faucet head.

Let sit overnight and remove to a squeaky clean fixture!

After

While Papyrus is one of my favorite shops on the planet (aside from Nordstrom, J.Crew and Costco), people will always give you secret kudos for making (good) homemade cards.  My sister Taylor really knocks it out of the park in this department.  I was cleaning out my attic last week and came across a handful of cards she’s sent me through the years – paintings, collages, drawings, you name it.  And while I not only would feel guilty throwing them away, I don’t want to.  They are mini works of art!

Sadly, I am not as artistically inclined as my sister, so I had to work the system as to not have the sad looking card on my parents counter.  What system is that? Workin’ with what ya got.  In the midst of that attic clean out I came across some confetti I had bought to use at my wedding 3 years ago.  I grabbed a little glue, some blank cards and got to crafting… here is my easy DIY Valentine’s Day tutorial.

1. Grab a cookie cutter or something you can trace – in this case a heart. (Don’t mind the chunk missing out of it).

2. Use a pencil to lightly trace the object in the center of your blank card. Or you could get crazy and place it where ever you’d like!

3. This next step can be done with numerous items – confetti, sparkles, gems, shapes you cut out yourself (or bought) – get creative!

4. Also grab some craft glue (I prefer a gel or clear adhesive… but whatever you have is probably fine).

5. Lightly dab some glue on the back of your flower (or whatever you are using).

6. Apply pressure for a few seconds to let it dry.

7. Keep gluing flowers along the traced outline.

8. Feel free to add multiple layers, and overlap as needed.

9. You can just do the outline of a heart, or fill in the whole shape… the option is up to you!

 What do you think!?