Reupholstering a Chair

Hello Everyone!

I thought I would share this quick DIY project today since I am about to tackle a few more this week (then share with you soon!).  My aunt gave me this antique chair and I absolutely love it, but the upholstery was all torn up.  I decided to take the remaining fabric from when I upholstered my ottoman and used it to reupholster this chair!  

This project took a scrap of fabric, a staple gun, and all of five minutes to complete.  I wanted to share with you all that DIY can be extremely simple and bring new life to amazing old pieces :)

I hope this inspires you create something new with things you already own!  This chair cost me absolutely nothing and I adore how it looks in my living room :)

Let me know in the comment below if you have transformed any peices you own, found, or bought?!

- Courtney

GUESS WHO'S BACK?! .....AND MARRIED!

Hello Everyone!

I am officially back for good!  Finally my life has calmed down and I can dedicate lots of time to this space in my life and I could not be more thrilled!! :)  So what has been going on in my life that has kept me away????  Funny you should ask because I am now, MRS. ALFARO!!! and I own a home with my HUSBAND!  Our wedding was an absolute dream and I cannot wait to share the professional pictures with you all once I receive them, but until then I will give you some snap shots from the big day!

Now that I am back please stay tuned for tons of home posts, wedding and honeymoon posts, and all the other fun stuff I get up to!

Thanks for being patient with me while life was being lived, but I am so happy to be back :)

- Courtney

WE'RE HOMEOWNERS!

Hello Everyone!

I know I know long time no blog.... I was incredibly superstitious about blogging during our house hunt and I apologize for that.  Good news is we have finally bought a home and have been living their for over a month now!  I am so excited to begin sharing home projects and updates along with wedding excitement.  We are officially one month away from the big day!  Welcome back to my blog and enjoy the flow of posts to come (and not stop like last time!)

I present to you.... OUR NEW HOME :)

 

 

- Courtney

Spring Decor Ideas!

Hello Everyone!

With Spring finally here, I wanted to give you some ideas to brighten up your home!  I have been randomly buying little odds and ends for awhile now, so here is some inspiration from me to you.

 

Do you enjoy adding little home accents to add life to your space?  If so, what are some of your favorite pieces to purchase and from where?

- Courtney

I'm Engaged!

Hello Everyone!

I think the title says it all, but I wanted to let you all know that I am engaged!  It happened a few weeks ago, and I could not be more excited to spend the rest of my life with, Jon!  It all went down on Saturday, March 14, 2015.  March 14th is a special day for us because it was when we first said "I love you" to each other (so lame, I know!), so I had been anticipating it may happen on that date.  I made myself super excited for this to happen, then the Sunday prior, Jon spoke to me about wanting to postpone just about everything in our life, so I was extremely devastated and lost hope.  He then asked me during the week if I wanted to go out for St. Patrick's Day....I reluctantly said I would and we now had plans to go downtown Chicago and celebrate with friends.  The morning of, we boarded the train and set out for the city, with me being very bummed out and Jon trying to cheer me up, insisting it was going to be a great day!  We got to a friend's house and had some drinks, then headed off to a bar to continuing celebrating.  When we arrived at the bar, I noticed they had a photo booth, so immediately myself and a few girlfriends hopped in an took some silly pictures.  I went back to my drink and Jon and thought that was it, but he asked me if I wanted to take some pictures in the photo booth.  Jon absolutely hates taking photos, so I immediately jumped on this opportunity and snuggled into the booth with him.

Then this happened....

AH!  I could not believe what had just happened and demanded we sit and discuss this, but he forced me out of the booth where our friends waited with champagne.  He had planned the entire day out from the photo booth to the champagne toast.  I cannot believe he was able to surprise me about this, but I could not be happier with how it turned out.  I am thankful to have such a wonderful fiance and such great friends who helped him pull this off!

Jon was super amazing and worked with a designer to create my ring, and I think he did quite a incredible job!  It is absolutely beautiful and my style!  I have already started browsing for wedding bands. ;)  I cannot wait for our wedding, which will be on September, 5, 2015!  Very very soon, so expect some wedding posts from not until then!

- Courtney

Beauty Hacks in a Pinch!

Hello Everyone!

Last night while I was removing my makeup, I came up with the idea for this blog post.  I am currently waiting for my Emma Hardie cleanser to arrive at my house (it's been over 2 weeks now!!!), so I do not have a cleanser at the moment.  Instead of splashing out any money during the interim, I have been using a household product to cleanse.  Curious as to what it is??  Well, continue reading and all will be revealed!

Sometimes we are in a pinch, whether its money or time related, here are some of my best beauty secrets for either occasion.

Olive Oil Facial Cleanser
See, I told you all would be revealed shortly!  This is what started the post and is something I have been doing for years now.  I struggle with my skin, so a few years back I was researching ways to help acne, and I was recommended to use Olive Oil to cleanse my face, followed by a hot washcloth.  I did not find that this was an "Acne Cure All:" but it is a wonderful, safe, gentle, and natural way to remove your makeup and costs less than $5.00!  If you are ever out of cleanser, at someone else's home, or just looking for a chemical free facial solution; then Olive Oil is for you!

Hairspray Makeup Setter
This is a tip I learned from my friend, Stefanie, who is an esthetician.  We were all getting ready to go out and wanted our makeup to stay in place all night, and she said that using hairspray as a makeup setter works just as well as an actual setting spray made for this purpose.  You may know that I use the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray which retails for $14.00-$30.00, so if you are not looking to splash out on a spray and just want your makeup to last, simply use any aerosol hairspray (remember to close your eyes!) and mist it all over your face!  Viola, perfect makeup all night :)

Olive Oil and Sugar Exfoliator
Olive Oil again?!  I'm telling you this stuff is amazing for everything!  I personally am not the biggest fan of exfoliating, but sometimes it just needs to be done.  When I feel the need to exfoliate, I always make a homemade concoction opposed to spending any amount of money on something that will probably end up breaking me out.  I simply mix some Olive Oil with some sugar (this amount depends on the surface area I am exfoliating) and gentle massage onto my skin.  I rinse with warm water, and am left with smoother skin that is not irritated in any way!

Moisturizer Eye Makeup Remover
I have never been someone to purchase eye makeup remover as I feel if your cleanser cannot take it off, then you probably shouldn't be wearing so much, BUT sometimes we do wear a lot and do not want to wake up looking like a raccoon.  In these instances, I remove my make up as I normally would, but if I have eye make up residue left over, I put some moisturizer on a Qtip and get rid of the rest.

I hope some of my suggestions help you out in your next pinch!  Remember you can use any brand of product, but I recommend using what you have already in your kitchen or bathroom.  Let me know some of your beauty hacks in the comments below :)

- Courtney

Quick Update: Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup

Hello Everyone!

A few weeks ago I raved about Hourglass products in a Brand Bliss post, but wanted to update you on my newest purchase from the brand.  I had placed an order prior to putting up that post and spent a small fortune of $60.00 to try out their Veil Fluid Makeup Oil-Free Broad Spectrum SPF15.  I was soooooo excited for this foundation to blow my mind, but the first application had me immediately regretting my purchase.

Problem 1: Color Match
I ordered the foundation in the color: No. 1 - Ivory (fair with pink undertones).  Every time I have ever ordered a foundation, I make sure to select the lightest shade that has pink undertones and I always get a great color match.  Hourglasses definition is a bit different.  The color was about four shades too dark for me, which does not make sense because if you are ordering anything Ivory you most likely do not have nor will ever have a tan.

Problem 2: Smell 
This foundation has SPF 15 in it, which I thought was a huge bonus, but it absolutely reeked like sunscreen.  I thought the scent might go away after a bit, but I smelled like sunscreen for the entire day.

Problem 3: Application
The last problem I had when I used this product was the application.  As mentioned above that the color match was horrific, but the foundation did not blend well on the skin and clung to dry patches around my chin.

All in all, this foundation was a huge miss for me.  I ended up returning it the same day I tried it for the first time.  I think this really says something about how much I disliked this product, because normally I will give something a fair try, but for the price and color match I could not justify giving this one more minute on my face.

Let me know if you have had any bad luck with this foundation or any others?  Since this mishap, I have fallen back in love with my Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation.  I will definitely repurchase this foundation, but I would love to hear other suggestions from you for my next buy!  My skin type is: dry, acne prone, sensitive, and pink undertones.

- Courtney