Weekly Favorites

Hello! Hope you all are doing well! I'm back to blogging more and to start it off I thought I would do something new: Weekly Favorites! These are the things i've been loving this past week.

1.) Leopard print... this is more of a trying to fit it in my life more. I'm not much of an animal prints fan, except a brief season of cow print back in middle school (I think I might of had a wallet or bag with cow print and that was it, it was very brief). Now i'm really digging leopard (or is it cheetah? Are they different printwise (I know they are 2 different animals)) Anywhoo... I have a scarf I made out of fabric and I plan on getting a leopard print wallet maybe. And i'm dreaming of shoes, but I don't know. It's definitely out of my comfort zone.

2.) I LOVE Glade fall scents! Pumpkin Pie Diner is my favorite! Smells so good and they are quite affordable.

3.) Dessert Skittles. A little while ago Skittles switched out lime (why, Skittles, why???!! :(   ) with green apple ( I won't go in to my usual rant on why it was a bad move and how green apple doesn't even complement the rest of the favors, i'll save that for another day). Dessert Skittles however has key lime pie, which makes this a good substitute for my favorite candy.

4.) Caramel Apples are one of my favorite fall treat. It's a little early and I do want more summer, but I can't wait for fall. I want to try to make these this fall. I found it on pinterest, but the link doesn't work. If I can find a source, I will add it.

5.) The Sims 3 (my favorite pc game ever, well the whole Sims series, since the Sims 1 back in 2000). This image is of the world Appaloosa Plains which is from the Sims 3 Pets. This world is so pretty and set kind of in a fall setting. I've been playing in this world a lot lately, maybe because it's almost fall.

6.) Gold Spray Paint. I am getting obsessed with gold. I bought a wire metal trash on clearance (I love back to school clearance, especially when things can be use for other things. And I was good this year and didn't go notebook crazy I only bought !) and it's pink. It's pretty, but i'm not a teenager, so it's getting spray painted gold!

7.) Yankee Candles Apple Pumpkin (more fall scents!) in a car air freshener. It smells so good. Did I mention I love fall.

8.) House md . Hypochondriacs shouldn't watch this show. Myself, being a tiny bit hypochondriatic (I feel something, check the symptoms, then narrow down illness base on that.) this show doesn't help. Thanks to netflix, i've been watching this show like crazy. I do like medical shows like Scrubs (finished that a year or so ago), this is different, but good. Only 3 more seasons to go!

9.) Wet n Wild Megalast nail polish in Disturbia. Like it so much I accidentally bought it twice. I love deep purple colors (especially in fall). I'm actually wearing Under Your Spell now, it's a reddish brown color. I like it. But the Disturbia is my favorite.

10.) Mcdonalds Caramel Frappe. Love this drink. They had a buy one get one free coupon, so I had to get one. It's my once in a great while treat and the closest thing to coffee I like. I have found a way to make a similar drink at home, which I like, but the original is the best!

So that's it. My 10 weekly favorites! Hope you enjoyed and like this post, I will maybe make this a regular thing on the blog.
I do have to know- What is one thing that's on your weekly favorite list? Let me know in the comments, or link me to your from your blog if you already do these type post!

Have a great day!
-Jen

Something New and Something Kinda Random

Wow, my last post was like a few months ago, yikes!
Well, Hi everybody! Sorry it's been so long. I've been working more on a new business!!! Wanna know what it is???
JAMBERRY!!!!

What is Jamberry, you ask? It's an awesome nail wrap product. They last about 2 weeks (and maybe longer)! The above photo is my first manicure using Jamberry. What sold me on them is they don't chip. I've tried other wraps and i'm a nail polish addict. I tried the Sally Hansen gel wraps and they did chip by day 2 and didn't look so great at the end of the week, but I loved that they did last longer and looked nicer than polish. So when I was introduced to Jamberry and tried them, I was hooked!

I have become an independent consultant at the end of May and I love the business so far. Now just to make some things a little clearer- this is my blog, however I don't want to be like a crazy sales person. I won't post about Jamberry all the time, though I do want to post about it for business ideas, advice, or what i've learned. Also I want to share my nails! I won't post anything on this blog that I personally haven't tried and don't believe it's a good product or I just don't like it. I may review some things and give my opinions in feature post. But yeah, this won't become a Jamberry blog (unless y'all want that ;)  )

That's pretty much what's new with me... Oh I have an instagram account now. I don't have a lot of pictures yet, but it will grow! so you should check that out, maybe in a few days when I have more than 1 pic on it. And maybe soon, when I get the courage I will post a youtube video soon. If I do add youtube videos to the blog, what would you guys like to see? Please let me know! I'm kinda clueless on what to make a video about... do you want to see a diy project? a what's in my bag video? a tag? or maybe do a vlog sometimes like once a week?

