Jan 23, 2012

Warm Fuzzies DIY | a guest post

Hey there adelynSTONE readers! I'm excited as ants on a cracker to introduce ourselves here today.

Today Janae is sharing with you a family favorite.
Today, I am introducing one of my life savers to you. A homemade warm fuzzy. Just a bundle of microwavable warmth that puts a smile on my face. Whenever I don't feel so swell or I'm just cold at night, this thing works miracles! I have a million and one in my room. It's seriously one of my most treasured things I've ever made in my life. hahaha

What's neat about it, is that you can personalize it! Get some fabric and draw any shape you want!
Cut out a front and back that match up. Put them together so that the back side of the fabric faces out and sew around it. DON'T forget to leave a small hole.
Turn it inside out...
Fill it up with rice, wheat, beans, barley, oatmeal...whatever you prefer or have on hand. You can also make it have a pleasant aroma by adding peppermint oil, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, lavender...again, whatever you prefer.
Sew up the hole, stick it in the microwave for a minute or two, and there you have an easy made miracle worker. Your own warm fuzzy!
Jamie and I made the heart as a Valentine warm fuzzy. My personal favorite and most used one is Pearl, my whale that I created. The square one is Julianna's that is filled with wheat and peppermint oil. Genius.
Stop by our blog and say hi! Or you can visit us on our Facebook Page!
Thanks for having us on your fabulous blog today Kristan!!!

The pleasure was all mine Janae!
xoxo

Jan 7, 2012

bump it with no “bump it” | hair volume tutorial

OK. So I get a tone of emails asking about my hair. Actually…  even random people ask me how I do it all the time. My sister does her hair the same way, and is also ALWAYS complimented on her hair and asked how she does it, so here ya go. (you are welcome)
photo
NOTE: I am NO hairdresser. hah. This is simply me sharing my hair routine.
I have super fine hair. Baby fine.And it has NO natural volume to it whatsoever. If I just blow dry it… it’s stick straight and flat to my head. I know that my hair looks thicker but it’s just all the teasing (ratting) I do to my roots.  So here is how I get my volume.
FYI: I don’t use any product in my hair prior to blow drying. Just shampoo and conditioner and it’s then it’s blown dry upside down.
*** NOTE: I use hairspray in step 2. Hairspray IS a product.... Hope that clears up some confusion..... this was never intended to be a way to style hair without product.... 

There are 3 steps to the tease.
Step 1- Tease… I mean really tease… like RAT THAT SHIT. hah. Take your layer, put the comb at your root, and tease atleast 5 times, move the comb up a little bit, and do the same thing. You want about 3-4 inches teased, depending on your length. This is a crucial step, if you’re not teasing right, it won’t stay. (the Sister read through this to make sure I didn’t leave out anything and she made me put an extra emphasis on the teasing… see.. it’s important!)
Step 2. Spray a bit of hairspray onto your tease.
Step 3-  Shoot it with the blow dryer to dry the hairspray.
bump it yo
I start with the crown, usually do 3-4 layers. Then move onto the front 3-4 layers. After I’m done… it looks a bit crazy. Totally ok. Grab your trusty flat iron and smooth everything, root to end (making sure to pull straight up at the root for added lift).
hair
That’s pretty much it. Once every thing is smoothed out play with the pieces, you may have to go back in and tease a few random stubborn layers. Spray your whole head with hairspray. You’re done.
Whether it’s being worn down, being curled or put in a pony… my hair is always styled this way first.
I’ve tried so many volumizing products and they all tend to make my hair look and feel gross, plus they weigh my hair down like whoa. I love Big Sexy Hair products, but since $20 hairspray isn’t in my budget right now, Tresemme is the best cheap hairspray for this job.
You can see more pictures of my hair in my what I wore posts.


# kristanlynn
xoxo  


** for those that have inquired, my handmade dolls are available @ stitchedvintage.com

Jan 6, 2012

DIY Stain Remover.

before and after

See that stain on the left. Well… our floor is COVERED in those little spots. Sippy cups are not leak proof, and they are every where. Combine that with Craig walking through with his shoes on and you’ve got a juice/mud stain that really isn’t all that easy to get out.

A few weeks ago, I cleaned the carpet, like hands and knees scrubbed it two days in a row. It looked GREAT, but cost $30 for the cleaner and only lasted a few days with the kids. (Not to mention that $30 of cleaner barely covered our tiny living room). The other day a friend told me about vinegar and dish soap as a carpet cleaner, so I figured I’d try it. OMG. It worked better than any other carpet cleaner I’ve ever used.

Ingredients:

    • 1 C hot water
    • 1/2 TBSP White Vinegar
    • 1/2 TBSP Clear Dishsoap.
    • Bowl and Washcloth

Combine the ingredients into a bowl. Dip a wash rag into it and blot the stain. That’s it… just blot it a few times and watch it disappear!
There is a slight vinegar smell.. but after an hour it wasn’t even noticeable.

Am I the only one that didn’t know about this magical concontion?? No way, how the heck is Resolve still in business?!

Happy cleaning.

# kristanlynn
xoxo