The Savvy Housewife

DIY: Patriotic Wreath

21 May 2013 Leave a Comment

by Roni in DIY Tags: Crafts, DIY, Hobby Lobby, home, Micheals, Partriotic Wreath, Pinterest, Wreath

So lately I’ve been going DIY crazy! Who knew that doing crafts could be so fun and rewarding! Not to mention it’s an awesome stress reliever…for me anyway.

Of course this DIY was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest. A few weeks ago I came across a really cute wreath made with clothes pins painted to resemble the American Flag. After reading the instructions, I decided that I was going to give it go but as the days passed I realized I didn’t have much time if I wanted to have the wreath up before Memorial Day. So I headed to Pinterest again….after checking out a few patriotic wreaths I decided to combine a few ideas from the ones I liked the most and create my own.

Like I said I didn’t have much time, so I wanted to keep things simple. So instead of hand-crafting fabric flowers I went with artificial ones from Micheal’s. Luckily they were on sale for $.99 each (with 5-6 flowers per stem) and I was able to pair it with a 25% off your total purchase coupon..woot! I also purchased my wire ribbon from there too. And the grapevine wreath was purchased from Hobby Lobby…using the 40% off coupon of course.

Materials used.

Blue flare and painted wooden letter G.

Modge Podge + blue glitter...used to give the wooden letter some extra pop!

Mod Podge + blue glitter…used to give the wooden letter some extra pop!

The wooden letter covered with modge podge glitter mixture.

The wooden letter covered with mod podge glitter mixture.

All dry with glitter.

Cut flower.

Adding the flowers.

Adding floral wire to the wooden letter.

All done.

Finished product!

I think the “G” looks a little crocked but other than that I love it! The hubs suggested adding some blue flare to the flowers to make them pop and he was right! I’ll be using this wreath for the 4th of July too. What do you think?

Have you tried any of the things you’ve pinned lately? What things do you do to help relieve stress? Do you enjoy crafting?

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Just Another MANICure Monday: Julep Maven Review

20 May 2013 Leave a Comment

by Roni in Freebies, Just Another MANICure Monday, Product Review Tags: bargain shopper, Beauty, Julep Maven, Monthly Subscriptions, Nail Art, nail polish, nail polishes

I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that I had just recently signed up for the nail subscription box, Julep Maven and since I rocking ”naked nails” right now I decided to do a review of Julep Maven instead of my normal Just Another MANICure Monday post.

If you follow me on Instagram or FB (and I hope you do) then you know how much of a couponer/bargain shopper I am…so I usually only purchase nail polish when it goes on sale or clearance. Rarely do I ever pay full price and the thought of paying over $5 is just ridiculous to me…feel free to judge that last statement. But after months and months of seeing/reading bloggers rave about Julep Maven, I finally broke down and signed up. The straw that broke the camels back was when I received an email from Julep Maven saying that the first box was on them and all I had to pay was $3.99 for shipping. Although that’s not totally FREE I thought it was a pretty awesome deal especially for a service that gets so many great reviews.

For those of you that may not be familiar with Julep Maven, it’s a monthly subscription service that “delivers exclusive access to at least $40 worth of products handpicked to suit your style” for only $19.99/month. Signing up is easy…basically you just answer the Julep Maven style quiz questions and your introductory box is shipped within 3 business days.

According the Julep Maven style quiz, I’m an “It Girl!” I placed my order on Monday and sure enough it arrived on Thursday…a total plus for me! In my excitement I opened the box immediately and swatched each polish right then. Check out what I received in the May “It Girl” box….

The “It Girl” May introductory box included three full-sized nail polishes, a nail polish remover pad and an emery board.

Simone

The picture above doesn’t do this particular shade any justice…Simone is actually a beautiful pastel lilac with a little iridescence (which I just noticed). I did a post rocking this shade which will give you a better idea of how pretty it really is.

