A Midori ....Oh no a Faux-dori!!

On my mission this New Year I was looking for the perfect planner. I have an Erin Condren planner which I absolutely love and I did a review on this planner because I really do love it but I wanted something that I could customize even more. Where did I turn to....well Pinterest, Youtube and blogs of course. I spent hours and days looking for one and I finally found it........a Filofax!!

Yes the filofax, how I drooled over this planner on Pinterest. All the beautiful inserts and washi tape and stickers, oh I just could not get enough. I watched endless hours on how people organized their planners and all the printables I was able to find I just knew this planner was something I had to have.

Well all that research and I finally placed my order but in the middle of searching for this perfect planner I also stumbled upon a community that uses Midori Travelers notebooks. I was immediately intrigued because I love notebooks. All kinds and I love small ones, large ones, fancy ones etc.  I have plenty of Moleskines and I pretty much use them for everything!!

Well the Midori was awesome because I could have multiple little notebooks all in one carrier with a beautiful piece of leather and some great elastics. It looks so beautiful and when I watched reviews I also became obsessed with this little notebook. I almost pressed the order button but then refrained because of the price. Yes it's a beautiful piece of leather and yes I use notebooks all the time but I could not justify the price....$65.00!! My husband would kill me. Now this isn't to say that I will never purchase one but I set out to find something that acted like a Midori but wasn't so expensive. Where else would I turn but Etsy.

Oh how I adore Etsy. My prayers were answered and I found this great kit that acted like a Midori and I could even dye the leather!!!

A wonderful Etsy seller and this kit was only $14.95 plus shipping which I think was $2. It came so fast!! I ordered some leather dye off of Amazon in an oxblood color because I just think it's so beautiful and I began my little project. First I dyed the leather which is super super easy to do and not as messy as I thought.

Oh I just get giddy with this thing. By the way the size on this is the passport which is smaller but it comes with a Cahier Moleskine notebook and I have tons of these so it was the perfect size for me!!

Putting the elastic together is so easy and then I just used rubber bands to hold the notebooks together!

Oh it's just so beautiful and I love it so much! I want to get more and dye them all different colors!! Great kit to get if you are interested in getting a Midori but don't want to pay the price!

Stella & Dot Spring/Summer 2014 Collection!

Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I about died when I saw the teasers for this collection. I was just beyond ecstatic to place my order. I obsessively scoured the site and counted down the days until I could place my order with Stella & Dot!

It's finally here!!!

I am just so in love with pretty much everything in this collection! The gorgeous scarf was a definite for me and also the beautiful getaway tote that is a great size for travel and even moms on the go.
Don't even get me started on the beautiful jewelry that was released its just full of colors and mixed metals. I love it and I think you should check it out too!!

Cute and Easy DIY, old frame into a Chalkboard!

I recently found this old frame in my storage room. I was no longer using it and I hate to throw away something like this. I looked at the three slots and that's when it hit me.....I could use this in my office as a pin board/message board!! And pulled out some materials I already had around the house! You could do this with any old frame you have laying around and spruce it up and give it a new life!!

Here is what I did!!

They came out better then expected!!

So here is what I used to make this adorable DIY!

 I first gathered all my needed supplies. You will need an old picture frame. Take the glass out and spray paint it with the chalkboard spray paint. I found mine at Hobby Lobby but I know that I have seen it at Michaels as well for about $7.99. Trust me once you have this spray paint you will turn everything into a chalkboard!! I can't tell you how many times I have used this finish.

Once you decide your layout you will have to fit your cork board.

Glue it all together and I added a pretty ribbon so that I can hang them!
It's honestly a super super easy DIY project and took me about 30 minutes to make.

Check out my Youtube video for a more step by step tutorial!!

Awesome Gadget the Astro Mini quick charger!!

On my mission to find a quick battery charger I found this little beauty!!

Why you might ask did I even look for this gadget? Well I hoped you would ask that question. I catch myself so many times where I am out of the house and I have about 5% battery left on my iPhone! I get so mad when that happens. Not only do I feel really mad because 'what if I need directions?' or I'm lost and I have no battery life, or I get so excited to listen to a new playlist and the phone is dead. I also have a little baby and god forbid my car breaks down and I have no phone I wanted to have this little gadget in my car! This product I purchased on amazon for $19.99. The shipping was really really fast and I can't tell you how I relieved I am that I have this in my purse and never have to worry about being stranded without a phone!! It also charges an iPad if you are someone who travels with all of your gadgets.  You can put whatever you'd like because it has a usb and a mini usb port!


Here are some techy specs:

The official name is Astro Mini External battery.
It holds enough power for 1-2 charges on most smartphones. From reviews I read that some people were able to get 3.
It's made with Grade A cells and premium microchips.
Charges your mobile devices anytime, anywhere.
Fits easily into any bag with a small and lightweight design.
Lifetime charge cycles- 500 times or more
It weighs 2.6 oz
Input DC 5V/0.8A
Output DC 5V/1A

I love the pink color I think it's super cute and it comes with this adorable mesh case that is really really great quality. The inside has another lining and it's just great.  This is a little life savor for me and I never need to worry about running out of juice for my iPhone!!
Hope you check this out!!

