Fishtail Friendship Bracelet Tutorial

Welcome back! In this tutorial you're going to learn how to make the easiest, most awesome friendship bracelet. I'm in love with this bracelet because it's super easy and so pretty. Who wants to be stressing while they're crafting? Not this lady!

Materials:

• Embroidery floss in 4 colors
• Scissors
• Scotch Tape
• Something sturdy to tape your bracelet to

Step 1:
Measure your floss. I wrapped it around my wrist twice and added an extra 2" then doubled that. Cut 3 strands of each color this length. Keep in mind that you want to have them as close to the same length as possible to avoid running out of floss.

Step 2:
Fold your thread in half and tie a knot at the end with the fold so you've got a loop.




Step 3:
Tape the loop down to your sturdy surface very well. You will be pulling and tugging on this so make sure you've got enough tape to hold it down. It will make this project so much easier.

Step 4: Separate your bundle into 2 even sides with 3 strands of each color. It helps if you separate each of the colors in the beginning so you don't end up with tangled strands down the line. I labeled each color to make it a little easier to explain.

Step 5:
Take one side of strand A and bring it across the other strands on the same side and tuck it under the opposite side.

Take the opposite side of strand A and repeat above but going the other direction.




Step 6:
Repeat step 5 with strands B, C and D

Continue repeating step 5 until you are happy with the length of your braid and tie off. Voila! You've just made an awesome friendship bracelet! Don't forget to make another one and give it to a friend :)

BirchBox Review June 2014

 Have I mentioned how much I love getting my BirchBox in the mail?? I feel like it's Christmas in my mailbox once a month, so what's not to love?

This month's theme was vacation (or stay-cation). If you can't afford to go out on a spa retreat, BirchBox has added samples that are perfect to pamper yourself with.  In this box they sent: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit, Nexxus® Color Assure™ Pre-Wash Primer, Nexxus® Color Assure™ Vibrancy Retention Shampoo,  Nexxus® Color Assure™ Vibrancy Retention Conditioner, English Laundry Signature for Her, Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner and Egyptian Magic Skin Cream.

I will start with the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Kit since that's what I sampled first. The instructions are very straight forward and the product is easy to use. You massage the cream onto your dry face and neck using circular motions, run the cloth that is included in the kit under warm/hot water and wipe your face and neck (make sure you use a clean portion of the cloth with each wipe), when your face is all clean and free from the cream you splash your face with cold water and voila! Your face is clean and smooth. I didn't have to use moisturizer after I used this so I was stoked about that. I usually have to drench my face in lotion after I wash it because it gets all dried out but this didn't dry me out and it didn't make me breakout so I'd have to say that is a win.

The fragrance from English Laundry screams summer. It's light and very pleasant. I've been noticing that a lot more fragrances are very strong and overpowering so it's nice to find one that doesn't assault your senses. I think I'm going to buy this when my sample runs out.

 On the jar of Egyptian Magic skin cream it says "a little goes a long way" and they're not kidding. You just need a little dab if you're going to just use it on your hands. It made my hands feel soft without feeling super greasy and I noticed that my skin soaked it up pretty quickly. It says that you can use it in your hair but I already have issues with oily hair so I don't think I'm going to try it in my hair. The only downside to this product is that it's kind of expensive. A 4oz jar is $38. I do know that it will last you a long time but I just can't justify spending that much on a single beauty product.

The first thing that I'd like to point out is that this sample is adorable. Great marketing strategy Nexxus. Not only is the packaging adorable, the product itself is amazing. I dyed my hair red over 6 months ago and it had started to look pretty dull. After using this sample once, my hair color looked like it was fresh out of the box. I'm definitely trading my Radiant Red in for this.

 I have like a million eyeliners (ok not really that many but I have a ton) ranging from Dollar Store brands to super expensive and this one falls right in the middle. I didn't really see anything about this eyeliner that made it more special than the rest. This is the second sample of eyeliner I've received in a BirchBox and this one did not compare to the first. The eyeliner never really dried so if I ended up rubbing my eyes then I'd smudge it everywhere. It also was a little difficult to wash off too.

