Monday, November 29, 2010

So Disconnected

When I first started this blog, I was so excited to be joining the polish blogging community. It was so much fun posting different polishes and lines and other nail related news. When I decided it was time to start my own thing, I thought it would be years before anything actually happened with it, but then it just all started coming together so quickly. It felt like it was time to tell everyone what I was doing, but that meant, not really showing other brands since I felt that it could be a potential conflict of interest. Then in my personal life people started asking if the color I was wearing was one of my colors or someone else's. Ugh - I just wanted to cringe when I said it wasn't mine or potentially mine, so I stopped buying all together. But I like other brands and other polishes! I want to wear them! And I still do when I know I am not hanging out with anyone I know, but some of the fun is gone. I can't get into all the frustrations of trying to start this business, but when I say it is getting overwhelming and frustrating, that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are times I wonder what the heck I got myself into! Who knew it would be so hard and frustrating? But I am bound and determined to make it happen, even if that means that I miss the fun of swatching and picking colors I love and showing them off for all of you. So instead of nail stuff lately I have been showing you all a bunch of other stuff instead because I still feel so connected to this blog. The blog may be changing, but I hope you all stick with me. So as another day of non nail news looms, how about some of our decorations instead?

On the fun side, we decorated the tree and the house this last weekend, and it looks pretty good if I do say so myself. It may be hot here in FL, we may have lights on our palm trees outside, but inside, it's a winter wonderland! I was playing with the color highlight feature on my camera in most of these pictures. they just looks so much prettier that way! :)

On my kitchen counter. Those are bells mixed with the rocks and some "snow" in with the candle.

On my coffee table. More "snow" and some red bells.

On the entertainment center.Yup more snow in the vase.

On my couch! HA! Sid gets in the holiday spirit!

B tries to play with the color highlight feature, but apparently I was so hot from all the work I was doing, my skin wouldn't go black and white. I look so tired here! Oh well!

The tree. And yes I did change my curtains to match the tree. But really I just swapped out the ones from the dining room to the living room.

But now I have to find red or gold curtains for the dining room! UGH! And maybe some stuff for my walls still!

I blurred out the names - but since there isn't a need for a fireplace in FL, the stockings get hung by the stairs with care instead. But dang - those walls behind the stairs are blank too. I'm a minimalist type of person, but this is pathetic. I need to start putting some stuff up!

Oh what is this? Could it be? A red holo? Oh it sure looks like it! Sadly this is the one I created and am sending to the lab hoping they can get it right on the 7th try!!!! So you get to see it artistically rather than accurately since it isn't a reality yet. Fingers crossed!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Time to Decorate for the Holidays

Some of you may have chosen to partake in some Black Friday shopping, some of you might be recovering from yesterday and yet others will start their decorating. I fall into the latter group, we decorate our house and tree the day after Thanksgiving each year. The tree is up, we have checked to see which lights are working and which aren't. We'll head out sometime after 11am when all the early morning sales are over and grab what we need and then the fun will begin! This really has to be one of my favorite days of the year. I absolutely love the decorating, almost as much as I love watching people open the gifts I get them, that pure unadulterated joy and happiness. Love it!

Anyway I put on a red jelly I had made a while back for Thanksgiving. I already showed it on here, so messing with the camera, I decided since it was Black Friday, I would turn on the color accent feature on my camera which turns everything into black and white except the color you are highlighting. I love playing with this feature.

Here it is in full color, I took this while we were driving home from my cousins house.

This one really showcases how jelly this polish is, you can see my free edge underneath. You can't see the free edge in person, I think it was the flash going off that made it visible. I love how dripping wet it looks! My ring looks so filthy though - time for a cleaning!

And here it is with the color accent turned on.

How cool does this look? I feel like I am in a black and white movie, where you can envision just how red her nails are .

