Happy Three Years...

My wonderful husband delivered these to me last night at 2am after a long night at his work. There are two white roses, lots of cranberry red roses, and one special purple rose spread out amongst a beautiful batch of holiday colored wildflowers. We are happily celebrating our third anniversary. Marriage is a lot of hard work and "not for sissies" as a very wise man once told me. In my opinion all the hard work pays off in the end. You grow together and learn to appreciate the other in ways you never thought you were capable of before.

  I have been very busy with life lately and therefore missed posting to my blog. I am still constantly trying all sorts of new beauty products and trying new looks on myself and others. Recently I did a zombie make-up run-through on one of my husbands friends. It turned out pretty well I will post photos of it soon I hope.

The holidays are around the corner, this year I am ditching all the stress of the hussle and bussle, shopping nightmares, and therefore piles of bills. I have with the help of my sister-n-laws been scheduling the beach trip of all beach trips. A Christmas extravaganza with tons of cooking, crafting, exercise, games and fun galore. We are even scheming a pie eating contest, mini health pies of course. This will be so fun and I am very excited. I am sure there will be more to come in posts as we get closer to this treasured time of season! How corny!!

Dolled up for Deputy

A concert in Clemson, SC. Sounds like a good time. My friends and I got all dolled up and headed to a local college town venue to see an amazing artist known as Zach Deputy, originally from Hilton Head, SC. He is a mix of beach music, reggae, funk and folk, definitely worth checking out: 

www.zachdeputy.com 

Once we got there though after a wonderful dinner at the Mellow Mushroom, we were be-bopping toward the concert singing one of his songs, and someone yelled from across the street "He's not there!". I gasped, "WHAT?". To our dismay his girlfriend was having their child on this night, so we will have to go to the rescheduled version. At least I got to get all dressed up and have a nice dinner. Congrats on the new baby girl Zach!  

Here are some photos I took on this night, first one with my friend Stevie, and then me close up and serious.

Green with Envy

Two words: Oooohh lala. Is that three?
This is a look I did last night for karaoke. 

Looks very festive though, maybe I was thinking about Christmas. It IS right around the corner.

Here's what I used:
Eyes: MAC Prep & Prime eyeshadow base (medium) - MAC BioGreen - MAC Warm Chill - MAC Gulf Stream - MAC Pencil in Forest Green - MAC kohl liner in Feline - Benefit BadGal Lash
Lips - MAC prolong in Red Flame/Orange Flicker

Skinny Bitch!

This is a bid kick in the rump for those of us who want to be healthy, happy, and beautiful! This is a MUST READ for everyone (yes, even men!)
It made me laugh, cry, and really changed my point of view on some things, so I encourange everyone to check it out. My only negitive review is that the profanity in the book is a bit overkill, also you need to take ALL the advice with a grain of salt! Don't go overboard with this, unless you live in LA or NYC. They go overboard with everything. (sorry)

Double Time - Flapper Look

I made a video! Well, sorta with help. Meeger at best, but I've already got a pile full of ideas on how to improve it. 

I was going for a theatrical nineteen twenties makeup look. Below is a list of what I used. 

Jane Iredale Disapear Concealer

Jane Iredale Circle Delete

MAC Prep and Prime Face and Eyelid Primer

Jane Liquid - Cheapy stuff

Jane Iredale PureMatte Finish Powder

Baby Powder

Jane Iredale Flushed blush (use as sculpter also inside of eyes near nasal bridge)

Jane Iredale Wine & Roses shadow (base all over lid)

Jane Iredale Smokey Grey  (outer edge)

MAC Post Haste (middle and inner lid)

MAC Black Tied (all around eyes)

Jane Iredale longest lash in Black Ice

Jane Iredale black eyeliner

Jane Iredale Spice lipliner

Jane Iredale Toffee gloss

Jane Iredale 14k silver dust (highlighter)

Warning: I got carried away with lipstick and brushes and filled in one side of my model's lips too much, hey you live you learn! It doesn't make it any less cool to me. Thanks to April for being my model extrodinare, and also to my wonderful husband who indulges me in all this silliness, and his musical wonderment (heard in video)!

Below are the photos from the end of the video - youtube has terrible resolution so I thought you might like to see them as they were orginally intended.

CIA release photos of George Bush and Amy Wino Love Child..

OMG! Did everyone see the photos of Wino's & Bush's secret love baby? Here they are in case you missed it-

:shudder:

On a more serious note, that morphing website is super addictive give it a try!

Making it up as we go...

