Joss & Main

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Words of Thought

I recently have thrust myself into a world of DIY crafts and decor and skincare. I've also been trying to revamp my look and think outside of the box when it comes to my style. My friend Aimee has amazing style and I love it!! I love checking out her blog All Things Aimee and seeing what her OOTD's are. And I absolutely love what she comes up with!! In reading her blog and some other people's blogs I realized that I am the opposite of a pack rat. I love to throw things out. Thus resulting in a huge number of clothes and shoes from years past that could be worn today that are sitting in someone else's house due to my fear of having clutter. Has anyone ever gone through this? Then you think back and totally regret getting rid of awesome fantastic items. Anyway, I tried out one of her looks from Friday and guess what I loved it and so did my husband!! And the concept of wearing your husband's shirt works even when you're five and a half months pregnant like I am!!

I was reading an immense amount of beauty blogs yesterday and I suddenly realized how overwhelming it can be a for a person who is new to mainstream skincare. There are so many products, especially expensive ones that a mother of four and a navy wife just can't afford. I do know that from my experience Mary Kay Cosmetics is my number one pick. Everything in their repertoire from anti-aging skin care to their eyeliner is absolutely wonderful. My husband who has very sensitive skin can use their products and not have any negative reactions. But when it comes to learning about other products it's like being thrown into the amazon rainforest and your guide is a keychain flashlight. Well, at least to me it is. I have extremely dry skin in the winter and I find that I have to apply moisturizer two to three times for my skin to retain moisture. Crazy I know right?


As far as DIY is concerned. My latest hobby has been soapmaking. Which I love. Right now I'm focusing on the melt and pour aspect of it. Melt and pour is when you buy a soap base that is already made but doesn't have the additives(oils, fragrance and dyes). Then you cut it up or grate the base and melt it in a double broiler. Once fully melted you measure out what you want to put in it and add those ingredients. Once fully mixed, the soap it then poured into a mold and cooled. Once hardened you can cut it and leave it to cure and in a few weeks you have your own home made soap! It's one of the easiest ways to get accustomed to mixing and measuring out your oils, butters and dyes, learning how to mix them and add them to the soap base while still being able to call your soap 100% natural. You can also make beauty bars to wash your face and shampoo bars to wash your hair in very similar manners. Those I will also be looking to craft.






3 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, Portia! Thanks for the compliments :-) you're so cute! I always feel like my outfits are so blah, but we're our own worst critics, right? Believe it or not, I am so much like you and throw things out all the time. Recently I was looking for an old blazer and realized that I had tossed it into the goodwill bag a few years ago. Oh, the outfits I could have created if not for my stupidity! If you were to see my actual wardrobe, I think it's size would shock you. It's SMALL. And when I mean small,I mean that Dave's stuff take up more closet space than my own. One thing I would suggest so you don't get overwhelmed is thinking of a few key classic items that you don't own and start wardrobe building there. My top items on my list for this year are a blazer, tall riding boots, nude pumps, a pair of skinny jeans that fit and some colored tights. While creating your list, make sure what you already own will be able to be incorporated so you can mix and match to make a lot of outfits. Muah! Love you :-)

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  2. Thank you for the words of wisdom!!! There are some things that I am dying for!! I totally started wardrobe building about two years ago but with being pregnant and my size fluctuating all the time it's been hard. I too believe in quality over quantity( I read your post lol). Richard's things far outweigh my own too!! You should see the things he has!! The only thing I have on him is shoes. I LOVE shoes and especially heels. I got my first riding boots for years ago from Steve Madden. I waited until the close of the season and purchased them at a steal($118 isn't a real steal but they were originally $250ish). The nude pumps just got them this year from ShoeDazzle(check em out if you haven't). What I find hard is I get the things I like and then I wear it a million times with everything I own and then it wears out lol. I hope that everything is going well and I really enjoy your posts. They give me something to look forward to. I wish somehow we could get together!! Love Always!!

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  3. Portia, I'm so not kidding when I say this, but if you have the time, Goodwill is an excellent place to shop for quality at super duper low prices. A couple weeks ago, I went in on a whim & came out with a $400 pair of slacks for... $4!!! No kidding! I also got a Banana Republic top, super cute for $3.50. It does take patience & time, but just like you, there's folks scared of clutter too! :) Wish you the best in your crafting venture! Because of you, I actually am making my husband's office gifts too. They are getting homemade shaving soap in a mug. :) Can't wait to make that shopping trip soon!

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