Tag Archives: Pinterest

#TeamNatural: To Cut or Not to Cut?

So I’ve been natural going on 5 years now, including my transition. And let me just say, I absolutely love my natural hair, on most days. Now don’t get me wrong, I have no desire to relax my tresses again but the day-to-day maintenance is no joke. I recently straightened my hair and was in absolute awe. My hair is the longest it’s ever been and I couldn’t believe it. And that is where the problem lies…

Long hair don’t care…*humph* that’s only when I don’t have to wash or style it.

I’m sure y’all may think I’m crazy and are wondering why the length would be my problem, right? See I like to consider myself as a low-maintenance girl when it comes to my hair, in fact my motto is to keep it simple. And although my styling and wash routine are pretty basic, it still takes me forever to do it. I will admit that over the past year or so, I’ve become a bit lazy with my hair. Just thought of having to re-twist my hair at night makes me gag, so most nights I rock a pineapple. And I’ve tried the whole protective styling thing but that too is a time-consuming process and weaves/wigs aren’t really my thing.

To cut or not to cut?

It’s happened three times here recently…I’m getting ready in the morning and the hair struggle begins. Spraying my hair with water, adding oil and stylers, trying to brush it and *sigh*…a voice in my head says, “where are the scissors?” I end up fighting the urge to shave my head, like really its a battle. I push on through and I usually end up looking a mess by the head simply due to the frustration of it all. Yes, I do blame myself and the fact that I’m just to lazy to fool with my hair but something has got to give. My solution is to cut it…But the question is, how short? I would love to shave it all off but I think the hubs would just die so I’m searching for a happy medium. Here’s what I’ve found so far….

The Curly Bob

Source: Pinterest

Ok so I’ve had my hair cut similar to the bob before. I went in for a trim and some layers and ended up leaving with a bob-ish cut…I loved it! But this time around I’m thinking of going a little shorter. I want to maintain some length so I can at least pin-up my twist and rock a “ponypuff.” So to cut or not to cut is the question…

What do y’all think? Should I go for the bob or leave it be? Or should I just go all out and shave it off? What have been some of your recent hair challenges?

**Please note I do not own any of the photos in the collage above, they are photos that I admire and have borrowed from Pinterest for style inspiration**

DIY: Patriotic Wreath

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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?

DIY: Cake Carrier Upgrade

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Dear Pinterest, oh how I love thee…lol.

So I’ve been stung by the DIY bug again…thanks to Pinterest. A few weeks back I came across this simple DIY that allows you to personalize an inexpensive cake carrier from Wal-Mart. Well I’m not a professional baker or anything remotely close to it. But I do enjoy the hobby and often bake cakes for my fam, friends, church, etc. And I when I saw the personalized cake carriers I thought it was such a cute idea. Not to mention its a great way to label my stuff so it doesn’t grow legs and runaway…lol.

The first pin I came across that inspired this DIY didn’t provide any instruction but led me to a site that sold the personalized cake carriers for $20+…I’m not knocking their hustle but I’ll pass. So I decided to google it. Again several of the sites sold the personalized cake carries and I only found a few that actually provided instructions on how to actually do it. The few sites that did, mentioned using a circut machine, a machine used to create and cut vinyl letters/shapes. And the machines alone cost anywhere from $89 up $349. *insert side eye*

Of course I have no need for a circut machine, at this moment, so I got to thinking…aren’t the wall art removable/reuseable stickers made of vinyl? You know the ones you can use to decorate a child’s room with all the cool characters, sports teams and such without damaging your walls. Yep, those. So again I hit up google and just so happened to come across one of my fav deal/mom bloggers Birmingham Bargain Mom. She stated that the you can use the vinyl letters from Micheals or Hobby Lobby to decorate you cake carrier…woot!

Well to kick off my kiddos Spring Break, I decided to take them to the Dollar Tree…don’t judge me, it doesn’t take much to make my kids happy, lol. While walking the isles what did I see? Vinyl wall art and yes it was just a $1! Woot! Jackpot! So of course I had to buy it and as soon as I got home I decorated my cake carrier.

The vinyl letters and shapes from the Dollar Tree.