What Are Jamberry Nails?!?

So I had a girlfriend a few months ago mention Jamberry Nails. Being an absolute nail polish junkie I was immediately on my iPad googling Jamberry. What I found just amazed me!! The website has so so many nail appliqués to choose from!

Ok so the ones I included here on my blog are only a small percentage of what I found on the website! I went nuts with all the super cute holiday decals. They are just so adorable. I then found on the site that you  can also be a Jamberry employee by doing trunk shows and selling the product! I did look into this but I am already a Stella & Dot stylist and I think I have  exhausted all of my friends and family with hosting . It seems like a really great opportunity if you are someone who is looking for a job out of your home and creating your own business.

My next thoughts were how do I apply these? The website features a slightly different way of applying these appliqués. You use heat! I was immediately intrigued because I have used the Sally Hansen ones and some other ones at Ulta but found that they come up or are basically stickers on my nails, so using heat seemed like a really great idea!
I then of course turned to YouTube and found some videos of people applying and
so I was sold on these!!

 I think these are super duper cute. I did get a chance to speak with their PR folks and they are really really nice so I imagine that the company is a really great one to work with!
Hope you get a chance to check these out if you love nail polish as much as I do!!

 Don't forget to check out my Youtube video if you are interested how they apply and
What they look like on my nails!!

Let it Snow Nails!!

We got hit with a ton of snow these last couple of days in Chi town!! They have actually nicknamed it Chi-beria! It hasn't been this cold here in nearly 20 years. Something about a north pole vortex breaking free and expanding across the country.  There is a ton of snow and some sun so of course what did this do for me....well it inspired some nail designs of course!!

What I began painting my nail base color is a color from the Sephora Formula X brand in the color 'Infatuated'. It's this beautiful blue color that just made me think of the winter time.  For an accent nail  I used the glitter color 'Turbulent" also from the Formula X line! They are great quality nail polished is you haven't tried them out yet!

 The top one is Infatuated and the bottom pic is Turbulent~~

Now for the nail art part it's really very simple.  I took a dotting tool, you could just use a q tip if you remove the cotton part or break it in half or a toothpick, and dip it into a white nail polish.  The next step is totally up to your artistic self, decide if you want the base of the snow at your cuticle or at the top of your nail. Which ever you choose you want to put dots very closely together to make it look as though the snow is accumulating. Then as you work your way away from wherever you choose the base to be you want to make your dots more sparing. This will give the effect that it's snowing on your nails! I love this nail art. It's super easy and fun and great for a very chilly and snowy day!
Enjoy!!

Gellish Easy at Home gel manicure kit and you can change your Nailpolish anytime!!

Hi Everyone,

I have been using this kit for about 6 months now and I absolutely love it. I have a 1 year old at home and two fur babies so my hands are constantly being washed. I could not get a manicure to last me more than a day. I went to my local Sally Beauty Supply store and stumbled upon this gem! This is the gellish at home manicure kit. You do have to purchase the cure light separately. I don't remember the exact price of this whole system but I believe it's some where is the $100 price range.  I felt this is justifiable because if I were to go to the salon and have this done every week the cost of that would add up quickly!!

What comes in this kit. It is a mini kit, which I was more than happy with especially when I am trying something new out. I have been using this non stop for the past 6 months so I am most positive I will be buying full sizes.

Anyway!! Here is what comes with your kit

Mini pH bond

Mini foundation

Mini top coat 

Mini Nourish (cuticle oil)

Mini artificial nail remover

Mini surface cleanser

The Sheer gel color is something I chose separate and does not come with the kit. I chose the sheer vs a color because I like to change my nail polish very often so I can't commit to a color for longer than a week.   The curing lamp is separate but I really like it because when you press the button it turns off in the appropriate time needed to cure. The kit comes fully with instructions and walks you through what you need to do. It was very easy to do at home and I get better with it each time I use it. I would say that I can get this done in about 30 minutes and I usually can go about a week and a half without having to redo the whole manicure.

Some tips to keep in mind. Make sure you cover the entire nail and then the tip before you cure. This is a very important step. If you do not do this then you will notice that dirt, particles and water will get underneath and ruin the manicure. Your manicure will peel off your nails and cause damage to them. Make sure to work with good lighting so that you can see your entire nail and are applying enough and covering the surface.

This kit is a ten out of ten for me because my nails are super strong and I can change my nail polish color as often as I like. Make sure you use a non acetone nail polish remover if you are choosing to do this. If you try to use a nail polish remover with acetone you will unfortunately ruin the gel manicure and it will start to come off your nails.

For a demo of how I do this on my nails be sure to check out my YouTube video below!