Scent: If this is fall...

9/30/2009 02:46:00 PM Ashley 1 Comments

...then I'd rather not participate. It's windy here and I mean windy. The wind is supposed to be a spring thing here, but it decided to stick around all year. This means as the leaves start changing and falling off that they are then swiftly being blown into my house (silly Emmett and his doggie door). Though, watching all of these leaves blow around reminded me of my new favorite smell from Bath and Body Works. Yes, it seems like leaves are an odd thing to make a person think about a smell. Though it's not as odd as when you know that the scent it called "Leaves".

Last year when B&BW's brought out their fall line, they introduced the Leaves scent. I was quickly drawn to it. I bought it for my Wallflowers first. I really enjoyed how they smelled so I went back to get the oils and a candle. Both the oil and candle burn nicely. My candle melted evenly and the wick never went funky, which made for a good flame.



Photo from BathandBodyWorks.com


Yes that way too cute ceramic acorn is filled with this wonderful scent and at only $12.50 an acorn you can afford to get more than one! Just think of all of the fun uses for the acorn when the candle is gone. The site states that it smells of "autumnal notes of golden nectar, juicy mandarin and red delicious apple are paired with toasted cinnamon stick, mulled cider spices and freshly harvested red berries."
In simple terms it has a crisp smell, like that of picking apples in a orchard while all of the leaves are changing, while sipping on apple cider.

What's best is that I just found out that they brought it back and are planning on keeping it in their line because so many people love the scent! On top of that they expanded the scent to their body care line as well as their hand soap line!

If you're looking for a great fall scent that you can use even past the fall I would recommend looking into this one. I've already started adding to my already small stock pile of this scent so that I can keep it around the house for whenever I have an urge to smell like leaves.

1 comments :

Vintage: Etsy find

9/29/2009 02:13:00 PM Ashley 1 Comments

I love elephants, but while I don't need to be inundated with them, I enjoy finding unique and fun elephant items. Recently I was doing one of my hour long browses through Etsy.com and I came across these great vintage glass, nesting elephant bowls and fell in love. Lucky for me, my husband got them for my birthday!

Right now they are sitting in the kitchen, but I can't wait to use them for a dinner party! Or maybe in our office holding various things. There's just so many ways to use them! Oh and they are such a beautiful shade of blue!




Photos from ilovejacob.etsy.com

1 comments :

Fashion: Monday Shoes

9/28/2009 01:47:00 PM Ashley 0 Comments

It's Monday, a dreaded day for most. It means the weekend is over and it's time to go back to the grind. So as I was laying in bed, fighting to get up and motivated, I looked over at some of my shoes and I had an idea. What if every Monday I share a different shoe I own? How can I do this you might ask? Well I have a lot of shoes. Not 30-50 a lot, but like 170+ a lot. Yes I know this is an issues. Somehow I must have duplicates or very similar shoes and yet I don't. Okay that's not entirely true, I do have some shoes that I bought in two different colors. What? I like to have options. They each have their own unique personality. The more I look through my shoes the more I love them. I have the fancy ones, the fabulous ones, the great basics, the OMG where did you get those?

Sidetracked...yet again. As I was saying I am going to post about a different shoe in my closet every Monday. I'm going to call it "Monday Shoes" (a really cheesy take on phrase "Monday blues"). I will give as much information about the shoes that I can. I will also post if they are recently purchased, just in case you have your eyes on them. I'm even going to be nice and not just talk about this idea, I am actually going to post my first shoe today! So read down and enjoy the beginning of Monday Shoes!


I decided that I would start my shoe blog with a bang. Not only is this a shoe that I recently got, it is also just too cool. There's a lot going on with them, but it all works so well. There is this mix of metallic leather piping and black sequins that flows around the whole shoe. If you thought that this shoe has given you everything you'd be very wrong, because hugging the heel is what I call "flames" done in a rich red suede. These just beg to be worn with something that will show them off.

I'm a total sucker for unique shoes. I am drawn to them. While I do have more tame/basic shoes, I can never pass up a great show stopper!

So without further or do I give you the first glimpse into my shoe wardrobe!

OhDeerGingerright

OhDeerGingerpair



Stats:

Designer: Oh Deer!
Name: Ginger
Color(s): Black, red, gold and silver
Material: Sequins, suede and leather
Heel: 4 inches

*While you can still find these, the sizes are quickly running out. You can find them by searching for them or going here.

0 comments :

Decor: Sunprints For Adults

9/25/2009 09:22:00 PM Ashley 0 Comments

I think at some point in our childhood we have all played with (or at least seen/heard of) Sunprints. It is this amazing paper that you set out in the sun, with objects on it, and a print of them is left behind. When I got my first kit, as a child, I spent the whole day outside and used all of the paper it came with. I adored these things.

