Thursday, August 29, 2013

Stacked/Layered Bracelets

Are you a fan of the stacked (or layered) bracelet trend?  I never thought I'd get on board because I tend to be a minimalist with jewelry and it used to bug me when bracelets banged against each other on my arm.  But, I love the look on other women, so I've been giving it a try.  I think I'm converted.  Below is a quick instagram pic (@Honeywerehome) from earlier this week.










From left to right: 


Henri Bendel


Stella & Dot


Stella & Dot


Express


Bebe (but I've seen similar at Macy's and other stores)





Considering I've collected quite a few bracelets over the years, I ordered a jewelry holder on Amazon and I'm so happy with how organized my bracelets are now.  It's a 3-tier white leatherette stand that is really sturdy. 




















Most of my bracelets are from Stella & Dot, Macy's, Henri Bendel, Express, Nordstrom, or gifts.  Charming Charlie's and Target have cute, inexpensive bracelets too.  Sometimes you can even find great deals on fun jewelry in the juniors department.





Here are some recent faves from Nordstrom, many of which are currently 50% off!




















































$47.49 (50% off)






$29 (50% off)






$34.80 (40% off)
















$22.49 (50% off)






$22.49 (50% off)




Have a great weekend!







Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Rifle Paper Magazine Holders

I'm forever rearranging the items in my home office bookshelf.  I have the large Ikea Expedit which is perfect for housing books, containers, photos, decorative objects, etc.  Each cube is 12x12 so there's lots of space to play with.









While the contents of the bookshelf were generally very colorful, it used to be dominated by aqua.  Now, I'm going for more pinks, blushes and golds in the bookshelf.  Not wanting to purchase more magazine files, I opted to cover my existing aqua ones in wrapping paper.  










I'm a huge fan of Rifle Paper Co. designs and knew I would not quickly tire of looking at their latest floral patterns.










In order to save paper- each roll only comes with three sheets and I had six files to cover- I opted to take a short cut and only cover the back and part of the sides. Sneaky huh?










I'm thinking of adding bookplates to label them.  For now, I know there are 3 House Beautiful and 3 Martha Stewart Living. 










With the striped paper, I covered a hexagon cardboard box I found on Amazon.  They came in a set of 3 sizes and I was thinking of painting them a colorblock combo, but haven't done it yet on the two smaller boxes.  










I just wrapped, folded, kept cutting, and taped until it was all covered, trying carefully to keep the lines straight, which I somehow managed to do.  The top photo below is the lid and the bottom picture shows how it's all crazy underneath- but that's okay- it's the part never seen. 










My favorite addition to this bookshelf is my gold coral (an easy DIY update with a can of gold spray paint).









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I put together a Workout Playlist of 60 songs on Honey We're Healthy if you need some tunes to spice up your workout. 





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Visit Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water FACEBOOK page for a chance to win a trip for 4 to Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando Resort.





They are also giving away a YEAR supply of Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water!










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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Greece Wants To Renegotiate Bailout Terms

Yannis Stournaras, the Greek finance minister, told German newspaper Handelsblatt on Monday that Greece may seek to ease its debt burden by renegotiating its bailout terms.

The renegotiation could involve lower interest payments and more time to repay 240bn euros in loans.

The BBC reports that on Sunday he admitted that Greece may face a hole in its finances of up to 10bn euros.

As I have noted before, the only real solution for Greece's financial and social woes are for it to leave the Eurozone and devalue its currency.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Ready for Fall?

With kids heading back to school, it's hard not to think about fall on the horizon.  In Houston, we stay hot and humid for so long that we really welcome those first cool, crisp days, but they are still a long way off for us.  Please tell me if you are already busting out your lightweight sweaters . . .




via Etsy


or the fall decor.







via StoneGable Blog





It's not officially autumn until September 22.




via House and Home


But maybe it's autumn for you when you start getting cozy (do I spy the Renegade Cluster bracelet?)







via LoveThisPic


or start thinking about Halloween.  I'm totally making these lollipop ghosts this year- too cute (and simple)!




via Flickr



Hope your week is off to a great start!

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There is still time to win a YEAR supply of water or a trip for 4 to Universal Studios Hollywood.  Click HERE to visit the Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water Facebook page and pledge to drink more water.




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We're talking tasty fruit and veggie protein smoothies on Honey We're Healthy today:)










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Friday, August 23, 2013

Popular Pins


Happy Friday to you!  Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?  I get to finally get a desperately needed haircut and we have a cute kiddo birthday to attend.  And that's it!  I'm cherishing weekends like this that aren't jam packed with errands and activities where it's go, go, go.  I'm trying to slow down and keep visiting with my parents and cook and exercise more. I'm talking about my current cardio routine on Honey We're Healthy today if you want to check it out.  I know there will be weekends in the future that are crazy busy and when that time comes, I'll have to embrace it and go with it, but for this weekend, it's time to chill.








If you're looking for some weekend reading, you can check out these super popular pins I've pinned on my Pinterest boards lately.  And for you bloggers, I also wrote a post about growing your blog with Pinterest that you can read HERE.






Vintage Postcard Calendar Journal via Design Sponge - 88 repins


(A daily calendar that can be reused each year and gets better the longer you use it.  Each day you write the year and something that happened that day like, "James started PK3 today".  How cool to look back over the years.)










