lame clouds lame day

In the valley where I live, there are rarely nice cloudy days.  You know, super fluffy white clouds in a bright blue sky.  Clouds here mostly consist of pollution so all the pictures I took were not cute.  Here is a photo from the news that another person took and it is way cooler than any of mine. 

day 3: clouds
kinda a boring challenge
look at the temperature here at night! yuck!!!

We are still in the process of moving and I need to finish cleaning this apartment.

vacuums and lysol wipes

lulewbelle

packing for a move

Day 2: what i wore today
packing day messy bun

This has been packing week at our place.  We have been loading all our stuff into boxes for our BIG move.  It has been stressful, crazy, sweaty hot, annoying and ridiculously unorganized.  I did not wear anything cute today. No makeup or cuteness here, but I got this picture of my hair for the challenge.  I have been loving the messy bun for this hot, HOT weather.

Here are my TOP 5 TIPS for moving:

1. do NOT wait until two days before moving to rent a truck during the MOST busy moving time of year. trust.

2. drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and do NOT eat doughnuts they will make you sleepy.

3. go through all your things and give away everything you haven't used in at least the past year.

4. remember to show your love to your husband or wife...they are stressed out enough as is.

5. be excited for the changes ahead!  

packing tape and lots of coffee,

lulewbelle

30 day challenge

Yaaaaaay!

I am so excited to say that I am going to take on the 30 day photography challenge.  I noticed another blogger, such life in the tropics, who is also doing this challenge and I thought I'd get in on the action!

Day 1: Self-Portrait
the EXACT way i feel today

I am most definitely not a photographer, but this looks too fun to pass on.  So if you want to get in on the party, please do this with me and comment so I can see your photos too!!!

gettin' in touch with my artsy fartsy side

lulewbelle

blast from the past

   

I was cleaning out my closet the other day, preparing to move and found this card I got from a high school friend.  She gave it to me before I left for college.  We had a great relationship and we always joked around about our big butts and my lack of boobage. So finding this made me laugh all over again  and I thought I'd share my giggles with you!

 almost boobs to can't complain

lulewbelle

DIY : letters on things

Finally got around to it!  If you have read my posts or have gone shopping lately, you would know that letters on things (not sure what you call it) has come back into style and popularity.  I have seen them everywhere.

So here is my DIY...
With a little help from pinterest, this is what I came up with.

letter on a mug:
- using a sharpie, draw letter of choice on a mug (i got mine from the dollar tree)
-bake the mug in the oven for 30 minutes on 350 degrees fahrenheit
-take out an cool...use nail polish to decorate or add color

you can look up the font or style and sketch it with a pencil first or even make a stencil!
just google it!

if you paint the near the bottom of the mug, be sure to keep the bottom rim clean or in might stick to the table.

letters on makeup or dish towels:
-find your favorite towel (i got mine from the dollar tree)
-use fabric paint pens, puffy paint, etc. to add the letter to the bottom center of the towel.

*when using puffy paint, be sure to press the paint into the fabric with a brush or the tip to prevent the paint from cracking or peeling off.

I made these as a gift for a friend and I love the turnout!

I hope you found this helpful! You could add letters to most anything and use any medium to do it!

I might need to try it with bleach, dye, buttons, string, anything!

happy lettering

lulewbelle

Quick Tip : Cleaning Brushes

Thanks to Kandee Johnson, an amazing youtube beauty guru and wonderful person in general, my makeup brushes have never been cleaner and softer.  I don't have the nicest or most expensive brushes, but I do want them to work and feel like they are.  

Here are a couple of quick tips I have learned:

1. mix a little olive oil and Dawn soap to clean your brushes

2. use warm water and ALWAYS keep the brush head pointed downward 

(you don't want water to get up near the glue connecting the brush to the handle)

3. allow your brushes to dry in the correct shape you want them

soft brushes and HUGE hugs,

lulewbelle

lovin' and bummin'

I love to watch and read other people's favorite products and let downs. I totally buy into some commercials and want to go out and get what they are selling.  So when I run out of something and want to try something new.  These types of blogs and videos are very useful!

Here are some of the things that I am lovin' at the moment:

cvs aftersun $3
necessary after 5hrs on the lake with no sunscreen (bad idea)

palmer's cocoa butter swivel stick $2
so amazing for the dry spots on my face and chapped lips = definite lifesaver

benefit pore professional primer (sample size - myglam)
wonderful to keep dry spots under control and my makeup in place!

revlon just bitten lip balm/stain $7
my obsession - minty, moisturizing, and colorful, they work so well and last all day (literally) i like to mix colors too! lovesick and crush

maybelline master precise eyeliner pen $5?
so amahzing when you suck at eyeliner and it stays on forever!

cover girl lipperfection in tempt $6
i love this one! it's such a nice bright summer color that works great for my skin tone and kinda works as a stain too!


