Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts

 I've been asked repeatedly if my press-on nails are manufactured and the answer is no. The nail themselves may come from China but they are definitely designed by myself all by hand. From that point on (a couple years ago), I said I would make sure to also hand paint and hand write each and every Thank You card so when a customer gets their order off of whatever platform I sold it off of they would know it came from an indie operation. 

Sharpie, Stamp Pad, Watercolors, Rubber "Thank You" Stamp, Index Cards

Everything I use to make my Thank You cards can be found at Dollar Tree, eBay, and Hobby Lobby. It's extremely easy and relaxing to do. Even though it's nerve-wracking when you have a bunch of orders and forget to make the Thank You cards I still feel grateful when making them.
Water Colored Index Cards

I can sit on the floor and make loads of these watercolor designs on the blank side of an index card. To me, it's therapeutic and calming. I'm usually listening to a podcast or watching a show while painting.
Stamped Watercolor Index Cards

After the index cards dry after a couple minutes you can now stamp them with your choice of color ink pad. I ran out of black so I'm using dark purple. I stamp "Thank You" in the middle with a flower on each side. leaving plenty of room for cutting shaped edges and writing your desired website at the bottom.
This is the finished Thank You watercolor card with my chosen website written at the bottom with a fine sharpie marker. I always cut the sides down with  special craft scissors and add in a pretty nail decal set (I have many repeat customers so I like to give everyone something every time they order to show appreciation) I really enjoy the art of things being hand painted and hand made. I will always be a fan of indie work I mean Hello my name is Melle INDIE lol. Make sure your supporting indie businesses and indie business owners. Thanks for stopping by! Now go paint something!

If you have recently handed in your key at work and packed up your briefcase and business suits, you probably have thoughts of sunny weather and relaxation. When thinking of retirement locales, Florida probably comes to mind quickly.


However, there are so many options when it comes to which city in Florida to retire to. As you decide on a new city to call your home in retirement, consider Fort Lauderdale. These are the reasons you will love retiring in Fort Lauderdale, Florida:


Photo by Lance Asper on Unsplash
Weather and Beaches

Fort Lauderdale is known for its fantastic weather and beautiful beaches. If you have always dreamed of retiring somewhere warm and lounging on the sand listening to the waves crash, Fort Lauderdale is the retirement city for you. 


The weather in Fort Lauderdale is known for being consistently nice, with an average year-round temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (obviously warmer in the summer) and with the majority of days each year being sunny. This amazing weather combined with beaches that are within 30 minutes of each Fort Lauderdale neighborhood make for a fantastic retirement location.

Affordability

Compared to other beach cities in Florida, like Miami, Fort Lauderdale is considered relatively affordable. It is actually considered one of the most affordable beach cities in the state. Housing, specifically, is considered reasonable compared to some other coastal cities in Florida.


This is an extremely important variable for retirees, who are generally on a fixed income, and who need to focus on living within a set budget. Luckily for retirees, there are plenty of Fort Lauderdale houses for sale in this affordable beach city.

Lifestyle and Things to Do

Lifestyle is an important part of retirement because for the first time, you have complete control of your time and how you want to use it. If you are looking for a relaxed retirement, Fort Lauderdale is for you, as the city is known to have a laid-back vibe. You can take long walks on the beach, lounge in the sand and read, or spend a relaxing afternoon shopping and then head to one of the many restaurants for dinner.


If you want a more active retirement, Fort Lauderdale is also known for its golf courses and opportunities for fishing, including deep sea fishing. If you plan to travel in your retirement, Fort Lauderdale is also a great choice, since it is a popular tourist destination and as such has a robust travel infrastructure. Most residential neighborhoods are just a few minutes from the airport, where you can fly out to a myriad of domestic or international destinations.


Many people dream of retiring to a warm beach town, and Fort Lauderdale is a top choice if that is your dream. From fantastic weather to beautiful beaches to affordable housing to golfing and fishing to travel options, it seems like Fort Lauderdale was made for retirees. If you are having a hard time choosing among cities in Florida for your retirement, consider these attributes and put Fort Lauderdale at the top of your list.


