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A Spring Glow

by Lindsay Ballard on March 12, 2009 1,996 Comments

I am, without a doubt, the palest person in my family. Total strangers have described my complexion as peaches and cream. I’m not sure what that means, other than it makes me want to eat oatmeal.

My father is the darkest person I know. We used to joke that he tans with the Equinox; the seasons would change and he’d actually get darker. This is a picture of him the first time he held Zack. I still get teary eyed looking at this picture.

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Yeah, and that was also taken in FEBRUARY. You wouldn’t believe how dark he is in August.

My sister is equally as dark (as well as beautiful, thin, charming, smart, blech). Here is a photo that I totally stole from her Facebook page of she and her super cute friends before a University of Florida football game. Leigh is the tiny one in the orange hat and perfect teeth.

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My mom’s skin color is lighter than my Dad’s and sister’s, but she tans very easily. However, I burn like crisp piece of toast. It’s ugly and it hurts.

Right now, I’m visiting my parents at their beach house in Destin, Florida (lucky me!). Being as that my dad loves nothing more than to make fun of how pale I am, I knew I had to do something before the trip to try to stop his jokes. I didn’t want to go to a tanning bed and have had bad experiences with the self tanners. When I saw the Jergens Natural Glow lotion at the store last week, I figured I could give it a shot.

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Have you tried this stuff? I know, it’s been out for a while, but I’m kinda lame and behind the times as far as trying new beauty products This one is really great! You use it every day after your shower like you would any other body lotion. It gradually turns your skin a darker shade.

It took about 3 days for me to see a difference in my skin tone, but I’m so excited that it really works. And because the change is so gradual, you don’t get the icky orange streaks that we’ve all gotten before with self tanners. I can really tell it’s working because I’m putting it on my never-before-seen-the-sun rear end and it’s actually changing colors! I know you totally want to see before and after pictures of that, right?

The lotion comes in different shades, so pick the one closest to your skin tone. I chose Fair, of course. I’ve only been using it for about 2 weeks, but I can’t believe what a great job it does. It’s going to be a wonderful way to cover up my weird triathlon training tan lines when I wear a strapless dress in my sister’s wedding this June. Love it!

On a side note – can you imagine how freaking dark my sister is going to look in a white wedding gown. I can imagine it because I’ve seen it and Holy Cow!

Of course, it didn’t stop my Dad’s jokes at all (in fact he laughed MORE when I talked about being darker), but I love feeling like I actually have a “tan.”

I’m totally hooked on this stuff. What are you hooked on this week? Check out Hooked On Houses and let everyone know!

My Portable Swatch Organizer

by Lindsay Ballard on March 10, 2009 691 Comments

Do you ever find yourself out and about and run across an item that you think might be perfect in your home? Then, you hem and you haw and question it’s dimensions, it’s shapes, it’s color. You decide that you can either buy the item and go through the process of returning it (if the store allows returns) if it doesn’t work or you can run home, check the measurements, and hope the item is still there when you return to the store.What do you do?

I’m of the school of buy it now, worry about it later. And, uh, yeah. I also have a lot of random stuff shoved in my craft closet.

A few months ago, I came up with the most brilliant idea in the history of the world to solve this problem. Meet my Swatch Organizer.

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My Swatch Organizer is a roughly 4×6 inch plastic envelope that only costs a few dollars from most stores. I used to carry my swatches in a Ziploc baggie, but it just wasn’t organized enough for me and got all wadded up at the bottom of my purse. It drove me insane. Yeah, I’m totally that person. The envelope has dividers inside that allow me to sort all sorts of home dec goodies and ideas by room. I think it was originally sold as a photograph organizer. It stays closed due to the wonders of Velcro.

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Within each divider, I keep fabric swatches, paint chips, and trim samples for each room in my home. I also include a slip of paper with the measurements of a specific location if I am looking for something for that room. For example, if I needed a table for my entry way, I’d have a slip of paper with the dimensions of the area I want that piece to fit. I also have a list of needs for each room, such as frames, pillows, etc.This is what can currently be found in my “Master Bedroom” section.

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It slips into my purse, so I carry it with me everywhere I go. I have a fairly large purse, but the Swatch Organizer could also fit neatly into your glove compartment or in a diaper bag.
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My Swatch Organizer has been invaluable to me as I go through the process of decorating my home. If I see a plate I want for the wall above my bed, I can pull out my swatches to see if the plate blends with my color scheme. If I see a lamp at Goodwill that I think would be a perfect repurposing project, I can look in the dividers and see which room needs a new lamp. Or if I see a great piece of art for my wall, I can check the measurements to see if it would fit in the little space I imagine it hanging.I’m heading out of town tomorrow for a week and a half vacation with my son and my parents. I’m excited to have new thrift stores to check out and new fabric stores to visit. You better believe that I have double and triple-checked to make sure my Swatch Organizer is safely in my purse!

I hope the Swatch Organizer idea works for you as well as it works for me! Thanks to Kristen at We Are THAT Family for hosting Works for Me Wednesdays on her great blog.

 

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.


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