Life. Love. Lipstick.

I don’t get a lot of time to clean my house, so when I get a few minutes, I like to make them count!  The best cleaning products are the ones that don’t require much work on my part.  When Great Cleaners approached me requesting a product review, I jumped on it.  I welcomed the chance to discover products that could make my life easier.  I discovered a lot of great ones, including one stand-out that I will use for years to come.

Great Cleaners sent their Dorm Room Cleaning Kit, and I eagerly put the products to work.

Oxi Clean is something I’ve always seen advertised and always seen in others’ homes, but never used myself.  I swear by spray ‘n wash for formula stains, so was skeptical to try any other stain remover.  I was pleased to discover that the Oxi Clean works pretty well!  I tried it as a pretreat for laundry and spot remover on carpet, as there are several uses for the product.  As a pretreat and spot remover, it worked pretty well.  However, where it really stood out was as a laundry booster.  I just add a scoop to the laundry and it visibly brightens the clothes!  Whites are whiter, colors are more vibrant.  I was really surprised by this!

Brillo Pads have been a part of my cleaning repertoire for years, so there was no need to try them out.  They are the best thing for scrubbing your non-stick pots and pans, because they will lift the crud without leaving scratches behind.

Kaboom Foam-tastic really impressed me as a bathtub cleaner.  My usual routine consists of Clorox spray and scrubbing with a brush.  With Kaboom, you just spray on the blue foam and when it turns white, you wipe and rinse.  I love that I can spray it on, then clean the rest of the bathroom before rinsing the tub.

Kaboom Scrub-Free Toilet Cleaning System was the big winner for me.  You simply set the system up in the tank of a clean toilet, drop in a couple of tabs, and let it do its job!  Love that!! There is even a demo video that is spot-on!

I will definitely use the toilet system for years to come. Why wouldn’t I?  I haven’t cleaned my toilet in two weeks and it looks great!  Definitely need to get a system for our other bathroom.

Now, the best part. One lucky reader will receive the same kit reviewed here!  It is the Dorm Room Cleaning Kit, and would definitely be great for a college student, but who couldn’t use it?

Entering is easy.

1. Comment on this post for one entry.

2. For an extra entry, follow Great Cleaners on Twitter and tweet “Win a Dorm Room Cleaning Kit http://tinyurl.com/y8gduqz @greatcleaners @lllipstick”

Tweet must match exactly.

Giveaway ends Tuesday, October 13 at Midnight, EST.  Winner will be chosen randomly.

Good luck!

There are so many videos that are fun to watch, and a handful that really improve my mood!

Awhile back I featured a few wedding shots full of emotion. It is still one of my favorite posts, however simple. I love that I can look at a single shot and feel pure joy or have my eyes fill with tears. That is the sign of a truly wonderful photographer.

Photo by Chenin Boutwell

Photo by John & Joseph

Photo by Justine Ungaro

Photo by Natalie Moser

Photo by Poser

Photo by Paul Johnson

Photo by Apertura

Photo by Jenna Walker

The Art Of A Good Marriage by Wilfred Arlan Peterson

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.

A good marriage must be created.

In marriage the little things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It is standing together facing the world.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

Photo by the incomparable John & Joseph Photography

Anna Kuperberg is a genius.  That’s all there is to it.  Her wedding images make me feel like I was there, feeling every moment and every emotion.  This wedding held at a private home is amazing.  I love the simplicity, the veil, the dress, oh… those Chanel shoes!

To Keep Your Marriage Brimming by Ogden Nash

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it;
Whenever you’re right, shut up.

Photo by the geniuses at Our Labor of Love

Apache Wedding Blessing:

Now you will feel no rain,

For each of you will be shelter to the other.

Now you will feel no cold,

For each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no loneliness for you,

For though you are two bodies,

You are only one life.

Go now to your dwelling place,

To enter into the days of your togetherness.

May your days be good and long upon this earth.

Photo by Susan Stripling

A couple of my favorite things for weddings are certainly not new ideas, but I found a couple new photos that are perfect examples!

I have posted before about loving all-white weddings, right down to bridesmaids in white.   This is another beautiful example!

