DIY Monday - School Supplies + Customized Binder Covers

Hello!
As you probably know, I am a girl who loves color, and that always applies to my school supplies. It may seem childish, but I like to buy color coordinated binders, folders and notebooks, along with a colorful array of pencils, pens and highlighters. And I always do my shopping at Dollar General - I feel like Walmart is way too big and spread out and I can never find anything. Dollar General is a smallish store with good service so my shopping is always 20 minutes or less. I went shopping for school supplies Thursday before work and found some pretty great deals.
I decided on a theme of 5 colors this year - navy, purple, pink, green and teal.

 Up above is all the school supplies I bought for this semester. I decided on 1 inch binders this year because I ran out of room in the 1/2 inch binders during high school so I upgraded. Binders at Dollar General were $2 apiece and I bought 4; 1 for each class. Inside the binders I put folders and notebooks and mixed and matched the colors as you can see above. I also bought sticky notes, 3x5 index cards, pens and pencils, a pencil carrying case, a pink planer, a Texas Instruments calculator and a pink lunchbox - total was $32.50. If you look at the binder in the upper right corner you will see that my navy binder has a binder cover. Every year I insert binder covers that I make or print off into the front of my binder to spruce it up a little. This year I printed of these adorable monogrammed binder covers from the blog For Chic Sake under the tab Printables.

The one at the top left of the first picture is a teal/coral combination, and these two shown are gray/pink and navy/teal, with my initials in the middle. I outlined the letters on the left with a thin black sharpie which made the letters pop and look really elegant. These fit perfectly into the front of a binder and add a little pop of color to the otherwise boring binder. Remember to check out For Chic Sake for lots of DIY, organizing and crafty ideas. Bye!
Happy DIY Monday!!
SEB
:)

Fashion Friday - Quality Newbie Makeup

Hello beautiful world!!
Today I wanted to shared with you good quality makeup for the makeup newbie, such as myself. Most of my makeup is affordable and bought from Ulta or Dollar General, both of which I will link below. When I began wearing makeup, back in May, I didn't have a lot of expertise in the makeup purchasing field, nor did I have a lot of money to spend at the time. Mainly, I was looking for makeup that I could practice with, as well as tide me over to the time when I saved up the money to buy better quality products. Luckily my sister took me to Ulta where we found beginner makeup kits produced by Ulta.  The one I bought came in a snakeskin box and was $17.

As you can tell, this is the kit fully opened up. The kit came with 8 eye shadow/blush pallets, a snakeskin makeup pouch, 3 tinted lip glosses and 3 brushes. I will say, this is a good kit for a beginner and did a good job tiding me over, but now that I know the difference between cheap and quality makeup, I will tell you that if 1 was cheap and 10 was quality, this box was a 6. The eye shadow's were really bad about flaking off the eyelid and the brushes shed black hairs all over your face. However, the pencil eyeliners (in the colors black, brown, majesty and peacock) go on smoothly and last all day. Plus, who can resist the cute makeup clutch?
Anywho, after I saved up and practiced with the makeup in this box I branched out to affordable yet quality eye shadow, eyeliner and foundation.

These 2 products are BB Creams by L'Oreal and Mabelline. I really like BB Creams because they dim all the redness in my face, plus these 2 tubes were $5 apiece. They go on like a tinted sunscreen and feel very lightweight on my face. Typically, I wear these whenever I'll be outside and always as a base for foundation.

The foundation I use is bareMinerals Matte Face Powder in the shade Fairly Light. A lot of ladies I know use this foundation and swear by it. My sister has used it for 3 years and still loves it! This is by far the most expensive product I own - $30 for this, but I haven't even made a dent in it. It sweeps on my face really light and natural looking and even though it's pricey I would definitely recommend it. Its very easy to apply and doesn't come off, no matter how many times you touch your face.

