Eyes: A Makeup Post

Typically, I blog about my jewelry. But tonight... I had to share this with you!

And its dedicated to my new friend Wendi from Makeup Zombie.

So, lately I haven't really been able to get out of the house and do much... Namely, because of the awful back pain I've been in. An appointment tomorrow, and I should at least have a little relief and some, if very few, answers. More to come though, and it's going to help me narrow down what's wrong and how to fix it.

On Sunday, one of my friends, Feline, invited me to go have "Makeup Done". Of course... Since I'm addicted to sparkles, and most of my eye makeup has some degree of "Sparkliness"... I didn't hesitate to say yes. It consisted of me taking a car ride, which, thankfully, meant I wasn't on my feet for long!

So off to Bebe's house... And her awesome lair.

Mind you, this is my first introduction to her, I'm entrusting someone to put makeup on my eyes that I've never met. Leap of faith- and it turned out fantastic!! I'm SO glad I let her play around with my lids... And more amazed that the pictures really brought out different tones in them... A little violet, a touch of aqua, light blue! These are in fact my real peepers... Unedited, unaltered, no contacts... Just plain mine! The colors of the makeup were enhanced- but those tones of colors you see... Are proudly owned by moi!

Go on and take a peek at Gemtwink's Etsy Shop. She's got some pretty amazing artwork too- edgy and definitely artistic! She's certainly not afraid to experiment with colors- and the results are awesome!

So here it goes with the eye makeup:

I loved this rainbow effect on my eyes- I'm definitely going to have to use this as a Girls Night Out look from now on!

Anything that sparkles, like I said, I'm sold. Never in a million years would I think to have used big rhinestones like Bebe used on me... But the look... Was... F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C!!!!

What do YOU think!?

Revamped

Tonight is a very quick posting... I, regrettably, do not feel very well.

As you can see, by now, I've revamped my blog setup! I absolutely love this new one... I think it features more of my sparkly personality than the green/pink one did. The red glitter hearts did me in!!!

I also added another blog to the list I maintain on this profile- and to which I'm very, very excited about! I've always had a green thumb... And while I can't grow a garden down here, since I'm in an apartment, I've settled for collecting various house plants. What does this have to do with anything, you ask?

Well, I've already created a new Etsy shop. The Grand Opening of which, I will let you know! I have to acquire supplies, and most are easily found. The theme? Well, with the mention of gardening I assume you have some inkling of an idea.... Bringing the outdoors inside... Yes, that's right. I'll be creating little Terrariums of various sizes and plantings! I'm going to wait until I get "home" to really start utilizing mosses, miniature plants, and succulents... But for now, I've got a few ideas that are easily assembled, and easy to pack when the time comes! Are you as excited as me?!

I will keep everyone posted as to the progress of this little endeavor...

Story in a nutshell as to why I don't feel so great:

I've got back issues- namely degenerative disc disease and arthritis- in my lower back, and for over a week I've been stuck in the same spasm that just doesn't seem to want to let up. But, my friends, I'm absolutely determined to work through it. I've made the necessary appointments to see doctors to get this fixed- once and for all. I've been dealing with this for 5 years already, and it just progressively gets worse. My solution- fix the problem permanently.

Why?

Because once done, I'll be able to get back to my "normal" life... And be able to go out and walk without having to worry about how my back will feel later that evening, or the next morning. I figure, once I'm fixed and recovered... I don't have to worry for a long time about back worries- provided, of course, that I be careful!

So this is my short post for the evening... I'll most likely be back online tomorrow, with better information and pictures!

Wishing everyone peaceful dreams tonight...

The Circle of Friends

Award!

Thank you so very much to The Pine Cone Teacup for nominating me!! I'm so excited! I haven't been awarded anything for having my blog thusfar- and frankly, I'm honored! I know I don't post as often as I'd like- there are only so many hours in the day to take care of things. So my March resolution is to post at least once a week. Minimum. And I count on you all to hold me to that!

