Donut Pillow

I found this really cool pillow on A Beautiful Mess and I knew that my Daughter would love it, so today I decided to sew it.
I used an Ikea mirror to make my template and freehanded the frosting part, but the next time I make one I will make it a little skinnier so it doesn't cover up the donut part too much. Being this is my first donut pillow,  I love it!

I used the fleece for most of it, including the sprinkles.

I think I am going to make a cream-filled donut next and maybe a cupcake; who knows. They were fun to make and the kids love them.

Chanel Lipstick

I went on a trip to Barcelona and my favorite purchase was a Chanel lipstick. I have always wanted a bright red lipstick from Chanel but I was never confident to wear it till now.
Before I left for my trip, I looked at the colors on the Internet and planned out which one I was going to buy so when I walked into Sephora, I walked right up to the Chanel display and put on the one I thought I wanted. But, when I looked at myself I didn't like it; that just shows you that the Internet can't replace seeing the color on you in person.
I ended up loving the next color that I got -- #99 called pirate.

 

One of the first things I checked was if it made my teeth look yellow (and it didn't) but I did need to get a lip liner to go with it in case it bleeds.  I didn't get one from Chanel; I bought a different brand from Sephora that wasn't as expensive. 

While I was in Barcelona, I noticed that my lipstick stayed on forever and always felt creamy without being sticky and leaving lipstick prints on everything, but once I got back to Germany I realized that it must have been the climate there because here it doesn't stay on quite as long and I do have to reapply more often. 

Very often when I buy lipgloss or lipstick, I have the problem that the glycerin in it makes my lips dry and I end up having chapped lips. With this lipstick I don't have that problem at all and it just goes to show you, "You get what you pay for".

No matter what you are wearing or if you don't have much makeup on, as soon as you have pretty lips you look put together, unless of course you have a rats nest on your head -- then you will look like a slob with lipstick on. 

My friend, Nicole, is wearing "wonderland" lipgloss by Dior.

I suggest that if you want to buy one then definitely go try them first to see how it will look with your skin, because the Internet just doesn't do the pigmentation justice of a Chanel lipstick. Besides, you might pick up something else you like while you are at it because you can never have too much stuff to make you feel pretty. Am I right?

DIY Chalkboard

I know that DIY Chalkboard paint is all over Pinterest, but this paint is made with scouring powder instead of cement, which makes it different.
I have been wanting a chalkboard to write our meals on for a while, because I have been writing them on paper and sticking it to the fridge, so my kids don't ask me everyday what we are having.

 

I picked up this mirror for 12 Euros and the scouring powder for about 3 euros.  I still had the paint from the bathroom makeover that I did. 

What I did was pour paint in the pan, added the powder and stirred until it was thick and pasty. Then I just started painting the mirror with a paintbrush.

I didn't prime it first. I just painted a really thick layer and let it dry, which took about 3 hours. You should probably let it dry till the next day.

I sanded the first layer because it was really gritty, which doesn't make for smooth writing, and I painted the next layer on top and let that dry for at least 3 hours and sanded it again. 

It was a quick project that didn't cost me much, and if you have something you can paint over instead of going out and buying something, it will be even cheaper. 

I have wiped it down several times with a wet rag and aside from the chalk, nothing has come off in terms of paint or the powder so I would say it was a success.

Now I just need to hang it up, but that might take longer than the project itself.

Give it a try and tell me how it went.  

Open Air Seeed

I love Music and when the opportunity arose to see "Seeed" live in Bensheim, I totally took advantage of it, even though I hate porta potties and a bunch of drunk woman who think they can dance.
That is the crowd you end up with at festivals;  you listen to hours of crappy bands waiting for the headliner to show up and drink because it's hot as hell out.

Around this time, people start acting a fool and thinking they can dance even though they are pretty much dancing to a song nobody else can hear; they twirl around like an effing pinata, but it does make for some laughs since I was definitely making fun of these people.

It was a great concert. I just wish it would have started about 3 hours earlier, but you just go with the flow and still have a good time.

Maleficent

I am a sucker for a Disney movie and this one was a doozy, let me tell you! It was pure perfection and I can't wait to see it again.
Angelina Jolie was so good in this, and I felt for her the whole 90 minutes when she was wronged by Stefan the wannabe king / douche bag, whether she was furious or sad or lonely or devastated.
The costumes and makeup are just off the chart and so detailed that I could just stare at the screen for hours and not see everything.
The soundtrack for this movie is beautiful and "Once upon a Dream" sung by Lana del Ray is perfect for the mood of this movie; it's kind of dark and creepy but beautiful.

