I can't wait for Christmas, and what better way to show my excitement by painting my nails to celebrate the holidays! This is a super easy nail tutorial, and great for beginners like me.

Nail Polish and Materials Used (Left to Right):

1. Trophy Wife by Essie

2. Marshmallow by Essie

3. Wrapped in Rubies by Essie

4. Dotting Tool (or toothpicks!)

 1. First, apply a base coat! It's extremely important to do this step or else your nails will yellow.

2. Next, apply a white nail polish. Here, I used a sheer white polish.

3. Dab some green polish on a piece of paper, and with a dotting tool or toothpick, create different-sized dots at random on your nails. 

It should look like something like this:

4. Now do the same thing for the red polish and you're done!

Super easy right? Do you have your own rendition of holiday nails? Leave a comment below and show us! 

xoxo, A.

DIY December: Mini Terrarium

A. here with another DIY December!

After watching a video about making terrariums (and some extra research), I thought it'd be fun to make miniature terrariums for my friends as Christmas gifts. These are extremely easy to make and the materials are available at any garden center, such as Home Depot or Armstrong.

What You'll Need (Clockwise):

1. Jar

2. A succulent (or cactus)

3. Moss

4. Cactus/Succulent soil (or dirt from your backyard)

5. Small pebbles/rocks

6. Perlites

Directions:

1. Grab your small pebbles and add a layer inside your jar.

2. Then add some perlites; shake the jar so that the pebbles and perlites are mixed together.

3. Next, cut a piece of the moss to the size of the jar. Start big, then trim little by little until it fits.

4. Using a spoon (or your hands if you want to get dirty), put a thin layer of soil inside your jar.

5. Get your succulent plant and remove it from its small pot. Remove the surrounding soil until it can be placed in the jar. Once inside, add more soil.

6. Add soil accordingly, and you should have something like this!

And there's your mini terrarium! However, I thought it looked a bit plain with the plant alone, so I decided to add my own decorations to give it some character.

I created a small "island" with the remaining moss, and put a small figurine on top of it. Those colored sticks in the back are actually toothpicks; I added some small pebbles in the front as well.

I hope you enjoyed this DIY and give it a try. Leave a comment below, or show us a picture of your mini terrariums! We'd love to see them.

xoxo, A.

DIY December: Snow Globes

Hello! It's me, H, again. 

It's been a lot colder lately in Cali (don't judge us; we're used to sunny weather). But it's never been quite cold enough for snow. So to make your very own winter wonderland, here's a tutorial on how to make a mason jar snow globe. 

You can find all of these materials at your local craft store (I went to Michael's). I bought a set of "trees," white glitter, plastic deer, and a mason jar. You'll also need a few cotton balls and a glue gun. Some craft stores sell fake snow that will settle better when you shake it, but I thought glitter would make for a fun, sparkly addition to the holiday decor at home. 

DIY December: Gift Wrapping

Happy December! 

To kick start off our DIY December, we're starting off with something everybody will be doing, regardless  of what you celebrate: wrapping gifts! 

Gift wrapping is an art of its own, but can sometimes go unappreciated in the frenzy to get to the good stuff inside. Some people consider it expensive to buy wrapping materials that will just end up in the trash anyway; others find it too "feminine" or "complicated."