Why I'm Never Going Back to Acrylic Nails

So anyone who knows me knows I always have long nails, usually with nail art that matches whatever is going on that month. This goes beyond just cute hearts for valentines day or red glitter for the holidays...
Last year I had a full on painting of Kendrick Lamar on my nails before I went to the DAMN. Tour. I also had Beyoncé and Drake themed nails...I did galaxy nails, chrome, quartz...all the trends and then some!
I just can not keep up with the maintenance and money it takes to keep these things up! The salons are charging so much now---everything is extra. And with my job I'm always breaking one and then I have to go take an hour out of my day to go get it fixed. Ain't nobody got time...
Not to mention the money, I swear I spend between 40-70 a month at the salons--it's too much!
No more!

So I tried to learn how to do acrylics at home---this did not end well admittedly...the fumes in my house made me sick to my stomach...they are not easy to do on yourself, and take twice as long. I started to realize acrylics aren't for me--they are ruining my nails, with a little bit of research I can tell they aren't good for your nails, the chemicals involved can cause nail separation, burning, pain, and swelling. And the stiffness of the hardened acrylic is dangerous for your nails, I can confirm that, I can't count how many times I've jammed my nail or broken it and its caused me pain until I can find time to get it fixed.
No more!

So I decided to look at alternatives. Whew! Why didn't I do this sooner?! My nails now take me about 15 minutes to do and they last just about as long...

Follow these steps if you want to save time and money and still keep your nails on point:

First you'll need a few supplies (all available at Amazon):
-Nail clippers
-Wooden cuticle pusher
-Cuticle Oil (love this milk and honey one)
-Nail File 180 grit
-Nail Buffer
-ECBasket nails (come in my favorite shapes coffin and stiletto)
-Nail glue
-Polish and embellishments of your choice!
-A table, tray, or workspace

Now that you're all set up, you can start!
1. Cut your nails to desired length (I keep mine pretty short because I'm weird about seeing them underneath)
2. Push back your cuticles
3 Use your nail file and buffer to file and add some grit to your nails (This will help the glue bond, and your nails will stick for longer)
4. Pick out your nail sizes, and file if needed to match desired size, length and shape (the nails in the link are pretty spot on, so I don't need to do a whole lot of filing as long as I pick the right sizes)
5. Take your glue and apply directly to the back of the nail, then press up and into your nail bed to avoid air bubbles
6. Hold each nail on for 10-20 seconds until dry and secure.
7. Finish applying all nails making sure to keep straight and avoid bubbles (don't worry if you get them at first, it takes some practice)
8. Paint and decorate nails as usual without breaking the bank or wasting your life in the salon!

Each set can last about 2-3 weeks if you take care of them! Basically the same as acrylics...any longer and I'm going to get tired and want to switch them up anyway--so this is perfect for me.

Let me know if you try it out at home, and tag me @craftycake27 and #CCnailedit

I need you to listen to the vision

Ayyy January!

Time to answer that all important question "What do I want?"...What do I want out of this year, the next couple years even...what direction do I want my life to go in, and what steps can I take this year to put those things in motion? Before you manifest all your deepest desires and greatest dreams into existence, you have to decide what your ideal life looks like!

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. And I'm going to be honest, it's not always easy! The pursuit of your dreams is RARELY smooth sailing. In fact, its rocky as hell--and I get sea sickness just thinking about it. But, I learn more about myself every year and I'm honing in on exactly what it is that I want.
So today I'm answering that question for myself in the form of a good old vision board with a twist!

Now when you think vision board, you may think about cutting random photos and words out of a magazine and glueing them into a cute collage on the front of your binder like in high school ...anyone?...Maybe that was just me then...
But this time we are going to adult it up a bit, and put some real thought into it.
So break out your notebook and begin by writing a list of the areas of your life you want to focus on this year. OR if you're following along and read my last post about the habit tracker, you can use your list from that!
Mine is:
-Family/Relationships
-Career/Financial Freedom
-Wellness (physical/mental)
-Skill Development
-Travel/Quality of Life

Then, break these categories down further, be specific!