So, if you want to see the other side of the story then go see Maleficent today.

Stuff I Tried

Summer is here and I am leaving for Barcelona in 19 days, which means in a perfect universe I would already be sun kissed before I get to Spain. Because this is real life, I really look like an Albino and a Vampire had a baby and named it Me.
I asked on Facebook about using tanning cream, and if anybody had suggestions, but mostly the answers were: Don't do it; you will hate it.
But, of course, I didn't listen so here are my results:

I took a shower and first used one of those gloves that takes off all the dry skin, so I wouldn't have any orange spots. I only did my legs to see if it would work and if I would even like it.
When I opened the bottle I was pleasantly surprised by the smell because everyone told me these things stink. When I smelled a fruit salad in a bottle, I was happy.
After I put it on my legs, I washed my hands right away and then sat on the toilet lid for about 10 minutes to make sure I didn't ruin my clothes. Then I went to bed. After about 15 minutes, I started to smell popcorn and went looking for the source (since I wasn't eating any). It took me a while to figure out that it was my legs that smelled like that, like popcorn. The next morning when I got up I had orange knees, ankles and feet.

Conclusion: I'm glad it only cost 1,79 euros, and while I am sure that you get what you pay for, I have heard that they all give you orange extremities and smell nasty. So I guess I will look like a cotton ball in Barcelona.


Curling your hair with a flat iron
I recently started seeing a lot of pins on Pinterest lately of hair curls done with a flatiron, so I decided to get mine out of the cupboard and try it. I watched a couple of tutorials and gave it a shot.
Even though this was the first time I used it for curls, I did have the feeling that it's faster than curling your hair with a curling iron.
I sprayed Got2Be Guardian Angel on my hair, which is important so you at least can tell yourself you protected your hair first. I have been using this product for a while and I really like it, but I am sure any heat treatment you use is fine.

Conclusion: I like it. It makes a different kind of curl and if you don't leave it in your hair too long you have nice, be achy waves, which is really cute. Plus, you won't have that Grand Ol' Opry look that I sometimes get when my curls are really big.

 

I really need to work on my selfie face. 

So, there you go -- my two cents on some of the stuff I tried. Now let me know what you think about curling with a flat iron vs. a curling iron.

Baby Clothes Pillow

I have been holding onto baby shirts for a while now because I just couldn't part with them. I knew that I would not be having another baby so I needed to make something else with them, and I decided on a pillow case for a throw pillow.
I used 2 shirts for this project and a piece of scrap jersey that I had laying around. The front has a little hippo on it that I reverse appliquéd, which is the easiest thing to do if you don't want to use fusible interfacing. Plus, this way it stays as soft as possible.

 

I loved this little shirt and just couldn't part with it. Look at that little face (the kid not the shirt).

This pillow is really soft and squishy so it doesn't hold it's shape very well, but it's just right for a toddler bed.
The grey fabric that I used was a size 6 so it didn't have a lot of fabric. I needed a bigger piece for the hippo so I used the back for the middle piece and the front for the side pieces.

This is a slipcover pillow so you don't need a zipper and you can take it off and wash it whenever you need to. The back fabric is a really soft jersey and so comfy.
I found a really great tutorial for this kind of pillow so if you want to sew one for yourself, check it out on Made

 

Mia loves her pillow and I am really happy that she gets so much use out of it. Even better, Even better, I didn't have to throw or give away her baby shirts.

I think that I might even consider making a t-shirt quilt someday; I just have to find the time.

Neat and Tidy

I have noticed that when I am stressed about something my house has to be neat or I get even more stressed out. With three kids it's not that easy to keep neat and tidy; my two girls are the hardest to keep clean after and it doesn't help that they don't pick up after themselves without me telling them 20 times.
One of the major things that stresses me out are the little nests that I build all over my house whenever I am doing something.  I have to put it away in the middle of the craft or sewing project.
It builds and builds and I have no spare counter top or my stairs are full of stuff that needs to go downstairs or upstairs.

