Day 61- Makeup Brush Cleaner

Oh My Goodness!  I had no idea that my makeup brushes were so gross.  I clean them every once in a while, but obviously not enough.  After reading this pin, I decided to test out the recipe for makeup brush cleaner.

I mixed one cup of warm water, a tablespoon of dish soap, and a tablespoon of vinegar in a glass.  As soon as I dunked my first brush in the water, it turned cloudy.  I swirled it around and the water became tan.  It was so gross.  I put that on my face every day.

I had to dump out the mixture and remake it, so I could wash my other two brushes.  Then, I rinsed them in warm water, reshaped them, and laid them out to dry.

I can’t stress how gross this was.  I still can’t believe the color of the water.  I did learn that one of my makeup brushes is red.  I thought it was brown because that’s how it looked.  Gross.

day 60- finger knitting

I learned how to knit in a home etc. class in high school.  I wasn’t good at it.  I never did finish the scarf I started and I don’t remember how to do it anymore, but I could knit at one point in my life. 

This pin shows how to finger knit.  It’s a good craft for kids who can sit still for a long time and the directions are easy to do.  So, I took some of my old yarn from high school and gave it a try.

  I didn’t have any problems, but I gave up after a while.  Now, it’s in my closest next to my unfinished scarf.  I’ll never finish it.  I just don’t have the attention span for knitting. 

I was kind of disappointed at how skinny the scarf was with finger knitting.  I wonder how you can make it bigger.  I guess it would be wide enough for a child’s scarf, but it would look weird on an adult. 

Day 59- Lemon juice as toner

I have written before that I love using beauty products that are safe to eat.  It just seems better for my skin to not have all those chemicals smeared on it.  I saw this pin that stays that lemon juice can be used as a toner.

It says to use the juice of ½ lemon in 16 ounces of water. 

I know that lemon juice can get rid of dark spots and acne scars so I am excited about this.  I have done it for two days now and my skin feels soft.  There is less redness and my pimples are getting smaller.  I recommend this. 

Day 58-Teeth Whitening

I hate my dead tooth.  It’s right in the front.  I broke it when I was little and it needs to be redone again, but the cost is more than I can afford right now.  I don’t like to whiten the rest of my teeth because it seems to make my dead tooth more noticeable. 

However, I decided to do this pin for the fun of it.  I used a little bit of hydrogen peroxide as mouthwash twice a day before I brushed my teeth.  I swished it in my mouth for about 30 seconds before spitting it out.

I was surprised that my teeth were so much whiter after a week.  I was astonished that my dead tooth looked whiter as well.  Commercial whiteners never work on it before.  I can’t believe that the hydrogen peroxide made such a big change.  My dead tooth is still a little darker than the others, but it is obviously whiter.  It makes me happy.

Day 57- 40 secret iPhone features and shortcuts

I found a pin that had “40 Secret iPhone Features and Shortcuts.”  While I knew most of the “secrets,” some were surprising and others didn’t work at all.

One that I found helpful was number 39-give your contacts nicknames.  It also shows how to add phonemic spells to Siri will recognize people’s names when they are pronounced differently than they are spelled.  This is great.  My friend and I were laughing the other day about how I have to mispronounce her name when I asked Siri to call or text her because otherwise Siri doesn’t recognize it. 

I could not get tip number 32- get week view by turning over your iPhone.  I tried over and over to get my calendar to show week view, but it didn’t work. 

Also, tip number 5- take a picture with a double tap is wrong.  From the lock screen, you tap on the camera and slide it up.  Maybe a double tap worked with an older iOS version, but it doesn’t work anymore. 

Day 56- Go to a tea party

Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to have afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island.  This pin is about crossing going to a tea party off your bucket list.  I can do that now. 

Let me tell you that it was better and more fun than I could have ever hoped it to be.  I definitely recommend that everyone put tea party on their bucket list.  It was a great memory for my mom, sisters and I to have. 

I have never had such a fancy cup of tea.  Oh, did I mention that tea came with champagne?  It did.  No wonder British people like afternoon tea so much.  I would, too, if I got to drink champagne every afternoon.  It also came with little finger sandwiches and a plate full of sweets.  Oh, it was so good. 

