A Blog Break: Husbands Home!

Hello everyone! 

I just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be taking a break from the blog for a few days to enjoy some much needed time with my husband who's home after being away for 6 weeks! I'll be back early next week with a review of Jamberry nails, another notes section idea page and back to Five Things Friday as usual! 

Enjoy your weekend everyone :) 

- Heather 

Five Things Friday!

Hello everyone!
I missed {Five Things Friday} last week because things got a little busy with my work schedule.  This week I'm back with another round of things I'm loving this week. 

{One} {Three} {Five}

{One}.  Bath & Body Works Spiced Pumpkin Cider Candle.  I am in L.O.V.E with this candle.  I always have candles scattered around my house and in the fall and winter they're lit pretty much all the time.  I don't usually shop at Bath & Body Works but I went in there the other day with one of my friends and fell in love with the scent of this candle.  Fall is my favorite time of year and this candle seems to embody everything that I love about the season! Not too overpowering and long lasting.  I'm going back for more next time they have a sale on, don't tell my husband!

{Two}.  Recollections Halloween Themed Washi.  I have been stalking my local Michaels for some Halloween washi, it's gotten a bit creepy actually, but I finally found it!  I picked up a couple of packages and can't wait to put them to good use in my {ECLP}. 

{Three}.  Dymo Personal Label Maker.  I was at Target last week and was wandering around the stationary aisles and saw this label maker.  I didn't pick it up then but have been thinking about all the great things I could label with it ever since.  Last night after a very long shift at work I went out for a little retail therapy and this baby ended up in my cart.  I got it while it was on a great sale and will be putting it to good use soon!

{Four}.  Starbucks Iced Passion Tea Lemonade.  This is my favorite go-to summer drink! We've been having some really great, sunny weather lately and I have been loving it.  It's been too hot for my usual Starbucks beverages so I've gone back to my ole faithful.  Passion Tea is my favorite tea that Starbucks carries.  You can buy it hot or cold and even buy tins of it to make it at home. 

{Five}.  Wall Mounted Metal Anchor.  Remember that retail therapy I talked about?  I also picked up this gem at Target.  We're a seafaring family so anything nautical wins in my books.  I'm going to hang this in my living room beside a piece of ships wheel art that I picked up at Homegoods. 

My Favorite Etsy Shops for ECLP Products!

My first Etsy purchase was over two years ago.  I purchased a custom hanger for my wedding dress from an adorable shop that did an AMAZING job on it.  Ever since then I've been hooked!  I love that you can usually always find whatever your looking for and if you can't, you can always find someone to customize it for you!

Ever Since I got my {Erin Condren Life Planner} I have been shopping on Etsy more and more.  Today my mailman woke me up after working a night shift to deliver three packages.  He told me that my husband and I get more mail than any other young couple he delivers to.  He sounded kinda miffed about it.  Oh well, he obviously doesn't have an ECLP to shop for!!

These are some of the Etsy shops that I've been loving and shopping at lately! (In no particular order). 

{One}  Karolinas Krafts.  This shop offers washi shapes, washi samples, paper/binder clips, and lots of stickers! Some sticker options include: nail polish, lipstick, whales, shopping carts, weights, TV, pills, popcorn, sports, chores, pay day/bills, coffee, dentist and SO many more!

{Two} My Queen Bee Designs.  This is one of the shops that I've ordered from most often.  I have placed several orders for washi squares that fit the weekly boxes of my ECLP and have loved every order.  I also ordered a sample pack that came with a little bit of everything you need for your planner such as washi shapes, stickers and washi squares.

{Three} Silent Poetry Arts This is one of my absolute favorite shops.  The selection of washi is unbelievable and the quality is excellent. The shop also carries washi tape dispensers, treat bags, bakers twine, elastic and some lip scrubs.  Silent Poetry Arts also has a monthly washi box sale that is offered on Instagram.  There are only 20 boxes available and its such a great deal.  This month it sold out in 20 seconds and I was lucky enough to score one.  I can't wait for it to arrive.  I have received a monthly washi box before and was very happy. 

{Four} Planner Kate This is another great Etsy shop that I've recently made some purchases from.  They sell pre-cut washi strips that fit the boxes in the {ECLP} perfectly.  They are sold in packages based on color or theme. This Etsy shop has also started listing some monthly themed kits giving you everything you need to decorate you planner for the entire month!

{Five} Krissyanne Designs I ordered some stickers from this Etsy Shop and love them.  They are small colored stickers which are perfect in my {ECLP} because they don't take up much room.  I use them for things I need to be aware of, like the end of my pay period, but don't need to be super prevalent in my planner.  This shop also lots of different types of stickers for your planner and also carries lots of other items such as key chains and monogramed items as well. 

