All That Glitters

Bonjour, my friends! I would like to share a small project from a while back.  I was trying to avoid doing my online classes, I played dress up with some shoes and necklaces that my husband's grandma sent me. (I had to figure out what goes with ombré shoes!) It was fun, and I felt really special. (Advice: If you're having a bad day, raid your closet, and take selfies.) The word I used to describe myself was "duchess." For some reason, playing fashion model made me feel like royalty... Perhaps if my hair were still long I might could pull it off. (Kate's hair is amazing!)

So after my fun was over, I tossed everything back where it belonged. Then, I realized that the new necklaces didn't have a place! They looked a little pitiful, just laying on the bed, wishing to show off their royal pinkness. I thought about it and came up with a solution. The result: Command hooks are my new friends. 

There is a narrow strip of wall between the pantry (well, we're using it as a pantry) and my newly rearranged closet. I held the necklaces up, trying this out in different areas of the strip, and came up with my design. The mini hooks went up, and so did the necklaces.

I am quite happy with the results, and the colors really bring something nice to this room.

Quickly, I would like to show you some more of my [extremely] small collection of fashion accessories. Meet the Mexican Sprite bottle! Not only is it a beautiful momento of a favorite soda made with REAL sugar, featuring the fabuloso Spanish language, but it does quite a good job of holding my bracelets. (Note the beautiful pine cone flower; a cashier from the store in Minnesota gave it to me before I moved back South. Isn't it a nice piece of art? Nice fall DIY project.)

So I know my small jewelry collection probably doesn't have much to flaunt, but it is quite nice to incorporate them into the apartment decor to add a little spirit.

And the Origami Owl necklace is still where it was.

How do you store your accessories?

Makeup Storage Makeover

Is summer really just around the corner?  With finals next week, this fact has become real.  One of the best things about the summer is travel: whether your're going home or leaving home, you just pack up and go.  I have been taking this into consideration as I have been trying to come up with a storage solution for my makeup, as my "clarinet case Caboodle" is wearing out.  It's big and bulky and does not want to stay shut...NOT good for travel when your makeup falls out into the floor of the car.

So last night I finally found a solution. 

Hello, Modella Fitted Valet Travel Kit. I found it at my local Walmart for less than fifteen dollars and fell in love.  It is divided into four compartments, rolls up and is secured with velcro, and has a hook to hang on the wall, in the closet, etc!  (I happen to have it hanging beside my desk!)

I have lately grown quite fond of storing things on the walls.  Perhaps it is because it is an easy way to decorate a rental property where you can't really do anything...

So, I moved my lovely makeups out of my clarinet case caboodle (it is actually the Undercover Beauty Briefcase, but as a former clarinet player that's what it reminded me of. Really, it was a great case, but I've had it for years and it is wearing out!)

So, here it is all filled up and hanging on the wall, and I can see EVERYTHING!  First of all, I am not a makeup snob: I do not really have much, but I really love sporting a natural look and not having my makeup break me out more than I already am.  I'm thinking of doing a "what's in my makeup bag" post talking about these products and what I like about them. (Perhaps I have been watching too much YouTube...)  I am also in the market for a new blush as my current one is getting old.

Once I have to go somewhere, I simply take the bag off the wall, roll it up and velcro it shut, and it's ready to go before anything else!  What's your favorite way to organize your cosmetics?

Happy Summer!

[Toe]tally Organized

Shoebox Nail Polish

I've been meaning to get my polishes together since my polka dotted bag has been overflowing for a while. Taking a break from my reading English Literature, I reorganized part of the main bathroom's closet, and put some things in a shoe box.  I came back in to the room that I use as my study (which also happens to have my closet and our pantry), and I saw another shoe box laying around on the floor, while my nail polish was a disorganized mess.  

Thus: My Idea-

So, first I got my sample sized collections together and stacked them (woo hoo! Christmas!) Then I organized the other polishes by color, and put them in.  (Maybe sometime I should try a diagonal gradient).  Ta dah! They are all in one place and fit quite nicely.  I admit, it's not a wonderful shelf display of hundreds of colors, but it is very nice and functional, and by re-arranging placement, I can have a little wiggle room next time I reward myself with nail polish for some reason or another.

If A Necklace Could Talk

What A Necklace Says...

I decided to give my necklaces a nice place to hang on the wall to try and keep their chains from tangling. I'm not really big into jewelry, so I don't have a decked out jewelry box or peg board organizing system.

Just a nail beside my desk is sufficient for me.

Clothes and accessories can say a lot about a person. The gold piece, for those of you who are unfamiliar, is an award given to people who complete the Personal Progress program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it's bee charm is the Honor Bee and is given for providing extra service and reading the Book of Mormon again.  As for the Personal Progress program, I am honored to have completed it, and do believe it has helped me to become a better woman (and wife now).  The building is called the temple, and in our faith, we believe that there we can make covenants with God so our families can be together forever.  I was married in the temple, and it is the greatest thing.

As for the second necklace, it is an Origami Owl Living Locket.  I really like the concept of these necklaces. My older sister gave this one to me right before I got married.  It's about the size of a quarter, and currently has 5 charms.  (The "J" is hiding near the diamond ring.  For some reason, it's almost never visible. I should have gotten a dangle. Oh well!)  There is a wedding ring, my husband and mine's birthstones, and a little charm that says "Forever Family."  I don't know how many times I've seen "Put Your Wedding Dress on a Necklace!" on Pinterest.  Do you see that burnout flower in the back?  Yep; wedding dress.  I know that usually the lockets, if there is something in the back, usually have a little plate with a word on it, but I felt that probably nothing could be more personal than sticking a swatch of my dress material in it.