The uses of toothpaste

THE AMAZING TOOTHPASTE 

-uses for the common item-

Other than brightening your pretty pearls and cleaning up your breath, did you know that toothpaste has a whole lot of other uses? This simple, everyday gooey white stuff is actually a good cleaner, as it has lots of baking soda, menthol, oxygen bubbles, and other cleaning agents.

What you need:

Toothpaste

.....and, well, toothpaste

Blemish calmer

Dab a tiny dot onto an (unpopped) blemish, and leave it for and hour or so. The menthol in toothpaste helps calm the redness, and as the toothpaste dries, it draws out any moisture that is in the blemish. After doing this, make sure to moisturize well.

Bug bite itcher stopper

Got a bug bite? Follow the steps above for clearing a blemish. The toothpaste will draw out the poison in the bite, that with the menthol will gently calm the irritation down. (Just a hint, simple clear tape also works great to draw out the poison in a bite, try putting a piece on a bite and leaving it for an hour or so, it will stop the itching and make the bite go away.)

Headlight clearer

Plastic headlights are nice because they don't shatter when hit, however, in time they yellow and get tiny scratches, making their light dim and visibility very low. Whitening toothpaste will buff out small scratches to create a slightly smoother service, while the baking soda and whitening formula will take the yellowing out of the plastic. This is so much more economic than using the expensive kits to clear the headlights.

Lip plumper

I actually found this one out by accident. Either mouthwash or toothpaste, spread over freshly moisturized lips, will act as a plumper. How? The menthol will slightly irritate the sensitive skin on the lips, making them a bit puffy. This is the same idea that store bought lip plumpers use.

Sun burn relief

A light to medium sunburn can make the skin feel feverish and hot. Spreading a thin layer of toothpaste then rinsing it gently off will cool down the burn, keeping it from being uncomfortable. 

Nail stain remover

Everyday use, and colorful nail polish can stain fingernails an unattractive yellow. Toothpaste, particularly  whitening toothpaste, will whiten, lightly polish, and clean the nails. This leaves them pretty, shiny, and even minty smelling. 

Take out spill oopsies

Spill a little something on yourself at dinner? Don't worry, a little toothpaste and water, scrubbed lightly, then washed normally will take care of any stains.

Cellphone screen cleaner

Before you get ridiculously excited that this will save your cracked screen, keep in mind that this works on small scratches and scuffs on the screen of a cellphone. Use an old toothbrush and gently scrub the screen (not too hard, mind you, you don't want to make the scratches worse). Wipe off with a lightly damp cloth and let dry.

Ring cleaner

Use an old toothbrush and toothpaste to scrub your favorite rings, then rinse. I love this trick, it made my ring so shiny it sparkled blue and silver. It works great to get the grim, gruck, and general grossness that comes with rings.

And that is that! I hope this helps you out a bit, and gets your brain rolling with new ideas. I hope you have a wondrous day!

As always, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions, pictures of your projects, or anything else you can think of!

As a disclaimer, non of these pictures are mine, I got them all from Google.

Labels: Uses for toothpaste, DIY lip plumper, how to clean a ring, how to clear a blemish, how to fix a scratched phone, how to remove yellow from nails, sunburn coolant, how to calm a sunburn, DIY headlight cleaner, how to remove yellow from headlights

Tape Exfoliater

TAPE EXFOLIATER

-tutorial-

There are millions of exfoliating recipes, some with salt, some with sugar, some with honey and some with oil.  Though I really do like and use many of these recipes, sometimes I don't want to get my face all sticky and crunchy, I just need a quick fix. So here is a tutorial on how to exfoliate without water. 

What you need

Packaging tape, each brand works differently, some stickier, some gooier. My favorite brand is frustration free EZ start, its a crystal clear tape that works really well.

What to do

Simply peel a piece off, tear it, stick it to your nose, lips, face, or anywhere that needs exfoliation, and peel off. There are two ways to do this, you can either rip the tape off really fast to get an extreme exfoliation, or more slowly to only get the top layer off. One word of caution, be very careful not to use this process more than twice a week, because it can break capillaries on the delicate skin of the nose and around the eyes. After exfoliating, always make sure to moisturize well, because when you take off skin you are also taking off essential oils. My favorite moisturizer is Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion spf 15. This is a great way to get smooth healthy skin. 