Day 55- Honey Facial Mask

I have heard all about the great benefits of using honey on skin.  It seems that every time I go on Pinterest; there is at least one pin about honey.  I decided to try it and see if all the pins were right.  I found one I liked and did it. 

This is from the pin:

“With its antiseptic and cleansing abilities, honey can be used to remove impurities and to smooth and soften the skin. Apply honey directly to dry skin; making sure hair is out of reach to avoid a sticky mess. Leave on for 15 minutes, massaging away any runaway drips. The heat of your skin will thin out the honey; stovetop or microwave heating is unnecessary and less effective.  If you are not ready for a full facial, use honey as a simple spot treatment for a pesky pimple.

“To lighten and fade dark spots or for an all-around glow, add a little lemon juice and olive oil to the mix. Leave the mask on for 10 minutes before rinsing off thoroughly. Repeat a couple times a week and you will be amazed with the results.”

I mixed a little honey and lemon juice.  I put it on my face and, 10 minutes later, washed it off.  My skin felt soft, but a little- I don’t know the right word for it- waxy, for lack of a better term.  My skin looked good.

Then, three hours later, I was shopping and cause a glimpse of myself in the mirror.  My face was covered in red splotches!  It looked like I had worse acne that I really have.  It’s not an allergic reaction.  It’s more like irritation from waxing or scrubbing too hard.

I would not recommend this pin at all.  My face still looks bad and it’s been several more hours. 

Day 54- Make your house smell good

I was cleaning today.  Like, I was hardcore cleaning.  My whole house smelled like vinegar.  I remembered seeing this pin about how to make your house smell better.

You put two caps full of vanilla extract in a coffee cup, then place it in the oven at 300 degrees for one hour. The house was supposed to smell great within twenty minutes.

I tried this.  After an hour, my kitchen smelled great, but I couldn't really smell it outside of the kitchen.  It wasn't until I took the cup out of the oven and it started to cool that the smell filled my house. 

The only downside was that the vanilla thickened.  By the time it was out ofthe oven, the vanilla was a sticky ring at the bottom of the coffee cup.  It was a pain to clean off. 

Other than that, I recommend this.  It smells so good.

Day 53- Skin tag removal

I get skin tags all the time.  It’s due to a medical condition I have.  I can’t help it.  They hurt when they get stuck.  I have had them rip off.  Sometimes, I can’t wear a purse on my shoulder because it rubs a skin tag.  I hate them. 

I’m too chicken to cut them off.  It just seems wrong to me.  I’m a wimp, I know.  This pin lists several ways to get rid of them.  One way is to cut them off.  Well, I decided to try two kinds of remedies- one for each skin tag I currently have. I went with the garlic one and the baking soda one.
Garlic-

Place a thin slice of garlic on the skin tag and put duct tape over it.  Change the garlic every once in a while.  I didn’t use duct tape.  I can’t go to work with duct tape on my neck.  I used a Band-Aid like a normal person.

It didn’t work.  I gave it three days and nothing happened, but I covered my neck with vampire repellent.  The only thing this is good for was keeping my neck save from bloodsuckers.

Baking soda-

I mixed a little bit of baking soda with warm water to make a paste.  I put it on my skin tag.  I reapplied it every so often for three days. 

On the third day, my skin tag fell off!  I recommend this one.  It actually works and I don’t have to cut my skin tag off!

Day 52- Drawing a bird

I saw this pin and decided to give it a try.  I know it’s simple, but I’m always curious about learning how to draw pictures step by step.  Mine never turn out the same as the picture.  This time was no exception.  This is the original. 

My first one was a weird looking bird.  It looks like a whale with a black eye. 

 

My second one was better.

 

I don’t think I will ever be able to get it to look like the original.  What the heck?  The picture looks so simple to draw, but I still can’t do it.  This is made for kids.  Oh well.

Day 51-Packing Lightly

I went out of town for four days.  I saw this pin about how to pack light.  My suitcase was a little bit larger than the one in the pin, so I thought I would have no problem doing this.  This isn’t all that different from how I normally pack.  My mom makes so much fun of me for packing this way. 

