scent favorites

Today I thought I would share some of my favorite scents! This honestly may as well be called my favorite Bath & Body Works scents because all but one product featured it from there. But hey, you can't blame me -- everything in that store smells so damn good. 

1. Stress Relief Pillow Mist - Eucalyptus Spearmint

2. Stress Relief Body Mist - Eucalyptus Spearmint

3. Aromatherapy SLEEP Body Lotion - Black Chamomile 

4. Flannel Candle - seasonal: My sister got this for me this past fall and I loved burning it while reading a good book and sipping on a cup of tea. The scent reminds me of my boyfriend's cologne.

5. Paris Amour Candle: A lighter more floral scent. I love lighting this after cleaning my room.

6. Leaves Candle - seasonal: This is the ultimate fall candle -- it has the perfect mix of spice and crispness.

7. Cortas Rose Water: I use this as a facial toner at night before bed. I find the scent so refreshing and relaxing. It also kind of makes my face smell like roses which I'm not complaining about.

8. French Lavender & Honey - Body Mist

9. Georgia Peach & Sweet Tea - Ultra Sheer Body Cream & Body Mist

10. Beautiful Day - Body Mist 

I've been a fan of the Bath & Body Works body mists for years now. They are lighter than perfume but still give you a subtle refreshing scent! 

valentine's weekend recap

This past weekend was president's day weekend so I was able to visit home for the long weekend!! It was so nice spending time relaxing at home with family and friends after a crazy couple of weeks at school (midterms every single week this quarter!!!!!).

This is the first year my boyfriend and I weren't able to be together for valentine's day, but he surprised me with gifts through the mail, which was almost as good as a real life date. On Saturday morning I was surprised with a delivery of roses, chocolates, and a sweet love note! I spent the day with family and got together with a couple of girlfriends and we went out for an early 'galentine's' sushi celebration. On Sunday (actual valentine's day), my sister and my bff watched the bachelor special (Janner forever) and ate chipotle. It was such a great way to celebrate valentine's day!! I hope everyone had a good weekend <3.

how to: drying flowers

As much as I love receiving flowers, it always makes me sad when they inevitably die after a week or so. After receiving flowers from loved ones that I just did not want to part with, I decided to try to dry out my bouquets in order to keep them as memories. Although some people think that dead flowers are a creepy keepsake, I find them to be a pretty reminder of the memory of receiving them.  

After a recent family wedding, I decided to dry out my bridesmaid's bouquet and it turned out really well! All I did was take each stem and tie it/pin it upside down. I pinned some to my cork board (this was really simple, but it was slightly difficult to keep them in place) and I hung others by a string from a drying rack. Both techniques worked well for me, and I will definitely use these methods to dry out any flowers I receive in the future! 

And now I have these dead, yet very pretty flowers in a vase in my bedroom to remind me of the wedding!! :-)

vintage tea cup essential oil wax candle up for sale on my etsy shop!

Hello friends!!
I've just posted a new item on my etsy shop :-)

I have a blog post from last april explaining how I made this DIY tea cup candle. Feel free to follow along with the tutorial or visit my etsy shop to purchase this item for only $10.00! There is only one of this item, so hurry up & get it before it's gone! 

current makeup favorites

1. Urban Decay Naked Basics Eye Shadow Palette - $29

I typically use 'naked 2' in my crease, 'foxy' or 'wos' over the lid, 'venus' as an inner corner & brow bone highlight, then a mixture of 'faint' and 'crave' to fill in my brows. 

2. Revlon Colorstay 24 hr 200 Nude (normal/dry skin) - $11-$14

This is by far the best foundation I have ever used. It provides medium coverage without feeling or appearing as if you are even wearing a foundation. Easy to blend and extremely build able coverage!


3. Make Up For Ever Smokey Extravagant Mascara Sample - $24

I have been using a sample of this mascara ever since I received it with a Sephora purchase. This is one of the best mascaras I have ever used, and it gives me dramatic lashes that don't fall throughout the day/night. 


4. NYX 'Born to Glow' Liquid Illuminator 01 Sunbeam - $7.50

Perfect for adding a glow to your cheeks, and works great layered underneath #5!