It wasn't until recently that I rediscovered these at a Science Museum's gift shop. I was brought back to my childhood and I wanted them. A few months later Nate presented me with a package of them! Soon after I purchased Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts. Flipping through it I found the holy grail of sun printing...fabric! In her book she shows the fabric being used as seat cushions and I just LOVE it! Just think of all of the different things you could make with the printed fabric.

Photo from Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts


The look with the chairs is beautiful and the color just pops. I would love to do this in our dining room. I would have each chair be a different print. For the room itself, maybe do a half wall with the lower half being bead board and the top half in either a similar blue or a gray. Also a chair rail would work well. I think having a good gray in the room would just make the blue really stand out in the room.

Here's a few palettes that I think would be great color combos (depending on how blue the fabric is). My favorite would be three to four colors (the blue, white/off white, gray, black).



Palettes from ColorLovers.com

What do you think about the chairs? Would you ever do something like this in your home?

0 comments :

Fashion: If the dress fits...

9/24/2009 10:48:00 AM Ashley 0 Comments

...buy it in every color!

So, I found this dress from Calvin Klein. Now this isn't just any dress. This is a sexy dress that isn't too sexy. It fits me and my curves, it moves with me. Ever since I put on a very unwanted 40lbs (stupid stress eating) I have stayed away from very form fitting dresses. If I don't want to see my rolls, then no one else should either.

Photos from Overstock.com


Enter this dress. It was at Dillard's, I needed a dress for our Kearney, NE wedding reception. It was green, my favorite color. I tried it on and it was magic! I fell in love with this dress. What I did not fall in love with was the price ($150+). So I held off on it.

Then one day walking through Marshalls and I found it, in yellow. Good thing I look good in yellow. Even better was that it was $50. Then a few weeks later I found the green version at TJ Maxx. It too came home with me. I now own this dress in 4 colors. Yellow, green, Sapphire blue and a Merlot. Don't even get me going about how I should have it as a LBD. I love this thing and I love Calvin Klein even more for realizing this is an awesome dress and making it in so many colors. It's a great basic to throw on when nothing else is working. All I do is throw on some spanks, add a great pair of shoes and some jewelry and I am good to go.

So if you're in the market for a great going out dress I would recommend this in a heart beat. It fits curvy girls (like me) because it has a perfect amount of stretch. It also fits slender girls because of it's straight shape.

I found all of mine at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Though I have seen it on Zappos.com, Overstock.com, Nordstrom's, Dillard's and Macy's.

*(If you're interested in it, the style # is CD8J1943)



Photos from Overstock.com

0 comments :

Review: And we're Bounce(ing)

9/23/2009 03:11:00 PM Ashley 1 Comments

A few weeks ago I decided to buy the new Bounce Dryer Bar and finally gave it a whirl in our dryer.My husband had his first go at using it (yes he does his own laundry!). His review was lack luster, of course, something along the line of "oh yeah it seems good". The answer that is also known as "heck if I know". Off I went to get a load of laundry.

So far it looks to be doing very well. We haven't had any issues with it not sticking or the stick falling out of its holder. It's already gone through a load or two full of denim, which we all know is the test of all tests. It has an odd slick feeling to it, especially after being used. Though I have not seen any type of grease spots on any of my clothing.
The huge bonus so far has been the smell. Man I am SUCH a sucker for smell! Nate always knows to take me down the laundry aisle at the local grocery store so I can just sniff around. Wow I just made myself sound like a dog. Anyway...way off topic, I went to go put on a freshly laundered shirt and throughout the day I kept getting these wonderful whiffs of scent from my clothing. I can't remember the last time a dryer sheet did that for me!
Another huge thing is not needing to change it for 2-4 months (depending on how much you use your dryer)! So you can toss in your load of laundry and go.

All in all, I would totally recommend trying the Bounce Dryer Bar, we used the Fresh Line scent. It's been awesome thus far. I have heard that finding only the replacement bar is difficult , but seeing as we haven't gotten anywhere close to needing a new bar, I haven't looked. I will update as soon as I find out how long it lasts and how easy it is to find the replacement.

Give it a try and see if you too have that fresh clean smell all day long!


Image from Bouncesheets.com

1 comments :

Life: So many things...

9/23/2009 12:42:00 PM Ashley 0 Comments

So I'm sick...yippie! Okay, not so much with the excitement. Being sick means I am sitting and surfing the inter-webz and I have far too many things I want to talk about. So much so, I am making a list. I thought I would share the list with you, giving you a little peak into what is floating around in this head of mine. Past that y'all are just going to have to be patient and keep checking back.

