Easy DIY Air Freshener

Spring seems to be the time of year that most of my friends celebrate their birthdays - toss in Mother's Day which is around the corner and all of a sudden there is a lot of gift-giving happening!  I don't find this to be a problem at all since I love to give gifts!  

Lately, I've been gifting these DIY air fresheners because not only are they stylish but they are SUPER easy! I found the idea on Pinterest via the blog titled Smashed Peas and Carrots.

Here is what you need to make your own air fresheners!

Baking Soda

Mason Jar - 8oz wide mouth Elite Collection (Walmart)

Essential Oils (Amazon)

Scrapbook Paper - heavier weight (Hobby Lobby)

Quilting or Tapestry Needle (Hobby Lobby)

First I picked out some of my favorite scrapbook paper.  I usually have a lot on hand since I make a lot of greeting cards.  I recommend using a heavier weight scrapbook paper for this project.

Next, trace the lid onto the scrapbook paper and cut it out.

Now take your tapestry needle and poke holes in the scrapbook paper so your scent has a way to escape.  This is larger than a regular sewing needle so it creates large holes.

Next, fill the mason jar with approximately a 1/2 cup of baking soda and add at least 10 drops of essential oil of your choice.  I recommend you start out adding less oil and if you find it's not strong enough add a few more drops at a time.  For this one, I made a Eucalyptus-Mint air freshener by combining two of the oils I had on hand. Lavender is also great for bathrooms and bedrooms! 

Finally, place the scrapbook paper inside the mason jar ring and screw on the ring.  Then lightly shake the mixture and your done!  Whew - that was easy! :)

If you are going give these as a gift, I recommend keeping the lid and screwing it on the top of the jar, underneath the scrapbook paper just in case your package gets tipped over.  This way you can eliminate any potential mess.

Enjoy!

Guest Post from Design Shuffle: Quick Decorating Changes for Living Rooms

I was really excited when Design Shuffle contacted me with the opportunity to have them write a guest blog for Design Your Dwelling!  Their website is amazing and so full of beautiful spaces and inspiration - definitely take time to make a stop at www.designshuffle.com!  If you are looking for ideas to update your living room, Mari's suggestions below are fantastic!

Hello everyone! I'm Mari from Design Shuffle, a fabulous social networking site for interior designers to upload their work and receive lots of exposure and for design enthusiasts to discover lots of inspiration. As a writer for Design Shuffle, I often get to visit lovely blogs like {Design Your Dwelling} to share some of my favorite interior designs. Today's guest post is about quick decorating changes for living rooms. Some of us are compulsive furniture movers, others just need a new look now and again, but we all appreciate fast and easy ways to update our décor. Here are some quick change ideas for your consideration. The rooms we're sharing are just about perfect as they are, but lend themselves beautifully to illustrate how easily interiors can be updated to fulfill our craving for change. Please enjoy! 

            

Though this small living space is gorgeous the way it is and might not need to be changed anytime soon, it does give us a look at the easiest living room update possible—decorative pillows. Imagine how this room would look with different pillow covers, perhaps in grays and blues for a calm soothing feel. 

    

Several options for a new look can be identified here—keep the same color palette but exchange the solid pink pillows for rusty red ones. That might prompt a quick change of art, perhaps a graphic contemporary painting in hues pulled from the rug. 

 

Elegant living room designs like this one can be given a fresh perspective by simply replacing the coffee table vignette, perhaps with oversize design books and a fresh floral arrangement to pick up the pretty pink wall color.

    

This eclectic living room could be given a temporary new look by adding sunny yellow and green accessories in place of the pretty pink ones. Don't forget the lamp shade and candles on the patio. 

 

This rustic, yet elegant room might be the easiest of all to change quickly—a rug under the coffee table and a different painting over the fireplace and voila, the space has a new personality that can be changed back on a whim. It doesn't get any easier than this.

 

The gorgeous color palette is set here by the irresistible glass of the chandelier, so we wouldn't want to change that soft hue. Keep the color, but add pattern on the toss pillows and substitute a sumptuous Flokati rug—white under the coffee table would look stunning. 

 

Add a zebra rug instead of the pale hide for the quickest change ever. How easy would that be? Pull the center pillow if you must, but I think it would look interesting as is with the zebra pattern on the floor. 

 

Change out the lamps behind the sofa along with the turquoise and orange pillows and this room takes on an entirely different look. Alternatively, all the accessories could be pulled and replaced—the choice of decorating ideas is almost endless here because of the versatile furniture in this space. Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 Which quick change is the easiest and most obvious to you? Find more living room inspiration at Design Shuffle where you'll find stunning work from the best Los Angeles interior designers, New York interior designers and a ton of others!

5 on Friday!

Welcome back for another addition of 5 on Friday!

Here is a quick week-in-review of some of the awesome things that happened for me this week and reminded me to celebrate the little things in life!

1} A Fresh Haircut 

I finally got a haircut.  The last haircut I had was Valentines Day - it feels so good to have clean ends and a little extra shine!  Plus, my stylist is so fun to talk to visit with!

2} Mexican Lunch Date

Once-in-awhile when I work from home Adam and I head to a local Mexican restaurant for a lunch date.  It's good food, casual, and just fun to catch up and spend some time together in the middle of the day.  I love going for lunch with him, he is a great person!

3} I FINALLY Used My Bathroom

This is a small miracle of sorts because yesterday marked day 46 of our bathroom project.  Today was the first morning I could get ready in our awesome new bathroom.  It's gorgeous.  I love it!  Check out a sneak peek picture below.  I'll share more when some of the final details are complete.

(It's a little dark, I snapped the picture from my iPhone - better pictures to come)

4} FFA Social at Pioneer

On Tuesday the company I work for, Pioneer Hi-Bred, hosted a social for that National FFA Officers and employees that were in town visiting local companies.  This youth leadership organization is amazing, empowering, and inspiring.  I was a member throughout high school and college and wouldn't trade my experience for the world.  It really helped me become who I am and offered a world of career opportunities.  Check them out when you get a chance!  www.ffa.org

5} Mail Day

I love getting mail - real mail like cards, packages, things I've ordered.  I had an awesome mail day this week; I got gift cards that I earned from my credit card and a dress that I ordered from Delia's!

Don't forget to share your 5 on Friday!  Post your 5 on Friday on your blog and leave your blog name and link to your post in a comment below!  Also - feel free to grab my button to link readers back to my blog to see other 5 on Friday posts.

Nail Love - Essie Nail Polish

I am a girly-girl! Hair, make-up, clothes, jewelry - I love it all! Ok - I love sweat pants too but if I have a reason to get dressed up I do.

One of the things I've really gotten into lately is painting my nails. I definitely like having my nails professionally painted, but to work that into a weekly schedule is tough and expensive so of course I've had to rely on my own nail-painting skills.  I kept seeing Essie Nail Polish advertised so I thought I would give it a try and I have to say, it is the best nail polish I have ever used!

Via

My nails are pretty weak so for nail polish to stay on and not chip for more than two days is like a small miracle to me. I can go about 5 days (or longer if I put on their top coat) without the Essie nail polish chipping off.  My sisters used the Essie nail polish I brought home over Easter and they love it too - they said it stayed on longer than normal.

The other thing I love is that it only takes two coats of nail polish for rich, even-looking color and doesn't take hours to dry.  So, if you are convinced, you can find Essie nail polish at Target and they have a huge selection of colors!

Can you tell I'm excited about it?!

Oh and just so you know, this is an unsolicited product review, Essie Nail Polish has no idea who I am.  I just wanted to share one of my new found favorite products with you!