5. Milani Illuminating Face Powder 01 Amber Nectar - $10

Perfect for an overall glow, & can be used as a general bronze/blush/highlight - truly a 3-in-one product!


6. ELF Essential Bronzing Brush - $2

Although I haven't tried many brushes, this one works perfectly to apply powder highlight, bronzer, blush or contour and I use it to apply the Milani illuminating powder!

etsy inspired fall & halloween decor

Fall is hands down one of my favorite times of the year. I love the cooler weather, bundling up in sweater & scarves, staying in and drinking tea and hot cocoa, getting pumpkin spice lattes (!!!) from starbucks, and getting in the halloween spirit entirely too early (it's still just the beginning of september, haha!) 

I was browsing etsy and fell in love with all of the fall themed decor and home items. since I'm a broke college student and can't afford to buy all of these cute items to fall-ify my apartment, I decided to compile a list of my top etsy picks and pretend that I could fill my home. 

Hand Knit Autumn Pumpkins

LunaCabCo

Charcoal Gray Velvet Pumpkins

BailiwickStudio

Cinnamon Chair Glass Mug Candle

NorthernLitesGifts

I might accidentally eat this one! 

'Winter is Coming' Essential Oil Candle

TheGreyLotus

 Candy Corn Garland

JenCowanCrafts

perfect for a fall/halloween themed party!

Halloween Mickey Ears

Ulous

These are perfect for a trip to disneyland around the halloween season! I've always wanted to go when the decorations are halloween themed, and even heard that they have a special day during october where the park is open all night long. If I were to go around this time of year I would definitely pick up a pair of these ears. 

DIY Bow Pattern Pillow Case

Since I'll be moving into a new apartment in just a couple of weeks, I was inspired to spice up my old bedding to give my living space a slightly different look than last year. I decided to take a old (& unbelievably ugly) pillow + case that we had lying around and create my own case customized to the color scheme and pattern of my old bedding. 

I went to my local fabric store and fell in love with this cute gold and white bow patterned fabric. I actually brought the pillow into the fabric shop in order to measure exactly how much fabric I needed, and ended up only needing 3/4 of a yard since my pillow is slightly smaller than standard sizes. I highly recommend bringing the pillow with you in order to make sure you get exactly how much fabric you need (not too much or too little!) 

Note: The employees at the fabric cutting counter were more than happy to help me measure how much fabric I needed, so don't be shy to ask for help if you're unsure! :-)

Then it was time to transform the fabric into a new and improved pillow case! I began by laying out the fabric on a flat surface, and placing the pillow on top. I wrapped the fabric around the pillow and cut off access fabric. I twisted back around 1/3 inch of fabric on all ends in order to hide frayed edges and the store logo. 

Note: I used white nylon string, which is a bit thicker and stronger than regular string and worked well for this project!

Next, I used sewing pins to pin the fabric down in a straight line and sewed two of the three sides together. Be sure to sew the fabric with the pattern facing inwards in order to hide the stitches! 

Once I was left with just one side open, I turned the fabric right side out so that the bows were facing the outside and touched up any areas that were stitched too loose. You can either stitch the last side closed or simply tuck one end of the fabric into the other (I chose this last option, which is good if you aren't the best at stitching since stitches on this last side will show!)

I simply folded one side of the fabric and tucked it against the pillow, and took the other side of the fabric and tucked it on top of the previously folded fabric. Since this leaves the pillow unsealed on one end, I put 5-8 stitches on the two right and left corners and 2-3 in the center. I recommend linking the part of the fabric that has been folded over to the inner fabric in order to hide your stitches!

PS here is a look at the before and after transformation of this pillow:

                       BEFORE                                                                                                   AFTER

                 

And it's truly as simple as that! I can't wait to add this cute accent pillow to my bedding in my new apartment :-)

back to school: supplies & essentials

with september right around the corner, i'm currently in the process of packing up and organizing myself for back to school. one of my favorite parts of this time of year is getting together school supplies and a comfortable yet cute work space. 

here are some back to school essentials i've put together for the new school year:

1. a cute planner/agenda

 
    ban.do

$20 is definitely pricey and the most i've ever spent on a planner, but as soon as i opened the package i realized that this agenda is worth the cost. every page is unique and each month is full of cute designs. i can already tell that this agenda will make me excited to get organized and plan out my life.

