christmas decor 2014

Hey y'all! 

Today I am linking up with Kelly's Korner's 

Christmas Tour of Homes. 

It was just the push I needed to get pictures taken of my decor this year. 

My favorite thing in my house is in my library, of course. 

This year I did my first book tree. 

It was super simple to do and only took about 10 minutes. 

I cannot believe I have never tried it before. 

I decided not to do a big tree this year. 

I will be a D's house the week before and week after Christmas. 

So, it didn't make a lot of sense to have two big trees. 

My wonderful landlord gave me this live tree that I can plant after the holidays 

and it was perfect. 

Every year I have to do a different wrapping theme. 

If anyone needs any wrapping paper, 

I have PLENTY to choose from. ;) 

I really liked this brown paper look this year. 

Moving on to my main living space ...  

I have a wooden beam that runs the length of my apartment. 

And this is my second favorite part of my Christmas decor. 

I hung the ornaments with fishing line and it looks like they are just floating in space. 

I love the look of this tray 

It is so hard to get a picture of the whole beam

I got all of my decorations from Hobby Lobby. 

That place gets me every time. 

I swear I cannot walk out of that place without spending $50. 

If you are stopping by from the linkup be sure to say Hi! 

SUYL: all about makeup

Today I am linking up with Kelly's Korner 

Show Us Your Life series. 

This week the topic is 

all about makeup. 

I am a low maintenance girl when it comes to makeup. 
I actually HATE wearing makeup 
and only wear it when it is necessary, i.e. work or events. 

I am not creative with my makeup. 
I am a GAW (grown a** woman) and 
I have no clue how to put on eyeliner. 
I have tried to learn and have watched a crazy amount 
of YouTube videos and it is a no-go. 
I have small eyes and they just do not cooperate with eyeliner. 

I have used Bare Minerals for years now. 
It is the only foundation I can tolerate for any length of time. 
Liquid foundations always feel to heavy on my face 
and make me feel claustrophobic. 
I know, sounds crazy, right?! 

This is what I use on a daily basis: 

Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Medium 

Bare Minerals Mineral Veil 

Bare Minerals Bronzer in Skinny Dip
I just recently learned how to use bronzer & highlighter! 

Bare Minerals Luminizer in Love Affair
for highlighting

Bare Minerals Eyeshadow in Fire Opal

CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara Waterproof

Carmex
I do not wear any kind of lipstick 

What is your go-to makeup? 

Y'all be sure to check back Monday for a fun GIVEAWAY! 

*none of the links are affiliated links, just the best place to get pictures

SUYL: 4th of July Traditions

Today I am linking up with Kelly's Korner 

Show Us Your Life series. 

This week the topic is 

4th of July traditions. 

Independence Day
is seriously my favorite holiday of the year. 
I love it more than Christmas and Thanksgiving. 

I have always been very patriotic 
and I love anything to do with history. 

But also on a completely different level, 
you get FIREWORKS 
and no obligatory family dinners. 

What is not to love about July 4th?! 

I have never really had any traditions. 
Unless you count mandatory viewing of fireworks as a tradition. 
I have seriously driven hours to see fireworks 
when my local show has been cancelled because of weather. 

D's family, on the other hand, does have traditions. 
Every year the entire family, 
I'm talking 40-50 people, 
gathers at D's grandparents' pool house. 
There is always food, fun, and lots of swimming. 
Definitely my kind of people! 

D and I almost missed fireworks last year because of rain, 
on our FIRST Independence Day together. 
We hadn't been dating quite 3 months yet. 
It was flooding 
where we initially planned on watching fireworks. 
So, D literally sped to get back to town 
and just as we arrived the 
first fireworks were shot off. 

Close call!

My plans this year are to hang out with D's family, 
eat, swim, and watch fireworks. 
Sounds like a perfect July 4th to me! 

all images courtesy of google image search

SUYL: all about hair

Today I am linking up with Kelly's Korner 

Show Us Your Life series. 

This week the topic is 

all about hair. 

I am a pretty low maintenance girl. 

My favorite outfit is jeans & a tshirt, 

I only wear makeup when necessary, 

and dressing up is a hassle. ;) 

However, my hair is pretty high maintenance. 

I have always had long hair. 

Currently, it is a little more than halfway down my back. 

I think the key to having long hair is to have healthy hair. 

I always get comments on how healthy my hair looks 

and my stylist says I have the healthiest head of hair she works on. 

Now, I think part of this is genetics. 

I have naturally straight hair so I do not have to use a lot of heat on it daily. 

Oh how I have always wanted curly hair. 

But the other part is product. 

I use quality products on my hair and probably spend way too much money. 

I figure it balances out with the money I save on makeup. 

I have also never colored my hair either so I save on that expense as well. 

I have used the same products on my hair for about 5 years or so now. 

I found the perfect mix for my hair! 

Here is my laundry list of hair products that I use daily: 

S Factor Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner 

It's A 10 Leave-In Conditioner Plus Keratin 

S Factor Smoothing Lusterizer 

S Factor Dream Drops 

I am always interested in hair products other people swear by. 

What is your favorite hair product? 

***all pictures found on Amazon.com***