SHOPPING WITH SCHOOLA

~ Cassie ~ Leave a comment

IMG_0009IMG_0014IMG_0036IMG_0024IMG_0020

IMG_0003

shirt old similar, jeans, sandals, jean jacket c/o Schoola, Caden’s shirt c/o Schoola (seriously such a cute shirt by Tea Collection!)

Hello! I have been meaning to this post for a while now, but I am excited to share it with you all.

#WhyISchoola

Schoola is a quality online thrift store that also provides fundraisers for over 30,000 schools to raise their own money to support programs such as music, physical education, and art (How it works). These programs are very important in a child’s education and overall development. Schoola is in partnership with the Malala Fund, to further the Malala Fund’s mission to remove barriers to quality education in vulnerable communities throughout the world. It really is a brilliant idea. While you shop for gently used clothing, 40% of the proceeds go to a school of your choosing to help fund music programs, art programs and PE programs. While you shop you can help provide children with the tools they need for their development. I love this idea, especially now that I have my son. He is growing out of everything so quickly that he hardly gets to wear some of his clothes. Instead of buying expensive new clothes, I can shop through Schoola. Growing up I always loved art. I have always loved crafts, projects, painting you name it. It was a way for me to express my creativity. I even took AP art in high school and minored in Fine Arts in college. Art is a big part of my life and I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t have the opportunity for art in my elementary school. I hope future generations have the opportunity to experience art, music, sports, drama, tech and field trips. These experiences help shape our children. I encourage everyone to shop through Schoola. You can also donate gently used clothing. I am doing a closet clean out because honestly I have too many clothes! You can request a Schoola bag from here and shipping this bag won’t cost you a dime! Isn’t that great?! You can donate your clothes and help fund a school of your choice. I am choosing to donate for a school I used to work at and still hold dear to my heart. I was very excited to see this school was a part of this program. Please join me and shop through Schoola.

ADORE ME FLAT LAY FEVER

~ Cassie ~ Leave a comment

   
 
ADORE ME is doing an awesome contest right now that I wanted to share with you all. It’s all about your favorite everyday lingerie. I chose to post some lacy bracketed, which I’m loving for spring and summer. Plus flat lays are so much fun to shoot because you can add any kind of props!  Below I have a photo of the instructions if you would like post your #everydaylingerie. What’s your favorite everyday lingerie? 

P.S. The deadline has been moved to Monday 4/18! 

  

SEPHORA HAUL

~ Cassie ~ 1 Comment

image.jpegClinique Pep-Start is an eye cream that is suppose to brighten and hydrate the area around your eyes. So far a really like this product. I do feel like it helps wake my eyes up and gives them that extra brightness they need to look well rested, which I need as of lately!

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser was a sample I was given. I use it every night with my Clarisonic. It feels really gentle on my skin and my face feels refreshed after using it. This cleanser also helps remove make up. I haven’t been wearing much makeup lately, but when I do wear makeup, I first use a Neutrogena makeup remover wipes. That removes most of my makeup and the Fresh cleanser helps remove anything that was left behind. This product is something I would definitely buy again!

Fresh Rose Face Mask was another sample I received. I use this once or twice a week. A little bit of this goes a long way, which is nice because even my sample will last me awhile. This mask is suppose to help tone and hydrate the skin. I have only used it for a few weeks, so I can’t give a complete review. My skin seems to react fine to it and I enjoy putting the mask on when I feel like I need to relax. It does smell like roses, which I find lovely, but I know its not for everyone. I am a big fan of Fresh products. I would buy this mask again just because I like the smell and how it makes my skin feel.

bareMinerals COMPLEXION RESCUE is one of my favorites! I use it almost daily when I wear makeup. Some days I want a very natural look and will just use this and some blush. Other days I will apply this first and then apply my foundation, bronzer and blush. My skin feels dewy when I use this product and helps even out my skin tone. I just squeeze a pea size to dime size amount onto my finger and then use my hands to apply on my face. I highly recommend this product if you like tinted moisturizers, BB creams or CC creams.

bareMinerals PERFECTING VEIL is another product I use almost daily. It is a finishing powder that helps set the foundation on my skin. I will use this even if I apply jet the complexion rescue on my face. Not only does it help set my makeup, but it helps smooth lines and brightens the skin. It comes with a little puff to apply it on your face, but sometimes I will use a brush to apply it.

Bite Beauty in Leche was a new color for me and has been on heavy rotation. It’s a dusty pale pink, but still looks very natural on my lips. It gives my lips some color and life. I love Bite Beauty products because they do not dry put my lips. They actually help keep them hydrated. I also feel like this product lasts pretty well and does not need to be reapplied very often, unless you’re eating and drinking a ton!

