tiny treasures...a classic stripe

does it get any more chic and easy looking than the classic striped tee? i'm such a fan, and especially now, they're just everywhere. this whole clothing line from the former creative director of kate spade is based around the classic striped tee, and there are plenty of other versions available at the gap, a wonderful selection at j.crew, a great basic at old navy and plenty more.

 

but alas, a horizontally striped shirt on me just doesn't seem prudent, even now, so i found these stupidly cheap flip flops to substitute. wouldn't they look cute with jeans and a solid tee, or even an all black or all white outfit? these just make the perfect tiny treasure - a midsummer spruce for your look that you can rock every day and even years into the future...that's the thing about a classic - they're always around.

and then the beach! oh, they'd be so perfectly lifeguardy for the beach. especially in these stars.

are you in?

tiny treasures...a lavender swipe

you're gonna thank me for this one. favorite new thing ever. EO lavender hand wipes. i buy them individually wrapped or in a package of 10 at whole foods...they smell divine and they're perfect for newsprint on hands on the morning commute. nothing worse than that.

in the mood for more tiny treasures? or more deliciously lavender smelling things?

tiny treasures...over the shoulder

sometimes i just feel overwhelmed by the awesomeness of a good find...can you relate? when i was in bath and body works mourning the discontinuation of my beloved vanilla noir, i spotted these nylon totes and i wasn't as sad. i went for the lime chevron and the blue ikat, but the other prints are great too.

i've long loved nylon totes and i use them for little gifts, for carrying stuff in matching style and for keeping one in every nook and cranny of my life. what's special about these is twofold - first, the pouch they roll into is attached, which isn't always the case, so there's no little pouch to keep track of. and secondly, and this is the best part, the straps are long enough that you can comfortably wear them on your shoulder rather than having to hold them.

so these are this week's tiny treasure. if you need an almost-neon pick-me-up, the lime chevron is your answer.

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tiny treasures...a tall glass of water

raise your hand if you don't drink as much water as you should. okay, don't raise your hand, you'll end up looking weird. but let's just say we're all on the same page. so here's what i'm thinking...if we pour it, it will come. feel me? for this week's tiny treasure, let's all treat ourselves (for $5 or less, like the selections pictured here) to a really lovely glass or cup or water bottle to keep at our desks, on our counters or in our cars -- wherever we spend the most time. my theory is if it's there, and it looks pretty, we will use it. yes? worth a try, right?




all images

tiny treasures...heaven scent

you just can't do better than the glade winter collection candles. last year, i wrote about several really good gift candles on the (relative) cheap as candles go. and i stand by those choices for gifts. but i have to tell you...i am utterly, knocked down, dragged out impressed by glade's winter collection, and they're 2 for $5 in most grocery stores and superstores. sometimes even 2 for $4. and in many locations, there's a tear-off coupon pad for $3 off 3.

these are so perfect for lighting throughout your home this season, even after the holidays have come and gone. the longest, coldest part of winter is ahead of us without the holiday cheer to warm us, so a soft and delicious smelling glow at home is necessary. one of the things i love most is that the labels on these candles are made for peeling off...and you know how i feel about eliminating visual noise in the home.

my favorite is the apple cinnamon which smells like the holidays, full stop. yeah, i said full stop. a close second is the french vanilla, but then i really love the bayberry spice too, which smells perfectly of pine and cold air. the only one i really don't like is the very purple sugarplum fantasies, because i think it misses the authenticity of scent that my favorites really capture.

in the winter collection, they have the oil candles and refills, the plug-ins and refills, but to me, the candles are simple and straightforward. we all have enough things we always need refills for, right?

loving these...not in the way that i feel the need to put a glade app on my phone, but i do love them, and i think you will too.

