Beautiful Images For You #4 for Pink Saturday

Happy pink saturday. Be sure and visit with Beverly at HowSweetTheSound for the other participants.
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I saw this done on another blog and can't remember for the life of me who it was, but I thought about it and how easy it was to do. So here is my new tassel. This will be a giveaway. ;-) So keep watching for the giveaway in the near future!
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I thought I'd share these gorgeous images with you. A friend recently gifted me with a book from my favorite artist. I was stunned when I opened the package! I am so blessed by the women in my eBay group who are in my life.

Now, you can print the paper out for scrapbooking but you'll have to adjust your printer for the images. You can tell I'm busy or frazzled when I do a post with images to share. ;-)

These three can be filled with photos in the center.

This is another photo from her book.

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Vain Things—A Social Commentary

I want to talk about some serious things at the moment—things that are definitely applicable to today's social environment. But first some eye candy images for you to use as you see fit. There are LOTS of ways to imagine using these images. Enjoy.

Everyone enjoys roses in their creations, don't they?

And these little paper dolls could be put to adorable use for school age children and valentines.

Getting ready for easter? Try these.

Lots of projects could be made with this one.

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My church has counseled us to avoid becoming preoccupied with the vain things of the world. "The vain things of [the] world include every combination of that worldly quartet of property, pride, prominence and power. We should be seeking the kind of treasures the scriptures promise the faithful: 'great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures'.

"In terms of preoccupation with self and a fixation on the physical, this is more than social insanity; it is spiritually destructive and it accounts for much of the unhappiness in the modern world. And if adults are preoccupied with appearance—tucking and nipping and implanting and remodeling everything that can be remodeled—those pressures and anxieties will certainly seep through to children. At some point the problem becomes 'vain imaginations'. And in secular society both vanity and imagination run wild. One would truly need a great and spacious makeup kit to compete with beauty as portrayed in media all around us.

"One of the greatest challenges we will face is to be able to live in that world but somehow not be of that world. We have to create Zion in the midst of Babylon."

Okay, I'm guilty. I've wanted and lusted for things. Oh, not jewelry. That doesn't entice me one bit. But I've wanted popularity and recognition for things I do. I've wanted a nicer, bigger house. (Yeah, I've gotten over that...maybe.) I've wanted to be able to have someone else's talent: playing the piano, making fabulous creations to sell, their sweetness or even their humbleness. I'm humble in many ways—humble meaning teachable, but not truly humble where I don't have pride. I work on this on a daily basis though and it's a struggle for me just as it is for many of you.
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Wordless Wednesday 2/24/2010

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Things I Never Knew About

Now, I do realize since we don't have a TV anymore that I miss out on a lot of new stuff coming out of corporations, but I had no idea they could make something that kept your toilet cleaner without a brush!

Sitting in my dentist's office about a week ago I was watching their TV when a commercial came on advertising Scrubbing Bubbles toilet gel. Well, I rushed right out to get it as soon as these size 9 feet could carry me. Truly, I was skeptical but I hate cleaning the toilet so much that I told Love Bunny I was going to spend the $3.42 to try it. If it helped, good deal and if not, I was only out a few dollars. Well, let me tell ya, chicks, this stuff really does keep the toilets cleaner in our house. I am NOT getting paid a penny to tell you this! I really do like it. I'd show you our toilet but convention/decency prevents me. Just take my word for it. I haven't swished the toilet with a brush for over a week now. Fantastic stuff!!!!

Recently after having a bone density test done the nurse recommended calcium. I hate taking pills and will usually do so only if it means me dying before I see my great grandchildren, finish all I need to do to this house or redecorating the rooms. But when I saw these in the WM store I thought "what the heck" and grabbed a bag of them. Calcium caramels?! Yessssss, it also satisfies my sweet tooth. Can 10 of these a day be considered too much calcium? I sure hope not but LB limits them for me to one each day. Delicious. I never knew calcium could taste so good.

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Mosaic Monday 2/22/2010

Welcome to my blog for Mosaic Monday. I think I'll make this a regular feature since it's easy and I love mosaics. Join Mary at the Little Red House.

I'll call this one: Around my house. Just snippets of things I have around my house that I've been photographing to practice with my new Canon Rebel XS. Squeeeeeeal!!

A cowbell I bought years and years ago in Pennsylvania when visiting that state. A little frame I found at a thrift store and could NOT resist because of the colors. My aprons hanging on a hook in my kitchen. A "real" mosaic chalk board my daughter made me as a gift for my birthday a couple of years ago. A small slice of a favorite tablecloth I have covering a desk in our kitchen. And a birdhouse I plan on decorating with froufrou things soon. Enjoy!~*~

Pink Saturday 2/20/10

It's another Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly of HowSweetTheSound. So go and visit with all the wonderful participants.
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Getting a box together to send off to my granddaughter the other day while cleaning out my craft room closet, I came across some little outfits I picked up at garage sales to make into little girly things to sell. Well, they've been sitting in that closet for years now and I've done nothing with them. I only pick the ones that are in great condition and this little shirt was one of them. It's a size large so it'll fit our great granddaughter near the end of her first year, but of course I had to embellish the plain little t-shirt. I added the ruffle, embroidered the bow and added a little pink rose to the neck and into the box it went. Total cost: maybe 50¢!

This is a darling necklace I received from Sherry of Country Wings in Phoenix. I was shocked when I opened the package today. How sweet is this to receive something so precious in the mail! Thank you, sweet little chick!


And this is what I'm going to make my new little granddaughter for her arrival into this world. Aren't they precious? Squeeeeeeeeal....