For concealer my mom purchased the Dual Action Concealer by Merle Norman (on top) in the shade light and gave it to me and I love this stuff. I apply dots of this all over my face, concentrating on my problem areas and Bingo! My face is a blank canvas! This concealer completely covers any acne or redness or freckles and goes on light and airy. My only problem with this concealer is that the shade 'light' is a bit to light for my face. My face looks like Casper the Ghost while the rest of my body looks normal, so I plan on using this in the wintertime when I'm rocking the pale look all over.
The second product shown (on the bottom) is my Maybelline Dream Lumi Highlighting Concealer - $3 at Walmart. I mainly use this to cover up my eye circles and highlight the tops of my cheekbones. I wear the shade 'Nude Chair' and apply this every time I do my makeup.

Recently on a trip to Walmart I picked up 2 Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow's in the shade's Inked in Pink (top right) and Buff & Tuff (top left). I didn't know how much I would like these but I've heard some pretty good reviews on them and decided to give them a try. Surprisingly I really like them. They are a creme shadow and can be applied using your finger or brush (I prefer using my ring finger). I also bought 2 Maybelline Eyestudio pallets in the shades Electric Emerald and Taupe Temptress. I have noticed that Maybelline products are really good quality for a cheap price, so that's why I bought these. The colors are very rich and vibrant for only $4 bucks apiece! I think both of these products are perfect for everyone because they go on so easily and are both cheap and chic; two characteristics hard to find in products.

I know some people use 6 or 7 different mascaras, according to the occasion, but I have faithfully used two. The first is the trustworthy Great Lash. My mom got me hooked on this when I was having clumping trouble with my old mascara (which now resides in the trash). The Great Lash mascara thickens and lengthens lashes, all while not clumping, and is only $4! You can buy Great Lash at almost every store that sells beauty products so if you do see this snatch it up! My second mascara is Maybelline the Rocket that I use mainly on my bottom lashes to give them a little extra boost. This was $7, but to be honest I don't know why it was so pricey... hmm...

These 2 LA Colors Jumbo Eye Pencils, in white and blue, I bought for $1 apiece at Dollar General. The white is good for highlighting the corner of your eye and I thought the blue was super fun, although I'm not sure when I'll wear it. On top is a Covergirl Liquid Line Blast Smokey Eye pencil. A black pencil on one end and a smudger on the opposite end, this pencil is really good for smudging your bottom lash line and for lining your water line.

As for storing my makeup I purchased 2, three drawer plastic containers from Dollar General for $2. I know they aren't the cutest storage option available but they are the cheapest; plus you can see all of your makeup!
I think that's it for today's Fashion Friday! I hope this post helped give you some ideas on cute, affordable makeup and I'll see you next time. Bye!!
SEB
:)

