A Little Change: If I limit this blog to beauty and crafts, I'll get bored rather quickly. I'm just going to write about whatever comes to mind. I don't know how broad this blog will end up being, so bear with me.
What I've decided to do today is give mini reviews of what I'm currently reading. I read purely for pleasure. I do not read, or listen, as the case may be, to find deeper meanings hidden within the story. When I say listen it's because I am quite fond of books on CD. I have a long commute and listening to books makes it go by much more quickly than just listening to the radio.
In my car, I have The Murder Room by Michael Capuzzo. I picked this up from the new non-fiction media section of the library on a whim because I am fascinated by forensics. The book chronicles the the founding of the Vidocq Society and the men behind it. You have Frank Bender, a sex obsessed forensic sculptor, Richard Walter, forensic psychologist and profiler, and William Fleisher, U.S. Customs agent, who were brought together by their desire to give voice to the dead by solving cold cases. It is truly amazing what they've set out to do. I've been enjoying the book so far aside from the slightly disjointed way in which it is written. The audio version is read by Adam Grupper. I am quite pleased with his interpretation. Characters are easily distinguishable from one another and he does not read in a monotone voice.
I have a second book on CD at home that I listen to as I'm falling asleep. Fell is a young adult novel written by David Clement-Davies. I tend to read a lot of young adult literature. It's fun and there is usually a happy ending. This is the story of a young girl named Alina and a lone black wolf named Fell. They are an unlikely pair that must fight for their lives and the future of a war-torn kingdom. It is a well written adventure with a strong female lead. It has been a fun book to listen to. Steven Crossley has an absolutely wonderful reading voice. I look forward to finishing this book.
What are you reading right now?
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
My Hand Saviors
Working in a medical office is really tough on my hands. Constantly washing them and reaching for hand sanitizer really takes its toll. I find myself repeatedly reaching for the same items day after day.
If you know me at all, you know that I absolutely love Look Ma, New Hands from Bath & Body Works. It is the most amazing hand lotion I have ever tried in my life. It has paraffin in it which is super-softening and helps keeps your hands moisturized even after washing. At night, I'll slip on a pair of cotton gloves which help lock in the moisture and leave your hands even softer. I should also mention that it has an absolutely wonderful citrus fragrance.
My other favorite hand product is Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme from Burt's Bees. It is an intense moisturizing balm that I'll use on my cuticles or any dry patches of skin I may have. It's especially great during the winter months when my skin cracks. This creme also has a yummy citrus fragrance. Anyone sensing a theme?
I highly recommend all of these products and hope you enjoy them as well!
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| This is the old packaging for Look Ma, New Hands, but it is still the same great product. |
If you know me at all, you know that I absolutely love Look Ma, New Hands from Bath & Body Works. It is the most amazing hand lotion I have ever tried in my life. It has paraffin in it which is super-softening and helps keeps your hands moisturized even after washing. At night, I'll slip on a pair of cotton gloves which help lock in the moisture and leave your hands even softer. I should also mention that it has an absolutely wonderful citrus fragrance.
My other favorite hand product is Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme from Burt's Bees. It is an intense moisturizing balm that I'll use on my cuticles or any dry patches of skin I may have. It's especially great during the winter months when my skin cracks. This creme also has a yummy citrus fragrance. Anyone sensing a theme?
I highly recommend all of these products and hope you enjoy them as well!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Crochet the Day Away
I am always trying to come up with ideas to try to reduce my stash of yarn. I have a lot of generic worsted weight acrylic yarn stored away in plastic tubs. I am not allowed to buy anymore yarn until I've made a sizeable dent in my stash. I was sitting on the couch a few weeks ago when I came up with the idea to crochet a coupon minder for my sister. She is a recent college grad (aka: broke) and has started clipping coupons to save some money. This is the finished product:
I made the pattern up as I went along, so here's the basic idea:
Materials:
2 Colors of Yarn from your Stash
Crochet Hook in Size H (or whatever works for the yarn you've chosen. you want a solid product without holes for things to fall through)
A Large Button
Ch. 28
Starting in the 3rd chain from the hook, hdc (half double crochet) in each chain until the end. Ch 2. Turn.
All Body Rows: hdc all the way across then ch 2. Turn. Easy, right? (The above example has a total of 20 rows.)
Flap: This is where it might get a little tricky as I'm not exactly sure exactly how I completed the decrease stitches, but as long as you decrease one stitch at the beginning and end of each row, you should be fine. When you've reached your desired length (you'll be folding the piece in half to make a pocket so crochet twice what you want the finished length to be), after turning start the hdc but when you have the 3 loops on the hook at the end of the stitch don't pull the yarn through, immediately start the next stitch and at the end of that stitch pull the yarn through all the loops on the hook. Hdc until you have two stitches remaining and repeat the decrease step, ch2, turn and repeat as desired to form the envelope style flap (I repeated for 7 rows in the final product above).