my favorite things about this agenda:

• sticker page
• lasts 17-months, starting in august!
• adorable pattern/details 

2. a pencil case

    ban.do

3. create your own comfortable and cute work space

this year i decided i wanted to change up my work space by adding some cute decorative yet practical items to my desk.

easel, chalkboard memo board + chalkboard pen

    daiso japan

use this chalkboard memo board to keep track of your schedule, leave yourself inspirational messages or reminders.

alphabet stamp + gold ink set

    michaels

when i spotted this stamp and ink set in the clearance isle at michaels i just couldn't resist tossing them into my cart. these can be used to add cute reminders and messages in your agenda!

aaaand that sums up my back to school supply and essential list! cheers to an organized, stylish upcoming school year. xoxo

the ultimate day trip to monterey, ca

there's always the point during summers home from college where you start to get bored of your usual hometown hangout spots. a couple of weeks ago, my boyfriend and i were in the mood for a little road trip. we wanted to just make it a day trip, so we decided to go somewhere we both love but have never been together: monterey, ca. 

we started the trip pretty early in the morning, wanting to beat traffic and make the most of our day there. 

after a couple hours driving down highway 1, two cups of coffee/tea and a couple hours of singing along to the radio we finally reached our destination (!!) we headed straight for cannery row and stopped for burgers and fries at johnny rockets. the diner has a really fun vintage vibe and the food was the perfect way to fuel for the aquarium.

because i hadn't been to the aquarium in a few years, i had completely forgotten how interesting and genuinely fun all the exhibits are. the fact that we are almost 20 and can still enjoy the museum just the same as the 2 year olds really shows how great of a place the monterey bay aquarium really is. 

almost four hours later we had made our way through all of the exhibits (some more than once) and decided to visit dennis the menace park. we got some sno cones from the cute snack shack in the parking lot, and went down the giant (painful) slide. 

afterwards, we walked along fisherman's wharf and sat by the water front to enjoy the rest of daylight. 

we grabbed a couple of iced coffees before we left to re energize for the car ride home. we were sad to leave but all good things must come to an end, and i'm sure that we will be back to visit monterey soon enough! 

opening my very own jewelry shop

I couldn't be more excited to announce the official opening of my very own etsy shop. As of right now, I have two earring sets posted and ready to be sold. I'm working on new pieces that will be ready shortly! I have attached some photos of the two earrings that are currently for sale. Be sure to check back for new items in the next couple of days. Enjoy!

My Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/lodiy

diy decorative sunglasses

When I came across this plain pair of sunglasses with a company logo on the side, I decided to try out my own spin on a DIY sunglasses project I had seen online. The original source of my inspiration had glued beads into an intricate pattern along the edges of the sunglasses, and although I still want to recreate that look, I decided to use a tie-dye pattern seeing as these would be a gift for my boyfriend.

While the steps are fairly simple and self-explanatory, through my own trial and error I have come up with a few helpful tips. I began by printing out a tie-dye pattern online (I recommend searching wallpapers/backgrounds to find some plain, HD photos) and traced the edges of the sunglasses. I found this step to be a bit difficult, particularly the arches and curves as the ends tapper. I ended up trimming down as best I could and glued one end down using Mod-Podge. I then glued the rest piece by piece, trimming down as I went until the entire side was secure. I followed up with around 3 coats of Mod-Podge the seal the paper and left a note along the inner rim.

My boyfriend recently gave these back to me asking for touch-ups to the glue since the edges had started to peal. I went back with another coat of Mod-Podge followed by a layer of clear nail polish. This added some extra shine as well as secured the edges in place (hopefully this glue job lasts longer than last time!)

chocolate glazed doughnut holes

Due to National Doughnut Day yesterday, my obsession with doughnuts was obviously heightened and I decided to try making my own batch at home. I was unsure as to whether or not I should bake or fry the doughnuts, but in the end decided that frying them would create the most realistic taste, mimicking the doughnuts from our local doughnut shop. 

For the most part, I followed this recipe, however did need to make some slight changes throughout the cooking process. Although the initial ingredients do not call for milk, it quickly became apparent that I needed to add milk and/or water in order to create a dough-like consistency. In the end, I ended up adding around 1/4 cup milk and a bit of water. I also did not fill my pan with as much oil as the recipe called for. I ended up simply flipping the doughnut holes over in order to cook on both sides. 

