What did you do?

Oh, the above pictures are from Instagram. Follow me if you like seeing pets, treats, and the occasional self portrait.

Also, you should enter this giveaway!

I typically keep my mascara confined to my top lashes, but yesterday I decided to mix it up a little and coated the bottom ones as well. Immediately after applying, I remembered why I don’t usually let my mascara venture south. I can’t seem to wear mascara on my lower lashes without looking like a doll. And no, I’m not talking about a doe-eyed baby doll with plump, rosy cheeks. I’m referring to the creepy doll every girl had at some point as a child that she hid in the back of her closet because she was convinced it would steal her soul if given the chance.

We all had that doll, right?

Have you entered the Easy Canvas Print Giveaway yet?  It’s a 50 dollar value; get on it!

I rarely regret my decision to avoid shampoo, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t occasionally miss the scent of freshly-washed hair. Hair that smells like nothing can get pretty boring, and without that just shampooed look/feel/scent, I often forget when I last used baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Because of this, I tend use baking soda more frequently than is necessary. This is both wasteful and not so great for my already dry hair.

Amber, my talented hairstylist, often mixes a few drops of peppermint essential oil with the water she uses to spray my hair.  I’ve taken note of how awesome it makes my hair smell when she does it, but it didn’t occur to me until very recently that this might be a solution to my problem. When I saw an unused spray bottle in my bathroom cabinet and realized that I also had peppermint oil, I decided to give it a try the next time my hair needed a little freshening up.

It worked so well that I’m kicking myself for not trying it sooner!

Do you have any other tips for making hair smell great without shampoo?

It’s impossible to go wrong when you throw a mustache into the mix.

Because an anatomically correct heart being pierced with an arrow is way romantic.

Don’t let your special friend’s smelly feet kill the mood!

For breakfast lovers everywhere.

Get it?! The whiskey on the card is being served neat.

Can you keep a secret? I actually bought Kirby two of the five treats listed above. I can wait for him to open them!

Don’t forget to enter the 8×10 canvas print giveaway!

Sources: Felted Soap, Heart Shirt, Shoe Bags, Eye Pillow, Cute Card.

And speaking of the dudes in our lives, this post about the sketchy products they use is worth reading.

When Easy Canvas Prints agreed to send me my very own canvas print to review, I was thrilled. I had just the picture in mind! You guessed it; it’s the dreamy one you see above featuring my sweet dog Clementine.

I’m so happy with the way it turned out! I’m seriously considering treating myself to a few more to hang in various places around our house. I also won one recently on the lovely Sandy’s blog, so I’m well on my way to having a collection.

And guess what?! Easy Canvas Prints has generously offered to give one lucky reader an 8×10 canvas in the picture of his or her choice!

You can earn up to three entries by doing the following:

• Like Easy Canvas Prints and Turby and John on Facebook (Comment below).
• Share this giveaway on Facebook and tag both Easy Canvas Prints and Turby and John(with a link). (Comment below).
• Follow Easy Canvas Prints and Dawn Grimes (that’s me!) on Twitter and tweet the following: “@dawngwimes and @easycanvas are giving away an 8×10 Easy Canvas print on Turby and John! http://turbyandjohn.com/2012/01/30/8×10-easy-canvas-print-giveaway/“ (Comment bel0w).

This giveaway will close next Monday (February 6th) at 8 PM Central, at which point a winner will be randomly selected and announced the following Tuesday (the 7th).  I will then email the winner and connect them with the kind folks at Easy Canvas Prints so they can get their prize ASAP!

Can’t wait to get your own canvas print? If you head on over to the Easy Canvas Prints Facebook page and hit like, then you’ll get free shipping and 50% off your purchase!

Good luck everyone!

*Winner must be a U.S. resident, excluding Hawaii and Alaska.

**Disclosure: I received the canvas print pictured above for the purpose of review. My opinions are, as always, my own, and I’d never endorse any product I didn’t absolutely love. : )

I’m usually inept when it comes to deviating from recipes, but I did exactly that with this greek yogurt and artichoke dip recipe…and what resulted was the creamiest, tastiest hummus I’ve ever tried.