{Six} Loollipop This is the first store I ever purchased washi from and where the slippery slope began.  I like the large selection of washi and that they offer great shipping rates to Canada which can sometimes be the difference between a purchase or not on Etsy.  Always fast to ship and adorably packaged this shop will always be one of my favorites.  They also offer paper straws, favor bags, bakers twine, and party tableware. 

Here is a list of some of my Instagram Followers favorite shops and some shops I've been eyeing items from lately:
Donkerrood
Yellow Paper House
Pretty and Planned
Southern Haute
LadyendeVagehond 
LillieHenry
Samantha Lisic Designs
Organized Stickers
Hello Ashleyann

Do you have any favorite Etsy Shops that I need to know about?
 

How I Use My Notes Pages in My Erin Condren Life Planner

Hi everyone!

A lot of people have been wondering what to do with the notes pages in their {Erin Condren Life Planner}. I figured I'd share a couple of posts about how I use mine, and hope to give you guys some inspiration.

I recently turned one of my notes pages into a {Favorite Meals} page. Every week I do a meal plan at the bottom of my ECLP and sometimes I find myself lacking meal ideas. Sometimes, when I'm trying to think of meals, I often forget about a lot of options and I end up planning the same meal over and over again because I can't think of anything else to make.

I decided that dedicating a page to listing our favorite "go-to" meals would help reduce the head scratching and make meal planning much more effective. It would also give us more variety in our meals because having ideas easily accessible means less repetition simply because I can't come up with anything else to make.

Last night I sat down with my recipie box and went through it, adding all the recipes to a list as I went. 

I decided to divide my list into two categories: Bake/Cook and Slowcooker. I love to use my Slowcooker and am always looking for new recipies! I find it so convenient being able to prepare my meal in the morning and come home to something delicious! Our Slowcooker is digital and once cooked will switch to "warm" making sure not to overcook the food. Anyways, I digress. 

This is the list I came up with and what my final spread looks like:

I love how it came out and can't wait to use it to make meal planning so much easier! 

How do you use your notes pages? I'm always looking for new ideas! 

August 2014 Topbox Review

I love mail subscription services.  There's just something about getting mail that makes your day better.  One of my favorite things to see in my mailbox is my monthly {Topbox}.  Topbox is a Canadian monthly beauty subscription service.  It's $12.00 a month plus tax.  Shipping is included in that price.  It offers subscribers 4 deluxe beauty samples each month.  Often times full size products are included as well. 

{Featured Brands}
Aveda
Philosophy
Cake
Benefit
Bioderma
B. Kamins
Butter London
Deborrah Lippmann
Clarins
Cover FX
Clinique
Elizabeth Arden
Essie
Estee Lauder
Glam Glow
L'Occitaine
Juice Beauty
MakeUp Forever
Lippy Girl
Miracle 10
Mark.
Oasis
Prada
Redkin
Shu Uemura
Stila
Yves Saint Laurent
Wella
Vera Wang
... and MANY more!! {Some of my favorites are highlighted in red}


{How it Works}
- You sign up for Topbox here.  Sometimes there is a wait list, they will email you when your name makes it onto the mailing list)
- You receive an email saying you've been added to the Topbox mailing list. 
- You enter all your info and complete your beauty profile so that they can get to know what kind of products you like. 
- Every month Topbox will email you with a monthly {Wish List}.  This email shows you some brand-specific curated Topbox's that you can pick from or you can choose the traditional Topbox.  If you choose to "wish" for a curated Topbox, it shows you exactly what you will receive in those boxes.  You can choose to wish for however many curated boxes that you'd like and Topbox will randomly choose what curated box you get.  If you choose the traditional Topbox, you cannot wish for any curated boxes.  With the traditional Topbox everything inside is a surprise so you have no idea what you will be getting until it shows up on your doorstep. 
- Once you make your wish list you sit back and relax until you receive your Topbox. 

Every month there are great customer savings from the brands featured in that months boxes. 

I have gotten both a mix of curated and traditional Topbox's in the past and have been very happy with both.  I know exactly what I'm going to get if I choose a curated Topbox.  I also love the surprise of the traditional Topbox.  I find overall, unless there is a brand that I know I'll love or a product I've been dying to try, I get the traditional Topbox.  I like trying a variety of products and find that I like the surprise element the best. 

This is what I received in my Topbox this month.  I went for a traditional box. 

{August 2014 Traditional Topbox}

 

{Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle Correcting Eye Cream}  I always love moisturizes by Clinique.  I find them to be hydrating and easily absorbed without being greasy.  However, I'm 25 years old and I've always taken good care of my skin.  I can't say that I currently have too many eye wrinkles that I'm concerned about so I did not try this product for an extended period of time.  I do find that it has a bit of a smell.  It does fade a few minutes after application but is quite noticeable and almost smells like alcohol when you first apply it.  (0.5 ml sample)

 

{Belvada Nail Polish Remover Pads in Strawberry}.  I have never heard of this brand before but am enjoying the product.  They really do smell like strawberries and work well to take off even my darkest polish. (28 polish remover pads)

 

{LAQA & CO Lip Lube}.  This might be my favorite product I received this month.  Again, I had never heard of this brand before but the color is very similar to my favorite lipstick by TooFaced.  I provided a color swatch on my wrist.  No color name is provided however, it's a nice light pink color which works well with my peachy undertone skin.  (Full size). 

 

{Barefoot Venus Wild Flower Macadamia Oil Hand Cream}.  This hand cream was average in my opinion.  The smell is very subtle and pleasent which is what I look for in a hand cream.  It left my hands feeling very moisturized but I found that it took quite a while for it to absorbed into my palms and it left them feeling greasy.  I have a favorite hand cream that I love so I have pretty high standards when trying any new hand cream.  (60 ml). 

 

{Garnier Ombrelle SPF 60 Hypoallergenic Lotion}.  This item was a {bonus} for the Maritimes due to a shipping delay {that I didn't even notice} last month.  I will say that Topbox is very good at making up any issues to customers.  I love Ombrelle products so I was very happy to see this in my Topbox.  It's great SPF protection, nongreasy and at 50 ml it's the perfect size to throw in my purse.  (50 ml). 

 

If you're interested in signing up for Topbox send me an email {thewheelhouseblog@gmail.com} or comment below and I'll send you a referral link. 

 

For $12.00 a month I truly enjoy receiving this subscription and have recommended it to all my friends!

 

Five Things Friday!

Hello everyone!
I'm back with another round of {Five Things Friday}.  This week has been crazy busy as I picked up some extra shifts at the hospital.  Looking forward to a weekend off on the lake and some relaxation. 

{One}  {Two}  {Three}  {Four} {Five}

{One} Lalicious Sugar Kiss Sugar Scrub.  This is the BEST scrub that I have ever used and I've tried quite a few.  I have really bad dry, sensitive skin and this stuff works wonders.  It is a bit pricy but it's totally worth it.  The Sugar Kiss scent is really mild and pleasant and it leaves your skin moisturized and soft.  You can also use this stuff to shave your legs, moisturizing as you go! I love this scent and brand so much that I also have the Sugar Kiss body spray, body butter, lip butter and hand cream.  Lalicious has many other scents and they are all worth a try!  

{Two} The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.  This book is another great summer read.  It's about a socially awkward genetics professor and a quirky, intelligent woman searching for her father.  It's a great romantic comedy and the sequel is coming out in September.  Pick up your copy and read it in time to see what happens next!

{Three} Martha Stewart Avery Removable Color Teardrop Stickers.  If I had to pick one {Erin Condren Life Planner} accessory that I could not live without, these babies would be it.  I love that they are small enough to fit anywhere I need them in my planner and they add just the right pop of color.  I've stocked up on these bad boys because I heard that they are being discontinued.  Good luck finding them while you can, they're totally worth it!

{Four} Patch Adams, starring Robin Williams.  This week one of the greatest actors of our generation committed suicide and it is truly a tragedy.  It has recently come out that Williams was suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's Disease.  This week I took the time to watch one of my favorite Robin Williams movies to pay my own personal tribute to one of my favorite comedians.  I'm a Respiratory Therapist and a lot of the lessons Williams' character, Patch, discusses in the movie really resonate with me.  I love working with my patients and sometimes if swimming in a pool of noodles will make you patient feel better, it's what you've got to do for them!

{Five} Too Faced La Crème Lipstick in "Marshmallow Bunny".  I'm not an everyday makeup kinda girl but every now and then I do enjoy getting done up! My favorite makeup brand would have to be {Too Faced}.  I find that their products last and are great quality.  My skin is sensitive and I never have any problems with their product.  This lipstick has great color pigment and is a subtle pink shade without being too over the top. 

Weekly Erin Condren Life Planner Spread

Another week is passing in my {Erin Condren Life Planner}.  This week I must admit, I was super tired after working several night shifts which were very busy.  My planner suffered because of it.  It sat in my purse for most of the week while I worked and slept.  I didn't do a meal plan or get anything significant checked off my revolving To-Do list.  Here's hoping for some better utilization next week as I'm off this weekend and plan to set my week up over a nice cup of tea and a movie!