The Thing About Daisies...

{Wordless Wednesday} A hike through Red Rock Canyon Open Space

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 10:33:00 -0700

{Friday Favorites} Pebble Time Round

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Fri, 8 Jan 2016 11:10:00 -0700

Hello and happy Friday! Today I am sharing a favorite that was a long time coming. And now that I own it, I'm pretty much smitten. That being the Pebble Time Round smart watch.

I say it was a long time coming because my husband has been a Pebble user since their first rodeo on Kickstarter a few years back. He wore the trusty black and white e-paper version for years before joining their second go at Kickstarter for the new colored face Pebble Time. While he's been getting a great amount of use out of both watches I have been trundling along trying out various fitness trackers and watches. None of which I was ever happy with. We had found an amazing deal on a Fitbit Surge, which was exciting at the time, but quickly became less so. It's bulky and awkward. The small size barely fit my wrist, which meant I couldn't use the clip that helped lock the band in place. But if I had sized up I would have had to tighten the band all the way. Plus any weight loss would have left me with a too-large to wear fitness tracker. Which is extra pointless as the heart rate monitor wouldn't have been able to work. Not that it mattered, because the monitor on the back of the watch spent most of it's time hitting my wrist bone in the most annoying manor possible. The fitness tracking that it did, it seemed to do well. Except the "elevation climbed" part which was meant to count how many floors you had climbed up/down. Seriously, I live in a 3 story house and one day I was informed that I was a power climber after it registered me climbing 70+ floors. No. Not even close. Maybe it's because of our altitude and driving up and down hills confused it. Maybe it's because of all of the high and low pressure weather systems that move through the area. I don't know. But I do know that I never climbed 70+ flights of stairs. Oh and did I mention that it was bulky as fuck? Seriously I have never hated having something on my wrist more than I did the Surge, especially when I was wearing long sleeves, or god forbid...a jacket.

My husband seemed to notice my annoyance. Probably because I was vocal about it. Very vocal. I was mad, because I want to track my activity. I want to not have to be glued to my phone every time it buzzes. I want a watch. A basic, normal, tell the time watch. So after the 5 millionth pissy fit, where I ended up tearing the Surge off my wrist and throwing it into my purse, my husband started talking about the Pebble Time. More specifically The Pebble Time round. As it was a classic round watch that offered step and sleep tracking, among other things. With the huge added bonus of it being a normal, non infuriatingly bulky design. I hemmed and hawed. Then hemmed and hawed some more. We had just done Christmas, where I was spoiled. And if I couldn't find a fitness tracker/watch combo that I liked, why would this one be any different? Then I went the "I don't deserve it route". After my long song and dance of "what if", a new Pebble Time Round found its way home and onto my wrist.

Best. Decision. Ever.
My version is the Pebble Time Round silver with the red leather 14mm band. The red leather band/silver and white face is apparently specific to Target. Though you can get the red leather band/black on black through Pebble's website.

Like I said, I'm pretty much smitten with it. It gives me notifications on what's going on with my phone. I can read text messages and emails. See various app notifications. Check to see who's calling and decline phone calls is need be. I can control music on my phone. It can vibrate at me as an alarm. I can change the watch face depending on my mood, with some even having the weather integrated or fancy animations. Best of all I can track my steps and sleep habits.

With a simple flick of the wrist, the face lights up so you can easily read what it says, especially useful in a low light space. Then after a few seconds it fades back to a dim, but still readable face.

I'm excited to have this. Not just because it looks cool and does equally cool stuff, but because it will help me track my activity level. Which in turn I am hoping will help me reach goals and new milestones. 2016 is the year that I am pushing forward, living my life for me while striving to make me a better version of myself. It's oddly fitting that I am starting off the new year with a time piece.

So there's my Friday, but actually everyday, favorite. What's your current favorite thing that you have or are eyeing?

{Wordless Wednesday} Where's Swarley?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 6 Jan 2016 10:36:00 -0700

{Mani Monday} SpaRitual Instinctual

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Mon, 4 Jan 2016 11:09:00 -0700

Happy New Year everyone! I personally am happy that 2015 is behind us. Saying it was a bitch of a year is an understatement. For 2016 I'm focusing on it being the year of me, but that's a subject for a blog post. Which will happen soon.

