Curb Appeal, Stage 1

Now that we are relatively settled inside the house, I have turned my attentions outward. Here is the facade of my house, or at least it was until recently. Many of the old houses in my neighborhood have front porches that were closed in with awning windows a few decades after being built. I prefer a more original look, so J and I did a bit of demo.

Much better, right? There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but I am saving that for my carpenter. I wasn't interested in watching J take a sledgehammer any closer to the columns than he already did. And in the pursuit of efficiency and good timing, we did all the work the day after Halloween. Why remove the Halloween construction paper bats when you can just yank out all the windows?

Halloween 2015

Here are a few pictures of my Halloween decorations this year. It was my first Halloween decorating my own house and I was super excited.  The branches were pilfered from the side of the road and the signs were made from old pallet wood behind my paint store. Side note: paint is typically delivered on pallets, so paint stores should have some should you ever need a pallet. The bats are just construction paper and I borrowed the monster from my mom. 

I Own a House!

Good news! J and I finally closed on our house and the renovations have begun. I will be sharing more along the way, but for now here is a picture of my fireplace. We are in need of a mantle, but I love it!

The Perfect Lightweight Moisturizer: Clinique Even Better Essence Lotion

Finding a lightweight moisturizer that does the job, but doesn't make your face feel ick or break you out can be a difficult task.  I've been looking for one to wear underneath my makeup that does it's job to moisturize.

I consult Paula's Choice before making any beauty purchase these days and I found a great review breaking down on all the beneficial ingredients of Clinque's Even Better Essence Lotion for Combination to Oily Skin.

Clinique Even Better Essence Lotion
Combination Oily to Oily
$32 for 3.4 oz.
Image Source: Sephora

Paula's Choice says that this product is really more of a toner, but I'm getting the moisturizing benefits too!  I've been using the product for about 3 months now and I'm loving the results!  I still use my nighttime moisturizer, but this gets me through the day!  This moisturizer may not be the best product for those of you with extremely dry skin, but if you just need a little boost and you have combination to oily skin - I highly recommend this product.

The oddest feature of this product is that it is a straight up liquid.  Despite the name, this is not a lotion and it actually looks more like water.  I put a small amount in the palm of my hand and rub it all over my face and neck.  A little goes a long way!  I still have about 15% left of the bottle after 3 months of daily use...which also makes this product a great value in my book!

***We were not compensated in anyway by Clinique, Sephora, or Paula's Choice.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.***

Future Projects

Before I head off to sewing class, I wanted to share a few things on my to do list. I spent most of last fall making Christmas gifts so now it is time to make some things for myself.

This pom pom blanket would be perfect to toss onto my couch. However, it is really expensive. I hope to find a way to replicate the look for less. 

I can't find a source for this image besides pins and tumblr, but isn't it fun! Love the shape but I probably won't go with a crazy print. My sewing instructor will have to help me recreate the look from scratch since there is no pattern available.

Fortunately, this picture is from a McCall pattern. My sewing instructor found it on sale and thought of me. Now I just need to get to the fabric store!

And for my overly ambitious dreams...

pinterest

Pinterest