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Updated on October 7, 2020September 2, 2020Home Decorating

Creating A Cozy Fall Home

Hi! Are you as excited for fall as I am?! This is truly one of my favorite times of the year. As temperatures slowly drop, school starts and a new season is upon us, I find myself reflecting on the summer and at the same time, anticipating the months ahead. Fall is one of those magical seasons that is packed full of joy filled moments and experiences. Football games, cooler weather, sweatshirts and big comfy sweaters, porch sitting and rocking, pumpkin patches and picking pumpkins, the start of school which is always exciting, soups, breads, baking, the smells, the sounds. I could really go on and on. To me fall is all about cozy vibes and I want to share how I create a cozy fall home.

Besides your typical pumpkins and Hobby Lobby decor you put out; there are other ways to add coziness to your home for the cooler months. One of those ways is pillows. Lots of pillows! I like buying pillow covers so I can swap out my pillows easily for the different seasons. For fall I like adding knit pillows to add texture. You can purchase this knit pillow cover here.

This year I added these rust orange colored pillows that add a nice pop of color. I purchased these two smaller rustic fall pillows from the local pumpkin patch we visit every year.

Notice the texture on the rust colored pillows. Also, you can’t go wrong with plaid during the cooler months.

Throwing a pillow in a basket with a few other fall items is another way I like to add cozy vibes. I sell these fabric pumpkins over on my Berry Berry Quite Contrary facebook page.

Another way I like to decorate for fall is by adding lots of throw blankets around our home. Draping one on a bench or in a basket with a few pillows is a great way to display your blankets. Other obvious places are on a couch, chair or bed.

Adding strands of lights is another way I bring in coziness into our home. I strung these lights with this garland on our fireplace.

In the last year I’ve added quite a few plants into our home. I like throwing a string of lights over them. These lights came in a pack of 4 and are all on a timer. You can purchase them here.

I strung some across this chalkboard in our dining room as well. I love these battery operated lights because it’s easy to hide the cords!

I’m becoming a pretty big faux candle lover as well. I love the look of candles but running around my house lighting a bunch everyday and also trying to remember to blow them out is not something I want to have to worry about. These faux candles are my favorite right now. They flicker so give the appearance of being real. I appreciate the fact they have a remote and a timer with them as well. They automatically come on in the evening and turn off on their own. Candles always give cozy vibes so I have these spread throughout my home as well.

One of my favorite ways to add a touch of fall in our home is through scent! I love all the smells of fall. I recently became a Young Living member and am just a little obsessed. Ok, maybe a lot obsessed right now. I really appreciate the fact that diffusing my oils creates yummy smells and also health benefits.

The last few days I’ve diffused these three oils together and it’s giving me all the fall vibes. I ordered some more oils; orange, cinnamon bark and nutmeg to name a few. I can’t wait to try out those oils as well during the fall season.

To get your own oils you can go HERE to purchase.

Another way to add in fall vibes is through nature itself. I bought this wheat grass from Hobby Lobby. I like the natural texture it adds to this space.

I also like adding it in baskets with blankets and pillows.

I can’t get my hands on any large pumpkins yet but a friend brought me a couple of these small ones.

I can’t wait to buy all the mums and pumpkins here in a few weeks.

Hope this gave you a few ideas for your own home! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Kayla

Updated on September 4, 2020August 27, 2020Home Decorating

Laundry Room Makeover-Take Two

Well, here I am again. Almost two months ago I showed you all my laundry room makeover. To be honest… I didn’t love it. It didn’t really feel like me but I took the pics and posted them anyways. Over the last year I have felt this pressure to “keep up”. Instagram and the blogging world are super fast paced. I follow home decor accounts who completely re-do a room in like a week. And it seems they are always doing something new or purchasing this thing or that. I have looked around at my own home with a downcast face. The culprit? Comparison. Not being content. Social media can be great and wonderful, but also really hard sometimes.

