Crafterall Topography Cards

These are soooooo cool! I just found this shop on etsy.com called Crafterall. It is a shop run by Marnie of Minnesota. Marnie was a high school english teacher for 8 years before joining etsy. I'm thinking she would have made a wonderful art teacher as well! Her unique paper goods are made with layers and layers of love to create a topographical design that is super eco chic! I love them all!

Check out Crafterall & her blog:
www.kargertift.blogspot.com

Beautiful Flower Print

I found this print on etsy.com by Nifty Swank and I just love it! The artist's name is Clairice Gifford, and she is a a graphic designer who loves designing and all things creative! This 2-color original artwork and screen print is • 8.5" x 5.5"• hand screen-printed onto Speckletone card stock in cream. This print comes signed and numbered (from a print run of 18). Priced at only $15.00. Take a look at all of her Clairice's lovely designs on Nifty Swanktoday!

More From Nifty Swank

Fit Book

This new little fitbook (and it is little, only 5.5"!!) is the perfect way to track your fitness goals! Whether you're looking to tone up for a party, loose 50lbs or keep heart healthy, this book is perfect for you! The personalized, flexible and functional fitness journal offers a unique system to plan for success, track your progress, and reach your goals. It features a log for your workout routines, a food log to help track your daily eating habits, and a lot more to help keep you focused on your personal goals! For only $19.95, this little book could be the thing that helps you loose the weight and keep it off!

Click here for a virtual demo of this nifty book!

New Etsy Shop!

I'm currently working on my new scarf collection for my etsy.com shop called Dahlia Scarf. Here is my wall of chiffon all cut and ready to sew and sell! I'm so excited to be starting something new that I love to do and that could potentially make me some extra cash and maybe even quit my day job some day. If there is anything here that catches your eye, let me know and I will put it together for you and post it on etsy for sale asap. The scarves are selling for only $15 each and some of the shorter scarflets are only $10 each, so they make great gifts too!

Go to my Etsy shop

Sephora: Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes Mascara: Mascara

Sephora: Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes Mascara: Mascara

Re-Upholstering Chairs

I'm working on re-upholstering my dining chairs. They're going from blah micro suede to this gorgeous vintage pattern that works well with my damask, without being damask overkill.

...pursuit of happiness

...pursuit of happiness is one-of-a-kind, original works of art by Letha Colleen. Each piece of art is made using paper, metals and found items of all kinds. All the lovely pieces of paper are hand cut and then assembled (no digital work, she likes to "touch it all") Each piece is made using elements rescued or revived, found when out trolling around flea markets, yards sales and paper shops. These elements are then layed out in "heaps" at her studio, waiting, until just the right moment when everything comes together.


blog | shop | website | shop owner: LethaColleen

Bloom-Photography e-course

Rachel Ballard is a talented photographer, blogger, and etsy shop owner who has a photo e-course starting up on Aug.24. Space is limited, so sign up soon!

The class is 4 weeks long, and will discuss several topics, including creative processing, film vs digital, composition, finding subjects, and many aspects of photography that are intuitive and subjective. This is a “work at your own pace” class, so all skill levels are welcome—from beginner to not-so beginner! Class size is limited, so that you can interact with one another and have plenty of time to give feedback on assignments.

Click here to sign up!

Hardworkers Hand Cream

SKIP THE UPTIGHT DEPARTMENT STORE BRANDS!!

I was at Ace Hardware the other day buying some screws (I know, that doesn't even sound real does it?)...anyway, I found what I needed and was at the checkout with my 12 screws in a little bag. At the checkout there was an impulse item called Hardworkers Hand Cream. It was in a old school tin and looked promising. I picked it up and read the ingredients while the lady was ringing up my items and was happy to see the simplicity!! Petrolatum, Glycerin, Parrafin and that's basically it. Probably 3 of my most favorite skin conditioning ingredients. (I actually read labels of the products I buy).
So the lady at the counter said my total was $1.75. I didn't want to charge it so I threw in the hand cream. Since my cuticles were dry and white and horrible from recent home repairs, I quickly opened the jar in the car and coated my cuticles. To my delight they looked 10x better within minutes!! I later realized these were great ingredients for lip balm also and I used it on my lips before bed. I love it! Now it is a thick, hard balm type product, but it's portable, natural, and can be applied to any part of your body for instant healing and moisturizing.

A great buy at Ace Hardware only $5.49!