Day Look: MAC Lid Primer in Luna

MAC Gold mine (inner lid and underneath bottom lashes)

Jane Iredale Trio Green Dream - Middle Green (middle of lid)

Jane Iredale Emerald (outer corner)

Clinique Brown Black liner 

Clinique Mascara

Night Look: I left all the day colors and went over them with the following

MAC Electric eel (inner corner)

MAC Bio-Green (middle of the lid)

MAC Shimmermoss (outer corner)

MAC Forever Green (thick liner)

Too Faced Club Liquid Liner in Bronze (skinny liner, top and bottom)

Day:Lips Sydney Lip Plumper from Jane Iredale

Katch-chup!

Okay :deep breath: I've got a lot to cram into one little post here. This week I celebrated my 23rd year of being on this earth. It was a bit lame, I agree with my most wonderful husband it is a bit of a loser age. You're two years from renting a car, you've been legally drinking for two years which is getting old fast. I'll just wait it out I guess, until I turn a more sexy age. I went and did my most favorite activity: karaoke!  I sang with April: Kiss Me - Sixpence None the Richer, Rehab - Amy Winehouse, Criminal-Fiona Apple. Below are some fun photos we took. PS: I recieved a new haircut, one with bangs! I keep getting the cher reference though, so I don't know how I feel about that.

Ontop of all the birthday fun, I am trying to compile a virtual make-up portfolio so another entry is included. I will start having to pay April for the use of her face and especially her eyes, they make a great canvas.

 

 BEFORE

List of Supplies:

MAC eyelid primer

MAC White Frost (middle of the lid)

Jane Iredale Smokey Grey (outer corner of lid, and up onto the brow bone)

Jane Iredale Platinum (Lid to brow, under the eye, and inner corners)

Jane Iredale 24k Silver dust (all over eyes)

Jane Iredale Plum Plus Liner (above and under)

Lancome Mascara in Black

Bronzer to sculpt her cheek bones, etc.

Touch of gloss

Independence Day Garden!

Happy Fourth of July Everybody! Lately I have been working in my humble little garden... I wanted to share the spoils of that work, that I have selfishly been keeping to myself. Right now its just a jungle of different random-ness, but when I get a somewhat finished product I will share the whole picture with you. I'm just not ready yet! 

These beautiful white cotton-ball like flowers are hollyhock that I accuired at a local feed and seed store. They grow awesomely in semi-moist soil with lots of sunshine.

This is canna (one of my favs). I have this closest to my patio area because it puts on a beautiful show all summer long, all the way into the fall. I soon will purchase more to fill out some areas where some of my other plantings failed. Just behind you can see my provadence lavender, which smells amazing! 

Remember the baby-birds from before, they are huge and have actually grown all the way up and left the nest. :sad:  Hey there will always be next year! 

Eyes a flutter...

                                                

As aforementioned, I LOVE MAKE-UP! I did this little number the other night on my friend APRIL. Below is what we used, MAC paint pot - blackground, Mac shadow in expensive pink, shimmermoss, post haste, and black tied, with a jane iredale black brown eye pencil, and blinc mascara in royal blue. It is very dark, but pretty for a evening affair.

Please give me any feedback, questions or comments. 

Fame! I'm gonna live forever..

 

Please excuse the total ridiculousness of this, so let me elaborate quickly. I LOVE my garden, probably more than most. So the few hours a week I get to spend in the garden are special to me. As you read before I was so twitter-pated that baby birds were hatching everywhere, I almost wanted to burst with pride. Until - this %$#*ing bird began its terrorist attack on me every time I went out to water, or weed, or even just to let my dogs out!!! I know it was all out of protection for it's young, but when your 5 plus feet away from the nest it gets to be a little ANNOYING. So before I got desperate, I needed to make light of the situation. So I took the idea of a half crazed bird, and a dorky animal lover and ran with it, possibly I ran right on out of my mind. So tell me what you think adoring fans...enjoy!

Amanda's Summer Must-Have's...

I was out at a friends pool today and was very flattered when my friends want to use all the products I had brought along in my bag. I decided when I came home it might be a good idea to post the items on my blog so that other's could enjoy what has worked for me.

This Obagi Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35 is great for protecting the delicate skin on your face. It runs about $44.00, which is a bit pricey for sunscreen but worth every penny, no clogging and no smell or white residue. 

Warren-Tricomi Organic Hair Shield - for those of us with any type of color in out hair this is a must, it is chalked full of vitamins and has a color-safe sunscreen to block harmful UV rays that will fade out color. It cost about $30.00 from Neiman-Marcus and Sephora. Just a little spritz of this before you go out in the sun will save you hundreds during your next color.

These Nozema Mini Shavers are AMAZING! Rush right out and get these for your bikini line and other small hard to shave areas, these mini razors have a shea butter strip to hydrate the area your shaving, they come in a three pack for under $10.00. You cannot make it through this summer without these.