God has been working on my heart in this area of my life for a while now. Shortly after I posted my laundry room makeover I had a “light-bulb” moment, if you will. No longer am I going to be decorating for likes, more followers, or to simply feel like I’m “keeping up”. I am going to decorate for the simple fact that I LOVE to decorate my home. Being creative brings me joy. If I’m not being creative, I find that my joy levels go way down. Being creative is part of who I am. Whether it’s writing on here about my experiences, painting a room, re-arranging a book shelf, journaling, or making over a whole room….. I NEED to be creative in some shape or form. Creating a warm, cozy, inviting home for my family is my end all goal. Will I move at a slower pace than most? Probably. But part of the fun of decorating is the planning and envisioning and dreaming. Kind of like Christmas morning. The anticipation is half the fun!

I’m super pumped to show you guys my “laundry room makeover (take two)”. I went with my gut, purchased items that pulled at my heart strings and put up some wallpaper that was in my mind, a risk.

This time around I really DO love how it turned out. If you want to see what it looked like before, go here.

Grab some coffee, get cozy and come take a look!

The first time I made over this room, I put frames up here that I was going to put pictures of my girls in. I quickly realized I missed wallpaper in this space and the frames didn’t really work for multiple reasons. I love the mountains and this wallpaper reminded me of them. This was a risk to me, but a risk that paid off in my opinion! Stick and peel wallpaper is pretty easy to work with and it took me less than an hour to get this up.

These hooks all hold the girl’s backpacks and coats during the school year.

I am slowly starting to put some fall decor out. I put one of my fabric pumpkins that I made in this macrame hanger. I think it’s so cute!

This accordion hook piece was a garage sale find I scored for $1. I painted it white and distressed it. I also spray painted our light switch cover a champagne gold.

I found this copper, bird bell at Sister Golden. They have such unique stuff, I love their site!

I switched up some things on our diy counter we made for this area. I need a lot of the counter space to fold clothes on.

Here is another touch of fall with some of my fabric pumpkins.

Cords that are visible really bug me so I used this long basket and placed a pillow in it to hide all of the cords behind it.

The art I had up on this wall the first time around I was not a fan of at all. This is more me. I found this little shelf for $1 at a garage sale and used some .50 c paint I got from Home Depot in the messed up paint section to give it a little makeover. It now holds all of my Young Living Oils (which I am now obsessed with by the way).

I’m sure I’ll need another shelf in the future. 🙂

This picture of my girls makes me smile. We’re getting family pictures done this fall again, I’m really bad at scheduling pictures; hence why Emmy isn’t in any.

This woven shade is from Walmart. Before, I had no window treatment in here and it is amazing how much better it looks with the roman shade. I really like how it’s cordless.

I was trying to put into words my style and I seriously don’t even know how to do it! I like rustic, farmhouse, cottage, a little modern, a little boho…. seriously…. any type of decor out there, I probably like since I love design so much.

My snake plant really likes it in here. If you are new to plants and want to start, a snake plant is very hard to kill.

Another little touch of fall.

I still will be adding a few touches of fall in this space. September 1st is my big fall decorating day. I can’t wait!

I’m so happy that I shrugged off all the stipulations and deadlines I was placing on myself when it came to decorating my home. This little space makes me happy and I hope you gathered some inspiration. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Kayla

Updated on November 18, 2021August 18, 2020Fall Decor Home Decorating Seasons

Fall Porch 2019

Hi friends! Today I want to do something a little odd; I want to share my fall porch from last year. Last year I got lots of pics because of my Instagram account but wasn’t blogging at that time so I thought I would blog it all for you now!

I can’t wait to start decorating this year! 2020 has been such a weird year and I’m looking forward to fall and all the beautiful, wonderful things that come along with it. I’m really hoping football is on tv. Mostly for the snacks and how it brings people together. Also, for me, having a football game on tv is extremely comforting to me. I don’t know why but I just love the sound of a game on. Nostalgia I guess.

Come take a look at our porch last year all decked out for fall.

Our porch looks completely different now. To see what I did click HERE.

I made these faux apple candles. Apples are faux, candles are not. 😉

In the summer we don’t spend a ton of time on our porch because our house faces west and it gets SO hot. But in the fall, we love to spend as much time out here as we possibly can.

I’ll show you a few shots of inside of our home as well.

I am already planning out my fall decor for this year. I’m leaning towards warmer colors like camels, oranges, greens, and of course I have to throw white in there as well. My porch will look completely different this year and I am excited to show you all in the near future. I have a project I want to complete this week that involves the porch. It will make it even more fun to decorate it for the different seasons.

