Domestic - Laundry In Louboutins

Domestic

Minted Foil-Pressed Stationery

July 24, 2014

Being one of Minted’s biggest fans, I was so thrilled to learn they were coming out with a gorgeous line of foil-pressed stationery. When they generously offered to let me give a set a spin, I was excited to see the final result (I went with the foil-pressed Braided Chevron set).

Per usual, the stationery arrived quickly (super impressive for a personalized item!) and in the cutest packaging. There are multiple paper options when ordering their stationery (Signature paper, 100% Recycled paper, Pearlescent paper and their personal TripleThick paper) and having ordered a variety of goodies with various paper types from Minted, you really can’t go wrong. Their materials are always so luxurious, and when you add a foil-press option – life doesn’t get any better!

But I must admit… I was even MORE excited when I learned that I would be able to share this AWESOME product with 2 of you! Yes that’s ~~write~~ right – Minted is giving away a set of stationery ($100 value each) to two lucky Laundry in Louboutin’s readers! All you have to do is enter your contact info here! Doesn’t get any easier than that 🙂

Make sure to enter here and please spread the word! The contest runs through next Wednesday, July 30th!

Domestic

Squeak!

July 3, 2014

Last week, I was excited to share one of my favorite new sites – Qu irky. They have a wide variety of innovative products, designed by people like you and me! Well, maybe not like me… innovation is not my forte, but you get the point.

before – note fingerprints

after – squeaky clean! (pun intended)

This week I was excited to try out – the Squeak. It is a 3-in-1 cleaning tool that allows you to spray, swipe and sparkle! Enough with futzing around with a squeegee, towel and spray bottle… simply follow these easy steps and you’ll be good to go!

1. Grab your Squeak and a glass cleaner of your choice. 2. Unscrew the handle from the device and pour in cleaning product into the base. 3. Screw back on and get ready to get cleaning (perfect for those post lunch fingers on your hallway mirror)! 4. Now all you have to do is spray… 5. Clean the surface (mirror in my case) with cleaning pad… 6. Squeegee clean and enjoy your sparkling mirrors (or whatever it is you are cleaning)!

My only concern is the streaking of the squeegee… it takes a few tries to get a mirror in tip-top condition (sans streaking), but it can be done…I would recommend this as the perfect product to reach for when quickly cleaning up kid’s hand prints, or pet marks/licks. I also love the ability to remove the microfiber cloth surface and throw it in the wash in-between cleans!

Check out my post on the Mercado here!

Domestic

Worth the Wait

June 26, 2014

image by Trisha Krauss

During my farmer’s market trip, I was sure to load up on fruits and veggies, but (as usual) I tried to get some less ripened produce to carry me through later in the week. This spring/summer I’ve been putting my produce straight into the fridge after the market, but after a little research learned that is not always the best thing to do… Here is my breakdown of where and when to wait out the “ripening game”:

Eat ASAP

Berries
Watermelon
Pineapple
Citrus
Grapes
Cherries

Refrigerate these items and eat right away. The listed items are picked and sold fully ripe, so make sure your produce smells sweet before your purchase (it’s not going to get any sweeter).

Wait it Out

Cantaloupe
Stonefruit (peaches, plums, nectarines)
Tomatoes
Avocado
Figs

These fruits/veggies will ripen overtime (but NOT sweeten). Leave them at room temperature until ripe (they will smell fragrant), then transfer to the fridge, if you won’t be able to eat them immediately (except for the tomatoes… never put them in the fridge!). You can speed up the ripening process by storing produce in a paper bag.

Really Wait it Out

Papaya
Pears
Bananas
Kiwis
Mangos

The produce listed above will ripen AND sweeten when stored at room temperature. Refrigerate only as a last chance option (when food is right about to spoil).

Does anyone have any other advice on how to remember whether to refrigerate or leave it out? I failed at coming up with an acroynm or catchy song to remember…

Domestic

El Mercado

June 25, 2014

I recently was introduced to a website – Quirky, which provides products designed by real people (like you and me)! When I was asked to do some product reviews, I was excited to see the impressive list of items they have available for purchase – like Tether, Mocubo and Silo!

Due to my obsession with farmer’s markets, I thought it best to test drive the Mercado. This multi-compartment farmers market tote, was an answer to all my farmer’s market haul troubles.

Thanks to various pockets, loops and transparent compartments I was able to get my loot home undamaged and was also able to keep tabs on what I had purchased so far… Usually I bring a giant Costco worthy shopping bag to a farmers market and between delicate peaches, lettuce leaves and that watermelon I just HAD to have, something is bound to get smashed, bruised or just buried alive in there… plus I constantly am having to sort through my bag to see what I still need! With the Mercado, the sheer compartments allow you to see inside the bag, and there were enough sections to hold lettuce, herbs, stone fruit, packages of raspberries, freshly squeezed juice and all of my gear from my Barre3 class I had just come from!

Between the adjustable strap (you can go shorter for over the shoulder or longer for a cross-body bag) and the assortment of compartments (4 small, 2 medium and 1 large, plus 2 outside pockets) make this for the perfect bag for weekend activities, or to store in you car for grocery store runs.

My only issue was that, I probably could have used some more room (I’m a chronic over buyer), so hopefully one day this will be available in various sizes… maybe even different colors/fabrics? Long story short – this bag held A LOT of stuff, and did not feel that heavy, plus all of my groceries made it home in their original condition… yay!

To get your own Mercado bag click here – and shop their entire line-up of amazing products click here!

Domestic

How to Clean a Clarisonic Brush

June 19, 2014

I always have to have a little laugh when it comes to cleaning cleaning devices – bleaching your washing machine, disinfecting your dishwasher, or boiling your toothbrush… How can things used to clean get so dirty?!

Now that I’ve added another product to my daily beauty regimen, I also have added another product to my cleaning to do list – Le sigh.

Clarisonic Brush / Murad Facial Cleanser

So for those of you with a Clarisonic brush here are a few tips on how to keep yours squeaky clean:

1. Once a week unscrew the brush head and remove it from the handle.

2. Put a few drops of Dawn (or antibacterial dish soap) onto a toothbrush and scrub bristles (I also use my fingers and a couple drops of shampoo on the brush head daily for a quick clean).

3. Let the brush head air dry separately from the handle (best overnight).

4. I store mine upright in the shower (the whole device is waterproof, so I use mine as part of my shower routine) but I think you are supposed to store it face down with the cap on (you just want to make sure the bristles are protected.

5. Every 3 months change out the brush head. Personally my skin starts to take a turn for the worst if I push the usage any longer.

Happy Cleaning!

Older Posts

Newer Posts