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tiny treasures...toasty fingers

okay, this tiny treasure is too good to pass up. two pairs of gloves for $1.50. COME ON. seriously? YES. target is selling two-packs of gloves for $1.50 - black/black, cream/tan, hot pink/hot pink stitched, cream/tan stitched...you get the idea. STOCK UP. stash a pair in the car, a pair in your desk, one in your bag and another in the hall closet - and you'll STILL have only spent $3. tiny treasure indeed.

for you, for your holiday recipients, for your mailman - whatever!

for more little luxuries under $5, discover more tiny treasures here.

tiny treasures...baby it's cold outside

i had a really hard time deciding on just one tiny treasure this week, because i have a few that i want to share. so i chose two since they could also come in handy as stocking stuffers and yankee swaps, and i'll save the rest for next week. gotta ration, you know?

the first is a blanket-soft scarf from old navy. given my obsession with yellow this year, i got it in the punchy yellow which doesn't seem to be online but was in abundance in-store. warm but not too warm, long but not bulky, i think it's the perfect foil for a black or brown coat, especially in the solid colors it comes in.

and then...lots of people i know grew up on carmex, but i wasn't one of them. for those people, "carmex" is like the generic term for lip balm, like pampers for diapers or kleenex for tissues. now i get why. i bought this three-pack and stashed one in my makeup bag, one on my nightstand and one on the ottoman in my living room, so i'm never far from chap relief. in this season, it's crucial. the unexpected bonus is that the sheer shine looks really pretty, and of course natural.

bundle up and soothe your lips girlies...it's cold!

images: top, scarf, carmex

tiny treasures...air effects

you know how i'm all about scents, and really, i feel like so are most people. as we all know, the olfactory scent is a powerful one for memory and association, and for me, it's a major mood thing. if i don't like the way something smells, especially at home, it's a real downer. you might remember my run-in with so-called odor shield garbage bags and the scent discovery that followed.

so of course, i'm always on the lookout for products that help to keep things smelling good and fresh and whenever possible, awesome, and that's why so many of the tiny treasures i do are fragrance-related.

the whole point of tiny treasures is to indulge ourselves in small ways that make our lives better on the whole. fleeting moments in a day add up to a lot, and it's often very easy to treat ourselves to something extra special in those moments with a decadent coffee improvement, a corner store bouquet of flowers or a pretty accessory. or of course something that smells wonderful.

we just have to remember to do it, and then do it. so i like to provide easy ideas to help remind you and myself. and of course, they have to be $5 or less so it never becomes a source of guilt or stress to pamper yourself.

so i'm so excited to obsess over febreze air effects with you. this is an air freshener that actually works - immediately, and long-lastingly. of course i'm partial to the lavender vanilla, as i always am, but i have to say the powder and pamper fragrance is a close second in this case.

i'm looking forward to trying the impressive array of scents they offer, most of all meadows and rain, pumpkin harvest, the special pet odor formula and the inventive sounding moroccan bazaar.

everything is just better when things smell good. i really believe that.

tiny treasures...plug it in

okay, so i had to do an emergency tiny treasure post because today is the very last day for $5 wallflowers at bath and body works (online and in-store). the starter sets and the refills are $5 each, marked down from $12.50.

last time i bought garbage bags, i accidentally got the "odor-shield" kind, which smell outrageously disgusting, and i literally got depressed every time i walked into the kitchen and smelled them (i have a sickly good sense of smell). eventually, i broke down and just bought a fresh box, even though i felt bad about wasting. i just can not deal with bad smelling things. can you relate? my point is this: scents are powerful, and can affect our moods in serious ways, don't you agree? and since tiny treasures is all about bringing happiness and luxury into our lives for $5 or less, nothing could be more perfect or appropriate than this.

moving on...i always love things like this in a small space like a bathroom or closet because you get the most bang for your buck...and at only $5, that's a lot of bang for not a lot of bucks. and although TT is very much about indulging yourself when you can, it's not a bad idea to stock up now on stocking stuffers or office gifts, right? in the long run, it's your treasure anyway when you don't have to run around doing last minute shopping.

my personal favorites of the scents available in wallflowers are coconut lime verbena (you might remember my obsession from last summer), lavender vanilla (another perennial obsession of mine), and warm vanilla sugar, especially for the cooler months, which are admittedly hard to think about at this hot, sticky moment.

and i'm totally swinging by to smell eucalyptus spearmint! find your local store here.