September 1st it’s game on over here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Updated on September 5, 2020July 30, 2020Life

Miniature Softball field

Giggles filtered their way through the glass window as I cleaned up after supper. Three little bare foot girls tossed the softball back and forth. The smallest one, with ringlets of golden brown hair down her back, swung the bat and made contact with the ball. A big smile made way across her face as she ran the bases on a miniature ball field.

A sweet, joy filled moment that this mama needed after a day full of worry.

2020 has been hard. Something we are all made more aware of as the media rages on about our world and everything wrong in it. I float somewhere between anxiousness and annoyance of it all. A longing for normalcy that sometimes seems will never take place again. I start feeling ok but then open my phone to grim statistics and outlooks, polar opposite opinions that create division and conflict, more issues arising, and I become fearful of the unknown and troubled by the noise.

Opening my bible more times than opening my social media apps is what I should be doing. The only true way to peace is through HIM. I know this and I’ve lived it. But before I know it, life overtakes me. Intention and discipline are gone and I find myself in a symphony of opinions, statistics, grim diagnoses, conflicts and judgements. Together they create a harrowing roar that makes my mind spin this way and that.

On a day full of worry and chaos, God showed me in a single moment, that I was focusing on all the wrong things.

As I watched her round the bases made from sand box toys I paused and a smile made its way across my face as well.

What we put our time and energy into will shape and mold our lives. I for one have been putting too much of my time into articles and news conferences and reading social media conversations. I find myself going down a rabbit hole and before I know it, I am astray and can’t find my way back out. Of course I want and need to be informed, but to what extent? To the extent of my peace? My joy? My mind?

Turn off the news. Lay down the phone. Unplug.

Do you hear the noise fade away? The squawking and shouting slowly diminishing into the atmosphere?

The orchestra of voices and opinions and diagnoses and statistics evaporate into the air.

I can breathe.

I can think.

I can hear.

And I hear beautiful, joy filled laughter as her bare feet make their way across the green grass and she crosses home plate.

Updated on September 13, 2020July 9, 2020Uncategorized

Box-Dyed Hair/My Experience + Some Tips!

Have any of you had a bad experience with boxed hair dye?! My hand is raised, probably along with yours. Back in high school I used the Revlon Frost & Glow kit to highlight my hair frequently. It had the cap and hook and that white bleach stuff you stirred up in a small plastic container. Anyone else use that?! Right before my sophomore year, I decided to dye my highlighted tresses dark brown. Except when I was all done and looked in the mirror, my hair was not dark brown, it was BLACK. Like SUPER BLACK. It looked similar to a witch’s hair wig you would buy for Halloween. Needless to say my mom was not happy when she came home from work and I was not happy either. Luckily I was able to get it fixed a few weeks after. Since that day I have vowed to NEVER have an experience like that again!

Typically I get my hair done at the salon but every great once in a while, I’ll get the itch for a quick change and I’ll grab some hair dye at the store. The last few weeks I’ve been wanting to go back darker so on a whim the other day I grabbed some hair dye. I bought this hair dye!

Tip #1: when wanting to dye your hair darker: Always get 2 to 3 shades lighter on the box than want you want. I’ve found the color, on me anyways, ALWAYS turns out much darker than the shade on the box. (Hence witch’s black hair wig fiasco.

After:

Tip #2: Wear clothes you don’t want ruined, drape an old towel over you because you will get dye on it and have a wet washcloth nearby to wipe off any dye that gets on your face.

I wanted a color with a subtle red tint to it and this color had just that. In the sun light you can definitely see the hint of red. By the way, none of these photos are edited so you can see the true color!

Tip # 3: Don’t go from extremes when dying your own hair at home. If you have dark hair, do not try to put blonde highlights in it. You will end up with orange hair.

Tip #4: Dye your roots first. (I use a comb to kind of do sections.) And then work it through the rest of your hair. Be sure you get every single little strand!

Overall I am really happy with the color! If you don’t have a ton of money to spend on getting your hair done, you can always try it yourself at home.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Would love to hear any stories you have of your boxed hair-dye experiences!

