Quick Tip Tuesday Use Your Garden Seedlings

 Whenever I thin out the lettuce plants in my garden, I try to use the seedlings for something. It seems like such a waste to pull those little babies from the ground, but your crops will grow best with the recommended space. No need to fear though! You can use those little pieces of lettuce and spinach in a baby salad. Just put them in a colander after you pull them, and wash before eating. If you're not really into the baby salad, you can always add them to your compost pile. Waste not, want not!

- - Happy Gardening! - -

A Day in the Garden

 This morning when the dog decided he needed out in the wee hours of the morning (okay it was 7:57) and once I was up, I decided I should do something with my morning. Since everyone else in the house was trying to sleep in, I headed out to the garden.

We have had such a mosquito problem during the past week that I was worried I would get eaten alive. Luckily, it was cool enough in the morning hours that those nasty little pests must have been snoozing still. I managed to water, weed, thin and re-fertilize the garden before it warmed up and I felt little bites on my arms.

Because the weather can be so unpredictable and harsh here, I had to force myself to wait to plant my crops. Working in my garden today, I realized just how rewarding waiting can be. My little babies are growing up so nicely.

Our weather has been nice and warm with occasional rain showers. I could be doing everything completely wrong, but so far growing delicious veggies has been much easier than I anticipated. Without the internet and thousands of people testing out new methods before me, I would be completely lost. Raised garden beds have to be the best invention ever for someone living in a rental. Having a gate on it also means I don't have to worry about the dog getting into it.

There is just something so incredible about simply putting a seed into the dirt, watering it, and then watching it turn into a beautiful plant pushing its way up through the earth.

Watching these tiny plants show such resilience and stand up in the face of so many storms is so inspiring. It sounds cheesy to say that I want to stand tall and face the world like a little seedling--cheesy, but true.

Gathering all the basic knowledge about growing these vegetables has really made me think back to times when it was commonplace to eat the food you grew in the ground and the livestock you raised yourself. The advancements that have been made in agriculture are phenomenal, but what's even more impressive are all the people who survived day after day without modern technologies helping them out. When I fertilized my garden today, I certainly had it easy pouring the granules out of the bag I bought at the big box store. When I have a question about my garden, I get on the internet or look in a book. When you start to get your hands dirty, you think about those people from the past and all the hard work and learning they had to endure just to survive. It also makes me glad that there are still families who pass on farming and ranching knowledge to their children. We might have modern conveniences that help us along the way or give us step by step directions, but I truly believe there are times that old-fashioned tips and tricks, learned by trial and error, will truly produce the best results.

So, the next time you step into your garden, I challenge you to think about those who came before you. Think about those who tilled the ground every year out of necessity. Perhaps you will get the same thrilling jolt of happiness that I do when I realize that centuries later, I'm growing those same vegetables in my back yard.

- - Happy Gardening! - -

A Michael's Haul - - Ditto Clearance and More!

Yesterday, my best friend and I took a little trip to Michael's Crafts. I thought I would look for a few new stamps for card-making. I had no idea that I would hit the jackpot!

The clearance section had so many great items. I had to seriously debate with myself. It's a good thing Jessie was there, or I might have come home with the whole store! Here's a peek at all the goodies I got.

Hero Arts - Happy Day Animals

Hampton Art - We Make A Great Pair

On an end cap, they had a huge collection of Ditto stamps and other products all for $1.49. I got quite a few of them.

And of course, who can resist the dollar bin on the way to checkout? I got a few goodies from there too! :)

What a great shopping trip to Michael's! If you're looking for some cute, inexpensive stamps, check out your local Michael's before these great clearance items are gone.

- - Happy Crafting! - -

Money Saving Monday How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

If you clean your makeup brushes regularly, you are going to extend their life and keep their original quality much longer. There are many great techniques and tools out there to do this, but today I'm going to show you a simple method I use to clean my brushes.

The first step is to gather all of your brushes. If you have a lot of brushes you might want to wash your face brushes at one time and your eye brushes the next time. All of mine were very dirty, so I did them all at once.

I like to fill a bowl with warm water and baby shampoo. There are plenty of great brush cleansers out there, but baby shampoo will work if you're on a budget or you just have some around. I simply dip the brush into the bowl, swish it around and start to squeeze the bristles, working the suds through and the makeup product out.

You just want to gently squeeze and work your fingers in sections down the bristles. If you pull too hard, you will get a lot of shedding (The hairs coming out).

Once the water is coming out clear and you feel the brush is satisfactory, you want to rinse it under running water, again squeezing the bristles to get the shampoo out . It is important to keep the brush angled down so the ferrule (the connective collar between the bristles and the handle) does not fill up with water. It's okay if a little water gets in there, but if you get it soaking wet the glue might break down and your brush could fall apart.

Once your brush is rinsed, you can speed up the drying process by gently rolling it in a towel and squeezing the water from the bristles. Reshape the ends with your fingers and lay flat to dry.

Lay all your brushes out on a towel to dry for about 4 hours or longer for larger, thicker brushes. My dense Kabuki brush sometimes takes overnight! You will get to know your brushes and figure out how long you need.

Many people recommend you spot clean your brushes with a daily cleanser after every use and deep clean them once a week. Being realistic, I try to give mine a deep clean wash at least a few times a month. Not only will your brushes thank you, but your face will too. Your brushes can build up oils and bacteria over time, which you don't want to reapply to your face day after day. Not to mention, you don't want yesterday's purple eyeshadow interfering with today's more natural look. Washing your brushes is just an all around good thing to do.

There are so many methods and products for cleaning your brushes. I just showed you how I wash mine, now it's up to you to find out what works best for yours. What's most important is that you are cleaning them. It's not only good for hygiene practices, but it can save you money by prolonging the life of your brushes.

- - Happy Saving! - -    

Father's Day Cards Using Fun Fonts

As a card-maker, I find it rather odd and irritating that I have a shortage of sentiment stamps. You know, phrases like "Congrats!" or "Happy Anniversary." The words on the front of the card that tell the receiver what the card is about. It seems like all the cute cards out there in crafting/bloggy land are all made with even cuter sentiment stamps. Yesterday, as I sat down to create my Father's Day cards, I decided to remedy my frustrations by using the unique and FREE downloadable fonts from Kevin and Amanda!

There are over 300 fun and fantastical fonts over there! I actually took the time to download ALL of them. I really just couldn't decide, and you never know when you'll use the others, right? After they were all installed, I used Word to create cute phrases for my cards. Once the layout was the way I wanted, I printed them out on scrap paper to test the font size. After the size and placement were all correct, I printed on cardstock. 

I used a circle cutter and scissors to cut out my words. Now, let's see what I was able to create with them!

Not too fancy, but with some guys, less is more.

So, at the end of the day, I realized that even though I would like to have a huge, wonderful collection of sentiment stamps, sometimes by using a little creativity and the tools you already have, you can get some fantastic results.

What are you doing for Father's Day? 

- - Happy Crafting! - -

The Book Corner - Suggested Summer Reading {Part 2}

Hello my beautiful nesters! How was everyone's weekend? I am back today with more suggested summer reading! I hope you are finding time to sneak in those relaxing reading sessions at the beach, on a front porch or in a comfy chair.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

If you've ever owned a dog, or been close to one, this book will have you laughing and crying. It is the story of a man and a dog's relationship, told from the dog's perspective. The deeply emotional nature of their relationship is so pure and easy to relate to. You will be reminded of your own dog and will forever see dogs differently. Have you ever thought "What if my dog could talk? What would he say?" 

Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

Can you tell by the tattered binding and bent cover how many people have asked to borrow this book?

Jen Lancaster used to be the designer brands only, judgmental perfectionista we all love to hate until she suddenly finds herself joining the population of the unemployed. Based on her real life experiences and real life blog posts, Jen Lancaster will make you laugh your pants off. If you have ever been unemployed, had a humbling reality check, wanted to kill your neighbors dogs, felt a heavy depression, made sacrifices, or carried a Prada bag into the unemployment office, you will identify with this book. A book that truly unites all cynical women who are just trying to make their way in the world - this book will brighten your day and remind you what life is all about.

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

Whether you love the Pioneer Woman, hate her, or have never heard of her, there's no denying that she has written a fun and beautiful love story. I don't care whether 10% or 90% of this story was truth or fiction. It was a fantastic story that had butterflies in my stomach and love in my heart. It reminded me of the first dating feelings I had with my husband, and all the little things that mean so much. It is a story of a city girl, a country boy and all the real life compromises and collaborating they have to do to make things work. I can't recommend it enough. 

I hope you'll give these books a try. They are all books I would read again and again. I only pull the best off the shelf to share with you! What are you reading right now? Let me know in the comments below!

- - Happy Reading! - - 

 

Behind the Blogger - Day 12

I have been missing the Blogosphere recently! I have been so busy with my garden and enjoying some time off with the hubby, that I haven't been on the computer much at all. We also have a friend living with us for a few weeks, so we have been out doing things and enjoying his company. Since I haven't been keeping up on what's new in Blogland I decided to do a Behind the Blogger Post instead of a Favorite Friday. Hope you enjoy. I promise I'll be more active in the coming week!

Day 12- How you found out about blogging and why you made one.

I first found out about blogging when I was in Jr. High School. I remember my friends and I had blogs on Xanga. We would write posts about our day, trying to sound like adults. I would post a lot of my poetry on that blog too. Once I was in high school, the blog fell by the wayside. My love for writing was there, but I never knew the great and wonderful world of blogging that was ahead!

I re-entered the blogging world when I was in my second year of college. One of my best friends told me about Tip Junkie. That was back before it was the tremendous success it is today. If Laurie isn't an inspiration to start blogging and gathering all creative ideas together, I don't know what is. I started my personal blog. Here I would talk about the fun things I was doing in life and how school was going. It was mostly for friends and family.

I decided to start Nest Candy after I explored the Blogosphere a little more. I had seen a lot of fun blogs out there, so I started Nest Candy in October, but my motivation to continue quickly fizzled out.  Over Christmas break last year I found Funky Polka Dot Giraffe and Tatertots and Jello. These women were blogging about their own families and projects, they were featuring other people, they were hosting giveaways, and they were connecting with people all around the world with similar interests. I wanted that. Thus, Nest Candy was re-born.

I spent hours and hours during the first few weeks and months learning all I could about the blogging world. I learned how to create my own button and banner and how to tweak my html. I was seriously addicted. I have strayed a few times from my blog, but the excitement and the ideas are always there in my head. There's just not enough time in the day or money in the bank to get them all to you as fast as they pop into my head.

I have met some fantastic people so far, and I appreciate each and every one of my readers. Thanks so much for all your comments and love. Blogging has been a great way for me to seek creative outlets in life. It motivates me to make time for the hobbies I love. I have loved every minute of blogging this year, and I hope the rest of the year only gets better!

- - Happy Blogging! - -

Quick Tip Tuesday How to Use Self Tanner

I have had several comments lately about my recent and sudden tan. Even though the weather is looking up, I still try to protect myself from the sun's harmful rays. That doesn't mean I have to go without a nice, healthy glow to my skin! I have started using a self-tanning lotion, and I have a few tips and tricks for you.

First Step: Exfoliate your skin to remove all excess dry patches. Don't forget to scrub those knees and elbows. Self-tanning lotions use your dry skin cells to create the dark color. You don't want dark streaks and patches on your joints.

Step Two: Apply the self tanner. I chose the Banana Boat Deep Dark Summer Color. Even though I am fair skinned, I wanted the dark color.

Be careful when applying the lotion. You don't want to apply it in lines like a regular lotion because you will get streaking.

You want to keep your fingers together and rub in circular motions. Be careful around the knees and ankles. These areas are drier, so you'll need to use less product.

Step Three: Wash up! Your hands will get orange and discolored if you don't wash them. You want to get the palms and in between the fingers especially. You can skip the backs of your hands if you want to add a little color there.

Let the lotion dry before putting your clothing on, or you could get stains. You should see some results in about a day. I reapply mine every two to three days. I saw real results after the second application. Good luck with it, and have fun. Remember, it's not permanent!

Most importantly, stay safe from skin damage!

- - Happy Tanning! - -

Money Saving Monday How to Spray Paint Plastic Patio Chairs

 With the weather really heating up, it's nice to spend the evening hours outside, sitting on the porch as it finally starts to cool off. The more time you spend sitting on that old patio furniture, the easier it is to get bored with it. Instead of buying new pieces this year, why not try to change the pieces you've got. If you're looking for a frugal friendly way to re-vamp your patio furniture, all you need is a little spray paint.

The Krylon Fusion for Plastic is your best choice for this project. It is made to bond specifically to plastic, it is weather and fade resistant, and you don't have to sand or prime before using it. Plus it comes in a ton of fun colors! You can find it at hardware and home improvement stores, and most box stores (Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart etc.) I chose the colors Spring Grass and Patriotic Blue.

The first step is to assemble your pieces of furniture in a well-ventilated area. I highly recommend using a drop cloth.

Since you don't need to sand or prime with the Krylon Fusion spray paints, you can just go straight to painting. These were our chairs for the last two years, so they had some dirt and dust on them. Whether new or not, I recommend washing your chairs down with some water and a small amount of dish soap. Once they are clean, give them one last rinse with the hose or a damp rag to remove any soap residue.

After rinsing your chairs, leave them in the sun to dry, or use a dry towel. You don't want any moisture left on the surface when you start to paint. While you wait for them to fully dry, you can start shaking up your spray paint. You will get better results if you shake for the recommended 1-2 minutes before starting. I followed the directions on the back of the can and tested the first few sprays in an inconspicuous place (the back leg). Use short sweeping motions and make sure to get all angles. I was able to get one chair each out of the green and blue cans. I did purchase more of each color for future touch-ups and to give them one last coating, but it was not necessary. Let them dry as directed before use.

How easy was that? I hope you will try this fun, money-saving idea to give your patio furniture new life this summer.

- - Happy Savings! - -

Favorite Friday - Summer Reading Edition

To keep the summer reading spirit alive, I decided to dedicate today's {Favorite Friday} to a great post about children's summer reading I found at Brown Paper Packages. If you've never visited this blog, you are missing out. At over 4,000 subscribers, it is obvious Kierste is doing something fantastic! I loved her summer reading program post. She reminisces about her childhood reading programs and hopes for her own children to develop a love of books. What better way to instill the love of summer reading in your child than by creating an at-home reading program?

Photo: Brown Paper Packages - Summer Reading Program

Not only does Kierste provide you with free printables to download to jump-start your reading program, she also gives an extensive list of suggested reading material for 4-7 and 8 and up. If you have kids and you want to get them reading this summer, you have to go check out this post! Thanks Kierste for a great Favorite Friday Feature! 

- - Happy Reading! - -

The Book Corner - Suggested Summer Reading {Part 1}

Now that you are all outfitted with some awesome Page Corner Bookmarks you need something to read for the summer! I decided to compile a list of my favorite reads from last summer to get you started. Today I'll be sharing three books I actually bought on a shopping trip to the bookstore almost one year ago exactly. While they are all very different, I would suggest them to any bookworm I know.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

This story is told so beautifully you will have a hard time putting it down. So much of the story is like a puzzle, unfolding, so it is difficult for me to tell you much about it. Little Bee is a young woman from Nigeria. She left her home in a time of war and strife. She ends up in London, seeking help from two people she met long ago. Sarah and her son (who just so happens to dress every day in a batman suit) suddenly find that their life is intermixed with Little Bee. An emotional journey then takes them places they never could have gone alone.

I know this book has been made into a movie. I have not seen it, but I would like to. I try to always read a book before I see the movie, because I like to form my own versions of the characters from my imagination. I find that the actors faces always crowd out any creativity in my mind if I see the movie first. So please, read this book before you see the movie.

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart

After reading Little Bee, you will need a break from the heavy emotional stuff. That's where Summer at Tiffany comes in to play. This is such a fun and carefree book - perfect for summertime reading. Marjorie Hart wrote this memoir about her summer in college, working a dream job in New York City at the famed jewelry store, Tiffany & Co.  It is 1945, and the days are filled with hard work at the jewelry store (sometimes seeing famous people!), and the nights are saved for jazzy dates with soldiers. It's so fun to read about a time when a single pair of heels and one nice dress were a girl's prized possessions. This book will leave you with those old fashioned, feel-good butterflies. I can't recommend it enough!

The Dead Lie Down by Sophie Hannah

If you're in the mood for a mind-bending psychological thriller, this is the book for you. Sophie Hannah keeps you guessing from page 1 to 470. The story starts with Ruth and her boyfriend Aidan seeking a closer relationship by confessing their darkest secrets. Aidan tells Ruth that he murdered a woman. Her name was Mary Trelease. Although Ruth is horrified that Aidan has killed someone, she is suddenly confused when she realizes she knows Mary Trelease, and she is very much alive. The rest of the story unfolds as Ruth struggles to understand why Aidan would confess to killing a woman who isn't dead and refused to believe otherwise. Can Ruth figure out why Aidan wants her to believe he is a killer before she loses him forever?

This book will have you on your toes constantly. Although slow in a few spots, it is absolutely worth reaching the end. If you have patience with this book, it will reward you. The human psyche is a fascinating thing, and with talented writing, like Hannah's, so many possibilities unfold.

I hope at least one of these books strikes you with interest. I'll be back soon with more books for you, so don't forget to come check them out!

- - Happy Reading! - -