Instead of getting overwhelmed, I pick an area or room, set the timer for 10 minutes, and I stick with cleaning it. You would be amazed how much you can get done if you focus on one thing for ten minutes.
Of course, you can't deep clean anything in ten minutes but you can:

dust
clean off the stairs
scrub the toilet and sink
fold a load of towels
wipe down the counters and wipe down the appliances
make your bed and pick up all the clothes on the floor

Once I get started, it gets me motivated to do more than I started out wanting to do and afterwards, I feel good about my house and myself so there is no downside.
I usually clean the whole house Friday or Saturday, which means mopping, vacuuming and cleaning all the bathrooms, but during the week I just pick up and keep it neat. I also try to do a load of laundry a day but I still get stuck with tons of laundry on the weekend; that is a given with this many people.

My kids also have chores. That helps me a lot during the week because I would be so much busier if they didn't do their part.
These 10 minutes are the only reason that, at any given time, I can open the door to unexpected guests and not be ashamed or feel the need to make excuses for the state of my home. Of course, I wouldn't recommend eating off the floor; I'm quick but I'm not a miracle worker.

From the bottom up

In Germany our weather is weird because one day it's rainy and nasty and the next day it's hot as balls, and you can't stand the idea of wearing closed shoes. I am here to tell you that if your feet have not been readied for open shoe season. Please do everyone a favor and keep your shoes on.
There is nothing more disgusting than seeing someone with parmesan heels and dainty little shoes.

I don't get my feet done regularly here because it's not as convenient as it is in the States, and I can keep them pretty nice on my own.
I do walk barefoot a lot and and it's hard to get my feet clean so before I go to bed, I usually use a pumice stone on them so I can get off any dry skin. The stone also takes care of the grass stains and whatever else turned my feet black after walking on them all day.

Pumice stones are really cheap so you should change them pretty often, because once they get smooth you can toss them and they do get nasty after a while.

Getting ready for Sandal Season
Pedegg
Pumice stone
Foot peeling
Nail polish
Lotion

 Essence Nailpolish

This is my favorite nail polish in the world. Not only does it cover well but the colors are gorgeous and the polishes are really affordable.

Minty foot creme 

I like to put lotion on my feet when I am laying in bed because I don't like to slip and slide all over the floor and get hair and fuzzies stuck to my feet (Yuck).  I can put it on as thick as I want.
I am not usually too picky about what I put on my feet. I just use whatever moisturizer I have laying around, as long as my feet are smooth, and pretty and ready for some sandals.

5 Reasons Social Media has Made my Life Better

Recently, there has been a video going around the web about how you should put down your phone and pay attention to what is going on around you. To tell you the truth it pretty much annoyed me. I don't feel like having a phone is ruining my conversation skills; I think they actually make me nicer.
I hate talking on the phone and I am usually short and rude on the phone, unless I really don't have anything else I would rather be doing and then I will talk for longer than 3 sentences.

1) I am nicer when I write things on whatsapp or whatever form of communication I choose. I have to think about what I am going to say before I write it so I don't call someone a motherforking douche and misspell it.
I do believe that the same rule applies for messages that if you don't have anything nice to say then shut your piehole, the internet is not your shield it doesn't make you invisible and it doesn't give you the right to bully or be a jerk.

2) I take so many more pictures of my kids which is something I didn't do when I had to take the film to be developed and worried about people stealing pictures of my kids or of taking 36 pictures and none of them turning out.

3) I read a shit ton of books like outrageous amounts of books and it was always a very expensive habit and trying to figure out what to do with the books afterwards was always a pain because how many times are you going to read a Nora Roberts paperback? I would give boxes of books away and now that I have the kindle app on my ipad I can get any book I want at any time for a less money the only downside is that I really like reading in the bathtub and that is not a good idea with the ipad.

4) I am able to keep up with friends that I had 20 years ago with no effort even if it just to find out they beat a level on candy crush.

5) With all the filters and extra doodads that you can use for your photos I can now make myself look like I got a full nights sleep and didn't eat 4 pieces of toast for breakfast.

By the way the photo apps that I use are: CandyCam, A Beautiful Mess, Picsart

My favorite songs till now

I love music I have said it again and again I like to learn about new artists and keep up with different kinds of Genres and to say my taste in tunes is eclectic is the understatement of the century but there are a few songs that I always turn up when I hear them and I sing along.

