Clean Your Earrings DIY

Ladies (and gents), it is SO important to clean your earrings. I know, I forget to take the time to do it too, but today that's gonna change. Here's how you can clean yours at home, without any expensive earring cleaner (if there is such a thing...).

The first way that I cleaned my earrings was with Hydrogen Peroxide. You might have heard that Hydrogen Peroxide is good for fighting infection; this is very true! I, myself, have used it on my ears when they have begun to get infected and it really does the trick. So, in order to prevent infection caused by nasty, unclean earrings, simply soak your earrings in Hydrogen Peroxide.

It's a super easy way to clean your studs. All you need to do is separate the backs from your earrings and soak. I'm letting mine sit for about a half hour. You should start to see bubbles appearing on your earrings, and if they are dirty enough, the bubbles will rise to the top.

As you can see, I have some really cheap metal earrings because they have changed color from wear.

The next thing you can do to clean your earrings is using alcohol. For my dangling earrings, I used alcohol swabs. Alcohol kills bacteria, which is why it's a good way to clean the earrings you cannot soak in Hydrogen Peroxide.

Well, it's as simple as that! I have used these methods before and I haven't personally noticed any sort of deterioration in the quality of my earrings from the alcohol or peroxide. Let me know what you think and if you've used this tip before!

Yum-Yums: Home-Made Frappes!

Frappes are my choice of drink for the summer months. On a hot summer day, a refreshing frappe to drink while lying out in the sun is ideal. If you cannot afford to get some cold coffee at a McDonald's, Caribou Coffee, or a Starbucks every day during the summer, however, you have come to the right place! Today I am going to share with you how to make your own frappes in the comfort of your home. :)

To start off, here's what you need:

• Blender
• 1 cup chocolate milk (can substitute with 1 cup milk and a couple scoops of chocolate powder or syrup)
• 1 cup coffee
• As many chocolate chips as desired, or in my case shredded chocolate almond bark
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups of ice
• A few small scoops of vanilla ice cream
• Whipped cream

First, depending on what type of blender you have, you may or may not be able to add the coffee straight from your coffee machine. For me, it recommends not to put anything hot in, so I cooled my coffee in the freezer for approximately a half hour.

Next, put everything except for the whipped cream into the blender and blend until you reach your desired consistency. As it says above, in my case I didn't have any chocolate chips or any Hershey's bars, so I shredded chocolate almond bark into mine. Everyone is different and some people might want more coffee flavor while other might want more chocolate flavor, so add as much as you want.

After everything is nice and blended, pour into a tall cup and top with whipped cream. If you wish, you can add chocolate drizzle or chocolate shreds on the top.

Hope you enjoy and let me know how yours turned out! Mine was delicious, so I hope yours is too! :)

Trending: Patterned Pants

Patterned pants have been around a lot this year and are continuously evolving. What do you think of this trend? Here are some examples of patterned pants that I personally don't like:

I'm really not liking the wide-leg patterned pants look. The fact that they are patterned makes them bold already, but by making them wider I feel like they become too bulky and too bold.

Here are some patterned pants that I think work really well and are very flattering:

I think patterned pants look best as skinnies. This way, they aren't too bulky and add just enough pattern to any outfit. So what style of patterned pants do you find the most attractive?

(These photos are not mine; I give all credit to whomever these belong to!)

Fourth of July Nails Continued..

As promised, here are my Fourth of July nails! I was inspired by a couple different nail ideas, so I combined them to create this festive and unique nail look.

(I know it's a bit messy around my nails, but you get the idea (; )

Here's a close up of my favorite nails:

Let me know what you think and feel free to show me what you've done with your nails! :)

Fourth of July Nails

Nail Art is a booming trend. It's something you can do year round and the simplest designs count. Today I am going to give you some inspiration for your Fourth of July Nail Art. ;)

(These are not my photographs or nails; I give credit to whomever these belong to.)

As you can see, there really is something for everyone. You can go simple, like the polka dot nails, or you can go extravagant, like the first nails. No matter what route you take, it's a festive way to get in the spirit of Fourth of July. I will be posting my take on Fourth of July nails tomorrow, keep an eye out!

Feel free to share with me your holiday nails!

Trending: Maxi Dress

A huge trend that is happening for Spring and Summer 2013 is the Maxi Dress. I've seen them everywhere this summer, and I don't think this is anywhere near the end of the trend. The reason so many women are choosing to wear maxi dresses is because of the versatility as well as to keep cool. I think all women can agree that wearing pants during the summer is a pain, so the best option is a dress. Short dresses can be such a hassle with wind, so the maxi dress makes wearing a dress absolutely effortless. If you can't find a maxi dress, no worries! Look for a Maxi Skirt instead.

There are so many different ways to wear either a maxi dress or skirt. Below I will show you how to wear the same maxi dress and skirt to achieve three different looks:

The key to styling this is to keep it simple! Just some basic sandals, a bag, and as far as makeup goes, simply mascara will do.

To dress up these simple dresses, add touches of black, gold, and nude. These colors make the outfit appear more formal. Also, switching out bags for clutches and sandals for heels really makes a difference. Add appropriate jewelry, but remember not to go overboard.

Picnics are associated with romance, so to achieve this look avoid any black and keep with light romantic colors. Adding little romantic touches, such as hair accessories, really brings these outfits where they need to be. I also added a little touch of lace to the skirt with the shoes, as well as a cute aspect with the bird coin purse. When creating a picnic ensemble, think flowy and light.


I hope that this post gave you some inspiration on how to style your maxi skirt or dress! Enjoy and feel free to share with me your takes on these three different looks. :)

Mason Jar DIY

During the summer, without school or work, it's ridiculously easy to get bored. I don't know about you but I have a really bad habit of forgetting what I'm supposed to be doing and sit around. Well, if you are like me and do this often, here's something to entertain you while you try to figure out what you were supposed to be doing!

Here's a super easy Mason Jar tutorial. Chances are, you have a Mason Jar sitting around your house somewhere that you bought to do a project with or an old jar that needs an upgrade. Here's your chance to put your crafty gloves on (figuratively. You don't actually need gloves.) and do something creative. I apologize that I do not have pictures of the process, but I can still walk you through it.

First, here's what you need:

• Clean Mason Jar
• Modpodge or craft glue
• Glitter of your choice
• Brushes you don't mind ruining with glue (I used a dollar-paint brush like the one pictured below.)
• Ribbon of your choice
• Scotch Tape
• Hot glue gun

The next step is pretty easy. Use scotch tape inside of the Mason Jar at the top so that no glue and glitter get above the desired area. Pour the Mod Podge into a disposable container, like a paper cup. Coat the inside of the Mason Jar with a decent amount of glue. Next, pour in as much glitter as you like and roll the glitter around the inside of the jar. Dump the extra glitter out onto a piece of paper and use later.

Once this first layer of glue and glitter dries, carefully repeat the process. Remove scotch tape and allow to dry (WARNING: it will take a while).

After the second layer is completely dry, apply new scotch tape and seal the glitter in with a last coat of Modpodge, but DO NOT add more glitter. Once this has completely dried, tie the ribbon on the top in the desired position and hot glue in place. Please be careful not to touch the hot glue!

And you're done! Look at that, you have a beautiful Mason Jar ready to be used as either decoration or for other purposes! Here's how I used mine:

Enjoy and feel free to show me what you decide to use yours for!