Antiques and Thrift Store Finds!

Hello Everyone!
 
As I have mentioned and posted about before, I LOVE antiquing and thrifting!  Lately I have been even more obsessed with finding unique pieces, so I thought I would share with you my recent finds!

Most of these pieces were under $5.00, with the most expensive being $20.00.  I absolutely love finding old or unusual pieces and putting new life into them or using them in a creative way.  I cannot wait to display/use all of the above finds in my new house!  Speaking of new houses, Jon and I will be viewing three homes today, so I will keep you posted on our home journey :)

- Courtney

Galentine's Day!

Hello Everyone!
 
With Parks and Recreation's series finale airing this past Tuesday, I felt it was only right to share my pictures from Galentine's Day to honor the show!
 
A few of the girls I work with watch the show, so we thought it would be fun to celebrate Galentine's Day like Leslie does in the show.  For anyone who does not watch Parks and Recreation, Leslie created the holiday "Galentine's Day" to celebrate her lady friends and the love she has for them.  She celebrates it on February 13th, so it worked out perfectly this year as that date fell on a Friday.  We all saved the date on our calendars and decided on a few different bars to hop around to.  It ended up being such a great time together, and I look forward to many many more Galentine's celebrations.

Great minds think alike!  We all brought some fun treat, but Liz's does take the cake.  She bought everyone wine bottles and created Leslie Knope wine bottle covers and personalized invittations for the celebration.
Check out her blog here: Life of the Party (Planner)

My beautiful coworkers :)

<3

Did any of you celebrate Galentine's Day?!  I would love to hear about it if you did :)
 
- Courtney

Brand Bliss: Hourglass

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to another little segment I will be continuing on this blog: Brand Bliss.  I talk about a fair amount of beauty in this blog, but I rarely focus on just one brand, so here we go!  Today’s brand is, Hourglass.  

I was introduced to this brand about 2 years ago, when my friend and I took a Sephora beauty class hosted by Hourglass.  This was the first class I ever took at Sephora and we absolutely loved it.  Hourglass is a high-end brand, but I think it is worth the price.  The first products I bought from the brand were:

Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation in Vanilla - $55.00
Photo Credit: sephora.com

 

I think this is an amazing foundation; however, I have dry skin, so the mattifying effect did not work well for my skin type.  The shade was the best color match I have ever had and it feels great on the skin.  I would definitely recommend this for anyone with normal or oily skin.

Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light - $45.00

This product is Holy Grail status for me!  I did not purchase this at the event as I was finishing up another powder, but I ordered it on January 28,2014 and am still using the same one to date.  I repurchased a new one in November, but still have not had to bust into it yet.

• "Unlike traditional powders, which merely cloak imperfections, Ambient Lighting Powder utilizes photo luminescent technology to filter out harsh light and refine the appearance of the complexion.” (Sephora.com)
• The shade I use, Diffused Light is a ”soft, warm, pale yellow that reduces redness, eliminates shine, and gives skin clarity.” (Sephora.com)  This shade was recommended to me during the event, but there are 4 other shades offered to fit your skin’s needs.

After enjoying these products for a bit, I decided to try a bit more from the range, the first being the ever so popular Veil Primer.  This is Hourglass’s most popular product, and there is a reason for it! 

Veil Mineral Primer - $18.00-$72.00

This is by far the most raved about primer I have ever seen, and despite it's hefty price tag it is worth it.  I first tried the smallest size (which is only $18.00) and it lasted a super long time.  Once I finished it, I upgraded to the above size which retails for $52.00.  This primer feels wonderful on the skin, and keeps my foundation locked in place.

Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat - $35.00

The Ambient Lighting blushes came out 6-12 months ago and were incredibly hyped in the beauty world.  I do think this is a wonderful blush, but if this is not in your budget you are not missing out on too much.  I'd put your $35.00 towards a different Hourglass product.

Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Exposure - $58.00
champagne, aubergine, bronze, black violet, lilac

This eyeshadow palette is their newest release, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.  I have been on the hunt for a purple eye shadow palette and when this popped up on Sephora.....well you know.  I have had this for about two weeks and have used it around three times (I don't wear eyeshadow on a daily basis because I do not leave myself enough time).  Each time I have worn it, it has been absolutely stunning.  Definitely glad I invested in this.

Overall, I would say that Hourglass is one of my favorite brands of cosmetics.  Their products are high quality, the packaging is beautiful, they last for a long time, and they are formulated with really great ingredients!  I just ordered their other popular foundation, Veil Fluid Makeup Oil Free Broad Spectrum SPF 15, which I cannot wait to try out! I just ran out of my current foundation, so since this is not mattifying like the Immaculate one, I hope it works well for my skin!  I will review in a few weeks and let you know.

