Royal Mail Shares

Shares in Royal Mail closed at 489p on the company's first day of full trading on Tuesday, as at the time of writing they currently stand at 475p.

They were priced at 330p.

Coffee Table Switch

I recently shared a favorite new find from Overstock (the Wingchair) that I put in our master sitting room.  Then I played musical coffee tables and moved the West Elm mirrored table from the living room and put the Overstock Renate Coffee Table Ottoman in its place.  It's a good fit!  I love a bargain find and these two are Overstock pieces I've had success with.  I've also had an Overstock fail - a chaise lounge chair that was hard as rocks and had to be returned.  That's the chance you take when ordering online, without the benefit of seeing/testing out in person.  But, when you score, if feels really great! 

I added a mirrored tray (Target) on top to break up all the beige-  and I like the pop of shine.  The tray is functional too, holding our too many remotes.  I'm lucky that my son doesn't mess with the tray- he's too busy playing Star Wars. 

I spray painted the ginger jar with my favorite glossy black spray paint (it was previously white) and filled it with three faux cream-colored hydrangeas.  I just cut the stems so they would fit in the jar.  It finally occurred to me one day to cut them so I could put them in a shorter vase- before I was always thinking they needed to be in a tall vase to accommodate the long stems- duh! And while I prefer real flowers, I'm okay with a few faux ones here and there occasionally.  

The space underneath the coffee table is perfect for storing magazines.  I like to keep a few in the living room for reading on the couch and this shallow basket is my favorite for magazines because it allows you to see many at once and they stay nice and flat.  I found it at West Elm years ago, but don't think they sell it anymore.  Here are some similar.  

I know from reading your comments that y'all play musical furniture too.  I'm in good company!  

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On Honey We're Healthy lately:  Faith & Healthy Coleslaw

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There's still time to win a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn by participating in Polyvore's Project Decorate.  Go HERE for details!

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Thank you to Lamps Plus for nominating Honey We're Home as a favorite home blog.  You can VOTE for your favorite blog daily from now until November 15 and win a change at a $500 shopping spree.  Every vote is an extra entry to win.  

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Polyvore Project Decorate // Win $500 to Pottery Barn

Where have I been and why haven't I been taking advantage of the awesomeness that is POLYVORE??!! You all might be familiar with the site already, and although I had heard of it, I had never played around with it because I didn't understand how EASY it is to use.  Once I got on the site and started playing around creating "sets" (moodboards), I looked up and two hours had passed!  And the super cool thing is, Polyvore (universally known for its fashion sets) has expanded into the world of home decor.  That means you can create super cool interior design sets and try out different combinations before making a single purchase.  This is invaluable to me because I usually need to see things together to really visualize them. 

THE COLLABORATION & CONTEST

I've teamed up with Polyvore to help spread the word about their  launch into home decor by hosting a contest where you can win a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn by creating a SET that incorporates my theme: Sexy Glam Home.

Sexy Glam Home is a fun theme I thought up that represents a modern and stylish home with bits of bling and romantic charm.    Here's the SET I created to reflect the Sexy Glam style.  How fun to get to add bright pops of red that I don't have anywhere in my own home!  I've seen that rug around the web and been dying to incorporate something like it so this was totally fun playtime for me.  I love the mix of jet black with metallic gold too.    

I chose about 25 items and you can use some of them to incorporate into your own Sexy Glam Set and two winners will be chosen.  I choose one winner and a second winner will be chosen by the Polyvore community, based on which set draws the most attention (likes, comments, shares) from the contest.

To enter, go HERE to create a Sexy Glam Set incorporating a couple of the items I chose.  Here's an example of what you could create:

I cannot wait to see what you come up with!  The contest ends in one week! 

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On Honey We're Healthy lately:  Faith & Healthy Coleslaw

Better Homes & Gardens Everything Fall Pinning Party

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!  Just wanted to share Better Homes and Gardens "Everything Fall" Pinning Party that begins Sunday, October 13 at 11:00 a.m. CT.  I will be joining many wonderful bloggers pinning lots of inspiration for this Fall season.    Hope to see ya there!

