DIY – Page 6 – Hewes Family Fun

Look on trend with Color-Changing Nail Polish! (Review and giveaway)

December 12, 2015December 12, 2015Abby H.2 Comments

I love nail polish. I was stoked when Del Sol asked me to review two of their nail polish colors.

I chose May I? and Graffiti. Screen Shot 2015-12-12 at 8.22.15 AM May I? is a light purple that turns dark when exposed to sunlight, and Graffiti is clear with silver, red, and black glitter that turns reddish pink in the sun. What I like about Del Sol is:

5-Free: No harmful toxins added
Never tested on animals
Lifetime Color Change Guarantee

The nail polish is long lasting, and I’m really tough on manicures. I’m going on day 5 without chips!

Ok, so I’m sure you are asking… How does it work? Well, it’s simple: Spectrachrome® Crystals reveal hidden colors when exposed to ultraviolet waves; i.e., sunlight. When a flower blooms, the result is the exposure of the inherent color of the flower. A Spectrachrome® crystal is similar in that an energy-shift occurs causing the color of the dye to become visible to the human eye. The dye does not actually “change” color; rather, it becomes visible to the human eye.

Check out the photo I posted on Instargram! I’m excited that Del Sol is giving away 2 bottles of their color change polish to ONE of my readers! Entering is easy: Leave a comment with a your favorite color nail polish! I’ll choose a winner on December 16th!

I received these bottles of nail polish to facilitate my review, I received no monetary compensation and all opinions are my own.

The Solution for cleaning up Legos…..

November 16, 2015November 16, 2015Abby H.

lego parts

We play with Legos a lot, and that means that there are legos EVERYWHERE. I looked online to see what other moms do to combat the land mine field that stray pieces turn into late at night.

I found this Lego sack on Amazon, but I didn’t have any Amazon Credit, so I decided to improvise.

I pulled out a top sheet. Because, really, how many of us use topsheets on our kids beds? In fact, this top sheet was once part of a set that belonged to hubs as a child. The fitted sheet has long since passed on, but the top sheet lives on, since we never use it on the bed.

I poured out the box of Legos onto the sheet. After we played and built for a few hours, I gathered up the corners, so all of the legos were snug in the center of the sheet and deposited the sheet full of Legos into our 12 gallon plastic tote (like this one). It is the tote that has housed the Legos for a while.

Now when it’s time to play, all we have to do is lift out the bundle, lay it on the floor and spread out the sheet.

I am so glad that I no longer have to chase around stray pieces, and there are no more late night swearing sessions when we step on one in a darkened room.

Save Money with a DIY Pedicure (and look like you just stepped out of a spa!)

October 9, 2015October 9, 2015Abby H.

I love a good pedicure. Living in California, I wear sandals 300 days in a year. What I don’t love is paying $40-$60 each month for a good pedicure that lasts a month. Sure, sure, I could get a cheaper pedicure, but the polish would chip in a week and I’d look scruffy.

Here are some tips for a great at home spa pedicure.

You don’t need a foot spa. I use a Rubbermaid Dish pan. I got it on Amazon for $9.00. It’s the perfect size for both of my big feet to fit into (I wear a size 11.5 shoe!) After I’m done with it, I just scrub it out with dish soap, a little beach, hot water, and dry it by hand. The best part is, you can store all of your pedicure supplies in the tub. You can also use a shallow pan or basin that both of your feet will fit in.

Use good quality tools. There are coupons regularly for Revlon and Sally Hansen beauty tools. In my pedicure kit I have:

Cuticle Remover, orangewood sticks, Polish remover, Emory boards, Buffing block, Cuticle nipper, nail scoop/nail cleaner, base coat, Top Coat, Colored polish, q-tips, cotton balls, alcohol, cuticle oil, foot scrub, callus remover, Mr. Pumice Pumi Bar, lotion. (I’ve included links to products on Amazon that I love!)

Now that you’ve gathered all the needed supplies here are the steps to a top notch pedicure!