 

I wasn't really looking for an online library but since we have to do many things we are used to in a different way, I start searching for various book titles online. We live in a new day in time and going to the library was out of the question two years ago (Y'all remember 2020) But did you know you can still borrow books for free online?! I know there are probably plenty of websites like this one but Internet Archive is my absolute favorite! I’ve been reading books everyday since I found this website! To a nerdy type of person like myself this is better than Netflix! (Which I canceled by the way)  There are not just books but articles and videos. It really feels like the library because you have an hour at a time to read and once the hour is up you have to borrow again for another hour to continue reading. I’ve sat on the Internet Archive for hours reading and giggling. It’s a must if you're on a strict budget like myself but want some free entertainment in the form of a book.

Make sure when you find a book you like to add it as a favorite. This way all your books are in your favorite section and when you go back to borrow and continue to read it will take you back to the page you left off at. I’m super happy I found this one by accident. Internet Archive is a non profit online library and a true gem. I’ve been reading celebrity autobiographies lately and have been quite amused. One night I stayed up till 3am because I couldn’t stop reading the book I'm currently on right now.

I’ve been MIA lately on social media and my blog. I'm trying to really get my scheduling together because I’m all over the place. I had to post something about this though. The stereotype of people of color not reading is a bunch of B.S. I’ve always liked to read and so does my Mother. Your imagination will beat out a movie any day. Why do you think the movie version of a book is never as good as when you read it and pictured it yourself. I hope you guys take this resource and use it to your advantage. There is so much to gain on the internet if you use it correctly. Have a great one and read a book today… it's on the house.


 Since the pandemic it's been a little harder to do the activities you're used to and to be around your family. It’s a chore just go outside you have to worry about germs, where you're putting your hands, making sure you are social distancing among many other things. As soon as things start to get serious and we started getting mask mandates, use hand sanitizer and wash our hands rigorously everyday. My immune system was not so good so I immediately started to develop a daily routine. In this daily routine I would consume the healthiest things I could get within my budget. Here are some of those things that I have to have every single day.

I'm not saying these are things that you need to have in your pantry but one or two of them a day may help with your overall immune system along with a little bit of exercise could help during these difficult times.


Organic Green Tea

I'm addicted to organic green tea in the morning. It's kind of like my must have when I first get up besides water. I used to get my organic green tea from a local Asian market but the brand I'm actually drinking till this day is Uncle Lee's Organic Green Tea. It can be found at Walmart and online on amazon.com it's one of the best tasting organic green teas I've ever had. Here are a couple reasons why it would be a good idea to consume Organic Green Tea everyday:

  1. The ingredients in Organic green tea will increase fat burning

  2. Organic green tea also has ingredients that can reduce bad breath

  3. Organic green tea is also a great source of antioxidants

  4. Organic green tea is extremely inexpensive

  5. Organic green tea may also help boost brain function

These are just a couple of the benefits of drinking organic green tea every single day. It's a perfect addition to help with your health and immune system in these days and times.

Vitamin D3

If you're vitamin D deficient you may want to think about taking a supplement on a daily basis if you don't get around sun very often. Unfortunately I am vitamin D deficient. I found out through a doctor's visit and I hope when I go back I won't be deficient anymore hopefully. This supplement is also very inexpensive.

Organic Sea Moss Capsules

I tried to use the dried sea moss, soak it, put it in the blender and make drinks with it but dried sea moss just had a very “ocean'' type of smell and taste to it. It made my sink, my refrigerator, and different jars smell like the ocean (I nicknamed it Sebastian) . It wasn't a really bad smell but it was very potent. I liked the way I felt when I did drink it so I decided to look for organic sea moss capsules and started to take those daily instead. Irish sea moss capsules have a lot of nutrients in them. Try to get them one hundred percent organic and wildcrafted if you can. Check Amazon and Ebay.

Probiotic supplement

I came down with the stomach flu about 2 years ago. I went to a local clinic and I'm so glad I got a really good doctor who observed I was having repeated stomach problems and recommended that I take the Garden of Life Primal Defense Ultra Probiotic Formula capsules. His recommendation was a good one because I haven't had any stomach problems since I've been taking these probiotic capsules. These probiotics are very popular and sell out quickly. I was not aware how important your gut health was and how you need to protect your stomach to keep from getting sick from different foods.

Multi-Vitamin Gummies

These are my very favorite gummy vitamins. These gummy vitamins taste like candy. The gummies have a really fruity natural taste to them. These gummies are the Vita Fusion MultiVites. I take two of these Vita Fusion gummies per day. There's no gluten, no high fructose corn syrup, no dairy, no artificial sweeteners or flavors. I depend on these gummy vitamins daily for immune system support the same way as the probiotics, sea moss capsules, and vitamin d3.

