2020 Holidays, 2020 Home Series, Home

Giani DIY Cabinet Paint to Easily Transform Your Small Spaces

Giani DIY Cabinet Paint to Easily Transform Your Small Spaces

What a year it has been. I can tell you that quarantine brought big changes to our home. It all started in April with a flood we had upstairs that ruined the downstairs dining room floors. Because we have continuous flooring we had to replace all of our floors. I wasn’t terribly upset by that to be honest.

The thing is when we started one project it spiraled into more. The contractor left us an entire weekend with old floors pulled up and the flooring guy coming a few days later. We decided what a better time to repaint the downstairs walls while furniture was moved out and the floors were pulled! Then that meant I needed a new tablecloth and rugs because my color scheme is changing. The paint sale we found was great so on a whim got some paint for my master bathroom (why not)?!

I gave my bathroom a Sky Blue color and repainted the white trim to look fresh. What a difference paint can make to a space. I had a grand idea to repaint all of my cabinets, however we have different plans down the road but I did have older small cabinets and decor that would transform the space if I could change its color.

I got my hands on the Giani Nuvo Cabinet Paint in the color, Titanium Infusion. Taking older wood cabinets and adding color seems small but drastically changes the look when you want to transform your small spaces. It is such an easy weekend project – resurface cabinets, desks, tables, kitchen islands and more in the great colors of Giani Nuvo Cabinet Paint.

I love the color pallet of Giani Granite’s paints for cabinets – see them here. The kits come with all you need to paint including online video tutorials with more tips. I just grabbed some sandpaper I had to prep the surface and Giani Granite provided me the paint, instructions, paint brushes and paint rollers.

In the empty space inside my bathroom I keep a stool. It comes in handy to grab as I have longer hair styling days to sit in front of my mirror. I had some dark pieces, some light pieces, the stool was black and my goal was to brighten all I could up in that space. So, I will be using the Nuvo Cabinet Paint on my stool as well to match.

I have used Giani Granite brand kits before as last year I made myself some tables I pull out when I have guests for added space for desserts or drinks. For these I took some old TV trays that fold and store well and instead of dumping at Goodwill I repurposed with the Giani Butcher Block Paint kit and they came out great! See how those turned out HERE!

Giani also has Granite and Marble Countertops kits and soon will launch these gorgeous Pour and cure-in-place quartz countertops! These will transform countertops beautifully. All of their countertop paints are non porous – mold and bacterial resistant. They have great step-by-step videos so you can’t mess them up. Here is a sneak peek at the new quartz coming soon.

Visit Giani Granite and shop all of their DIY paint kits to transform your space. Makes a great gift idea for new home owners or those who love to keep busy with DIY projects around the home. Also available on Amazon.

2020 Holidays, Home

Clean Means Care as we Get our Homes Ready for the Holidays

Clean Means Care as we Get our Homes Ready for the Holidays

I was not always a clean nut. Today my husband and I are both clean people. We both like modern touches and hate clutter. I will apologize for ‘the mess’ if you drop by and I did not have notice to prefect my home. My mess may consist of today’s mail on the counter and the dog’s toys. I am proud of my home and proud of how we keep it. I can’t sit down and work in clutter or dust and my weekend does not start until I do my Friday deep clean. Fridays is when I bring out the rags and Scott’s Liquid Gold!

We have been raising 3 boys who are ages 12, 23 and 28. Funny story, as clean as we are it does not mean our boys are naturally neat but perhaps a bit of organization and feeling content in cleanliness does rub off as we found in our oldest recently. As he ended a relationship recently we were talking and he realizes that he wants someone with goals and wants someone who takes care of themselves and their space. He said I found myself becoming lazier and someone I’m not. It’s more motivating to be around “someone who is tidy, takes care of their things like I do and as that’s a sign that they will also put that care into a marriage and house and life problems. I just now know who my person is.”

This is exactly why I put care into all things and I see that we have a 20-something young man who see that cleanliness and care, before starting the family and life really starts, says a lot about character and realizes that’s his ‘person’. That is why cleaning is more than picking up toys but it is love for all that share this space in our home or walk into it. I keep my home clean for my own sanity but also for my family and because I just love to put care into all things.

When the Holidays arrive I do my deep clean a bit more often and always add some smelly candles for that ambiance. Fun scents really help my feel like my space is clean and finished. For the deep clean it is easy with Scott’s Liquid Gold One Clean Home. I can use 1 cleaner on multiple surfaces.

This One Clean Home foams in place which I love so there are no streaks no matter what I am wiping down. It has that clean scent I love also. I can start in one room (even my kitchen) and catch dirt spots on walls, doors, tables and counters, appliances, wood cabinets or furniture, glass and more. With 2 stories I keep a bin of cleaners on each level and not having multiple cleaners for each task gives me more room and makes wiping my surfaces quicker.

I still own Scott’s Liquid Gold Wood Care because sometimes my wood gets thirsty rather than just dirty. The original can is great to use about once each month or so for wood care. I have several wood pieces of furniture I love and understanding that cleaning wood and caring for wood are 2 different things will keep your pieces looking great for a long time.

It’s been a rough year, so let’s tackle the inside messes and show our family that care we have by helping everyone feel organized and clean again. A good deep clean that is ready for the Holidays even if we can’t fill our home with guests will help us end the year feeling better and organized as we get rid of 2020! Visit Scott’s Liquid Gold to see what’s new and happy cleaning!