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Seher (Simply In Control), thanks for letting me know you have my blog button up on your blog!  Sharing the love backatcha! :)

Kate (Centsational Girl), I so appreciate you sharing my Fall dining room decor.  

If you are interested, sometimes on Sundays at Honey We're Healthy, I share another side of my life- bits of encouragement through my Faith. 

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Royal Mail Bonanza

Conditional dealings in Royal Mail that began to day for City institutions produced an initial rise of 38% (456p on the offer price of 330p), this fell back to around 444p.

Private investors will receive 227 shares each, and official listing/trading will commence next Tuesday.

Back to the 1980's we come!
Tweets about "#royalmail"

Bank Rate and QE Unchanged

The Bank of England has left interest rates unchanged at 0.5% and QE untouched.

How to Clean Makeup Brushes

Rachel recently emailed me and and mentioned her blog (Useful Beautiful Home).  I popped over and thought it was super cute !  I was then flattered and happy to see my blog button on her sidebar- so sweet!  I always take note of that because it's really thoughtful to show your support for other bloggers. If you have my blog button up on your blog, please email me to let me know so I can acknowledge you here. 



While reading Useful Beautiful Home, I found a post I really needed- how to clean your makeup brushes.  I'm embarrassed to admit I cannot remember the last time I cleaned mine- eww! Rachel's got some great tips and accompanying photos that she kindly agreed to share here. I probably need to add "clean makeup brushes" to my Master List!  

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A long time ago I was about to dish out big bucks on a special cleaning agent for my makeup brushes. As I was hunting for the right one, I got talking to a makeup artist. She interrupted my search and told me of a much cheaper option that works the same.

Yep, you're looking at the right picture!  My secret ingredient is baby shampoo.  Nothing fancy, just the original, gentle, no tears formula so your brushes won't cry at bath-time.  :)

Apparently, the formula is similar to a lot of marketed gentle cleansers for makeup brushes.  I can attest to it because I've been using this method for YEARS without any problems.

Just for kicks, I'll show you my process.  It takes less than 10 minutes.  However, if you have heavy build-up on your brushes, it may take longer to wash until the water runs clear.

Lay out a CLEAN hand towel big enough to hold your brush collection.  Gather the baby shampoo and all your brushes & makeup tools that need a good scrubbing.

Start with a small dot of soap in the center of your palm (it's there somewhere, I promise).

Wet the brush and begin swirling the bristles in your palm. (I don't know how she managed that snapshot!- Megan)

Keep wetting and swirling until you have a soapy lather.  You may need to add more shampoo if your brush is really dirty.  I always give a quick wash on the handle end too.

Rinse and watch the bacteria filled bubbles wash down the drain.

Rinse & rinse again to make sure all the shampoo product is removed!  Repeat the process for each brush, even the eyelash separator will wash up nicely for you.

I give a gentle squeeze to drain the excess water and then lay them all out on my towel with plenty of room between each brush for optimum drying.

I usually do this shortly after applying my makeup in the morning (and now it's a new habit I recently hooked) to ensure almost a full 24 hours of drying time.  At some point in the day, I turn all the brushes at least once to make sure both sides dry out before the next day.

Above all, don't forget those eye tools. I wash everything, including the sponge tip on the eyeliner. All of them contain bacteria and the last place I want a bacterial invasion is in my eye! (By the way, she's a nurse, so she knows what she's talking about!-Megan)

Come clean, have you cleaned your makeup brushes lately? 

Thanks so much for sharing Rachel.  I hope y'all go visit her blog! :)

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I answered a few personal questions for my friend Susan in an interview at her blog, Simply Modern Home. You might remember I featured her gorgeous home HERE. 

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On Honey We're Healthy, I made a delicious pesto pizza and was so surprised how easy it was!

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