Today we are focusing on SpaRitual's Instinctual. Which is a lovely, sheer topper filled with glass flecks that shift and flash color. There's a bit of a blue flash as well as a color shift from a rosy pink to orange to gold. This is a wear on top of another color, which I did by using my last posts color as "underwear". So in the photos you will see Instinctual on top of Orly Rage. I really loved the combination and found myself mindlessly looking at my nails in various lighting. The photos I have do not do the color shift and justice what-so-ever, but I tried. I wore three light coats of SpaRitual Instinctual over two coats of Orly Rage.

{Outside: Evening light}

Hope you all have a great Monday and an even better 2016! I'm excited to make this year mine. Keep checking back because new things are already in the works for this little ol' blog!

{Wordless Wednesday} The elephant(s) in the room

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 11:11:00 -0700

{Mani Monday} Orly Rage

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 14:57:00 -0700

Man, last week got away from me. Badly. With it being the end of the year and the holidays hitting full force, I just kept forgetting to get photos of my nails. Also, if it could stop being SO DAMN DRY here, that would be peachy. Cause my nails are not appreciating it. Nor are my hands loving the abuse they are receiving. After a handful of nail breaks, with one guaranteeing nubs, and a crap ton of variously acquired cuts I think I am finally able to start healing and re-growth.

With things calming down a bit before New Years hits, I found some time today to sit and paint my nails with a classic color from Orly. This color is called Rage and is just a really great rose gold foil metallic. It applies well, isn't streaky and is a just good color to have in a collection. The only major issues are cleanup as foils like to leave shimmering reminders of the polish behind, but all you need is a good hand wash to get rid of the shimmering remnants. I use it as a base color as well, which you'll see in next weeks post. So just an all around solid polish. Photos of the polish were taken outside in cloud cover, so the warmth of the polish is lost a bit.

{Outdoors: cloud cover}

As you can see I didn't wash my hands before photographing the polish, so there's shimmer around the cuticle. I was fighting with the sunlight trying to get photos before the clouds fully moved in.

Clouds - 1
Me - 0

But I win in the end, because I have a pretty polish on.

{Wordless Wednesday} Mid-Century Modern Bathroom Lust

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 09:11:00 -0700

{Friday Favorites} Boot dreaming

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 08:30:00 -0700

Wandering Instagram can be a very dangerous thing. There's so many great and odd things to be seen.

One of my recent, late night, IG wanderings lead me to a pair of booties that I just can't get out of my head. After clicking around a few photos I finally found the link. Right to Anthropologie. Of course.

These beauties are from Billy Ella and are a navy faux suede with silver star embroidery. It's like a starry night is being laid across your feet. Swoon. I'm in love and trying to come up with as many outfits to wear these with as possible.

They are currently out of my size, but I can only hope that they will magically be restocked at some point so that these night sky booties can find their way to my house.

A girl can dream right? Cause I know I sure as heck am.

So what are your current favorite things that you own or are lusting after?

{Wordless Wednesday} Sleepy smooshed face

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 09:04:00 -0700

{Mani Monday} Great Lakes Lacquer and Stamping

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 10:58:00 -0700

Let's start off with a truth. My nails are brutal right now. Between packing orders and how dry it's been here this winter, my nails look haggard. None of my nails are the same length. At all. There's been some bad breaks, including one yesterday that became not only a broken nail but a cut into the tip of my finger when I was trying to file the nail. Yeah...it's bad.

Which means I'm kicking off Manic Mani Monday with a mani I did a month ago. It's perfectly fall and wonderful and shows off my very new stamping skills. It also showcases a beautiful small batch limited edition from Great Lakes Lacquer. The color is called Raisins Fall and is a beautiful browned out purple holo that has a copper like sheen. I purchased mine the first time it was released. It had enough interest in it that the maker worked to recreate the polish to re-release on Cyber Monday of this year. Meaning that there are two versions on Raisins Fall, though I don't know how much they differ from each other. My version applied beautifully in two coats and was easy to remove.

Okay enough jabbering, let's get to the polish...

{OttLite}

{Outside: full sun}

{Outside: shade}

After wearing this polish for a day I decided to try out some stamping over the top. I just recently started stamping, after putting it off forever. I'm still learning but it's been fun.

{Outside: full sun}

I went with some fall leaves off of the Uber Chic Halloween-01 stamping plate. I used four Illamasqua colors in various shades of yellow, orange and green to create a water color effect (it probably has a proper name, but let's just go with this). I really love how subtle the leaves were and how the colors blended into one another. Just like leaves changing in the fall.

