January Blog Schedule

 Hey Y'all!

Here's January's Blog Schedule:

January Blog Schedule:

3rd Mon~ FB & Etsy, & Store Items.

5th Wed~ December Looks.

7th Fri~ What's New With Us.

10th Mon~ How's the store going? Will I continue? One Month Update.

12th Wed~ Current Favorites & Fails. (Beauty)

17th Mon~ How-To Card Making.

19th Wed~ How I'm Styling My Hair 18mo Post Chemo.

24th Mon~ What I'm Working On. (Crafty)

26th Wed~ February Everyday Shelf.

31st Mon~ My Favorite (Crafty) Things.

February:

2nd Wed~ FB, Etsy, & Store Items

4th Fri~ Get to Know Me 101-125

7th Mon~ How to Valentine's Boxes w/ Cricut

9th Wed~ (New Topic) Brand Spotlight! Reviews, and Swatches.

14th Mon~ Happy Valentines Day! ????

16th Wed~ Empties.

21st Mon~??

24th Wed~??

28th Mon~ What I'm working On & Store update!

Is there anything you'd like me to cover in February that isn't listed here? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

January Everyday Makeup Shelf (& December Shelf Review)

 Hey Y'all!

Here's what I was using in December:

A few items got emptied, and are mentioned (and reviewed) in a previous blog. 

I did finally get a chance to use all three of the Kara Beauty palettes, and I am really liking them! The colors are well pigmented, and blend extremely well. I liked them so well I'd like to get the other two in this collection, Party Girl, & Road Tripping.

I only use the TooFaced Holiday 2020 palettes to compliment the others and they did that very well. I mainly used them for the blushes this month.

Other than that the rest of this past month were all items I've used & mentioned before.

JANUARY SHELF:

So many new products to try! 

As I was setting up the January shelf, and putting away the December items I was switching out I remember I meant to wash these containers.

So after I set it all up, and took pictures, I unloaded everything and put it on the counter.

The containers are in the dishwasher now (3 pc).

It looks like a lot more makeup all laid out on the counter like this. I'm glad it's only all over the counter for a little while (until the dishwasher finishes).

I have a lot of new things to try this month. (Yay, Christmas gifts!) I think I pulled a decent amount for the month, possibly too many eyeshadow palettes, so my goal for those is to use each one at least once. There's also a few items here that are close to empty, and I'll see if I can finish them up this month too. (Looking at you, Wet 'n Wild Big Poppa, and CoverGirl concealer!)

What new things are you trying in January? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

What We Got For Christmas!

 Hey Y'all!

In this blog I'm going to share what Hubby & I got for Christmas. If seeing others gifts isn't your thing that's totally cool, just X out now.

I'm going to start with what I got from everyone, and then share his.

What I Got From Hubby:

An Upgrade!! (I do have a Cricut Explore One.) So excited to get this all set up!!

Some Siser HTV, ECO Tools Bath Set, and a fun eyeshadow palette. (From the Christmas section at Walmart, let me know if you're interested in a review!)

An ESDDI  LED Shooting Tent/Light Box/Studio Box.. I'm excited to get this set up, and see how much better product pictures get. (Hubby's going to be using it too, for his ebay stuff.)

From Mom:

Books!! Stephen King's Billy Summers, and Nicholas Sparks' The Wish, as well as a Vivitar Electronic Facial Brush, a pair of Kate Spade earrings, and several rolls of Cricut Disney Vinyl!

From Sis & family:

This was actually picked out by me using a Michael's voucher she wasn't going to get to use before it expired! Silhouette Holographic Sticker Paper, and a Siser Cuttable Clipart Set (Holiday).

The Rugrats Backpack she got for me at Ross, I also received some Torrid earrings, and a BUNCH of makeup! I'm going to have a blast trying it all out.

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What Hubby got from Me:

Games, games, & more games! PS4~ Avengers, and Little Big Planet 3. XBOX One~ Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2, and Resident Evil Village. Nintendo Switch~ Paper Mario Origami King.