I just got the notification that my July BirchBox has been shipped so I will be (impatiently) waiting by my mailbox for that to show up. I also signed up for an Ipsy GlamBag to see what the difference between the two are, so keep your eyes open for that review and comparison of the two services. In the meantime go over to BirchBox and get signed up to get your monthly box :) https://www.birchbox.com/invite/BeeBeeandJack

Pinch Provisons Minimergency Kit Review

I got my Minimergency Kit in Chameleon as an addition to my June Birchbox and I am so glad I got it. Not only is it adorable, I have a feeling that it will come in very handy in the future. Who knew you could cram all of that stuff into one teeny little bag with ease. I have emptied this little bag quite a few times and have had no problem getting everything back in.


The people at Pinch Provisions have thought of pretty much everything you could possibly need in a pinch (pun intended). The only thing I would have to add would be a small tube of tinted lipgloss and then it would be perfect for a night out. I love how the bag is small enough to fit into pretty much any bag and is cute enough to pass as a clutch if you just want to slip your ID and credit card in it for a night out on the town. There's even a handy mirror inside if you need to check if your makeup is sweating off from shaking your booty in the club all night.

In this kit you get: 

• A mending kit
• Hairspray (which is refillable)
• Clear nail polish (also refillable)
• Nail polish remover wipe
• Emery board (re-usable)
• Lip balm (also re-usable)
• Earring backs
• Clear elastics
• A safety pin
• Shemergency® tape
• Stain remover wipe
• Deodorant wipe
• Advil
• Tampon
• Breath freshener (another re-usable item)
• Dental floss
• A band-aid

Pinch Provisions sells all of the refills on their website for fairly inexpensive but if you've already got the stuff to refill it with (shout wipes,tampax tampons, etc) then by all means I encourage you to fill it with stuff that you've already got. It is exactly what I'm planning on doing. :)

Learning to Crochet Part 3 - The Half-stitches

Welcome back for another Crochet Tutorial! This one is going to be shorter and hopefully easier than the last ones. The half-stitches are a variation of the stitches I taught you in the last tutorial but end up being shorter and slightly bulkier than the full stitches.

The two stitches we're going to work on today are the Half-Double Crochet and the Half-Treble Crochet.  If you've got the Double Crochet and the Treble Crochet mastered than this will be super easy for you.

Materials you will need:

• Yarn
• Crochet hook
• Comfortable place to sit 

We will start with the Half-Double Crochet, you will see this abbreviated as HDC on most patterns. CH 10 for this tutorial. Just like with the DC, you're going to wrap the yarn over before you put it through the hook. Yarn over again and pull through just the top loop leaving you with 3 loops on the hook. Yarn over again and pull through all 3 loops. Do this again for the next 9 stitches. CH 1, turn and repeat. Easy right?

The Half-Treble Crochet or HTC is similar with more loops just like the TC. To start out you're going to CH 10 again. Wrap the yarn around your hook twice before you stick it in the first loop. Yarn over and pull through just the top loop leaving you with 4 loops on your hook. Yarn over again and pull it through the top 2 loops leaving you with 3 remaining loops on your hook.

Yarn over one last time and pull through all 3 loops. Repeat for the next 9 stitches. CH 1, turn and repeat.

Now you know all the basics of Crochet and we can move onto more complicated stitches and patterns in the future.  Happy Crocheting!

Learning to Crochet Part 2 - Double Crochet, Treble Crochet and the Slip Stitch

Welcome back! In case you missed the first tutorial on learning to crochet, you should check it out. You need to learn those steps before you can move onto this tutorial. You can find it here: http://begangstress.blogspot.com/2014/06/learning-to-crochet-part-1-chaining-and.html

You will need the same materials as last time:

• Yarn
• Crochet hook
• Comfortable place to sit

Pretty much every project starts with a chain as the base. Each of these stitches I'm about to teach you is a variation of the SC stitch you learned in the last tutorial. Are you ready?

The first one I'm going to teach you is the Double Crochet. You will see this abbreviated as DC in most patterns. Go ahead and CH 10 for this tutorial. Before you put your hook through the first CH pull your yarn over your hook and then slide it through the CH next to your hook. 





