haleyraejay

[haleyraejay]

Sam Hunt's "Speakers" is a perfect choice for #newmusicmonday

(via Sam Hunt)

[haleyraejay]

I just really like my #OOTD

#ootd

[haleyraejay]

[haleyraejay]

Made the absolute best #frenchtoast for breakfast this morning. This must become a regular thing.

#frenchtoast

[haleyraejay]

#HTTR (at Fed-Ex Field Stadium)

#httr

[haleyraejay]

I hope I love my first born child as much as I love these shoes.

[haleyraejay]

Brief summary of the past two months of my life...

Graduated from Virginia Tech, moved to Rockville, started first big girl job, got laid off, laid by the pool, finally watched Silence of the Lambs, started another new job, breakup, trivia nights, retail therapy, best friend got married, lots of traffic, so much traffic.

I'd say it's been the perfect mix of good and bad to keep me on my toes. Here's to all the people that have made being a grown up interesting!

[haleyraejay]

Faux Water Marbling

The three reasons why I wanted to give this craft project a try sound like the description of a trashy call girl, but hey, what’s true is true. Beautiful, easy, cheap. Seriously. I absolutely love the way these two pieces turned out! And to sweeten the deal, the whole project only took me one day to finish, and only cost me $4 (ya gotta love coupons)!!!

Due to the nature of the quick moving process, I wasn’t able to snap a lot of pictures while I was working on the pieces, but here’s a video that shows you a step-by-step tutorial.

The first thing I did was prepare my paint mixture. I didn’t want to buy any more paint, so I just used what I already had in my stash. The first picture shows the exact colors I used. You can get whatever brand or colors you like, just make sure it’s regular acrylic paint. Next you’re going to mix 1 part paint to 1 part water in a container that has a lid, so you can shake up the mixture without spilling. I used empty paint bottles that I had lying around, but you could also use empty water bottles.

The second thing you should do is create a lip around your canvas with an easy to remove tape. This stops all the paint from running off your canvas onto the ground. That brings up another point. I would recommend doing this project outside or over newspaper because it can get a little messy.

Now comes the fun part! Just squirt your paint mixture all over the canvas, spread it to the edges with a spatula or plastic knife, and tilt it around until it looks awesome. That’s pretty much it! You definitely want to let it dry on a flat surface for at least a couple of hours. Setting it outside in the sun helps speed up the process a little bit. You want to make sure your project is completely dry before you remove the tape, paint the edges, and cover with a quick coat of glossy Modge Podge.

Beautiful, easy, cheap. Just like the trashy call girl of your dreams. Enjoy!

#water marbling #summer crafts #abstract

[haleyraejay]

Haleyraejay's Five Minute Face: Everyday Makeup

It’s been a while since I’ve done a beauty related post, so I’m giving one to you this week. With spring in full bloom and summer right around the corner, there’s a lot of jazzed up makeup tutorials out there right now with bright eye shadows and lip stains and blush and you get the point. Although extravagant makeup is great sometimes, I’m still a firm believer in keeping it natural for your everyday look. So this post is all about my normal makeup routine. Pictures coming soon!

Step 1: Moisturize! with a lotion specifically for faces so that you don’t gunk up your pores with heavy oils and perfumes. I use Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.

Step 2: Foundation! to even out your skin tone and get some sun protection. Whether you use a liquid or powder form, it’s best to apply foundation with a tightly bristled brush for the best coverage and to avoid splotches. I use bareMinerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation.

Step 3: Concealer! for those stubborn spots we all have. My problem areas are dark circles under my eyes and redness around my nose. It’s easiest to just dab concealer directly onto the skin with the tips of your ring fingers, just be sure to blend it in evenly. I use Garneir Skin Renew under my eyes, and CoverGirl Fresh Complexion for any other spots.

Step 4: Bronzer! for a sun kissed look without the rays. The key to bronzer is applying it to the areas of your face where the sun would hit it naturally: the top of your cheeks, temples, around your hairline, and the bridge of your nose. Again, don’t forget to blend. I use bareMinerals Warmth.

Step 5: Blush! to add some pretty color to your face. A good swipe of a rosy or peach tinted blush on the apples of your cheeks is all is takes. Try tapping off excess powder from your brush before you apply. I use CoverGirl Instant Cheekbones in Refined Rose or Peach Perfection depending on my outfit.

Step 6: Eye shadow! to shake off that “just rolled out of bed” look. Even a neutral tone with a little bit of shimmer does wonders for your overall look. For everyday wear, apply a neutral bronze shade all over the eyelid and a light iridescent shade in the corners of your eye. I use CoverGirl Eye Enhancers in Shimmering Sands.

Step 7: Mascara! for the cherry on top of the cake. Nothing completes your look like a couple of quick coats of mascara. Drag the ends of your lashes up and out toward your ears for wider looking eyes. I use Maybelline Great Lash in Very Black.

So there you have it.  In seven easy steps and five minutes, you can create this go-to look that can be worn anywhere. Keep it real, ladies!

#Comm 4404 #makeup #bare minerals #covergirl #maybelline #clinique #garnier

[haleyraejay]

Finals Approved Meal: Roasted Vegetables

With the semester coming to an end and finals quickly approaching, I’ve been on the hunt for easy but healthy meals (find more here). Well let me tell you that the answer I’ve been looking for is a big ‘ole batch of roasted vegetables! This has become my go-to meal when I know I’m going to be at home studying for a few hours.

One of the really great things about this recipe is that you can mix it up with whatever veggies and spices you have on hand. The version I made for this post is more of a savory recipe, but I also make a sweeter version with sweet potatoes, apples, pumpkin pie spice, lemon juice, and honey. Other veggie add-ins you could use are tomatoes, celery, pear, or corn.

You really can’t go wrong with this recipe, so just keep trying different combinations of veggies and spices until you find something you love, then good luck with trying to stay away!

Recipe:

            Lots and lots of veggies!

            (potato, carrots, onion, mushroom, squash, zucchini)

            3 Tbs. olive oil

            ½ tsp. salt

            ¼ tsp. black pepper

            ¼ tsp. thyme

            ½ tsp. garlic powder

            ½ tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Blend

Set the oven to 400 degrees and let it do its thing. While the oven is preheating, chop up your veggies into medium sized chunks. You don’t want to cut them too small or they’ll shrivel up and burn while roasting. Pop your veggie chunks into a mixing bowl and add in the olive oil, then the spices, and lightly toss until evenly coated. Spread the prepared veggies onto a greased baking sheet and roast for 50 minutes, giving a good mixing halfway through.

Let your veggies cool for a few minutes after removing them from the oven, and enjoy the amazing crispy deliciousness that you can have as a side or a whole meal!

#comm4404 #roasted veggies #finals

[haleyraejay]

DIY Monogram Craft Letters

The weather in Blacksburg has been so back and forth the past couple of months that my body is seriously craving warm spring weather right now. To be completely honest, I had major issues in deciding on a topic for this post, but I knew I wanted to write about something that would help me break through this winter slump and root myself in spring once and for all.

I got to searching around the craft category on Pinterest, and noticed soooo many decorated craft letters. I figured I’d hop on the bandwagon since I’m in need of decorations for my new apartment anyway. Plus, how could I resist an excuse to get down and dirty with some glitter, bright patterns, and silk flowers! That would get me in spring mode for sure!

I had to grab some supplies from Michael’s, but all three letters plus the flowers cost less than 20 bucks. I already had glitter and paint for two of the letters.

For one of the big letters all I wanted to do was shine it up. I coated it with a thin layer of Modge Podge, dumped some chunky gold glitter on it, and shook off the excess. I repeated this process one more time to make sure the letter was fully covered. Now the super awesome secret to preventing shedding glitter everywhere is to add a final coat of Modge Podge once it’s all dry.

On the other big letter I bought I wanted to add pretty silk flowers to add tons of texture. All in all, it was just a matter of hot gluing flowers onto the letter. I found it was easier to start with the big ones, then use the little ones to fill in.

The last tiny little letter took me the most time by far because I wanted to paint a detailed geometric-ish pattern on it. I did a nice thick base coat of white paint, freehanded the pattern with a pencil, and then used a tiny brush to fill it in with a beautiful deep purple color. It sounds like it would have been a quick job, but the detailed pattern took a while to do nicely.

I absolutely loved the way these letters turned out! They were super easy, relatively quick, pretty cheap, and way cute too! This little craft definitely made me pumped for spring… whenever it decides to show up. 

#Comm 4404 #spring crafts #monogram

[haleyraejay]

"If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sun beams and you will always look lovely."

Roald Dahl

(via coolbeans)

[haleyraejay]

Heard this song on Grey's Anatomy last week and haven't been able to stop listening. Ultra romantic cover of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

(via bootstrapsmusic)

#new music monday #bootstraps #i wanna dance with somebody

[haleyraejay]

I love love love getting my waiter's favorite dish at a restaurant. They would know best, right? 

(via scoutmob)

#eat local

[haleyraejay]

On repeat all. damn. day. And I don't have a problem with that. 

(via ericbakermusic)

#eric baker #unbroken promise #bijou theater

[haleyraejay]

This weekend's adventure took me on a day hike of the Appalachian Trail. This 2.4 mile section of trail is called Dagon's Tooth, named for its jagged, rocky overlook that features a 360 degree view of the valley below. We were happy to be accompanied by our four legged friend, Norah, and wonderful weather.

#appalachain trail #dragon's tooth

[haleyraejay]

Amazing shot of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin at a 2011 show (via 3fmseriousradio)

#coldplay