Carly

Carly speaks for herself in this picture. As you can see it’s a bright, bold blue glitter. I probably won’t rock this shade alone but I think it will definitely make for an awesome accent over another shade.

Stefani

Stefani is an interesting shade…it’s a metallic grey polish with flecks of gold glitter. This one is not necessarily my favorite but I’m sure I’ll find something fun to do with it.

Bonus items

The nail polish remover pad, which will come in handy when I’m on road/traveling this summer, and the emery board were my two bonus items. As you can see I’ve already used the emery board…it works. Lol

So what’s the final verdict of my first Julep Maven box? I love it! I paid just $3.99 for over $40 worth of nail products. You definitely can’t beat that! What I like even more is that I can skip boxes if I’m not in love with my monthly picks and I can cancel at anytime. To score you first Julep Maven box FREE enter code FREEBOX at checkout.

Although I didn’t get a chance to share an actual mani today, you should definitely head over to Lipgloss and Binky and see what the other ladies are rocing on their nails. MANICure Monday is a weekly nail polish/mani link-up that is rotated between Mimi of Lipgloss and Binky and Effie Lynn of LA Lynn’s. Check it out!

Which polish is your favorite? Are you a Maven? Did you get a May Julep box? What is your Julep Maven style profile? Do you subscribe to any monthly beauty subscription services?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links! Sign up and become a Maven too…help me score a free box! xoxo

Frugal Summer Fun List

15 May 2013 4 Comments

by Roni in Freebies, Savvy Tips, The Savvy Life Tags: Freebies, Summer Fun, Kids Activities, Regal Cinemas, Movie Night

Summer vacation starts next week for my kiddos and all I keep saying to myself is “get ready, get ready, get ready!” I have three busy, active boys…two at school and one at home with me right. For the most part things are pretty quite around here and running errands is a breeze with just the one kid in tow. So needless to say things are about to change in a few days.

Now being a SAHM, couponer and thrifty/bargain shopper I’m ALWAYS on the hunt for fun, inexpensive/free activities. Y’all already know how quickly things can add up…kids are expensive! So for the past few months I’ve been compiling a list of things to help keep us all busy and allow us to make the most of their Summer. Here are few of the things I come up with so far for my Frugal Summer Fun list.

Local Library

Check your local library! A few years ago I rediscovered the value of my local library and I feel in love. They offer Summer Readings Programs for various ages, family movie nights, interactive classes for moms and kids, and crafts. And the best part…most of the events are FREE. And don’t forget to check out books for yourself and the kiddos.

Craft Workshops

Both The Home Depot and Lowe’s offer FREE crafting workshops for kiddos. The Home Depot’s offers a free movie/theme based workshop the first Saturday of each month. In addition to the workshop, The Home Depot host giveaways/contest and special presentations at select locations. Lowe’s offers a FREE Build and Grow Clinic every other Saturday of each month and the clinic last around an hour. For more details and registration info check out The Home Depot and Lowe’s Build and Grow.

Bowling

Your kids can bowl for free this summer! Several bowling allies participate in the Kids Bowl Free initiative, where kids can get two FREE games of bowling everyday all summer long. And Brunswick Zone is also offering “Kids Bowl Free” coupons when you join the Brunswick Bonus Zone and add you kids 12 & under to your profile. Check out Kids Bowl Free and Brunswick Zone to locate a bowling ally near you.

Summer Reading Programs

Tons of places reward kids for reading over the summer!

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading - Kids read any 8 books and score a FREE book from the Barnes & Noble Reading journal list in store.
Chuck E. Cheese - Kids can score 10 FREE tokens for reading everyday for two weeks. Just fill out the Reading Rewards Calendar and take it to a participating Chuck E. Cheese. And there are other rewards calendars there too!
Sylvan Book Adventure - This is one of my favs! Kids ages K-8 grade, use the site to search for books, read them offline, use the site to take a quiz and earn points based on how much they remember. The points can then be redeemed for prizes.

