Working from Home.

Yawwwwwn.

Starting your own business can be a very rewarding, yet very tiring!! I'm talking about, early mornings, late nights, running back and forth to the post office, to home, to the studio, to the store, to online shops. {i'm telling you…it never ends}

But that doesn't mean that a home business doesn't have it's perks. ;)

A nice cup of joe helps me get motivated in the morning to sit down and actually start working on my business. I also go to Pandora and listen to my favorite country station. Plus! I get the luxury of staying in comfy t-shirts and shorts all morning. Digging my Code Name Kids Next Door shirt I found at Goodwill? 

So since I've been working all morning, I decided I'll give you a little peek of what I do on a daily basis for my business. 

My little iPhone 5 sitting on one of my sketch books that I like to draw my designs in. There's a little preview on a "Congrats on Twins" card I'm making (you're welcome). And my GWTW phone wallpaper…I'm a tad obsessed with the classics. 

I got a few boxes at Michael's since they were on sale ($2!) to put my cards, packaging supplies, stamps and other necessities for my business. I'm still getting everything organized and it's certain place. Since I'm not fully moved out of my current living situation, it's hard having everything everywhere. Hopefully in the next month I'll have my own little station set up (where no little hands will be allowed to wander!)

I'm the type of girl that LOVES lists. I make lists for literally everything. So I bought a separate notebook (Michaels for 50 cents!) to keep track of every card that a customer buys, when they bought it, and when I've shipped them out. Just to make sure that I keep everything organized. Again, once my little business station is set up, I'll probably have a better filing system. But this for right now gets the job done and well! 

Since the desk I'm sitting at is currently full {with a desktop computer, sketchbooks, printer, coffee, mac and cheese, sharpies, ect.} I was forced to set up my laptop and little box of supplies on the bed next to me. But hey! Space is space! Aren't Derek's cowboy sheets cute? haha.

Last but certainly not least, what's working from home without the little one constantly getting in your face? She kept asking me to take a picture of her truck. What can I say? My little girl has a thing for boy toys. And I couldn't help but include this in my blogpost. Look at those delicate little hands!

There you have it!

This is a morning in the life of derae art! And how unorganized, messy, and coffee ridden it is! Haha, kidding {not really though}. 

DIY Tanner & Exfoliation

HELLO DOLLS~

It's that time of the year again, S P R I N G !! And when the warm weather hits us, we all want to naturally have a healthy glow and look great in all of those pastel colors, don't we!?

So let's start this glorious season with a diy self tanner! Self tanners can get pretty expensive. Last season I purchased the VS Self Tanner spray and lotion which equalled over $50. And I was about to pick up a self tanner at Sephora the other day, but for $35 it just didn't seem worth it. With Pinterest being amazing as it is, I was able to find a few home remedies, give them a try over the week, and report back to you which ones (I believe) work better.

** BEFORE APPLYING ANY OF THIS TO YOUR SKIN, MAKE SURE YOU EXFOLIATE. 

Exfoliation: removal of the oldest dead skin cells on the skin's outermost surface.

Exfoliating allows the tint from any of the remedies to set deeper into your skin, and last longer!! Without doing this, the color might not set at all, and it's easy! Take your loofa or an exfoliating brush and scrub the dead skin cells off your body. You could enhance this by also using an exfoliating body scrub. 

First off, the cocoa powder in lotion, I didn't even try. You're suppose to mix a bit of the cocoa powder in the lotion and rub it all over your body. But every single person who tried it reported that it was sticky, and didn't go on evenly. And who likes a streaky tan? No one. I don't recommend it.

The second thing was the Tea Tan. This one was an alright solution. If you're really pasty and would only like a little tan, or already tan and just want an extra boost, I suggest this remedy for you.

Take 1 cup of boiling hot water, and let 6 Black Tea bags (I used lemon infused so I didn't smell like tea) sit in the water for about 10-15 minutes. Take the bags out and let the water cool. After it's cool, pour it into a spray bottle or take a sponge and apply it all over your body. Rub it in and let it sit until it's dry. I recommend doing this in the bath tub so you don't get tea everywhere. 

**The result is not a deep super noticeable tan, but it does give you a healthy glowing color. This color lasts for 4-5 days, depending on how well and how many times you've applied it. You can do more than once a day since it is a gradual change in color. 

The method I recommend is the Coffee Scrub Tan. 

Take 2-3 table spoons of Coffee and mix it with 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil until it looks like a scrub. DEFINITELY stand in the shower when applying this one, it gets pretty messy. Take a handful of the coffee scrub and apply it all over your body. Don't put too much in one area because it will just be a clumpy mess. Rub the color in deeply and let it dry. Then gently wash it off. 

**After I did this, I still looked a little lighter than I wanted. There was a little bit of Coffee Scrub left in the bowl so I mixed it with a bit of water and applied it on my body and just pat it dry with a towel, instead of washing it completely off. This left a golden hue on my skin. Perfection! 

What's better than getting a tan without paying for one?! NOTHING. Especially when the spring/summer season is coming towards us. Have you tried any of these out? Let me know how they worked for you, or you had another secret to share. ;)