I also softened my nail shape. I was going for the almond shape, but stopped here. I like it, but I think my personality is more suited for the defined square shape. What does that say about my personality? Does it show my age? Since the current "look" is supposedly just a little free edge and almond. I will give this look some time before I decide. I think it looks great with red, let's see how it looks with other colors.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day! I'll post some of our decorations tomorrow if you guys want to see them.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving - Now let's shop!

One of my favorite places to shop is on Etsy.com. The items are almost always unique, it isn't what you see out there in stores and you are supporting small businesses. While many of you may be preparing for some major Black Friday shopping, I plan on sleeping in. That is a big change from previous years. But I have already knocked out a ton of my shopping on Etsy. YAY! Here are some of the things I found, maybe it will help inspire you. I put the shop page links on here for you as items are constantly changing on Etsy, but at least if you like something you know the shop it's from. The prices are the prices that were on the site when I was on there shopping, so those may be slightly different as well. But I looked for items that were $50 or less since the goal for me is staying within budget. Anyone in my family reading this, you may want to stop here or risk ruining the surprise of what I got you for Christmas!

Pamwares
www.pamwares.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/pamwares?ga_search_query=pamwares&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

A one of a kind apron for $32 and matching potholder for $8. Shipping: $6.50. Total cost: $46.50

A unique and simple gift, and if your lucky, they will get in the kitchen and cook you one of their awesome dishes!

Give to: Mom, Mother in law, Grandmother, Aunt, Sister, Friend or anyone else in your life who loves to cook.

My Fragrant Place
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyFragrantPlace?ga_search_query=My+Fragrant+Place&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

Candle Party Collection $28. Shipping: $10.80

Two candles and some break away tarts, you choose the scent.

Give to: Parents, In Laws, Friends, or the candle lover in your life.

sugarandspicesoapco

http://www.etsy.com/people/sugarandspicesoapco?ref=ls_profile

Christmas Cupcake Bath Bomb Gift Set of 3:$12. Shipping: $3.50

Yummy! These are soo cute. Sometimes I have people at the office get me something little. I am not one for exchanging gifts at work, but I always buy about 2 or 3 gifts in the $10 range and keep them wrapped in my office, that way if someone brings me a gift, I have something to give back. But I do like to give a little something to the members of my team. Since there are only 2 other people on my "team" I can separate this out between the two of them and give each of them one with a card and maybe some candy and then keep the other one for me! YAY!

Give to: Co-worker, mother, daughter, sister, friend. Also perfect for secret gift exchanges.

Orange Fuzz Boutique

http://www.etsy.com/shop/orangefuzz?ref=seller_info

Eco Friendly Shaving Kit: $35 Shipping:$11

Shaving soap made with Rhassoul clay and Guinness Extra Stout Beer, after shave, a bar of soap and a Boar Bristle Shaving Brush packaged in a cigar box. How adorable is this?

Give to: Dad, Father in Law, Significant Other, Grandad, Male Boss, Brother, Uncle.

Lenandlen

http://lenandlen.com/

http://www.annajorobertson.blogspot.com/

http://www.etsy.com/listing/54688207/modern-stackable-cuffs-bracelets-brass

Modern Stackable Cuff Bracelets. Brass. $30.00

This is a set of three custom sized brass bangle bracelets. I have been wanting to replace my Alex & Ani bracelets since I lost them. But I am really digging these and I can get 3 for $2 more than one Alex and Ani. They have these in Sterling Silver for $54 too, hmmm maybe someone will get the hint and get me a set or two of these? Actually, they have a sterling silver banged up one for $30, so since we all know Juan reads my blog, let him know that he should buy me this and the silver banged up one for Christmas - will ya? :)

Give to: Your wife, girlfriend, sister, daughter, mother, friend

Tortoise Loves Donkey

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62628206/cup-o-air-plant

Cup O' Air Plant $8.50 Shipping: $3.00

This is just too adorable to me. It is a little air plant and they put it in a cup. CHEAP and adorable. Perfect if your office does a secret Santa gift exchange or anything like that. They can just keep this at their desk. Cute and simple!