1.) Phil Collins: Against all Odds
I love this song I love the album it was on and he was one of my favorite artists till he only made shitty Disney songs

2.) Elton John: Tiny Dancer
Ditto on the shitty Disney music

3.) Reba Macentire: Fancy
It's a song about a prostitute but a charming one

4.) Mister Mister: Broken Wings
I think I really like this because it was the first music video I saw that my brother had video taped from MTV it always reminds me of that, and its a good song

5.) NKOTB: Please don't go girl
Sappy gooey goodness from my teenage years that I remember, also that I caught a girls arm hair on fire at a NKOTB concert. Ah the memories

6.) U2: With Or Without You
1997 open air Solider field, Chicago one of the greatest moments in my life

7.) Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne: If I close my eyes forever
Awesome ballad, makes me want to roll around on the floor on leather pants

8.) Tears for Fears feat. Oleta Adams: Woman in chains
 Very few songs can top this

9.) Kate Bush: This woman's work
Beautiful Voice with wonderful Lyrics

10.) Womak & Womak: Teardrops
I always turn this way up

11,) Jamiroquai: Little L
Best cruising music

12.) Paula Abdul : Straight up
I know her voice is tinny and weak but when this song came out I almost killed myself dancing to it in my room. I'm not kidding, I kicked my leg up so high I knocked the other one from under me and slammed into the floor knocking myself out.

So what are your favorites?

Soundtrack Saturday

Not all new stuff, but I love them anyway!
 

Goldie Chucks

I love Converse sneakers. I have always had them in different colors and I don't get rid of them till they are gross. You can wear them with jeans, dresses, shorts, with or without socks (hence the grossness), and they will never ever go out of style. Finito -- I won't argue that point.
In the last 25 years that I have been wearing them I have painted, written and now studded them with little gold studs.

I bought the studs on Ebay and it cost me $7 dollars for 50 studs so it wasn't too expensive. I didn't have a tool or a knife for this project so I pushed them through the canvas with my fingers and bent back the prongs with a spoon. It worked well, but my fingers hurt after 50 studs.

I probably could have added more studs but I didn't have any so I will either leave them like this or just eventually add more studs.
Update: After I was so proud of my Chucks, I wore them everywhere, including to the beach. I totally ruined the little gold studs on them and now have to redo them. Hopefully it will cover up the damage that I did.

 

Now I have to buy a new pair of Converse. 

Note to self: Don't get saltwater on white chucks with fake gold studs on them.

A Bathing suit made me hate myself

I have to be honest. I started this post completely different. and I even saved it so I could read it again and see how stupid I was to even think the thoughts that I had.
I am 5'1" and I weigh 123 pounds after three children, the last one at age 36.
I have close to 20 scars all over my body and skin pigmentation problems on my face and back so that I can't even tan right without looking like a dalmatian.
I try so hard not to hate myself for not looking like I did when I was 20. What? Nobody looks like they are 20 when they are close to 40, unless you had work done or you are a celebrity and your body is your money-maker. Why are women so hard on themselves?
I bought a bathing suit today and I went home and tried it on and have been depressed ever since. I have been walking around the house, moping and starving because I saw my body in a bathing suit.
I eat clean and I work out, but not 7 days a week, and I don't kill myself. I am healthy but not perfect like I would like to be.
I am healthy, for goodness sakes! That is worth way more than a skinny ass, and here I am complaining about how imperfect I am.
I am going to still work out and eat clean because it helps with my skin issues, but I am going to really try not to be so down on myself and be more grateful. I think this is the greatest offense to myself, that I am ungrateful to my body for looking the way it does.
If I was my body, I would tell myself to f*** off and never speak to me again.

Clean Granola in the Crockpot

I was doing really well eating clean for about 2 months and then fell off the wagon, gained 3 pounds, but now I am back in the saddle. I was so\ick of eating eggs everyday, but I was also too lazy to really look for something different until I stumbled across a post  on Bless this mess please about making your own granola. I changed some of the ingredients and I also made it in the crockpot.

Recipe
3 cups coarse oats
3 cups soft oats
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup honey
2 tbsp Cinnamon
1 pinch ofsalt
2 tbsp vanilla
1/2-1 cup of water
1 cup coconut
optional are dried berries or nuts

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Melt the oil, mix together with honey and water and add to dry mixture.

Stir it until everything is wet and pretty sticky.
Pour into ungreased crockpot and put a spoon under the lid so the moisture can escape.

 

Set on low for 4-5 hours, depending on your Crockpot, stirring every 30 minutes. This step is very important because it will burn if you do not stir as instructed; in the last hour add the berries or nuts

Store it in air tight container and enjoy.

Notes:
My house smelled amazing while this was cooking and the taste is really awesome! I love it even though I did not add the cranberries, which as it turns out, I probably should have.

