Green and Clean

Let's talk about hair care.  More specifically, let's talk about shampoo or the lack thereof.  I have a confession to make.  I haven't used shampoo in a few weeks.  And no, that's not why I was wearing a hat in my last outfit post.  ;)  My hair is just as clean as any normal person's and here's why.  Baking soda and vinegar.  That's right folks, just like that volcano you made in your first science class.  Except without the exploding fizz. 

 

I first heard about this from the same place I come across most great ideas: Pinterest.  A link took me to a very interesting article about "No-Pooing" which just means washing your hair without shampoo.  I was intrigued.  More research lead me to the conclusion that it couldn't hurt to give it a try, especially since it boasted frizz-reducing qualities.  I decided to take pictures of the before and after of my hair for "scientific documentation."  Mostly because I thought you might be curious if this actually works. 

 

I'm showing off my greasy hair for the world to see.  This is what blogging does to you...

 

 

These are the before pictures.  Not as bad as it looked in real life.  This was the 3rd day after I had washed my hair with shampoo.  I usually wash it every other day.

 

Now let's talk about how you actually clean your hair with volcano ingredients.  The baking soda washes  your hair.  Mix 1 Tbsp with 1 cup of water and pour this over your head at the scalp.  Scrub with your fingers.  You won't get any lather, but it does feel kind of slippery.  Don't scrub down the length of your hair, just at the scalp where it gets greasy.  You can let it set for a minute, or rinse it out right away.

 

The vinegar acts as conditioner, smoothing the hair.  Again, mix 1 Tbsp in a cup of water.  Pour this over your hair from the base of your head down.  Don't pour this part over your scalp, unless you have really dry hair.  What I've been doing is dipping the tips of my hair in the vinegar solution for a little while, then letting that sit for a while.  Then I dump the rest of the vinegar water over my head, because my hair needs the extra conditioning.  I let it sit for a couple seconds, then rinse.

 

And yes, it does work.

 

Here's the after pictures.

 

 

All clean!  Puffy, but clean.  And surprisingly, your hair doesn't hold the vinegar smell.  You may be able to detect it while it's wet, but once it's dry, the smell is gone. 

 

So far, this process has worked just like regular shampoo and conditioner for me.  No noticeable difference in frizz or grease level.  I'm trying to go further in between washes and let my scalp get used to not having to produce as much oil.  I think it's working.  I'll keep you posted.

 

Are you intrigued by this method?  I was!  I couldn't believe I actually wanted to try it.  It seems so crunchy and green.  But hey, baking soda and vinegar are cheap, they don't contain artificial ingredients, and they work, so why not?  Let me know if you decide to give it a try!

 

Niki

The Long and Short of It...

Recognize this maxi skirt?  I've worn it for a few other outfit posts.  But this time, I did something different.  I made it shorter because I wanted to be able to wear my purple boots.  How, you ask?  I pulled it up under my arms as if I was going to wear it as a dress, and then wore a tighter-fitting tank top over the top of the whole thing.  Ta-dah!  A shorter skirt.  I was proud of myself, and shocked that it didn't even look bunchy and bulgy.  Of course, scarves cover a multitude of issues.  :)

Have you found any new and exciting outfit possibilities lately?

Niki

Skirt: refashion.  Tank: H&M.  Jacket: thrifted.  Boots: thrifted.  Scarf: my mom's.  Hat: craft bazaar.

I'm a Softie for Softies!

Is there an age where you become to old to love plush toys?  If there is, I haven't hit it yet.  I still adore all things soft and huggable.  Cute animals, sweet dolls...They just can be so darn cute!  Especially the handmade ones.  If it's handmade, that totally takes it to the next level of cool!  Fortunately for softie lovers like me, plush toys can be very easy to make!  Here's a few patterns and tutorials that I've been drooling over.

First up is this cute, and super simple bunny.  Wouldn't this be perfect to stick in a kid's Easter basket?  Find the pattern and instructions here.

For those of you wanting a more unique project, may I present Plattie the Platypus? Here's the pattern and tutorial.

How cute are these foxes and raccoons from Ruffles and Stuff?  Her adorable pattern can be found here.

