Makin' the Cut

How to turn a hoodie sweatshirt into an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt (so dirty dancing hot!)

Things you'll need
* Sweatshirt (I found this awesome one at a thrift store for $2.50 ha ha)
* Sharp Scissors (in my case my mom's hee hee)

Step 1...lay sweatshirt on a flat surface

step 2...decide how off the shoulder you want it (the closer you make your snips to the shoulder seams, the wider the neck line will be)
step 3...cut a small snip on both sides (i do mine about 1 1/2 inches in, anymore than that and I find myself having to adjust all day...super annoying ha ha ha)

step 4...cutting only the front of the sweatshirt cut in a U shape from snip to snip trying for a continuous cut....smoother line that way.

step 5...hold up the fabric that has been cut out of your way and make a continuous cut in a straight line across the back (cutting the back straight instead of in a U shape like in the front will keep the sweatshirt on your shoulders better ha ha or you could end up with your sweatshirt falling around your waist....not the most modest look ha ha

step 6...once you are done cutting all the way pull the neck line till it stretches a little and it gets this super cool rolled edge.

Tada......

Happy Chopping :)

p.s I will blog soon to show you what to do if you get a little too chop happy and make the neck line too big so DON'T throw any "mistakes" away, it's totally fixable and super cute!!!

much love & more to come,
Jenny :)

Kissably Soft Lips

Oh the joy's of winter! The combination of harsh cold, windy days and artificial heat can really take a toll on a poor girls (or boy's) skin! Nobody likes dry, cracked um ANYTHING and that def goes for LIPS!!!

I have mentioned before and I will say it again....I SUFFER FROM EXTREAMLY DRY SKIN grrr it's no fun! I have tried just about every chapstick and lip balm out there and the one that I always come back to isn't even actually just for your lips at all! And the very best part is its CHEAP!!!! YAY!!!!

You don't have to use the vasoline brand. Any of the cheap brands work great as long as it's 100% petroleum jelly.

Petroluem jelly is an oil-based product and it will moisterize even the driest of all dried-out lips. (mine ha ha)
It will protect your lips from the elements and help your skin to naturally hydrate itself from the inside out.

I apply this stuff throughout the day and especially at night before I go to bed (really I keep it on my night-stand) it keeps my lips kissably soft and moisterized and the bonus is.........it's got great shine power!!!!
boo-yah!!!

For a little extra dazzle, line your lips with your favorite lip liner and then apply a dab of petroleum jelly, rub lips together and bam beautiful, soft, shiny lips!! Now your ready for your kiss!!!

hugs & shiny soft kisses
Jenny

gotcha baby covered

how to turn a baby t-shirt into a baby skirt
aka: baby bum cover

ok this works the very same way as doing an adult sized shirt.

sometimes with baby leggings you can see a little too much diaper bulge (never a good look)

step 1...lay t-shirt out flat on a table or the floor

this is great if you have a t-shirt that has a stain on it...simply turn inside out and make skirt that way.

step 2...cut in a straight line underneith armpits
step 3...cut 2 inch slit on side at the top of skirt
step 4...tie both sides of slit into a double knot

voila.....baby skirt!! Cute, Fast and in this case free!!

helping you keep that diaper bulge under wraps =)

much love & more to come,
Jenny

gotcha covered

how to turn a t-shirt into a skirt
aka: vajajay/bum bum cover ha ha ha

i love leggings!! they are fashionable and oh so comfy!!....one thing tho ~ THEY ARE NOT PANTS!!!! ha ha ha there are certian parts (vag area, bum area) that NEED to stay covered!!! please, please, please for the sake of humanity follow that rule!!!

so........what do you do it you want to wear a shirt that doesn't quite have the right coverage???

here is my solution............

thing's you'll need
*t-shirt in whatever color you want your skirt to be (i picked mine up today at a thrift store for $1)
*sharp scissors (ha ha i have to admit here my sharp scissors are lost so the cut is a little jagged)
(if the shirt has a graphic on it that's ok you can make it inside out)

step 1...lay shirt out flat on a table or the floor
step 2...cut in a straight line underneith the arm pits

step 3...cut a slip in the top on the side of the skirt about 5 inches long (i make the bottom of the hem of the shirt be the top of the skirt)

step 4...slip skirt on over leggings and fold over the top where you cut the slit.
step 5...tie a double knot with the two side of the slits