50 Facts About Me TAG

Hey...
Today I wanted to do something a little more personal than my other posts, so today you are going to learn 50 Random Facts About ME! Not all of these are makeup or fashion or DIY related, so let's get started!
1. When I was 7 years old I used to say "When I grow up I want to be a lady in a circus covered with tattoos." Yeah... I think its safe to say that my goals in life have drastically changed since than.
2. Also when I was 7 years old my favorite color was orange.
3. I have been with CH for almost two years.
4. I am 6'1.
5. I love all baby animals except for kittens.
6. I didn't start wearing makeup until late May of this year. I used to believe that I was prettier without makeup; I was worried that makeup might cover me up. Now I understand that makeup hides my blemishes and reveals my better qualities. Plus I didn't even know how to apply it, so a big shout-out to my older sister and mom for teaching me and getting me hooked!
7. I try to buy most of my beauty products from Ulta. The service there is exceptional and they have everything.
8. My favorite colors are pink, purple and blue. In that order.
9. I didn't get my license until I was 17 because I was scared of driving.
l0. I love pillow pets.
11. I had two boyfriends in Kindergarten.
12. I was home schooled in second grade.
13. I can spread my toes really far apart. I know, really weird trait but it's a random fact.
14. I earned several letters in Orchestra, but I only bought 1 and I never bought a letter jacket. I just don't think its worth spending $300 on a jacket that you can only wear in high school when you could save the patches and make a quilt.
15. I can read upwards of 700 words a minute.
16. I LOVE reading! I have a bookcase filled with books and stacks of books surrounding my bed and my dad is building me a bookcase headboard for my bed so I can have my storage.
17. I am 18 years old.
18. I don't have a lap desk for my laptop, so instead I set my computer on this big book I have about Egypt.
19. I keep my closet super organized.
20. I like cleaning my bedroom.
21. I don't like the taste of beef that much which is ironic because CH is a cattle person so... yeah. It makes for some interesting conversations.
22. I had braces for 2 years.
23. My bedroom is blue with white polka dots. I am in the process of painting it purple.
24. CH is my first boyfriend.
25. I am the middle child.
26. I have very dry skin... But oily eyelids.
27. I love neon socks. I think I have around 15 pairs when they are all gathered up.
28. I prefer Google Chrome over Internet Explorer.
29. My backpack is red and brown.
30. I love traveling.
31. Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons, simple for the fact that I like cold weather clothing compared to warm weather clothing.
32. Christmas is my favorite holiday.
33. I have 3 glass vases from when CH has given me flowers.
34. For my graduation I bought a little tiara that said 'Princess Grad' in pink letters and I wore it at my party.
35. My family has 3 Miniature Schnauzers - Watch, Tootsie and Schotzie (thats German for sweetie)
36. I have worked at a library for almost 1 year.
37. I don't have a car.
38. I love shopping. Seriously. Shopping calms me down and makes me so happy and I go at least once a week, even if its only to go window shopping at Dollar General.
39. I got my first phone for Christmas this last year.
40. I hate going to public pools. They gross me out because all of those people are swimming in contained water and it's just not clean, so I never go.
41. I have seen the ocean twice. Once on vacation with my family when I was 5 years old, the second on a youth trip to Florida.
42. Insects freak me out. If I see anything that bites, stings, has more than 2 legs, crawls, slithers or anything else like that I freak out and somebody besides me has to come and kill them.
43. I grew up in a Baptist Church.
44. I love dancing which is kind of funny because in 5th grade I went to my first dance ever and I hated it, but than some of my closest friends dragged me to the Homecoming Dance Sophomore year and from than on I have loved dancing.
45. I have played the violin for 8 years.
46. I have always loved singing, but I am really shy about singing in front of people.
47. I have lived in MO for 16 years.
48. I took horseback riding lessons for 6 months and than quit because I thought I loved riding horses but it turned out that I really didn't.
49. I like painting walls.
50. My favorite flowers are Dahlias.
Okay, I think that is the end of this post. I hope you guys learned a little more about me than you had known before. Bye!
SEB
:)

DIY Monday - Renovating

Hello!!
It has been awhile since I posted a DIY Monday just for the fact that I have had almost no motivation to get crafty, but the opportunity for a post came up this weekend when my dad and I started the process of remodeling our back porch. I know this isn't your normal DIY project but I think it counts since we could have hired a crew but instead we did it ourselves.
 My parents goal for the back porch was to tear off the roof and walls and transform it into 2 sections. The first section on the right side of the house is going to be a guest bedroom/office, and the section on the left is going to be a mudroom with plenty of storage options. Now before I tell you of the process we went through to tear it down, I should probably tell you about the porch. Our back porch was pretty interesting. It had a plain cement floor and a leaky roof, and the walls consisted of cement blocks on the bottom and windows on the top. It sounds like a lot but it only took the weekend to tear it off, which was really nice.
Dad and I started the tear down process Saturday morning at 8 o'clock, and by that evening the roof and windowed walls were gone. Sunday afternoon my dad chiseled down the cement blocks and today my little sister and I were given the grand job of carting the blocks to the dumpster we rented.
It was a pretty big job and we only got halfway through (now we get to build!) but I'm impressed with the amount of work we accomplished in the weekend. In the picture below you can see our patio and the concrete floor of the back porch, as well as that HUGE chimney that we have to dismantle (hehe, dismantle... chimney's have mantels... okay, lame joke) and the rest of the cement wreckage behind the hot tub. The porch walls ran even with the chimney and than a step down is our patio that will most likely stay there.

