Lets talk about DIY, home decor, Kardashians..

My family is basically the same as the Kardashians..

Well without the money, or the fame, reality tv show, mansions, cars..

Ok we have nothing in common but the one thing Kardashians/MacNeils mutually enjoy is all black and white EVERYTHANG. Black and white home décor, fashion all of it, its so hot right now and we love it.

 

My sister came home with this DIY idea: do you want Kate Spade-esque décor boxes without the Kate Spade price tag? YUP we did. So follow this simple DIY.

 

     ^ Inspiration photo                    ^ Purchase plain boxes from Michael's $2-4ish

^  Materials needed:

- Painters tape 

- Black paint

- Paint brushes

- My sister also changed the hardware from silver to gold, she did this with a gold leaf paint from Michael's.

 

Tape off stripe area, paint in white area, allow to dry, peel off tape and VOILA!

I don't think I can explain it any simpler, the pictures really are self explanatory.

Up close you can see its not perfect but from a distance they look wonderful!

And with a higher quality tape/slightly more patient hand you could probably get your stripes striped to perfection!

                  ^ before                              and                 ^ after

This is her TV stand where she went box crazy and painted the second box with free hand gold circles/ black top. Then she kept the box theme rollin and painted a couple of pink boxes for a pop of colour. Looks awfully cute and practical! Hide all your clutter, paint your own Kate Spade boxes today! I sound like I should be on QVC.

Secondly, do you all thrift shop???

My family has become/always have been thrifters but as of late they have gone crazy with the thrift shopping.

Any second hand, flea market, yard sale, value village beware!

But they have got some amazing deals, check out this dinner ware set my sister picked up at Value village! ^^^^^^

Do you see that $149.99 price tag??? Do you want to take a guess at what she paid for it all??

Really guess I'll give you a minute..

 

 

 

 

$20!!!!!

She got all of the above dishes for $20,

if that doesn't send you running for Value Village I don't know what will!

 

 ^ SO CUTE!

    SO CLASSY!

    SO KARDASHIAN!

oh wait classy and Kardashian in the same sentence, that doesn't work..

just kidding, just kidding I love me some KUWTK!

 

 

Happy DIY and bargain hunting friends! :)

Lets talk about a cautionary tail..

You may have noticed I used the word tail instead of tale, yes that was on purpose. (insert little lady emoji with the pointy finger) I used tail because this post is going to be about hair!

I feel it needs to be said I DO NOT believe anything I read on the Internet, like no, nothing.

I remember when Paul Walker passed away I was one of the first facebookers to post about it and everyone was all like

"No, no, Holly this is a hoax"

and I was all like

"Umm No, no, I did my research!"

And who was right (unfortunately RIP Paul), me.

So with all that being said theres one particular section of Internet that I have let my guard down around and that section is called PINTEREST.

Yes yes its true, a couple of years ago when Pinterest was at its height of DIY amazingness I was naïve enough to think all tales on the Pinterverse were true.

Which leads us to the great hair mistake of 2012.

I found one of those add an egg yolk, vinegar, mayo, & chocolate chips to your hair and it will be forever shiny recipes (obviously that's not the real recipe, I cant remember it but I do remember it had vinegar!)

I tried it and was sadly disappointed it did nothing for my hair, however shortly afterwards I developed a scalp condition - YUP I'm saying it I have this really dry patch above my left ear, its super itchy flaky and annoying.

Now I am no doctor, this patch could just be your basic run of the mill psoriasis or eczema but I find it very suspect that it never ever existed before I used my freaky Pinterest concoction. Its like the mixture threw off a balance on my scalp or something, maybe its totally non related!! (I'm not throwing Pinterest under the bus) I just wanted to share my cautionary tale that although Pinterest looks perfect don't let it fool you, its still that same sneaky internet! hahah

Moving on, Pureology..

Oh pureology I had such high hopes for this shampoo/conditioner, every blog/vlog and their mother seems to love this stuff. I picked it up months ago at target and really gave it my all I wanted to love it, but it just didn't do it for me. It did make my hair shiny but it also made it MAJOR static-y and I ain't got time for that! The price tag was soooooo high, like around $32 per bottle! (I'm pretty sure, correct me if that price is off, I can't check target because you know its gone from Canada waaaaa)

That is a super hefty price tag, I don't know maybe I need to test some other versions but for that price I would NOT be repurchasing this exact pureology.

