Hey everybody! Like many of you, I seriously enjoy crafting and attempting those awesome DIY projects that are all over Pinterest. I've put together a few projects that I think are especially awesome, and could serve as amazing gifts during this holiday season!

Hemp & Honey Lip Balm ~ Gold Painted Organizers ~ Coffee Ground Candles

I love love love the idea of making chemical-free beauty products, which is why this lovely recipe for lip balm made it to this list! The ingredients include shea butter, cocoa butter, and manuka honey. Hip hip hooray for healthy!

These gold spray-painted jars could be used for soo many things; makeup brushes, pens & pencils, even flowers! I'd make sure to get the reflective type of paint, as it makes the jars look super glam. (:

Last but not least, the coffee ground candles! Come on everyone, you know you love the smell of hot coffee in the morning. Why not gift it to a friend? (: 

In all honesty these candles seem relatively challenging to make, but I'm sure its well worth it in the end. Thanks for reading everybody! I hope you enjoyed checking out these projects and were inspired to create something of your own (:

-Grace

WHY SELF ESTEEM IS A HUGE PROBLEM FOR GIRLS EVERYWHERE

Hey everybody, welcome back to my blog! Recently I've been doing some research on the connection between fashion and self esteem, and in turn have learned a lot about this issue vast amounts of people deal with everyday. I've highlighted the basic things I believe EVERYBODY need to know about body image in the four categories below.

The Basic Statistics: 

• Among high school students, 44% of girls and 15% of guys are attempting to lose weight.
• 80% of children who are 10 years old are afraid of being fat. 
• • 72% of girls feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful 

The Causes: 

• Society And the Media: The pictures teens see in magazines, on TV, and online can have huge effects on the adolescent's self esteem. These advertisements often set unrealistic beauty standards that teens feel they cannot live up to.
• Bullying: When someone is bullied, it can make it hard for them to make friends, reach out to people, and focus in school. Bullying can also cause depression or suicidal thoughts in its victims.

The Consequences:

Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks

• 13 percent of girls age 15-17 acknowledge having an eating disorder.
• About 20% of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood

How YOU Can Make A Difference: 

Even though the things you've just learned about self esteem & it's effects are very common across the world, there is a lot we can do together to reverse this problem. Here are some awesome ideas that may even inspire you to start your own project! 

• Leave positive, encouraging post-it notes around where lots of people may see them! Here are some cute examples that were placed on bathroom mirrors!
  
  
  
  
• Appreciate all body types. The media often uses very underweight women as their models. But we all know that there a ton of other body types that aren't at all represented in the media. Everybody was beautifully and fearfully made, so why not celebrate all of our unique bodies!

My Sources:

https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-self-esteem

http://www.heartofleadership.org/statistics-on-body-image-self-esteem-parental-influence/

http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/Self-Esteem-Statistics.aspx

http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/research.php

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/me-we/201312/10-sources-low-self-esteem

GORGEOUS FALL COLORS

After spending the day today picking pumpkins with my nephew, I only have one question. Is anything better than fall? From the cinnamon to the apple cider, autumn is sweet, savory, and stylin'. If you've been over to my fashion Pinterest board lately, you've probably noticed a recurring theme - shades of burgundy & wine -- everywhere! But can you blame me? Check out these adorable pictures found on Pinterest, or click here to view my fashion board!

What's your favorite fall color? Leave a comment below! ♥

ChronicChemist Soap Review + FALL GIVEAWAY! (closed)

Recently, I had the pleasure of working with Kayti Burke from the Chronic Chemist on Etsy. She is a phenomenal soap and candle maker from Charlottesville, Virginia. This courageous girl has a mission too;

"As someone with multiple chronic illnesses I have always felt a strong desire to help other people like me. When I realized that a lot of people in my chronic illness community had a hard time finding bath products that both smelled good and felt good on fragile skin, I knew I could finally be of service. It all started with bath salts and grew from there. Now I make organic bath products with sensitive skin in mind. Using all natural ingredients and herbs from my own (pesticide free) garden, I make yummy smelling stuff for anyone looking to be chronically awesome. "

 I was given a sample of her products to test and review! So here we go; 

Pictured above are the samples of the Peppermint Cocoa Butter and Raspberry Lemonade Cocoa Butter soaps. Not only do they smell *ahhhhh*mazing, but they feel good on my skin and don't irritate it at all! 

In this picture, you can also see the 2 "chill pill" shaped soaps, scented lavender and lemon. I loved the adorable little bow on the lavender soap! Yes folks, the Chronic Chemist's products look good, smell good, and are packaged superrr cute. But it gets better! Kayti Burke has given me the chance to give one of my beautiful readers a gift! One lucky winner will win a Pumpkin Spice candle from the Chronic Chemist, and other samples of her bath and body products. Simply click the link below, and follow the instructions to enter! 

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY! ♥

Giveaway ends October 31rst, at 12AM EST ♥