As you can probably tell, the back of our house looks kinda awkward and misplaced but it will be fixed soon. Hopefully. Below is our porch in a dumpster! Yay!

Before I end this post I want to share with you the safety do's and dont's that I learned this weekend!
1. ALWAYS wear safety glasses - even though I didn't doesn't mean you shouldn't.
2. WEAR sturdy leather gloves - dad and I were dealing with nails, old rotted wood and cement blocks so make sure you protect your hands!
3. DON'T step on nails sticking up from boards - I was wearing my old Puma tennis shoes and they are not sturdy in a construction sight because I accidentally stepped on 3 nails that were sticking up. By some small miracle they went through my shoes but missed my feet all 3 times. This leads to my fourth piece of advice.
4. ALWAYS wear sturdy shoes! Those old tennis shoes look protective but nails and shards of glass and brick slide right through the soles and attack your feet!! Protect the feet!
5. ALWAYS drink lots of water - It was about 85 and humid here in MO but dad and I took a water break every 45 minutes to stay hydrated.
6. Remember, you may be working hard and every bone on your body hurts and you are covered in dirt and you stepped on nails, but try to keep the mood light between you and your fellow workers - dad and I constantly joked around and made names for ourselves. For example, he was 'He Man!' a.k.a. he who has muscles and can tear down everything and anything, therefore making me look like a weakling (I am, but still.) And dad called me 'She-ra! Queen of the Amazon People!' a.k.a. she who tries hard but always relies on 'He-Man.' We might have sounded silly but the joking and laughing did help pass the time.
That's all I have to say about this awkward DIY Monday; I'll try to come up with something a little more crafty next time.
Have a great DIY Monday!
SEB
:)

Fashion Friday - Colors of the Rainbow Tag

Hello and Happy Fashion Friday!
Okay, so the trend going around on YouTube by fashion gurus are videos with fashion related tags. For example, 'Outfits of the Week' 'Colors of the Rainbow' and '50 Facts About Me.' Well, today I am going to try the Colors of the Rainbow Tag. I plan on displaying clothing that I have been loving this summer in the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, multi-colored, black and white.
The first item, red, is a cranberry colored lace dress I bought at Vanity.

I actually bought this dress a couple months ago on a shopping spree with my sister but I have worn it a couple times this summer and I love it. The dress is strapless lace and looks really good with boots. I recently wore it to a graduation and paired it with my brown, Tony Llama cowboy boots from Angells Western Wear.

The next item, orange, actually came in this morning when I went to pick-up my mail.

 This shirt is also from Vanity and I purchased it online along with another of red, white and blue. The original prices of these were $37.50, but they were on clearance for $20 each, plus I had a 50% off coupon. My total purchase was around $23 plus shipping which I think is a great deal. These shirts are tunic style plaid cotton and are super comfy. They have a high-low hem, cuffed sleeves and 2 breast pockets. Because I am a country girl and go to cattle shows with CH, I am always looking for lightweight plaid shirts, so I was pretty excited to find these.
The next shirt is a yellow ombre tank top.

I bought this at Kohl's awhile ago but I wear it all the time in the summer. I forgot how much it was, but this shirt is sheer with a light yellow feather pattern near the hem. It is button-up with beading around the top and looks great with a simple pair of dark wash jean shorts.

Next is a lime-green workout top from Dicks Sporting Goods.

Okay, so my mom bought this shirt so I could go running on the road and people would see me. At first I didn't like it because honestly it looks like an ugly man tank-top, but I did wear it when I ran the other day and all of my suspicions about it are gone. This shirt is longer in the torso so it doesn't ride up, but it is also pretty roomy and sweat-proof. This shirt was on the clearance rack (yay!!) for $15. Normally, $15 doesn't seem like a good clearance price, but I think it was more because it is made by the brand Champion. So thanks mom!

This next shirt I bought back in April but I've worn it more in the summer than I ever did in spring. Again, this shirt is from Vanity for $20. I bought this because I think the color is so pretty and it has a cool triangle cut-out in the back. I had also been looking for chiffon shirts since they are so lightweight but classy. Because I liked this one, I actually went back and bought the same on in a pretty ivory color. Typically, I wear shirts like this to work or dressy dinner dates, courtesy of CH. Tuesday I went in for work and I wore this with dark jean shorts, a grey sparkly camisole and sparkly flats.