Alright, I think I will end this random blog, but here's some links-
if you want to follow me on instagram: http://instagram.com/sobrilliantlife
if you want to check out my Jamberry biz and see all the awesome wraps available:  http://jenniferdavis.jamberrynails.net/ 
Also feel free to ask if you have any questions about Jamberry, or like anything. You can email me here at sobrilliantlifeblog(at)gmail(dot)com!

Hope you have a great night (I am! I'm watching Big Brother. Do any of you watch Big Brother? What do you think about it?)
-Jen

20 Random Facts

Hello! Today's blog posting will be a chance for you to get to know a little bit more about me! Here's 20 random facts-
1.) Though my all time favorite color is purple. Week by week I usually have a different favorite color (other than purple. This week it's coral.
2.) I'm a picky eater. I've been trying new things the past few years now, and in inclusion I still don't like tomatoes.
3.) I'm not picky on cereal. Of the ones i've tried, I like. Even the non name brands, though some you need to get the brand- cheerios is one of them.
4.) I'm also not picky on candy. I love candy. My favorite is cotton candy and for chocolate are snickers and the chocolate with almonds and toffee in it.
5.) If I find money, I pick it up. Even pennies. The greatest amount I found so far is $10. So far I have over $40 of found money. I find money mostly everywhere I go, other than paper money I love finding quarters. It's a childhood habit I will never grow out of.
6.) I love playing games. However I tend to get bored easily with games you play on your phone with other people. For example, I can play candy crush daily (multiple times a day), but Song pop, words with friends, etc I play a few rounds then I don't play for like 13 days. Some friends understand, some friends want to block me... speaking of, I better take my turn on Phrase Friends (it's pretty fun, kinda like wheel of fortune), it's been 10 days since I last played.
7.)I do like fast food (who doesn't?), I just don't eat it often, about once every 2 weeks or so. But my current addiction is Taco Bell. I love the ranch doritos taco and their happy hour- freezes for $1, absolutely!
8.) Pandas are my favorite animal. Followed by Flamingos, and Sloths. I don't know what it is about sloths, I just find them unique. Owls are an honorable mention :)
9.) I have a collection addiction of white ceramic owls. I have 3 so far, may add a non white one soon that will be spray painted white.
10.) I like white ceramic animals in general. Along with the 3 owls I have a fish, a bull dog, 2 rabbits (felt I needed something Eastery/ Springing in my decor), birds, and a deer. I will be painting a rhino white soon to add to the collection. I also bought little plastic animals and painted them white, so I think they should count too. They are actually for a potential diy project, but for now a white mini dinosaur and mini rhino are hanging out on my thermostat.
11.) I love HGTV magazine (and the tv network too). It's my favorite thing to come in the mail that I look forward every month!
12.) I have a crush on the Property Brothers. I can't really decide who I would pick (as if life was like the dating game haha), I like Jonathan for his contracting skills... um... yeah, and I like Drew for his knowledge of home stuff.... lol... yeah I don't know them personally, but they are nice to watch, both for tips on house stuff and they are rather dashing in appearance, but more for the house stuff.
13.) I'm addicted to office supplies. I feel like this has come up before. But I can't pass by a cute patterned notebook even though I have 10 notebooks (I buy them on clearance after the back to school sales, I got a ton of composition books for under 10 cents each!). Oh and the pens, and storage, and furniture, and.... yeah i'm learning self control. The last office supply I bought was pens because they were pretty and I wanted a new pen. They were $1 for 2 and are gel pens. I haven't used gel pens in ages, I kinda miss them.
14.) I'm quiet. I tend to listen more than talk, until I get to know people, then i'll talk more. Except for when I blog, can't stop talking (or typing rather).
15.) I usually like things other than cake for my birthday. For many years I had cheese cake with strawberries. Pie is the other contender. Last year I had a mix of eclairs and cream puffs. I do love cherry pie with the crumbles (like dutch apple pie), and my favorite cake is cherry chip cake.
16.) I like this song- M83- Midnight City (youtube video). When I first heard it, rather when I first saw the album cover- it creeped me out, so I always used to skip the song when it came up on my Pandora station. I finally gave a chance, still couldn't look at the picture of the creepy monster alien. It's a pretty good song, it grew on me (just not the creepy picture). Oh p.s. I chose a video with the creepy monster thing to show you, so just as a warning, it's there.
17.) I used to have bad dreams about the zoo when I was little. The zoo I went to twice in my life in Ft Wayne, Indiana. It's a really nice zoo, I totally recommend it. At the zoo there is a little island in the middle of a little lake and on it was a mother goose statue. I don't entirely remember the dream now (thank goodness), but I remember it had to do with that lake and island and being trapped out there. I don't know, it was kinda scary as a kid. Though when I went back the actually place it's scary, like I said, it's a very nice zoo.
18.) I'm currently addicted to Bath and Body Works Hawaiian scents. I got a free travel size lotion of the Hawaiian one, and it smells so good. I think it's passion fruit and something else. It smells like bubble gum to me. I also love the coconut one too, I have it in a body spray and I might go a little overboard with it.
19.) I mentioned before I like video games, especially most Mario games. Well I also like The Sims. I've been playing the game since Sims 1 came out and loved it ever since. I have most of the games and extension packs of the Sims 1 and 2. The Sims 3 I only have a few. I've kinda grown out of the game a little, but do enjoy building houses more than playing the game. I find it so fun to build and decorate. I've actually built my parents home and my house. I used the game to see about furniture placement and decorating ideas. It's actually come in handy for that kind of stuff. Plus is it fun to play too.
20.) I love cupcakes. Maybe more as decor verses to eat (don't get me wrong, I like eating cupcakes). I want to have my dining room and kitchen be kind of decorated more with desserts. I have cupcakes fabric framed in my dining room, and I have a few cupcake jars around the house too. They are cute and delicious!

