L'Oréal Paris Magic Skin BB Cream Review

If you ever watch tv or read magazines, you've probably seen or heard a lot of talk about BB creams lately. I know I have. But I didn't really know anything about them. Then I got the chance to try out L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream. And I really like it!

My skin is far from perfect, and this really helped to even out my complexion. It wasn't greasy and it went on smooth. It dispenses a white color, but when you apply it to your skin, it changes to a soft flesh color. I used it under my foundation, but if you don't have all the skin issues I do, you probably wouldn't need any foundation. I also like that it kept my skin nice & hydrated, thanks to ingredients like Panthenol, Vitamin E & Glycerin. It hasn't been cold in Florida, but the air has been dry so dry skin has been somewhat of an issue. 

If you've been thinking about trying a BB cream, go for it! I was very happy with this product. 

You can find L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream at mass food & drug retailers nationwide and it comes in 4 shades.

I received a complimentary product from SheSpeaks/L'Oréal to facilitate this review, however thoughts & opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Vacation Finds

One good thing about having a husband who enjoys antiques as much as I do, is that we can go junkin on vacation! Plus we usually find better deals on things he likes, especially old farm equipment. There seems to be way more of those types of things up in North Carolina than down here in Florida. I did forget to include his treasures in this photo however! These are my finds from our December trip to North Carolina & Georgia. Minus my ornaments.

I had already packed them away when I took the photos for this post, but you can see the ornaments I found in this Instagram photo. I never find vintage ornaments here. I found one at the thrift store once, and it's since been shattered. And I picked up two single ones at an event downtown, but I really don't ever find the full boxes like this, at least not at a good price. I found these at an antique shop in Georgia 50% off.

I love old bottles, especially the colored ones. I found this purple one at an antique shop in North Carolina. 

I'm always looking to add to my insulator collection, especially when they are only a dollar or two.

I typically don't buy Pyrex at an antique store, because let's face it, they are usually very expensive. But we stopped at this junky looking flea market type thing and I found this Pyrex mug for $.25. Sold.

I have been wanting a vintage sale for quite some time, but they are usually out of my price range. This happens to be a postal scale, not a kitchen scale, but I like it and the price was right. 

This is stamped in to the bottom of the scale. I did some researching via Google and found other scales by this company, but not this one. The only thing I could find was a text article that mentioned it. Could it really be this old?

I think I'm going to hang this old xylophone on the wall. Possibly near the abacus, if I ever get around to hanging it.

It's made of wood, not plastic, and the date says 1964.

This old milk crate was only $6 and was begging me to take it home. So I did.

It has slots inside for all the milk bottles, so it doesn't work too well for storage, but it found a home on top of my refrigerator, along with my Kromex collection & a Pepsi crate from my husbands home town.

Another thing I hardly ever find is quilts. I mean, yea, I find them in shops sometimes, but they are SO expensive. I only have 3 in my collection, and one of them is probably a cutter. And while this one here isn't a quilt, just the top, I fell in love with the colors.

Who doesn't love red & aqua?

Just a close up of the stitching on the back.

What about you, have you found anything good lately?

Linked to: Market Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Creative Bloggers Party & Hop at Homemaker on a Dime, Thrift Share Monday at Apron Thrift Girl, Thrifted at Young Heart

Publix Italian Days & Publix Gift Card Giveaway

If you live in the south, then you're probably familiar with Publix. And if you aren't then you don't know what you're missing! It just happens to be my favorite grocery store. And every February, they have a huge sale called Italian Days. It's THE time of year to stock up on all your Italian needs. From pasta, to tomatoes and even canned vegetables. They always have fabulous sales on these items, lots of BOGOs and coupons. Speaking of coupons, you can print some here as well as enter to win a $100 Publix gift card.

This year I stocked up on lots of Mueller's pasta and Hunt's tomatoes. We should be pretty well stocked for awhile. 

Now, how would you like to win a $25 gift card to Publix? 

To Enter:
1. What is your favorite Italian dish to prepare? (Mandatory).
2. Become a public follower of my blog, or let me know that you already are. (Optional).

Please make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry and that I have some way to contact you. Either through your profile, or leave your email in your comment. Giveaway will remain open until 3/1/13. 

Thanks & good luck!

The information, products and General Mills gift pack were provided by General Mills and Publix® through MyBlogSpark.

20 Mule Team Borax Giveaway Winners

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway! Now, for the lucky winners:

Congratulations to:

Comment #2, Stephanie

Comment #19, Donna

Comment #4, JParnell

Thank you again! And stay tuned because I will also be giving away two $25 Publix gift cards, Purex Crystals & Dry Idea deodorant very soon.

Valentine's Day Mug Swap

I love doing swaps! So when I saw the Mug Swap being hosted by Sew Caroline & Rags to Stitches, I just had to join. And let's face it, you can never have too many cute mugs to drink coffee with, right?

I was paired up with Mandie from MoxieMandie. And she did not disappoint! Look at these cute goodies! I'm a sucker for gummy candy, and these happen to be my favorite bears. Shopping at Target is always a good thing, too.

And check out this adorable mug! I love the polka dots. My Target is seriously lacking in the cute mug department. But I love this one.

I can't leave out the mug rug - how adorable is this! I've been wanting one, but hadn't gotten around to trying to make one. And now I don't have to! Thank you so much Mandie!