^ Another thing that I HATED was that the lighter coloured bottle was the shampoo and the darker pink was the conditioner. EVERYONE knows the conditioner is suppose to be in the lighter coloured bottle! You don't know how many times I grabbed that darker pink bottle thinking it was the shampoo and was wondering why isn't this shampoo lathering????! because it was conditioner. mad. real mad.

So what hair products do I like..

Well I just keep going back to my Paul Mitchell Tea Tree, I love this stuff! If you've ever used tea tree you know how minty and refreshing it is, it also is the only thing that combats my flaky patch. Now it can be rather drying so I've been opting out of the matching conditioner and swapping in the its a 10 miracle mask. I've said it before and I will say it again I freaking love this mask, I almost use it daily because I cant get enough. It adds so much shine and no static!

^ I switch it up once and a while to try some new products but for about 4 years this Tea Tree Special is the only shampoo that I've kept going back to when I need my hair to feel really fresh!

Also side note: Yes I've been to the doctor about my dry patch so far I've used a cream which didn't do a thing, now just this week she gave me a special shampoo to use off and on when it flares up.

So fingers crossed, because its just an itchy nuisance!

Lets talk the award goes to..

Last week I was nominated for the Liebster award and I am super happy to finally be blogging about it!

So lets go - whoot whoot!

 

 

I was nominated by https://whimsybywhillis.wordpress.com/ (<-- go check em out!) and did a teeny tiny google search to get a better idea of what the award is. Mainly I was wondering what the heck is a Liebster??! This is what I found: "the word “liebster” has several definitions: dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, welcome, sweetheart and boyfriend (really?)"

That may be total kerfluffery, I'm not sure but I found the info here--> Liebster award info

 

Anywho the main point of the award is to answer a few questions about your blog then tag a few other newbie-ish bloggers to spread the wealth to - so without further ado!

 

 

 

1.How did you decide on the title of your blog?

For a long time I thought 'Man I would really like to start a blog, I have a lot of random thoughts and ideas I would like to share' then I thought to myself "I could name the blog Hollys Hobbys, how cute!" 90's throwback yes!

THEN I was rudely awakened to the fact that every cute blog name is already taken (DUHHHH Holly! Blogging is the new dear diary everyones doing it jeesh)

I was up for hours trying:

Hollys hobbys

Hollys hobby

Hollys hobbies

Hollys hobbie

Hollies hobby

Hollies Hobbie

....... Ok you get the point I tried every single version of that you could think of then I said OK TOTALLY NEW DIRECTION NEEDED. I started brainstorming some H words and what would flow nicely, two minutes in Hollys Housewife life was born!

Now I like it so much more than Hollys hobbys! I think it has a nice ring to it and is more fitting for my little bit of everything blog.

 

2.Why did you start blogging?

See answer 1 ^ I had a cool blog name in mind. Also I have A LOT of strange/crazy ideas in my head. Weird things happen to me all the time, I love and adore talking about products/beauty supplies, I take one million pictures of my son every single day and I just needed a place to share everything.

 

3.If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be and why?

I know people are all about travel, but I have never been into it. I love being in my own home I am such a homebody but if I am going anywhere.. take me back to my beautiful NOVA SCOTIA! Also a nice vacay to PEI is in order very soon! Nick and I use to visit Prince Edward Island every summer but since moving to Newfoundland we haven't had enough free time to get to PEI.

What can I say, I love what I love, and I LOVE Canada!

 

4.What is your favourite food?

Hmmmm omg I honestly don't know.. I have a very strange relationship with food, its love/hate.

I really like my tea.

and pizza.

 

5.What is your favorite thing to do with your spare time?

Whats spare time? Ha

Well blogging, TV, reading, internet browsing, nail painting..

I don't know what kind of question is that? I mean I LOOOOOOVE TV, I am obsessed! but I don't consider it my spare time while watching, no, no its my love, my sport, my profession! (except I don't get paid.. maybe someday) TV is like breathing to me - non optional!

 

6.Where is your dream vacation spot?

Didn't I answer this one? I really like staying home hahaha

 

7.Beach or the mountains?

East Coast Canada best of both worlds

 

8.Are you a dog or a cat person?

OOooooo since I have 3 cats, 1 dog I always try to decide down the road if I could only have one which would it be, and every single time I truly cannot pick! I can't imagine my life without a couple of cats AND a dog, it will just never happen I will always have both! 

 

9.A long lost relative gives you a large sum of money, what do you do with it?

Ok first build our sweet country dream home on a nice piece of property, then open some sort of business where I could show up on occasion but have other people manage it - probably like a dog groomers or a Tim Hortons hahah

 

10.Where do you see your blog going in the next year?