This next shirt is a purple crop top with 'live, love, dream' on the front in animal print words. I think my mom bought this for me for Christmas last year  and I just wear it with a gray camisole underneath. I know this looks childish on an 18 year old, but I think its fun so I wear it anyways:)

I bought this shirt in San Antonio on a choir trip at Forever 21; we don't have a Forever 21 where I live so my friends and I spent most of a day there. I bought this shirt for $4 because I liked how different it is from anything I have in m closet. This is a fushia, circle crop top with a detailed back you can see above. I actually wear this with some cutoffs over my bikini when I go to the pool or beach. This one is also on the 'fun' side of my closet (just kidding, I don't organize my clothing that way...) but I love it.

This next shirt is a multi-colored, off the shoulder top from Texas. My mom also got this for me on one of her business trips at a place that sold lightweight cotton tops. This shirt reminds me of the 80's because of the funky neon stripes and off the shoulder-ness. I wore this the other night when CH and I were watching a movie with my folks. I think I just paired it with a pair of jean shorts and my neon socks because I was feeling kinda lazy:P 

I know that belts aren't considered clothing but lately I have worn this to a lot of fairs and cattle shows with my boots so I thought I would share it. Now, sparkles are my favorite color so this belt and I have a lot in common. The belt buckle is smothered in rhinestones and the the black leather has giant diamond rhinestones framed by rhinestone rectangles. I just wear this with boots, old jeans (you get dirty at cattle shows) and a t-shirt. I bought this belt at Angells  for $50, but it's expensive because of the leather it's made from.

r

This last item representing white is one of many staple pieces in my closet. A simple white v-neck from PINK for $15 that I can pair with anything. I especially love it for summer because it is sheer so I like to wear a cute bandeau from Vanity underneath and pair it with neon pink shorts from Old Navy and flip flops or flats. 

I hope you guys enjoyed my first Colors of the Rainbow Tag and I will make sure to link all the shops mentioned! Happy Fashion Friday!!

SEB

:)

Vanity - http://www.evanity.com/

Angells Western Wear - https://www.facebook.com/AngellsWesternWear

Kohls - www.kohls.com

Dick's Sporting Goods - http://www.dickssportinggoods.com

Forever 21 - http://www.forever21.com

PINK - http://www.victoriassecret.com/pink

Old Navy - http://oldnavy.gap.com/?

Workout Wednesday - Canceling Workout Wednesday

:(
Why did I post a frown face you might ask?
Because due to some changes in my personal opinion I will no longer be posting a Workout Wednesday. To be truthful, I don't think I will miss posting Workout Wednesday. A couple days ago I discovered that working out is not one of my passions, it is a duty I perform to stay healthy. And believe me, you can do something every single day for about an hour without loving it. I do it. Its called jogging up and down the road in 90 degree heat.
And this may sound bad, but I prefer to organize. Or experiment with makeup. Or play my violin. Or clean. So, because I have promised this blog (and myself) to always write about things that I am truly in love with I will have to cancel Workout Wednesday's because I'm sorry, I'm just not in love with running up and down the road, no matter how cute of shoes I have.
To replace my Wednesday posts, I will post sometime between Tuesday and Thursday about everything and anything mentioned above.
So Happy Not Workout Wednesday!
SEB
:)

Fashion Friday - Necklaces

Hello beautiful people!
If it weren't for the holidays, visiting with family and finalizing school plans for this fall semester I would have posted a wee bit sooner but being as busy as I have cuts the blogging time down to zip. However, this afternoon I found a few empty hours in which to post my Fashion Friday and I told myself I'm posting and nothing is getting in my way!! So yayy!! Here I am!!
For this Fashion Friday I am talking about my long necklaces and how I store and wear them.

