Napkin Rose Instructions

Decorate your table or home made gifts with this pretty napkin rose.

How to Make and Decorate a Cookie Pops & Bright Bouquet Cookies

You can create these in lots of xmas shapes and colours.

How to Make a Towel Cake - Fun Gift Ideas and Centerpieces

This is a brilliant anytime all year round gift, why not make someones christmas special by having a go .

Dawn's Christmas Jar - home made gift

This is a wonderful idea, but you could fill the bottle with other things other than coins if you prefer.

Body Scrub-Gift Giving Ideas

Try your hand at home made body scrubs for gifts this year.

Do It Yourself Centerpiece - Silk Flowers and Tea Lights

Try your hand at these pretty table centre pieces

Hanging Photo Frame - home made gift

Why not try your hand at something a little more personal with one of these pretty hanging photo frames.

Paper Bag Mini Album- home made gifts

If you would like to try your hand at paper crafts, this is the ideal gift to create, why not give it a go.

Paper Cone - Home made gifts

Try this pretty gift cone from Splitcoaststampers to house sweets, jewellry and any other small items .

Is it too soon to be thinking about christmas ?

When do you start thinking about your christmas shopping ?

Personally i have always started the week after the kids go back to school due to having so many people to buy for, and starting in september still allows for some good bargain buying before the prices go sky high in the shops.

Up until this year, i never really had to worry too much about money, dont get me wrong i wasnt rich, but i certainly wasnt destitute either, i could buy at will (within reason)as and when something caught my eye, that is no longer the case.

Due to circumstances beyond our control our money situation is about as tight as it gets , so il be christmas shopping on a tight budget this year and whilst for most people that may seem pretty daunting, it has help me discover a whole new meaning to shareing and giving at this special time.

Some of you may have already read that i have been trying my hand at a few different home made crafts, im not brilliant at it, but to me that makes it all the more special because you can see the effort and thought thats gone into making whatever it is.

A lot of people are put off by the idea of giving home made gifts fearing that they may be frowned apon as being a cheap skate, if thats the case then in my mind those people arnt truely your friends, i really cant think of a better gift myself.
(ok maybe a new body but we all have dreams right ? lol )

Any way, im going to be shareing some youtube videos of things either id like to try or have tried so that you can perhaps try them for yourself, whatever the occasion may be.
If you do try any of them, please dont be shy to share your videos or pictures with us, in the mean time how about shareing a list of ideas of things that you have made or would like to try, to help with some new ideas for everyone.

Transition Your Makeup from Summer to Fall Like a Pro

As the sun sets on summer, use these expert tips to gradually tweak your look -- without sacrificing your glow or spending a ton of dough.

Tip: Go easier on the self-tanner

If you, like most, have been getting your faux-glow on the last couple of months, it's time to start going easier on the self-tanner. Instead of slathering on face tanner like Banana Boat Summer Color Sunless Lotion $7.49 as usual, simply dab a couple of drops of the product into your moisturizer then apply. Diluting it this way will make your tan less intense, and help you ease into fazing it out completely. That way you won't suddenly wake up pasty (and feeling blah) and the transformation will look natural.

Reposition your bronzer

During the summer we create a sun-kissed glow by applying bronzer to the apples of our cheeks and areas where the sun naturally hits our face. To update your look, Stapleton says to "move your powder bronzer off your cheekbone and start using it under the cheekbone as a contour." More sculpted looks are perfect for fall and winter, and using bronzer to contour is a great baby step into taupe and brown blushes, which you can use later in the season, says Stapleton.

Transition your nails

Summer's nail trends were all about blue (with retro aqua being the favorite), concrete shades (silvery/gray hues), and mauve, says Stapleton. An easy way to shift into fall-toned nails is to go with slightly darker or more metallic version of your summer favorites. "Move into teals that are metallic and go deeper with the concretes -- closer to gray," says Stapleton. Or "take a 180 and get back to basic red," he adds. It's a fall staple that still feels fun, like summer.