some honey living you might have missed:

catch up on tiny treasures ($5 luxuries to give yourself)
my coconut obsession from last summer
if you looooove the smell of lavender...
and if you love the smell of eucalyptus

photo from womans day

tiny treasures...roll it up

i am of the firm belief that you can never have enough bags (exhibit A, my closet). totes, clutches, hobos, barrels...a purpose for every one of them, and once in a while, a bag truly wows me. the one i'm telling you about today happens to cost $3, so...tiny treasure, obvi. (if you're new to honey living, or just to tiny treasures, they're small indulgences to make you feel good for under $5. check out all the past tiny treasures here).

i've had these bags for a while (see here for the matching reusable shopping totes), but for some reason, i keep forgetting to write about them. forgive me! so...

pier 1 carries the bag in four extremely likable prints, and they roll into a small pouch which can clip on to...something. keys i guess? i don't know, that part i don't get, but i'm a huge fan of throwing one in my bag, one in the car, one in my desk drawer...the list goes on. they're so perfect for when you end up with more stuff than you thought you would coming to or from work, shopping, a visit with friends, etc. also, you don't have to deal with the annoyance of forgetting the reusable grocery bags in the car or your house every time you're at the store, because these are always in your bag taking up hardly any room at all.

me being big on matching bag ensembles, all mine are in the spot-on black and white damask, but the other three coordinate nicely with each other and might one day find their way into my bag too.

some honey living you might have missed:
-if you love black and white damask like i do, you might love the rainboots in this post.
-for more stylish reusable tote bags, see here and here.

photo from pier 1

tiny treasures...lavender dawn

so today i'm going back to my roots with tiny treasures...for those that have been with me since the beginning of this feature, you might recall the very first tiny treasure, which was the mrs. meyers lavender room spray. the idea started then, and continues now, that a tiny treasure is a small indulgence we can give ourselves as we go through often mundane days, for no more than $5 a pop.

well, allow me to introduce another treasure in the lavender family...dawn botanicals jasmine lavender dish soap. and i mean please, you can't get any more mundane than dish soap. to have a little bottle of something that makes even the most unpleasurable things pleasurable? that is a tiny treasure by all definitions. (don't forget to eliminate the visual noise!)

here's how i came to know and love this one...a few days ago, i washed my hands in my office's kitchen and was very pleasantly surprised by the lovely smell. i noticed that it was dawn and made a mental note to come back when i wasn't carrying a giant potted orchid to do further research. then i promptly forgot about it. a few days later, i walked into the kitchen and noticed a distinct spa smell...who was getting facials in the kitchen, massages next to the refrigerator? nope, it was the recently sudded sink...fresh from the dish soap! and the rest is history.

for other wonderfully lavender scented things, see this post, and this one.

photo from viewpoints

tiny treasures...flipping

look at these YES PLEASE adorable flip flops from old navy (the known mecca of cheap, fun flip flops). such a great way to rock a peace sign.

and if you're partial to hearts, there's that too. love!

and peace!

luckily, you don't have to choose that preciously, because for $5, you get 2 pairs. still the best deal around.

here are some other especially cute ones this year. (and then of course there are all the solids)

all photos from old navy

tiny treasures...sip!

do you find that you're drinking different things now that the weather has turned warmer in most of the country?

for me, the first thing to shift is the coffee - iced all the way, even at home. also, i'm drinking so much more water because i'm thirstier when it's warmer - you too? and i've cut out all diet soda, so there's that. water it is.

so when i was trying to make water more palatable at first, i broke out some colorful straws i had from last summer, and i really got into them. sometimes i'd color coordinate them to my top or lipstick, sometimes i'd even use two to get a nice color combo going. don't judge.

straws sound so simple, don't they? but that's the thing about tiny treasures - though inexpensive and small, they make you feel good. pick up a package of pretty straws next time you're in a place that sells them and use one (or two!) each time you sip a your warm weather beverage of choice. i think you'll really like it.

why not add a favorite color or color combination to a cool, refreshing drink? you only live once!

photo from www.fotobank.ru

tiny treasures...self-talk

you know when you're browsing through greeting cards and you stumble upon that perfect message that really speaks to you at that moment? a lot of times it's not appropriate for the occasion you're searching for and you can't think of who you'd send it to at the moment, so it slips away. well i have an idea of who to give it to...you! there are so many beautiful, inspirational cards out there, and at any given time, you're sure to be able to find one that speaks directly to you - who you are on that very day, in that very moment.