I'd love for it to build a bit but then peak and just keep the same readers for years to come. You see all too often bloggers/vloggers become 'bigger' and then they lose their charm. Their pictures become perfect and the stories are rehearsed. This is a real blog the good/bad/ugly I'm hoping it will stay that way.

 

11.Where does your blog inspiration come from?

My brain is a cornucopia of bizarre... I think it, I blog it.

I like watching beauty vloggers, magazine reading, again tv watching..

Can't go wrong with Marilyn Denis and Cityline: little bit of fashion, home décor, health, beauty, recipes, etc I just love them.

 

 

PHEW I was going to put a little recipe in the end of this post however it seems pretty beefy as is so I think I will leave that for a future blog and sign off with some names of blogs I nominate/you should check out!

Thanks for reading! XO

 

http://jaystakeonthings.blogspot.ca

 

http://www.coldsideofthepillow.ca/

 

http://houseofhiredesigns.blogspot.ca/

 

http://allthingserinleigh.blogspot.ca/

 

http://causeyougottahavefaithy.blogspot.ca/

 

http://malibubobbi.blogspot.ca/

 

http://www.polishedandbubbly.blogspot.ca/

 

http://mmmisformommy.com/

 

https://thehungryhomemakerblog.wordpress.com/

 

http://theknightsplace.blogspot.ca/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's talk about winning!!

Thank you everyone for the comments on the giveaway post!! 

I am so happy to hear beauty blogs are well loved because beauty is my bread and buttah. 

I have so many products waiting to be reviewed with a sprinkle of baby/life events coming up, so onward and upward! 

Now can I get a drum roll please... 

Random.org helped me out with the giveaway winner and the prize goes to.. 

Comment #2!!!! 

Whoot Whoot Krista Ali!!!! 

I will send you a message for mailing info! 

I wish I could send a gift to everyone (I considered it) but I had to reel myself back in lol. 

However if anyone wants a post card, I'd  be up for sending out some Newfoundland postcards! I love the excitement of opening the mailbox to something other than bills/flyers gives my day a little pick me up. Message me your mailing address and we can get a little post card train going! 

Let's talk Happy Birthday and a giveaway!!

Hidey ho! 

How is everyone today? 

Life in these parts has been so busy & hectic I couldn't possibly sum it up during this bloggo. As you can see there's been some/are some changes in the works, both for the blog as well as in my life!

All will be revealed in due time but as of today all I wanted to say is.. 

Happy Birthday Hollys Housewife Life!!  

It's been 4 months yesterday since I started this little endeavour, & it's felt like I've blogged my whole life/also like I just started yesterday. 

In honour of this joyous occasion I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. 

I have almost 5500 page views, it baffles me that that many views have made their way to this lil old blog. To me it feels like I'm writing in my journal and making jot notes of my life. 

I thank you for stopping by and wanting to share in my life experiences, for ignoring my terrible writing skills and seeing through to the heart of the blog. 

As a small token of my love I have teamed up with a couple of my favorite beauty providers to bring you a little giveaway! 

(When I say "teamed up", what I actually mean is I love these products and had them leftover as unused Christmas gifts...

This blog has barely 5500 views, do you think anyone would want to sponsor me?? Bahahahaha) 

^ 2 mini Juleps and a pack of EOS

So the rules of the giveaway are as follows: 

Leave a comment stating what your favorite type of post is/or what you would like to see more of: 

Beauty 

Baby

My day to day life stories 

Make sure you state your name & are either a fb friend, Instagram follower or leave an email where I will be able to contact you when you win! 

A winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on March 1st 2015!!

I don't feel as though blogs need to host giveaways, I think 2 readers who love reading my blog are more important than 2000 who only show up for the swag but since I kind of love sending mail (the postal worker in me) and giving is almost more fun than receiving (almost) I thought this would be a fun way to connect!! 

Contest open internationally! 

Please someone other than my mom comment! (She can't win, that's just shady)

XOX 

Lets talk about unwaxing your candle...

I have soooo turned into my grandmother.. Soon I'm going to be washing out milk bags and using them in place of Ziplocks. Just kidding Newfoundland doesn't have bags of milk so

the Ziplocks live to see another day!

I can't stand throwing anything in the garbage anymore, I think about how many garbage bags my family (of 3) produces in the run of a week and it breaks my heart.

Our poor planet.

 I usually save everything in hopes of someday finding a craft or project that it will be good for.

