Vaseline Voxbox

Earlier this week I received my first VoxBox from Influenster.com. Inside was a full sized bottle of Vaseline intensive care - advanced repair (fragrance free), a skin tester strip, and a note from Influenster. 

Before trying the product, I smelled it, and it smells nice, plain lotion. I've tried other fragrance free lotions that smell terrible, so I was happy to see (smell lol) that. The lotion itself is smooth, and left behind soft skin. It rubbed in well, and doesn't feel greasey. 

The before and after skin testing strips definitely show that the lotion works! 

I did wash my hands an hour or so after, and did feel that I needed to reapply, but that pretty typical for lotion for me. The effects don't last long on me. 

Overall I like the product, and am happy that it was a full sized bottle, so I have lots left to use! 

Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge, however all opinions are my own. 

Homemade Frosty Paws

December 1st was my dog's 6th birthday! I can't believe that it's been that long since we saw her in a little pen looking for a forever home. We fell in love with her the instant we put our paws on her!

Layla's favorite treat is ice cream! That dog is just like her momma, and loves her some ice cream, but I worry about her eating so much sugar and unnecessary processed ingredients. So we introduced her to frosty paws, and she loved them! The problem with them is they are expensive! If I was only buying it just for her birthday, it would be okay, but I like to give her treats more often than that! So I was glad to see this on Pinterest.

It is a super simple recipe for Homemade Frosty Paws! Essentially it is yogurt, peanut butter, a banana, and some honey. I had everything on hand except the yogurt, so that cost me about $3. I bought non-fat plain Greek yogurt. 

I also bought plastic single serving containers at the Dollar Store, but you could easily use egg cartons or ice cube trays. I bought two packs of ten for $2.

So I took the banana, peanut butter, and honey and blended them together. Then once they were well blended, I put the whole 32 oz container of yogurt in. Then blended again until they were all well mixed.

Then I took the mixture and poured it into the plastic containers. They are 2.3fl oz containers and this recipe filled all 20 of them, with a little left over to give the dogs a taste of whats to come. I then stacked the so cups into a gallon freezer bag, so that they weren't all over my freezer, and found a level (ish) spot and let them be for about 8 hours.

They froze up perfect! They are the perfect size for my pups. I'm sure they could eat 10 at a time if I let them, but I feel like it is just enough treat! They LOVED them! I wasn't sure my picky golden/chow mix would like them, since shes not a banana fan but I guess the yogurt and peanut butter cancelled it out enough. She could not get enough! That makes me one happy momma! 

I usually run the plastic container under hot water for a couple of seconds, and the "ice cream" puck pops right out of the plastic. That way they can eat out of their bowls and not lick it all over the house.

So around $5 in the store would have bought 4 servings of store bought Frosty Paws, but for my $5 I got around 20 servings! And since I bought reusable containers, I won't have to spend that at all next time! Score! When we eventually make it through all of these I will be making them again!

St. Patrick's Day Mantel

I wanted to do a St. Patrick's Day mantel, but I hadn't collected a bunch of stuff for it like I had the other holidays (Valentine's Day and Halloween), so this one is super simple, but still puts the house in the spirit. I hung a large felt clover on fishing line up high. Then I made a simple clover fabric banner. I just cut up some fabric using pinking sheets to give it the zigzag look, and then sewed them all in a row. I hung the fabric banner, along with a green swag on my vintage window. Then I added a green bottle, and a standing photo frame with a green bow to the bottom, to tie it all together. 

Simple, sweet, and to the point. I also have clover hand towels in the kitchen, and Layla is sporting her St. Patrick's Day collar, so we're all set here! 

What are you doing to get into the luck' of the Irish spirit at your house?  

Linking up at:

The Girl Creative 

Valentine's Day Wreath

I decorated for Velentine's Day inside, with my mantel, but I wanted to do a little something outside too, so I threw together this quick Vantentine's Day wreath. 

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The large pink heart is from Dollar Tree, the banner is from the dollar section of Target, and a simple black frame. I simply tacked the banner to the frame, and hung it in front of the felt heart.

Simple, quick, and cheap.

It also makes me smile every time I walk in the front door, so another win! 