Updated on September 14, 2020June 30, 2020Life

Building Blocks

BUILDING BLOCKS

Sometimes it’s the little things that all pile together; much like wooden blocks that little hands stack. One by one they go up, higher and higher. The pile starts to tilt a little to the left so the next block is put on a tad to the right. Things are shaky but everything is still ok; the blocks still stand. But each block from this point on creates more instability until the last tiny, little block put on sends the tower crashing down. And such is life sometimes.

Doctor appointment and a round of antibiotics. Block.

A teething baby. Block.

Busyness. Block.

Another doctor appointment and another round of antibiotics. Block.

Tiredness. Block.

Anxiousness. Block.

Work stress. Block.

Cranky baby. Block.

Washer and dryer break. Block.

Fighting. Block.

Bad news. Block.

Dog gets mud all over the house. Block.

Can’t catch up on laundry. Block.

More doctor appointments. Block.

House is a mess. Block

More busyness. Block.

Exhaustion. Block.

Crash.

I keep telling myself things will get better, that this too shall pass. And it helps. I take a deep breath and I get through it. I pray for patience and strength. I do what I need to do and try to do it with a smile. But sometimes in life the hits just keep on a coming and my smile turns into a grimace. Fortunately, it’s not huge, catastrophic events that leave me with a lump in my throat and a weight on my chest. It’s all these little, tiny events that just keep adding up. I feel guilt for not being able to hold it all together, for feeling stressed and frazzled. So many people have it worse than me, I should be able to handle these 4 kids and my life right now. I should be able to handle this cranky 1 year old who leaves me feeling exhausted more days than not.

I desire to have it together All. The. Time. Any other “I want to have it together all of the time” people out there? I hate it when I struggle. I hate it when life catches up to me and I feel like I can’t breathe. I hate it when I feel like I should be doing better. I hate it when the tiny, little block sends my tower crashing down.

Have you been here too?

Do you feel guilt because there are other people out there with much more hard things going on in their lives, and right now you feel like you can’t even handle your life? Do you feel like a failure?

Humility.

I can’t handle it all.

My pride deceives me. It tells me that I can and should be able to handle all of these things and that I’m a failure because I struggle at times.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

This was Paul speaking. At the time he was doing great works for the Lord but he had a thorn in his flesh. The bible never speaks of what the thorn was but it caused him rejection, hardships and sufferings. Paul pleaded for the Lord to take the thorn away, but He never did. Instead He told him he would be given God’s grace to bear it. And Paul rejoiced in his sufferings, in his weaknesses.

My power and strength comes from Him, not by my own fleshly doing.

My “thorns” will not all be removed by Him, nor will yours. Some will, but some wont. Old ones will wither away, but new ones may sprout up. I can pray and hope and wish, but Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33)

This means there will probably be more strep throat diagnoses in my future. More doctor appointments. More busyness. More exhaustion. More thorns in my flesh.

I am weak. I can’t handle it all on my own. But with God, I can get through anything. I will not always react the right way, my emotions will sometimes take over, I will at times be frustrated with my kids, with my circumstances, with my life and I will fail. Many times I’m sure. My blocks will crash down with a deafening boom.

But you know what the great thing about blocks is? You can re-build. Again. And again. And again. In-between your blocks of hardships, reinforce your tower with large blocks of truth.

“I can do all things with Christ.” Block.

“I am a child of God.” Block.

“He is for me, not against me.” Block.

“I am loved.” Block.

“I am precious in His sight.” Block.

“I am strong through Him.” Block.

“His mercies are new every morning.” Block.

“He has overcome the world.” Block.

“He remains faithful forever.” Block.

Updated on November 11, 2020June 14, 2020Life

12 Year Anniversary

Today is my husband, Matt and I’s 12 year anniversary. 12 years seems like a life time but also like a fleeting moment at the same time.

Like any marriage, we’ve had ups and downs, highs and lows. We’ve experienced life’s greatest miracles x 4, the birth of our 4 daughters. We’ve also experienced life’s gut-punches, deaths of loved ones, leaving us in a cloud of grief. We’ve matured. Changed. Fought. Gained extra pounds. Lost some. Then gained some more. We’ve moved across state lines. We’ve started businesses. Bought houses that have turned into homes. Sent girls off to their first days of schools. Challenged one another. Brought out the best and worst in one another at times. Competed. We’ve ate lots of pizza and cheeseburgers together. Rocked with one another on our front porch. Rocked our 4 babies to sleep. We’ve played golf. Basketball. Tennis. Gone on trips. Grown in our faith. We’ve become more selfless and have realized this whole parenting gig is not for the faint of hearts. We’ve worried. Cried. Hugged. Rejoiced. Pushed buttons. We’ve grown. We’ve drank coffee together. Prayed together. We’ve coached. We’ve listened. And we’ve loved.