this week's tiny treasure is to do just that - take a few minutes (like the artist's date i took myself on to papyrus many months ago) and to to the nicest card shop you can. try and make it one that plays nice music and has kind cashiers. choose the section you'll explore -- encouragement, get well, congratulations, love...whatever feels right, and look through all the glorious cards...the pictures, the fonts, the special messages crafted of meaningful words and suspended moments in time.

i have bought myself two cards recently, and they both speak to me so gently and so deeply. one of them says on the front "there are years that ask the questions while other years answer," and then inside it says "listen to your heart and you'll know just what to do." when i bought it a few months ago, it meant something specific to me, and now it means something entirely different. i love how simple words can camouflage themselves that way.

and the one i bought myself just yesterday says "when the winds of change feel too strong, close your eyes and let the breeze blow through your hair."

sometimes a sweet card with such an honest, simple statement displayed somewhere prominent can change the direction of a mood or a day just enough. (i have one inside my medicine cabinet and the other, i'm using as a bookmark). for the sweet card to be from yourself speaks volumes about loving and caring for ourselves the way we do for others.

give yourself a card today...you can even send it in the mail if that's your pleasure.

photos from www.vromansbooks.com

tiny treasures...spring in your step

to me, there is no debate about this week's tiny treasure. it is hands-down a little bunch of tulips or daffodils, the springiest of flowers which have made their annual appearance these last couple of weeks. i picked mine up this morning and i chose these hot pink ones with my little red vase in mind. i've been loving the pink and red color combo recently and wanted to try it out. that's one of the things i love about flowers - not only are they pretty and often fragrant, but the color offerings are so exciting. please tell me you find this exciting too. PLEASE.

one of the most treasured parts of this tiny treasure for me this morning was fully being in each moment, enjoying each step - looking at all the choices, selecting the bunch i'd buy, carrying them through the street, cutting them down and smelling that fresh, green, bright smell as i arranged them, and then finally placing them on my desk. tulips are especially nice, because each passing day is another part of their story - they're tightly closed when you get them, looking promising and bright. but over the course of the next few days, they open and change and come into their full beauty.

even if you're not in new york or another area with abundant flower stands with $5 bunches, go into a florist and get a stem or two for $5 and place them in a pretty vase or glass on your nightstand, your desk, your bathroom sink - anywhere you like to feel pretty and happy. they're a real moodlifter, and its not about how many stems you get in a bunch - it's about the message you send when you treat yourself to a dose of spring and happiness, even while the snow is still melting. i can feel the little spikes of pleasure each time i glance over at them. SUCH a tiny treasure.

tiny treasures...breathe deeply

as you know, a tiny treasure is a little luxury (under $5) that can have a profoundly positive impact on your home, your life or your day. so often, scents are an example of that for me, and i know for many of you. i guess it's not surprising since it's often said that the olfactory sense is the strongest in regard to memory and feelings. so when i rediscovered dried eucalyptus a few weeks ago, i knew i had to make it a tiny treasure.

now, i personally have very positive memories of the smell - i always had it in my room when i was younger, and the fragrance wafted through the home of a childhood friend i had where i was always happy and creative and laughing. but even without my memories, the smell of eucalyptus is wonderfully relaxing and spa-like. the minty, herbal qualities makes you inhale extra deeply to breathe it all in, and the scent is far-reaching. we have two bunches right now on opposite sides of our living room, and while i'm not knocked over by the scent, i definitely catch waves of it now and then and it is really lovely when i do. i can actually feel my muscles loosen and a smile emerge.

there are also all kinds of environmental reasons to be a purchaser of eucalyptus and its byproducts, which you can read about here if you find yourself interested.

the really nice thing about dried eucalyptus is that it's very easy to find, and very inexpensive. many grocery stores carry it, as well as many of the corner delis here in nyc that have flowers. if neither of those options work, michael's and other craft stores always have it, in a few different colors too. you can usually just follow your nose when you enter the store to find the right aisle. and i don't think i have ever seen a bunch for over $4.