Cheap Movies

We all know how expensive the movies can be…tickets are at least $7 or more for just the matinée plus popcorn. And “ain’s nobody got time for that!” in my Sweet Brown voice, lol. But what I love is that movie theaters offer cheap movie tickets during the summer. Even though the movies are old and my kids have probably already seen them, they still enjoy the whole idea of just being at the movies. The Georgia Theater Company Summer Movie Series will be offering $1 movies every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am. Plus you can score a kids sized popcorn and kids sized drink for $1.50 each. And for 9 weeks, Regal Cinemas offers kid friendly G and PG movies for just $1 every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 am! To see locations and movie listings head over to Regal Summer Movie Express.

These are just a few of the fun things I have planned so far for the kiddos this summer. As you can see I’m trying to keep them busy. I also plan on putting together an educational binder, with age appropriate activities, for each of my sons to work on a few days out of each week…if you don’t use it you loose it. And I don’t want them to loose what they’ve learned in school this year plus it will help get them ready for next year too. I’ve already started my calendar and I’ll be setting up a daily schedule too. Like I mentioned I want to make the most of their summer vacation.

What are you planning on doing with the kids this summer? Do you have any educational or fun activities already planned? Do you have any ideas to add to the Frugal Summer Fun list?

Just Another MANICure Monday: Didn’t Make the Cut

13 May 2013 2 Comments

by Roni in Just Another MANICure Monday Tags: Beauty, Essie, Just Another MANICure Monday, Loreal, Manicure Monday, Nail Art, nail polish, purple glitter

I hope y’all enjoyed your Mother’s Day weekend. I had a chance to visit my folks and my grandparents which is always a treat. Since I was out-of-town, I didn’t get a chance or even feel like doing anything extra special with my nails. I ended up rocking a pretty neutral nail polish…a little on the blah side and not really worth sharing in my opinion. So this weeks MANICure Monday post is going to be a little different. I’ve decided to share the mani’s that didn’t quite make the Just Another MANICure Monday list for whatever reason…

This is one of my favs and I’m not sure why I never posted it.

Can you see the purple glitter?

This mani was a complete fail…smh

My St. Patrick’s Day Mani

I’m not sure what I was trying to do here, but I like the color combo.

MANICure Monday is a weekly nail polish/mani link-up that is rotated between Mimi of Lipgloss and Binky and Effie Lynn of LA Lynn’s. This week you can head over to LA Lynn’s to see more fab mani’s.

What are you rocking on your nails this week? Do you have a fav mani color? Did you do anything special this weekend?

Happy Mother’s Day

12 May 2013 2 Comments

by Roni in Random Savviness, The Savvy Life Tags: Happy Mother's Day, Mother's Day

Today we celebrate our moms….

And a special Mother’s Day to my momma! Love you lots!

Free Beauty Events May 2013

10 May 2013 Leave a Comment

by Roni in Free Beauty Events Tags: Contest, CVS, DOVE, FBE, free beauty events, Freebies, Giveaway, H.E.B., Mother's Day, Rite Aid, Walgreens

I know it’s late but I couldn’t let the weekend begin without letting y’all know about the Free Beauty Events that may be happening in your area. If you have been following this blog, you are more than familiar with FBE and how much I love it. For you new Savvy Readers out there, Free Beauty Events is a site that list free makeover, gift with purchase, spa open houses and sampling events happening near your home.

For example, on May 10^th and 11^th, demonstrators will be at Rite Aid giving free samples and coupons of the new Revitalift Miracle Blur just in time for Mother’s Day. You can also celebrate Mother’s Day at H-E-B in Texas with a complimentary Almay makeover on May 12^th. You can find more information like this available on Free Beauty Events website, just enter your zip code in the upper right hand corner of the Free Beauty Events home page. . And anyone who would like Free Beauty Events site visitors to know about their beauty event can make a posting for free on our site at here.

