{very} Easy Halloween Project…

When my daughter was younger we used to DIY something together during the holidays and bring it to school so she would give it to her friends.  So every year during Valentine's Day, Halloween, Christmas, etc it meant craft time!  But since she is no longer a little girl and as she point it out she's now almost a tween that means no more craft to bring to school.

I love crafting/diy so much that I asked her if she would help me to make some Halloween candy boxes and give it to my team, so they can bring it to their kids this Friday! So we headed it to Michael's and grabbed a few items.

They had this pre-cut boxes, they were even pre-folded!

It was a very easy project, just assemble the pre-cut/pre-folded boxes, wrap the the pre-cut/pre-folded black paper and add the pictures and that's it. Then just fill it with candies!!

I think they look really cute and I'm hoping the kids will be happy when they receive this little boxes full of yummy candies.

Hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween!!!

Thanks for reading!

xo,

Marcela

Household products you should avoid… And how to replace them naturally {Part I}

Hello everyone! Hope you all are having a great week!  

People ask me all the time if the traditional cleaning and household products are really dangerous. The answer is definitely: Yes!  There are some items we use at home and don't realized how bad they are for our health. So here we go with the first one:

Air Refreshener

Let me start with a story, this is what happened to me… Many years ago I went to my friend's house and her home smelled really nice so I asked her what she used. She showed me a plug-in air refresher, so I got one immediately. BIG mistake! After a couple of weeks I couldn't understand why my daughter was just fine outside, at school, at the park, even in allergy season. But as soon as we got home she would start sneezing and got congested. I was like "this is so weird". Then it clicked me that this symptoms started just when I got the plug-in refresher so I checked what was inside this product and got rid of it as soon as I could.

According the EPA (Evironmental Protection Agency) the main ingredients in air refreshers are: formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, p-dicholrobenzene and aerosol propellants.

Formaldehyde:  exposure to this chemical may cause respiratory symptoms and eye, nose and throat irritation. 

Petroleum distillates: The exposure to this chemical may also cause eye, nose, throat irritation and also dizziness, drowsiness, headache, nausea, dry skin, 

p-Dicholrobenzene: Exposure to this chemical may cause irritation to the eyes, skin and throat. Chronic exposure may be more harmful as it may result in effects in the liver.

Aerosol propellants: This is a type of dispensing system. Basically the liquid is under pressure allowing to get out only in small amount or mist. If it's near fire or high temperature it could exploit.

Now the good news… You can replace it with an all natural air refresher using only TWO ingredients: Water and essential oil.

You will need:

Distill water

Essential oil

A spray bottle

1. Mix distill water with 15 to 20 drop of your favorite essential oil

2. Shake

3. You already have your Natural Air Refresher

Yes, it is that easy :)

Do you have an idea to make your own air refresher?  Please share it with us, we all would love to learn from you!

Thanks for reading!

xo,

Marcela

Pumpkins…

Hello everyone! Hope you all are having a great week so far!

I can't believe the holidays are just around the corner! And even though I do not like the cold weather (I'm a summer kind of girl :)  I do love the holiday round during this time of the year. Starting with Halloween! It is my daughter's favorite and she starts planning on her custom the same day, Oct 31st… for the following year!!

She and I did a little project with pumpkins this week and we both love how it turned out!

First we washed them (I read on the internet it preserves the pumpkin life)

And a quick trip to Michaels to get some paint and decoration. Although, trips to Michaels are never 'quick' with her, ha!

We painted one of each color and decorated them with the studs making different patterns…

It was a very simple project and we had so much fun doing it together! I especially love the white and light gray… Which one is your favorite?

Thanks for reading!

xo,

Marcela

10 Plants that clean air…

Hello everyone!  Hope you all are having a great week!

Did you know that indoor air pollution might be three to five time higher than outdoor air?  Shocking, right?  The good news is that there are very simple ways to fix that.  According to NASA researche, plants can help purify indoor air.  It turns out, not only they add beauty to our homes but they also clean the air?!! I absolutely love that!

Below are 10 plants that will help purify the air you breath at home.

Snake plant:  Removes benzene, found in glues, adhesives and also formaldehyde found in furniture

Golden Pothos: Removes formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide which can be found in combustion fumes produced by cars. Ideal for entry ways and mudrooms.

Peace lily: Reduces volatile organic compounds (VOC) found in paint and furniture wax

English Ivy:  Absorbs formaldehyde, VOCs and pollutants emitted by computers and office machines which causes headaches and nausea

Boston fern: Helps remove formaldehyde

Lady palm:  Targets ammonia found on cleaners, textiles and dyes

Spider plant:  Removes formaldehyde and benzene (found in plastics, resins, synthetic fibers)

Red-edged Dracaena:  Removes formaldehyde, xylene (found in cleaners and paint thinner)

Chinese Evergreen:  Removes formaldehyde 

Aloe: Reduces formaldehyde

All images {via}

What do you think?  Is there a plant that you like and helps you clean the air at your home?  I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

xo,

Marcela

How I organize my necklaces…

I have a confession to make… I LOVE necklaces. And a second confession: I have way too many, really. After looking many ways how to organize them, almost by accident I found something that works perfectly.  My daughter's old coat rack!

She got something like this a few years ago and she grew too big for it so when I had no idea what to do with it… a-ha moment!!

So I went from something like this…

{via}

To something like this

I love big necklaces and I think they look so pretty when you display them. A simple tray or even and empty flower vase are great alternatives, don't you agree?

I also have a few that are more delicate and for those I found this beautiful frame-organizer at Homegoods

How about you, do you love necklaces?  How do you organize them? I would love to hear your ideas!

Thanks for reading!

xo,

Marcela