This is something he's been wanting for a long time! (A preowned) Mac Book Pro! It's still on the way, so no picture of his actual Mac Book to share yet.

From (my) Mom:

He should be good on games for a bit! PS4 Dark Alliance, Nintendo Switch Lego Worlds, a game stop gift card, a beard care kit, Fear the Walking Dead Seasons 1-3, a Scooby & Courage the Cowardly Dog movie, and she made him these awesome Scooby pillows (for his office/desk chairs, or one for his office one for the LR).

From (my) Sis & family:

Another game! (He's thrilled to have so many new games to play!) PS4 Plants vs. Zombies Battle for Neighborville, Wayne's World 1 & 2, some cool survival books (that's the type of game he's working on next, after Foxy Pop) Field & Stream Total Redneck Manual, Outdoor Life The Ultimate Backcountry Survival Guide, and Friday the 13th Collectors Box!

We had exceptionally mild weather Christmas Day and spent it with the family out at my sister's house. We played games, ate too much, talked, made Mom cry with a gift of a designer bag from all of us, watched our niece be over the moon with Sims 4, played basketball with the kids new hoop. (I love you Mom, but basketball is not your sport.) We had a great Christmas, and I hope you all did as well!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Hair Care & Stuff I'm Using Currently

 Hey Y'all!

Better late than never, or as my Dad used to say "Day late, and a dollar short." 

Image from AARP website. I liked it because it wasn't branded.

I mentioned several of the hair care products I'm using in the previous blog, and I've mentioned the shampoo I'm using before too. Nothing in those categories has changed, although occasionally I use this shampoo instead. I've also written about my love for Oribe & Amika products, and that still rings true. So in this blog I'm just going to mention the new stuff!

I've been sent this from Influenster, and am currently trying it out, so far I've only used it once: K18 Leave In Mask

Once is not enough to tell if I like it yet. It was easy to use, and it seemed like my hair did fine with it, but I'll update in a future blog.

I'm still not really using a brush very often, just a styling comb, and in the shower this:

Other Stuff:

I've been wearing a lot of headbands recently, because my hair is at that in-between length, and I haven't decided on what I want to do with it next. Occasionally I leave it be, but I've also been using fun bobby pins to clip the top/side back.

A few of my headbands are from Ross, or TJ Maxx, but the bulk of them are from Dollar Tree:

I have this style in just about every color they had (pink, cream, black, red, etc). 

These I got in a 2 pk. (Pink & Silver)

My bobby pins are not these, but similar. This is what Dollar Tree currently has:

I do really like the blue/teal one.. 

Do you have any hair care, or accessories suggestions? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day, 

Craftin' Wife

Store Update (Smoky Mountains Handmade Creations)

 Hey Y'all!

Here's the store's social media:

Smoky Mountains Handmade Creations~

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Website

You can find me specifically on most social media @craftinwife!

https://linktr.ee/CraftinWife

The store has been open just shy of two weeks!

If you're local and haven't finished up that Holiday shopping yet, she is open 9am-7pm Christmas Eve.

It's been slow, but the store has made sales everyday but one, when it had to close due to weather (severe storms). I think that's encouraging for a new shop in a small town.

I personally have made a few sales, and am looking forward to growing with the shop!

I plan to take in some more/new inventory in the New Year. Be sure to look for some Valentine's stuff there soon!

Anything you'd like to see in a shop like this? Leave your suggestions in the comments below!

Have a great day, 

Craftin' Wife

Empties & What I'm Using Now (Beauty)

 Hey Y'all!

I thought I'd share my recent empties, if you like content like this I'll put it in the rotation. I'd probably have enough to make up a blog quarterly (every 3mo). It takes me a while to get through a product!

The empties:

Profusion Juicy Lip Tint, $4 USD each. I love this product and as soon as I'm out of the one I'm using now I'll probably repurchase this. I've raved about it on the blog before. The only negatives are, the applicator is a bit large, and mine started to leak after awhile. I don't know if this was a product issue, or a storage issue, but I keep a lip balm in the car so I didn't have to worry about traveling with them.