Here are some things that had me bummin':

organix instant recovery mask $8
i was very bummed out with this one.  the scent is amazing, but the product works like a watered-down conditioner you can get for $0.88...
you know the ones at the very bottom shelf at the store.

elf shine eraser $1
i guess these are fine for the price, but when you have oily, shiny spots like me, they just don't cut it.  this may be tmi, but i need to use like 4-5 of these sheets to de-shine my face. it's just too many sheets and too much time for me! i still love the palladio rice paper most!

I hope this has been helpful to you and can save a buck or two!

summer lovin'

lulewbelle

Dedication : ABFF Rachel

I thought I would start a dedication post series.  There are so many wonderful people that are a huge part of my life near and far.  So this dedication series will be little blurbs about these people and what they mean to me!

I will be moving to St. Louis next week and will be leaving my ABFF Rachel. :( 

(ABFF = arizona best friend forever) haha

Road trip to Cali!

Rachel and I became very close, very quickly, mostly out of desperation and survival needs.  She was the only young teacher at the first school I taught at.  With all the stress of the first year, she was a life saver, literally sent from God.  I don't think I would have survived these last two years without her motivation, support and funnies. 

(i had so much support from others too!)

Anyway, Rachel has been such a great friend and we have been through quite a bit together. (a closing school, finding new jobs, changes in bravery, road trips, pedicures, and much more)  Marm! 

Rachel also encouraged me to start this blog! So it seems fit to make this first dedication to her!  She has an adorable blog that you should check out a.s.a.p!

http://lifeinthemmnt.blogspot.com/

I will miss having her around when I move, but thanks to technology we will continue to text crazy stuff, ootd's and all those funzies.  I love you, Rachel!!!

Who is your ABFF? I have been blessed with this wonderful lady and hope you have a Rachel in your life too!

scrambled eggs and toast 

with blackberry marmalade

lulewbelle

spending FREEZE!

I have decided that I need to put myself on a spending freeze.  

We are going to vegas next month to celebrate my mother-in-law's 

birthday (and my birthday!) and I'd like to look good.  

So I spent some time today looking for clothes to wear on our trip.

I feel like now I don't need any more clothes.  

Although I do have my eye on a couple maxi skirts at target and may have to pick them up if they go on sale.  Ooops!

So I have put myself on a spending freeze.  NO MORE CLOTHES OR MAKEUP!

While I was out spending (...boo) I got inspired for a DIY!

 

 

Letters seem to be pretty popular in home furnishing stores and thought I'd give it a try!

Keep an eye out for this DIY!

All the letters of the alphabet

lulewbelle

my week: camera phone

It's FRIDAY!!!

Even though I'm technically on summer vacation, Fridays are always such happy days.

It's the weekend and there is always so much to do. 

 In the mean time I wanted to take a look back at my week, according to my cell phone.

Rachel and I went to target and found these funny card.
Wedding thank yous anyone?

Went to the lake with my hubby for our anniversary.
5 hours on the jet skis and major sunburns to prove it!

Got my glam bag in the mail!
Still totally worth the $.

Husband brought home his GM ring for selling over 100 cars in a year.
Yeah Buddy!

Trying out this new conditioner and loving it!
I hope it lightens my hair as good as it conditions.

Planning to put up a DIY this weekend!

Hope you all had as wonderful a week as I did!

sunburns and a happy heart

lulewbelle

youtube addiction?

Lately, I've realized that because I watch youtube...ALL the time,

I have been saying words and phrases that I hear from different people.  

...bomb diggity, what'sit, honey bear...

I figured that if I am using words and phrases (that i do not normally say) from these lovely people, they must be pretty great! So I thought I'd share some of my favorite channels with you! 

Samantha Schuerman

This lovely mommy/beauty guru is adorable and entertaining to watch!

She does weekly favorites and fudgeroos, good products 
and not-so-great products.

It's Judy's Life

I have been loving these vlogs! This beauty guru and her husband 
film their daily lives and put up daily videos.  It is so fun to watch, 
kinda like reality t.v.

MacBarbie07

This young lady makes wonderful videos on fashion, beauty, DIY and other fun bits.  She has great style and is very successful in her young age.  I love watching her videos for little tips and ideas!

Check out these videos and others on youtube! 

Maybe you'll find them interesting and fun!