You can also buy this product at these retailers.
RETAIL LINKS:

Lehman's (an online best seller)
ACE HARDWARE - At select stores nationwide
ALASKA INDUSTRIAL HARDWARE
DO-IT BEST HARDWARE - At select stores nationwide
TRUE VALUE HARDWARE - At select stores nationwide

Bronzer Dilema

I had a breakthrough this evening regarding bronzing powder! I use it here and there when I'm having a particularly pale day...I'm Irish so I resemble a flamingo...
Anyway, during my fit of makeup mayhem, I hit all the right spots until I came to what is inevitably my "bronzing powder side effect"...white under the eyes!!! Now I can use my brush there, sure, but it still never looks right. So my finger dips right into the bronzing powder as if called upon by a deeper force, and I start applying the bronzer right under my eyes and voila! My fake tan is complete! Whew! Why did it take me so long to figure that one out?!?!

In case you're wondering, I like Rimmel Natural Bronzer.

"Greaser" Brows

So you finish ALL your makeup...all of it, you fluff your hair one last time and you walk out the bathroom door, right? WRONG!! Really quick, put your fingertips under some warm water, shake them off and just like a 1950's "greaser" run your damp fingers over your brows.

Why? Because as you apply foundation, powders etc etc...tiny little flakes and dust from the makeup lands on your brows. People usually notice this when they go to apply mascara, but the brows typically get ignored.

Why#2? Well because it looks more natural, brings out the deeper tones of your brows, adds a slight glossy look and a polished face.

For those who use brow pencils simply follow this rule before applying your pencil, that gives you a more clean surface to work with, and again, a more natural brow.

This tip is one that gets me a lot of laughs from my husband, but it is a step that shouldn't be ignored.

Mascara

Ok so I am an admitted "mascara whore". I love mascara, love it. So of course when I see new mascara products on the market, I have to try them all! Or as many as I can, at least. And I've noticed lately that there is a whole new wave of mascara products on the market recently, that are surpassing every brand I've seen before!

Let's start with something I saw at Target tonight...it was a highlighting mascara based on your eye color. The one for green eyes had a red/black tint, the hazel eyes had a slight golden black tint...pretty cool! I didn't buy those...yet. I needed some basic black for now. But I did pick up two new types that I immediately put on when I got home!

One is by Revlon, called Double Twist. The wand intrigued me... (did I mention that I love that they show the wands through the packaging now!!!!) It has old school brush rows with plastic separating combs between. More of a barrel shape for volume. I tried this one out and I have to say I wasn't impressed. I think the brush is far too large around my eyes and it's kind of hard to tell which part (the comb or bristles) are going to paint your lashes and you end up poking yourself, or globbing on too much. I got this brand in a "two-for" package, and sadly, I may have wasted my $7.

Now the second one I purchased is by Rimmel of London. It's called Glam Eyes. I've always had good luck with the Rimmel brand and have purchased eyeliners and other eye makeup and mascara from them. Glam Eyes caught me with their cute black and pink packaging and also the teeny tiny little pink comb-like brush! I had a feeling this one was going to be better simply because I love small brushes for mascara. I'm more of a length girl...hate clumps, and volume is more of an obvious look. Great for going out to the clubs and being seen, but not so great for wearing to the office. For those of you who are on the same page with me here, I HIGHLY recommend the Glam Eyes by Rimmel! The brush is precise and the formula isn't sticky or clumpy and you get a nice, precise application. Only $5.59 I believe at Target. The only negative I found with this product is that I couldn't find a waterproof formula which I prefer simply because I cry and sweat a lot and also had lasik several months ago and use eye drops regularly. (that makes me sounds gross-I swear it's not that bad!) Anyway, if they may have a waterproof formula, I just didn't see it.

Other noteworthy brands...
Lash Exact by Cover Girl
Define-A-Lash by Maybelline

Lamps & Lighting

I've been looking into some new lighting for our kitchen the last couple days and this websitewww.lampsplus.com has given me a lot of inspiration! They've also got very reasonable prices. The selection of lamps and lampshades is fabulous too! Like this lampshade that stopped me in my tracks! It also comes in other coordinating style lamps and shades which is perfect for creating unity in your decor.

This attractive lamp shade is made using state-of-the-art scanning on canvas. Opaque fabric blocks illumination coming through the shade, focusing the light throw up and down. Spider fitting. This shade is custom made-to-order; please allow 7 to 10 days for your shade to be created.

Click here for more details.

Perfume!

Well only 9 votes...but I'll take it! So perfume is the most important cosmetic of my readers? Very interesting. Well this perfume I discovered on my Honeymoon back in 2000. It's a wonderful scent and I'm very happy to see it for purchase online.
It's a perfect summer scent with a warm and delicate blend of amber, bergamot, jasmine, rose petals along with a subtle musky and woody background. Try it out!