Mine became:
-Family/Relationships - (Quality time with my husband, Make girlfriends, keep in touch, walk dogs, make our home beautiful, learn to cook new things)
-Career/Financial Freedom (Book more events, do more event design, grow my brand, pay down credit cards, work with a few specific companies *I wont say, but points if you can spot them on my board)
-Wellness (physical/mental) - (Yoga and Meditation, Eating clean and healthy, Self-care)
-Skill Development - (Design skills, lettering, journaling, social media and marketing)
-Travel/Quality of Life - (Travel with my husband, outside activities, free activities)

THEN comes the fun part! Pull visual representation of all these things from Pinterest, your favorite blogs, google, magazines, photos, etc...anything you can glue/pin up to symbolize what these things mean to you. Again, be as specific as you can! If you want to save for a house, find photos of your dream house...If you want to work for Google, find photos of the Google campus...If you want to start a blog, find photos from your favorite bloggers and the posts that inspire you--gather them all up and lay them out in a big open space!

You can either do a collage style and mix them all up if that works better from you--- I personally CAN NOT do it that way...my brain will not allow it, so I've organized mine onto different cork squares based on their categories.
Then just glue or pin your heart away until you come up with a beautiful board that will remind you every day what you get up and strive for!

Here are a few boards I found that I absolutely LOVE:

1. Love the dry erase vision board idea from Buzzfeed

2. Love this "vision bored" episode of That's So Retrograde with The Spiritual Owl




















3. Love the circular organization of this board




I can't wait to see all of yours! Don't forget to tag @craftycake if you post them!

#NewYearNewHabits

 

Happy New Year CraftyCakes!

Just wanted to share a little new year project with you guys!

Ahhh, the new year, a time we all make ourselves promises we know full well we can't keep, or rather, won't keep.

Let's not.

Lets do this year a little different, shall we?

 

I'm making a list of habits I want to cultivate this year, and rewarding myself for being consistent with them. Because we all know if we attach a reward to something, we are more likely to keep up with it. Sad, but true...we all do this. I know you're going to see this and say, what am I, 6 years old? Can I not stick to a goal without getting something in return right away? Well, how long did you go to the gym last year?

 

Okay, that's what I thought.

I didn't make it past January...so yes, apparently I need a better system to coax myself along the way.

 

Now this is not to say that all the rewards have to be gifts or something you have to buy yourself...these can just be the positive effect the habit has on your life. Ex: I will drink more water (2-3 liters a day)...if I do this 7 days a week, my reward is glowing goddess skin, a better metabolism, and not feeling like a pile of garbage! Yay!

 

 

To make your own New Year Habit Tracker follow these steps;

1. Get yourself a dry erase board or dry erase sticker decal you can put up somewhere in your house that you will see every day.

I'm obsessed with this white marble dry erase board from Target right now...because #marbleandmetalliceverything all day.

2. Write a list (just on a notepad) of the areas of your life you want to prioritize this year.

Mine are:

-Family/Relationship

-Health and Fitness

-Career Goals

-Organization

-Skills/Hobbies

3. Break down that list into realistic habits based on the areas you want focus your energy on.

Example from my list:

-Family/Relationship- Together Things (breakfast with my husband, walking the dogs, family dinners, etc.)

-Health and Fitness- Water consumption, Exercise (yoga and strength), Meditation, Eating Healthy

-Career Goals- Both my Events business and my Craftycake brand - Creating content and outreach

-Skills/Hobbies- Design Skills (practice graphic and lettering)

4. Make a list of Rewards for making time every day to incorporate your desired habits into your daily routine. Keep these realistic- remember it has to be something you can keep up with! However, it also has to be something desirable that will push you to make your goal every week!

Example from my chart:

Drink Water (2-3 liters/day) XXXXXXX = Beautiful Skin + Better Metabolism

Exercise (Yoga + HIIT- 30 mins a day) XXXXXXX = Look and Feel Better

                                                                   +Bonus Reward 8 weeks in a row

                                                                      Buy myself a new fitness item (sports bra, yoga mat, etc.)

 

Morning Pages/Planner (Idea from LittleCoffeeFox) XXXXXXX = More Productive, Focused, and Intentional Days

                                                                                                         +Bonus Reward 4 weeks in a row

                                                                Buy myself a new planner/art supply (watercolors, pens, etc)

 

5. Make a Grid on your dry erase board- 2 thicker columns on either side for your habits and rewards, and 7 smaller boxes in between for your weekly tracking. If you're adding in bonus rewards for multiple weeks, add those boxes dividing your Rewards column.