 

Jane Iredale Mineral Make-up Dream Tint Mousse this cost $36.00, it comes in 5 colors, 2 corrective colors, and 2 bronzers.  It's a wonderful summer addition because of it's SPF 15. It's so light and airy, its goes on beautifully and moisturizies just perfectly. There is a blending brush for application that is just magical as well.

OPI Nail Laquer - My Private Jet this is a dark steel grey with multicolor glitter flecks I know it is a little dark for the spring/summer season, but its an amzing color for a pedicure. It goes with everything! Try it out. $6.50 Retail.

Karaoke Madness...

No wonder this stuff is so additive for the japense. It's awesome. I am totally into the karaoke scene, well what there is of one in my tiny tiny town. To be honest it IS a lot of redneck's badly studdering through country songs that all sound the same. This is my newest intrest a possible duet, and yes it is country but it's classic country which is a little different in my book: the orginal is Linda Davis and Reba McEntire. This one with Kelly Clarkson is still good though. My friend April Manly and I are going to sing it one of these nights.

The Video

April's Music Site

Please check April out she is an awesome singer/songwriter! Support local music!

Slacker!

Okay, so I have been a terrible disgrace to blogging. Now I am back and hope to continue my reign of terror on the Internet, as we know it. Wow that sounded insane!
*  *  *
It would be a long boring story to go into what I have been doing for the last three weeks so here is the reader's digest version: new job training, sick with strep throat mess, more job training, lots of yard work, sick more, house cleaning, sick more, more working at new job. Okay see? Nothing juicy there. Onward then like nothing ever happened!
Spring has sprung right before my eyes! I am bursting with pride due to the fact my yard has turned into an actual backyard habitat. My hard work has paid off I have three bird's nests (that I can find right now) throughout my yard. One already has babies in it, which I am happy about. One has beautiful blue and gray speckled eggs, and the third is just starting to be built. Last year I put out feeders and did my plantings based on trying to get birds and animals to come, it did okay but I was not sure I had done everything I could do to make a happy home for animals. I live close to a downtown area, so I feel it is important to make sure I have an oasis for birds to stop by and have a safe place to grab a snack. Little did I know this year would be so eventful! I will keep you updated on what type of birds the empty nest, and eggs produce.

Here is a list of what I have planted to attract wildlife:
Providence Lavender
Elephant ears
Moses in a Boat
Daylilies
Snapdragons
Strawberry plants (they actually produce strawberries) I haven't gotten adventurous enough to eat them
Carolina Jasmine
Hollyhock
Canna Lilly
Hanging ferns
I believe South Carolina is a zone 7, so of course it will be different depending on your locale. I encourage everyone to get out and plant something, even if you are just container gardening.

Georgia on my mind

Savannah- Home of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and food network's Paula Deen :a woman after my own heart drenching everything in butter:
My hubby and I jaunted all around this magnificent city, enriched by historical importance and artistic culture. Although, I felt safe at all times due to the large amounts of police who swarmed as soon as the sun set. There was an eerie feeling in the damp air, one that made you wonder about all the tourists who pass though, and all the people who have lived and died there. Apparently there are many cemeteries in Savannah that have been paved over for growth, I think this contributes to this feeling. It could just be an old city thing, who know's. I didn't mind it though. we had amazing food such as: a fresh turkey sandwich complete with homemade cranberry sauce and brie, this all served on wheat toast, an amazing filet mignon, sided with asparagus, and garlic potatoes, and a tomato basil soup fit for a king. I highly recommend Belford's in City Market and Moon River Brewing Company on Bay St. if you are venturing to the Savannah area. Our trip was topped off with a haunted lore carriage ride though the city, it was raining ever so slightly which made it much more convincing! Thank you to Krista, Charlie, and Dell at the Savannah Carriage Company located in City Market. I cannot wait for our next trip, I want to go to the Telfair museum of art, Bonaventure Cemetery. Places I missed it this time.
Below are some photos I took with my Nikon Cool Pics camera.

Ponderment

The truth hurts worse than anything
I could ever bring myself to do to you.
-Fall Out Boy

And they're off...

I ventured off to Camden, South Carolina to the Carolina Cup steeplechase races to be a spectator with some 70,000 other people. I will try to make this as quick and as easy to read as possible. Well first off it was FREEZING. So it was pretty insane to be running around in halter-top dresses, bare legged, with big hats on. Melissa and I had chicken skin legs anytime we were outside. We spent most the time in the truck because of my profound lack of weather planning.

