Kristin’s Amazon Favorites

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I thought I’d take a step away from talking about my physical heart for a bit because even though it consumes much of my life, I have always enjoyed sharing what works for us in our home. Not saying that what we do or don’t use is better or worse, but one thing I do enjoy sharing about is simple living. I have always enjoyed talking about this way of living and how to make a house a home (hence why I created an organizing website back in the day)! I thought I’d go down that road for a bit and share with you some products that I have bought recently that I either would buy again or use on the daily. Unfortunately, prices have gone up a bit since buying some of these items, but I have to say even with inflation, these items would still be worth it in my eyes! So here are a few items that I have purchased on Amazon that I would buy again:

OLIVE BRANCHES – ARTIFICIAL

I am not a huge interior decorator in the sense that I don’t have items displayed everywhere, but what I do have, I try to have a purpose for. I know olive branches have become more of a trend, but they actually do serve a purpose! In fact, a dove brought an olive branch back to Noah in the ark when he was wondering if there was dry land anywhere. The olive branch has since symbolized “peace” and “reconciliation” in the sense that God had made peace with his people after the flood. It’s a reminder of the grace and goodness of God, despite our mistakes and missteps.

I have wanted to put a few branches in a vase and while at Hobby Lobby, I found what they call a “Moonshine Jug” with chicken wire around it, on clearance for $8.00. I knew that’d be the perfect “vase” for them! Here’s a similar jug:

LINEN PILLOW COVERS – 24×24

I haven’t always been a huge decorative pillow girl because I find myself having to MOVE the pillows. Well, since moving into our 100 year old house, there have been some spots that pillows would actually work and be useful. Our couch came with pillows and though I’m not sold on them, they work until I come up with a different idea or recover them – and Mazy uses them. We have a bay window and I’ve put pillows on the sides so that if you want to sit there, you aren’t leaning up against a cold wall. There is also a permanent bed in our upstairs (I know, sounds weird), but the bed literally is part of the ceiling of our stairway. The crazy things you find in an old house! So I’ve tried to make that into a daybed. Those are the few places we have pillows.

For our bay window area, I thought it’d be fun to have a pillow base or insert and then be able to change out the covers. I started out making my own, but I soon learned I could buy a set of 2, cheaper than I could make them, so for now, that’s what I’m sticking with. Now I have spring/summer, fall, and Christmas covers. All for a fraction of the price of buying new pillows. And it makes storage a WHOLE lot easier! These linen pink pillow covers come in various sizes and I LOVE the color. They almost have a peach-ish undertone to them, which make them quite versatile with other colors! I like them so much that I have them for the daybed AND bay window! They come in various colors if pink isn’t your style.

GIFT CARD HOLDER

You might be thinking I’m losing my mind because these are labeled as credit card holders, but they also work as gift card carriers! I was trying to find a simpler way to store our gift cards and in a way that I could actually see what we have. These “credit card” holders work perfect for gift cards since they are the same size. The colors are a bit deceiving, since these are more a light blue and light pink, but they work perfect! I really only needed one, but they were very cheap (looks like price went up a bit), but I gave the other one to our daughter for her to put all her school pictures in. And now we know exactly what gift cards we have, they are all in one place, and it’s easy to take it along in the car without taking up so much space.

ESSENCE MASCARA

If you’ve seen my eyelashes and eyebrows, you’d wonder where my eyes went! They are very blonde and I’d say my face looks pretty washed out without mascara :). In fact, I’ve been asked if my hair really is blonde and I just tell them to look at my non-existent eyebrows and eyelashes. I mean they are there, but are very light in color. Truth be told, I do love my blonde hair and the different colors that my head holds, but it does make for some interesting eyelashes! So when I’m able, I try to wear mascara. Some days I don’t, some I do, but for the most part I wear it. I’m not necessarily going for a certain look with my eyelashes (falsies, volume, whatever), but something that is easier and on the cheaper side. For the past two “rounds” of needing mascara, I have purchased the Essence Mascara. I mean when an item has over 255,000 reviews, with a 4.5 star, it’s gotta be decent, right? And I would agree with those reviewers! It’s definitely been my go to and I don’t think I’ll turn back when I need to brighten up my eyelashes!

BEACH BAG/POOL BAG – XL

Between vacations, the pool, the beach, and any other water-oriented activity, a beach bag is a necessity in our home! I have used my previous bag so much that most of the pockets ripped out and it was stained beyond what a washing machine/hand-washing could do. I’ve been on the lookout for a new one, but I know you can spend a fortune. Even on a beach bag! Unfortunately, this bag has gone up in price since I have bought it, but I would buy this item again! I have used it for a few trips and it hasn’t shown any wear. It’s an XL bag, so is about a 22x15x6 and is WATERPROOF. That’s what my previous bag lacked. Though it’s so waterproof that when my daughter put her swimming mask in the bottom of it, filled with water yet, that water went no where! Just shows have waterproof it is…if the water comes from outside, where it’s supposed to come from! The rope-type handle makes it easy to carry, is durable, and comes in a few patterns. It also has pockets inside with a dry-bag included, and the entire bag zips as well. It’s been a staple in our home and fits everything we need for a day at the beach or pool!

CHOMCHOM PET HAIR REMOVER

We have a golden retriever. Need I say anything more? We can get a lot of pet fur going on in our house! Thankfully her shedding is seasonal, but it can still be a lot. We try to keep her off of our couches, but there are times when Mazy just NEEDS to snuggle with her and we cave. I know, we’re pathetic. So when we cave, fur gets on our couches. I try to keep up with the vacuum, but sometimes it’s just easier to pull out something quick and not the entire vacuum. Well, then I found the ChomChom. After much research, I kept coming back to this gadget, and now I understand why it has such great reviews! When I completed my first try with it, I made the same face those dogs are in the picture! I was shocked at how much “stuff” came off our couches! Not only pet hair, but dust too. People, I vacuum them, but one would think I don’t! It has now become a two for one – pet hair and “anything else” gadget. It has worked great for our long-haired dog and the 112,000 reviews sure didn’t lie. Now I don’t feel AS bad about caving because the aftermath isn’t as tedious now!

These are just a few items that we enjoy using in our home! Stay tuned for the next episode of “My Favorites…”