Go to SeaJewels site by clicking here.

Art by Matte Stephens

Matte Stephens is a 34 year old artist that lives in Portland Oregon. He loves modern design and is inspired by anything by Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard, George Nelson/Irving Harper and artists like Ben Shahn and Paul Klee. Matte has also done Illustration work for Herman Miller, American Express, The Boston Globe, The Eye Weekly, Glow Magazine, Endless Vacation Magazine, Ipop and Woodmanstern to name a few. You can purchase Matte's art on etsy.com

This is one of his prints that I love, it's called "Charlie Bird". It is a print of an original gouache painting. All of Matte's prints are printed on Hahnemuhle photo rag 308gsm matte paper with an Epson 3800 printer.

For more details, click here. or visit Matte's other sites.

Blog www.matteart.blogspot.com
Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/matteart/

Another Great Bag!

I keep finding more and more great bags on etsy.com! Check out this funky bag by Bvann! B.vann originals offer handmade high-quality bags using new and vintage fabrics and unusual notions to make small run and one of a kind totes and purses.

Click here to see them all!

Messenger Bags

I've been on the hunt for a new messenger bag. Mine is very very big, but I love it and don't want to give up too much space. I also love messenger bags that are a bit different. So off to etsy.com I went! And would you look at these BEAUTIFUL bags by GlamBaby!! I love them all! She is a mom with 3 boys and finds the time to create these stylish bags for moms and just plain trendy girls! Her goal is to make products that will make life easier, but to make them super stylish and cute! SUCCESS I'd say.

Check out all of GlamBaby's stylish bags!

Self Tanner Glove

Lately I've been on a self tanner kick. Been going to the gym so having a little less pasty look is important if you want to look healthy and in shape. What I'm really loving is the Neutrogena aerosol spray, but I found these handy towelette/glove sheets on Sephora.com that would be perfect for travel! These days with the airports cracking down I can really see this as the perfect little drop in your bag and go applications to keep that healthy glow anywhere you go (so no one finds out it's fake!!). Another great thing about these is that it's a glove you put on, so no tan hands! Why did it take them so long to come up with this handy product?

Featured Etsy Shop

Wow! What an amazing pendant! Ashlee has so many wonderful pendants like this one for sale on her etsy shopNaturalAtHeart. What I love most about this seller is that she's only 17! She already has a booming business thanks to her entrepreneurial spirit. With over 600 sales and a 100% positive feedback rating, she clearly treats her customers well and takes pride in every piece of jewelry that she sells. Not only is Ashlee in business, so is her little sister Gillian! With a little help from mom and dad, these sisters are a fashionable duo! Most pendants retail for about $12 - $16 and feature sterling silver clasps and a protective sealant which helps protect the beautiful designs from the elements.

For more on Ashlee & Gillian click here!

Moon Dust

Dreamy and magical, this moon dust carved lucite bracelet is bold and dramatic. The wide curved carved lucite hinged cuff is a white, pearlesque abalone color and has a sprinkling of pastel gems along its surface. It measures about 2" at its widest point and has a hidden magnet closure. By Alexis Bittar at Twist Online!

Can I eat it?

Lunacy Boutique has this cool Mini Flump Marshmallow bracelet that is totally yummy! But sadly, this bracelet isn't edible (try telling that to the dog!). Mini "flumps" are handmade from classic pastel color polymer clay. Have fun wearing this sweet 9" bracelet with sterling silver lobster clasp fastener.

It will be available online this month at Lunacy Boutique.

The Sweetest Thing

I love the cupcake series by Melissa Lund of Portland! She is a photographer inspired by the simple things in life that people often overlook. I'd say paper cupcake cups are definitely one of those symbols of innocence and simpler times. These sweet paper cups remind me of baking cupcakes with my mom in the early 80's. Back then, people still cooked full meals (no microwaves, pre-mixed cookie batter or bagged meals yet). And mothers and daughters took the time to start cookies, cupcakes and fudge from scratch.

These Photographs are part of Melissa's Cupcake series and are printed professionally on Kodak Professional Endura paper with a luster finish. They are available matted also for a more "finished" look. For more about Melissa Lund, check out her website, etsy shop or visit her blog.