6. Mark each day you complete the desired habit successfully in the week and reward yourself accordingly! Erase your checkmarks or Xs each week when you reward yourself, and make sure to mark your progress toward bonus rewards!

7. Have fun with it! Add cute magnets or icons to mark off your days, add designs around your titles and headings, you're going to look at this thing every day--make it something eye catching to elevate your work space and keep you pushing toward cultivating a productive and rewarding lifestyle!

Habit Trackers take many forms, they can be in your planner too if you're into that kind of thing--and they can be targeted toward specific topics too! Here are a few of my favorites just for funsies:

1 Plant 2 Agate 3 Mandala

I might need a bigger dry erase board! I'm loving this method so far!

Share with me your boards and the fun rewards you thought of in the comments and tag @craftycake on Instagram so I can see all your cute habit trackers and we can check in and support each others progress! A little accountability never hurt!

 

Tuscan Kale and Sausage Soup

This is one of my all time favorite crock pot recipes. So simple and hearty and comforting. It's also a fairly quick dinner that can be made with ingredients that are already staples in my household.

What you'll need:

1 carton chicken broth 

16 oz carton cream

Bacon (I get the "bits and pieces" from Trader Joe's and chop them even smaller)

Chicken Italian sausage (not in casing)

Tuscan Kale

Potatoes (I usually use red or Yukon gold)

Garlic 

Onions

Sea salt

Cracked black pepper

Thyme

Directions:

Cook chopped onions, garlic, potatoes and bacon. As bacon cooks, add sausage in mini meatball sized pieces, allow to cook in the bacon grease. Chop sausage into smaller pieces with spatula, if you prefer. 

Pour chicken broth and cream into your crock pot, season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Add cooked bacon, sausage and potatoes, then stir in kale and cook on medium-high until kale is tender, then reduce to low/warm.

Serve with some buttery French bread and enjoy!

What are some of your favorite crock pot recipes? 

Pesto 3 Ways!

I'm obsessed with pesto. I like it on my pasta, in my scrambled eggs, on pizza. It's so easy and versatile and it can really add flavor to a dish in a relatively healthy way. It's also fun to experiment with different varieties. Once you can make the basic recipe, you can start adding different greens, nuts, and oils.

What you'll need:

-Oil (EVOO is traditional but you can try infused/flavored olive, coconut, grapeseed, avocado oils)

-Greens (Basil is traditional, also try arugula or kale)

-Nuts (Pine nuts are traditional, also try pistachios or walnuts)

-Seasoning (Sea salt, black pepper, garlic)

I honestly never measure when I cook, which I realize makes it hard for people to follow, but it's hard to mess this one up. You're basically going to put your greens and nuts into your blender, bullet, or food processor and add enough oil so that they will blend smoothly into a thick consistency. Season to taste. Scoop into a mason jar and store in the refrigerator.

A few of my favorite combinations are:

-Basil, EVOO, sundried tomato, and garlic,walnuts

-Arugula, lemon infused olive oil, artichoke hearts, pine nuts

-Kale (massaged with oil and sea salt), pistachios, avocado oil

What are your favorite pesto recipes?

Meal Prep!

Alright, so this is the topic I get asked about the most--the topic that pushed me to start this blog. Meal prep. I meal prep for many reasons...  first of all, I'm crazy busy between working full-time, going to school full-time, and trying to balance a personal/social life. I love to cook, but I don't always have the time to make healthy balanced meals in the moment. Also, it tends to be cheaper and easier to purchase and prepare ingredients in organized batches.

When I started meal prepping, my boyfriend was following a fitness regiment that required him to eat quite a lot of protein and carbohydrates. So I would buy chicken, veggies, and brown rice and cook them in different ways each week--sometimes a pesto or a curry, as well as changing up the types of veggies... but even then, it can get really boring. It can also be difficult to put aside the time to make so many meals at once, but it can be done, and I promise once you get into the routine, it'll be easy!

So here are my tips for meal prepping while still keeping it fresh, economical, and healthy:

• Pin plenty of healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas.

Since one of the biggest challenges of meal prepping is constantly changing it up, it helps to come up with at least a couple ideas for breakfasts and lunches, and 5-7 ideas for dinners per week. Create your shopping lists based on these ideas. You can also try to make things that use similar ingredients in the same week. For example, I pick a few staple ingredients like kale, chicken, and quinoa--then I can make kale salads for lunches, a sautée with similar ingredients for dinners, and even use some of that kale in a breakfast scramble or green drink. Just remember to vary your choices every couple of days so you don't get tired of the recipes too quickly.

 

• Go to your local farmers market!  

Farmers market is the best resource for fresh, local, organic vegetables and fruit. My market even has local meat and dairy. Plus, you can usually get a lot for the money you spend! I usually get dark leafy greens (kale, chard, etc.), squash of all kinds, bok choy, basil, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, carrots, berries, peaches, apples, melon. I don't know what I'd do without our farmers market!

 

 

• Prep and preserve your ingredients.

Ever find that when you buy all your groceries at once, a lot of stuff ends up going bad before you get the chance to use it? By properly preparing and storing your produce you can reduce a lot of waste. First, make sure to soak your veggies and fruit in water with a little bit of apple cider vinegar to clean and preserve them. Then cut and chop veggies as desired, so that they're ready to use. If you're not making meals right away, or if you have some leftover, seal in an airtight container for later use.

 

 

• Invest in some good storage containers

I personally like the ones with the lids attached from Bed Bath & Beyond...because ain't nobody got time to be finding matching lids to each size and shape container! I also use wide mouth mason jars because they're glass and have an airtight seal. If you are making salads, the wide mouth mason jars are ideal for keeping your greens fresh.

• Set aside the time 

I tend to like to prep Sunday evening for the upcoming week, that's just my personal preference. I realize that we all have busy lives, whether it be school, work, or running around after babes all day, we've all got full plates. So I recommend just finding an hour or two where you can to prepare healthy meals. It can be hard to commit to the time, but just remember how much time and money you'll be saving during the week. Not to mention the fact that you are more likely to make healthy nutritional choices when it's all there in the fridge ready to go.

 

 

 

 

Thenutritionshoppe.net

 

• Balance your meals

Make sure to account for your nutritional needs with enough protein, carbohydrates and good fats. I tend to follow the general rule to use mainly fresh organic veggies, lean protein and some whole grains. If the meal that I'm preparing doesn't have enough protein, I'll generally pack it with some raw almonds, a hard boiled egg, or something to give it that boost.

 

 

I will be posting meal prep recipes periodically, but to get you started, here are some of my go-to weekly picks:

• Salad in a jar: dressing in the bottom, greens (I usually use Cruciferous Crunch from Trader Joes because its packed with greens like kale, brussel sprouts, purple and green cabbage), varying veggies and protein.
• Chicken bowls: grilled chicken, non-starchy veggies, brown rice/quinoa blend
• Breakfast power wraps: egg whites, black beans, spinach, salsa, whole grain tortilla
• Overnight oats: steel-cut organic oats, Greek yogurt, almond milk, fruit, chia seeds
• Tuna/Chicken salad in romaine boats: tuna/chicken, celery, grapes, fermented pickle relish

 

 

 

Hope you found some helpful tips, please leave any comments or questions and subscribe for more posts!

DIY: Magnetic Makeup Board

Here's a quick easy DIY project that will give you a creative way to get some of those cosmetics off your bathroom counter! (Anyone else's his/hers sink turning into 3/4 "hers"?)

All you'll need is:

-Magnetic dry erase board, or other metal board you may find (could even be a magnetic chalkboard!)

I got this one at Target for under $10

-Roll of sticky back magnet strip 

-Scissors

-Optional: magnetic basket 

Found this one for $3 in the dorm/locker section at Target.

 

Once you have all your supplies, simply cut sections of magnet strip, peel off backing, and apply to back of all your cosmetics (making sure to bend strips backwards before applying so they don't curl up on the ends). Then just stick them up on the board and label as you like! The basket is useful for holding brushes, mascara and anything too small to apply magnets to.

Feel free to comment if you tried this and send me a link to your finished product!