I recommend dipping your hands in water before molding the dough into bite size pieces, as well as forming all of the "holes" before begging the frying process. I did need to make more icing as I ran out about half way through, and if I were to recreate this recipe I would have simply doubled the icing recipe from the start. 

All in all, these doughnut holes came out better than I expected, and they were competitive with fresh store bought doughnuts as well! Here is an updated ingredients list using the original recipe from Teenage Taste:

Doughnuts:

• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk

Icing:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4-6 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

diy scented bath bombs

With some friends birthdays coming up, I decided to try out this cute and fairly simple diy project that I saw on pinterest. I followed this recipe that was linked to the Pinterest post, but changed up the ingredients a bit. I made the first few bath bombs using Canola oil as the recipe calls for, however I was curious as to how Coconut Oil would work out. I have found from past diy body and lip scrubs that Coconut Oil leaves skin extremely moisturized. I used vanilla extract and different scented essential oils in combination with food coloring to create these colorful and delicious smelling bath bombs! I left mine in the cupcake molds overnight (over 12 hours), however I did notice that some fell apart when I attempted to pull them out. They were all a bit crumbly at the edges and tops, however some more than others. I think this mishap must be due to different amounts of cornstarch and baking soda used. I started to run low on certain ingredients, but I found that this diy requires specific amounts of both ingredients. If I were to recreate these bath bombs, I would definitely stick to the 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.

Featured in photo order from top to bottom:

• Grapefruit + Coconut Oil
• Vanilla + Coconut Oil
• Key Lime + Canola Oil
• Lavender + Canola Oil

make your own milk tea

Ingredients: 

• condensed milk
• boiled water
• tea of your choice (I find black tea or fruity herb tea to taste best)
• milk or almond milk - optional

Directions:

Begin by preparing a regular cup of tea as you usually would (boil water and steep tea bag for a few minutes longer than usual to create a stronger flavor). Place your cup of tea in the fridge and/or freezer until chilled. Add 1-2 tablespoons of condensed milk, depending on how sweet you prefer your milk tea. An optional step would be to add a few tablespoons of regular milk or almond milk. Adding milk in conjunction with the condensed milk will give the tea that special "milk tea" taste. 

This recipe is perfect for those times you are craving milk tea, but don't have many extra calories to spare. Making milk tea at home is the perfect way to control the sugar added to your drink.  

diy decomposition style notebook

Inspired by the decomposition notebooks I've been seeing in stores and online, I decided to make my very own unique and personalized notebook. I loved the idea of added a personal flare to a boring and extremely common notebook. Starting with a blank composition notebook, I created my own collage of photos and magazine cut outs, as well as added a touch of lace tape along the bottom edge. I added a layer of Mod-Podge to ensure that all of the photos remain in tact throughout the school year.

cute and simple mother's day gift (plus gift wrapping tip!)

I wasn't quite sure what to get my mom for mother's day this year, especially since her birthday falls within the same week. My mom tends to appreciate gifts that are hand-made and come from the heart over a generic store bought gift. However, the creative juices just weren't flowing and as of yesterday I still could not figure out what the main part of her gift would be. I went to Goodwill in hopes that something there would spark an idea and that's exactly what happened. I found a stack of old coasters with peeling edges and a rather ugly floral pattern for around $2. I bought them with the thought of renovating them into cute and personalized coasters my mom can use while she drinks her morning coffee (after all, I need to make sure she thinks of me every morning while I'm away at college). The process is fairly simple:

Cut out different magazine clippings or even some old family photos of you and your mom. Taking a foam brush, coat the base of your object (since this process can be used to make more than just coasters!) and begin to glue down your photos. wait for everything to dry before coating the entire thing in a few layers of Mod-Podge. This will create a hard, almost laminated surface to ensure that any remnants of drinks won't bleed through and ruin your photos! 

I tied the stack of coasters together with a ribbon and placed them into a cardboard box with the rest of her gifts. After wrapping the gift up, I glued down a heart doily to the edge of the box to add a cute and personalized touch.