Give to: Co-worker, friend, or any gardener in you life!

I am thinking of grabbing this or something similar for the Secret Santa gift at the office, or one of the larger terrariums for my boss.

Evilshades

www.evilshades.com

http://www.evilshades.com/app s/blog/

and of course http://blacknailpolishandlipgloss.blogspot.com/

OK, so this is not an Etsy shop, but still makes a perfect gift.

Create your own set mini $9.00 Shipping: Not sure - but I don't remember it being bad.

You get to choose your mini set from the options below. Having tried Evil Shades, all I can say is this is great stuff. If you have a makeup fanatic in your life, you need to get them some of her stuff.

#1 Your choice of 2 full size Wicked gloss and 2 full size Eye shadows

#2 Your choice of 1 full size blush, 1 full size Wicked gloss and 1 full size eye shadow

#3 Your choice of 2 full size Wicked Gloss' and 1 full size blush

#4 Your choice of 3 full size eye shadows and 1 full size Wicked gloss

Give to: The makeup fanatic in your life, sister, friend, daughter, Daughter in law, Daughters friends.

I plan on having my oldest daughter pick out a few sets for her friends.

Yikestwins
http://www.etsy.com/people/Yikestwins?ref=ls_profile

Adorable hooded towels for the little monsters in your life:$32 Shipping: $9

Give to: nieces & nephews

I have a niece and nephew that are both under the age of 2, so it makes it a little tougher to find good gifts for them, since I am sure they will get more toys than kids that age need. So these are the perfect gifts! A bit over the budget, but too cute not to get!

I even bought Juan's Christmas gift through an Etsy seller. We set a $100 limit for each other, and my gift is perfect. I won't show you until after the holidays since he reads the blog though. Hope some of these ideas gets you inspired and ready for the shopping ahead!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Enter to Win a Pair of Whooga Ugg Boots

I was contacted by Whooga Ugg Boots asking if I would post a link to their website and their Ugg Boot give-away. After checking them out, not only am I willing to post, but I want a pair. First let me start by saying that I love Ugg boots. They may not be the cutest, but they are the best!!! LOVE uggs!

I have not tried the Whooga brand, but now I am very interested in trying them, so why not try for a chance to win a pair, right? To be entered to win you just have to sign up to receive their newsletter, you can do that on their website. http://www.whooga-eu.co.uk/. I already did! Fingers crossed!

I know most people think of UGG Australia, the brand when wanting ugg boots, but I owned 1 pair of that brand and will never buy them again. See, I have a friend from Australia who alerted me to the shadiness of UGG Australia when trying to establish themselves as a company. Did you know saying "Go put on your uggs" is like us saying "Go put on your sneakers". It is a generic term for the boots that most of us recognize now as UGG Australia the brand. A lot of people believe that they are the only "real" UGG boots. The reality is it would be like Nike Trademarking the name Sneakers and not allowing any other company to use the term sneakers anymore. As a result I found another Australian brand recommended by my friend. It ends up costing slightly less than UGG Australia boots and the quality is far superior in my opinion. I tend to buy myself a new pair of uggs every year, and this year I am tossed up between the chocolate and black ones. My old chocolate ones have seen their day and are several years old, so I am thinking they are the ones that should be replaced. But I don't have black ones, and would love a pair in black, so maybe I should get those? hmmm decisions, decisions.

There are several great reviews of Whooga posted on their website, and via a quick google search, so I am definitely going to switch and give them a try with my next pair. Now if I could just order them in the next week, that would be awesome! Why you ask? Well Whooga has agreed to give my followers a 10% discount through Wednesday December 1st. If you decide you want to purchase a pair instead of waiting to see if you win a pair, just enter promo code: 1049R3DAILY

And I will sheepishly admit (pun intended), I kind of want to get them just because of the box. It is so cute! Looks like a gift!

So do you own any ugg style boots? What's your favorite color? How do you wear yours?

Monday, November 22, 2010

You Call This a Holo?