The pin lists a long list of things that she packed.  Here’s what I packed (It’s not as long):

Two pairs of shorts
One pair of jeans
One pair of sweatpants
4 tank tops
Three shirts
Two dresses
Two sweaters
Four pairs of socks
Four pairs of underwear
Four bras
Flip flops
Toiletries

Tips from the pin:

Roll up all clothing tightly
Shoes should be packed around the side
Softer clothing goes on top
Hard clothing on the bottom

Toiletries on top

Wrinkle-resistant clothes can go around the edges

After packing according to the pin, I got most of my clothes inside my suitcase.  I had planned on packing my sweatshirt, but ended up wearing it since I didn’t have any more room.  There would be no way I could pack all the clothes listed in the pin and my suitcase was larger.  I definitely call bs on this.  It’s impossible. 

Day 50- Crackle nail polish

Not my fingernails, but it looks just like my toes do.

Over the weekend, my friend convinced me that I needed to paint my toenails with crackle nail polish.  I’m not a fancy nail polish type of person.  I like my basic red toes and nothing on my fingernails.  I have no use for pins like this one.

I just don’t like painting designs on my nails.  Nail polish is expensive and seems frivolous to me.  I’m too cheap to spend money on those things. 

Anyways, my friend painted my toenails purple.  After they were dry, she put a layer of black crackle over the top.  As the black dried, it started to crackle just like it was supposed to.  It looks just like in the pin.

Every time I look at my toes, I freak out for a second.  Honestly, I miss my red toenails.  They say, however, that variety is the spice of life.  I wish I had nail polish remover though.  My life has enough spice.  I want my red toenails back.

Day 49- Rolling Plastic Bags

Everyone had a bunch of plastic bags somewhere taking up room.  In my kitchen, I had a bag that is stuffed with bags.  Sometimes, I have more than one bag of bags. It is ridiculous.  I saw this pin and got excited for it. 

Rolling bags like wet wipes!  Who would have thought?  Anyways, so I got to work rolling up my bags.  Mine didn’t look as nice and neat as in the pin.  Probably due to the fact that they had been wadded up into a ball and stuffed in a bag.

They take up much less space.  I didn’t make cute container like in the pin because I’m lazy and didn’t have an empty wet wipes container. The directions are on this website.  It’s definitely a good thing to know. 

Day 48- Hair Pin Holder

Oh my goodness! I love this idea. I left bobby pins lying around everywhere.  When I am organized, I slip them onto a hair tie so I can wear them on my wrist.  But, I decided to give this a try.

I went around the house collecting them.  Then, I put them in a Tic-Tac container.  It’s so nice to have them in one spot.  For now.  Give it a couple of days and I will get too lazy to put them away.  I know it.  At least, I know where they are right now and that’s all that matters.

Bonus!  This pin also contains other helpful tips besides this one.

Day 47- Goodbye Cracked Heels!

I saw this pin and thought that it was so weird.  I had to try it. The pin says that it helps renewed cracked heels.  I definitely have cracked heels, but the way this pin says to treat it seems so bizarre.

Here are the steps:

 1. Put shaving cream on your feet.

 2. In a bucket or sink, combine equal parts warm water and Listerine.

 3. Soak a small hand towel in the solution of water and Listerine.

 4. While the shaving cream is still on your feet wrap the wet hand towel around your feet and let it sit for 30 minutes.

 5. After 30 minutes, use the towel to rub your feet. Some of the calloused and discolored skin will rub off.

 6. Apply a healthy amount of lotion to your feet.

I did this in my living room, so I wouldn’t have to sit in my bathroom for a half hour.  Once you put shaving cream on your feet, you can’t walk around.  However, I put the shaving cream on my feet and couldn’t get up to wash my hands, so I rubbed it on my legs.

It was awkward sitting with a towel wrapped around my feet, but really soothing.  The towel was warm at the beginning, but once the towel cooled, it was less soothing.  The Listerine smelled good and tingled against my feet.  I liked it. 