Let your brows go (sorta)

Summer makeup tends to be light, which usually means less emphasis on the brows. In preparation for fall and winter, start to let your brows grow in a little so that you're on-trend come October. "It's always that going-to-battle look -- [brows are] bushier, tougher, more boyish," says Stapleton of fall/winter trends. This doesn’t mean they should look unkempt, he warns, just start to "fill them in a bit and brush them up with a clear gel." Try Ulta Eyebrow Gel, $6 to instantly get that fuller, Brooke Shields-esque look.

Cover up summer-skin damage

To look "fall appropriate" you should aim to get rid of telltale signs of summer sun damage. Hopefully you slathered on SPF like it was going out of style and don't have too much, but if you have obvious hyperpigmentation you can cover it up until your skin brightening treatments or peels (try Kiehl's Over-Night Biological Peel, $43) do their job. Stapleton suggests using a heavy concealer (applied after your foundation) and a small brush to "break up the skin discoloration by stippling the product [creating small dots] over the damaged area." Try one of these top-rated concealers to get flawless coverage. Finish by setting the foundation and concealer with powder.

Swap your lip pencil

Changing the color you line your lips with will instantly update your look. "If you've been wearing those amazing brights [corals, oranges, pinks] this summer, change your lip pencil to a darker hue and work it into the [bright] lipstick to give it a darker or dirtier cast -- this will mute it and make it fall-wearable," says Stapleton.

Ditch bright eyeshadow

Over the summer we have seen "bright poppy colors like oranges or light blues on the eyes" which should be retired as we move into fall, a classically more somber season, says Stapleton. Instead, wear subtle tones like metallic hues with satin textures and more muted shades.

Contour your face with highlights

You don't want to go too heavy on the contouring until the fall season is actually upon us, but in the meantime, try contouring your face subtly by highlighting your cheeks and the bridge of your nose, says Stapleton. "Dot a lighter concealer along cheek bones and nose -- all high planes of the face to accentuate the contours," he advises. This will give your face a more angled, structured look (reminiscent of fall) while still allowing you to hold on to that summer glow a bit longer.

If you have been following summer trends you have likely ditched your classic smoky eye, but putting some black eyeliner back into the mix of your eye makeup routine is a quick way to darken up your entire makeup look, says Stapleton. "Line the inside and outside of the eyes. Add that cat-like edge to the outer corners. This fall is all about the feline," says Stapleton.

How to Apply Make Up to Make a Nose Look Slimmer

Professional makeup application produces dramatic results by relying on color, shading and contouring tricks to literally reshape facial features. When a properly contoured face is exposed to light, the overall appearance can be astounding. Darker makeup colors cause areas of the face to recede, while lighter, brighter or shimmering shades cause areas to seem more pronounced or prominent. This is the basis for creating fuller-looking lips, higher cheekbones, a slimmer nose or "lifting" droopy eyelids. The following article offers tips to help you to

You can slim the appearance of a larger or more prominent nose just like the professionals do with techniques that yield immediate changes to your appearance.

Instructions
Things You'll Need:

* 3 or 4 sponge or brush makeup applicators
* Liquid or powder foundation to match your skin
* Liquid or powder foundation a shade or two darker
* Liquid or powder foundation a shade or two lighter
* Translucent powder

1 Apply the foundation that matches your skin to your face as a base color.

2. Follow the base foundation with the darker foundation by lightly placing a modest amount of it along each side of your nose. Avoid placing the darker color onto the center of your nose.

3.Blend these shades well to eliminate any obvious lines of demarcation.

4. Place a small amount of the lightest color vertically on the center of your nose. Gently blend again with a sponge to soften the lines between the contrasting darker areas on each side of your nose.

5.Apply translucent powder all over your face, paying particular attention to your nose to "set" your makeup and help it to last. You may then apply other makeup as desired.

Beauty tips

A cheap way to boost the shine of dark hair is to rinse it with diluted vinegar. Blonde hair benefits from lemon juice. Both act by sealing down the outer cuticles of the hair, helping your hair reflect the light more effectively.

Swap commercial face scrubs for a handful of oatmeal
massaged directly onto your skin – it works really well.

Turn lipstick into lip gloss with a coat of lip balm after applying colour.

A drop of live oil rubbed nightly into your nails will help them grow long and strong and is cheaper than shop-bought manicure
oils.