I hope you enjoy this simple tutorial, and have a wondrous day!

As always, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions, pictures of your projects, or anything else you can think of!

Why Does Black Look So Good?

WHY DOES BLACK LOOK SO GOOD?

-an explanation-

This is something that I have thought of for a while, why do people look so good in black, yet white is one of the least flattering colors? I finally realized the answer, and here it is.

Why does black look so good?

Black is a very flattering color. The reason for this is behind the science of the color. Light that we see is a rainbow, and the color of something is actually the color that is being bounced back off of the object instead of being absorbed by it. Something red absorbs all the colors of the rainbow but red, red is bounced back, and our eyes collect this color, and our brain reads the object as red. Black absorbs all the colors of the rainbow, it does not release any of the colors (this is also why black is such a hot color to wear in the sun). Because of this, it doesn't show shadow and light as much as many other colors. When black is worn as a color, it hides our natural contours of our body, and instead shows off the silhouette of the person.

Why is white such an unflattering color?

Though white is a beautiful color, it is a hard color to wear and look good in unless the wearer has a perfect body, or the dress is draped and folded in the right ways. White is all of the colors, it is the opposite of black because it reflects all of the rainbow colors. It is a very light color, so it shows every shadow and light spot, which highlights every bump and hollow on the wearer. This tends to show off a girl's problem areas perfectly, and causes white to not be the most flattering color. This is also true about any shiny or metallic cloth, as it reflects all light and literally highlights any bumps. The best way to wear white without it being unflattering is to find a dress, shirt, or skirt that is draped, folded, or pleated in such a way that it masks the problem areas.

I hope this description helps with any confusion, and have a wondrous day!

As always, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions, pictures of your projects, or anything else you can think of!

About Me

WHO AM I?

I was home schooled as a kid. I guess that automatically makes me weird. However, I am completely OK with it. I actually embrace it with open arms and a goofy laugh. As a home schooler, I was able to finish my school and not have any homework, which left me ridiculous amounts of time to be bored. I didn't grow up with TV, well, we had one, but we didn't get many stations, and that forced me to find ways to fill the time. When I wasn't playing pioneer with my rag dolls (I had normal dolls, but I liked to be more authentic) or watching my older brother build master pieces out of popsicle sticks and hot glue, I was making something. I would make beds for my stuffed puppies or hats for my bears, or open up a stuffed animal hospital, where I stitched their rips and tears, bandaged them up, and took care of them. When Littlest Pet Shop came to be popular, I had my dad build me a house that was nice and tall so I could have separate rooms for each set. Then I went about making every conceivable thing in miniature for them, from a car to a stove to a mail box. I did the same for my American Girl doll. Whenever I wanted something from the American Girl magazine, I would sit and pout for a while, then get up and make some sort of rickety version of it. I still have a box full of my little inventions for her stuffed away in storage.
The point I'm trying to get at here is that I have craft sunk into my skin, I have frugal ideas for just about everything ingrained into my head. I love to share my ideas, and decided it was about time to do something about that. So I did, and now I will slowly fill up this blog site until it is brimming full and the internet is begging me to get off.

About the Name

Bubble Joy comes from a few things. First of all, I'm obsessed with bubbles and will go chasing after them like I'm a three year old any day. I also adore anything that has to do with water (as a kid my dad called me a mermaid cause I would refuse to get out of the pool). I love that bubbles are clear until they hit the light, then they burst with every color of the rainbow, sliding, dripping and morphing across its surface. They are so delicate, yet they live every bit of their short life lifting in the breeze, showing the world its unique colors as well as it can. When I think of bubbles, I think of happiness, the kind that (wait for it) bubbles out from the deepest parts of us and spreads smiles everywhere. That is part of the reason for the "Joy" part of the name. The other, more obvious reason, is because my middle name is Joy. When I'm not griping about school or groaning about mornings, I like to think that I'm fun to be around. If not fun, I'm at least amusing. I tend to find the tiniest things overwhelmingly exciting, though sometimes I'm completely oblivious to the big things. 