In addition to listing to free events, Free Beauty Events gives it’s readers a chance to win monthly prizes. For the month of May 2013, FBE will be giving away 10 prizes. Each prize will consist of Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash with NutriumMoisture, Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash with NutriumMoisture, and Dove Beauty Bar for Deep Moisture. The Contest runs from 5/1/2013 to 5/31/2013, winners will be chosen on 6/2/2013 and notified by 6/15/2013.To enter, all you have to do is go here and supply your name, email (only used to contact winners), and zip.

Connect with Free Beauty Events….

Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pintrest.
For beauty product reviews and more giveaways check out the Free Beauty Events Beauty Blog.

Good luck! And let me know if you attend any of the free events!

Just Another MANICure Monday: Dotted Nude

06 May 2013 7 Comments

by Roni in Just Another MANICure Monday, Nails Tags: china glaze, Essie, Just Another MANICure Monday, Manicure, Nail Art, NYC Polish, Pure Ice

Yeah, I know I just posted about my weekend mani but it didn’t last very long after all the cleaning on Friday and Saturday, so you know I had to change it. Other than cleaning and running a few errands my weekend was pretty relaxing. The weekend highlight was the homemade salsa I whipped up for Cinco de Mayo. Of course, I found the recipe on my fav site Pinterest…it was quick, simple and delicious. Anywho, on to this week’s MANICure…

I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with my nails this week. I wasn’t feeling the glitter accent nail and I didn’t want to go with just a plain ol’ mani either. But it was kinda late so I had to do something simple, so I pulled out my trusty dotting tool. I decided to go with my fav nude, Sand Tropez by Essie. And I love how bright colors just pop against that shade so I got busy. Check out what I came up with.

MANICure Monday is a weekly nail polish/mani link-up that is rotated between Lipgloss and Binky and LA Lynn’s. Head over to Lipgloss and Binky this week to see more fab mani’s.

So what are ya’ll rocking on your nails this week? How was your weekend? Did you participate in any Cinco de Mayo celebrations?

Weekend Mani: Sparklicious Simone

04 May 2013 2 Comments

by Roni in Nails, Savvy Beauty Tips Tags: Julep Maven, Loreal, Manicure, Nail Art

I’m finally a cool kid! I’m a Julep Maven! I’ve been dying to try out this monthly subscription service for some time now and I finally, well randomly signed up. Be on the look out for a full review next week.

Well of course I couldn’t wait to try out my new polishes…in fact I tested them all as soon as I opened my box. Yep, I’m like a kid at Christmas, lol. I ended up going with the pinkish, lavender shade, Simone. And of course I had to add a little extra. Check it out…

What are you rocking on your nails this weekend? Are you a Julep Maven?

Wash N’ Go Attempt Round 2

24 Apr 2013 Leave a Comment

by Roni in Savvy Cruls Tags: Cantu, Cantu Shea Butter, Eco Styler, natural hair, Wash n go

Last summer I shared with you my first attempt at a wash n’ go here, the results were so-so….well, I decided to give it another go. I’ve been saying since the weather has gotten warmer that I wanted to try my luck at WnG’s again and I’ve decided that my goal this summer is master the technique.

Now I’m not completely new to WnG’s, of course I’ve watched more than my fair share of tutorials and when I was natural years (and I mean years) ago that is all I ever did. I would wet my hair every morning (year-round, call me crazy) add gel and then go. Back then I thought the results were amazing, my hair was considerably shorter then and the only complaint was that my hair was hard from using only gel of course.

So randomly today, after hitting the gym (btw you can check out my Tips for Working Out with Natural Hair over on L4L <—-shameless plug, I know) I decided that I was going to do a WnG today. I was thinking since I loved the effect of gel on my WnG’s years ago that I would add it to my routine this time around. And since I’ve also been using the heck out of the Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair line (and loving it) that I would use the Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream too. Check out the results….

Freshly co-washed, product free hair.

