The Kelton's Cozy Cottage: January 2012

Did you know that Americans spend about eight billion dollars a year on cosmetics? Crazy, right?

Well, my days of waking up fresh faced and looking fabulous are gone. I need some help now a days! What a better way to reguvinate your skin than made at home products?!

Ok, this one kind of cracks me up but I had to try it. I am calling it

A Shot of Astringent.

2 teaspoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons vodka and 1 teaspoon distilled water.

So simple, right?

The next one is kind of a mask and even more simple!

Mix a little greek yogurt, honey and apply it to your skin! The lactic acid in the yogurt and the anti microbials in the honey help rid of old skin and unclog pores. The honey is also really good for mild skin irritations and reducing redness!

A nice tightening mask recipe I found is just two egg whites and a squirt of lemon juice. Whisk until eggs are a little frothy. Apply to your face. The protien in the eggs whites is great for firming of the skin.

You know you want to give this a try. Let me know what you think or share your own homemdae facial cleaners recipe with us!

As the month of January is quickly passing, I have decided for the first time I am going to make a few New Year's Resolutions. Don't get me wrong, I have always set both short and long term goals for myself. This is sometihng my father had me doing at a young age. But actually writting out New Years Resolutions...I can't say I have ever done it!

1. Blog More. I have had a good excuse for the lack of blogging(She has 10 fingers, 10 toes and is pretty stinkin cute)! I have still been getting projects completed, but I just couldn't find the time to take photos and share them with you all. Here is to making the time.

2.Learning to Coupon. With sites and tv shows dedicated to couponing, there is no excuse for me NOT to coupon.

3.Manual use of my Nikon. I LOVE this camera but I feel I am holding it back by only using it in auto.

4. Get more organized. I feel like my closets, cabinets and garage could use a little organizing. I have unfinished projects everywhere and now TOYS and tiny socks have taken over my house.

5.Make baby clothes! I have done handpainted onesies and hand appliques, but I want to do dresses, bubbles and shorts for this summer.

6. Go green! I know, I know. This can be overwheling, but I am a big believer in every little bit helps. PLUs it saves money in the long run. I no longer use napkins or paper towles. I do save the occasional fast food napkins and use them-it is just so wasetful to throw them away. I use cloth napkins or hand towels. This took my husnad some getting use to, but I love it.

7. Make cleaning supplies. I have dabbled in this before, but never stuck with it. I want to make bathroom cleaner, countertop cleaner, toilet cleaner-everything! Have you read the ingrediants on the back of cleaning supplies? YUCK! So many chemicals that I do not want going into my body, but certainly not into my curious little ones body!

8. Spruce up my yard. We had so much that needed to be done to this house(understatement) that our yard was put on the back burner. I did plant a few shrubs, but nothing fancy. I want window boxes, flowers, something with a little life!

9. I want to start back gardening. I have my herbs every year and a couple of tomatos plants, but sadly that is it. In our other house, we built a raised bed, brought in good dirt and I had ocra, all kinds of peppers, varieties of tomatoes....I grew up with a garden and I want my little one to know how to pick beans and snap them.

10. Turn my passion into money, honey! I love to renovate, create, paint and share it with others. So how cool would it be to actually make money doing it?!?