Sunday, December 30, 2012

Sunday Spa Day - Face

After a long week of work (although I technically did not work this week, this week was a lot of work) and a long weekend of chores, I decided Sunday was the perfect day to indulge myself in some at home spa treatments. So each Sunday I will feature an at-home treatment to get you ready for another week ahead.
If you look at many commercial skin care bottles you will see they tout the word oatmeal on the label. Oatmeal has many benefits aside from a warm winter breakfast. Oatmeal is actually really good for your skin. It acts as a gentle exfoliator, gives moisture to dry skin, and smooths and softens. Combine oatmeal with yogurt and honey and you have yourself an at home mask that smells as good as it leaves your skin feeling.
Here is what I did:
Went to the kitchen to get ingredients for this Oatmeal-Honey-Yogurt mask

Put about 3 tbsp oatmeal into the blender and mix until it becomes a course powder (you can see the before and after pictures)


 
I put the oatmeal into a bowl and added 1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt and 1 tbsp honey. Mixed until all the oatmeal is completely moistened.
 

 
I spread it completely over my face and let it stand for 5-10 minutes. Wash off with warm water, followed by a cool splash and then finish with my normal moisturizer.
 
…C


Saturday, December 29, 2012

Splurge or Save

I had a friend over for some cocktails, before she came I had to run to the store to pick up a few things~namely the cocktails.
Normally I drink Michelob Ultra because I enjoy the taste and it is light on calories. If I do splurge, it is usually with Blue Moon. However, as I was in Trader Joe's perusing the beer aisle deciding if I wanted to splurge or save on my calorie consumption I saw this can that drew my eye. I looked a little closer and saw that it is brewed by Butternuts Beer and Ale in Garrattsville, NY.
How could I resist? From the name, Porkslap Pale Ale, to the can, to the fact that it is brewed in the USA, New York actually!
I went for the splurge. It is not a wheat ale like Blue Moon, it is a bit darker than what I am used to, however it was pretty darn good. I would buy again.


Check- for my buying American products challenge.

…C

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Challenge Accepted


I have mentioned before that I am a teacher, among the classes that I teach is Financial Literacy. I recently had my class read an article that stated 42% of American parents fear their children will be worse off than they are. Every parent can attest that we want our children to be better, do better, have better, than we have. This article painted a dismal picture. Coupled with the talk of the looming fiscal cliff, I deemed it necessary to do my part to support our economy. That being said, I love a good challenge, so here is a challenge that I am going to try my best to take on and I think it is a doozey~30 day buy American.

So over the next 4 weeks I will post things in several categories that are all made in the good ole U S of A.

I was on Etsy today searching for some unique items. They feature a link in which you can choose a location in which to buy from. I simply entered USA and viola, made my first purchases for my 30 day buy American challenge.

I will post pictures soon!!

…C

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

My kitchen concoction

I was feeling a bit sniffly today and the last thing I wanted was to be sick over our Christmas break~ there is too much on my to-do list.
I hit the kitchen and made this remedy:
I will approximate all amounts as I am not one to measure.
Put about 2 cups water with 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger in a pan on the stove top.
Once close to boiling I added the squeeze of a half of a lemon and 1 tbsp honey.
Gave a few stirs, then strain into a cup. Down the hatch!


 
 
 
 
…C

Sunday, December 23, 2012

New direction


Let's go crazy, crazy, crazy till we see the sun
I know we only met but let's pretend it's love
And never, never, never stop for anyone
Tonight let's get some
And live while we're young
Oh wait this post was titled New Direction not One Direction. Oops. I have a cute video of Kate and Emma signing and dancing to this song by One Direction but it does not transfer well to the blog.
I like clothes, don't get me wrong. However blogging about only fashion wasn't really leaving me satisfied. It was not a full passion of mine. So I have decided to give The Paper Gown a new direction, one that I feel passionate about and is a real interest for me.
Fortunately I have always loved vegetables and working out. However about two years ago I read The Beauty Detox Solution and really started to focus on how to eat in a more natural state.
So now the majority of my posts will have more of an overall lifestyle focus. Including healthy living and healthy choices for me, my family, and my home and being as close to homemade and natural as possible. I will feature such things as product testing, homemade remedies, buying local, sprinkled with a dash of economic and political stances from my point of view, etc.
Don't get me wrong, I am not perfect-not even close. I do not make perfect choices all the time. However I attempt to make the best choices most of the time. I will chronicle this and share what I find. 
Hope you don't mind and enjoy.



…C
 Happy Holidays from our family to you all!!!
 


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Shine...Every Day!!


After my post titled Simple Elegance, Shannon from Styles with Shannon approached me with the opportunity to collaborate with another great local business.  Olivia Cornell, owner of Cornell’s Jewelers on Monroe Ave in Pittsford provided me with the beautiful pieces on this post to show everyone that you can wear your precious jewels MORE, actually EVERY day!
I must admit though when I walked into Cornell’s it was a bit intimidating (at first). I had to be buzzed in, once inside I looked around in awe at the sparkle of everything. The showroom is gorgeous; it is sleek, modern and overall just beautiful. I was immediately put at ease once I walked around and met and spoke with all of the jewelry consultants there.  All of the women that I interacted with were wonderful; very helpful and interested in helping to pick the perfect pieces.
I left Cornell’s with this beautiful necklace and cuff links. I paired them with a couple of work outfits and a casual outfit. These precious jewels work perfectly with outfits that I wear every day, whether it is to work, shopping, or at a children’s Christmas concert.
 





 



…C

Saturday, December 8, 2012

You stole my heart

I am typically a cold person. It is not unusual to find me in sweat pants, sweatshirt and wool socks walking around my house in August. Yes I said August! Hubby loves his central air, I prefer windows open but what is a marriage without compromise? So when the air is on, I simply bundle up. So you can imagine how I dress in the winter months.
Needless to say I love scarves. They provide me the perfect opportunity to bundle up, feel comfy/cozy while keeping me warm. However there are times when scarves can be, well, a bit bulky.
When I was at the Rochester Women's Expo a few weeks ago I browsed some of the great vendors there and my heart was "stolen". I found this great stole that is perfect to wear when you don't want to add that extra bulk that comes with the territory of wearing a scarf. It is perfect under or over a fitted jacket.




 




Pants - Gap
Leather Jacket - The Limited - similar
Stole - Love it Local - Fire and Ice Jewelry and Accessories - 1334 Culver Road, Rochester
Shoes - Target

…C

Monday, December 3, 2012

Classic, mordern and everything in between

I love pearls, to me they are so versatile. They can go from classic to modern and everything in between. I have a couple of great pearl necklaces. Some I love to pair with a pencil skirt and a button up shirt for a classic look. But I also love to stretch my pieces, wearing them several different ways and getting the most bang for my buck. Here I show several different looks for your pearl necklaces.

 Above I use my grandmothers pearl necklace she wore to my parents wedding. I wrapped it around my wrist to wear as a bracelet~Vintage pearls.
 
 

 Above is literally a 10 foot long strand of pearls. I twisted it upon itself and attached each end using a clip-it (from Premier Jewelry Designs)
 
 

 Again using the 10 foot long strand, I simply put it on similar to a scarf.
 


Still more with the 10 foot long strand, wrapped it around 3 times and added an oversized pin.
Above is 6 strand pearl necklace, I added the offset broch for a little something extra.
 
 
…C

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Minor Details

I am always looking to re-use something in a new way. Here is my latest:
For this outfit I started with a classic white button up shirt and a sweater. I thought what could I add? I looked through my goodies and found a pair cuff links, these were actually my husband's grandfathers. The cuff links are a minor detail but details make the difference.
Last thing, the necklace. It is actually a long strand that I simply wrapped around tight. The closer the pearls to your neck the more classic the look. The longer you keep the strand, the more trendy.









Sweater -Gap
Jeans - Gap, similar
Shoes - Target
Cuff Link - vintage, thanks to Grandpa Vincent

…C