So there we have it, the kick off to Manic Mani Monday! Hopefully I can get my nails to a happier place so that I can share a current mani next week. Fingers crossed!

{Decor} The rainbow tree receives an epic upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 10:33:00 -0700

In the not so distant past I had an idea. A wild hair, if you will. It led Nate and I on a late night trip to Meijer for a white Christmas tree. I had plans. Very colorful plans.

Five years ago an idea exploded and I had no idea it would be so popular. I took a white Christmas tree and combined it with a plethora of rainbow colored ornaments I had stockpiled away. Thus our rainbow tree was born.

Since then our tree has been posted and reposted on Pinterest and other various sites many times over. At this point the tree usually doesn't even link back to this blog. A tree lost in translation.

The good news is the tree is alive and well. Going strong so many years later. I have moments where I think maybe we'll change it up, but then I re-fall in love with the tree all over again. So every year it goes up and slowly gets decorated color by color, starting from the top. It's a decorating dance that I know well at this point.

This year though, something was set in motion to help give the rainbow tree a new breath of life. For once stores having their holiday accessories out, just as Halloween wrapped up, paid off.

On a random wandering of Target, because it's what I do as an adult, I ran into the trickling out of Christmas trees and all of their accoutrements. I did my usual wanderings to see all of the new things only to have my eye caught by a shimmering star topper that spun color onto the "ceiling" of the visual box it was displayed in. Videos were instantly taken to send to Nate.

Yes...that video was sent to Nate instantly. Along with pleading. And whining. Really anything I could throw at him to somehow make that tree topper come home to live with us. All that was needed was another trip back to Target, this time with Nate it tow, to show off the the tree topper of epic-ness in person. Also known as the Lit LED Projection Star Topper. My name for it is so much better.

Let's just say that this topper sat in it's box taunting me for almost a month as we finally finished getting our house put back together from the summer basement flood. Which is another long story for another time. As we scrambled to get the last bits and pieces of a destroyed house put back into proper places, so that we could enjoy Thanksgiving with friends, the white tree may have found it's way into the house. Before Thanksgiving. GASP. And while not yet decorated, the topper may have also found its way to the top of the tree.

About a week later the ornaments found their way onto the tree.

Swoon.

To say that I'm still smitten with the tree is a total understatement. And now with this amazing topper? Stick a fork in me, I'm done. If you need me you can find me laying on our sofa next to the tree just staring at it in wonderment.

I mean, just watch this video and tell me how you can't absolutely love this tree!?

{Friday Favorites} New K-beauty favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 08:30:00 -0700

Korean beauty, or K-beauty for short, is finally hitting the beauty market in a big way. And I am excited! I've been a fan of K-beauty products for awhile, but getting ahold of certain things was difficult.

With it being easier and easier to find products, I'm finding more and more products coming home with me. Some of my recent purchases were from two really fun brands. Cute packaging is always an eye catcher for me. Honestly it's how I end up buying a lot of things. Cute packaging? SOLD! Okay, so I do actually do research on the beauty products that I buy, but cute packaging still helps with the decision.

My recent purchase of K-beauty products comes from Tony Moly and Too Cool For School.

Tony Moly Panda's Dream So Cool Eye Cream is a cooling eye serum. It cools on contact with the skin, is easy to apply and doesn't feel heavy. I can easily see this being a go-to under eye product for the summer.

Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Holiday Wish List is an offering of three scented and tinted lip balms. Each one has a scent/flavor that pairs up with the color. I'm pretty much smitten with these. Between the adorable art, the kiss of color and the hydrating feeling these are a must. They add a nice wash of tinted color. Nothing over the top, just a hint. They go on nicely, aren't sticky and feel smooth and hydrating on the lip. There are five colors in total and I can easily see myself getting the other two. Sadly it doesn't look like this set it still for sale, but you can buy the individually.

So there's my current Friday Favorites! What have you been loving and/or lusting after recently?

{Wordless Wednesday} Snow Edged Leaf

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 9 Dec 2015 10:32:00 -0700

The Thing About Daisies reawakens

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Mon, 7 Dec 2015 10:56:00 -0700

It's been months since giving this blog a much needed, clean facelift.

It's been over a year since the last time I posted anything here.

It's been over 6 years since I first had a wild hair to create a personal lifestyle blog.