8am - March 29th, 2008: There we were outside my lovely cousins residence some 30 miles from the race course, where the sun was shinning through the patches of gray clouds, it was a temperate 65 degrees. Who needs a jacket this is great weather? I asked myself. This weather kept up until we arrived or so it seemed. It turned dark and cold. To top it all off the wind was ripping around taking with it hats, tents, and all sorts of trash. Most of the morning was spent inside a vehicle taking refuge from the horrible weather only interrupted by occasional bathroom visits. (porta-johns yuck) By noon we had discovered a souvenir stand where of course they had sold out of everything long sleeve, but conveniently had polar fleece vests left. As soon as a wrapped something around my bare back I felt like a new person! We had a great spread of food: three pepper hummus, pasta salad, and sandwich makings. All of which I devoured, the adverse weather had taken a lot out of me. After that we started to wander around seeing the sights, and looking for friends. About 3pm I felt one little cold, wet rain drop so that meant in heels we had to book it to the car again. I felt like I spent all day on a trip/ stuck in a car!! It poured for about 45 minutes; at this point we had, had enough. We packed it all up and headed home.

There was magnificent people watching though: girls chasing hats and trying hard not to have their dresses fly up, intoxicated people, a tent that titled themselves "the frilly tent" complete with pink flamingos and all, dresses covered in mud, people falling off vehicles. All in all it wasn't my best cup year yet, but still fun. I will be back next year!! (I might even re-use my dress and hat, I didn't get it show it off hardly at all!)
Melissa, and Dirty Bird which happens that he matches her dress, convenient!

Me :polar vest and all:, Melissa :smart enough to lose her's for pics:, and Shelly :drunk:

Easter, not just about bunnies

For winter's rains and ruins are over,
And all the season of snows and sins;
The days dividing lover and lover,
The light that loses, the night that wins;
And time remembered is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,
And in green underwood and cover
Blossom by blossom the spring begins.

Algernon Charles Swinburne 1837–1909

Isn't this just beautiful. First off Happy Easter! How magnificent, that some two thousand years ago, Jesus died and was resurrected for our sins. We should all be so thankful how full our lives are. Take this time when nature comes out of the cold of winter and reflect on all our blessings. I know we should be grateful all year round, but it is something about holidays that makes everyone more reflective on our lives. It's times like these where in the face of change all around us, and the great un-known that issues that seemed un-manageable can just disperse almost with a few kind words or a smile. When there is a trauma with-in a close-knit group of people its just like a lot of things don't seem so important as they once were. They have to come together and support one another with love and forbearance. A lot of people now days only want to depend on themselves, but I have come to learn that is a terrible way to live. : lonely, fruitless, downcast: We've got to support and love one another, these are the fruits that God has given us and I believe far too many times we turn our backs on one another and de-humanize our love ones. Let's get back to a straightforward way of living or at least try. I have good feelings about all the changes upon us. I think with lots of prayer, hopes and lenience we accomplish almost anything. A new prosperous year is upon us and I am feeling more alive as each day gets warmer and warmer. I know that everything happens for a reason and it is all bigger than we can even begin to comprehend. So let's all be positive and celebrate the small things.

Yellow Steeplechase Hat

Help! I think I am a blog addict. Everything I do something I think to myself I must take a picture or write some notes so I can blog about this later. I feel very afflicted by this strange attraction to blogging! Well on to the topic... This is a project I finished quite awhile back. March 29th is a huge steeplechase in Camden, South Carolina. All of society comes out in their spring finest for an amazing fashion show of sorts! Instead of searching high and low for a costly hat. I took it upon my self to decorate a plain chocolate brown Nine West sun hat. With instructions partly from My-sister and law and part Internet research I began creating "yo-yo's" from different types of fabric. There are many different ways to make these, most commonly used are circles, then hearts, and squares. I took the easy way out using circles. You cut a circle 2x the size roughly of what you actually want your "yo-yo" to be. I used all sorts of round things as templates: a CD spindle, drinking glasses, coffee containers. Sew a running stitch around the outer edge of the fabric give yourself some room though about a 1/4-1/6th of an inch from the edge. If you get too close you will have tearing when you go to gather it all up. When you have completed your circle take both ends and draw them up letting the fabric gather, making a little balloon type looking thing. When you can't gather anymore tie it off to secure it. Begin the press it all the fabric flat, and move your gathers where you would like them to be. Wah-La you have a beautiful "yo-yo" or flower. You can embellish them with beads, buttons, other fabric flowers that you cut out, and scraps like I did. These look great on all kinds of things, hats, clothes, bags, barrettes. (where I borrowed the idea from) The best part is they are SO EASY! Heather Bailey has an easy to follow tutorial check it out: http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/photos/how_to_make_a_yoyo/index.html

As soon as my party weekend comes and goes I will be back with lots of photos, so I can show it off with my dress. Pretty snappy if I should say so myself! I can't wait, I hope the weather warms up for this weekend: Easter, and stays warm. Salutations for now.