Now when I'm sending a swap package, I always worry that the person receiving it won't like the stuff. I never want to send a disappointing package! So I really hope she liked everything. Not pictured is a Hershey's bar.

One can never have too many rolls of washi tape, so I sent this cute stack.

She's a sewer, so I found this cute pink fabric, and the green to compliment it. Do you see the little bird?

And while I guess since this was a Valentine's Day Mug Swap, I should have chosen a pink or red mug to send, I thought this sunny polka dot mug was adorable! I hope Mandie did too! Plus, it's a pretty good size, so it will hold plenty of coffee.

I want to thank Caroline & Alissa for hosting this fun swap! And Mandie for a great package! Thanks ladies!

20 Mule Team Borax Review & Giveaway *CLOSED*

Have you ever used Borax? If you haven't, or aren't sure exactly what it is, I can help. So what is Borax? It's a 100% natural mineral from the earth. It's removed from the ground, washed, dried & boxed - nothing is added. And why do we need Borax? Well, if you have hard water, like we do, Borax can help soften it, making your detergent work better and get your clothes cleaner. All you need to do is add 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax to each load. It's as simple as that! 

I've used Borax for several years now and I absolutely recommend it. Like I said, we have hard water (we have a well) and I really do see a difference in loads of laundry washed with Borax compared to those washed without it. It's my favorite laundry booster. And a box goes a long way!

Now, how would three lucky readers like to win a coupon for a FREE box of 20 Mule Team Borax?

To Enter:

1.  Tell me, have you ever used Borax? Have you used it for something other than laundry? (Mandatory).
2. Head on over to the Borax Facebook page, like them, and leave a comment saying I sent you. (Optional).
3. Become a public follower of my blog, or let me know that you already are. (Optional).

Please make sure that you leave a separate comment for each entry and that I have some way to contact you if you win. Either through your profile or leave  your email address along with your comment. Giveaway will remain open until Tuesday, February 19.

Good luck!

Linked to: Market Your Biz & Giveaway at Homemaker on a Dime, Giveaway Directory at Someday Crafts

I was provided with a sample of Borax to review, however thoughts & opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Classroom Valentine's & Sweet Brown Valentine DIY

 This year we ended up doing three different Valentine's for the kids. Blake didn't want to at first, guess he's outgrowing all that. But after he found a meme online he liked, he was okay with it.

 First up is Layla's. I let her choose several colors of embroidery thread. It wasn't until last night that I discovered she had chosen a rainbow!

 Happy scraps.

 I tried teaching her how to braid so she could help, but she was tired and getting frustrated, so I finished them up. 15 for her class, and two for her and her best friend.

 I printed out this tag and had her add her name to each one. Then I punched it out with a scallop punch, added small holes for the bracelets and strung them through.

 I think they turned out really cute!

Since Morgan is much younger, I wanted to do something different for her. She chose these bouncy balls from Target the other day and then I found this printable online.

Since there are only five kids in her class, I put two balls in each bag, and added the tag. I do not have a stapler, so I had to improvise.

 I used this contraption that I have from scrapbooking. I don't know the brand or what it's called off hand, but it attaches the little plastic things that keep the tags on your clothes in the store. Whatever works, right?

 Now for Blake's... like I said, he didn't want to do them. And I was fine with that, he's in 5th grade. But then he found a meme of Sweet Brown that related to Valentine's Day. I told him I could make something similar, so he said okay. So I ended up with what you see above.

 It's not perfect, but he was happy with it. I just copied an image from Google Images and added the lettering in Paint. He found these Airheads in the dollar spot at Target and wanted to use them, so I attached one to each valentine with washi tape.

 And there you have it. 43 Valentine's finished and ready to go. And with 3 days to spare! What are your kids passing out this year?

Linked to: Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog, Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife, Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts, What We Wore, Read & Made at Rae Gun Ramblings, Too Cute Tuesday at Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Friday Favs at Naptime Crafters, Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now

Valentine's Day Decor 2013

 I know it's pretty last minute, but I finally got around to decorating for Valentine's Day. Better late than never, right? We have no mantle, so I usually try and decorate the top of our tv.

 These XO letters came from Anything Goes Here on Etsy.

 These picks are from Dollar Tree, the heart next to them is a Lego heart I picked up at Legoland.

 I made these glittered hearts a few years ago with hearts I found in the dollar bins at Joann.

 Here's another Lego heart and an adorable print (free!) from Lindsay of Pen & Paint.

 I made two of these heart banners a few years ago and still like using them every year. And no, I still haven't painted that darn frame. I think I need to swap out the photos, too.

I know they are cheesy, but I still love this bull & dragon. They came from Hallmark a few years ago.

 This cute little paper bunting came from a fellow blogger.

 The lighting made this picture hard to take, but this is our kitchen table.

 I stuck a few of the Dollar Tree picks into this shaker I thrifted.


 This gorgeous little thing is one of two dish towels I thrifted a couple weeks ago. How perfect are they? I know I probably should have ironed them first, but I just folded them in half so they could act as a table runner. I absolutely love the colors and the pattern.

Now I guess I better get to finishing these kids Valentine's. 

Linked to: Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife, Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style, Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts, What We Wore, Read & Made at Rae Gun Ramblings, Too Cute Tuesday at Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Friday Favs at Naptime Crafters