To dry nail polish in a hurry, spray nails with PAM Oil Spray. (note: this really does work).

Add a few drops of your favorite eaude toilette to some olive oil, and use as a scented bath oil as a cheap treat. Olive oil can also be added to bath water for a skin softener.

makeup tips for free

Here are some great makeup tips for free

Makeup Tip 1) Sweep a little loose powder under your eyes when applying dark shades of eye shadow to catch any falling specks and prevent them from staining your skin.

Makeup Tip 2) Make your lips look larger by wearing a bright, light lipstick. Or make the appear small by wearing dark and more muted colours.

Makeup Tip 3) If you do not have a specialized contouring product for cheeks, simply use an ordinary face powder a couple of shades darker than your usual one to slim down the cheeks.

Makeup Tip 4) Add a drop of witch hazel available in all good pharmacies to turn ordinary foundation into a medicated one, it will work wonders on oily skin which is prone to acne and pimples.

Makeup Tip 5) Mascara your lashes before applying false ones to help them stick properly.

Makeup Tip 6) If you look tired then blend a little concealer just away from the outer corner of your eye - it makes you look as though you had a good night's sleep.

Makeup Tip 7) If you have not got time for a full make-up, but want to look great, paint on a bright red lipstick - its is happy, glamorous color which immediately brightens your face.

Makeup Tip 8) Never apply makeup before blow drying your hair - the heat from the dryer can make you perspire and cause your makeup to smudge.

Makeup Tip 9) The colour of powder eyeshadow can be made to look more intense by dipping your eyeshadow brush in water first.

Makeup Tip 10) Keep eye lashes smooth and supple by brushing them with petroleum jelly before going to bed at night.

Makeup Tip 11) Apply cream blusher in light downward movements to prevent it from creasing in specks of colour from catching in the fine hairs on your face.

Makeup Tip 12) If mascara tends to clog on your lower lashes then try using a small thin brush to paint colour on to individual lashes.

Makeup Tip 13) Make sure you give moisturizer time to sink in before you start applying your makeup as it will help your makeup go on more easily.

Makeup Tip 14) If your eye liner is too hard and drags your skin, hold it next to a lighter bulb for a few seconds before applying.

Makeup Tip 15) Lip gloss can look sophisticated if you just apply a dot in the center of your lower lip.

Makeup Tip 16) If you are unsure where to apply blusher, gently pinch your cheeks. If you like the effect, apply blusher in the same area - it will look wonderfully natural!

Makeup Tip 17) To prevent lipstick from getting on your teeth, try this tips - after putting it on, put your finger in the mouth, purse your lips and pull it out.

Makeup Tip 18) Women who wear glasses need to take special advice on makeup. If you are near-sighted, your glasses will make your eyes look smaller. So, go for brighter eyeshadows and lots of mascara to ensure they do not disappear.

Makeup Tip 19) A little foundation lightly rubbed through your eyebrows and brushed through with an old toothbrush will instantly lighten them.

Makeup Tip 20) For long lasting blush on sunny days or hot nights, apply both cream and powder blusher. Apply the cream formulation first, set with translucent powder then dust with a little powder blush.

More secret household cleaners (you already own) 2

Revive canvases
Cut the crust off a piece of white bread, squish the bread into a doughy ball and use it to gently dab the surface of paintings (but not valuable or antique works). Once the ball is covered with dirt and grime, start again with a new slice. Use a pastry brush (or another soft-bristled brush) to clear off any crumbs.


De-grime shades
Take a hands-on approach to your mini blinds and venetians. Just slip on a pair of white cotton gloves, dip fingers into a solution of equal parts white vinegar and warm tap water, then run your fingers across both sides of each slat. Rinse gloves as necessary in a bowl of clean water.

Go green
Keep air pure with houseplants. Research from NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America suggests that palms, English ivy, ferns, mums and similar plants remove up to 87 percent of indoor pollutants.

Shake it
To wash a narrow vase, pour in 2 tablespoons of dry rice and ½ cup warm water, cover with the palm of your hand, shake vigorously, then rinse.