Voila!! Now you have a cute little skirt!!!
Cheap & Easy

helping you cover that a** ah ha ha ha

much love & more to come,
Jenny :)

brite ~ white & gleaming (teeth that is)

Everybody loves a gleaming, brite, white set of pearly whites ~ what's not always so pretty??.....the price $$$ tag on some of the popular whitening kits!!

Well have I got a cheap thrill for you!!!
(YAY)

All it's gonna set you back is $1
"did i say ONE DOLLAR" seriously ha ha
yes i did!!!

This is one beauty find that I am so glad I found!! yeee heee

drum roll pease........

Natural White
5 Minute
Whitening Gel

You can buy it from the Dollar Tree!! (which they now have in 48 states)

This stuff is AMAZINGGGG!!! ha ha ha I LOVE IT!!!

Its comes with a tube of the gel and a mouth tray and all you do is squeeze some of the gel either directly onto your teeth or into the tray (whichever way you like best) and you wear it for 5 minutes!!

*avoid eating or drinking anything for an hour after using!!!

(here i am looking super cool with the tray in)
ha ha ha!!!

Happy whitening!!!

Much love & more to come,
Jenny

Ticket to the GUN SHOW

How to get sexy toned arms without bulking up!!

Nothing is better for us budget babes then FREE!!!
Here is my favorite free work-out move that you can do ANYWHERE!!!

Toned arms are sexy, sexy, sexy! Gollum (lord of the rings creature) arms NOT so much!!! ha ha ha

Wall push-ups are a wonderful way to work your upper arms (biceps & triceps) and your chest muscles (pectoral) ha ha think "i must, i must, i must increase my bust!!" without bulking up.

HOW-TO (it's super easy)

Stand in front of an empty wall (i find that doorways are perfect)
Arms up to shoulder level
Place palms against wall slightly wider the shoulders fingertips facing up
Back feet up a couple feet away from wall...feet together
Push off the wall until your arms are in an outstretched position with elbows slightly bent.
Repeat 20 or more times (i've been doing this forever and usually do 50)

*Don't arch your back ~ Keep body nice and straight with abs pulled in.

Do this exercise once or twice a day and you will be well on your way to sexy, toned arms just in-time for tanktop weather!!!

much love & more to come,
Jenny

E is for Excellent

Excellent moisterizing power that is!!!
VITAMIN E = skins bestest friend!!!

There are tons of moisterizers out there that contain one of natures most effective dry skin emollients - vitimine E!! Instead of spending anywhere between $20 - $200 (those numbers just sounded good ha ha) for a bottle of moisterizer that contains vit E as ONE of it's many ingrediants (some of which are totally unpronouncable "what even is that") why not go straight to the source?!?!

"how" you ask???

here's my little secret........

Vitamin E softgel capsules from your friendly market (Target, Wal-Mart, ect ect) in the vitamin section!

"wait.....arn't you sposed to swallow those things?"

well, Yes and that definately is wonderful for healthy skin, hair and nails (oh yeah and a strong healthy heart) but.............

If you want an excellent way to attack dry skin on your face or your body........all you need is......
*Vitamin E softgels
           &
*a safety pin or needle

Hold the capsule securely betweem two fingers and your weapon of choice ha ha in the other hand and give the capsule a good poke (two pokes work best) till you see the liquid start to leak out.

Squeeze all of the liquid vit e (for my face i use 4) into the palm of your hand and swirl it with your fingertip to warm it up (warming it will allow for easier application)

Apply to areas of troubling dry spots or apply all over your pretty face (that's what i do as i suffer from dry skin)

After applying allow a good hour or two to fully soak in before applying make-up (ha ha or make-up will slide right off eeek) I do this as a Sunday afternoon or a night treatment after washing my make-up off to avoid that problem.

