Keep Your Briefcase, Purse, or Backpack Off the Floor!

My dear friend who is slightly OCD and a germaphobe introduced me to the PURSE HOOK.

Now guys, before you think this doesn't pertain to you, I'll have you know that many of these hooks can hold up to 35 lbs and are great for briefcases, laptop cases, and backpacks.

Think of all the times you've been to a restaurant or bar, and there are stools or chairs with a sloped back, where everything slides off.

Nail Polish Removal On the Go!

You may love wearing nail polish and changing the colors up frequently. But the thought of lugging around a bottle of nail polish remover while traveling or dealing with badly chipped nails while outside the home might seem like a pain in the neck.

I have a growing stash of fun nail polish colors, but I rarely used them because I didn't want to have neon green nails and get called into an audition for a professional businesswoman.

Then I realized I could jazz up my nails whenever I want and just carry nail polish remover pads to clean up on the go.

These e.l.f. ones are $1 and come with 18 pads.

I bought the Target brand Up & Up ones for about $3 for ten pads because they have individual pads for easy packing. Each pad cleans all 10 nails, but I throw 2 in my purse (some polishes are stubborn, especially ones with glitter).

Happy Nail Decorating!

This is Kleancolor's Metallic Fuscia (only one coat!) In different lighting, it looks more purple as in the photo above. I loved it for only 99 cents at the beauty supply store.

Say Goodbye to Microwave Stains

Ok, obviously, when something like this happens...

you should clean it up right away to avoid cooking on those stains that are more tough to remove. But if you're like most of us (me), you were already hungry when you decided to nuke your meal so...yeah, you got yourself some fossilized food splatter, don't cha?

Shake it Like a Polaroid Picture...

and then send it!

There's even a group online that sends each other polaroid post cards here.  Talk about a throwback to pen pals! Have fun! But I recommend using P.O. Boxes to avoid strangers having your physical address. Eek!

Who hates wasting food?

You're in the kitchen making a recipe that calls for only half the can of tomato paste you just bought.

And you're leaving for a week-long trip to the Bahamas in the morning.  (Lucky you, by the way.)

Well, you can still save that tomato paste for future delicious meals.

Real Simple Magazine says that most recipes only call for a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste. So why don't you plop little tablespoon portions into ice cube trays, freeze, and transfer to freezer bags. You can just throw them into your next concoction without thawing.

Does the Thought of Applying Eye Liner give you the Heebie-Jeebies?

In this month's issue of Elle, M.A.C senior artist Fatima Thomas gives a liner lesson:

"For the perfect cat eye, outline the wing shape with a pencil, then fill it in."

Perhaps only the first installment of Done & Done?

New Year's Rez

I don't even remember last year's resolutions. I'm sure it went something like 1) I will work out more 2) I will eat more healthy 3) I will get more organized.

Ah, bah humbug.

I am still "feeling" love for resolutions, but I plan to remember them and actually put them up somewhere I have to face them every day.

1) I will try to use up everything I buy. 

I am so prone to the cycle of buying "oh my God! That cheese looks so good at the store" and then forgetting about it in the fridge where it succumbs to generous moldy fuzz.

My bad habit of letting millions of lipglosses sleep in their cozy makeup drawers only to expire will come to an end!

Time to consolidate, use and REUSE. The reuse part is especially brilliant. I have come across a lot of fantastic ideas for our old things. Those projects to come!

2) CREATE! CREATE! CREATE!

It's scary to write your own stuff, produce your own work, and well...face that it won't be good. But I'm up for the challenge!

3) REALLY, really this time stick to a gratitude journal.

I have so much to be thankful for and sometimes (ok, a lot of times) I dwell on the things that aren't happening instead of all the awesomeness around me. I am really becoming horrible at setting out time for mediation or prayer, so I am hoping that a journal can help me jump start those habits more. Instead of my embarrassing attempts at prayer just leading to me falling asleep.

I'll end at 3. I love 3's.