Just enough outdoor decor to spread the love in my neighborhood. 

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Valentine's Day Mantel

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays! I love all the pink, hearts, and love in the air! I decorated the mantel to get the house in the spirit. 

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I used my vintage window was the backdrop again, just like my Halloween one. You can see I put some favorite photos in black frames, and fake roses with glitter hearts, in a pink vase. The pink wood LOVE sign is from Target, and the love box, is from the Dollar Tree. 

I got these glitter initials at Michael's a few months ago, and I knew they would be perfect for a V-day mantel. I love when buying things on sale on a whim works out... Months later! Haha! The felt hearts banner I made, but the hearts are from Martha Stewart's Michael's line. I just sewed them so they'd be strung together. The pink glitter clothes pins are from Target, and perfectly match the pink glitter star bursts that I got from the Target Christmas section! 

The "BE MINE" banner is from Michael's, and I just love how large it is, but I felt like I needed to fill the space it left, so I rigged up a dollar store felt heart on finishing line, so it looks like it is hung on the wall, not a string. 

The frame has some Hobby Lobby wrapping paper on one side, and a felt heart with "I Love You"  ribbon. And, of course, no Valentine's Day is complete without conversation hearts! 

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Halloween Decor

Halloween is my favorite holiday, so now that we have a home, I was super excited to decorate it for it! I have had this up since about mid September, butI figured it was about time to blog about it, now that Halloween is just 6(!) days away! 

Here is a shot of the mantel, below you can see a "play-by-play" of my items. 

 

1. Bat cut outs. I image those lucky enough to have a Silhouette could use it to it these out, but Ihave access to an old school die cutter, that I used. Dana at made cut hers out by hand.

2. A vintage window that I picked up for $10 at a local antique shop.

3. Scrap paper bunting - I just free handed shapes, then sewed them together, putting about 3-5 stitches between each piece.

4. Halloween Photo Banner -  I printed photos at Walgreen's, then cut them into squares. I wanted to print them in black and white, but I forgot. I still like them though! I used mini clothes pins from Michael's to hang them on a Halloween ribbon, also from Michael's.

5. Happy Halloween Banner - I had a Halloween sticker pack from the dollar section of Target a few years ago. I used the letters and put them onto old book pages, that I cut into squares. Then I used craft glue to attach it to more Halloween ribbon from Michael's. 

6. I bought these vases at a local antique store, to spray paint black, but then changed my mind once the mantel started coming together. The purple flowers and glitter accents are from Michael's. .89 cents each, can't beat it, for a little glitz! 

7. Black Feather Boa - I draped it across the back, in front of the window base, to give a spook factor. There are also purple Halloween lights behind the window. I got then for about $5 from Michael's, but Christmas Tree Shops had them for about $4.

8. Miniature Bird Cage - from Michael's summer clearance section, for just 1 cent! Win!

9. Paper Mâché Skull - I had every intention of covering it in white tissue paper, but I never got to it. But there is always next year! 

10. Jar of Buttons - I wanted to pull my purple, black, green, and orange color scheme to really pull together so I threw some buttons in those color into a jar to add to the effect.

11. Saranac Jug - Joe bring it home, drank it, and I rescued it from the recycling bin!

12. Jar of [googly] eye balls - I bought a pack of Halloween/monster googly eyes at Michael's.

13. Owl - from Pier 1's 75% off section! after Easter. I keep him out all year, but thought he fit in on the Halloween mantel. He is one of my favorites!

14. Candle - large purple sparkle pilar candle from Michael's Halloween section. 

We also have some pumpkins on the front porch, and of course, holiday kitchen towels. 

I love coming home to all the decorations! 

This is my first try at a holiday mantel, but I love it, and that all that counts right?! 

Do you decorate for Halloween? Share your links below so I can check them out! I love getting new ideas from seeing what everyone else is up to.  

Absence Explained

So I apparently haven't written since April, really?! Oyeee! I have no excuses for April - July, but in July we bought a house, so it all went crazy from there! I have lots of home improvement project posts line up, but before that is Halloween! Its my favorite holiday, and this is the first time with a home, so I got to go all out (as I could manage) with my decorations. Post to come shortly! 

Until then, here is our home! 😊