I am always on the hunt for new products to try and any recommendations are more than welcome!

 

DIY FLOWER CROWN

~ Cassie ~ Leave a comment

IMG_0003

For the baby shower and maternity shoot, I knew I wanted to wear a flower crown. I searched etsy and found a few that I absolutely loved. Only thing was, they weren’t that cheap for something I would wear twice. My mom suggested I try making my own flower crown. At first I was hesitant because my heart was set one this beautiful crown I had found on etsy. After thinking it through, I thought why not give it a try. I then searched the internet for DIY flower crown tutorials. There are so many!!! So I have decided to write up my own. It really is super simple and way less than one from etsy!IMG_0008

Supplies needed:

~Several different types of flowers, leaves, branches etc. Really up to you and the look you are going for. (I used all fake flowers)

~A hot glue gun

~Floral wire

~Floral tape

~Thin ribbon

~Wire cutters and scissors

IMG_0010

  1. Grab the floral wire and measure to your head. I did not want mine to go all the way around. (I used ribbon to connect it together.) I twisted two pieces of wire for this crown in this picture, but for my actual shower crown, it was just one string of floral wire going straight across.IMG_0012
  2. Create little loops at each end of the crown. I simply just twisted the end once I made a loop. (This is for the ribbon later.)IMG_0015
  3. Grab anywhere from one to three flowers, leaves, branched etc. Again this is up to your preference. Male sure to trim the stems so they are long enough enough to be wrapped around the wire. If they are too short, it will be very difficult.IMG_0021
  4. First I put a dab of hot glue onto the floral wire and then applied the flowers. Once the glue cools a bit, I use the floral tape and stretch it around the stems. I wrap it around a few times. Make sure to pull on the tape as you go since that makes it sticky. When I feel it is secure, I cut the tape and smooth it out on the crown. You would just go about doing this each time you apply flowers. Towards the end it was too hard to try and wrap flowers around since I had run out of room so I would just hot glue them into the spaces that were sparse or needed a little something.
  5. Trim you ribbon to the length you desire. Put the ribbon through the end loop of the crown and make a small loop with the ribbon. You will hot glue the end of the ribbon to itself so it stays put. (You can see this in the first picture.)

It does take some time, but it’s very easy. I hope you will give it try!

SOAPS AND RELAXATION

~ Cassie ~ Leave a comment
IMG_0037
IMG_0034
IMG_0035
IMG_0036

I have always loved taking bubble baths and relaxing. I am always on the look out for the perfect soaps to help me relax and unwind. One of my best friends, Lianna Piccetti, makes some pretty amazing soaps. She makes all natural, homemade cold pressed soaps. They are absolutely beautiful! Some soaps are merely decoration, but aren’t great soaps which makes them pointless (those kind drive me crazy). Well not these soaps! My favorite thing about them is the way the lather up so easily. They make my skin feel oh so soft and silky. The scents of each soap is delicate and not too strong like some soaps can be. My two favorite scents from her, are the lemongrass and the grapefruit. They smell delicious! When I need to relax I love soaking in a warm bath, using a bar of Lianna’s soap. I also will light a candle to help me relax. I have an obsession with candles. I love Voluspa candles and highly recommend them. They make the whole room smell amazing. Whenever I feel like I need to unwind I will light one and enjoy the scent.

*You can shop Lianna’s soap here

THE BABY SHOWER

~ Cassie ~ Leave a comment
IMG_5017
IMG_0031
IMG_0023
IMG_0028
IMG_0024
IMG_0030
IMG_5026

dress: Ingrid and Isabel (officially the best maternity dress ever!)

We recently had our baby shower for our little boy. It was exactly what I wanted it to be! We did a woodland themed, co-ed baby shower. I wanted it to be simple, with delicious food and lots of mingling with friends and family. There was a little tree with both daddy and mommy’s baby/kid pictures with an ultrasound photo of our baby boy. I painted a tree and asked that guest stamp their thumbprint and sign it like you would for a guest book. I plan to hang the finish product in the baby’s room. I also made my own floral crown specifically for the shower and our upcoming maternity shoot. I was going to buy one online, but my mom suggested I make it. I actually loved how it turned out and I plan to write up a tutorial for the blog! I’ve been obsessed with hot chocolate throughout this pregnancy so of course I had to have a mini hot chocolate bar for our guests. His mother made the most beautiful naked cakes for the occasion. They are lightly frosted and not super extravagant, but I think their simplicity speaks for themselves. They were also so yummy!! We had three different flavors, vanilla with strawberries and buttercream frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting and chocolate with raspberries and buttercream frosting. Our baby shower was the perfect way to welcome our little boy and we are so glad our friends and family came to share this special occasion with us.