*Photo from website, I forgot to take a pic of the Lip Tint empties before throwing them away. With exception of my empties pic below all other's are stock photos.*

The rest of this month's empties!

Hair Food Manuka Honey & Apricot Conditioner, $8 USD. I really liked this when my hair was first coming back in. Now it's a bit thick, and heavy for me. We have had a really warm December so far, but as Winter sets in and it dries out I may try it out again.

Supergoop! Defense Refresh Setting Mist, $30 USD. (Mine was a different packaging *see picture above*, same product.) I love this product, and have mentioned it several times before. It's already been repurchased, but isn't what I'm currently using. I love the non-scented, non-sticky SPF coverage.

Amika: SoulFood Nourishing Mask,  $16-$42 USD. I have always loved amika products, ever since my sister bought me this one Christmas. (My hair is long enough to use it again now too!!) I have already got a back up of the hair mask. My favorite product of theirs however, is the dry shampoo.

Bliss Micro Magic (Microdermabrasion Scrub) $15 USD. This was especially nice at the time my skin was going crazy during (and immediately after) chemo. I like that the "grit" was very fine, and it didn't have much of a scent. The only drawback was the tube was sometimes hard to get product out of.

Would I repurchase? Have I?

I would, for all these. They all worked really well for me. (Things usually get passed along to friends/family if they don't work for me.)

Have I repurchased any of them? Yes, both the Amika Hair Mask, and the Supergoop!

What I'm using now in place of:

Profusion Juicy Lip Tint~

LA Colors Lip Oil, from Dollar Tree. (Local to me they are still $1 USD) This is a bit thin, and doesn't last quite as long as other lip oils, but it's a good product, especially for $1. They also have a Lip Oil on their website for $3.50 but I've not tried it.

Hair Food~ 

As I Am Leave in Conditioner, $10 USD.  I've had it awhile and I'm just trying to work through it, it's a good product, but not my favorite. I use it about twice a week, and it does a great job, and I like the scent. I don't know why I don't love it, but when I put another option in the shower I quit reaching for this.

Supergoop!~

E.L.F. Matte Magic Mist & Set, $5 USD. Does Setting Spray go bad? I'm not sure, but that's why I'm currently using the elf. I've had it for awhile, and it's a quick to use up product. I'd prefer to use it up in the winter months when there's less outside activities going on (and less sunshine in general). I've used this setting mist before and I do like it, I just like the ones with SPF more. This one feels a bit like hairspray for the face, and that's not my favorite feel/scent. I'll switch back to Supergoop in the Spring.

Amika~ Using the same mask, but not as often since I'm using the leave-in.

Bliss~ Haven't repurchased anything in this category.  Once a week or so I've been using Hubby's "Man Wash" (Dove) but it's too gritty for me, and smells like a forest, which isn't my preference. I'm sure he'll appreciate me getting my own soon. 

Do you have a favorite hair care, skin care, or makeup item? Let me know what I should try in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Color With Me! (Crafting)

 Hey Y'all! 

I planned to use more markers, and images, and do a much bigger Color With Me blog, but I've not been feeling well the past few days, so I apologize, I didn't get to it in time.

I did color this image from Stampendous:

This image set, Kiddo Toyland, is from 2012. They have a ton of fantastic new stamps available for every occasion.

Supplies:

Image shared above

Stampin' Up  stampin' pad in Chocolate Chip (the closest color in the current collection to this in my opinion is Early Espresso)

Studio G Card Base (from Walmart, but I don't see them online currently)

Spectrum Noir TriBlend Markers:

 Coral Blend (CR1, CR3, CR6)

True Blue Blend (TB2, TB3, TB4)

Light Green Blend (LG1, LG3, LG5)

The YouTube video, watch me color a portion of this stamped image (and struggle with the ink pad lid):

Lastly the finished image:

I had fun trying to completely color the stamp using just 3 colors. I'm a big fan of these TriBlend markers.

What would you like to see me color next? Share below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife