Glassy Style

Jams, syrups, honey, spices... most of these come in glass jars. I'm sure you normally just toss these to the garbage or recycle them. But why not give them a new meaning in life? I've decided to do just that.

All you need to do is soak off the labelings and scrub out the insides. Here are a few ideas that I have started for our little cottage...

One: Save your tea leaves and let them dry in the sun. Add them to a glass jar of any size and shape. When it is about half- full, add some cinnamon sticks. Leave the lid off and stick it on a window sill. If you use flavored tea, it will give off a fresh scent!

Two: If you have a larger glass jar, you can use this idea as a dining room centerpiece. Get a few stems of your favorite silk flower, and cut off the blooms. Place the blooms inside the jar, and give your table an elegant look!

Three: Use smaller jars for fresh spices from your own garden. Keep the lids and label the spices with cute & crafty fabrics and fonts.

Four: Add bath salts or even handsoap to give a vintage look to your bathroom. You can sometimes find a dispenser that will screw right on to mason jars.

Five: To add a cute touch to any shelf, add buttons or your yarn collection to glass jars. This is an adorable way to stay organized and clutter-free.

And remember kids... reduce, reuse, recycle. :}

-Bon Voyages.

My Mane Love

I am not against going to a hair salon. In fact I love being pampered for 35 minutes by a professional hair stylist. I am, however, against paying over $50 to get a fresh trim and a colour that will fade in three weeks. That to say, this is my first hair blog. I am not a pro-stylist but I have, what I believe, a form of the most difficult hair to cut/style/tame. Therefore, I feel a bit like a pro when it comes to my mane. I might also add that I have been to the salon maybe 4 times in the past 3 years, and I only look slightly insane.

I don't have any styling tips, sadly. I mean, I don't even have any for myself. But I will suggest that you buy a box of hair colour from your local grocer. You can easily do it yourself, or have a friend help with the hard-to-reach areas.

I also have an idea for a lady who might want to jazz things up. But the following is not for the light-hearted:

Bangs.


I cut my own bangs. Why? Because I can control the length and fullness of them. I can do them to the side or full in the front. The method I use works for swoop bangs or for thick, straight-across bangs.

For full and intense bangs {bangs that don't separate and show random spots of your forehead}, you will want to go nearly to the crown of your head and make a part in the shape of a half-moon, stopping at your temples. Brush the hair that you are not cutting and pull back in a ponytail. Brush forward the hair you will be cutting. Comb and wet the bang section. Start with small snips; you can always cut more. Generally, you will want to cut them right at the brow so that when you dry & style them, they will raise up just above the brow. This gives for a clean look, and it also ensures keeping them out of your eyes. If you choose to do the swoop bang, cut from one side at an angle. If doing the straight bang, simply cut straight across and when you reach your temples, cut a smidge at an angle. {This keeps  it from looking like you stuck a bowl on your head.} Then, dry & style. If they are too long, cut the strays away until it is more of what you want. But I repeat, start small. Especially if it is your first time at cutting bangs.

Voila!

If you are at all like me, you don't want the same look every single day. If so, simply push the bangs to the side and bobby-pin them to the rest of your hair. Point the bobby-pin in a downward position and cover it with the long hair. This will make it look more natural.

I hope one of my readers is brave enough to try this... let me know!

Keep it simple & fun, loves. :}

-Bon Voyages.

Organic Living {essentially}

Months before Wesley and I began dating back in 2008, I started my new year off with a change in my diet. I was a healthy weight and exercised regularly, but still suffered headaches and a general feeling of blah. I decided to take two main items out of my daily/weekly meals: fast food and sodas.

I am pleased to tell you that eliminating sodas and fast food has changed me forever. It's crazy how 1} you save a bum load of money, 2} you feel so much lighter, and 3} you are healthier.

All that to say, we are taking the step to go organic. - "What is organic food? Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation." - USDA


We haven't taken the drastic leap to go to "organic only" stores..but we have started off right, I believe. 


First, we are growing our own vegetables. In the spring/summer we grew squash, green beans, sugar snap peas, and we are still waiting on our tomatoes to fully mature {due to the drought and heat}. For the fall crop we will have said tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, and basil. Are these the only vegetables we eat? No. But for now we are okay with buying onions and garlic at the store of our choice.


Second, no soda is allowed in our house. Is this considered organic? It is in my book. Have you ever read the ingredients in a typical can/bottle of soda? Can you pronounce those words? Exactly. And notice almost every soda's first ingredients are high fructose syrup. Supposedly it isn't that bad for you, because your body just registers it as a sugar. But is it a natural sugar? Ehh, not so much. But I won't go off on that soap box now. So we do juices without those syrups, water, hormone-free milk, and coffee. We even make our own creamer. {more on that in next paragraph}


Finally, we have subscribed to a great chef's organic menu. Carrie Vitt is the creator of the blog Deliciously Organic, and thank God we found it. We signed up for her "What's For Dinner" organic dinner menus, at a reasonable price! I recommend you check it out. We did away with our Netflix account to make up for the cost of this great menu. It's going organic, but not in a psychotic-kind of way. She also has great recipes for fresh creams of your choice. No more buying expensive, small bottles of "cream" with "natural & artificial flavors". Just visit her at deliciouslyorganic.net. 


Another great reason to switch to healthier, more organic living is our daughter. We want her to be as healthy as she possibly can. And I am a firm believer that fast food restaurants are just one of this nation's demises. Going to fast food drive-thrus will be something completely foreign to her, for as long as we have control over her eating habits. We want her to eat fresh, natural foods and learn to love them for what they are, and to not be fooled into enjoying the tastes of synthetic food items.


I hope I have inspired you to choose healthier foods and maybe you will do some research of your own on organic living. 


-Bon Voyages.

Hello, loveys.

Yet again, I go after another blog. But this time I will not be venting wild stories and emotions. Much to this laptop's surprise, I will be posting my journeys with different projects and ideas, from DIY to buying trinkets at Target; from eats and treats, to the gardening world. I will even be discussing my trips and tricks with cloth diapering.

So, my lovely friends, hang tight and see the productive side of my life.

-Bon Voyages.