 

I store my long necklaces on this brass key I bought at Icing. It has 9 hooks and if you need more hanging options I've found that you can hang necklaces from the key's teeth (I'm hanging my bling tassel from graduation) or from the curlicues in the heart.  Icing did sell other shapes but I love this key because it is very romantic and girly and that totally matches the theme in my bedroom. Oh, and sorry for the random white spots everywhere... I am in the middle of redecorating my bedroom and repainting the walls to a light purple is at the top of my list.

I took a zoomed in picture of the necklaces, just so you can see them better when I talk about them.

 Okay, starting from the left I have my graduation tassel with a sparkly 13 on it and although I didn't have enough hooks I hung it from the teeth of the key.

The next necklace is a big circle covered in Swarovski Crystals that my grandma got me for Christmas. I honestly have no idea where she got it, but thanks grandma!! I wore it for prom so it is pretty dressy and I don't wear it that often, but it's gorgeous and I wanted to display it.

You can't really see the 2nd necklace, but it is 9 silver strands with silver spheres. It is a layered necklace and pretty dressy, so usually I don't wear it, but I like the way it looks hanging up. 

I absolutely adore the 3rd necklace. My older sister bought it for me at Vanity a couple years ago and I honestly wear this thing all the time. This necklace is one strand of fake pearls and one silver chain. The silver chain has a giant sparkly bow on it that I think is so adorable. I don't know why, but I wear this in the wintertime a lot with a silver sweater, leggings and boots. I think it's kind of casual but super, super, super adorable.

The 4th necklace is a long, gorgeous turquoise statement necklace I bought a few months ago at Maurice's. It was a little more than I'm comfortable spending on a necklace, about $15, but I have worn it so many times that it was worth it. I strongly suggest that if you don't own a statement necklace, go out and buy one pronto. You will always get compliments, plus they are super versatile. I wore this the other day with a cream chiffon top from Vanity, dark skinny jeans from American Eagle and silver sparkly flats from Shoe Carnival.

The 5th necklace on my key is a necklace that I haven't found an opportunity to wear yet. This is one strand burnished silver chain with rhinestone covered musical instruments. My other grandma got this for me last Christmas (what is it with grandmas and buying fashionable jewelry??) and it totally brings out my musical side, even hanging on the wall.

The 6th necklace is a simple gold strand with different colored rocks and beads. I bought this one also at Vanity for $2 and when I looked at it, I thought 'fun.' This necklace was so bright and colorful and unlike anything I already owned and I just fell in love with it. I guess you could say it is my fun, slightly childish necklace.

The next necklace is also pretty simple. This is 1 strand of silver chain with laser-cut feathers, circles and leaves. Bought at JC Penney, this is probably my go-to necklace as I'm headed out the door and need a quick accessory. Yesterday as I was headed for my shift at the Library, I paired it with a black scoop-neck, neon pink shorts and black flats.

The 8th necklace I bought at JC Penney and wore for my Junior Court warming (a semi-formal dance) and paired it with a black, Grecian style dress. It is a tear-drop shaped pendant with black flower designs in the middle, black spheres on the chain and black beading hanging down from the pendant. I really loved this necklace, but I was really sad the other day when I noticed that one of the gems on the fringe popped from its setting so although I can't wear it anymore, I still love it to pieces.

The last necklace is 2 gold strands purchased from JC Penney. The first strand has evenly spaced gold spheres, and the second strand has these flattened gold discs. Typically, I wear this if I want to dress up a white V-neck for work or even if I want to look a little dressy for school I will pair it with a crimson scoop-neck.

So, that is the end of my hanging necklace collection! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Down below I linked all of the stores where the necklaces were bought so you can go shopping for your own!

Happy Fashion Friday!

SEB

:)

To shop at JC Penney  -  http://www.jcpenney.com/

To shop at Vanity  -  http://www.evanity.com/

To shop at Maurice's  -  http://www.maurices.com/home/index.jsp

To shop at Shoe Carnival  -  http://www.shoecarnival.com/

To shop at American Eagle  -  http://www.ae.com/web/index.jsp

To shop at Icing  -  http://www.icing.com/