Here’s the recipe:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained (I know, BPA is bad news. I didn’t have the patience to soak them, though, and dealing with me when I’m hungry is also bad news).
• three heaping tablespoons of greek yogurt (for what it’s worth, it was rBGH-free).
• 3 artichoke hearts (also canned…I’m an awful person).
• 3 medium cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of tahini
• 1 teaspoon of sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Put it all in a food processor and blend until creamy, but don’t blame me when you finish a whole bag of bagels in 3 days and your pants will no longer button.

Seriously though, I’d love to hear your thoughts/suggestions if you make a batch of your own.

Have a great weekend! Don’t forget to check back Monday for an awesome giveaway. : )

*All of the teaspoons/tablespoons are sort of guesses. They’re probably close to accurate, but since I did it to taste I can’t be sure.

I recently began using Sophyto’s Daily Skin Rejuvenation Collection, so I’ll be reviewing some or all of the products individually in the future. It’s far too soon to give a definitive opinion, but my skin isn’t revolting against me yet (which is always a good sign). Be on the lookout for the reviews!

And be on the lookout tomorrow specifically for a recipe that will rock your worlds.

]]> http://turbyandjohn.com/2012/01/26/upcoming-reviews-sophytos-daily-skin-rejuvenation-collection/feed/ 0 http://turbyandjohn.com/2012/01/25/5-finds-for-valentines-day/ http://turbyandjohn.com/2012/01/25/5-finds-for-valentines-day/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:50 +0000 Dawn http://dawnandkirby.porchswingmedia.com/?p=3839 Whether or not you approve of/celebrate Valentine’s Day, it will be here before we know it. I, for one, am pretty pumped! Here are a few V-day related treasures that have caught my eye lately:

I can’t be certain until it’s on my finger, but this heart ring might be perfect in every way.

I’m really bad at giving massages (I’ve been made fun of too many times to count), but receiving them poses few or no problems.

My feet would be right at home inside these crochet slippers.

Vanilla moon and mystic dragon’s blood would be my two picks for Valentine’s Day soap scents.

What would Valentine’s Day be without chocolate-covered strawberries? It’d be the worst; that’s what.

I plan to make and send so many sewn paper valentines, much like the ones above. Maybe I’ll receive or or two as well. ; )

Are you planning ahead for Valentine’s Day? I’d love to hear about the special crafts or gifts you’re making!

Sources: Ring, Salve, Slippers, Soap, Cards, Strawberries.

Cover Girl’s NatureLuxe Collection came out last year in the spring, but I only recently became aware of its existence since I tend to avoid this brand like the plague. I happened to see a display on a recent trip to the store with my grandmother, and I immediately made a mental note to do some research.

The green packaging (I’m speaking only in reference to the color and not Cover Girl’s environmental awareness or impact) was a clever move on their part, since most of us associate green with all things natural. And if that doesn’t effectively lure unsuspecting consumers in, then the inclusion of the word “nature” in NatureLuxe certainly will…right?

Don’t be fooled, ladies. Sure, the foundation might contain comfrey root and rose hip extract, but it also has fragrance, phenoxyethanol, propylene glycol, and octinoxate. Oh, and I could keep going.

Surprise! The gloss balm isn’t any better. It’s full of petrochemicals, dangerous preservatives, and vague ingredients like fragrance, propylene glycol, propylparaben, octinoxate, parrafin, and artificial colors. If you ask me, all the shea butter and coconut oil in the world don’t right those wrongs.

Come on, y’all. Let’s act like we’ve got some sense and stick to the products that actually represent nature.

Image Source

What’s a girl to do when she can’t justify splurging on henna but her hair is looking especially mousy? Well, this girl buys the cheapest box of ammonia free dye she can find and puts it to good use. I know, I know. The ingredients are pretty gross, and dying at home is risky. I don’t plan to make a habit of it, though, and I did manage to skip the included conditioner (which was full of parabens) and follow up with argan oil instead.

Also, I’m pretty happy with the results:

I know, I’m the worst…but I do have some fun posts on the way, including:

• Five Finds for Valentine’s Day
• the next installment of Nearly Natural
• several product reviews
• a stupidly good hummus recipe, concocted by yours truly
• a super secret and awesome giveaway (look for it some time next week)!