Soundtrack Saturday

I love music. It can make my mood extra fun or it can make me ugly, even cry in my car, but either way I need my tunes. I have a very eclectic taste in music and I don't really dislike any music except for trash metal -- that shit makes me mean.
I am always looking for new artists and I love that now itunes has radio, where I can listen to the whole song before I buy it.

This week I found several things that I like.
Sam Smith is, in my opinion, a mixture of Jimmy Sommerfield and James Morrison. I love this song and I am really looking forward to the whole album.
Ok, I loved this movie to pieces because it's Dr. Seuss but this is such a great song to listen to loud and just grab the kids and have a dance party in the kitchen. I really like Ester Dean's voice and she was great in Pitch Perfect, which is an awesome soundtrack.


Coldplay has always been one of my favorite feel-good bands and one of the things on my bucket list is to see them live. One of the best performances was the tribute to the Beastie Boys; I loved it!
. The first time I heard Audra Mae was on the show "Sons of Anarchy", when she sang an acapella version of "Forever Young"; I have been hooked ever since. Justin Timberlake can do no wrong. I am having issues on how this is being displayed on the blog, so I hope you can listen to these and I hope you like them.

Tie Dye fail

So, I made a dress from 2 shirts following this tutorial.

The dress came together pretty quick, and I was happy with it but then I decided to tie dye it. That was a huge mistake because I ruined it, and now the only place I can wear it is at home.

 

This is what it looked like after I bleached it. It was so horrible that I just left it hanging on the fence all night.

 

This is after I dyed it black and it still looks horrible. I hate it so much that I would like to set it on fire, but I will probably just wear it to clean. 

The tutorial is awesome so I will definitely make it again but I won't try to color it or bleach it.

Sometimes things go wrong and sometimes you end up with a fugly dress that you can only wear around house.

Barefoot sandals

When you look at cool stuff on pinterest the first thing you think is, "I could totally do that!" but the truth is, not everything is worth doing yourself.
I found these amazing barefoot sandals on Etsy but they are $75 and up.  I thought for sure that I could make something comparable for way less money, but after last night, I now see that they are a ton of work and maybe $75$ isn't as overpriced as I thought.

  

It took hours to get these little pearls on my string and then I ended up changing everything!  But now that they are done, I am sure they will be nice with my sandals or even ballerinas.

If you want a lot of beading, these are a lot of work.  But,  even just a little crocheted flower would be cute.

These are perfect for the Boho/Ethno look.

Move your butt

So I decided to join a challenge to move more for the next 2 months and be a little more accountable to myself for actually doing something.

Click on the pretty picture and it will take you to one of the blogs that is hosting.

There are four blogs that are hosting this challenge but my favorite is the  The Freckled fox; you receive an excel spreadsheet that helps you keep track of your minutes. The cool thing is that by walking today for an hour, I actually took care of my minutes for today and tomorrow. The challenge starts on April 1st and goes to May 31st and comes to 30 minutes a day.  It doesn't matter what you do, be it walking or a workout dvd or whatever you want to do. I walked for an hour today, but I will probably exercise because I have a goal that I am trying to reach (but that is my issue).

I think this is a great challenge because there is no pressure whatsoever to keep up; you just go at your own pace and do what you can.

DIY Nailpolish Shelf

Yesterday I got together with some friends to make a shelf for my nail polish. As of now I have all of my polish thrown in a box and I always have to dig for what I want.
There are so many tutorials on the web for this DIY so I won't go into the details, but I will show pictures.

I have to say we didn't get done till midnight because we had to wait forever for our pizza and we had to gossip and order shoes online.

Materials:
3 foam boards
Glue gun and Glue sticks
A rotary cutter
Ruler
Trim

You will need 1 board for the base of the shelf. You have to decide how high the shelves have to be for your polish to fit.  I did 8.5cm so draw your lines every 8.5cm and cut them out; these will be your shelf pieces. Glue them on the line that you drew and make sure they are even and straight.
Next are the little pieces that are are on the front of the shelf so your stuff doesn't fall out; cut and glue to the front.
Then do some of this:

After you horse around for a while and you are awake again, measure the sides from the shelf to the end of rack. Mine was 4.5 cm then cut and glue to the outside so it now is closed and nothing can fall out. You have to glue fast and hold it together because you don't want any holes.

Start glueing your trim, which will hide a lot of the imperfections. This was good in my case because my glue gun didn't heat up very well and the glue came out in clumps.

I used this to hang it on the wall.

Hang that sucker up and fill it up.  It looks like it should be hanging in a gypsy trailer with all that lace hanging on it, but I like it and all my stuff fits in it.