So there is my lengthy 20 random facts. Hope you enjoyed and hope it helps get to know me a little more!
Thanks for reading!
-Jen

Financial Fridays- Coupon Haul and Tips

Hey guys! As you may know ( or maybe you don't know), I love gettings deals and saving money. I try to get as many free birthday deals coupons (updated birthday list coming soon!), I like to use coupons, buy things on sale, check all the clearance end caps, and more. I'm addicted to savings. So today for Financial Fridays (possible Saturday, depending on when I actually post this) i'm going to share my most recent couponing haul and some tips about couponing. So here it goes:

Not pictured-1 more box of cereal, 1 Schar wafer, and 2 chocolate Easter egg candies

Here's my deals breakdown:
-Bath and Body Work-
  Travel size lotion -$5, used coupon for free travel sized item = Free!
-Walmart-(2) Shar wafers- $1.67 ea. (1) Bag of dog food - $10.22, used (2) $3/1 Schar coupon and $2/1 dog food = $2.63
-Kroger- 1st Transaction: (3) Kellogg's Brand cereals- sale 3/$6 + free gal. of milk. Used $1/3 coupon = $5, recieved $2 Catalina coupon for buying Kellogg's products to use on my next purchase.
2nd Transaction: (3) Boxes of General Mills cereals- sale 3/$6 + free gal. of milk. Used $1/3 coupon (coupon listed cereals, I could only find one that matched up with the coupon and the sale, may be different =in other areas) and used $2 off next purchase = $3
-Walgreens-1st Transaction: (2) Almay make-up removers - $5.99 ea, (2) Almay eye shadows- $4.99 ea- sale Buy one get one 50%off. Used (2) $5/2 coupon + (2) $2/1 Walgreens coupon= Free, just had to pay the tax $0.99
2nd Transaction: (1) Colgate Optic White Toothpaste- sale $3. Used (1) $1.50/1 coupon= $1.68 , recieved $2 register rewards coupon for my next purchase.
3rd Transaction: (1) Colgate Optic White Toothpaste - $3, (2) Chocolate Easter Candies- sale $0.50 ea. Used (1) $1.50 coupon and $2 register rewards coupon= $0.68, received another $2 off coupon.
4th Transaction: (1) Colgate Optic White Toothpaste- $3, (1) 2L Dr Pepper- sale $1.00. Used $1.50/1 coupon and $2 coupon= $0.68+ deposit (which I'm not counting in this), received another $2 off coupon.
5th Transaction: (2) Snickers Bite size Bags- sale $3/7. Used $3/2 coupon, $1/2 walgreens coupon, and $2 coupon = $1.
    Total paid- $14.67
   Total Retail- $84.15
   Total Saved- $69.48, 82.6% savings!

