Inexpensive ways to decorate and pretty-up your home!

I love my home and I spend a great deal of time in it.

As I spend much time at home, it is important to me to make it as comfortable and cosy as possible - esp since I am also super affected by my environment (certain things just drives me nuts until i get it fixed / tidied / straighten!).

Not much of a surprise, but I LOVE decorating.  What I don't love is spending too much on grossly overpriced things.  Over the past year or so, I found a few inexpensive yet fairly effective ways to decorate your home - simple touches around the house - not too fussy cos' it will be a pain to clean!  So here are some useful and inexpensive tips!:)

1.  Pretty photos / pictures from brochures!



okay, my wall ain't exactly the prettiest, but it makes me happy.    You would be amazed at how some brochures have the prettiest visuals.   The tree in a field of lavender was taken from a brochure from a skin care company 'Enavose'.

The quote (too small to see from the photo) reads "Love what you Do, Put your heart into it and you will be rewarded" - at the back page of Kiehl's brochure, and the trees from a calendar my mum gave me!   Practically no cost! heh. :)

2. Free printouts on blogs / internet

I love the blog 'Making It Lovely' - the lady is AMAZING at decorating her home.  Seriously, check her blog for yourself if you love as she puts it "living a stylish life and transforming the so-so."

There was this time where she shared with her readers a poster she created.  So nice right! So I printed it out ,  took an existing frame and hung it on my wall.

[caption id="attachment_305" align="alignnone" width="470"] free printable from the blog "Making It Lovely" and lovely is her blog indeed![/caption]

3. Postcards!

I went to Paris a few years ago, and THE BEST souvenir was not the usual handbags or clothes - but these postcards I got from a street florist (yes, they sold these lovelys!).  Okay, I take it back.  the 2nd best.  The best was a painting. :)

I LOVE the colors, the graphics, the quirkness - and it was less than 2 euros per postcard!  Each time I look at the postcard - it just makes me happy!  I placed them in some nice Ikea frames that cost about $10 each, and hung it in my vanity area and another on my sink.  Don't you love how the colors just brightens up the place?

[caption id="attachment_306" align="alignnone" width="470"] kekeke....so cute and funny!  The one on the left doesn't have a frame cos' I'm not decided if i want to hang it else it starts to look a bit cluttered, so just left it there for now.:)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_307" align="alignnone" width="470"] the graphics is so pretty aei! reminds me to slow down and pamper myself![/caption]

4. As little clutter as possible!

The next would be to reduce the clutter in your home (and in your life) - I subscribe to the notion  our surroundings affect us and that we are reflections of those surroundings.  I aim for tranquility and peace in my home - and by that extension, means reducing unnecessary things in my life - so that I can focus on the important.



5.  Use what you have - don't store!  Things are meant to be used.  

[caption id="attachment_309" align="alignnone" width="470"] stuff in my toilet! and that flower above? taken from a brochure![/caption]

The foot scrub was a gift, and I hardly use it (cos' I'm lazy) - but love the color, so I placed it in the toilet.  The scented incense smells wonderful, but the scent was lost when burnt - so I thought - hey - I can leave the wonderful scent in the unburnt form and leave it in the open!

Who says a toilet is to be functional only?   It can be functional AND pretty at the same time.  All you require is some small touches and you would be amazed at how your living environment becomes that bit better.:)

Anyway, if you have nice gifts that you can't bear to use - I say - take it out and use it cos' everyday is meant to be special.   that nice cup, that beautiful pen, that exquisite china, etc.   disclaimer - declutter your home first .  that way you can more fully appreciate the things you do have out on display.

6. A nice burst of color in something small.

okay - this is a little frivolous, but I couldn't resist buying it and this cheerful soap dispenser does give you that kick of color early in the morning.  Small but impactful and less than $15.   and pardon the dirty mirror. kee..



 

7. Move things around!

Another cheap yet fast way to pretty up your house?  Move things around!  Sometimes we get bored with seeing something in the same place - and you would be amazed that a simple shift of things - somehow makes the space slightly different and more interesting!

thankful for everything.

sorry for the lack of posts recently!

was busy settling the kitchen and was pre occuppied with selling the equipment, settling rental stuff, logistics of moving stuff back home, etc.  plus being the anal me - once things were back home - i HAD to repack them nicely and neatly.  I get really affected by my surroundings - that could explain why I'm a little OCD at times.  Although, on convenience, my OCD can be switched off! heh. like my messy desk. and especially paperwork!  I will be tackling them soon though! at least i started!

[caption id="attachment_295" align="alignnone" width="470"] breathing![/caption]

Well now that I have everything settled - I honestly have to admit - I feel a lot happier! perhaps from the immense sense of relief from trying to get enough sales each month to cover operational costs!  I love baking - though it's a tad different baking for yourself vs baking for for sale.  I am a advocate of using the best ingredients we can.  On the other hand,  for business, you need profits to survive and continue providing a service.   Plus, I'm not so great at business.

I'm decently good at baking simple straight forward desserts though!:)  Our brownies got covered on Her World magazine '90 best desserts in Singapore'! woo hoo!  it's wonderful to have an external party recognize and appreciate the your love and passion you put in your work!  not every one loves my brownies cos' they are really fudgy and chocolaty, but hey - that's exactly the reason why many others love them! haha.

[caption id="attachment_292" align="alignnone" width="470"] we got mentioned 2 out of 3 - our dark chocolate cranberry and swirled cheese brownie! not bad aei. heh. top right of page under brownies![/caption]

now that I am taking a break until I decide what I'm going to do next - I am grateful for the extra time to spend some time to help my parents tidy and pack their house.   Much as they may not be as fussy about their surroundings as me - I helped give parts of the house a good clean!  vacuuming, washing, decluttering, rearranging --  allowing more natural light to come into the house and a better energy flow!  I would like to think that makes my mum and dad happier.

and....it makes me very happy to do something for them.  They have been extremely supportive of me - never questioning or asking me too much - fetching me home on days I had to bake late into the night, and always being there for me.

Being Asian, expressing in words is awkward and uncomfortable....so doing things for them is my way of saying 'I love you and am very grateful for you loving me as unconditionally as you do' - though you will NEVER catch me saying that.  Too corny lah. and a tad cheesy.  I rather say it through my actions.

Have you done something for your parents recently?   It can be your own special way to say 'thank you' and 'i love you' - whatever works for you.:)

I love this article and think you might just love it too!

awwww man!

okay - this is a quick 'awwww man' rant!

just a few days ago - I was talking about pimples - and now I have a new one again - right under my nose! boo hoo!  it looks like several small blisters - all soooooo close together it's like one HUUUuuuugee one.  trust me - i just measured - 1 cm wide, 0.8 cm long.

thanks to my earlier post - I remembered to quickly apply the Neutrogena On-the-Spot!  very painful - there's a biting feeling - I take it as a good thing!  It's killing all the bacteria and trying to dry the pus.  hee...lucky I don't have to step out of the house too much these few days! hee...

anyway, I think I caused it by scratching my face with my fingers...and my nails are probably full of germs. boo.  anyway, lesson to remind myself - DO NOT SCRATCH FACE WITH FINGERS - USE A TISSUE IF ITCHY!!

okay. end of rant.  remember - if you have an itch - use a tissue yah!  cos' you would want to keep your skin beautiful!:)

CD Baby

A couple of days ago - i stumbled upon a website by David Sivers and LOVED LOVED LOVED his animation!

this is just one of the many cute ones!

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/25494440 w=400&h=300]

Essentially the videos on his website are extracts from his book 'Anything You Want'.  I borrowed the book from the library and it is a really quick read - you can easily complete  it in under 1.5 hours.

What amazes me is that he accidently stumbled upon a business, worked and grew it, sold it for 22 million, and gave most of the money away.  from the book, i gathered he knew himself very well - well enough to know that even more money doesn't make him happy.  Of course it is something we all need to survive - but his ability to detach from it and keep enough for himself without being too attached is amazing.  Lesson I took away is that money itself doesn't make you happier.  of course a certain level is required to ensure you have less worries - beyond that  - we all need to know how to be happy regardless.

I was out running errands today and many times I found myself uttering thanks for the many small things in my life - my wonderful cats that keep me happy, my family, the pretty red flowering tree just outside my flat, good cold blasting aircon on the bus, the fact that I am born in a wonderful country and many many others.  when you start being thankful, amazingly it becomes easier to recognize the good things in your life.

If you happen to come across this book - do pick it up and give it a read.  for me - there were many good lessons within the book - of course, everyone interprets information in their own way - but I hope you enjoy it regardless!:)

[caption id="attachment_264" align="alignnone" width="470"] hahaha...much as the boy is cute - i dont' really get the cover, but heck! it's a happy cover!:)[/caption]

 

home made hair gel

my sis-in-law made a simple DIY hair gel months ago, and gave us a bottle.

'oh?  you made it yourself?' was my initial surprised response.  In this age and time - normally we buy whatever we need - we have mostly lost touch with making things on our own.  In the frenzied lives most live in - the convenience is very much desired..  BUT...it's really simple to make!  No more than 15 mins of your time and it is wayyyyyyyyy wayyyyyy better than the commercial ones.

My husband tested the hair gel, and here's what we observed!

Pros

• sufficient holding power - quite similar to the commercial hair gels he was previously using (of course - he has short hair and it tends to 'stand' on its own and  just needs some help staying put.  I tried it too and it's okay if you are looking for a more natural look.  definitely not enough holding power to really style hair.  I use store bought hair clay when I need to style it a little.


• scalp smells better and i believe it's also healthier - before when the hb was using the commercial hair gels, there was a smell from his scalp!  Now, the smell is significantly reduced, and on most days - no chemicaly smell anymore!  i can only think this is good for his scalp!


•  easy / cheap / fast to make - previously a bottle of his hair gel costs about SGD 7-8 and can lasts him a month and a half.  now, I make a bottle for him once every month, and I don't even know how to calculate the cost!  probably < SGD 1??  and it's a dollar cos' I use essential oils which is the expensive part (then again, if you order online - it would be even cheaper!)

Cons

• personally i think it's none. - probably  the 15 mins you have to spend on making the gel?  but i find the process therapeutic...

so after he finished the bottle, I promised him to make a new batch for him.  and boy is it simple!!

all you need?

1. flaxseed


2. water


3. essential oil (optional - it supposedly helps to keep your hair gel longer.  i personally love the nice burst of smell!)


4. sieve (or pantyhose - see video below!)


5. container for your finished product!:)

instructions

a video says a thousand words - so this youtube video was what I referred to!  Instead of the pantyhose, I used a sieve .  have fun making your DIY hair gel!

I got this huge pack for less than $4! and to make each batch of flaxseed, I only use a tablespoon or so...so I'm guessing this pack will last me years!  since i'm not ingesting it - i think i can risk going beyond the expiry date. hehe. 

[caption id="attachment_244" align="alignnone" width="470"] This is the expensive part - this small bottle costs about $25 or so. The essential oils are supposed to keep your hair gel good for longer. Of course, if you just wanna try w/o the essential oils - it's okay - just make a small batch and keep your hair gel in the fridge.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_247" align="alignnone" width="470"] ta-da! home-made DIY hair gel!  i make small batches at time...and this round, i made it a thicker consistency on request of the hb.:)[/caption]

Pimples! My way of tackling them!

this will be one of my rambles on skin care - one of my favourite topics!

I have been blessed with a relatively pimple/acne free complexion (save for a recent memory of a horrible terrible HUGE pimple years ago - almost 1 cm diameter at the bottom of my nose!  morbidly I snapped a photo of the scar - maybe to remind me that it was really THAT huge! *shudder* and no, i shall not gross any of you out by posting it here. kekeke...that would be funny though!).

However in the past year - I had a period where pimples kept popping around my nose and I was a tad upset cos' it left faint albeit visible marks on my nose and it looked well...distracting.  and before the mark completely fades - POP! another comes along.  I was trying hard to pin point what caused the pimple outbreak and I can only weakly assume it's either

1. hot humid environment - when I used to bake frequently for orders


2. loose powder  - i was using to reduce the shine of applying sunblock.


3. some other reason - but i just haven't figured it out...maybe getting older? hmm...

So I tried clay masks, dead sea mud mask soap, exfoliating 2-3 times a week, and the pimples still popped!  boy....was it really annoying.  Then I started using Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair serum, and much as I'm a cynic at times (normally I don't buy the major cosmetics products as I feel that I am paying more for the marketing and advertising costs than the product itself) - it really really worked!  at least for me!  the marks went away quicker and the pimples stopped for a period!  plus it feels good - to be trying to protect my skin from aging!

[caption id="attachment_214" align="alignnone" width="460"] Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum - thank you to the people who created this wonderful product![/caption]

Though I have to disclaim - the pimples unfortunately came back for a little while - i suspect it's because I changed my loose powder and maybe maybe the new powder included micro/nano particles and with the heat of the kitchen, probably clogged my pores. I think.   The nano particles really gave a smoother finish - but ney - not worth the pimples, and to think about it - being nano sized means it's easier to go into my blood stream huh?  Okay - to the dustbin!  Note to self:  Please remember to look at ingredients list!

[caption id="attachment_219" align="alignnone" width="300"] Love the packaging and the finish it gave - but i suspect it caused my pimples. The sales lady said it contained nano particles, hence the smooth finish - but couldn't find much information on the ingredients / packaging.  It was also an impluse buy and i didn't read the ingredient list until much later and i vaguely remember being horrified. then again....i suspect most commercial products contain less than desired ingredients.[/caption]

Still, i do get pimples - albeit a lot less now.   You know when a pimple is about to erupt - that small but painful bump under your skin, you may wanna try what my sister recommended - Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment and it works!  I generously dot the area with the cream before the pimple even has a chance to appear, and instead of an angry red burst of pimple erupting - a small red dot appears.  It's a drying cream - so dab it only on the pimple area - else your skin will flake.