Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Farewell '14!


I've tried writing this one a few times already. I deleted a few drafts. The negative tone didn't set well with me. To be totally honest, 2014 was literally the worst year of my life. I'm glad it's over. Instead of dwelling on that, I've decided to list my wishes for 2015.

  • I wish for peace. World peace. Peace in the Middle East. Family peace. Whichever. I'll be happy with any of those. (Side note: relatives family)
  • I wish for good health for my family and friends.
  • I wish for stability.
  • I wish for fun.
  • I wish for happiness for all.

So, even though 2014 left me feeling stomped on like a sidewalk dandelion, I'm still hopeful for a much brighter future. Bring on 2015!

What are your hopes and dreams for 2015?

Love,

Friday, December 26, 2014

Super Simple Easy Bow


Umm...so this is kind of late. Remember our costumes for Halloween? Well, this is how I made Sean's bow tie, which can be repurposed. Stick around for that.


I cut two pieces of felt. One was 10 inches by 2.5 inches. The second one was 1.25 inches by 3.25 inches. Still with me?


I folded the large strip in half, overlapping it a bit. Using a needle and thread, I sewed the ends together and created the pinched look. I then wrapped the small strip around the center and sewed the ends of that together, but not attaching it to the large strip. For the bow tie, I slipped a large safety pin into the back.


Once Sean was finished with it, I then slipped it onto a headband. Adorable! You could also use a clip.


This whole project took me less than ten minutes. And I'm awful at sewing. I'm thinking of making these in several different colors to match my daughter's wardrobe.

Love,

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Happy Holidays!


Hey, all!
It's that time of year again. Again!?! Where did this year go? I won't keep you too long. I just wanted to say Happy Holidays and I wish you a wonderful new year!

My family and I made some gingerbread houses last night. Here are some of the highlights.

Such concentration. Photo by Sean O'Donoghue.

Pretty pleased with her work.

Nom! (In actuality, she still hasn't taken the first bite. She says it's too pretty to eat.)

Yeah...there's no hope for this one, but it did taste good.

Mine! Tasted better than it looks.
We do these houses every year. What are some holiday traditions in your home?

Love,

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

December Ipsy: Thinking of You


Thinking of You themed bag

Hi, all!
Straight up, I love this month's bag. It introduced me to my new favorite...you'll just have to wait and see!

In no particular order (because I liked it all!) here's what I got this month.

1. Bumble and bumble. Straight Blow Dry - Smells lovely and does what it's supposed to. I have thick hair that tends to frizz. This helped my blow-out last for a few days and left my hair soft. (Value $14 for 2oz. Sample Value $3.50)

Love this!

 2. NYX Cosmetics Butter Lip Balm in Ladyfingers - This is described as "mauve", but seriously it's more of a berry pink. The color lasted from 8 am to lunchtime at noon. The moisturizing effect stuck around a bit longer. Plus, it smells like candy. (Value $4)

Love that!

Swatch out!

3. CAILYN Cosmetics Just Mineral Eye Polish in Orchid - I've never tried something like this before. The packaging is certainly unique. The eye polish is a loose powder eye shadow and is a lovely shimmery rose gold. Applied dry, it's pretty subtle. Use a sticky primer or apply wet to amp up the drama. (Value $15)

Love this, too!

Swatched dry.

 4. Swissco Electroplated Eyelash Curler in Purple - To be totally honest, I didn't try this one. I have naturally curly lashes and already have a curler that I rarely have to use. (Only when I've slept on my face weird and my lashes are doing freaky things, really.) I'll probably pass this one along to someone else. It's adorable, though. The purple is so pretty. This model also comes in blue. (Value $5)

Love that purple!

Aaaannnddd.....a different angle.
5. tarte deluxe lights, camera, lashes 4-in-1 mascara - So we've gotten to my new favorite...MASCARA!!! I really love what this does for my lashes. It gives me volume, length, definition, everything I want in a mascara. It has a traditional bristle brush. It doesn't flake or smudge on me and is easy to remove. I'm in love! (Value $20. Sample value $8.33)

The new love of my life!

6. Wet n Wild MegaSlicks Balm Stain Moisturizing Lip Color in Lady and the Vamp - This one is an oldie but a goodie in my makeup collection. I had to redeem some points before they expired, so I ordered this. I didn't realize that I already had this one, I just thought they had brought out a new dark color. Soooo...now I have two.