i think pier 1 often carries it too, and that's another one of my memory associations for eucalyptus - the days of my papasan chair. why i wanted to sit in a padded bowl while smelling my eucalyptus...not sure about that.

i think of it like this - why have your home smell neither here nor there when it can smell amazing, feel me?

photos from save-on-crafts

tiny treasures...it's the balm

well, i know if you're in the northeast, you're all set with winter. it was fun, it was pretty, got a snowday (or snow week for the washingtonians), and now we're moving on. even if you're in a climate that doesn't freeze the inside of your nose for a couple months of the year, thoughts of spring and summer to come are always a mood lifter, aren't they?

so along those lines, i stumbled upon this week's tiny treasure (for new readers, tiny treasures are personal luxuries for $5 or under) when i emptied out a bag i last used over the summer, only to be happily reunited with my alba coconut cream lip balm, which is an easy choice for coconut lip product category killer. sounds like an awards category at the peoples' choice awards, doesn't it?

you might remember my perennial coconut obsession we discussed last summer, and although there's nothing like indulging in summer-scented products when the season is right, there's a special kind of anticipatory joy that comes with a little preview. the second i put on my long-packed- away balm, i was transported. not to a tropical island or a sandy beach...the real world is a little harder to shake than that...but i was transported to a frame of mind that reminded me that spring is around the corner, and that it will not always be this cold, wet and windy.

in a way, the soft scent (and lovely smoothness) of the coconut cream balm is like a little secret with myself - sort of like wearing pretty underwear even if you're the only one to see it. and what's nice is that it's under $5 and available in most drugstores and many supermarkets too.

if you're not so into coconut, but you still like vacation kinds of scents, i recommend the palmer's cocoa butter swivel stick, also under $5 and as readily available (these are usually found with the other palmer's cocoa butter products in the body moisturizer section and the tube is inside a cardboard package).

the swivel stick is also recommended for blemishes and rough spots, so is particularly welcome in winter when rough elbows and hands are at their worst. this is a great option for men also, since it's so lightly scented.

i think it's really important that we remind ourselves that there is relief on its way from the cold of winter. it's hard to explain in words, but as i've been using the lip balm and enjoying its smell again for the first time in many months, i've felt a real sense of pleasure and comfort.

if coconut isn't your preferred warm weather smell, think about what is and how you can bring it into your life in this last stretch of winter to soften the blow and ease you into a warmer, easier time of the year and way of life. it's a worthy tiny treasure to give yourself.

tiny treasures....sheer solution

well, you know how i feel about manicures (look for a post on a new, unchippable mani next week) but there are always those times in between where you're faced with a choice. do you wear a chipped mani until the next appointment? do you remove it and go bare? or do you try and reapply yourself?

to me, a chipped manicure (especially when it's a dark or bright color) is a big NO. it just looks horrible, don't you think? and going bare...well that's just boring and sort of depressing feeling. but putting on my own? simply not a talent of mine. my hands end up looking like a nursery school art project.

a few years ago, a polish change at the nail place could have been a tiny treasure itself, but the days of the $5 polish change have gone the way of the $4 latte.

so i figured out the easiest, fastest solution around. i remove the chipped polish and apply a single coat of a sheer nail polish. DONE and DONE. i do it right before bed, i do it in the car (as a passenger, obvi), i've even done it in the bathroom at work. because it's so light, imperfections are invisible, and because it's only one coat, it dries in less than a minute.

so even though my in between mani might not be exciting and shiny like a fresh manicure in all its glory, at least it looks neat and finished. and to me, this makes a big difference in the way i feel. because as all manicure lovers know ... your mood can be very impacted by what your nails look like while you're doing all the things you do with your hands. isn't that why we all get manicures to begin with?

my favorite polish choice for this purpose is the revlon sheer colors. they're inexpensive, and they're available everywhere. and their smell is pretty subdued, which is important for an on-the-go situation like this. i use sheer petal, and it's perfect. just a hint of pink, but not overly so. they also make sheer nude, sheer blossom, sheer pink, barely peach and a few more.

it looks so nice with so little effort that the only trick is to not think i can do a second coat. trust me, i can't.

do you have any between-mani tricks to share?

all photos from www.drugstore.com