Finishing: Using one of your colors and starting at either bottom corner, slip stitch the edges together then continue slip stitching the border of the flap until you reach the middle, chain as many stitches as needed to make a button loop large enough for the button you've selected. Continuing where you left off, slip stitch the remaining border of the flap and other side of the pouch. Weave in any loose ends.
I hope that makes sense. If you try this and have any problems, leave a comment and I'll try and help you out.
 | |
| The green is actually brighter but I took the photo with the camera on my phone which stinks. |
I made the pattern up as I went along, so here's the basic idea:
Materials:
2 Colors of Yarn from your Stash
Crochet Hook in Size H (or whatever works for the yarn you've chosen. you want a solid product without holes for things to fall through)
A Large Button
Ch. 28
Starting in the 3rd chain from the hook, hdc (half double crochet) in each chain until the end. Ch 2. Turn.
All Body Rows: hdc all the way across then ch 2. Turn. Easy, right? (The above example has a total of 20 rows.)
Flap: This is where it might get a little tricky as I'm not exactly sure exactly how I completed the decrease stitches, but as long as you decrease one stitch at the beginning and end of each row, you should be fine. When you've reached your desired length (you'll be folding the piece in half to make a pocket so crochet twice what you want the finished length to be), after turning start the hdc but when you have the 3 loops on the hook at the end of the stitch don't pull the yarn through, immediately start the next stitch and at the end of that stitch pull the yarn through all the loops on the hook. Hdc until you have two stitches remaining and repeat the decrease step, ch2, turn and repeat as desired to form the envelope style flap (I repeated for 7 rows in the final product above).
Finishing: Using one of your colors and starting at either bottom corner, slip stitch the edges together then continue slip stitching the border of the flap until you reach the middle, chain as many stitches as needed to make a button loop large enough for the button you've selected. Continuing where you left off, slip stitch the remaining border of the flap and other side of the pouch. Weave in any loose ends.
I hope that makes sense. If you try this and have any problems, leave a comment and I'll try and help you out.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Birchbox Review #1 June 2011
For those of you who don't know, Birchbox is a $10 monthly subscription service that sends you high end beauty samples. I first learned about it from a review video by missglamorazzi on YouTube. She's wonderful, you should check her out! Anyway, after some further research I decided to give Birchbox a try. On June 14th, I got my first box. It came packaged in a bright pink shipping box, adorable! Inside, was this:
And inside that, was this:
I was amazed at what I got for a mere $10. Here is a rundown of what I got:
The most amazing thing in this box was the full sized Laura Geller product which retails for $29.50. It is a beautiful bronzy color which is great for the summer months. I am very fair and it gives my cheeks a nice glow. I just have to be careful to not use too much. I wasn't too thrilled with the sample of Twirl by Kate Spade. The fragrance is a bit strong for my taste, but not awful. The toner is great for my combination skin. The fragrance is Italian green mandarin & sweet lime. It is very refreshing and light on my skin. It keeps my skin from getting too greasy throughout the day. I'm on the fence about the hair oil, I don't think I've used it enough to give it a good review, but it definitely smells great. I haven't used the sunscreen towelettes yet, but I plan to. I'll let you know how they work out.
To learn more about Birchbox:
www.birchbox.com
Check out missglamorazzi on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/missglamorazzi
And inside that, was this:
(It was wrapped so nicely inside the box with the lovely pink tissue paper and a little black ribbon.)
I was amazed at what I got for a mere $10. Here is a rundown of what I got:
- AMIKA Obliphica Oil Treatment (0.34oz)
- KATE SPADE Twirl (0.05floz)
- LAURA GELLER Baked Blush N' Brighten in Honey Dipped (0.32oz) FULL SIZE!!!
- PANGEA ORGANICS Toner for Normal/Oily Skin (1.8floz)
- DR. DENNIS GROSS Powerful Sun Protection SPF 30 Towelettes (2 pieces)
The most amazing thing in this box was the full sized Laura Geller product which retails for $29.50. It is a beautiful bronzy color which is great for the summer months. I am very fair and it gives my cheeks a nice glow. I just have to be careful to not use too much. I wasn't too thrilled with the sample of Twirl by Kate Spade. The fragrance is a bit strong for my taste, but not awful. The toner is great for my combination skin. The fragrance is Italian green mandarin & sweet lime. It is very refreshing and light on my skin. It keeps my skin from getting too greasy throughout the day. I'm on the fence about the hair oil, I don't think I've used it enough to give it a good review, but it definitely smells great. I haven't used the sunscreen towelettes yet, but I plan to. I'll let you know how they work out.
To learn more about Birchbox:
www.birchbox.com
Check out missglamorazzi on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/missglamorazzi
Hello and Welcome!
I'm starting this blog in the hopes of combining two things that I love. Cosmetics and crafts. My goal is to post product reviews, craft patterns, pictures, ideas, etc. I am open to suggestions and ideas from all of you.
I am a newbie to the world of blogging so bear with me!
Lizzie
I am a newbie to the world of blogging so bear with me!
Lizzie
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