Enjoy!

lulewbelle

two years ago today

me and my hot hubbs

Today is my two year wedding anniversary! I am the happiest woman in the world.  My husband and I were married on the beach, toes in the sand,at home on maui.  It was the most beautiful day with lots of friends and family around.  

The past two years have been crazy, fun, new, and full of love.  I could not have found a better, more loving man to spend my whole life with.  

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

my beautiful bridesmaids whom i love with all my heart

I got so many compliments on my bridesmaid's dresses and questions about where we got them.  I loved them so much and they were a wonderfully inexpensive choice.  I wanted to have a laid-back style of wedding and did not want to spend too much money.  These dresses were about $20 a person (depending on size AND remember this is crazy-expensive pricing maui pricing).  I am going to attempt to recreate this dress under $15.
p.s. my bridesmaids were all shapes and sizes: petite, tall, curvy and pregnant.
so this is great for anyone!

you will need:

-about 2 yards of rayon fabric (stretchy-ish fabric works best)
  - i found this online for $5.80/yd

  - the length all depends on how much you need to go around your body twice

-sewing machine and thread to hem

-ribbon or belt to fit waist

step one:

sew a hem all the way around the edge of the entire length and width of fabric to secure and prevent any fraying.

step two:

tie the fabric...a helper will come in handy!
-hold the fabric open (horizontally) behind you
-hold onto one corner and wrap the fabric around your body twice                  (we don't want it to be see-through!)
-tie a knot (at the middle of your back) with the corner you are holding and a handful of fabric from the part you wrapped around.
-take the leftover fabric and tuck it into the dress or let it hang.

-no worries! i will be putting up a video or pictures soon to help, but right now i am off to the lake with my husband to celebrate our two years married!

step three:

add a belt or piece of ribbon at the waist and accessorize!

BONUS:

The length of the dress can be altered to your liking!

Happy Dressmaking!

lulewbelle 

a cheap date

One of the great things about being a teacher is the gift cards.  We went to see Men in Black 3 tonight thanks to the movie gift card I got.  Gift cards make date night practically free!  I LOVE date night! 

While we were at the theatre, I noticed that there are 

summer deals at the movie theatre.  

Here are some tips (that you may already know) 

for making your movie watching experience 

even better with a skinnier wallet!

tip #1:
MATINEE IT!
If you can help it, never go to the movies after 5:40p.  It's pretty much half the price to go before then and it's way less crowded.


tip #2:
Look For Summer Deals
It is only $7.50 to go to the movies (AMC) on Monday through Friday.
There are also a summer movie clubs at different theaters that you can check out!


tip #3:
Bring Your Own Snacks
An oldie, but a goodie.  Don't be afraid to pop some popcorn and bring it in a ziploc.  We girls don't buy HUGE purses for nothin'. 


If all else fails, hit up the REDBOX for a $1 movie night at home.  :)

no butter sauce, extra salt please!

lulewbelle

skinny wallet summer challenge

I have wanted to start a blog for some time now and was just never consistent enough. A friend of mine, lifeinthemoment, did a really cute dress challenge that she just completed and I thought it would be a great way to start. 


So I have decided to do the skinny wallet summer challenge! *crowd goes wild* 


I am challenging myself to post creative things to do over the summer that can be done with a very skinny wallet or very tight budget. Hopefully it can give you some ideas to make your summer fun and your wallets fat! this first post will be a DIY!


Are you sick of having too many eyeshadow quads? Sick of that huge bulky eyeshadow palette?

do you want to turn this...

into THIS!

you will need:  

-all these things i already had except the new palette case and mod podge ($8 at Michaels)

flat headed sharp tool

super glue

small container with attached lid
i got this "lint a hand" from francesca's for $4.95

...and all the eye shadow palettes, quads, trios, duos, etc... you want to make more convenient for use!

step one:  depot old eyeshadows

Use your tool to gently pry the shadows from the palette.
-if you squish down the case, it is easier to wedge underneath of the pan

                          

step two: prep new palette caseI created a new cover to my palette using scrapbooking paper and mod podge!You can see my eyeshadows laid out in order that I took them out of the old palette so I can remember the names of each of the eyeshadows.  I thought about labeling them on the inside lid of the new case, but i decided not to in the end.

step three: fill new palette with shadows   

I was able to fit the whole UD Book of Shadows and two Revlon 

trios in this box and it fit perfectly snug!   

                                                                          

*I used super glue because I know I won't use up these eyeshadows for years.  If you want to make it a more versatile palette, you could line the bottom of the new case with magnetic tape.  That way you could swap out eyeshadows whenever you feel like it!

Have a blast creating your own eyeshadow palette!

lulewbelle <3