Here are some simple steps that will have you pampering your feet in 30 minutes or less:
• Remove old polish using a gentle nail polish remover (if you have glitter polish on, check out this tutorial on getting that stubborn polish off).
• Clip and file your nails. The modern look for nails is to keep them on the short side with a straight shape and slightly-rounded edge. Remember to file in one direction- don’t saw back and forth, it will weaken and damage your nail.
• Soak your feet for about ten minutes in a dishpan or plastic bowl filled with warm water and a few drops of your favorite body wash or Epsom salts (which have excellent relaxing properties that will soothe your tired, aching feet)
• Apply a cuticle remover; after a few minutes, push back the cuticles gently using an orangewood stick. Use Cuticle nippers to remove dead skin around the cuticle bed. Clean under your toenails with the nail scoop/cleaner.
• Apply a callus remover liquid containing alpha hydroxy acids. Slip you feet into plastic bags for 5-10 minutes, remove the bags and use a pumice stone to remove dead skin cells.
• Use an exfoliating foot scrub on your feet and calves, remove with a hot, damp towel. I make up 3 or 4 per pedicure and keep them warm in a crockpot set to low.
• Massage feet and calves with a creamy hand lotion. Rub in for a couple of minutes in order to fully hydrate the skin, particularly if you are suffering from dry skin.
• Use some rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad on your nail beds to remove any lotion on your nails (The lotion will keep the polish from adhering to your nails) and apply a base coat. Adter the base coat is dry, apply two coats of your favorite nail polish color. Add nail decals, gems or paint flowers on your toes! Follow with a topcoat.

What kinds of frugal beauty regimens do you have?

Getting Crafty at Home: Play Dough!

April 10, 2015April 10, 2015Abby H.1 Comment

This is another “Don’t eat this” recipe, but it’s oodles of fun to make and play with!

Play doh can get expensive, especially when the kids mix the colors or leave the lid off, and you are constantly having to replenish the supply. The following recipe is super easy to make, and most of you have the ingredients in the house. I don’t recommend having the kids help you make this recipe.

Play Dough/Doh

Ingredients:

1c flour
1c warm water
1/2c salt
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil (you can also use melted coconut oil)
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional, but it makes the dough last longer)
Food Coloring (I use Wilton Gel Food Coloring– it’s less messy)

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients together, set aside.
In a sauce pan, combine water, oil, and food coloring, stir over low heat.
Add dry ingredients and stir until combined. cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring continuously.
Turn dough onto cutting board, and when warm to the touch, knead for 2-3 minutes until dough is elastic.
Store in zip-loc bags or air tight containers.

I made 5 batches last week, each one a different color for Lil’ Man and his buddies to play with!

I’ve made other recipes, including one with conditioner and corn starch (smells nice, but it’s super sticky and gets stuck to EVERYTHING), and by far, this is my favorite recipe. It lasts a long time, doesn’t get moldy (that’s important), and doesn’t dry out INSTANTLY if you leave it out.

Yes, the brown Play Dough looks like poop! But the kids don’t care- they were mostly concerned with having brown, so they could have dirt play dough for their cars.

You can also add glitter if you’d like. Some recipes recommend that you add essential oil or scent, but with littler kids, I do not recommend that, it will just encourage them to eat it.

Here are a few of the Play Dough toy sets that Lil’ Man loves:

We also use cookie cutters, a garlic press, potato masher, and whatever fun looking kitchen gadgets we find at the thrift stores or the 99 Cents Store.

Infused Water: Adding flavor to Hydration without adding Calories!

March 19, 2015March 19, 2015Abby H.1 Comment

Recently the awesome people over at Tomoson and Big Easy Brands gave me the opportunity to try out the FlavFusion 26 Oz Infuser Water Bottle with Flip Top Sipper Lid. Most of you know I love water, but sometimes I need a little flavor. I’m over the powdered packets of drink mix- with my amazing pregnancy super taster status, they all have a weird aftertaste, and even my formerly beloved Mio!

When the bottle arrived, Lil’ Man and I washed it, and set to work. He chose raspberries to infuse our water. He grabbed a ziploc baggie out of the freezer, and told me he was going to, “Little Chef cook the waters.” Ok. Being the cool mom I am, I stood back and let the 4 year old do it. And I took photos.

Step one: Disassemble the bottle (assistance from Mommy required)

IMG_2846_2 — Step 2: Load fruit of your choice (fresh or frozen) to the little infuser basket.

Step 3: Re-assemble the infuser basket into the lid, add water, and shake. We stored ours in the fridge for the fruit flavor to infuse.

What I love about the FlavFusion 26 Oz Infuser Water Bottle with Flip Top Sipper Lid is that it’s 26 ounces- more than just a few sips.

It’s BPA & Lead Free and made of PET Plastic – the Safest Plastic in Drinkware. No worrying about Toxins and Chemicals Seaping into your Drink. The bottle isn’t as rigid as some of the double walled water bottles in our collection, but this bottle is perfect for packing in our snack bag when we visit the zoo (I just toss a few ice cubes into the bottom of the bottle to keep the water cold).

So far we’ve enjoyed raspberry, strawberry, and pineapple. Tomorrow we will be enjoying green apple! It’s a great alternative to flavored waters that contain artificial flavors and colors. Plus, you can eat the fruit when you are done! You can use whatever fruit you have on-hand! It’s a great way to use up the last few lingering berries, orange segments, or mango tidbits.

I want to thank the great people over at Big Easy Brands and Tomoson for the chance to review this product. I was not financially compensated to review these products, however I received a FlavFusion 26 Oz Infuser Water Bottle with Flip Top Sipper Lid free to facilitate my review. I only recommend products and services that I feel may be a good fit for my readers.

Essential Oils: Taking care of yourself naturally (and a review)

March 1, 2015Abby H.

Having spent a few years as an esthetician, I’ve seen and heard of people using all kinds of weird things on their skin (like the lady who scrubbed her face with Comet and used Listerine as toner), but the one thing I’ve always recommended for most people is using Essential Oils in their homes for skin and body care.

Unfamiliar with Essential oils? Wikipedia defines them as, “An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants.”

Very few oils are ok to use neat (straight out of the bottle), most need to be diluted with another compound to be safety used on the skin. I like essential oils because not only do they smell great, but many can help with health issues.

I wanted to highlight a few essential oils and give you a few ideas on how you can incorporate them into your life. Because you don’t need many drops for most uses, one bottle will last you a while. And most of the other ingredients for the recipes below include items that you may already have in your home! Thanks to InstaNatural and Tomoson, I was able to try Lavender and Peppermint essential oils for free recently.

Lavender: It is great for helping you relax, and to lull you to sleep.

Linen spray is awesome for helping you unwind after a long day. Spray your pillows and bedclothes about 20 minutes before bed. Take a few deep breaths when you get into bed and you’ll be sleeping like a teenager (we all know that babies don’t sleep well) in no time. I like mixing 20 drops Lavender oil with 1 part vodka (the cheap stuff or rubbing alcohol), and 2 parts distilled water. Pour into a spray top bottle (like these).

Relaxing body moisturizer is wonderful way to calm down a child that doesn’t want to go to bed. Just mix 3 T. of room temp. coconut oil with 10-20 drops of Lavender oil. Let the mixture sit overnight. Scoop out a little bit and work it between your hands until it’s melted and massage it onto your clean kiddo. I do this for Lil’ Man on those days when he just won’t go to sleep. I rub it onto his back, shoulders, and chest. By that time, he’s pretty calm and ready for bed!

The InstaNatural Lavender oil was very mild- Perfect for use right after a bath on Lil’ Man’s back and feet. He slept for 13 hours, I think that might be a new record!

After Lavender, my next favorite essential oil is Peppermint. It’s very invigorating, and clean smelling.

Body Scrub can be made with any Essential Oil, but I love using Peppermint oil. Mix 1 cup sugar (white or brown, your choice), with 1/4 c up of room temperature shea butter or coconut oil, and 20 drops of essential oil. Mix together and store in a jar with a tight fitting lid. You can also use salt, but it’s a lot more abrasive.

Decongestant A simple DIY trick to help release that awful stuffy nose you or the kiddos have is to drop a few drops of Peppermint Oil into a diffuser (like this one) and breathe deeply. Peppermint oil really helps you breathe when you are all congested. You can also drop a few drops into a basin of very hot (steaming) water, put a towel over your head, lean over the bowl (using the towel as a tent) and breathe in the steam. You’ll be feeling better in no time! If you have very sensitive eyes or skin, I’d avoid the “steam tent”.

I used theThe InstaNatural Peppermint oil this morning! I whipped up a batch of peppermint scrub this morning, using kosher salt and coconut oil in a repurposed cream cheese tub. I’ll be using it to give my self a pedicure tonight. The abrasiveness of the kosher salt will really help exfoliate the dry, rough spots on my heels. I’m breathing clearly just from smelling the oil while mixing up my batch. I’ll report back with an update after my pedicure tonight!

I want to thank the great people over at InstaNatural and Tomoson for the chance to review these essential oils. I was not financially compensated to review these products, however I received a bottle of each oil free to facilitate my review. I only recommend products and services that I feel may be a good fit for my readers.

DIY: Stuff Animal Bean Bag Chair

February 23, 2015Abby H.

