Makeup Board DIY

I am terribly, terribly sorry this is a few days later than I promised.  This DIY project has given me such a hard time!  So many headaches that I wanted a break from it.  Moral of the story: do not use magnetic paint for anything heavier than a pen.  You will end up frustrated beyond belief with it.  Guaranteed.

..Almost.  

Let's see, after I used up almost my entire $8 can of paint on this 9x11" piece of glass, I thought it was smart to test run my makeup on it, only after about 40 minutes of dry time.

Not smart.  I now have permanent 'recesses' in the paint from some of my magnetics sinking into it.  A few more coats didn't seem to help any.

I found magnetic strips at Michaels that I cut to accomodate to the bottles, tubes, and eye shadow palettes that I wanted to display on my board.  Notice how you only see the eye shadow palettes up there in that picture.  Even with magnetic strips covering an entire side, mascara bottles and my plastic concealer/foundation bottles won't attach to the magnetic paint.  Hence my headaches.

The one sucess of this project is my new makeup brush/other thin objects holder.  This is something I am totally jazzed about.  I pulled out a mason jar from my garage, filled it with a few strands of pearls, and stuck my brushes right on in!  Easy, and almost instant gratification.  Plus it makes all your brushes look so pretty!  I'm not really a pearl person, but come on.  They are so pretty to look at.

If any of you have been brave enough to tackle magnetic paint, how has it worked out for you?   xx

currently listening to....  I  Don't Want To Be (Live) - Gavin DeGraw

Quiet on the Western Front

I'm really sorry for the blog being so quiet the last few days - work, school, and homework have been keeping me so busy that I've barely even had time to ship out my Etsy orders!  I haven't even had time to take pictures of the outfits I've worn the last few days, which is über sad. 

I have a really awesome DIY that I'm going to share with you (hopefully) tomorrow, so until then, here are some sneak peeks!  Some of you have already seen these pictures from my Instagram but for the rest of you who missed out the first time, here they are!  Enjoy your Wednesday.   xx

PS.  Today's my half birthday, so the countdown to no longer being underage has officially commenced!  ;)

currently listening to.... In The Middle - Matt Kearney

{original source}

Actually just one tune today!  I'd heard this song a few times before, but it wasn't until last night that my friend Emily (who I'm teaching to knit!  More on that later :) ) had me watch the music video for it and instantly I was in love!  I can't even tell you how obsessed I am with bands/producers who take the time to create a video for a song that truly reflects the song and the meaning behind it.  Not to mention the lead singer is super cute and has a gorgeous voice.  ;)  Anyhow, enjoy!   xx

To pet or not to pet

Just imagine: you're standing in line for coffee, and you hear an odd rustling and clanking noise behind you.  You turn, and upon seeing a few-months-old puppy on a leash, you

a) immediately reach down to scratch the dog's head, while also cooing at it about how cute it is

b) rationally turn to the dog's owner and ask permission to pet the dog

And the answer is.... A!  

This is something I've wanted to get off my chest for a while, and has been slowly eating away at my nerves: people lunge to pet my five-month-old puppy Omaha without asking me first, sometimes without even acknowledging my presence.  Not just once.  Not even once every few weeks.  It happens every. single. day.  I simply just do not understand why people think it's okay to touch someone's pet without the owner's permission first.  Especially since Omaha is a service dog!  Does this baffle you too?

I am extremely, extremely tempted to start petting the person who touches Omaha without my permission and say something like, "Aww, you're just so cute, aren't you!" in a singsong voice.  In fact I may or may not have been day dreaming about this happening all day....

For those of you with dogs, does this happen to you as well?  Does the age of your dog play a role in how often people ask to pet him/her? xx

Life Without Nancy

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the Negative Nancy that lives in my head and I am happy to tell you that I've kept her at bay!  In fact this post is all about what I've been able to do with her under lock and key.  Last night my sister posted the above picture on my Facebook telling me she "LOVED" the headband.  Instantly I thought, "I could make that."  Since she just started her first year at college I thought I could surprise her with a mock-up of it in a care package.  So I sat down, and after examining the picture for a few minutes, started knitting a pattern out of thin air.  I like to say I was sight-knitting.  ;)  Don't ask for a pattern (yet!) because I didn't write anything down.  The result is pretty true to form, and I think she'll be pleasantly surprised.

I also snapped a few pictures of the bracelets I've been hooked on making lately!  I'm planning on adding a bunch to my Etsy shop in the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled if you're interested.  I'm sorry the last image is a tad fuzzy - it's the oddest thing, but my camera never seems able to correctly focus on anything when it's horizontal; all the vertical pictures it takes come out sharp as a tack! (evidenced by the picture below)  Last is my latest work for my art class, that I'm pretty happy with - it's a flock of birds being chased away by flames.  :)

So anyway, that's how life's been without ol' Nancy!  Hope you're enjoying the end of your weekend.    xx

currently listening to.... Careful - Paramore

Diamonds & Updos

tank top // old navy    shorts //  forever 21    cardigan //  h&m    purse //  ebay

This is a really, really, über quick post for you (I took these pictures in ten minutes flat - speaks to how quick I mean!) mostly to showcase this gorgeous purse that just arrived in the mail this afternoon.  It shipped from Hong Kong and its estimated arrival was between September 10th and 20th.  Today's the 4th.  Don't you just love when that happens?  I apologize for how blown out it is - being under a time constraint didn't allow for the best outfit-shooting circumstances, but don't worry!  This purse will be making it into many more outfit posts, no doubt about that.

What else arrived in the mail today, you might ask?  This ingenious, 355 page DIY book.  I found it in a local bookstore back in May (but didn't have money at the time to buy it), and forgot about it till last week, so of course I ordered it!  I honestly can't get over how crazy smart some of the DIY's in this thing are.  Everything from how to fix a leaky sink, to how to tie-dye a pair of tights, to making your own butter, to learning how to skateboard.  If you ever wondered about how to do something yourself, I'd put money down that it's in this book.

A few art projects are calling my name - gotta have them done by Thursday!  Till next time loves.   xx

currently listening to.... Ships In The Night - Mat Kearney

California Carnivores v.// 2

Wow, I guess I should open this by saying happy September!  Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like this year is flying by?

Back in May, I wrote a post about visiting our local carnivorous plant store (which happens to be the largest in the country), and yesterday I was back there again - only this time, with my brand new macro lens.  I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  ;)  These are my favorite from the trip; I also included a shot I got later in the afternoon of Omaha.  Only upon looking closer when I uploaded it to my computer did I notice my reflection!  Pretty lucky shot, if I do say so myself.  Anyhow, I hope you're enjoying your three day weekend.  I've been spending it lounging around with my two fave pups, some knitting, and the cast of Lost.  :)   xx

currently listening to.... Brighter - Paramore