The conditions for accepting this blog award are simple.... I list 5 things I like...

And then I name 5 bloggers I want to know more about!

Ready... Set.... Go!

1. I love my family! My two wonderful parents, still together after 31 years! My awesome genius (in most cases!) brother, and my two kind hearted and sweet sisters. Being the oldest of the four of us, it's been quite the journey to watch my siblings grow up into wonderful people. And as for my parents- well, I just can't say how much I love them, and how thankful that I belong to them! Of course, I love the various pets we have as well- most of all, my sweetheart Peeps. (who, by the way, is absolutely fantastic and recovering well!)

2. I love New England- it's where I grew up, and it's true what they say... If you're born and raised there, you always feel the tug to "go back home". And... There's nothing quite like a beautiful beach with sparkling blue water... Except for the New England coastline, especially up in Maine. The gunmetal gray water (albeit a bit chilly) with a clear blue sky is absolutely breathtaking!

3. I love to work on cars. Get down, dirty, and feel accomplished once the problem is fixed. I know how to change my own oil, replace brakes, unstick emergency brake lines, know where to stick the jack under my truck so it won't ruin anything, replace headers, radiators and mufflers. Didn't think a sparkly girly-girl would actually be interested in that stuff, huh?!

4. I love to garden. There's something about tilling, fertilizing, planting, and spending hours weeding out a garden bed to have a work of art for the spring and summer that all your friends compliment you on. However, since I'm in an apartment, a green leafed plant from Ikea, bamboo shoots and a Money Tree are my "garden" and wall art for now!

5. I love... Link Love! Coined by Michele from By Your Side, it's a wonderful way to find new artists, talent... And most importantly friends! From fanning Facebook pages, hearting Etsy shops, following blogs, Twitter, and other various outlets (like Artfire, Folksy, Wordpress, etc...) we not only find like minded people that craft similar items to what we do, but meet new people in the process. Hooray for Link Love!

And now... Drumroll please....

My 5 blogger picks to pass this award along to:

1. Joyce from Happy Cloud Moments

2. Amy from Ponder and Stitch

3. Deb from Zur Designs

4. Kristin from Madrin Designs

5. Samantha from Nest Blossoms

There you have it!

Check out shops and let's Link Love too!

Kitteh News: Scare!

As some of you may know, I have a little kitteh.

She's about 9 months old, and is an absolute peach.... Well behaved, silly and hyper ball of fun all rolled into one little cat. She's what's called a Patchwork Tabby- which is a fancy way of saying she's a Calico with the distinctive striped markings of a Tabby cat. She's a mush of colors- and as my Mom loves to say- she looks like she was playdough tossed into the blender for a bit.

I love her colors, hence her name- Smudge.

However, she comes running to the nickname (I have no idea what inspired me to say it around her... ) "Peeps"... So either or, they're both interchangeable. A smudge of color in the whole time warp, call her Peeps and she's right there at your feet.

The past few weeks, I've noticed that her left eye waters. Quite a lot in fact... However, I wasn't really concerned about it because there wasn't any discharge that was thick or colored. It only happened every couple days or so, but she'd tear up just enough that I'd notice. So I've been watching her closely... And then. Thursday night, her left eye seemed a little puffy. Friday night it got worse, and she was pretty swollen. I figured that if by the morning it wasn't any better, I'd go ahead and take her to the vet.

Saturday morning came, and there was less swelling- so it was getting better it seemed. She's a pretty laid back cat, so it was easy for me to get a saline solution into her left eye... The right one, well, that was a different story. Let's just say it was sore and irritated enough that my gentle little cat tried to nip and bite me. All in all, I ended up just dripping the saline into/over her eye area and then quickly and gently wiped it off as she tried to blink.

So this morning (see why I hate Monday's?!?!) I wake up... And my little sweetheart looks like a bobble-eye fish!!! I almost cried! She was still acting the same- eating, playing, snoozing, purring like a machine... But she couldn't open her eyes more than a crack. That's IT! Vet time!

