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Essential Beauty-Enhancing Products You Already Have at Home

May 5, 2015 by

The next time you want to try a new beauty product, you might want to start by browsing your kitchen cabinets instead of heading to the drugstore. Many common foods and oils can double as creams, scrubs, and skin treatments! Here are a few beneficial beauty products that you likely already own.

  1. Tea bags. Instead of investing in a pricey eye cream to get rid of those dark circles after a night out, use some tea bags instead. Soak two green tea bags in warm water and lay them on your eyelids. The caffeine will shrink the appearance of blood vessels, while the antioxidants reduce inflammation.
  2. Oatmeal. Make your own face treatment by using your favorite breakfast oats. Place a handful of whole oats inside of a washcloth and secure it closed with a rubber band. Soak the whole thing in a sink of warm water until the water turns cloudy, and then splash it onto your face. This will create a protective barrier on the skin that seals in moisture and provides anti-inflammatory properties.
  3. Oranges. Use oranges to get rid of pesky dry patches on the skin. Squeeze half of an orange into a bowl and mix in 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Rub the other half of the orange on dry knees or elbows to loosen the dead cells, and then rub on your homemade scrub to slough them away.

Have A Spa Day…At Home! 10 DIY Beauty Treatments! [Seventeen]
Our Favorite All-Natural Home Beauty Treatments [Fitness]
Crazy Beauty Tricks That Really Work [Whole Living]
6 All-Natural Beauty Fixes [Woman’s Day]

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Where to Shop for Designer Fabric Online

April 7, 2015 by

Some of the best bargains on unique, beautiful fabrics can be found online. Here are just three of the best online resources for designer fabrics for all of your craft projects.

Spoonflower
With an easy-to-navigate website that’s almost as beautiful as its large inventory of designer fabrics, it’s easy to see why Spoonflower is one of the most popular online fabric retailers. Designed by indie artists, fabrics are available in designs like tribal prints, geometric patterns, and minimalist flowers, as well as children’s prints perfect for the little ones.

Etsy
The go-to online hub of anything crafty and handmade, Etsy is also a great resource for designer fabrics. Because the site contains so many individual sellers, you’ll find something for just about any style or project.

Fabric.com
Fabric.com sells a wide selection of name brand designers like Liberty of London, Kaufman, and Minky, as well as quilting fabrics and unique textures that may be difficult to find anywhere else. Browse the site by brand name, type of fabric, or even pattern and color, and be sure to check out the impressive clearance section if you’re on a budget.

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How to Keep Your Furniture Looking Like New

March 3, 2015 by

Purchasing furniture is one of the priciest investments that you make in your home, so you likely want to keep it looking as good as new. Follow these smart tips for preventing stains, rips, and other signs of wear and tear on your new furniture.

  1. Invest in high-quality pieces. First and foremost, investing in good quality furniture is one of the very best ways to ensure that it keeps its original look for years to come.
  2. Protect your fabrics and upholstery. When you first purchase a new rug or upholstered sofa, pay a bit extra to have a professional administer a protective coating to repel stains.
  3. Flip sofa cushions. By flipping your sofa cushions monthly, you can distribute the weight from frequent use to multiple parts of the cushion.
  4. Minimize eating in the living room. If you’re already trying to break this bad habit, just imagine a food stain on your brand new sofa for a bit of extra motivation.
  5. Tackle stains immediately. Whether it’s on a rug or the sofa, the most important way to prevent permanent staining is by addressing it immediately so that it can’t sink into the fabric. Read the care instructions on your furniture or rugs when you purchase them so that you know exactly how to remove that red wine stain before it inflicts major damage.

How to Keep Your Furniture Looking Like New [WikiHow]
4 Steps to Keep Your Furniture Looking New [Apartment Therapy]
Keep Your Sofa Looking Like New in 3 Easy Steps! [Shofer’s]

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How to Design Your Own Fresh Flower Arrangement at Home

September 4, 2014 by

Flowers brighten up any room and give it that sleek, interior designer look. Not only do they look great, a blossoming flower arrangement will make your room smell wonderful, too. Here are a few professional tips for making an attractive floral arrangement at home.

  1. Gather your supplies. Use a vase or even an old jar as the base for your arrangement and be sure to have sharp scissors or shears on hand. You’ll also need a variety of flowers, which depend on your personal tastes.
  2. Add some foliage. To create a space-filler for your arrangement, add some lush green foliage. Cut it so that the sides are shorter and the middle is taller to create dimension, but be sure to leave room for the flowers.
  3. Place large flowers throughout. Next, add larger faced flowers like roses or peonies. Cut some stems longer and other stems shorter, then scatter them throughout the arrangement.
  4. Disperse wispy accents. Weave vines, smaller ferns, or even delicate flowers throughout the rest of the arrangement to create texture. Let some shoot outward from the sides for a multidimensional look.
  5. Make final adjustments. Once all of your flowers are in place, be sure to arrange them a bit more. Stand back and admire your handiwork to see which flowers need to be moved, and don’t worry if there are a few imperfections; that gives your arrangement character!

How to Create Perfect Floral Arrangements [Sunset]
Elegant, Exquisite, Easy Floral Arrangements [Real Simple]
Flower Arranging 101 [Martha Stewart]

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How to Keep Your Fridge Squeaky Clean—and Smelling Fresh!

July 8, 2014 by

From spills and splashes to food that's less than fresh, your fridge is subjected to a lot of grit and grime during its lifetime. It's no surprise, then, that cleaning a refrigerator can be a Herculean task—but it doesn't have to be! The easiest way to clean a fridge is to break down the task into smaller chores performed more frequently. Here are a few tips:

1) Wipe down spills as they occur. Use a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water to wipe up spills before they have a chance to harden and "set" on the shelf. (Prevent sticky situations by giving jam and syrup jars a good wipe-down before parking them back in the fridge.) Wipe down the outside and top of the fridge with the same vinegar solution.

2) Pick one day a week, like the night before trash day, to go through your fridge and toss expired items and produce that's seen better days. Keep leftovers identifiable by labeling them with their date and contents.

3) For a fridge that smells clean and fresh, soak a cotton ball in vanilla extract and place it in the back of the fridge. You could also go the traditional route with a box of opened baking soda.

4) If the shelves and drawers are especially grimy, remove them for a bath in warm, soapy water. A toothbrush is the perfect tool to use for removing dried food and spills from creases and crevices in the fridge.

Caring for the Kitchen Workhorse [Martha Stewart]
Speed-Clean Your Refrigerator [Real Simple]
How To Clean & Organize a Refrigerator [Apartment Therapy]
Clean and Deodorize Your Refrigerator [RD]

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