Materials for this DIY:

Cake carrier (Wal-mart, Target, etc.)
Vinyl Letters and Shapes (Dollar Tree, Micheals, Hobby Lobby, etc.)

Materials

The finished product.

The back/side

The other back/side

This DIY was really inexpensive, I only spent $4 and I still have vinyl letters/shapes left over for future DIY projects. Although my lettering isn’t as fancy as some of the one’s I saw on Pinterest I think the cake carrier turned out really cute. And it definitely fits my personality. I may add some ribbon on the handle for a little extra spunk too. And then all I have to do is bake a cake to put in it…lol.

What do you think about the cake carrier? Will any of you bakers be doing this simple DIY:Cake Carrier Upgrade? What projects/DIY have you found on Pinterest?

DIY: Spring Wreath

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Like I mentioned in a previous post, I have become totally obsessed with Pinterest. I’ve been on the social site for quite some time but never really understood or appreciated its purpose until recently. I mean Pinterest is filled with some the most amazing and simple DIY projects, so what’s not to love.

Anyway, I moved last year and my new neighbor always has some of the cutest holiday/seasonal wreaths on her door. I asked where she got them from and she said that someone had made them, which is what inspired my latest DIY. After searching and repining several wreaths on Pinterest I came across one that was simple, affordable and super cute.

The inspiration (Photo credit: Pinterest)

Now let me say this, I can be a bit impulsive sometimes, especially when I get excited, lol. So about two months ago, in my excitement, I headed to Hobby Lobby and purchased some burlap ribbon with a black paisley(ish) print on it. The dilemma was deciding what color artificial flowers I wanted to add, then I discovered that those flowers weren’t cheap so I decided to create my own but I still had no idea what colors to make them. Well, I was sitting at the kitchen table one day looking at these beautiful flowers from my wonderful hubby (insert kissy face) and it hit me…pink is my fav color so pink flowers it is.

My flower inspiration

So after deciding on the color for the flowers I went back and forth about how I wanted to make them. The inspiration wreath used felt material, which is easy to find and affordable. But when I attempted her method, it looked a mess. I then decided to use fabric but I was a silky/satiny look, but I wasn’t trying to spend too much money. And one day while dropping off my son, a few crafty moms were talking about a local fabric shop that had inexpensive fabric. So being the impulsive person that I am I went there that day and I found exactly what I was looking for well within my budget.

The naked wreath, printed burlap and scrap fabric.

The process I used to create the flowers was a bit time-consuming but well worth it. I don’t know how many circles I traced and cut out. After burning my fingers a few times with the hot glue, I even contemplated giving up and just buying some. But I personally think the end results are more rewarding.

The process of creating the flowers.

I used the same technique for all the flowers. I burned the edges of the pink flowers for texture and I added rhinestones to the white one for a little extra sparkle.

I think I wrapped the wreath too tight because I ended up running out of burlap and I refused to purchase any more. I ended up covering the empty space with flowers. I think it turned out nicely and I don’t think you can tell at all. I’ll definitely be prepared next time though.

The finished wreath.

I absolutely love the end result! I’m so proud of my handmade flowers…lol. And I’m proud to say that the entire DIY cost me less than $20. WOOT!!!

DIY: From Blah Fridge to Viola Fridge

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So I’ve recently become obsessed with Pinterest! I mean like seriously obsessed to the point where I may need intervention before it’s all said and done. And like most I look and wish about all of the fab things I see. But the other day while scouring through all of the wishful pins, I came across this simple DIY to spruce up my fridge and to make cleaning it a breeze. So I decided to give it a try….

You’ll need…

Plastic place mats – I purchased mine from Target for less than $2. They can also be found at Wal-mart and even The Dollar Tree.
Scissors
Pencil measuring

Plastic Mats from Tarjay.

I removed everything from my fridge and cleaned the shelves. The plastic mats are larger than the shelves and need to be cut to size. Instead of using a ruler/measuring tape, I simply placed the plastic mat over the shelf, marked it with the pencil and cut. Super easy! Check out the before and after pictures.

Cleaned fridge before.

Fridge After

Side by side comparison

Not only does my fridge look brighter and more inviting, cleaning it will be super easy too. All I have to do is remove the plastic mats to was rather than the entire shelf.

Will you be trying this DIY?