2020 Holidays, Children's Books, Parenting

ABOVE THE CLOUDS – What Really Happens in Heaven During a Thunderstorm Book

ABOVE THE CLOUDS – What Really Happens in Heaven During a Thunderstorm Book

ABOVE THE CLOUDS – What Really Happens in Heaven During a Thunderstorm book by Stephanie Barton, Carley Barton and Sue Milon

Grace is afraid of thunderstorms. Her mother comforts her by telling her what’s REALLY responsible for the thunder, lightning, wind, and rain – namely heavenly parties complete with jammin’ tunes, selfie stations, paparazzi, and dancing angels. 

This story is written by a 14 year old Carley Barton based off of her Grandmother’s explanation to her as a child about the thunder and storms when she was afraid. How fun that this teen Author took her Grandmother’s story and published it so you can also ease your own children’s anxieties during storms.

Buy this book on Amazon today and be prepared for the next ‘scary’ storm!

Healthy Living

Toric Colored Contacts Guide: How to Choose Color Contact Lenses for Astigmatism

Toric Colored Contacts Guide:  How to Choose Color Contact Lenses for Astigmatism

The senses naturally serve people to fully experience the world that surrounds them. They can see, touch, smell, and then react to every sensation they feel. The brain processes everything they perceive through the senses as information that needs to be interpreted in a certain way.

Precisely because of their importance, the eyes are very sophisticated organs. But they are not resistant to diseases. Some of them can be hereditary; others can occur during the early period of life. Finally, the development of certain conditions can be influenced by some bad habits.

Astigmatism is the condition where an eye doesn’t properly focus light. When the cornea is not evenly shaped, light refracts incorrectly, resulting in blurred vision. This disorder can be put under control so that the patient can have a perfectly normal life. More on astigmatism, read here.

Is Astigmatism Curable?

People with astigmatism have trouble seeing objects near and far. They can’t recognize the shapes and details of things they look at. It happens when the front surface of the eye, the cornea, has an irregular curvature. Due to corneal scarring, eye muscle tone, or the tissue structure, the light reflects in the wrong way, causing nearsightedness or farsightedness.

In most cases, the treatment of this disease is done with glasses. These aids are the cheapest solution for astigmatism, but they are not suitable in any case. Sometimes they can even worsen the condition. But it’s good to know that glasses are not the only solution for astigmatism.

Another popular way to correct astigmatism is with the use of contact lenses. Many people are comfortable using these visual aids. They don’t cause a sense of burden (like glasses) or any scarring on the face or around the cornea. Besides, contacts are considered a less intensive procedure, which means they’re less expensive.

Suppose the aesthetic effect matters to you, and you don’t have a limited budget. In that case, you should think of an innovative procedure that will correct your vision. It’s called the implantation of specialized toric lenses.

About Toric Lenses

Toric contact lenses take the place of the natural lens in the eye and take over its function. The procedure is routine, and it lasts only 10-15 minutes. It’s completely painless and comfortable as it’s performed under local anesthesia, usually with eye drops. The percentage of vision correction is very high, which means that the patient no longer needs visual aids.

Contacts used in this procedure are cylindrical (with variable thickness at the edges). These contact lenses for astigmatism are designed to compensate for the corneal defect and correct the astigmatism axis: the more severe astigmatism, the more significant the difference in lens thickness at the edges.

The great thing about toric contacts is that they can be implanted in the nuance that the patient wants. In addition to corrective, they also have a cosmetic effect. They cost more than regular contacts, but the result they give can change your entire appearance.

Choosing Color of Lenses

A couple of years ago, toric colored contacts became a thing. Until then, you could only buy cosmetic lenses without any corrective feature. Today, the market for these corrective aids is growing day by day, so you have a decent choice of toric contacts of different brands and in a variety of price ranges.

There are only a few eye colors in the world, but with a large number of tones that can give each eye a different look. You can find lenses in several different shades of one color, as they differ in tonality, opacity, the presence of a black ring, etc. 

Since the choice of contacts’ color is a matter of personal preference, there is almost no wrong choice. If you follow the trends, you will opt for bold shades like gray, purple, or turquoise. But if you want a natural look, you need lenses that naturally emphasize pupils.

Lenses for Pale Skin

People with fair skin have an almost unlimited choice since the pale complexion emphasizes every eye color. You can go with blue or gray if you have blonde or light brown hair and bright eyes. Keep in mind that toric lenses of lighter colors come in enhancement tint. They make the natural color of your pupils more vibrant and noticeable.

If you have a light complexion and a darker hair color, you can also use bright colors, but dark blue or dark-brown will look more natural. Gray or dark-green contacts with opaque tint are particularly dazzling, as they will change the iris’s appearance.

Best Colors for Medium Complexion

Skin with caramel undertones is an ideal ‘base’ for those who want green eyes. Since this eye color is the least represented, whatever shade of green you choose, you can be one of the few (no one will know you’re wearing lenses). If you have light hair, make a slight contrast with emerald contacts. Dark-haired people can experiment with greenish-gray shades.

Hazel, honey, dark gray, and all brown nuances will also suit you perfectly, regardless of hair color. You can emphasize neutral lens colors with an eye shadow that differs from the lens color in a few shades. Perhaps the only recommendation is not to choose too light shades of blue like turquoise, but to opt for sapphire or navy.

Dark Skin Tone

If you have a dark complexion, you can’t go wrong with almost any color, depending on what effect they want to achieve. Still, avoid loud colors such as light purple or turquoise due to too much contrast. For a natural look, any warm shade will do. To get a bit out of the edge, you can opt for turquoise, violet, or light brown.

The eyes are giving the brain more information about the environment than all the other senses combined. Visual perception itself gives you the ability to understand what you’ve seen. And with colored contact lenses, you can see the world around you at its best.