Makeup Tricks to Make Your Eyes Look Bigger via MaskCara- 124 repins


(Cara's blog is a favorite of mine- she offers lots of detailed makeup/beauty tutorials that are easy to follow.)







The Weekend Organizer, Creating Personal Reference Files via Fabulously Organized Home- 175 repins


(I think most of us crave to be so organized. She writes a detailed post every Thursday about an organization project that you can tackle in a weekend.  Might be a new blog you want to follow- I am! *p.s. I've been in touch with Leah and she let me in that her site will be moving soon to www.simplyfabulousliving.com.  Be sure to bookmark it for when it goes live!










Making Life Easier via Almost Bunnies- 136 repins


(I love how she styled her Ikea Expedit bookshelf with muted tones and lots of organizational goodness.)













Marinated Greek Chicken via RecipeFavorite.com - 149 repins


(Because we all could use a new, easy chicken recipe.)










Kitchen Tool Storage via 6th Street Design School featuring Lemonade Makin' Mama- 90 repins


(Simply beautiful kitchen organization.)










Addressing Your Christmas Cards via Big Flourish- 97 repins


(Is it too early to think about Christmas?! Of course you could use this cute way of addressing cards year round with different postage.)














(Amen.)










Have a great weekend friends!





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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Banks Embroiled In Another Mis-selling Scandal

As loyal readers know, I have on numerous occasions noted that the financial services industry in the UK has tarnished its image because of its greed and corruption, and seems intent on bringing about its own self destruction.

Today we see yet another example wherein its greed has been exposed because of yet another mis-selling scandal.

This time the mis-selling relates to card protection and identity theft insurance products by CPP Group. The BBC reports that UK banks have agreed to set up a £1.3BN fund to compensate the victims.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that customers had been "given misleading and unclear information about the policies".

CPP Group and 13 banks and credit card firms will pay for the compensation.

Some seven million customers could now expect to receive letters from CPP from 29 August 2013, explaining how to claim compensation. Victims will receive 8% interest on the amounts being reimbursed.

During the period of mis-selling between January 2005 and March 2011, CPP sold 4.4 million policies and generated £354M in gross profit. A further 18.7 million policies were renewed during the same period, generating an income of £656M.

Many customers were put in contact with CPP when they rang a number on their new bank card in order to activate it. Many thought they were talking to their bank, but they were in fact being put in touch with a salesperson from CPP.

CPP then used the opportunity of the call to offer card protection insurance. If the customer bought the product, the bank got a commission.

CPP Group sold a card protection product costing about £30 a year, that was designed to cover losses if a card was lost or stolen. It said customers would benefit from up to £100,000 of insurance cover, but customers were already covered by their banks. Generally, cardholders are not liable for unauthorised card payments on lost or stolen credit and debit cards; ie the product was unnecessary.

Needless to say we can expect to see the "ambulance chasing" financial compensation firms jumping on this bandwagon and offering to reclaim victims' money back in exchange for a percentage; which of course is completely unnecessary,as the victims can reclaim the money themselves.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

How to Paint Perfect Wide Stripes

A bold, wide stripe on the walls makes a dramatic impact.  Our foyer needed some pizzazz, so for an inexpensive fix (a can of paint) and cheap labor (me), I added a wide, 16 inch dark gray (Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze) horizontal stripe to the wall.  What do you think?










I wanted to break down the step-by-step for you in case you wanted to do something similar in your home.  Here's the blank slate I was working with.  












For this project, you'll need:




  • Paint and paint tray

  • Small paintbrush or small roller

  • Large roller

  • Ruler

  • Leveler

  • Pencil

  • Frog Tape

  • Ladder





The first thing I did was paint the entire wall the original paint color, it needed several touch-ups anyway.  I bought Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray, which is the color I thought the wall was, but later realized it's not.  Agreeable Gray is slightly more gray than the wall, but just barely.  I found this out when comparing the color to the adjacent wall.  










First, measure the height of your wall and decide how wide you want your stripes.  We have a tall wall, 114 inches (not including the crown).  A 16 inch stripe meant 7.125 stripes, just about perfectly even.









Starting at the top, measure and mark in pencil 16 inches down until you reach the bottom.  Then, use a leveler to ensure you draw a perfectly straight line.










After drawing your lines in pencil, tape above and below the pencil line to indicate the area you will be painting.  To be extra sure I didn't paint the wrong part, I marked an "x" in the area I was NOT supposed to paint.  Trust me, when you're that close to the wall, it helps!










I then used a paintbrush/small foam roller in the original paint color all along the edge of the tape to seal it. If any of your paint bleeds through the tape, it's the same color as the adjacent stripe!










I used Frog Tape and ended up using two strips of tape for each line, increasing the thickness of the tape in case I was a sloppy painter. 










I only needed two coats of paint for full, even coverage.  As soon as I rolled the second coat of paint, I pulled the tape off. 












The moment of truth! 










Sit back and enjoy your clean, perfectly straight, bold stripes. 














I ended up painting the light switches too, and they look good from afar, but not so great close up. 




















I'm especially digging the view from the dining room.










I hope this helps!  If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll answer in the comments section. 










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P.S. I've really missed my health and fitness blog, Honey We're Healthy, and have started posted again there. I'd love to see you over there.










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If you'd like to enter to win a trip for 4 to Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando Resort, click HERE or the picture below.  You can also win a year's supply of Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water.










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