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I'm In Heaven

Monday nights are salad night at Wendy's in this house. I love their mandarin chicken salad as a cheap and quick eat-out. Usually before or after dinner we make a stop at our local WalMart. Now, Love Bunny didn't know this but I'd been researching new cameras. Yep, I've bought 2 this past year, but since I'm a techie chick instead of a jewelry chick, I'd say he got the better deal. I have lots of jewelry and it is going to my daughter and granddaughter but I care little for that. However, I lust after cameras, PhotoShop and computers. Don't know why but I absolutely love the high tech world we live in. My phone is just a simple one because "form follows function" in my world and phones are meant to talk on. If I want to "text/type" I do it on this iMac. Are ya listening, Claudia?

So we head out to WM and grab the things on my shopping list, and then I head to the camera department with him in tow. (I had called ahead to see if they had this particular camera and they had 1 left.) I asked to see it and LB is looking at me as if "whaaaaa"—total disbelief but then he knows me so he knows I'm going to buy this camera. He doesn't say much, just asks if I really needed it. I told him we can afford it and yes, I need it if I want to try some different things. Not professional, just superior photos. He loves me a lot and knows me well, chicks.

I looooove this new camera. It takes great shots as evidenced by the last 2 photos. Oh, these aren't the greatest, just a quick test but these are the best I have ever captured of my living room. I have never been able to get this good of a picture with no adjusting at all. It's a very dark room as it faces north with a very large covered front porch. I hope to get a solar tube some day to help with the light but that will happen later.

With flash on...

With no flash at all. I would never have been able to capture it even this good with any of the other cameras I've had. I just loooooove technology!!!

But funny story now. I couldn't get the image I wanted to photograph to show in my LCD monitor on the camera; I just had a bunch of settings showing. So I called Canon tech support. He walked me through what he called "live view" to show on the camera and after he was done I said, "It didn't work; all I'm seeing is black." He asks the ubiquitous question: Is your lens cover on or off the camera lens? DUH! Yep, it was on. When I took it off it was fine. I was very embarrassed.

And look how the detail in this little dress form I made stands out so much better than the original I posted here. But I am still learning. ;-)
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Girl Talk 2/17/10

Several weeks ago I picked up this magazine at my chiropractor's office and read it while waiting and asked if I could take it home. He said of course and while reading it I was a bit astounded by the vulgarity in the publication but I was intrigued by this article on makeup and fragrances. So several days ago I thought I'd go shopping for some of the products mentioned that everyday women tested and liked or found fantastic.

I'm not a woman who wears nail polish at all because I can't keep a nail on these working hands if someone offered me a million dollars to try. I do my best but they'll never be model material! Trust me on this one. I don't wear red lipstick either and very few colors in pink attract me. If there's even a hint of yellow, which would make it turn orange on me, I don't buy it. It has to be a blueish pink for these lips. I do, however, LOVE fragrances. So I went to the Macy's fragrance counter and tested them on me and I liked the Michael Kors Very Hollywood but it was $85 I think. No way would I pay that when I can order the oils online for $7.99! And I did order MK's Hollywood and Marc Jacobs Lola, which I tried at the fragrance counter and liked but it was $65. I'm thrilled with MK's Hollywood. It smells citrus-y with a hint of white delicate flowers. I love it. I think most women would also. So here I go again being brazen or clueless—not sure which—with a scientific study for you gals. *Sigh*...

This is a photo of me taken today with only mascara on. I plan on showing the difference in about a month after using the products I did purchase so read on. I'll call this photo "Connie Uncovered"! I cannot believe I'm doing this.

First page of the article. The "X" means I'm not even considering it because it's either way too costly or I have no interest in it.

Second page of the article.
Third page of the article.
Fourth and last page of the article.

Now, I'm an easy maintenance chick and don't fuss a lot with much in the way of makeup and usually won't spend a lot on foundation so this is what I usually wear, but the Neutral is a bit dark for me so I'm switching to the Buff, which is a bit lighter. I'm very light. My granddaughter is even lighter but we're pretty close. My daughter has her dad's coloring and it's a tad darker than mine but she has beautiful skin. So I'm going to try this color and I do like Almay because it's so sheer. If anyone has a favorite makeup they like and would recommend, please let me know. I wouldn't mind trying something about which you're excited.

I'd never heard of this but if England went crazy over it and the women testing it raved so much about it I thought I'd try it for 4 weeks and see what happens to this old face.

I love this moisturizer a lot. I buy it at WM for about $20.

We'll see how this works. It was rated very high among the women.

I absolutely love the way this feels going on the skin. Very smooth and makes your face feel nice. It also helps with the foundation not seeping into the wrinkles as much. You younger women had better take notice because you'll be wondering about this pretty soon, ya know. ;-)

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Peeling Idaho Potatoes

Let me assure you right here and now that the very best potatoes in the world come from the southeastern part of Idaho. I've eaten them! They are so sweet you'll eat more of them so be very careful when you get to taste them. But how to peel a potato the easy way? Well, I'm gonna tell ya, chicks. Watch Dawn Wells, an Idaho girl, peel potatoes. Fascinating!

Beautiful Images For You #3

Here are some more vintage images for your pleasure.

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Little Decorated Perfume Bottles for Pink Saturday

Beverly of HowSweetTheSound is hosting another Pink Saturday. Please visit with her to see all the "pinkness" you've ever seen in one place.
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These little bottles were emptied long ago of their fragrant perfumes that I've loved. One was Michael Kors and one was a name I've forgotten it's been so long. Throwing them away wasn't an option because I knew I could do something beautiful with them. So recently during a long winter night I set about froufrou-ing them up after painting one top pink of course. Little snippets of left over lace too small to do anything with but something like this went on them. Buttons, ribbon, paper roses, pearls and flowers I printed off some images I've had for years are attached also. They will go somewhere in this house; I just can't say where at the moment.

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