When I unwrapped my feet, I was surprised that my feet felt so soft.  To my disappointment, no gross skin came off when I rubbed my feet during step 5.  I must say my feet feel great. I don’t think they have ever smelled so minty fresh. 

Day 46- Showerhead Cleaner

I saw this pin about how to clean a showerhead, but Iquickly decided that I didn’t need to do it. My showerhead was clean enough. However, it got me thinking.

 I was taking a showeryesterday and looked at my showerhead.  Imean, I really looked at it.  There werehard water deposits on it.  If myshowerhead is dirty, how can I expect the water coming out of it to clean me?

I didn’t have any plastic bags, so I just filled a bowl with1/3 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar.  Idropped the showerhead into the bowl and let it sit for a couple of hours. 

My shower head was cleaner, but it seemed to have bakingsoda residue on it now.  I had to scrubit with a sponge to get the baking soda off. It was a good cleaner though. Maybe I just added too much baking soda. 

I also heard that using warm vinegar makes it workbetter.  I hadn’t tried that yet. 

Day 45- Ink Cartridge Reset Button

I was so excited when I saw this pin.  I hate spending money on ink and my printer seems to run out at the most inopportune times.

I happened to be low on ink so I gave this a try.  Well, I wanted to give this a try, but my ink cartilage doesn’t have a reset button.  This pin did not work for me, obviously. 

I did some research into this and discovered that it can work; however, it only works on older printers. My new HP printer doesn’t allow it. 

I did find this website that has different ways to reset an ink cartridge depending on printer type.  Of course, mine isn’t one of the ones listed. 

Day 44- How to fold a fitted sheet

We’ve all been there-having to fold a fitted sheet.  It can be a hassle.  I used to just ball them up and stuff them in my drawer.  I finally learned in college when I realized that adults have to fold sheets.

Now, I’m pretty good at folding fitted sheets.  But this pinner is amazing at folding them.  I don’t know how she folded that sheet so flat.  Maybe she ironed it to get it flatter.  I don’t know, but I tried the same technique she used. 

My sheet was flatter than usual but it still wasn’t that flat.  I can’t believe those pictures.  It’s too good to be true.  I don’t see how it can be that flat without pressing it.  I think this pin is a lie.  I want to see it done in person. 

Day 43- Kleenex Holder

This is one of those pins that makes me slap my forehead and go "why did I think of that?"
 
I have begun to feel the effects of allergy season and have started to use Kleenex at an alarming rate.  Naturally, I am too lazy to walk over to the garbage can every time I blow my nose, so I throw it in the direction of the garbage.  Of course, my floor is covered in used Kleenexes (is that the plural?) until I get out of bed and clean up. 

This is genius.  Now, I can lay in bed and blow my nose all I want.  Then, stick my used tissues in the empty box.  I still can't believe that this is so simple.  I wish I would have thought of that.

Day 42- Clean Paint Brushes or not

Yesterday, I painted my canvas so naturally my paint brush was a mess.  I saw this pin that said to soak the brush in hot vinegar for 30 minutes and the brush would be clean.

I tried it and my paint brush is still purple.  I must say that the bristles are much softer.  If that was all the pin was supposed to happen, that’s too bad.  I expected more.  I’m pretty disappointed with this one. 

Day 41- Abstract Painting

 

My local Michael’s had a sale on canvas recently, so I decided to buy a bunch of them.  Pinterest has so many ideas for creative uses of canvas.  I found one that I liked- an abstract painting- and started painting.

 

I typed the canvas to make the lines.

 

I painted all over it.

 

I removed the tape when the paint was damp, but not wet.  The paint bled under the tape a little but I like it like that.  It doesn’t look too perfect.  Now I have wall art.  It was so simple and only took about 10 minutes to do plus the drying time.
 

Day 40- travel toothbrush holder

This pin caught my eye because I don’t like having to use a plastic bag for my toothbrush holder every time I go out of town.  All you need is a hand towel, some ribbon, pins and a sewing machine would help.  I actually used a wash cloth because it would only need to hold my toothbrush.  The pin is made for a family size toothbrush holder and I don’t need all that extra space.

