The Lost Gingerbread Post or The No-Mess Crisco Device

Isn't it cute! Look in the windows, can you see anything?

It's the day after Christmas and I finally have a moment to just relax and put this post together. I've had the pictures and the gingerbread house completed for about a week now, so I'm really happy to finally be showing them! The House ended up taking LittlePlum, Bethany, and I about two days to finish. The first day we made up all the gingerbread dough and icing and on the second we assembled the house and decorated it. As I promised before I'm going to share a little trick I learned to measure out Crisco. In a lot of holiday baking recipes you will  find that it calls for Crisco or vegetable shortening. I personally love using it whenever called for, because of how well the products turn out, but I know many people have trouble using vegetable shortening because of how messy it can be. So here's what I do, I hope it helps you the next time you have to use Crisco.

You will need:

• Sandwich size plastic bag
• Plastic wrap

 First, place a square of plastic wrap in your measuring cup.

Then, using the plastic bag as a glove, scoop out the Crisco and place it in to the plastic covered measuring cup until you have the desired amount.

I ran out of sandwich bags and had to use the small snack bags, thankfully it worked still and I didn't get any Crisco on my hands. 

Then, it's as simple as pulling the plastic wrap out of the measuring cup and putting it in the bowl.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

-E

The Tutorial Vault

Hello everybody! My neck is feeling much better today, I can actually look to the right again! I've been spending a lot of time on the internet because of my little injury and I've realized that I love the age we live in, the internet it makes it so much easier to learn new things. So, with the help of the wonderful internet I have been spending the majority of my down time watching different beauty tutorials showcased on beautylish. Here are a couple of my favorites, I hope you enjoy them!

For Hair and Makeup:



I love the first video's carefree hair and bright makeup, I think it's a perfect styling choice for school or a night out on the town. It looks like a lot of work but really, it's pretty simple, which is always a plus.  I chose the second video because braids are in! They are seen everywhere, from the runway to the red carpet, and can be dressed up or played down. I love the versatility of a good braid, but I can't always manage to put my own hair in the intricate braids. That's why I love the video below! It's technically not a braid, this look was created instead with knots!



For Nails:



Aren't these the cutest nails? Cutepolish has tons of nail tutorials up on youtube, but this one is by far my favorite. I'm planning on trying these out for my family's New Year party, to go along with my Little Black Dress! If you are looking for some inspiration for your nails this Holiday season check out some of her more Christmas or Holiday themed ideas, like her Candy Cane nail art. I love her imagination when it comes to nails! When I do my nails I seem to have a hard time just thinking outside the colors of pink and red.

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These are only a handful of my favorite tutorials right now, if I don't reign myself in now it could get a little messy. I hope you enjoy these, and if you liked this post I might make it a weekly occurrence. Do you follow any beauty tutorials on Youtube? Which ones are your favorite?

-E