Flourite Earrings

I just received my latest copy of Modern Jeweler (June 2009) and have been flipping through as usual, checking out the latest jewelry trends. On page 30 (for those who follow the mag) there is a wonderful collection of jewelry finds under $500. I was captivated by a couple pieces in particular by Luxenter! So a little Google search lead me to the website and I found even more lovely items! These fluorite earrings REALLY caught my eye because I love fluorite, always have. This is a very popular and fairly inexpensive crystal in the metaphysical world, but jewelers lately have been incorporating stones like jasper, agate & tiger's eye into their designs to add new interest, at lower price points for consumers. Note that these stones are much softer and more fragile than the usual settings and require a great deal more care and are not recommended for everyday wear on the fingers or wrist. In fact, the idea of a fluorite bracelet makes me a little nervous because it is so easy to break the stones. These earrings would be a much better choice. Though many find purple fluorite to be the better of the two colors that it comes in, I prefer the green fluorite.

Check out the Luxenter website for more designs, details and pricing.

Leiber Marquise Evening Handbag

This amazing Leiber Marquise Evening Handbag on Avelle-The new bag borrow or steal, makes me wanna dress up and go out! The shimmering silvertone exterior sparkles with light blue accents for a an eye-catching effect. There is also a drop-in chain strap that lets you carry this little clutch in your hand or over your shoulder. Retail Value $1,295. Or "borrow" it with the rental program on Avelle!!

Myles of Style

Myles of Style on HGTV is by far my favorite of all the HGTV design shows. Of all the designers, she's the one I'd trust most with my house and my style. I love her personality, and quirkiness and how she can take a paper clip and turn it into "an elegant chandelier". Yeah, Kim Myles is my super design goddess!! Here are some pics that need to words, they're just that fabulous!!

Graphic Gardens

I may have to splurge on July 17th 2009...M.A.C Cosmetics is coming out with a new collection of eye shadows, brush sets and lip sticks that have a bold graphic pattern mixed in luscious harmony with creamy palettes just in time for summer! Priced between $34.50 and $59.50, these kits are a must have accessory with names as fresh as dew, like; Fresh Cut Palette, Graphic Garden Palette, Sun Siren Look Box, Baby Blooms Lip Bag.For more information, visit M.A.C Cosmetics or Spektra.net.

~Eyes~

I'm a really big fan of a well done eye! Ever since I was a teenager I've been almost obsessed with the allure of a smoky eye or sci-fi makeup job or minimalistic sheer...
These eyes are amazing and beautiful. I'm not ashamed to say it anymore, I love eyes! I want them all!

Take a look at Spektra.net! it just may be my new favorite site/blog! Specktra is a MAC cosmetics fan community with over 51,000 members. The site is open to discussion on all cosmetic lines and to all who are interested in cosmetics!

Etched Glass on etsy

I absolutely love these etched glass votives and glasses by Daydreem Designs on etsy! She even does special order engravings of pets portrait. There is a husky design that's close to my heart because I have a Husky mix with Norwegian Elkhound who's an absolute joy! I would love to see more of her ceramic variations with the citronella candles in different colored glazes...of course a willow tree design would be a must buy too!

Fossil Stone Wire Wrapped Pendant by WireDreamsDesign

Check out this beautiful pendant by WireDreamsDesign on Etsy!  Eee!  I love it!  Sadly, I am broke.  She is a mineral/rock collector like myself and has many unique design with beautiful stones wrapped in sterling silver.  The larimar and turquoise stones are also beautiful settings for pendants.  Check out the whole collection or visit her blog.

Well Normally...

Normally I wouldn't get all jazzed about a belt buckle, but this one from Metalmoco on etsy.comstopped me in my tracks!  Right now he has six belt buckles featuring designs from this one to a uterus...??  Very unique to say the least.  Oh and kudos also to his photography!  I deeply believe that etst.com is a beautiful site because the crafters are also gifted photographers which is a natural fit for a website oasis such as this crafty spot.

Tea Bag?

This pencil is too cool!  I can think of so many objects that would work to make more.  Maybe a whole box of stuffed crayons?  It also reminds me of a tea bag.  Either way it's great!  From Nicky Gibson's photostream. 

Design Vagabond

Wow, this is one of the coolest blogs I've seen!
http://designvagabond.blogspot.com/

Check it out! There are so many great topics and pictures to enjoy by kattyface, the blog manager. This particular one was just so cool I had to share! What a great idea, and so easy to put together. Wouldn't this be a great reprieve from your cubicle...hmmm...another idea springs! A cubicle set up like a little nature box!