Love is a choice. The first few years of dating, getting engaged and then married was a whirlwind. In those years, love was a feeling. A, “I can’t live without you, encompassing, tremendous feeling.” I still get the feelings of being in love with Matt, as he does me. But when the newness wears off, the years go on and life’s inconveniences and challenges and beauty all mix together… love becomes a choice.

Marriage is hard. It is work. It is compromise and communication. Love is a whole lot of forgiveness and a whole lot of grace and plenty of selflessness. Anyone who tells you different is lying. I’ve cringed countless times when I’ve heard others say, “marriage shouldn’t be this much work.” Oh, but it should. And it is.

Love looks a little different these days than 12 years ago. Love is always making the pot of coffee in the morning. Love is letting me take a 3 1/2 hour nap while he gives baths and feeds 4 little girls supper. Love is listening to me go on about my crazy dreams. And likewise. Love is letting me paint and decorate the house to my heart’s desires. Love is taking me out to dinner. Love is finding a babysitter. Love is holding my hand. Love is allowing the large red KC Chiefs sign that doesn’t go with my decor. Love is putting the toilet seat down. Love is taking care of me when I’m sick. Putting your glass in the sink. Love is going to 5 different gas stations at 11:00 at night to buy me Benadryl for a bad allergic reaction to lash extensions. Love is cleaning up the throw up because the other person cannot stomach it. Love is bringing home pizza on a week full of strep throat. Love is doing the dishes. Love is allowing one another to do things that bring us joy- lifting weights and volleyball. Love is letting the other have a night out with friends. Putting another person’s needs and desires above your own. Something we’re still working on.

Marriage is a covenant, made in front of God, not to be taken lightly. Loving your spouse, who is an imperfect, messy, sinful being; is a beautiful way to serve God. God loves us in our mess and we should do the same. It’s messy and soul searching and frustrating and confusing and wonderful and beautiful all at the same time. It is work. But one of life’s greatest works if you ask me.

Happy 12 years Matt. May we always choose one another. May we always keep that competitive spirit that makes life more fun. And may I always continue to beat you at horse.

Love, Kaybabe

Updated on September 4, 2020June 9, 2020Life

Shadow & Gusto

I’ve never been a morning person. I think I was the absolute worst in high school. Literally getting out of bed 10 minutes before I had to be at school. Sorry mom. But recently I heard someone say, “If you aren’t a morning person, I suggest you become one.” I’ve made excuses all these years of not having the time to exercise because I’m too busy throughout the day with my daughters and too tired in the evenings. And mornings were not an option because I just simply wasn’t a morning person until I decided I would now be one.

We have an almost 1 year old black golden-doodle, named Shadow. Shadow has a lot of gusto. A lot of zest. A lot of spirit. For the last few weeks I’ve been rising before the sun comes up and I take Shadow on a 2 mile walk. Well, actually let me re-phrase that. The first few times, Shadow took ME on a walk. A very fast walk. Not a very enjoyable one. Matt quickly bought him a head halter collar and that was a game changer. Where the head goes, the body follows; just like a horse! Our walks have been much more enjoyable since. I’m the one leading the way, not him, although he still tries at times.

This morning though was a little bit of a different story. We made our way down the sidewalk when across the road came an owner with a beautiful husky. They made their way to us and as the dogs crossed paths, Shadow freaked out. As the beautiful husky trotted away calmly with his owner, I found myself basically lying on the pavement, holding back Shadow who had somehow gotten out of his head halter. He barked and pulled and I pulled back with all my might. Eventually I got the halter back on and realized I gave Shadow a little too much slack. He just wasn’t ready. I twisted the leash around my hand, tightening up my grip, and we went on our way.

