So much more than a toothbrush holder

Way back when I was in esthetician school I found a need to store my make-up brushes without damaging the fine and delicate bristles of the brushes. At the time I was looking for an alternative to the standard brush bag that contained a few elastic pieces inside that secured the brushes flat. Storing the brushes flat seemed to distort the shape of the bristles and left me displeased with them. At the time I found that using a toothbrush holder was a great way to store the brushes upright and allowing the brushes to keep the original form and shape.

 So for years I have stayed with this discovery and have never found another device that does a better job. I love toothbrush holders for several reasons: they can be as inexpensive or as luxurious looking as needed, replaceable, and can be purchased anywhere. Depending on your preference, you can spend a few dollars on one, you can buy a stainless steel one at Bed Bath & Beyond for $80.00 bucks, or you can find something in between. My point being that they are affordable and accessible to everyone. And if you are someone that keeps your cosmetics out on the bathroom counter, you can easily find a holder that coordinates with your bathroom decor. Should you decide to redecorate, you're not stuck with a storage device that doesn't go with the new decor. 

Here are a few more items that can be stored in a toothbrush holder:

Paintbrushes                                                                                      School/Office Supplies

Do you have something other than toothbrushes in a toothbrush holder? Please share!

I fear the cheese grater no more

This might sound crazy, but for the last few years I've been buying the pre-shredded packaged cheese in lieu of the more-for-your-money, better tasting blocks of cheese in fear of having to clean the cheese grater afterward. I know, crazy, right?

Prepping for dinner one night, I realized I forgot to buy the pre-shredded cheese and I ultimately broke out the cheese grater and began to shred the block of cheddar in the frig. After dinner the grater sat in the sink filled with hot soapy water with the rest of the dinner dishes. As I tackled the dirty dishes one by one, I would frequently reach for the grater, only to push it aside. Slowly the sink became empty leaving only Rory's sippy cups and matching lids... and the grater. Taking hold of the bottle brush that rests on the sink ledge, I began to hand wash the colorful plastic of the cups with the wire brush. And as I reached into the sink one last time, I knew I could not avoid the grater any longer. And at last I discovered the best way to clean a metal cheese grater: with the wire portion of a bottle brush! Phew, no more metal ripping into my skin as I try meticulously to get every piece of smeared cheese off the raised metal. No more pre-shredded bags of cheese! 

Hold the bottle brush with the plastic wires perpendicular to the cheese grater and rake the brush back and forth until the metal is clean of all cheese residue. After run the brush inside the grater if you have a bell-style grater.

Out With The Old...

Sometime around the holidays I was flipping through past issues of fashion magazines I had scattered about my house when I came across a small article, if it can even be called an article, more like a paragraph in the March 2011 issue of Lucky on a random person sharing the idea of constantly switching shampoos and conditioners to prevent build-up. I found the small read to be interesting, but since it didn't pertain to any hair dilemma I was experiencing at the time I merely tossed the magazine aside and grabbed another.

 

Fast forward a month or two into the new year, and my favorite shampoo and conditioner, which I had been completely faithful to, had let me down... literally. Instead of the once soft, bouncy hair it had once given me, now it had left me limp and stringy! I begin ransacking my house looking for this particular article. The image of me mindlessly throwing out a stack of magazines a few weeks before played over and over in my mind in the hopes that the one that donned Heidi Klum on the cover was not in it. After locating it in it's clever little hiding place, I re-read my past discovery. OK, sounds easy enough, I thought, out with the old and in with new... three new shampoos and conditioners to be exact.

Yes, I now have three different brands of shampoos and their conditioners in my shower. I switch shampoo/conditioners everyday, none of which are super fancy, and are all bought at Target. And if I ever get tired of one, I simply replace it and add the new one into the rotation. It may seem ridiculous to have three sets of shampoo/conditioners in the shower, but the random girl in the Lucky article was right, frequently changing shampoos and conditioners does help prevent build-up, leaving the hair soft and bouncy! If you are experiencing build-up in your hair, but don't want to invest in three sets, or have limited shower space, try using the travel size versions of different shampoos and conditioners instead of the regular size.