Air dry
Give chandeliers a quick cleaning with a blow-dryer (set on low) or a feather duster. For tougher jobs, fill a spray bottle with one part vodka to five parts water, spritz on fixtures and blow-dry.

Practice your swing
Wrap a microfiber cloth over the bristles of a regular broom or around the end of a golf club, secure it with a rubber band and use to get rid of cobwebs or dust in hard-to-reach places.

Erase every trace
Did your child use the painted walls as a canvas? Mist them with hairspray and wipe immediately to remove colored marker. For crayon, scrub with a toothpaste-covered toothbrush, or gently massage with baking soda and a damp microfiber cloth.

Raid the fridge
Shine brass using a dab of Worcestershire sauce or ketchup. Squeeze the condiment onto a cloth, rub the item, then rinse with water and dry with a towel.

Scour scuffs
Use a new tennis ball to wipe scuff marks off tile, vinyl, woodwork—even painted walls. It won’t harm the surface.

More secret household cleaners (you already own)

Use a substitute
Try Listerine mouthwash if you’re out of floor cleaner. Add a capful to a gallon of water and mop vinyl or tile—but not wood—floors with the mixture. The same product that kills bad-breath germs also zaps the gunk beneath your feet.

Clean in between
Grab a few disinfecting wipes to give faucets, sinks, tubs, toilet seats—you name it—an easy daily touch-up.

Pretreat
After going over your bathtub, sink or shower with disinfectant, wipe the area with baby oil or lemon oil. Do this once or twice a month, and it will help dirty water bead and roll down the drain faster, buying you more time before the next cleaning.

Scrubbing bubbles
Freshen the toilet bowl with effervescent tablets (denture or antacid) in between scourings. Drop two in the water, let soak for at least 20 minutes, then brush and flush. A can of cola dumped in for one hour also does the trick. The phosphoric acid in the beverage removes rust rings and other mineral deposits.

Shine on
Get rid of lime buildup on sinks by soaking an old rag in vinegar, then wrapping it around the faucet and clasping with a hair clip. Let sit for an hour, then take off rag and dry faucet.

Lose the spots
Combat mold and mildew on tiles and shower curtains with a paste of equal parts lemon juice and baking powder. Spread on the mixture, leave for two hours, then rinse.

Mist away
Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar to clean chrome and stainless-steel fixtures, and to remove scum, grime and mildew from your bathtub, tile or shower curtain.

Dust tough-to-clean items
A dry paintbrush (with bristles at least 3 inches long) is great for both the surface and grooves of your collectibles. Dust framed photos with a pastry brush, which is softer than a paintbrush and easier to dip into corners and places that are difficult to reach.

secret household cleaners (you already own)

Eliminate odors
Try coffee grounds to keep your refrigerator smelling nice and fresh, just as you do with an open box of baking soda. Place them, new or used, in a bowl and remember to replace them every month or two.

Wash the dishwasher
To clean the inside of your dishwasher, fill the detergent cups with whichever one of these four products you have on hand: ½ cup white vinegar or a few tablespoons of powdered laundry bleach, Tang or lemon-flavored Kool-Aid (lemon is the only flavor that works). Then run the empty machine through a complete cycle.

Chill out
Use ice to cleanse the blades in your garbage disposal and break up the grease that collects on the rotors. Every few weeks, toss in a handful of cubes, turn on the disposal and run cold water. Add some orange, lemon or lime peels to ward off odors.

Soften up grease
Get baked-on foods off pots and pans with a dryer sheet. Just place one in a pot, fill with water and let sit overnight, then sponge off the next morning. The antistatic agent weakens the bond between the stuck-on food and the surface of the pan, while the fabric softener works its loosening magic.

Absorb grime
Cover the bottom of your trash can with old newspapers. It's an easy way to keep clean and soaks up leaks and odors.

Wipe away scuffs
Make scuffs on vinyl flooring disappear by applying a little baking soda with a damp sponge.

Gather shards
Pick up tiny slivers of broken glass—the ones you don’t notice until you’ve stepped on them—by gently pressing a slice of bread or a piece of Play-Doh on the area. Be sure to wrap the glass up carefully before throwing it away—you don’t want an animal to eat it or a child to play with it.

