DIY Backyard Brick Fountain

We are project fanatics. We love a good project we can enjoy as a couple and as family so when I fell in love with the sound of the fountains at Lowe's it was EASY to predict our next family project. 

We decided to make our own water fountain out of bricks we already had lying around. This is a great project for up-cycling unused items in your yard!

So let's get started! All of our items were purchased at our local Lowe's. You can use any variation of these items that you would like to give your fountain a special touch!

What we used:

• red/charcoal colored retaining wall style blocks (12"x4" in size)

• A round MacCourt 9 gallon high density pond liner or "plantainer" 

• 2- 1.5" PVC pieces sold at Lowe's precut in 2 foot long sections

• 2 PVC elbow fittings, also 1.5"

• 1 roll of 1.5" black plastic, flex tubing 

• Submersible pond pump (size medium when shopping the garden section at Lowe's)

• 1 bag of Egg Rocks

• 1 bag of White Rocks

We started by digging a small hole exactly the size of our plantainer or pond liner. And then a small "trench" 2 foot long on the back side of our liner hole to conceal our PVC. 

As shown:

Next,

We drilled a hole for our PVC at the top of our plantainer rim. Pictured is PVC inserted into plantainer and resting in our trench we dug previously. We also used this hole and trench to conceal our pumps electrical cord.

 

Using elbow fitting to connect a vertical PVC at the back end of our horizontal PVC as pictured below.

As you can see in the picture above we have already placed our bricks in a circle around our pond plantainer. We left a gap between the plantainer and the brick that is approximately 3 inches. This will later be concealed with small decorative rocks.

Finally you are ready to stack your bricks and get creative! We added an extra row of bricks on the ground in a half moon shape on the back side of our fountain to help support our masterpiece! 

Once you have created your ideal fountain shape, add tubing from your PVC to your fountain starting point. We chose our water to trickle from the very center at the top of our highest peak. 

Once you have decided where your water will start it is now time to decide how your water will fall! We used our egg rock and white rock to add color and small dams throughout the brick staggered fountain to give it a subtle trickle effect as well as a steady water fall stream from the center. 

To finish, we added our extra rocks to the outer ring to conceal our empty space as well as scattered rocks along the bottom of our "pond".

If you would like to see our video footage of our beautiful WORKING brick fountain please check us out on Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/Ourlittlelife2013

Any questions? Please do not hesitate to ask. We would be happy to assist you in building a beautiful fountain of your own.

Here are a couple more photos & angles:

How to Correctly Clean Younique Makeup Brushes

You invested your money in quality products & tools when you purchased your Younique products. So why not maintain your investment properly? 

Do you know how to correctly clean and sanatize your makeup brushes? If not, you're in the right place!

Did you know: Makeup brushes need to be cleansed & sanatize at least once a week?

If you didn't, can you imagine how much bacteria and grime your brushes are harboring right now?! How long has it been? Weeks, months, years? YUCK! Let's get to the facts so you can get to cleaning those poor brushes!

Younique's brushes are made with quality, REAL hair bristles. So think of them like you would your own hair. You wouldn't use liquid DISH soap on your hair, so why would you use it on your brushes?! DON'T

Instead reach for the shampoo you use for your own hair. DO

There are cleansers made specifically for makeup brushes but they are not necessary, especially when you already have a cleanser right inside your shower.

Next, you will need rubbing alcohol. This is important for removing excess buildup & sanitizing your bristles. (Especially if you can't remember the last time you cleaned your brush set!!)

You will also need 2 shallow bowls, luke-warm water, a lint free towel & Younique's Illuminate Facial Cleanser (optional).

First, fill your shallow bowls. One with luke-warm (room temperature) water & the other with rubbing alcohol.

Then, moisten your brush tips under the faucet or by dipping them in your bowl.

(I like to use the sink for this step just so I don't dirty my bowl of water just yet.)

Place a small amount of shampoo in the palm of your hand and gently rub the bristles of each brush into the shampoo. Thoroughly coating bristles while using your palm to massage the shampoo into the tough to reach areas.  

After you have lathered each brush in shampoo, dip your brush into your bowl of water, swirling gently. (I like to think of this as the rinse cycle!) You should start seeing the gunk & grime in your water! 

Once your brush is rinsed, place in the bowl of rubbing alcohol to soak. Repeat the step above on your next brush. 

Continue rinsing each brush & placing in your rubbing alcohol to soak until you have completed your brush collection.

Rinse the alcohol from your brushes under the faucet. You may need to repeat shampoo & rinse steps until your water runs clean. (Obviously refill your bowl with fresh water each time). 

