I have been enjoying outdoors as much as possible these past few weeks.  One of the inevitable annoyances about spending time outside is those pesky bugs.

Here are a few tips to keep those annoying little critters at bay.

1.Try complete garden ’s remedy of vinegar, sugar and salt to attract and contain wasps in a handy diy container.

2. Make your own Bug-Away-Spray with these ingredients from mountain rose herbs

3. Peppermint oil and tap water keep spiders away  According to herbsandoils world.com Spray outside door corners and window crevices to keep them from entering your home.

4. Frozen Aloe vera cubes can ease the discomfort of too much sun (realsimple.com)

5.  Add mosquito repelling plants to your garden

source

6. If all else fails and you’ve gotten bitten, here are some ways to relieve the itch

source

Do you have any unsual tips to share?  What has worked for you?

Do you need help getting  a jump start on a project?

Does the process seem a bit overwhelming?

Consider downloading our PROJECT STARTER TOOL KIT to help guide you in the right direction.

It’s easy. Every new subscriber receives it for FREE! Look for the button on our home page and if you know someone that might also benefit, share it forward.

We also have 3 distinct design plans:

Refresh Your Space The “DIY Plan” A Total Redesign Contact us to see which plan is right for you; our one hour consultation, can help get you started in the right direction.

Ricci Jackson is a Certified Interior Decorator and founder of Your Design Partner.

The goal of Ydp is to meet you where you are In your design process.

Reserve your appointment today by calling (217) 722-4806 or email us at rjackson@yourdesignpartner.com

Inspiring creativity,

Ricci

It’s vacation season! You’ll love what Grace shares about keeping the kids entertained during those inevitable long summer drives.

Every summer for as long as I can remember my family has driven the 15 hours down to Siesta Key, Florida. I am no stranger to the long stretch of Georgia highway where you’re so close to being at your destination that you can’t sit still but are still hours away.

That’s usually right around the time my brother and I start fighting. There were a few tricks my mom kept though, to avoid the inevitabl screaming, smacking, and scratching for as long as possible and that will hopefully help you all do the same!

1. Car Packs

The packs we had strapped onto the seat in front  had pockets for everything and could open up into a table top perfect for coloring, writing, or for quick meals. My mom even hid fun little items in all the little inside pockets for us to discover along the way i.e. Orange Tic Tacs, Crayons, Glitter Pens, and Construction Paper.

You could do the same thing with a cute backpack, tote bag, basket etc.

Fill it with road easy snacks, word games, coloring books, and other fun activities! If you have troule finding a car pack that has a table top consider investing in a lap desk. They don’t take up much space and will allow your children to have a flat surface!

2. A Goody Goody Bag

On most road trips everyone is in such a hurry to get to the beach or get back home that every stop is dreaded and is made more unbearabe by grumpy kids. Jake and I always loved stopping to get gas because that meant we got a surprise! My parents always kept a bag of goodies in the trunk and made sure to pack it on top so it was easily accessible. The surprises were never too extravagent mostly new goggles, a Beanie Baby or a movie, but they were easily the best part of the drive. Here’s a few suggestions on what you could pack for your kids!

Fun stickers and temporary tattoos!

A doll or stuffed animal who’s also dressed for the trip. I was always super into barbies and loved playing with them on the drive down and even more in the pool.

Sunglasses!

3. A Scavenger Hunt

Since we took the same route down to and from Florida each year we were more than familiar with all the sights. Instead of this making  us bored and antsy though we excitedly looked for landmarks to track our journey, My mom drew out a scavenger hunt with pictures of the giant peach when we went through Georgia, the Diosaur in Tennessee and the fireworks store and normal road trip things like a car with luggage on the roof, a dog in the passenger seat, cows and so on. She left the pictures in black and white so that as we saw each item we could color it in!

This is just an example and may be a good template for those who are not artisically inclined enough to draw their own! This website also offers printable scavenger hunt lists for different occasions!

With all of these fun ways to pass the time my brother and I were much less miserable on the 15 hour ride.Plus, vacation is always more enjoyable when you aren’t grounded to the room for pulling your little brother’s hair on the way.

Which ideas will you use, or share?  Happy travels

Do you need help getting  a jump start on a project?

Does the process seem a bit overwhelming?

Consider downloading our PROJECT STARTER TOOL KIT to help guide you in the right direction.

It’s easy. Every new subscriber receives it for FREE! Look for the button on our home page and if you know someone that might also benefit, share it forward.

We also have 3 distinct design plans:

Refresh Your Space The “DIY Plan” A Total Redesign Contact us to see which plan is right for you; our one hour consultation, can help get you started in the right direction.

Ricci Jackson is a Certified Interior Decorator and founder of Your Design Partner.

The goal of Ydp is to meet you where you are In your design process.

Reserve your appointment today by calling (217) 722-4806 or email us at rjackson@yourdesignpartner.com

Inspiring creativity,

Ricci

In celebration of my anniversary of 18 years yesterday. I felt inspired to make this unisex body oil.

It’s called Lover’s Delight Massage Oil

According to Mountainrose herbs this scent has a floral, earthen, exotic, and sweet blend which will appeal to women and men alike.  I must say, that the description is right on target and quite easy to make.  I assembled my ingredients and in less than 10 minutes had a very sensual massage oil.While the lavender essential oil is missing from my picture, I did  include it  in this elixer, in fact it’s what added an element of sweetness to this otherwise masculine, earthy scent.

1/2 cup organic Jojoba oil
20 drops organic Lavender essential oil
15 drops organic Cedarwood essential oil
2 drop organic Ylang Ylang essential oil

Drop all essential oils into a glass bottle, add Jojoba oil, and roll bottle between palms to blend oils. Decorate with a ribbon and pretty label if desired. Shake well before each use.

Here’s another yummy scented recipe from Mountainrose herbs

It smells heavenly and adds a wonderful softness to dry rough skin.

Brown Sugar & Vanilla Body Scrub

1 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
1/2 cup + 3 TBSP organic Sunflower oil
1/2 tsp organic Vanilla flavoring extract

Blend sugars together in a bowl, add oil and vanilla extract, and mix well. Package in jars, and enjoy!

As for decorating…

Do you need help getting  a jump start on a project?

Does the process seem a bit overwhelming?

Consider downloading our PROJECT STARTER TOOL KIT to help guide you in the right direction.

It’s easy. Every new subscriber receives it for FREE! Look for the button on our home page and if you know someone that might also benefit, share it forward.

We also have 3 distinct design plans:

Refresh Your Space The “DIY Plan” A Total Redesign Contact us to see which plan is right for you; our one hour consultation, can help get you started in the right direction.

Ricci Jackson is a Certified Interior Decorator and founder of Your Design Partner.

The goal of Ydp is to meet you where you are In your design process.

Reserve your appointment today by calling (217) 722-4806 or email us at rjackson@yourdesignpartner.com

Inspiring creativity,

Ricci