I folded the wash cloth about ½ ways up lengthwise and pinned it into place.  I sewed along the edges to make a pocket. Then, I sewed little sections dividers about 1 ½ inches apart.  It created 4 little pockets perfect for toothpaste and dental floss as well as my toothbrush.  I rolled the towel up.  I cut a piece of ribbon and tied it around the towel.  The pin says to sew it, but I like the loose ribbon better, just a personal choice.

When I go on vacation, no more wet toothbrush in a plastic bag for me.  The towel will soak up all the water.  I can go home and just toss this holder in the laundry and use it again next time. 

Day 39-bathtub cleaner

After my success yesterday with the glass top stove cleaner, I decided to try out a recipe from a pin that was supposed to be a great tub cleaner.  The pictures on the pin looked too good to be true, but I decided to try it out anyways.

The pin claims that you can spray one part vinegar and one part dish soap, leave it for an hour, and wipe your tub clean with no scrubbing.

I heated a half cup of vinegar in the microwave until it was hot (about 45 seconds).  I mixed it with a half cup of dish soap.  Then, I sprayed it on my tub and let it sit for an hour. 

Now, the grime didn’t come off as easily as they said it would.  I definitely had to scrub, but the cleaning mixture turned dark brown from all the dirt.  I don’t have a ring around my tub anymore, but it did not remove soap scum at all. 

Maybe my tub was just too dirty for it to be clean the first time.  I clean my tub once a week, but it still is dirty. Now, it is definitely cleaner than it usually gets using store bought cleaners.  I’ll probably use it again.  It worked pretty well, but not as good as the pictures looked on Pinterest.





Before



After



Day 38- Glass Top Cleaner

The only problem with glass top stove is the fact that they are so hard to clean.  Any liquid that gets splattered on it turns into burned gunk.  It sticks to the top of the stove and it seems impossible to clean.  I have a cleaner that is specifically made for glass top stoves.  It gets it clean, but the brown circles around the burners are still there. 

I found a pin that says to use a tsp. of baking soda and a tsp. of dish soap and mix them into a paste.  Using a sponge, I worked the mixture in small circles focusing on the areas with stuck on stuff.  I cleaned it up with a cloth. 

I don’t think that I have ever seen the glass top look so bright and shiny.  Yes, there are a couple of brown spots along the burners, but they are a lot better.  I’m sure that they will be gone after I clean it a couple more times.  The best part is that baking soda and dish soap cleans better and it a lot cheaper than store bought cleaner.

before

after

Day 37- Save your cord

I can’t believe that I never thought of this.  My cords and headphones are constantly ruined because I’m bad at keeping my cords safe.  They get bent, they get stretched, and they get twisted.  Since I just throw my headphones and cords on the floor when I am finished with them, my cords and headphones break easily.  I hate when my headphones break and I have to move it around until I can heard again. Then, I move slightly and suddenly I can’t hear again.  It’s so frustrating.  Now, I can avoid it all.

I broke open a pen and pulled the spring out of it.  Then, I carefully wrapped my IPhone cord.  I repeated the process with my headphones.  It’s so simple and could have saved me a lot of money on headphones.  I wish I would have thought of that. 

Day 36- Use a Razor to Remove Sweater Pills

I wore a sweater today.  Don’t ask me why.  It was 91 degrees outside.  In my defense, it was raining and I didn’t want to wear a sweatshirt.  Maybe there is a pin that tells me how to make a raincoat, but I haven’t found it yet.

My sweater has little pills on it and I remembered seeing atip on Pinterest to use a razor to get rid of pills.  My mom is always yelling at me for picking them off my sweaters because apparently that causes holes in the fabric or something.  I don’t really listen to her sometimes.  Ok, most of the time.

So I took a new disposable razor and started to shave my sweater carefully.  It got some of the pills off, but not very many.  I think it made my sweater angry.  After 15 minutes, I gave up trying to shave my sweater. I had places to be that could not wait for my sweater to be pill-free.  This does not work.  At least it did not work for me.  I’m so disappointed because I own a lot of sweaters. What a shame!

P.S. I swear that those pictures are of the same sweater.  they are taken only 15 minutes apart. I don't know why my camera made my black sweater look gray in the second picture.  My IPhone camera has a mind of its own, I swear.

Before

After

Day 35- Drying Nail Polish Quickly

I saw this pin and it seemed too good to be true.  I always smudge my nail polish, so it wanted to see if this was a good way to dry nail polish quickly.  It wasn’t. 

Step 1: run cold water in a bowl and add ice cubes.

Step 2: Pain nails.  It said that it was fine if they were a little messy because the water would get rid of any polish on my skin.  I was super messy just to test it out.

Step 3: Slowly sink hands into water.

Step 4: Keep fingers in water for three minutes.  Caution: it’s really cold.  My hand started to cramp.  The older the water, the faster it will dry, according to the pin.

 

 

Step 5: Remove hands from water.  Nail polish should be rock hard and any nail polish on your skin should be cleaned up. 

See the unevenness of the polish now?  My index finger hardly has any nail polish on it now.

While my hand was submerged, I could see the nail polish floating off of my nails.  More polish came off of my nails than came off of my skin.  In fact, some of the polish moved from my nails onto my skin! 

When I took my hand out of the water, I waited a minute and wiped the water off of my hand in with a paper towel.   Most of my nail polish ended up on the paper towel.  My nails were nowhere near dry.  This is not work at all.  It just created a mess. I have nail polish on the bottom of my bowl that won’t come off and polish all over my hand. 

Day 34- Big Bang Theory Drinking Game

I was scrolling through Pinterest while waiting for Big Bang Theory to come on when I spotted the Big Bang Theory Drinking Game.  It was fate.  I got out a beer.  Since I was drinking alone like a sad, alcoholic loser, I didn’t have anyone to give drinks to, so I had to give all the drinks to myself. 

My drink count:

Anytime Penny says “Sweetie”-0

Anytime Sheldon knocks on Penny’s door-0
Every time Raj whispers-0
Anytime Sheldon misinterprets sarcasm-0
The gang buys food-2
Wolowitz says a pick up line-0
“We built the pyramids”-1
Amy makes Penny uncomfortable (hits on her)-1
“Bazinga”-0
Wolowitz’s mom yells-0
Someone sings “Soft Kitty”-0
Roommate rules-2
Sheldon laughs-6
Walking up the stairs-0
Penny doesn’t get it-2
Bernadette says “Howie”-1
Leonard says “Here we go”-0

The total: 15

That was the best episode of Big Bang Theory ever!  I am going to play this game with actual people next time.  It would be fun.

 

Day 33-Running Shoe Lacing Techniques

I saw this pin and it changed my life.  No joke.  Whenever I run, my feet tend to fall asleep or my arch hurts.  After a run, my shoes leave lace prints on the top of my foot where my arch is.  It never occurred to me that I should lace my shoes differently.  I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner.

Anyways, I have a high instep which was great for my years of ballet, but bad for finding running shoes.  This is how you are supposed to lace a running shoe if you have a high instep.  I never knew that before this.

 

I tried this lacing technique out and it really made a difference.  My feet usually ache from a run, but this time they feel so much better.  I can't believe that it made such a difference. 



Day 32- Lose a size in 14 days

I started doing this pin two days ago.  It says it will make you lose a size in 14days and about 6 pounds.  I was going to wait until I finished the 14 days to write about it, but I couldn’t wait any longer. 

In my two days, I did workout A the first day and workout B the second. Let me tell you, I am so sore.  And I have lose 2 ½ pounds in two days.  That is amazing.  It isn’t very difficult, but you definitely feel it later. 

The only thing is that I find the directions a little confusing.  I have no idea if I am actually doing the exercises correctly.  I wish there would have been a video or more pictures to show the movements.  Some of these exercises I have never heard of being done, so I think that would help.  I’m about 95% sure I am doing the beach ball hug wrong, but I have no idea how to do it correctly. 

Anyways, I am very excited about this pin and will update this blog when I have finished my 14 days.