Place brushes on a lint free towel to dry. Younique's brushes are rust-free so you will not have to worry about corrosion! You bought quality products, remember?!

NEVER stand your brushes on end to dry. This holds water in the base of your brush causing it to weaken the wood & glue used to secure your bristles in place. 

Finally, you are probably wondering why I suggested Younique's Illuminate Facial Cleanser at the beginning of this article.

Well here is why. Like many of you, my brush collection includes brushes used to apply foundation, concealers & powders. These products are a little tougher to remove from your brush. (They are meant to stay on your face, right?) 

This is where ladies tend to reach for the liquid dish soap. Again, DON'T.

Instead, reach for the product designed to remove the makeup you applied to your face AND your brush - Illuminate Facial Cleanser. DO

Using the steps above for your facial brushes will work fairly well by themselves but if you're like me you will want to be sure all of last weeks product has been removed from your brush. So..

Once you have completed the steps above you are ready to remove any excess product from your facial brushes.

Place a small amount of Facial Cleanser in the palm of your hand and gently work the bristles of your rinsed facial brushes into the cleanser. 

You should start to see foundation coming off the brush in the palm of your hand, GROSS! If so, repeat all of the steps above until you are no longer seeing a color change in your water (or your hand!).

Lay your brushes out to dry and your done!! Until next week ;-)

Thank you for reading. Feel free to share or even browse my Product Page ! If you do not have your own set of quality brushes you can purchase them here as well. Treat yourself, you deserve it! 

Lexi's Doll House, A Young Girls Dream

This time last year, March 2014, my sweet 9 year old daughter came to me with several sketches of outfits she had designed, unique stylish little outfits she had created with girls her age in mind. She explained to me how she wanted to become a fashion designer and start her own business making and selling young girls clothing. As I thumb through the drawings I tell her this is a neat idea and those outfits would be very cute someday. What I did NOT gather from this conversation was the fact that she meant NOW. She meant she wanted to start a clothing line NOW. At 9 years old. 

Once I finally picked up on this (subtle hints weren't working, she had to flat out say it) I was not only surprised but also at a loss for words. 

How do I go about this conversation without crushing her dreams yet supporting her passion & drive?

After some thought and her continuing to tell me about her idea for several days, I KNEW which direction this should go. 

I will give her the tools necessary to build on this idea and show that I support her ambition. 

Over Spring Break, a couple weeks later, we started with the basics. She wanted to MAKE her own clothes so she needed to learn how to sew. A simple hand-seen pillow for starters. She looked at me like I was crazy when I handed her that needle and thread but she followed instructions well and proved she meant business. She wanted to tackle something more complex. She wanted to learn how to REALLY sew. She wasn't looking for a Home-Ec lesson!

We dug out my great grandmothers portable sewing machine and practiced straight lines... Yet another silly look from my daughter but she went along with it anyway.

I was obviously stalling! But it was apparent she was on to something. She was serious when she came to me with this idea so it was time I get serious too!

We went shopping for the fabric to complete one of her outfits. While shopping, Lexi stumbled upon doll clothing patterns. She loved the idea of creating something for her American Girl Dolls so we decided she should start learning to read patterns and practice her clothing designs on a much smaller scale, doll clothes. We purchased a Singer Simple and went home to start practicing.

Lexi picked up on everything so quickly that her first doll outfit was completed the same day. She fell in love with her doll clothing designs so much so that she switched gears a little. Yes she still wanted to design clothing for young girls but for now she loved the idea of designing clothing for young girls DOLLS. 

She started talking about designing and making doll clothes and selling them. Lexi finished 5 doll outfits that week and as she finished them I was posting her progress on my personal Facebook page. Lexi was such a hit with family and friends that we then created her own fan page to share her designs on. And with that Lexi's Doll House was born. 

About a month later, we opened a shop on Etsy, Lexi's Doll House on Etsy's, with intentions of selling Lexi's designs to fund her passion and for to purchase more fabrics & supplies to continue bringing her doll clothes to life. We had no idea that her 5 original outfits would sell within a matter of days. She continued designing & her fans continued to grow. 

It has been an unbelievably journey this far for Lexi & our little family. One year ago we would have never guessed we would still be talking "doll clothes". Lexi's Doll House is proof that putting your faith and support into your child's dreams is the most beneficial & rewarding gift you can give to your child. If you're on their side, anything is possible. 

Be watching for Part Two of Lexi's Story for more on her first year as a young entrepreneur and what she is doing now.

You can also follow her progress on Facebook: Lexi's Doll House
And on Etsy: Lexi's Doll House