I'm slightly obsessed with Russian matryoshka dolls, so I cannot wait to make some of these babushka dolls.  They look super easy, so I'll probably end up making a whole set in different sizes, nesting doll style.  You can find the instructions here. (Note: there is a link to a paid pattern.)


Handmade softies make great gifts as they are very customizable, not to mention they can be a great way to use up fabric scraps!  Make some up for your favorite young people, or just make some for you.  You're never to old to enjoy a homemade softie.  (In my opinion!)

Niki

P.S.  Still want more?  Check out this great collection of soft animals and dolls at See Kate Sew.

The Cat Sweater, and Other Thrifted Things

I've been thrifting.  Big surprise there, huh?  You know it's bad when you visit the same thrift shop two days in a row because they had to close the first time before you were done looking around.  I had no idea they were closing or I would have left sooner...or not grabbed so many things to try on...heh heh heh... I wanted to wear a disguise when I went back the next day.  Fortunately, I don't think they recognized me as the crazy thrifting girl.

 

Anyway, here are a few of my finds from the last few weeks:

 

 

Awesome purple boots that were the tag color of the day at Goodwill.  Score!  I've worn them quite a bit already.  I'm sure they'll surface in an outfit post soon.

 

 

You can never have too many pieces of classic literature on your shelves.  I've already finished Lord of the Flies (it was weird...) and I'm working on Kidnapped.  These were 99 cents each at Goodwill.

 

Fabric remnants for 50 cents each.  I'm a fabric hoarder...

 

A big men's shirt, ready to be remade into something cute and girly.

 

A scarf.  I probably have too many already, but I don't have a blue and yellow one!

This is a cat sweater.  In all its jingle bell glory.  Yes, it has a real jingle bell sewn to one of the cat's necks.  It's a little noisy.  This was a weird purchase, because I don't know if I'd ever wear it out of the house, but it's so funny!  I took a picture of it on my first thrifting trip, showed it to my brother, and he said it was awesome and that I should have gotten it, so I did when I went back the next day.  Thus is the saga of the cat sweater.

What about you?  Have you had any successful shopping trips lately?

Niki

A Little Bit 90s

 

 (Please ignore the very puffy hair.  I desperately need a haircut!)

 

I knew I wanted to wear this skirt to church on Sunday, because it's been sitting in my closet for a while without being worn.  It's a super fun reversible wrap skirt, but sometimes I can't figure out what to wear with it.  I decided black was a safe choice for shirt color, but it still needed something.  On a whim, I tried my denim vest over the top with a belt.  The result was a little unusual, but I liked it!  The oversized denim seems a little 90s, but hey, I am a 90's kid after all!  ;)

Niki

P.S. Sorry for the overdue post, but we've been having computer problems.  One of them being that I can't seem to find a time when my brother isn't using the computer!  Ha ha.

Skirt: a little shop in a little town whose name I can't recall.  Vest: refashion.  Black shirt: Old Navy.  Tights: Marshalls.  Shoes: Payless Shoes.  Belt: stolen from my grandma. :)  Hair: Winter frizziness.

Frost and Light

 

The mornings have been very frosty lately.  I grabbed my camera and boots and went out to take a few shots of the ice-frosted world, and got distracted by the light and shadow on a plant by the house.  The morning light shone through the transparent leaves, and I thought it was quite beautiful. 

"Last summer, in the farmyard, I was drawing something that was quite lovely in the sun, and suddenly, I realized I was drawing the pigs' swill bucket. I had to laugh at myself."
- Miss Potter

The Swing of Things

So...maybe the whole blogging break thing wasn't the best thing for my posting habits.  I've been having a hard time posting consistently, mainly because I have a hard time thinking of things to post about.  Fortunately, I went thrifting yesterday, and got a couple things that will surface as a post soon.  I think perhaps I need to take a look at my "projects to be done" box and remind myself what is inside.  I need a creative project to get me going.  And to share with my loyal followers.  For now, this outfit will have to do.  Sorry I look really tired (or something) in these pictures.  It was the end of the day.

 

 

This outfit was pretty basic, but I liked the colors and felt cute and comfortable for work.  Yes, cute and comfortable can go together!  :)

 

How has your week been? 

 

Niki

 

Pants: Old Navy.  Striped tank: H&M.  Cardigan: thrifted (for $6 and it's cashmere!) Scarf: gift (but it's from Disneyland.)  Necklace: Claire's.

Who's Who: Key Edition

A few weeks after I got my job, I was handed a set of keys.  These keys looked exactly the same, but they went to different doors.  For the first day or so, I had to look at the little tiny words stamped on the keys to be able to tell them apart.  So I took them home and painted them different colors.  It worked great, but the paint (or nail polish, rather) has chipped so I had to repaint them today.  So, like any good blogger, I took pictures of the process to show the world and help out any who may be having the "Help, my keys are identical twins!" problem.  :)

 

Step 1: Gather supplies.  You'll need your keys, nail polish (a different color for each key, obviously), topcoat and something to protect your work surface from clumsiness.  Oh, you'll also want a movie to watch, book to read, or some other project to work on while things are drying.

 

 (See?  I told you they were hard to tell apart.)

Step 2: Paint the keys like you would paint your nails!  Let one side dry, then flip it over and do the other side.  You may want to do multiple coats, it's up to you.  Personally, I added a layer of glitter nail polish to one of mine for some extra bling.  This step is when you'll need another source of entertainment, because waiting for all those coats to dry gets boring.

 

 Step 3 is optional. I just added a topcoat to my keys to hopefully extend the life of the nail polish.  This project is really just like doing your nails.

 

This is a super basic project, and I'm sure y'all are smart enough to think of it, and figure out how to do it without my help, but I thought I'd post anyway.  Because I'm a blogger, and it's what we do.  ;)

Niki

I have returned!

Hello friends!  December is over and life can resume again.  Yikes.  It was a crazy month, and I feel like it's finally my Christmas break, even though Christmas is over.  My work schedule is much less busy and I should be able to get back into sewing, crafting, blogging and thinking up cute outfits.  Yay! 

 

So, you've all probably seen posts where someone takes an outfit they've found on Pinterest or somewhere else, and tries to recreate it with their own clothes.  It's such fun!  And that's what I did when I came up with this outfit a couple weeks ago.  I saw this picture on Pinterest, (original source) and liked the idea of the denim vest over the comfy cozy sweater.  I didn't immediately recreate the look, but I remembered it, and tried it out a couple days later.  I think my version turned out pretty cute!  That's always a good feeling.

 

The Pinterest version:

 

My version:

 

 

If you were looking closely, you might have noticed the little camera shutter trigger in my hand.  I finally got one, and I must say, it makes self portraits/outfit photos so much easier!  I don't have to keep running back and forth to the camera!  I haven't gotten the knack of hiding it in my hand yet, but that'll come.  ;)

 

Well, I look forward to rejoining the wonderful world of blogging.  See you again soon!

 

Niki

Sweater: thrifted.  Denim vest: refashioned.  Jeans: thrifted. Green tank: Old Navy.  Scarf and Necklace: Claire's.  Turban/headband: gift.  Boots: Nordstrom Rack.

M.I.A.

Dear lovely friends and followers,

I regret to inform you that this blog will most likely not be updated until after Christmas.  I hate to have to abandon blogging for that long, but I'm just too busy this month to come up with any decent posts.  Christmas is rushing towards us faster and faster, and I had this idea that I would make all of my Christmas gifts.  Maybe that wasn't a good idea, because I have quite a large immediate family.  I'm also working around 40 hours a week for the first time in my life, and adjusting to that is hard.  I come home tired, and then have to remind myself to work on all those Christmas presents.  Needless to say, I'm starting to feel a little stressed out, which is horrible, because normally Christmas is my favorite time of year.  And unfortunately, I just don't have any spare time for blogging these days.  I really, really wish I did, because I have all these projects I want to make and share with you, but I don't even have time for making things except Christmas presents, and then I don't have time to post them.  My creativity is feeling a little stifled.  Not good when you're a person who really, really needs to do creative things frequently.  So anyway, sorry for the rant, and sorry that I will be absent for a while.  I will return as soon as possible. 

Enjoy the holiday season!
Niki