Another post on the site is of a beautiful art installation by Bruce Munro called "Field of Light".
The installation is situated on the grass roof of the visitors’ center in Cornwall, England and consists of 6,000 acrylic tubes capped with glass spheres and containing optical fibers.
https://www.dezeen.com

Creating Fantasy

I stumbled upon this picture on http://blissfullydomestic.com/ and it instantly took me away to a happy and blissful place. Lately I've been thinking of ways to create an oasis in my backyard on a tight budget. Some of the solutions I came up with were actually quite simple! I figured the cheapest design change with the most impact is always color. So I started with fresh, bright colors like orange and yellow and searched the house with those colors in mind. Before I knew it I had tons of great little accessories that did the trick in sprucing things up. So when you're down and need a pick me up, decorate! Go through the garage, the closets, random plastic bins (which we all seem to have)...go through the house and look up in the nooks and crannies, on the dusty shelves and you'll see that design options can be mixed and matched and changed AND OFTEN! Take that picture over your sofa and replace it with the one in your spare room. You see everything in a new perspective.

Polyvore

Ok so polyvore is probably my most favorite thing on the web to date. I love it. No really, I LOVE IT! I feel like a kid again, I feel art in my veins again. It's a beautiful and wonderful thing. This image is one I created....
The concept is pretty simple (aren't all great ideas?)...there are images all over the web right? Ok so why not put them all together, tag them and then use a simple version of photoshop to layer the images together to create a new image? There are 3 basic types of polyvore...the first and foremost is Fashion. Take a skirt, grab that shirt, some bangles and pumps and maybe a dash of perfume or diamonds and voila! A polyvore is made! How bout a theme, like all red items or all items by chanel? No problem.
Another polyvore type is Interiors. Grab a chair, layer it with a cool capiz shell lamp, some area rugs and wall decor and voila! Yes, you get the idea....a cool layered interior design!
You see, polyvore is all about design. My favorite is of course, the Art polyvore world. The world where anything goes and you can create a virtual painting with textures and colors and beautiful images and haunting scenes....do you want me to say voila again? Cause I will....don't make me do it....VOILA! The master artpiece created!

Take a look at some of my polyvores on the bottom of the blog to see my artistic creations. Better yet, sign up and start polyvoring! You can even follow their blog on the right I have it listed also.

Scrapblog

The other day I discovered a site called scrapblog. It's a cool new way to share pictures, memories and have fun with your photos online. I tried it out with some sample pics and was blown away with the ease of use! Just upload some photos, drag em', pull em' tweek em', it's all very fun and easy and has the sort of feel that scrapbooking has. Try it out, it's pretty cool.

Zenbe

Zenbe.com is the best webmail experience ever! All you gmail peeps look out!! I love this email client!

About a year ago I had the idea for inbox spa, I even bought the domain name. The concept was to have a delightful email experience (audience says "wha..?!?!"). Well gmail had just started up with their pretty backgrounds and I enjoyed that. But I wanted more being the typical consumer. Plus gmail was incredibly SLOW and rarely even worked for me anymore. I searched online far and wide and happily stumbled upon ZENBE!!!

Some of the great things about this mail client are the fact that it's set up in a three column format more like a blog actually. This allows you to have room for a set of social network tabs on the right where you can connect instantly to twitter, facebook, gmail chat, lists, calendar, contacts all right there in your email! Then on the left you have your basic tabs that most inboxes have. Only zenbe allows you to tag emails and easily find grouped emails later on. There is another set of tabs called zenpages that allows you to set up your own "page" where you can group together your favorite blog feeds (like The Willow Tree), your favorite you tube videos, links, html, your agenda etc. All of this can be sent to and shared with anyone, even non-zenbe email accounts.

Zenbe also allows you to easily (and I mean super easily) set up pop accounts so EVERY EMAIL THAT YOU HAVE will ALL come to your zenbe box! So for those of you who have a strange addiction to having multiple emails, or maybe just those who have work emails, personal emails or whatever, this is a great tool!

With all that zenbe has to offer, I'd say one of my favorite things is simply the beauty of it. It's a beautiful email set up. It's clean, but pretty too. Your images pop up in their own little framed window and you can set pictures for all of your friends so you see them as a conversation grows. It's a very personal touch to email that I love.

Right now they are working on a business client email, and the personal email accounts are closed for general public, but available in the future upon request. So get ready for zenbe folks, you'll never see email the same way again!

The daunting FIRST POST!

It's the first post of the rest of my blog! Ok so I've decided that coming up with a clever first post is too daunting, so let me just lay it out for you...I'm going to spend the next several posts telling you about some of my favorite things on the web and some recent discoveries. They're in no particular order or genre, just think of whiskers on kittens and satin eyelashes...these are a few of my favorite things! (do today's children even know that song from the sound of music??) Anyway, here I go!