Zap bacteria
To keep bacteria from taking up permanent residence in your kitchen sponges, rinse them with water at the end of each day, squeeze, then put in the microwave for three minutes. Let cool before touching. Do the same with your cutting boards, if they are microwaveable

Floss often
Remove debris from the cutting disc on your electric can opener with dental floss.

Save money in the kitchen

Reduce spending on the kitchen basics and you'll be surprised how much money you can save. For example, extend the life of your kitchen sponge by tossing it in with a load of dishes in the dishwasher every couple of days or so. This will sanitize it and give you several additional weeks' use.

Stop buying paper towels
In addition to being a money-saving move, repurposing old T-shirts and cloth diapers as dishrags and cleaning cloths cuts down on waste, so it's better for the environment.

Save money on food by freezing
Stock up when the prices are low on your favorite grocery items. Toss them in deep freeze so they'll be fresh when you need them. Buy shredded cheese in bulk when you see a deal. Sprinkle in cornstarch to prevent sticking, then freeze. Consider storing herbs and spices and loaves of bread in the freezer, too, to extend their shelf life.


Cut down on kitchen energy costs
After the dishwasher's final rinse, open the door and pull out the racks. Let the dishes air-dry to save electricity.

Make your own

There is no need to spend on pricey bath products. You can save money by making your own body scrub.

Just put 1 cup sugar in an airtight container; pour in enough olive oil to cover. Add a few drops lemon or orange extract and stir. This homemade scrub will keep your skin soft and smelling fresh.

Cut costs on bathroom basics

Don't let the cost of bathroom supplies eat up your household budget. Save money on the basics and spend a little on the big impact items.

Rather than buy individual hand soaps just buy a large, inexpensive bottle of shampoo. Fill a pump container with half water and half shampoo and use as hand soap. Also you can use it as body wash and bubble bath.

Sanitize a Cutting Board

Spruce up that kitchen workhorse—the cutting board—by squeezing a lemon half over the top and letting the juice absorb for 10 minutes. (It soaks into wood especially well, but this also works on plastic cutting boards.) This will loosen stains. Next, kill bacteria by using the fruit to scrub the board.

Wash the Windows

Four tablespoons of lemon juice (either fresh or out of the bottle) mixed with a half-gallon of water makes an effective window cleaner—sans chemicals and streaking. The powerful citric acid dissolves dirt, grime and water stains, leaving your windows sparkling.

Hand-Wash Dishes

When you run out of dish soap, slice a lemon in half and sprinkle baking soda on top, working the lemon half like you would a Brillo pad. Watch as the citric acid cuts, loosens and then dissolves grease, giving your pots and pans a shiny glow. Oh, and your dishpan hands will smell sweet!

Sanitize the Microwave

The lingering smell of popcorn, pizza and whatever you might have heated up recently can overwhelm a microwave. Edelman’s advice is to cut a whole lemon into super-thin slices and put the pieces in a microwavable bowl. Fill the bowl with hot water, place in the microwave and cook on high for one minute. The citric acid’s antibacterial properties will kill bacteria while the heat works like a humidifier to loosen icky, caked-on food. Afterward, wipe the oven with a damp cloth.

Put a Shine on Metal

When it comes to copper, brass and chrome, nix harsh chemical polishes and instead put some elbow grease behind half a lemon. “Lemons are highly acidic, which enables them to cut through and loosen mineral deposits, making them easier to wipe away,” says Edelman. For extra oomph, before scrubbing, dip the fruit half in salt—it will help exfoliate the surface for added shine.

Freshen Up the Stinky Garbage Disposal

“Lemon rinds ground in the disposal will deodorize your sink’s drain 1-2-3,” says Edelman. “And bonus, unlike vinegar, which leaves no scent, lemons provide a clean, crisp aroma.” Just slice a lemon into chubby quarters, slip them into the sink’s disposal, turn on the hot water and flip the power switch. Run the disposal until you hear the “gurgle-gurgle-grind-grind” sound—when that noise stops, it means the lemon is chopped and swallowed up. Turn off the disposal.