And in that moment, God showed me that’s like Him and me. I want to go here or go there. I want to buy this thing or that. I want to chase after this thing that I think will bring me joy. I want freedom. I want to do what I want when I want. I want to pull and tug until I get my way.

But just like I pull back Shadow to keep him from harm’s way, God does the same for me.

I don’t understand sometimes. Why am I not getting what I want? Why is God not allowing this to happen? Why didn’t I get that job? That promotion? That thing? Why did this bad thing happen? Why would a God who loves me allow this to happen? Why is He holding me back when all I want to do is go?

Just like Shadow will never understand that the reason I am holding him back is because of my love for him and for his own good, I will maybe never understand reasons why God doesn’t give me what I want.

The bunny across the street looks tempting and delicious. And if caught, it would bring temporary satisfaction and joy to Shadow. But Shadow doesn’t see the truck coming down the road at 40 mph. He doesn’t see the semi that can’t stop at a moment’s notice. He doesn’t see the danger.

And I don’t see things that God sees.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God isn’t out to get me and I’m not out to get Shadow. He’s not trying to make my life miserable or not allowing me to have fun. He is watching over me, protecting me, guiding me. It’s my choice if I will listen and obey, just like Shadow.

As Shadow and I continued our walk, we passed 2 more dogs, and the same thing happened. Except this time I was able to stay up on my two feet. I got frustrated and tightened the collar more and gave as little slack as I could the rest of the way home. I sat on my front porch steps, Shadow panting beside me, and I knew the rest of our walks from now on, I would give him little to no slack until he could show me he would listen and obey. It made me sad because I desire to give him some freedom. I want him to be able to explore a little bit and not be kept so tightly next to me but he must learn.

Just like Shadow, I am tested. Do I always pass the test? No. But God still loves me, just like I still love Shadow. Like Shadow, the more tests I pass, the more freedoms God will give me. I envision years from now, as more wrinkles make their way across my face, that I will be walking Shadow down the same sidewalk. No head halter collar will be needed. I will give him slack and freedom. But instead of making his way this way and that, he will be right next to me. No pulling. No tugging. No struggling.

And I hope for me, it’s the same way with God. I will stay close by his side, listening and obeying. Not struggling, pulling and tugging.

And I hope the same for you.

“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” A psalm of David.

Updated on November 18, 2021June 8, 2020Beauty

Lash Extensions vs. False Lashes

Hey guys! I feel like I haven’t written a post in forever. The last few weeks have been craziness. I’ll spare you the details but we’ve all been battling sicknesses the last few weeks. And no, we do not have coronavirus in case you were wondering. Praise the Lord. I think we are all almost fully recovered (please God) and I am ready to tackle some projects and enjoy summer in the next few months ahead!

During all the craziness I was SO excited because I had made an appointment for something that I’ve literally been wanting to try for like 3 years now. I made an appointment to get eyelash extensions! Like I said, something I’ve been wanting to do for years but never wanted to spend the money or simply take the time to do it. Besides the obvious look of them, I was mostly excited for the time it would save me getting ready in the mornings. I wanted to share my experience with you all in case maybe you too, are curious about getting them.

Before I start, I want to say the girl who did my lash extensions was awesome. She was professional, polite and super nice. Her work area was extremely clean and tidy. She did a really good job (the actual lashes themselves looked great after) and made me feel so comfortable. Also, this is MY experience. I can only speak for myself.

So I will start out by saying the process of getting lash extensions, in my opinion, isn’t the most fun. They have to tape your lower eyelashes out of the way which isn’t super comfortable. It is recommended that you keep your eyes closed the whole time so no glue gets in your eyes. So my advice is to go tired. While getting them put on, the glue did burn my eyes a little bit. Nothing crazy but definitely a little irritating. The whole thing from start to finish took 1 1/2 hours, longer than what I thought it would take. My eyes were SUPER red after but I was advised that the redness would subside after a half hour or so. Overall I was really happy with the look of them!

Like I was told, after about a half hour my eyes did look less red but were still a little bit irritated which I thought would subside as the day went on. BUT throughout the day, my eyes kept getting more and more irritated and more and more red. By evening my eyelids were swollen, the redness was worse and my eyes hurt SO bad. The place where I got them was closed by this time. I couldn’t stand it anymore so for over an hour I attempted to remove the eyelash extensions myself. It was very painful accompanied with a lot of burning and itching. I used my facial steamer to try to loosen up the glue and olive oil. That combination seemed to work the best. I would highly suggest going to a professional to get them removed but I didn’t have that option at the time.