Products used.

Wet hair with products.

Hair almost 50% dry…I had to add a part.

Hair about 75% dry…excuse the face, the sun was bright.

100% dry

Side view

Close up

Overall I think the WnG turned out pretty good. I love how the Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Curl Activator Curling Cream, helps my curls pop. But I’ve noticed in past uses that it leaves a bit of a residue on my hair, so we will see. It also doesn’t pair that well with the gel, I had to really massage and work the product combo in…and I ain’t nobody got time for that *in my Sweet Brown voice. My only other complaint is that my hair feels dry so I’ll have to work on that too. I will say I’m happy that it didn’t take forever and a day for my hair to dry, which means I can do this style and go. Like I said my goal is to perfect the WnG this summer….wish me luck!

What do you use to do your WnG’s? What’s your favorite natural hair style? Have you ever tried the Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair line?

Just Another MANICure Monday: Surrel Appeal

22 Apr 2013 3 Comments

by Roni in Just Another MANICure Monday, Nails Tags: china glaze, Essie, Manicure Monday, Nail Art, nail polish, silver and gold

Well the weekend has officially come and gone….I spent most of my Saturday morning hitting up a few yard sales at some local churches in my area. And yes, I scored BIG. One of the churches has a semi-annual yard sale with “fill-a-bag” (a paper bag that is) with clothes only for $8. So you already know your girl was rolling and stuffing clothes in the bag to the max….lol. I spent the rest of my weekend Spring Cleaning. All I can say is that the weekend flew by and I still have tons of chores that I need to get done. Oh well the story of my life, I guess. But in the midst of everything, I did get a chance to do my nails.

I realized once I was done polishing my nails that this week’s polish choice was very similar to what I had on last week. Apparently I have a thing for hot pink/coral shades. However this week I decided to add an accent nail using my fav nude polish and a little glitter. I really like it so you’ll more than likely be seeing it again real soon. Check out this week’s MANICure and let me know what you think….

Left to right:Essie in Sand Topaz, China Glaze in Surreal Appeal and Milani Nail Art Glitter polishes (silver & gold)

Left to right: Essie in Sand Tropez, China Glaze in Surreal Appeal and Milani Nail Art Glitter polishes (silver & gold)

China Glaze in Surreal Appeal

My fav nude polish...Sand Topaz by Essie.

My fav nude polish…Sand Tropez by Essie.

So what do you think of the accent nail? I like the silver and gold contrast against the nude polish. Like I said you’ll probably be seeing it again soon…lol. To see even more cute MANICures check out Lipgloss & Binky, my girl MiMi is hosting this weeks Just Another MANICure Monday link-up.

The Savvy Housewife

DIY: Patriotic Wreath

Have you tried any of the things you’ve pinned lately? What things do you do to help relieve stress? Do you enjoy crafting?

Just Another MANICure Monday: Julep Maven Review

Which polish is your favorite? Are you a Maven? Did you get a May Julep box? What is your Julep Maven style profile? Do you subscribe to any monthly beauty subscription services?

Frugal Summer Fun List

What are you planning on doing with the kids this summer? Do you have any educational or fun activities already planned? Do you have any ideas to add to the Frugal Summer Fun list?

Just Another MANICure Monday: Didn’t Make the Cut

Happy Mother’s Day

Free Beauty Events May 2013

Good luck! And let me know if you attend any of the free events!

Just Another MANICure Monday: Dotted Nude

So what are ya’ll rocking on your nails this week? How was your weekend? Did you participate in any Cinco de Mayo celebrations?

Weekend Mani: Sparklicious Simone

Wash N’ Go Attempt Round 2

What do you use to do your WnG’s? What’s your favorite natural hair style? Have you ever tried the Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair line?

Just Another MANICure Monday: Surrel Appeal

What are you rocking on your nails this week? What is your favorite China Glaze and/or Essie nail polish? How was your weekend?

Roni

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