Photo credit: A Bryan Photo

I also am a huge fan of candy bars… still!  This was a trend I saw start to surface a loooong time ago, in another lifetime, when I was on The Knot.  I still love it, especially when so beautifully displayed as this!

Photo credit:  Chrissy Lambert, via Style Me Pretty

I am so excited to bring today’s post to you!  I have been reading I am Style-ish for awhile now. I just now discovered that husband and wife Tiffany and Jared have an invitation line, just one of many products and services offered as part of their photography and design business, style.ish.  I am so excited to see such exciting and fresh designs on the scene.  I asked Tiffany a few questions about her passions, design, photography, and fashion.

What inspires you in graphic design?
From Jared:  Coming from an Architectural background I love clean modern designs but mixed with street style too.  I really like grafitti artists like banksys and I’m also influenced by colorways on sneakers.  I believe good design should be influenced by good design regardless of it’s media.
From Tiffany: The way we work together is that he comes up with the design and then I give him input.  He tends to take a more modern, graphic approach and I like things to be a bit girly and chic so our invitations are a bit of a mix of that.

In a world with an increasing number of modern invitation designers, how do you set your designs apart? We give a more personal feel to the invitation.  We really put a lot of thought into the couple and how they want to reflect themselves and the mood for their wedding.  The images of our clients are integrated into the design, not just placed into a template.  We also give design feedback on which image we believe will truly compliment the total design.  Although we have “templates” that couples can choose from, none will be exactly alike because of our approach. Our clients trust in us to keep them style.ish. 

We really feel that we are in a new generation of couples who are getting married.  A lot more of us are now paying for our own weddings, willing to break the wedding traditions and really just go with what we love.  We are definitely one of those couples as we had a very small destination wedding in Jamaica.  When Jared and I decided that we were cutting the guest list, not having a bridal party, not having favors, not having a DJ, etc.. I did not regret our decision for one second.  I have had many women write me emails after seeing my wedding on my blog and telling me that I had “a dream wedding” and you know what?  I agree.  I for sure had my dream wedding and I didn’t follow most of the wedding “traditions” that we all feel like we should follow.  Our invitations are reflective of that, we are breaking from the norm and really showcasing the couple’s personalities rather than just being an invite to a formal party.

Why wedding invitations? It really goes hand in hand with our photography.  We love photographing couples in love, we love capturing the emotions and the way they interact with each other.  What better way to take those pictures than to put them into a wedding invitation or Save the Date, where you can share your love with all your friends and family.  There is no other event out there like getting married when you can show off your love to the people closest to you!

Photography, graphic design, fashion blogging… how do you balance it all?  What drives you to keep creating more? It’s a tough balance I admit.  I definitely have my moments that I want to pull my hair out and scream. I have a full time job that keeps me quite busy as well so I do all these things on my free moments.  The truth is, photography, design and fashion are my passions and I just enjoy doing them.  You can’t go through life without having passions.  What keeps me going is the desire to always do more with my life.  I’m a highly motivated/driven person and pretty much nothing stops me.  I have been told from numerous people in my life about how I inspire them and motivate them to do more.  I find that a huge compliment because I truly believe that to enjoy life, you need to follow your dreams, no matter how big they are.  Even just the smallest accomplishment is the greatest feeling in the world when you know you are doing something you love.

Do you have a favorite creative outlet? When I’m not doing those three things, photography, design and blogging, I love to crochet.  It’s the sense of accomplishment in such a small amount of time is what I love.  I can spend a few hours crocheting and then have a cute little animal to admire.  I’m not highly creative in that I can’t paint or draw if my life depended on it but I can crochet a very cute elephant.  Sometimes, it’s just the littlest things that make me happy. 

I love these z-fold invitations, featuring an RSVP card that detaches.  All the designs can be customized with images, colors, and more.

Also digging the simplicity of the postcard designs.

Special thanks to Tiffany and Jared, and be sure to check out style-ish.com and iamstyle-ish.

If you aren’t familiar with the Mammoth Men, a group of 12 photographers who pretty much rock my socks off, you should go check out their site.  While there, buy a raffle ticket or ten!  Tickets are only $10, and you can win some awesome prizes.  More importantly than that, 100% of the proceeds go to charity.  Go buy [FTMFMMW]!