Blog topics:

  • A review on the new Bounce dryer bar
  • Posting pictures of my Ralph Lauren metallic striped wall
  • Some of our wedding photos (to celebrate our one year anniversary!)
  • A review on Bumble and Bumble's color care shampoo and conditioner (for reds)
  • OPI's Diamond Shine nail polish and the colors I love
  • My favorite chapstick
  • My shoes
  • Review of Wood Wick candles
  • My favorite fall smell in candle form
  • New favorite smell from Bath and Body Works
  • Fall recipes
  • Teas
These aren't really in any particular order, just what came to mind first. Who knows what I will blog about next!

0 comments :

Beauty: Would you like some bread with that oil?

9/21/2009 10:55:00 PM Ashley 0 Comments

Anyone who knows me knows that my face turns into an oily mess within a few hours of make-up application (lets not lie, it happens with or without make-up). If that isn’t bad enough my face breaks out like a prepubescent teen girl. One problem, I’m in my twenty’s. I can’t say that I have tried everything, because I doubt anyone honestly really can say that, but I have tried enough. I’ve done the masks, the scrubs, gels and anything else that looks good. Some of them have worked for a short amount of time, others have done nothing other than help keep a company in business for a little longer. Recently I have looking around on a Beauty and Fashion forum and have seen a lot of talk about the Oil Cleansing Method. I get that this has been around for a while and is probably is in numerous fashion magazines. I’m just slow on the uptake.

Now I’m curious.

Curious enough to have been standing in the salad dressing aisle looking at all of the different types of oil. Though, really, I am just getting ahead of myself. What is the Oil Cleansing Method you ask? Well as I read it, in its simplest of terms, you get two types of oils mix them together in a certain proportion and then slather it on your face. Later you take it off with a warm/hot wet towel. The idea is that your skin produces oil to keep healthy, yet we are always stripping it with different treatments and chemicals. Thus it getting more oily. With this method you’re giving your skin oil to keep it from getting to oily and to help clean it. Think about science where we were taught that like compound works with like compound.

Here’s the link to a site that goes far more into depth and saves me all of the extra typing…

The Oil Cleansing Method

I’ve decided to go with Castor oil and Sunflower oil. I also got Tea Tree oil, even though you don’t need it. I know it’s good for blemishes, but really I got it for its smell. I’m hoping it will cut down on the feeling of prepping myself for cooking. I haven’t tried it yet, but I am talking myself into it. I know it sounds great and that a lot of people swear by it, but seriously it’s oil…on your face. I mean come on! Anyway I am going to try it, starting tonight, and I will be posting on what’s happening and if it works. So check back to see how it’s going!

And if all else fails I have new cooking oils!

0 comments :

Decor: You mean my walls can shimmer!?

9/17/2009 10:47:00 PM Ashley 1 Comments

I’m itching to paint things again. I have one project in the works, painting a old family cabinet. It’s been around for at least 26 years and it’s showing its age. Nate and I just picked out some paint and are going to attack it this weekend. That is for another post though.

I want to paint a room like right now. Stupid rental house.

I have always loved having rooms painted. It gives a totally different look and feel to a room. It was also a great way to relax, until working at Banana Republic killed my will to paint anything. There is nothing fun about having a time constraint as well as painting a dark color over a light color (or visa-versa).

About 2 and a half years ago I decided that I was going to stripe my dining room wall. First mistake. I had discovered the amazing metallic paint line from Ralph Lauren (Regent Metallic). I chose Bronze Statue and Golden Candlestick for my wall and it turned out amazing. Though I swore off ever doing another striped wall, I just saw this wall on the website and I fell in love.

Photo from RalphLaurenHome.comPhoto from RalphLaurenHome.com


Can I just say how much I LOVE the green stripes. I mean come on!

I really loved painting with the Regent Metallic line. It was way too simple. You buy your paint and a special roller and you’re set. I know that metallic/shimmer paints are usually a pain in the ass to work with, but I was impressed with its shine.

Right now I would just love to have this in our house somewhere. Maybe I’ll whine to the guy who owns/rents the house to us.

What do you think about the line/colors?

1 comments :

Life: Hello World!

9/16/2009 10:44:00 PM Ashley 0 Comments

Here I am, yet another person jumping on the Blog bandwagon. I have no doubt that this will be the least exciting thing you will ever read. I just figured I would start posting about all of the things that run though my head. If you know me at all, then you know I am all over the place with the things I do and think about. This blog isn’t going to be about anything specific. I’m guessing I will post the most about our family (husband, dog and I), my crafts, gripes, room decor ideas, gift ideas, clothing, cooking…really anything that strikes my fancy. Hope you enjoy, but if you don’t, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

0 comments :

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )