Showing posts with label haul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label haul. Show all posts

We Didn't Need a Stud or Stud Finder


Hanging curtains isn't easy. At least it wasn't for me and my friend Carrie. We spent a good portion of our day learning, through trial and error, some tips that we could share with you. But first I am going to break down my Ikea haul... just in case any of you are wondering what I got.


1// Lucite Chrome Plated Chair   2// Shower Shelf   3// Towels and Washcloths   4// Floor Lamp   5// Curtain Rods   6// Toothbrush Hand Towel   7// Shower Squeegee   8// Bath Mat   9// Light Bulbs   10// Finials   11// Extra Curtain Rod Holders   12// Brackets   
13// White Blanket   14// White Sheers   15// White Curtains

As I mentioned in my post on Wednesday, I went to Ikea with a budget of $300. I was able to get all of this for $307. I was pretty happy with my haul. The most expensive item was the lucite chair for $80. The other pricey item was the floor lamp at $60. Aside from those two pieces I was able to find everything else for under $20 a piece. There obviously were more expensive (probably better quality) options but these are the ones that worked best for me.


---------------------------------------------------------


Now... on to the curtain hanging party. Aka my friend Carrie schooling me on how to properly hang a curtain. Wednesday my dear friend Carrie came over to the new house on her day off with the intentions of helping me hang my curtains. What came after was 2hrs of laughter and lessons. Everything we did on the curtains over the doors, we modified for our attempt with the curtains over the windows and cut down our time dramatically. We both learned some time saving tips as well as gained confidence in knowing we could do it on our own. Being a single woman, I've got to say it is nice to feel like you can handle a home improvement project on your own without a guy to help. (I know this wasn't an insanely hard project but you've got to start somewhere.) Don't get me wrong, had I had a significant other... I would have totally put him to work. Haha. But because I don't, this whole experience was quite empowering. 

So without further ado here are my 4 simple tips on hanging curtains.

Tip # One// Pre drill your holes. This made hanging the brackets much easier. It was quite difficult for us to hold the bracket, screw and the drill all at once... pre drilling cut the time we spent on each bracket in half.

Tip # Two// Use your level as a measuring guide. Mark your distance down from the ceiling on your level with painters tape. That way each time you need to put in a bracket you can just press the level all the way up to the ceiling and make your mark by the bottom line of the painter tape. It makes the process of getting everything lined up and straight so much quicker.

tools and tips

Tip # Three// Use wide head screws. They hold better and offer more support. There were a few brackets that we had to add a couple extra screws to help support the weight of the double curtain rods.

Tip # Four// Recruit a friend that knows more than you. I've never hung curtains. Honestly, I went into the morning thinking it was going to be an easy in and out ordeal. Had Carrie not been there with me, I probably would still be there trying to figure it all out. (Ok, maybe it's not that hard but you get what I'm saying. haha) If you are starting out in a new city and have yet to build a social group, YouTube can be your best friend. There are a number of tutorials (I discovered these after) that could help you.

curtains

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know the bathroom needs a little more love... but I am excited for the few pieces I've purchased for it so far. I am thinking about getting a stand for over the toilet. I don't want to block all the natural light though so I am going to try and figure out another solution for storage first. I'll keep you updated.

bathroom

Our official day we can move-in is October 15th, next Tuesday. I plan on making a day of it and just filling my car and transferring as much as I can. October 23rd we are getting a truck and will be moving all the big furniture. I'm excited to just get everything started. I am definitely going to miss our current house, we've been here 2yrs and I love it, but I am excited to create a new space for myself and to share the journey with you.

Happy Friday Friends!!

oh my... beauty haul


1. Deva Curl Mist-er Right   2. Deva Curl Styling Cream  3. St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub  4. Essie Nail Polish in Bikini So Teeny and Angora Cardi  
5. Loreal Paris 24hr Infallible Eye Shadow in Amber Rush and Bronzed Taupe  6. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe and Downtown Brown   
7. Revlon Super Lustrous in Pink Cognito   8. Loreal Revitalift Eye Cream   9. Bliss Fabulips Sugar Lip Scrub   10. Mario Badescu Flower and Tonic Mask
11. Loreal Colour Riche LaLaque in I Lacque You A Lot and Never Lacque-ing (I got this in Target, I can't find it anywhere online)

It's that time again! Time for another beauty haul. As most of you know, I'm cracking down on being better with my budget. Because of this, I won't be doing a beauty haul every time I purchase new items because more often than not I usually only buy one item at a time and that isn't much of a haul. So... what I thought would be better is for me to do hauls each time I get at least 5 new items to share with you. 

I've tried every item above and I have been happy with all of them, so I thought I'd highlight some of my favorites, because I think they are amazing and I want to talk about them. hahah. My favorite beauty related item has to be the Loreal Paris Colour Riche LaLaque, in I Lacque You A Lot. The color is a beautiful BRIGHT orangey red. It goes on incredibly smooth with amazing long lasting coverage. I LOVE IT! My favorite item in skincare is the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, it smells delicious and I've seen a huge difference in my skin. Plus, it is budget friendly which to me is a double win. My favorite item in hair care is the Deva Curl Styling Cream. I've been using this for about 2.5 weeks and it has replaced all my other styling agents. I use to put 5 products in my hair after washing, I now only put in two. The Styling Cream does the job that both my gel and mousse use to do. I am a major fan. 

Have you all fallen in love with any new products lately? Please share them below!