Unfortunately I lost 3/4 of my natural lashes with the extensions. My eyes were so swollen and red and hurt so bad. My allergic reaction actually started to affect my breathing. Matt had to go out at 11 pm that night to buy benadryl. Five gas stations later he found some. The benadryl helped a lot.

I wish I would’ve gotten a better picture of the swelling and redness but I didn’t know I’d be typing out this post. The next day my eyes were still hurting and very red and swollen. After about 4 days the redness, swelling and pain all subsided and I was back to normal.

I wanted to share my experience so that if you are someone who is thinking about getting lash extensions, you are aware this could possibly happen. I will say, I am more prone to allergic reactions than probably the average person but I know this has happened to many others as well.

Needless to say, I will be sticking to my good ol’ false eyelashes that I glue on myself! No filter in these pics so you can see how the lashes look in real life!

I’ve been applying my own false lashes for years now. I think people are intimidated by them but honestly once you learn how to put them on it is so easy. If you want to learn how to apply false lashes, I highly recommend watching this video . This is how I learned how to apply them along with lots of practice!

I have been wearing these lashes for the last year or so now. Unfortunately they are sold out everywhere. (All the tears here.) I am so sad that I can no longer buy them. I just ordered these false eyelashes. I really like these ones too; very similar to the flirty feline lashes. I am EXTREMELY picky when it comes to lashes. My needs in a lash: very thin band, wispy, under $10, somewhat natural looking, longer on the outer part, very comfortable, nothing crazy or intense.

I use the same pair of lashes for at least a month or so. I pull them right off at night, pull the dried glue off the base, clean them with a little bit of my eye makeup remover and store them away til’ the next morning.

(Update!) Here is what the lashes I linked for you look like on.

I actually like the look of my falsies as much, if not actually more, than the eyelash extensions. Even if I didn’t have an allergic reaction, I don’t think I would’ve kept getting them filled. So, for me eyelash extensions was a total flop. I will be sticking with my falsies!

Updated on September 13, 2020May 18, 2020Home Decorating

Stenciled Sidewalk Curb Appeal

The last few months Matt and I have been working on the curb appeal of the front of our home. I painted our porch and gave it a mini spring makeover. New rugs and some plants made a big impact. Never underestimate small details; they can make a big difference. And this last weekend I stenciled a pattern onto our sidewalk of the front of our home. I LOVE how the stenciled sidewalk turned out!!! I was honestly a little nervous to do it. I’ve never stenciled anything before and you don’t see too many stenciled sidewalks around. But I decided to just go for it and hope for the best…. kind of been my mantra lately!

Isn’t it so cool?!?! I’ve always loved the look of stamped concrete but that was not in our budget. This cost us $20 for the stencil, I already had the primer and paint on hand leftover from our porch makeover. I purchased this star tile stencil from royaldesignstudio.com to create this pattern. Shipping was SO fast! I was super excited to receive it earlier than expected.

First step was priming our sidewalk. I used the BEHR Concrete & Masonry Bonding Primer. I used a paintbrush to apply it and let it dry over night.

I used the BEHR Porch & Patio Floor paint .

I started out by using a roller when doing the stencil because that’s what I’ve seen others do on Instagram; but after doing a couple I quickly reached for a stenciling brush that I picked up for a couple dollars at Hobby Lobby. I preferred the brush WAY more than the roller. I felt like I had better control and didn’t get any runs with it like I did with the roller.

The black design ties into our black striped porch steps and other decor on the porch.

I only had four more spots to go when I accidentally put my stencil on wrong. Nothing can ever go perfect, right?! That would be way too easy. Luckily I had some paint thinner on hand and a wire bristle brush. I let the paint thinner soak for a minute or two on the paint and used the brush to scrape it off. Worked like a charm. Crisis averted.

I know next Spring I will have to more than likely touch some of this up but I’m fine with that. The snow in the winter can cause some of the paint to peel off; especially if it’s sitting there for an extended period of time.

Thanks so much for stopping by!