I have incorporated organic green tea and multiple capsules into my daily routine in the morning and have felt very healthy throughout this whole time. For the organic green tea I make two bags with hot filtered water and agave sweetener in a big cup (it's good hot and cold), I take one of each for the sea moss, vitamin D3 and probiotics. For the Vita Fusion gummies I take two of those a day.

I am not a doctor so I cannot recommend any of these products all but I can say in my experience taking them on a daily basis I can say they have helped me feel great through all of 2020, 2021 and now 2022. Do not forget to add in some exercise to lower your stress and don’t forget to laugh (it's the best medicine ever). I'm glad to share this information and I hope it helps somebody out there. In the meantime eat healthy, keep your head up and stay positive.


 I'm all about some DIY projects. So when I was thinking about changing my video backdrop/ background in my recording room for YouTube I thought about the popular organic balloon garlands I keep seeing online and on Instagram. I used to work at a party store for years blowing up balloons on a daily so I thought this would be a fun DIY balloon project. I got a balloon pump from Ebay, table cloth from The Dollar Tree and the balloons are both from The Dollar Tree and Ebay.

I had a ball blowing them up with the hand pump! There was no design I just blew up all the colors and bunched them together. There was a pack of (6) Confetti balloons from The Dollar Tree that were great accents in the bunches. The balloons were one big garland and then I messed up and put some strong double sided tape on them and it made the middle pop. Which ended up being cool because I ended up with two clusters. One for each side of me.
I was very impressed with the outcome! The two clusters on both sides of me while I sit in the middle for videos or pictures. The table cloth was black which really made the colors pop out. This can also be done for parties as well. 
Very cool DIY balloon backdrop/background that cost me very little but gave off a great look on camera and for photos. I have a couple more ideas with balloons for future backdrops. If you want to see the full video on Youtube of how I put this together with all my shenanigans included click below:
Thank you so much for reading and stopping by! Hope you got some balloon ideas flowing for your next at-home project. Have a great one!









 This is my D.I.Y recipe for shaving lotion. I've used this recipe for years and years and I haven't had any cuts since I start making it. I used to buy shaving cream and I would be cut a couple times by the time I got done shaving my legs. With this DIY shaving lotion I never had that problem. 


All these products are from of course... The Dollar Tree! You can use any brand of conditioner, baby shampoo, lotion and baby oil you would like. Here is the measurements for this quick DIY shaving lotion:

(1) Cup Conditioner
(1) Cup Baby Shampoo
(5) Tablespoons Of Lotion
(5) Tablespoons Of Baby Oil


I also got my product mixing measuring cups and spoons from The Dollar Tree. I keep these things in the bathroom so they never mix with my measuring cups and spoons from the kitchen. The container is just a used old plastic jar from a hair product. I love to recycle!


Put everything in a jar (preferably recycled :) take any object to stir (I'm using a craft stick) and mix all the ingredients up until smooth. Let the mixture sit for about (1) hour.


It's an hour later and your mixture is ready to use! It will get thicker as time goes on so stir it up before using. 


This is one of my favorite DIY projects for self care. You can shave your legs and under arms in minutes and feel smooth afterwards. I love using it right before I get in the shower. This DIY shaving lotion last so long! I did the video to make a batch in the video below in 2018 I didn't have to make it again until 2021! Talk about savings! Here is the video:


Thank you so much for stopping by! Stay Happy and Frugal!💙💛💚














  


At first I was sure that went I got my apartment I was going to to need cable. 

No boyfriend hardly no friends your over 30 and lonely your going to need some cable!  

I grew up with cable most of my life living with family so of course hike my bill up to $200 let’s go! But then I thought about the times when the family fell on hard times. I can think of about (3) times I lived in a house or apartment with no cable and there was really no difference as long as there was internet.


I moved into my apartment in 2018 and you know what I decided don’t want cable. I’m frugal I’m a rebel (I thought to myself) I’m going to march into Xfinity and tell them to give me internet only. That’s what I did! I don’t regret none of the decision. I pay less than $100 a month and here are my 10 top streaming apps some paid but most are free.

         



  1. Netflix (Paid)

       It took me a minute to get used to the idea of paying $12.99/ month but it’s well worth the price. Back in the day on one movie theatre ticket I would spend $8.00-$10.00 after popcorn, drinks and snacks I spent well over $20.00. With so many television shows, stand up comedies, romance, drama, it’s hard to chose what to watch from day to day. My favorites right now are Bridgerton, Living Single (90’s throw back) and Forty Year Old Version. It’s definitely worth the monthly fee on my credit card.


  1. Hulu (Paid)

       I needed Hulu for a writing class assignment. I was kind of pissed because I wasn’t really trying to add any more monthly expenses. I got the $5.99/ month I was going to cancel it but then I saw some reality shows from TV I wanted to watch. Then I got totally hooked on Grown-ish and that basically made me keep it.


  1. Pluto (Free)

      Pluto is free! I really liked the interface. Pluto is set up like cable television and even has the music channels all the way at the end. There is MTV, BET all types of channels for specific genres like reality or comedy. Pluto was one of the first apps on my Roku TV it was great! I watched cooking channels all the time and movies. Pluto is a great free streaming app on my TV.


  1. TUBI (Free)

     When I want to watch a really good D list movie… This is it! Tubi reminds me of a bootleg Netflix. Yes you have to watch a couple commercials but there is so much to watch. My favorite section of all time on Tubi is the black cinema. I can watch old movies from that section all day long and there is some new ones too. Tubi is also free and is a must if you don’t have cable


  1. Pandora (Free for me)

     Yes you can pay for Pandora but the free version is great for me. Even though this is streaming music and not television shows or movies it’s still a source for entertainment that is free. Sometimes I just want to play some jazz or chill music and make some accessories or list in my shops while I jam to my music. Get a cup of tea going and we are having a good time. 


  1. Roku Channel (Free)

   I have a Roku TV so this app was already on my television and ready to go. Roku Channel interface is also set up like Netflix and Tubi. Roku Channel has different categories of TV Shows and Movies to watch. It was a steal to come with the television


  1. YouTube (Free)

  Don’t be confused there are two streaming apps to choose from. YouTube TV that is the one you pay for and the regular YouTube App similar to what is on your phone and computer. You will have to put the regular YouTube app on your TV. I was trying to use the YouTube TV app and it kept saying I have to pay. That’s not the correct one we want free! So download the YouTube app right on your television and you’ll be able to watch movies (yes they have ads), your favorite you tubers and if you anything like me you watch yourself!


  1. Film Rise (Free)

 I have Film Rise but I have never watched anything on it. There is a good amount of choices and categories. There are also other apps to download like Film Rise Comedy, Film Rise Thriller so that’s a win win to get all the different apps from Film Rise for free.


  1. Crackle (Free)

Crackle is another app sitting on my TV that goes unwatched but I just put on a Crackle original movie and it looks pretty good! Loads of choices but there is commercials. That is pretty much with anything that is free your going to watch advertisements. 


  1.  Live Antenna TV (Free kind of)

   It’s free but you do need to attach an antenna. I got one from Wal Mart for about $12.00 there are not a lot of channels anymore but there are some local ones and there is always something playing


So there goes my top (10) Streaming Apps on My Roku TV. If you don’t have cable or your on a budget and don’t want to do the paid streaming apps you can still have plenty of television.

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 It has taken me roughly 4-5 years to be able to use my DSLR camera for YouTube without the footage looking blurry and out of focus. I tried to make a YouTube video to say Thank You for 1,800 subscribers about a year ago it was so bad! It was a real struggle! I have been in photography class for about (3) weeks and because we have been working with camera settings I decided to come home and work on the video settings and here is a snap shot of the settings I'm using on the Canon 1300 D DSLR camera to do YouTube video:

Here is a quick break down of the settings I'm using:
Auto Focus (First Box - FlexiZone Single)
AWB (Auto White Balance)
Standard
1920x1080 24 (1080P 24 Frames per second)

The biggest change was going from 25 frames per second to 24 frames per second. It's the second button when you go into the menu for the speed of the video. Ever since I changed that there has been no problems going out of focus. Every single time I have recorded since I changed that button has been useable clear footage.
Here is an example just recording and playing around. Clear crisp and in focus. I wish I would have taken a little more time to learn my recording settings. My quality on my videos would have been better and the overall YouTube channel would probably be performing at a better rate than it has been lately. But I'm still grateful I learned these settings I will never forget it. I hope this helps someone out there if your having similar issues with your DSLR camera. Thanks for reading!




 Which is better Ebay, Depop or Mercari? I sell on all of them so I guess I will go in order based on how long I've been a seller on the platform and tell you my personal experience with it.

             EBAY

I've been on eBay since the early 2000's so I'm a little bias because eBay has gotten me through many of those tough times were I couldn't find work or just needed a side hustle in between work. Lately, I've been selling mainly press on nail sets and accessories on eBay. I mainly upload my listings through my camera and computer it's easier in my opinion. I rarely list from my phone for eBay but you can. Clothes do sell on eBay but for me it takes longer to get sales with clothing. It's a pretty steady platform lots of buyers. I get offers on a weekly basis. The good thing is you can set what is the lowest price you will consider an offer. It helps no having to deal with low ball offers you would not accept. eBay has moved in another direction and has put a lot of sellers under managed payments. Nothing has really changed my payments just go straight to my bank account instead of PayPal

DEPOP.
Depop is a newer platform I joined about (2) years ago. It's very easy to use. On Depop I list everything from my iPhone. Depop looks more like a social app and operates like one also. People on the app can heart your items and follow you. I don't get the point with that but it hasn't bothered me. Yes, you will get sellers messaging you to swap and look at there stores. I'm on there for sales only therefore I ignore and delete any of those types of messages. I respond to all inquires about my own items. I sell clothing, press on nails, accessories just about whatever you can think of on Depop. The buyers are very fashion focused so clothing and accessories do very well on Depop. Payments are through PayPal. I don't make a whole lot of sales on Depop but I think it's worth listing to.

MERCARI
Mercari is the latest selling app I have joined. I set up Mercari sometime in 2020 and it has been awesome! I have sold everything from T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Wigs, Press On Nails the buyers are definitely on Mercari. Once you get some good feedback on your profile you will be fine. I get offers on many items. If you don't like the offer you can always counter it. Almost all of my counter offers are accepted. I also list everything on Mercari with my iPhone. Sales are right up there with eBay so I want to really focus on this app in 2021.

So which is better? Which one should you sale on? I say ALL OF THEM! It doesn't cost to list on any of these selling platforms. You only pay fees when you make a sale! All of them have a different reach and you have more opportunity to make sales having merchandise on all of them rather than just one.

I can't say if one is better than the other. Mercari, eBay and Depop all have there own style the fees are about the same when I sell my items. In my opinion all (3) are great to make money with. If your looking to make some extra cash or start a business look into getting on these platforms in 2021. Happy selling!








 So I woke up today with simple living on the brain. It’s become my new obsession. Scaling back my lifestyle to live slower is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my life. When I was younger in my 20’s I would have so many problems with money and my health and I see now in my mid 30’s that was due to stress and doing too much at one time. 

When I wake up I drink tea and have a banana and maybe some cereal. Then I check on my online sales on Mercari, Ebay and Depop. And start the day with good intentions to create great content and make the best merchandise (MERCH) I can make. I’ve even added blogging into my daily calendar. I love the freedom of writing out my thoughts instead of videos. The direction I want to take on videos is more of a teaching approach. I really enjoyed videos showing people how to do things. I’m pulling away from the vlogs a little more just focusing on vlogging life events I can look back on not so much of everyday life.

Self care has also been at the top of my list. With everything going on I like to prepare my own foods. I’ve started sprouting Alfalfa seeds  in my kitchen and creating bean salads almost every other day. I also like to pickle my own green peppers and onions in apple cider vinegar. Then with the apple cider vinegar I take a shot or two. It’s been a relief to have food made and not go out to eat. There is so much going on I don’t want to eat out at this time.

It’s really a joy to see at the end of the day you created all this different merchandise and content for different platforms and you're on your way to making a full-time creative income. You just have to keep going and living this simple efficient lifestyle makes it possible. I will always preach to pull back your living expenses and make as much money as you can! Here is the most important part ----> Invest in skills. This is what takes your income up. Every time you learn a new skill you have a new avenue to make more money. 


So far for me it’s been working great! I hope for the entrepreneurs out there that you try this so you can get to a creative lifestyle as quickly as possible. You don’t have to wait 10-20 years to retire. Why not live the life you built RIGHT NOW! Personally I don’t want to retire. I want to be doing what I’m doing now basically forever. Choose to love your life guise. Thank you for coming by! I’ll see ya in the next post.