So, Welcome

I hope you stick around for a while, I'd love to make a new friend. As you browse around my blog, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions, pictures of your projects, or anything else you can think of, I'd love to hear you and hear about your creativity.

The Oldies, but the Goodies

THE OLDIES, BUT THE GOODIES 

-some of my favorite drawings from times past-

I absolutely adore looking through my old sketchbooks, laughing at my mistakes and admiring where I got it right. I believe it is a great way to avoid making the same mistakes in new drawings. I have so many drawings and sketches that I wish I could put up here, but there are so many the internet might just explode. So, I picked some of my favorites from certain eras of mine. These are from when I was first doing photo-realism. I found an artist that I adored and would spend hours painstakingly getting every detail she drew onto my paper. Sadly, I can't even remember the artist's name now, but I am thankful for her art, as it gave me a subject to try and draw. As you look as my sketches, let me be the first to apologize for the poor photo quality, my camera is not an expert on paper and pencil. Enjoy!  

This was my first drawing that I borrowed from the artist. Right now it is hanging in my bathroom.

I loved the artist's wispy sense of fantasy, so I strove to excel in that style. 

I had to change the setting to black and white so that this picture would turn out, but I lightly colored this girl's eyes blue. My friend saw it and said "It's so good I can see color in it!" Thanks so much for the compliment, but I wasn't THAT skilled!

I absolutely adore this picture, it had a touch of mystery wrapped in innocence. It took me about 3 times as long to knock this one out than it did for the others, but I somewhat got it to look like the original.

I did the finishing touches on this in history class when I was going to a classical school. Needless to say, my history teacher did not like me very much.

THE END (FOR NOW)

Thank you a million times for looking at my drawings from times past. I assure you that I will post more of my old favorites and new loves. As always, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions, pictures of your projects, or anything else you can think of!


Enjoy, and have a wondrous day! -Kelsey

Cheese Cake Pudding

DELICIOUS CHEESE CAKE PUDDING

-recipe-

This is an absolutely, meltingly yummy pudding my mom made up. We had an excess amount of cottage cheese, so, instead of making a whole cheesecake, she changed the recipe and made pudding instead. I would like all credit to go to her.

What do you need?

3c. cottage cheese

3/4 c sugar

1 1/4 t. vanilla extract

1 t. almond extract

1 t. lemon zest (grated lemon peel)

What to do

Simply blend all the ingredients in a food processor until it is nice and smooth. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a blender, but use small amounts because this recipe can be very thick. Make sure you keep the pudding in the refrigerator, and you can eat this just as pudding, or use it as a dip or topping. I absolutely adore this recipe, it is amazingly delicious.  

Enjoy this recipe, and have a wondrous day!

As always, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions, pictures of your projects, or anything else you can think of!

Coffee Yogurt

DELICIOUS COFFEE YOGURT

-recipe-

This is a recipe I figured out almost on accident. It is an absolutely delicious treat that is actually not bad for you. I make it when I am having a sweet craving, and it gives me a bit of energy as well.

What do you need?

1/2 c any type of unsweetened plain or vanilla low fat yogurt. I used Fage (pronounce fa-yah) plain low fat Greek yogurt

1 tsp sugar

A smattering of your favorite coffee grounds. I used keurig coffee pods in french vanilla.

What to do

 Scoop out about a half a cup of yogurt into a bowl. You can do more or less depending on how much you want to eat.

 Add a teaspoon of sugar and mix in.

Sprinkle some coffee grounds into the yogurt. If you have regular coffee grounds, plain yogurt, and you want a French vanilla taste, simply add a few drops of vanilla flavoring.

Mix it all up, and eat! 

I find this to be delightfully yummy with just the right flavors mixed together. It can be tweaked to be your perfect flavor, adding or taking away sugar or coffee, and changing up the brands and types of ingredients. 

Enjoy this recipe, and have a wondrous day!

As always, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions, pictures of your projects, or anything else you can think of!