Tips.......secure your hair back away from your face to avoid getting any in it (i learned that the hard way ha ha ha i looked like slick rick when i was finished)
.............if you are applying it to your hands then put gloves on or everything you touch with be vit e'd (ooops) ha ha
............your face will be shiny and wet looking until the vit E is fully soaked in, but it's sooo worth the wait! ( my son say's "mom why are you ALL shiny ha ha ha). Your skin will be thanking you over and over and singing songs of bliss!!!.......ok, maybe that's just me singing ha ha ha

If you find that you just can't stand the shiny, thick feeling of the vit E straight up then you can instead squeeze the liguid from the softgel into a squirt of your regular lotion and mix with your finger in the palm of your hand before applying as usual.

From shining to glowing in no time and for under $4!!!!

                                                                      SHINE ON =)

p.s.......this is a great way to top off the sugary lemon facial scrub treatment from my last blog =)

much love & more to come,
                                       Jenny

Mini Face Peel

Fast, CHEAP, Easy
Mini Face Peel

Here is my cheap beauty trick of the week!!! It's a sweet one ha ha ha!!!

When life hands you lemons - grab some sugar and make some facial scrub!!!

ha ha ha by "lemons" i mean
*sun spots
*age spots
*acne
*freckles
*dull skin
*discoloration
*pregnancy mask (ha ha mine looked like a moustache when i was preggo with my daughter)

Lemons contain aha's (alpha hydroxy acids) & bha's (beta hydroxy acids)
Sugar contains skin softening agents and major buffing power

aha's & bha's work to slough off the top layer of yucky dead skin cells and the acid from the lemons kill nasty bacteria

what you'll need
(you probably already have it)
*lemon - either fresh or the juice from one of those lemon thingys in the produce isle
*granulated sugar
*cotton pad or cotton balls

First ~ Wet your clean face with warm water (warm water opens your pores getting your face ready for optimum scrubbyness)

2nd ~ squeeze some lemon juice onto your handy lil cotton pad till its soaked

3rd ~ sprinkle about a tsp of sugar on top of pad (everythings better with sugar on top!!!)

4th ~ scrub and buff away all over your pretty lil face concentrating on any trouble spots and your t-zone (forehead, nose & chin)

5th ~ rinse off with warm water and pat skin dry with clean towel

I promise you will be AMAZED with the super softyness of your skin!!! It feels SOOOO good!!!!

You can use this lemoney sweet scrub anytime your heart desires (like once a day ha ha)

If you have very sensitive skin dilute the lemon juice with a splash of water and only scrub everyother day

Don't get it in your eyes - it stings =(   If it gets in your mouth well that's ok ha ha ha it tastes like lemonaid mmm and its alllll natural!! (in-fact it works great to slough off dead peeling skin of chapped lips)

Enjoy your BEAUTIFUL, GLOWING, SOFT skin!!!

much love and more to come,
                                          Jenny

Budget Queen

Hello, my name is Jenny and I am a shopaholic!!! ha ha ha it's totally cool though, cuz I am also a bargain queen!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fashion and beauty!! My two major addictions are fashion mags and lip gloss (seriously can't get enough) ha ha ha........for me fashion magazines are great for finding fabulous style IDEAS. I mean seriously how many of us can rush out to snag up the newest $1,675 Stella McCartney dress or an $85 bottle of miracle cream?? NOT me that's for sure ha ha!!! For me  NOTHING is better then fashion and beauty bargains (hey that includes the beauty of house and home too) ha ha ha even if i won the lottery i'd still get my kicks bargain hunting!! Oh the joy of THE score!!! I also love beauty routines that get their start from my fridge ha ha yep i did say fridge. (more on that one later) I am going to blog weekly, bi-weekly, daily whenever my lil 13 month old lil boss lady will let me. I am going to share ALL of my cheap beauty tricks, thrift store hauls, clothing alterations, how-to's and much much much more!! I believe you can have *beauty* without busting the budget!!!

Remember ~ true beauty comes from within, and that my friends is always FREE!!!

much love and more to come,
                                         Jenny