An old love.
I really do love this stain. It goes on a deep plum and when it wears down, it becomes a beautiful rose shade. The stain does last about all day. I'm bummed that I didn't get to try a new shade, but happy that I'll have a back-up for this gorgeous one. (Value $2.99)

Stainy.

7. The bag - This month's bag is a nice black satin with a plastic hang tag. The zipper and lining match the tag. It's cute. It'll get used.

Satiny.
The grand total for this month's bag (not including the balm stain or the makeup bag) is $35.83. I'm happy with the way my $10 was spent this month. If you're interested, click my ipsy link to get some more information.

If you already subscribe, what did you get? I'm nosy like that.

Love,

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Last Minute Ugly Sweater DIY

Pretty happy face for a kid who's wearing an ugly sweater!

So guess who got the news at, oh, around 9 o'clock last night that this morning is ugly sweater day at school? Yeah, that would be me. So after I stopped panicking, I came up with a pretty decent plan. I took Zara's most embellished sweater (dress) and added my own bits.

A closer look at all its glory.
I had some craft felt so I cut out a shape that's vaguely tree-shaped. I used more felt to do the ornaments, tinsel, and star. I then used a white glue to stick it all together. When that dried, I used a bunch of safety pins to attach the monstrosity to the sweater. My favorite part of this project? It's only temporary! If I had had more energy, I would have added more bits all over, but for a last minute thing, I was happy with it. More or less.

Love,

Monday, December 8, 2014

Decorated Baby Wipes Box




So, I lost my crafting mojo a while back, but I think I can feel it slowly returning. Woohoo!!! I really missed it! Even though my daughter has been out of diapers for many years now, I still carry wipes around with me. I have a box in my purse, in my desk at work, and on my vanity to clean my brushes. They're awesome and how did I get through so many years (decades!) without them? I dunno.


I needed a new wipes box. My old one finally fell apart. I found this one at Gabriel Brothers for ¢90. They also had blue and yellow. It had a sticker on it that was easily removed, leaving a blank canvas for my own stickers. I made the stripe using printed tape. It's like Scotch tape. I then used a bunch of scrapbooking stickers that I had lying around to decorate the case.

Even if you don't carry around wipes yourself, this could be a cute idea for someone you know who's expecting.

And speaking of expecting, expect more crafty things out of me in the future. Did I mention how much I missed it? ;-)

Love,

Friday, December 5, 2014

Review: Benefit They're Real Push-Up Liner

Freebie!

Fun fact: Magazines in Ireland (and the U.K) tend to come with freebies! I know! So, I was browsing the racks at Eason in Killarney, Ireland and came across this little gem. Elle had included a sample size of Benefit's They're Real Push-Up Liner! Woot! Woot! I've been curious about this liner since it came out, but due to the mixed reviews I hadn't bought it. I was thrilled with the opportunity to try it.


This tiny package has enough for several uses, so I was able to give it a good try.


The tip is a flexible angled rubber.


The gel comes out strangely. It makes a bead on the tip rather than coming out evenly, which can be a mess. (And, yes, I followed the directions. I pushed up a small amount and wiped it off. It always beads up anyway.)


The formula is a bit too dry, so I was never able to achieve an even application. You see the big blob? Yeah, imagine that on your eyelid. The best luck I had applying this, I had to make a small pool of the liner on my hand and then dip the tip into it. I'd have to work with it a bit that way to warm it up to get it to go on my eye. When I take it straight to my eye from the applicator, it's a big honkin' mess. Straight up. I tried this twice and both times I had to go in with my beloved Jessie's Girl Liquid Liner to clean it up.

The good points: It's seriously black. The pigmentation is excellent. It lasts all day and was easy to remove with baby oil on a cotton ball. When I deliberately rubbed it kind of hard, it had a little flaking, but I was really, really going for it. It won't flake with normal use.

I'm so thankful I was able to try this before buying it. I've seen some people have great luck with it, but I wasn't able to get it to work well for me. If you're dead-set on using a gel liner, try Essence Gel Eyeliner with a small angled brush. Same matte highly-pigmented black, easier to use, much (much!) more cost effective.

Have you had a chance to try this out yet? How did it work for you?

Love,

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