Today was her first Vet visit.

(I know, not great when she's 9 months old... But... Vets are expensive!)

She did fabulous with the doctor- albeit really hesitant to come on out of her carrier. She didn't know what was going on, but warmed up a little bit. It turns out I did the right thing in trying to clear up her eye issues first before just bringing her in... As it turns out, she's allergic or gotten into something in here that doesn't agree with her. Translation: swollen eyes and face/ears. Irritation enough to make her have a reaction, but controllable.

So went her first checkup.... Ears are perfect, no mites or unusual discharge. Eyes-even though puffy, are clear and bright- the way they should be. No discharge coming out, so that's a definite plus. She's 7 lbs- a petite little girl, but for her size and how short she is- it's a healthy and good weight for her. She did NOT, however, like having her temperature taken. I don't think many animals do- she squirmed a bit, but then just stayed still. Good news was- no temperature!

We left with her getting her first distemper shot, and a steroid shot that will help reduce the inflammation in her head/eyes/ears. If she doesn't get better, then we have to go back in 5 days. With the new prescription drops she seems to be doing a bit better already- they went in about an hour ago, and both of her eyes are a little bit more opened right now. The vet said I was lucky I brought her in when I did... Had it been any more swollen, she might have lost an eye. SO glad it didn't come to that!

At this moment, she's not thrilled with me for putting her through that ordeal... Buuuut... She's come over and played with me, which means I've been forgiven.

She's sitting on my windowsill right now,

content and watching the birds.

**These pictures are from a few months back...

I didn't want to post bobble-eye cat!

A Quiet Weekend, and a Necklace

I'm getting ready for Monday... Oh, how I despise them!

Just call me Garfield... hah!

I was able to get some new pictures of some jewelry taken, which greatly pleases me. New pictures- while time consuming to take- always put me in a better mood. And I managed to capture some really great ones too! I'll get them online, most likely tomorrow evening.

I wanted to share with you a necklace I made last week.

It's inspired by a lake up in Maine, since that's where my fella lives. My favorite thing about spending time up there was the fact that he has a little cottage right on the banks of this beautiful lake. Some mornings, if you awaken early enough, you can see fog over the water.

It's stunning really- and I know what you're thinking... What's so special about fog?!

Well... It kind of covers the surface of the water like a shroud, making the little island in the distance appear almost like an illusion...

A little wonderland not really there. When the sun starts to peek over the treeline, the way the fog lights up and becomes illuminated is wondrous. I spent many a morning, to the chagrin of my fella, just watching the water... The small rainbows peeking through certain parts of the fog as it started to evaporate. Much too quickly, it was gone.... Until another morning!

I need to get better...

About this blogging thing!

Things have been so busy lately, I hardly know which direction is up or down.

Creativity has been put on hold temporarily, but I've made some newer pieces that I've posted in my shop. Usually it's the other way around- I do a sneak peek here, and then post them. I guess it's ok though... I could not be telling you at all!

First up, I'd like to share a Treasury I made which was inspired by the Moody Blues. I've had the song "Nights in White Satin" stuck in my head, and playing it over and over hasn't made me sick of the tune yet. So here's my picks for the Main Treasury...

Next up.

I've been dying to go see "Alice in Wonderland"... I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton, and any movie he's made I have to pick up. I was pretty steamed when my roommate and I got robbed back in September of 09- they made off with my copy of "The Corpse Bride" which is one of my all time favorites. I regress. I've been so anxious to see the new movie, I was inspired to make some new earrings.

Alice Through The Looking Glass

The Red Queen, of Hearts

I was aiming for whimsical, yet simple and understated.

But that would still make a statement! I've kept a pair of the "Alice" earrings for myself (because I love the blue so much) and I can't tell you how many compliments I've already received! They're very, very sparkly! They're similar to the earrings featured in the design of my Semele's Amethyst Earrings found in the "Changelings" post. Ever since I discovered the top drilled Swarovski Bicones, I've been in love!