We LOVE these adorable ballet flats, you guys! LOVE! I’ve been dying for a pair of these for a long time. I’ve seen cat flats in multiple online shops and put them in my virtual shopping cart, but I could never pull the trigger. Only recently did it occur to me that I could make my own, duh! Seriously, you won’t believe how easy these are, and I can’t wait to show you. Keep reading for the instructions.
-Viv
We LOVE lemon curd! It’s so tangy, bright, and sweet-tart! I love stirring it into plain Greek yogurt, whether store-bought or homemade. It would also be amazing slathered on some shortbread cookies or warm scones. Years ago, I stumbled on a non-traditional (but still delicious) recipe, and I’ve used it exclusively ever since. As an added bonus, because there’s no butter, it’s actually a little quicker/easier to make AND it’s lower in fat and calories. Score! I’ve made this on countless occasions, sometimes with Meyer lemons, regular lemons, key limes, or regular limes. You can pretty much use any type of citrus, so take your pick!
Read on to get the full instructions.
-Viv
We LOVE sesame peanut noodles! I’ve been adhering to a weekly menu plan lately, in an attempt to save money and waste less food, and I’m happy to say my evil plan is working, mwa ha ha! However, whether you make a weekly plan or not, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, especially when you try to make dinner at home regularly. These sesame peanut noodles made their way into the rotation recently, and not only did they get Mr. Viv and me out of a boring, repetitive dinner pattern, they were surprisingly easy and inexpensive. Awesome! Keep reading for the details.
-Viv
We LOVE this wrap bracelet! A little background: Jen and I probably spend WAY too much time watching Fixer Upper on HGTV. Don’t tell her I said this, but I think Jen might be a little obsessed with Joanna Gaines–both for her personal style and her design sense. Anyway, on several episodes, you can spot her wearing a bracelet like this, and Jen was dying for one but thought that I could probably spend a lot less to make something similar. She was right, and if you keep reading I’ll share the directions with you!
-Viv
We LOVE healthy snacks! Actually, we love all snacks, but it’s a bonus if they’re both delicious AND healthy. Today I’m going to share a ridiculously easy “recipe” for savory roasted chickpeas, which are full of fiber and protein. It’s actually more of a method than a recipe, and you can customize it in infinite ways. This version will make a salty, crunchy snack that might help you skip the greasy chips, but you can also make a cinnamon sugar variation to help you indulge your sweet tooth without forfeiting a healthy lifestyle. Read on for the details.
-Viv
You already know we LOVE kale! This week, Alana’s Tuesday Tip will help keep your kale fresh even longer than you can imagine. It’s super easy, too. But first, you need to know that it’ll take up a significant amount of space, so clear out those leftovers ahead of time!
Ready? Wash your kale and dry it THOROUGHLY in your trusty salad spinner. Then, add a small amount of clean water to the bowl of the spinner, put the basket of washed and dried kale back in the bowl, cover it with the spinner lid, and pop it in the fridge. BOOM! That’s it. It’s important to make sure that the water in the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the beautifully cleaned and spin-dried greens in the basket, though. Speaking of greens, this method will probably work with leafy vegetables other than kale, too.
Let us know how this works out for you, and please feel free to share your kale storage tips in the comments, because of course WE LOVE THIS STUFF!
-Alana (via Viv)
We LOVE all-natural DIY beauty products! Today I’m going to show you how to make a lip scrub at home. I gave these away for Christmas as part of a lip duo along with the handmade lip balm we shared here back in December.
Read on to find out how to make this moisturizing (and yummy) lip exfoliant yourself in only 3 steps! (Bonus: you only need 2 ingredients!)
-Viv
We LOVE clever ideas that make daily life easier! Whenever I hang out with Jen, I notice that she often has to dig through her large purse to find her keys. This is not criticism, by the way. She usually puts her keys in her pocket, but not all outfits have pockets, you know? Plus, as mommy to a 5-year-old boy, she needs everything in that large purse, so kudos to her for simplifying by keeping just one or two absolutely necessary keys on her key ring. Unfortunately, on no-pocket days, that means her keys disappear into the abyss.
So, I came up with this idea when I was Christmas shopping recently and stumbled on this. It’s a bracelet that allows you to wear your keys, but unlike those generic ones that look like old school phone cords, it’s actually stylish. Another advantage is that it’s large but not bulky, so it won’t weigh down your purse, but it will help you find your keys in the sea of lip balms and Altoids you keep in there. Anyway, I thought it was such a smart and cute way to solve the problem of buried keys, and I knew I could figure out a DIY version. It turned out to be an inexpensive, fun, and easy project! Read on to find out how you can make one too.
-Viv
We LOVE mushrooms! Today I’m sharing a ridiculously simple and delicious appetizer/snack that could be turned into a meal with the addition of a bowl of soup or a nice big salad. You don’t even need a recipe; like most of what we post here at WLTS, this is both forgiving and customizable.
Just sautée some garlic (minced, crushed, or sliced) in plenty of butter on medium-medium high. You can use oil instead, but I prefer the flavor of butter for this dish. Once the garlic has started to cook, add your favorite kind of mushrooms, sliced, in a single layer if possible. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the mushrooms cook undisturbed until they start to caramelize (brown) before stirring and allowing them to brown on the other side. Add a splash of cream and continue cooking until the cream reduces and thickens a bit. Garnish with parsley and serve on toasted French bread. Annnd, now I’m hungry!
If you skip the baguette, this would also make a great side dish or a tasty topping for a perfectly cooked steak, but I think one of the advantages of mushroom toast is that it it’s a hearty vegetarian option for a snack, appetizer, or meal.
This is such an easy, satisfying dish. We hope you try it, because WE LOVE THIS STUFF!
-Viv
PS if you don’t like mushrooms, we probably can’t be friends. Just kidding, but why are you still reading this?! 😉
We LOVE nail art! Sometimes it’s too time consuming or complicated, though. On those occasions, an easy, simple design like this one is perfect. Today’s post is a tutorial that explains exactly how to do it.
Step 1: Apply a base coat followed by 2 coats of the color of your choice. (I used a sheer baby pink.) Let it dry.
Step 2: Use a fine brush to add a single stripe of a contrasting color to each nail. (I used gold.) Angle the stripes differently on each nail for a random look. That way, you don’t have to align anything perfectly to make your lines all match. You could buy a special striping brush, but I just trimmed an old eyeliner brush to make it super thin. NAIL ART HACK: you don’t need a perfectly steady hand for this. Try laying the brush parallel to your nail instead of holding it perpendicular like a pencil. You’ll have less “drawing” to do, because the length of the bristles will create the start of a perfectly straight line. When striping with your non-dominant hand, try holding the brush still and “dragging” your dominant nail under it to create a straighter stripe.
Step 3: Apply top coat after letting your stripes dry enough that they won’t smear.
Like almost everything we share here, this is something SUPER easy that you can also customize. Play with different colors! Try high contrast or tone-on-tone combinations! If you have both glossy and matte topcoats, you could even use just a single polish color and make the stripes in the contrasting finish, like this!
I hope you enjoyed this easy idea. Let us know if you try it, and make sure to show us how it turned out, because WE LOVE THIS STUFF!
-Viv
WE LOVE THIS STUFF! 