This weekend went by way to fast. I was super lazy, and that just makes it worse. I just wasn't feeling like doing much. I did go out with some friends Saturday night and had a great time, but other than that - I was a lazy bum. I intended on doing an outfit of the day and the only thing I could manage was one photo of the outfit. I'll post it for you anyway.

We went to this Mediterranean restaurant where they have a belly/zorba dancer who brings you up on the tables to dance, so knowing this going in, I planned accordingly.

I'm wearing a dress from H&M that I HAD to have. I saw it in a taupe color and thought it would be perfect for the cruise I went on in Sept. But I decided I would wear the clothes I had rather than buying anything new. But I couldn't get the dress off my mind. Low and behold a friend on the cruise showed up with the dress and when I saw how cute she looked, I knew I was going to break down and get the dress when I got back from the cruise. Shortly after we returned, my friend sent me a text letting me know they had it in this green color and in peach. I quickly took the hour+ ride to Orlando and picked it up in green. It has been sitting there for over a month waiting to be worn. It is a dress, but like I said, I knew we would be getting up on the table at the restaurant so I put leggings underneath. I have to admit though, I like it much better without the leggings. I think I paid $35 for the dress, the leggings I have had for years and if I remember correctly I got them on clearance for like $10. The belt I have also had for years and the same with the bracelets and earrings, which you can't see here. The shoes - I LOVE too. I saw these last year on Zappos for about $80. They are by Carlos Santana. I soon saw them at Marshall's for $60. I was so excited to find them at Ross last Dec/Jan for $30. I couldn't resist anymore, so I grabbed them. I have had them almost a year, but I hardly wear them, since they don't go with a lot. But for some reason, I wore them 3 times last week! Go figure.

Anyway on to the Holo that isn't. You all know I am working with a lab to create a red holo polish. Here is one of the incarnations that they sent me. This is very beautiful. I received a ton of compliments on it from friends and strangers and even from Juan. It is red with red micro flakies and possibly some micro holo glitter, which is next to impossible to see. I have no clue why the lab would send this as a possibility for me. They must have been joking! So they are back to work on getting it right. However, part of me thinks this could become part of the collection, because it is stunning and pretty, and somehow makes my hands look younger, but holo it definitely is not!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Cell Phone Pictures - Last Set

Random nail photo

Times Square NYC

Another random nail photo. I took this in my in-laws bathroom - how funny!

My cousin's daughter loves to climb the side of the stairs. Daring already at such a young age!

My nekkid nails

Super shiny metallic franken

Sid plays dead

Dead jelly fish on the beach

The morning sun

Juan & his boys after 1 too many drinks

The dress Kat will wear to her 15th birthday

When B was in the hospital getting the needle out of her foot - she missed Halloween. Juan came dressed like a scary clown for her

She then made me a "costume" with my phone

A potential centerpiece for Allie's 15th birthday. Needs more - but before I started on them I wanted to see what she thought of the idea. This is the very last photo on my phone.

So what do you think of the weekend spam? I didn't even show you any of the cute kid photos since I don't want to put their faces on here. Hope you enjoyed the view into my life! Have a great weekend everyone!

Cell Phone Pictures - Set V - Are you bored yet?

This is what happens when you leave your contact lens case open all day

Giving Kat a facial - love how happy they are when I give them facials

B's turn - just as happy! I didn't get one of Coco - I wonder why?

Home made donuts - got the recipe of the Pioneer Woman's website

A note left on my phone by one of my kids

A jewelry shop work bench - loved this, so I had to take a photo

An outhouse in St Augustine

Privacy please!

St Augustine, FL

The dress I had to get for my bro's wedding still in the store window

Holy boobage!

I wore it with a tank top the first time - this is how it looked without it. I just can't leave my house like that!

I decided to make an cover and had planned on making a blog how - to. Apparently I changed my mind

Here it is before getting sewed in

The after. The boobs still look huge here

Being silly

Subscribe to: