February Birchbox AND Nerdblock Reveal

Here’s the deal: because of my total failure at planning, I realized I have four or five posts I want up before the end of February, and only three days left in the month. Facepalm galore. So I’ve combined my Birchbox and Nerdblock reveals into one gigantically long post. I received my Birchbox first, so it takes first spot on the post! Let’s go!

Second Birchbox has arrived!

Fun box this month!

New dry conditioner?! YES! Since I’m back to dying my hair red on a regular basis, I tend to spread out my hair washings as long as I can to preserve the color, which fades quite quickly. That means dry shampooing and conditioning pretty often. This conditioner is great. Leaves my hair soft and shiny, with plenty of body and smells fabulous. Loving it!

Tea too?! Apparently this box was just catered to my exact loves! I must confess, I am planning on passing the Mint Lemon Verbena one to a friend. I can’t stand mint (with the exception of toothpaste) so I know this one won’t be for me. However, I can’t wait to brew up a cup of the Organic Bangkok, which sounds heavenly.

I think perfume is one of the best things in these boxes since although I do like it, I never buy it. I’ve had the same one for about two years now, and it’s not even half empty. I just don’t wear it that often! This little sampler smells great, and is just the right size for me.

Another new mascara (I got one in February’s Beauty Box 5 as well) which I was more than happy to test out. I really like this mascara. It provides both volume and length, and goes on really cleanly, without clumping at all. The only downside that I’ve found is it doesn’t have much staying power. Even after only half a days wear, I’m starting to sport raccoon eyes. But it’s an all natural product that isn’t packed with chemicals, so that’s definitely a plus, and worth the touch-ups I feel.

More lotion? I am seriously lucking out on these boxes. This is a good lotion. I’m not wild about the scent, but it’s mild and doesn’t overwhelm you. I’ve been using it on my arms and elbows mostly, and it’s a good moisturizer.

And the ever helpful product card.

I was definitely impressed with February’s Birchbox! So far they’ve been full of useful items, so I certainly feel good about the monthly purchase.

Moving on to Nerdblock! Something about getting loads of geekiness in the mail just makes my heart smile.

First thing I pulled out was this. Another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle squishie, albeit a different type from last box. Apparently this is a thing; I was unaware. But as a nostalgic TMNT fan, I’m okay with having them up on the nerd shelves!

Next I pulled out this box, which makes me pretty nostalgic for my high school days. Halo was the first FPS that I fell totally in love with. Please note I am talking about campaign play only – none of the travesty that I consider ‘multiplayer’ to be. We already have an RC Watrhog with Spartans on the nerd shelves, so these guys get added next to that!

This E.T. guy wasn’t too big of a deal to me, but my hubs thought he was adorable. He’s a bit older than I, so E.T. had a bigger impact for him!

This was the only thing in the box that I didn’t care one bit about. I’ve never seen the Smurfs, new or old, but luckily I have a three year old who loves new little toys to play pretend with. So it’s not a total loss for this toy!

These guys I’ve never heard of – they assemble just like Legos only larger, and I think they’re quite nifty! I really love the battle walrus. He is enjoying his new spot on the nerd shelves next to my Tifa action figure. My little miss has adopted the guy – she loves to make him drive her mini cars! As for all his teeny tiny accessories. . .yeah those got tucked away pretty quick. Otherwise they’d find a new home in my vacuum.

This sticker set is pretty fun. . .then again I have a soft spot for stickers. Definitely going to be adding some of them to my art journal, and my planner once I get around to decorating it.

And lastly, the shirt. I was never too in to Metroid. I enjoyed the ones I played for the Gamecube, but was never a diehard fan. However, my dad loves these games so on to him it goes! Another successful shirt! I’d say for random nerd shirts, 3 for 3 is pretty darn good!

Although Nerdblock remains my favorite subscription box I get, this was my ‘least favorite’ of the three I’ve received, if I had to pick. Nothing fit my particular nerd niches, but I’m still happy with what we got!

Phew! Many virtual cookies are gifted unto you if you stuck with me through all that. That’s what I get for realizing I have so many posts to get out before the end of February, whoops!

Until next time,

-Kayly

Life In Photos #4

A few happenings from this past week.

1. I made a cinnamon candle – the easiest DIY candle ever. Take an unscented candle of any size. Break raw cinnamon sticks to roughly the same size. Hot glue them onto the sides. Burn, and smell yummy cinnamon in your house.

2. My teabags have puns/silly sayings on them. This one cracked me up, silly as it is (click to enlarge).

3. My little miss has been SO in love with her new paints she got for Christmas! Daily painting for us.

4. Turkey burger or Krabby Patty?? You tell me!

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Tea Time

Here it is. . .my newest crafty DIY project.

Voila! The Custom Tea Mug!

This came from a double Pinterest inspiration. The first was a mug that had the first lines from famous works of literature printed on it. I though to myself hmmm, I would love this but with the first lines of my personal favorite books. So began my quest to make this cup. It started with a $1.49 plain white mug from Marshalls. I traced the outside of the cup onto paper to make some templates. Using a black crayon (taken straight from my 2 1/2 year old’s crayon cup) I marked the template blocks onto the cup. Then came the tedious task of doing all the tiny lettering with a crayon! I didn’t worry about font, or even real legibility for this step; this was solely for blocking on the letters to make sure they fit in their allotted spaces. The final lettering is where the second Pinterest inspiration comes in.

There are many pins floating around that claim you can write a plain ole Sharpie marker on porcelain, bake it in the oven, and have it magically fused forever. Codswallop! Hogwash! This is entirely untrue – the Sharpie can be wiped right off with a sponge. What you need is an oil-based paint Sharpie – designed specifically for writing on porcelain, glass, metal, etc (and sold at any craft store). I’m not even sure you have to bake it once it dries, though I did. Back to the lettering. I erased the crayon with a Q-Tip as I went along filling in the final text. You don’t even need water; it just rubs off! I used a few different fonts so the sections of text are a bit more visually separate. And presto – your own one-of-a-kind mug!

So there’s my new mug in all it’s glory. The lettering isn’t perfect, and the lines are crooked in some places. But that’s what makes is my own. I love it’s little imperfections! Massive awesome points from me to anyone who knows any of the books these are from – you’ve got good taste. Do you have a tea/coffee related craft of your own? Submit it over at Little Green Guy – she’s doing a feature on them! You’ll find my mug in there along with other cool tea and coffee related crafts.

-Kay

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