Normally it works! Its just a matter of how long/where do you store all this junk in the process of awaiting the perfect craft. Luckily we have a garage and not many garage like hobbies so

its kind of turned into my craft room out there.

I'd been saving my Bath and Body works burned candles for quite some time in the hopes I would someday take the initiative and clean them out. The day is finally upon us!!

First things first.. place baby happily occupied in background: CHECK!

Remove covers and score up remaining wax. You're going to need a sharp knife for this. Make sure its a knife you never plan on using again.



Boil kettle and pour boiling water into candles..

Let sit for quite some time.. If you're impatient like me, every once and a while go swirl the water with the knife, but try to let the wax rise to the surface in its own time.

Once wax forms on the surface and cools slightly cut around edges with sharp knife and remove whole piece of wax (in addition plastic utensils are a handy assistant).



The main wax should be gone but there will be some bits and pieces remaining

boil kettle again and repeat process.

Here comes the elbow grease.. There will always be little bits of wax that the boiling water just wont cut through. So I took some baking soda on a roughed up rag and buffed the remaining wax off the glass. I then peeled off the labels and soaked the glass jars in the sink to remove any left over glue.

I'm not going to say it was easy the process took me all evening (and some) but I had 15 candles, in the future I wouldn't let them pile up that long. Just boiling enough water to fill 15 of those suckers..

So what did I do with all those jars you ask? I took them into Girl Guides and we filled them with homemade bath salts! (the kind for a bath!! not the you know drug assortment)

It started off as bath salts anyway but then the girls started brain storming what else we could use them for aka mainly a holder for things makeup brush holder (stick your brushes in the salt), pencil holder, candle holder (poor jars came full circle!), or just a pretty jar of sand to display!

Almost every girl decided to dye her salts rainbow colours.

^ Our Jars

I got the bath salt recipe off google

it was:

• 3 parts Epsom salt to 1 part sea salt
• essential oil
• and add a tiny bit off food colouring if you want colour

^ I had some extra jars and I kind of love them!

 I always need storage and you could use them for anything from buttons to bows!

Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Lets talk about Mary-Kate and Ashley..

Omg doesn't that just bring you back..

My girls MK & A

In fact I'm going to let you in on a tiny secret...

 I still have this MK & A hair texturizer I purchased in 2002..

(Insert Monkey emoji with his hands over mouth)

 

 

 

I just can't bring myself to throw it out!

They had THE BEST hair of the 2000's..

^ that perfect beachy undone hair!!

 

I know... I know...

 

Anyway bringing ourselves into current day

I am happy to announce the sisters are back in the beauty world

and I HAD to get my hands on some of their stuff!

 



 

On a whim I cashed in my Sephora points for the Elizabeth and James

Nirvana White perfume..

 

I like it.

I don't loooove it,

If you're not much of a perfume wearer I can see it being too much,

It leans toward old lady scent and has a deep musky side to it.

 

 I did some googling after that and it seems more people

like the Nirvana Black..

I got my sister to buy me it for Christmas and I have to say I agree

with the majority.

Its still a strong perfume but its is lighter and fruitier,

more of an everyday wear perfume hands down.

 

Overall I'm not a huge perfume wearer anyway..

where can you even wear perfume anymore??

(I feel like I'm saying a lot of WHERE and WEARS in this blog post)

 

but I am really glad I own both

I guess its just the hoarder inside of me who loves to own things,

especially things made by my childhood idols..

 

I'm even tempted to buy the full sizes just because I love

the packaging so dang much!

^ I just LOVE them!

 

Alas I won't

because that would be cray...

and because I'm still working on this Marc Jacobs

I purchased almost 2 years ago..

 

I was reading the small things blog years ago and I remembered Kate saying

on her wedding someone gave her the advice to wear a new perfume.

Then for every anniversary, special occasion afterwards you could wear your

wedding perfume and it would take you back to that day.

Well I thought that was lovely advice,

how romantic and sweet..

So on my wedding day I wore Daisy by Marc Jacobs.

 

Yeah, very quickly I realized I'd have to be married for 3055 years to ever get

through this tiny rollerball of perfume so I may as well wear it everyday.

Screw special occasions!

I don't find my memories are connected to scents anyway

but it is a nice thought.

 

 

 



 

 

In other news I just cant stop laughing at Elliott backward

crawling his way under everything... 

 

The boy is on the move but not in a traditional crawl,

he's more into army crawling/roll around/reverse movements!

Its so funny!

- XOXO

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