     There's my detailed haul. I think I did pretty good for my first time semi extreme couponing! A side note, with the $2 off coupon from the Kroger deal and the Walgreens deal, you can use these on anything you want, I just chose to do it this way. On the Walgreens deal, I find it funny, I paid $4.04 for all of it, that's less than the cost of one toothpaste at regular price of $4.49!
Here's my tips for starting about couponing that I learned on this trip-

1.) Plan ahead- I spent a lot of time looking up coupons, printing and cutting them, and looking up deals. I found most of my deals at TheKrazyLady . I gathered my coupons for the deals together and organized them. I also made a list of all the deals I wanted to get and an estimate of what I was going to pay. When time came to shop, I was set and it made shopping a lot easier (except at Walgreens finding fillers for the $2 coupons).

2.) You don't have to get every deal- If you don't have to budget for it, don't do it. Just because it makes for a good deal, it may not be a product you need. One example for me was at Target, I was going to do a deal for (3) Mio or Crystal lite drink mixes, using (3) $1/1 coupons, and getting a $5 gift card. I could find room in my budget to pay $7.47 for drink mixes I didn't really need. I still might refigure things out to see if I can, because it's a good deal. Then I would use the $5 gift card towards DiGiorno's pizzas- (2) $4.99 each, using (2) $2/2 manufacturer coupon, (2) $2/2 Target coupon, and 5% off Cartwheel and $5 gift card and pay only $0.60....... hmmm that deal is really good. $8.07 for 3 drink mixes and 2 pizzas.. I may have to get that. Or there is also a deal with Old Spice- buy 4 at $3.99, get a $5.00 gift card. Use (2) buy one old spice deodorant, get body spray free coupon from the sunday paper, and pay $8. Thinking, do the drink mix deal, use the $5 on the old spice deal, and then the $5 on the pizzas and pay- $11.05 for $36.41 worth of products. Not to bad either. I may or may not do those. The pizza deal is good enough on it's own though, for $5.60 for 2 pizzas. Ok, i'll stop deal calculating (I told you it was addicting). To prove this point- i'm not a guy, I don't necessarily need guys deodorant, unless for relatives or donating it, so instead of getting that deal, save the money for a better deal you may actually need.

3.) Don't go too crazy- Don't let couponing consume you. Set aside a time to coupon and when the times up, stop and go at it another day. You don't want to neglect time spent with family (unless you do coupon with family), or time spent on other activities such as house work, hobbies, or whatnot. Also don't go crazy in stores, respect the couponing policies, don't make a mess of the stores, and try not to leave a shelf empty.

4.) Do some research- TheKrazyCouponLady has a youtube channel too, watch some their videos- they have great tips for starting out couponing. They also share deals, how to coupon, what not to do, and a lot more. I'll have a playlist of their video on my youtube channel for things I think are good for beginners. Watching TLC's Extreme Couponing may not be ideal in all circumstances, but it is good to watch and cool to see how they do it and what they save. I get excited to see people save money!

5.) Try not to be too disappointed- Sometimes you store prices or sales may not be the same as some couponing sites show, or there may be different coupons that you don't get. Also they stores may be out of products. Some examples I have is I check out the Sunday Coupon preview last Saturday. I was expecting my paper to have some coupons that I really wanted, but it didn't. I was kinda disappointed, but some coupons are regional meaning some places may not get the same coupons. Also at Target I was hoping to get some free shampoo and conditioner using coupons and they were sold out :( I was bummed, but happy they offered rainchecks. Hopefully they will be stocked back in soon! This happened at Walgreens too. I went to one location planning to do the toothpaste deal with the Almay deal to not pay as much and they were out of the toothpaste, so I had to get the Almay there. I went to the other Walgreens near buy and was able to score 3 toothpaste. So it worked out and luckily I live close to 2 Walgreens.

6.) Be adaptable- You may need to change your couponing deals a tad when in store when they are out of products, or only certain products for the coupons are part of a sale. Have a plan but adapt to changing it a bit if needed. That's why it's good to have paper on hand to write out deals, atleast I like writing out all the deals so I can see if they work and have an idea of what to do.

7.) And finally Have fun- Saving money and couponing takes time and some work, but it's worth it and having fun makes it so much better. Having a bad attitude if something doesn't work out the way you planned will make things worse. Being happy and in a good mood despite obstacles will make things so much better for you and your cashier. Always be polite, friendly, and kind to the cashiers. Couponing for them may not be as fun, but it will be a more pleasant experience if you are nice.
Saving money is a ton of fun and totally worth it. I hope this helps you out a little, I will definitely have more tips about couponing and saving money in future post.
Until then- have fun, save money, and go get started couponing! If you already coupon or love saving money, what's your best or favorite deal so far? Share in the comments I would like to hear and if you have a haul you would like to feature on here email me the detail and if you want to have a picture send it to sobrilliantlifeblog@gmail.com!
Thanks for reading and have a great day! -Jen

Dining Room Inspiration

Hey guys! The blog renovation is still going on. It should all be finished soon though. But I was thinking, why wait till everything is done to post. I know it has been a little while since I last posted something. So today I wanted to share some Home Inspiration. I've created a few sets on Polyvore (love that site!). If you don't know what Polyvore is it's a website where you can create collages of anything like fashion to home ideas. I'm working on a collection of home inspiration boards for each room in my house and today I want to share my Dining room Inspiration!

Dining Room Inspiration by sobrilliantlife

My dining room is connected to my living room, which I will have my living room one up here soon as well! In this room I want a buffet, which I will have from my mom, who got it from my grandma. I can't wait to get it to my house. The rug I love, I found one at Ikea for $200, not too bad, but it's something I have to save up for. I have some fabric framed that's dessert themed already, I find it fun. I just love the look of this all together. In reality some pieces won't be the same, but close. I'm on a budget, and if you've used polyvore, your know that the items they have to choose from range from inexpensive (Target prices) up to thousands of dollars. I'm not going to buy a $1,000 rug when I can get a similar one for $200. It's just not in my budget now. I do believe that sometimes the more is cost the better quality it is and sometimes you have to splurge, But as long as you stick in your budget, you can have an awesomely decorated room!
Well that's all for this post, to see the items I used, click on the link below the picture. And if you created you're own, let me know in the comments, I want to see!!! And follow you on polyvore too!
Thanks for reading!

Shine Bright -Jen

Coming Soon

Hello! Things are slowly changing around here as you're probably noticing. It's going to stay like this a little bit, i'm working on other things. And soon when everything is done i'll have a little blog party here with a day filled with lots of post, some diys, and maybe if I get the courage a youtube video. I actually made had a channel that I just made playlist of my favorite videos and songs for certain times. I redesigned it to go with the blog and I should probably use it for what most people use it. I'm still quite nervous. But yeah, so look forward to that coming soon! If you want to I made a twitter account, so you can follow me on there for more updates and whatnot. It's https://twitter.com/SoBrilliantLife , so follow me!  Alright well that's all for now, just a little update on how things are going.
Talk to you guys soon!
-Jen

Relaunch

Hey guys! I would just like to say Thank! Thanks for being readers, for following me , and for sticking with me through all my changes, lack of post, and everything. I appreciate each of you soo much! As you might have noticed I am posting again on this blog. I'm doing some changes and making this my main blog, and from it I will be opening an etsy shop. I'm super excited about this and can't wait to be post more diys, more house stuff, more finances, and yeah, just more! So keep checking back, because super soon (i'll post a date when I plan everything out) i'll be relaunching this blog (new design included), opening my etsy shop, and celebrate with a posting party. Plus for the first time ever i'll be doing youtube videos to go along with some of my post. I'm actually super nervous about youtube and i'm not good infront of the camera, I prefer behind the scenes. But i'm going to stretch myself and get out of my shyness and try it! You never know what you're truly capable of until you try!
So with all that said, i'm going to get to work!!! So stay tuned! Thanks again, you guys are the best!
-Jen

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year... Belated

Hello! I'm a little behind on the times, yeah Christmas was over a week ago and News Years was yesterday, but I haven't posted since September, so yeah I need to get up to date with y'all. Might as well add Happy Belated Thanksgiving too lol.  Well, if any of you work retail, you know this is/was the business time of year, then add family time, and just everyday life. It can be pretty crazy. My Christmas was good, mixed in with eh... I live in Michigan, and you may have heard about our big ice storm that knocked the power out in over 200,000 homes. I was one of them. I was without power for 6 days. I stayed with my mom the whole time. And it was annoying after awhile (not the getting to spend more time with my mom part, but having to go to my house to get things, check on everything, and pray my pipes wouldn't freeze (they didn't!)). Glad its over and thankful to have power! So blogging wasn't a big priority at that time.

So now I got you up to date, kinda, it's the new year. And I am so happy for 2013 to finally be over. It was a good and bad year. Probably the worst. My father and half brother passed away, which i'm still not over. I think losing a parent will take some time to get over. But for 2014, i'm praying for restoration. I'll write more on that later. I'm looking forward to 2014. I'm looking forward to more projects, more blog post, and finally- 3 years in the making- the launch my business! Yeah, i'm finally gonna do it! So yeah, that's all for now. I'll write more later, but for now I just wanted to check in with you and share briefly what i've been up to. Talk to you later!
-Jen