Lil’ Man has a lot of stuffed animals. He’s got some in a hammock like this one, but it’s not enough space.

IMG_1812-1024x757 Witness the 45 gallon Sterilite tote on wheel crammed full. Now We’ve weeded out the ones he doesn’t play with or like, but there are still a lot.

I’ve been looking online for better storage methods, and I came upon a few sites suggesting a “bean bag” chair. You can buy a bean bag chair cover for about $20, or if you’ve got a little craftiness in you, you can make one of your own for a lot less.

Basically you are making a large drawstring pouch.

All you need is:

3 yards of 60 inch wide fabric or a twin sized duvet cover (scour thrift shops)
3 yards 1 inch wide(or wider) grossgrain ribbon
Pins, scissors, sewing machine, thread

IMG_1809-1024x764 I used a queen sized duvet cover that I found at Amvets. I washed it and turned it inside out. I trimmed it down to 86(width) x60 (length). I kept the top with the snaps (the 86 inch side), and one adjoining side.

If you are using fabric, fold the fabric in half, the long skinny way, so the selvedges (that’s the edges that are already finished-sometimes they have writing on them) are at the top and bottom of what will become the bag.

Now the the bag is sewn together, fold over the top and stitch it down. This is called a casing. You’ll need to leave a gap of about 1 inch, so that you can thread the ribbon through the casing.

Here is what the casing looks like on the other one I made:

Because my duvet already had a finished top, I snipped little holes in the top casing and threaded my ribbon through, using the safety pin. Attach the ribbon to your safety pin and guide through the casing.

Then, I turned it right side out, stuffed it full of friends, pulled the drawstring tight, and it was ready to be enjoyed as a bean bag chair in Lil’Man’s room in a corner with some books.

IMG_1817-1024x764 As you can see, Woody and Salmon Fish are kicking back.

There are tons of tutorials. Many call for a piece of mesh to be sewn in, but it’s a PITA to sew down (it moves even when pinned down), so I opted not to do that. and really, if you need to get into it, just open the drawstring and start fishing for toys!

You can also use an old top sheet in whatever size you have, just cut it down to fit. Our toy bag chair is large because of all of the toys Lil’ Man has, but if you’ve got less, feel free to make the bag smaller. Conversely, if you have more, make it bigger!

Saving time and money with meal planning!

February 18, 2015Abby H.9 Comments

One way to keep on the frugal track is to meal plan. If you’ve never meal planned before, it can seem daunting. Here are just a few tips to get started.

Inventory your pantry, freezer, and fridge. I use these worksheets. I keep them in plastic sheaths taped to the fridge and inside the cupboard. That way you know what you’ve got on hand without having to dig. I update them every week.
Check out your favorite grocery stores weekly circular online before you hit the market. You may find that chicken is on sale that week- in that case, plan to cook more dishes that involve chicken. To save the most amount of money, eat what is in season and what is on sale!
Make a list of the types of dishes that your family already enjoys. Make a list of the ingredients for each recipe. Check off the ingredients you already have on hand.
Gather up some recipes that you’ve wanted to try for a while. Make a list of the ingredients the recipes call for that you don’t have on hand. I try to add in one new recipe each week.
Decide what you want to cook for dinner each night (based on what’s on sale, recipes your family likes, and maybe 1-2 recipes that you’d like to try that are new to you). I try to have one night where we eat up leftovers. I also make a green salad to go with dinner that night.
Plan on having the ingredients for a few easy meals on reserve in the pantry/freezer. Sometimes your day goes south and you don’t have the time/energy to make what’s on the menu for a certain night. Having something easy to make waiting in the wings keeps you out of the drive-thru! I try to plan the extra meals around stuff that we already have in the cupboard. If you don’t have any “extra” food, plan on buying the ingredients for 1 extra meal each week for a month. It can be as simple as a can of soup and grilled cheese- No need to be gourmet every night!
Write a list of all of the ingredients that you need for your weeks menu that you do not have on hand.
Look online and in inserts for coupons. To save time, use a Coupon Database to locate coupons. I like Couponmom’s Coupon Database– it’s separated by state!

It can take a few weeks to a month to get into the meal planning groove. Give yourself grace and realize that it doesn’t come easy to everyone!

Now, if that is too much work, there are websites (and companies) dedicated to helping you meal plan. eMeals is one of them- It’s not free, but it’s pretty cheap ($5/week or so). They ask you a bunch of questions about your family, diet, and where you live and they supply you with grocery lists based on your dietary needs and where you live and shop.

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