Do you use anything from Hourglass?  If so, what products are you loving?  Let me know in the comments below :)

- Courtney

Learning How to Upholster!

Hello Everyone!

Two weeks ago I took an upholstery class with my mom and made this beautiful ottoman!

I have always wanted to learn how to upholster as I love refurbishing furniture, and I feel like this will allow me to bring new life to soooo many more pieces.

 

We took this class at a cute little shop/sewing school in Lakeview called The Needle Shop.  I took their Sewing 101 class four years ago, in which I made a pillow with a zipper.  I had such a positive experience with this class, but never had anything specific I wanted to go back and learn until now.  I would highly recommend The Needle Shop if you are interested in learning anything about sewing/upholstery and live in the Chicagoland area.  They keep there classes to a four person maximum and they run for about four hours.  The small class size allows you to get a ton of one on one time with the instructor.

During the class, we learned how to staple, make weaving for support and stability, shape batting, sew edges, attach piping, and add cambric (the black lining on the bottom of most furniture) to make everything look clean and keep dust/bugs out.  I found the stapling to be the most difficult part of the class partly because the table we were working on was too high, and because I was terrified I was going to staple my finger.  I am sure with more exposure to a staple gun (and perhaps work gloves) I will become more confident with handling it.  Aside from that, the class was a ton easier than I expected, which excited me because I feel like I am now truly capable of upholstering or reupholstering any furniture I make or buy.

I mentioned in my New Year's Goals post that I would be purchasing a home this year, so I am looking forward to using this new skill!  Stay tuned for more DIY projects in the coming months! :)

Do you enjoy refurbishing furniture as much as I do?  Or do you have any other crafty hobbies you enjoy?  Let me know in the comments below!

- Courtney

Serial Podcast Review

Hello Everyone!

Today is the day I will finally review the ever so popular podcast, Serial.  Serial is a new podcast put on by the producers of This American Life (which is this extremely popular podcast….but I still have yet to listen to it).  Instead of reinventing the wheel, please read below about what Serial is about and all that jazz:
 

“On January 13, 1999, a girl named Hae Min Lee, a senior at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, disappeared. A month later, her body turned up in a city park. She'd been strangled. Her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for the crime, and within a year, he was convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. The case against him was largely based on the story of one witness, Adnan’s friend Jay, who testified that he helped Adnan bury Hae's body. But Adnan has always maintained he had nothing to do with Hae’s death. Some people believe he’s telling the truth. Many others don’t.

 

Sarah Koenig, who hosts Serial, first learned about this case more than a year ago. In the months since, she's been sorting through box after box (after box) of legal documents and investigators' notes, listening to trial testimony and police interrogations, and talking to everyone she can find who remembers what happened between Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee fifteen years ago. What she realized is that the trial covered up a far more complicated story, which neither the jury nor the public got to hear. The high school scene, the shifting statements to police, the prejudices, the sketchy alibis, the scant forensic evidence - all of it leads back to the most basic questions: How can you know a person’s character? How can you tell what they’re capable of? In Season One of Serial, she looks for answers.”  

Source: http://serialpodcast.org/maps

Now that you get the gist, we can talk about Serial and its amazingness!  If you are not aware, which I am sure most of you are not, I hate listening to music!  I am one of the few weirdos in this world who drives in complete silence (unless I am in the car with Jon because he will not allow it) and I never listen to music while exercising or in the background of everyday tasks.  Now that you know this, it may be odd that I picked up a podcast, but I am so glad I did!  I remember back in fourth grade, my teacher had us listen to a recorded radio broadcast of The Cinnamon Bear each school day leading up until Christmas break, and I fell in love!  (Check it out here: http://www.cinnamonbear.org/)  Now that podcasts are a bit more mainstream and easily accessible, I am excited to finally find a form of media I enjoy listening to!

Serial was a recommendation from a YouTuber I watch who went on and on about how incredible it was, so I gave it a go.  I found it fascinating to actually hear about a real case opposed to some made up TV show plot, and the impact it has had on the community and families of those involved.  If you are someone who enjoys murder mysteries, I would definitely recommend this to you.  Serial became something I looked forward to each Thursday, much like when your favorite show is on weekly, and listened to each episode multiple times to hold me over until the next episode's release.   You can download Serial on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad via the Podcast App or download the Stitcher App.  Whatever choice you choose is completely free and worth the listen.  Serial will be coming out second season this year, but until then I am trying to find another podcast to fill the void!

Some other podcasts that I am loving right now are:
Welcome to Night Vale
Criminal
Invisibilia

Have you listened to Serial?  If so, what were your thoughts?  Do you listen to any other podcasts?  Let me know in the comments :)

- Courtney