Yarn over again and pull through the first loop only.Yarn over again and pull through the first two loops only (you should have 2 loops left) Yarn over one last time and pull through the last two loops leaving you with one loop on the hook. Repeat this for the next 9 stitches. Ta-Da! You've learned the Double Crochet!

This next stitch is called the Treble Crochet and you will see it abbreviated as TC in most patterns.  Starting fresh, CH 10 again.  Like we did with the DC above we're going yarn over the hook before putting it into the first CH except we're going to wrap around twice instead of just once. Make sure you wrap going up away from the original hook on your chain, otherwise you'll run into a Clusterf*** on your hook. Yarn over and pull through just the top loop.

Yarn over again and pull through the top two loops leaving 3 remaining on your hook. Yarn over again and pull through just the top two hooks again leaving 2 remaining on your hook.  Yarn over one last time and pull through the last two loops leaving one left on the hook. Repeat this for the next 9 stitches. And now you know the Treble Crochet.

The Slip Stitch, which is usually abbreviated Sl St, is usually used to finish up a row or to finish up a project. We're just going to practice this stitch, I don't think I've ever encountered a pattern that required an entire row of Sl St's. Go ahead and CH 10, just like with the SC, put the hook into the first CH without pulling the yarn over first. Yarn over and pull through both loops on your hook leaving you with one brand new loop. Simple right? Continue for the next 9 stitches.

I was going to continue with the half-stitches, but I think you've already done a lot of learning with this tutorial and I don't want to overwhelm you. Join me next time to learn all the half-stitches. In the meantime, keep practicing those stitches and I would love to see your completed projects. Send pictures of them to me at BeeBeeandJack@gmail.com. Can't wait to see!

Because Sometimes Mommy Needs a Break...

Do you have those days where you feel like you’ve been running around ALL day and have accomplished NOTHING?? I do. A LOT. And it’s not for lack of trying that is for sure. Sometimes I’ll start the dishes only to get one plate in before I’m getting tugged on “Mom, mom, mom” “Uuuuup!”. My son loves to help, but mostly he wants to get up on the counter and get into the cupboards because that’s where we hide things from him such as his bubbles, chalk, binky, etc. and telling him that he can’t have his binky because it’s not bedtime or he can’t have his chalk because it’s raining outside is just asking for a melt down.

Sometimes you just need a break to take a couple of deep breaths, relax, get your head refocused, and regroup. With little ones, these chances are few and far between but you have to take the chance when you get it. Don’t laugh, I take my time-outs in the bathroom. It’s the only place in my house I can get a few minutes of peace because nobody wants to interrupt mommy while she’s going potty. You can even make sound effects while you’re in there to make it seem like you’re actually going. I pour water in the toilet and drop in a couple of leftover robin egg malted milk balls from easter for my effects.

Before you go and take your little breather, you should make sure you little one can’t get into any trouble while you’re in your happy place. There’s nothing worse then emerging from your Zen garden to find your child has painted the TV with their PB&J or they have drawn you a beautiful picture in that library book that is due back today. If there’s nothing that can hurt your child or for them to get into, barricade them in their room. Luckily J is little enough that he can’t climb over the baby gate, so I put that in the door to keep him from running buckwild through our apartment. Another thing I do is put J in his high chair with some crayons and a coloring book to keep him occupied for a few minutes. I made the mistake once of letting him color outside of his highchair and my walls have a lovely drawing in royal blue on them.

I find that after finishing one of my breaks I’m a lot calmer, more clear-headed and less likely to snap at my child over something insignificant. People who work outside the home get mandatory 15 minute breaks, so why shouldn’t stay-at-home moms? Everyone deserves 15 minutes to themselves where they can read a book, do their nails, zone out, take a quick nap or whatever you feel like doing. Most of the time I find myself zoning out or daydreaming to get a break from reality. It’s hard work being a mom and even supermoms need a break every once in a while. It’s not only good for you, it’s good for you kids too. I find myself yelling a lot less and getting a lot less frustrated over little things. Happy mommy= Happy family :)