So why come back now?

I could write out a beautifully long story about life being crazy and having huge amounts of self-doubt and being too busy and losing the love for blogging.

Instead though, I will simply say...

I missed it.

For months I have racked through my brain about what I want to do to revive this blog. What I want to share. It always comes back to keeping it the way that it was. A place for me to share whatever strikes my fancy, but with a little more structure.

Reviews will still happen. Sharing craft ideas are a must. Random musing of life are always interesting (at least to me). There's my desperate love of all things fashion and beauty related. With some home decor thrown in. Food and drink, can't forget about that, be it making it or just simply eating/drinking it. Totally need to share things I currently love and things I currently would love to have, we can all dream and drool together right? And to round it out, nail polish, because it is my life and day job.

To get back into the flow of things I am going to start with three main, weekly cycling, posts to get content rolling. So keep an eye out on Mondays for Manic Mani Monday, where I will share my favorite current polish. Wednesdays will see Wordless Wednesday, which is just sharing a wordless photo. Fridays will see Friday Favorites, where I will share either something that is currently a favorite thing I own/use or a favorite thing I have been lusting over. From there I'll add on various posts as I get the content up and ready for them to go live!

So welcome to those who are new to this journey with me and welcome back to anyone who may have stuck it out throughout the years.

Let's get this blog re-blogified! Also apologies about so many blog posts with broken photos. It's on my to-do list for fixing.

My parting gift is this random photo of holographic snowflake decor:

Review: Laneige BB Cushion

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 10:38:00 -0600

Once again Infuenster was kind enough to tag me for a promo that they were teaming up with Target for. Target is revamping their beauty departments while also bringing in new, fresh products. #FindItAtTarget is the campaign that they launched to help people discover all of the new lines they were bringing in. Laneige is one of those new lines.

I was beyond lucky and received the Laneige BB Cushion in three colors (light, medium, dark). The packaging for them is lovely. The box they come in has a beautiful glossy pattern printed on it which is repeated on the foil packaging of the included refill.

The compact itself is has a nice weight too it, but it's not overly heavy. It is sleek with its all white look and only the brand name and BB Cushion printed on the top. The push button is nice and easily opens the compact to reveal a mirror and makeup sponge. Flipping open the sponge holder reveals the actual foundation.

I personally tested the Laneige BB Cushion in Light, as it matched my skin the closest. The foundation itself is unique and interesting. It's like a soft, springy, moistened sponge or as they call it, a cushion. What I loved about this foundation is the SPF 50+, which is almost unheard of in most foundations. The texture, application, skin color correcting and scent were all spot on for me. It was easy to apply with the application puff that is included and blended in nicely. It left my face feeling soft and giving off a lovely dewy glow. I enjoy that I was able to reapply it as needed, without feeling like I was adding bulk to my face.

My one compliant and the constant issue I run into with all of the BB lines I have tried...color. Even their light was not light enough for me. Sadly it pulled out the yellow/orange undertones in my skin. I wish that Laneige offered a lighter, more neutral color because I would buy it up in a heartbeat. I love this foundation that much. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when my skin color changes during the summer that I'll be able to use the color, because I think it will be an amazing summer foundation.

I did pass out the Medium and Dark to some beauty gurus that I know and they absolutely raved about it. They loved the texture and how it felt on. They also agreed that it didn't feel bulky in any way what-so-ever. Plus the colors matched the two of them perfectly!

Here's what they say about the product:

So in the end I really love this product, even if it isn't a perfect match for my skin color. The SPF 50+ is an amazing feature to this product, as is the fact that you can reapply it throughout the day without bulky buildup. The price, $34, does seem a bit high, especially for Target, but with them expanding their product line, it's nice to a wider range of offerings and prices. Also, all of the colors comes with a refill, so there's actually two packages of color in each box. That alone makes the price worth it. I'm going to keep trying the light color as the summer progresses in hopes of it working for me. I'll also be keeping my fingers crossed that Laneige comes out with a lighter color.This product was sent to me by Influenster to review for Target. All thoughts are my own.

Review: Ponds BB+ Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 12:17:00 -0600

About a month ago I was lucky enough to be chosen by Influenster to participate in trying a new product from Ponds. They were putting out a BB cream called Ponds BB+. I have to say, upon receiving the box I was blown away by the packaging and presentation. The box they came displayed in is something I will enjoy using for years to come.

I was sent two foundations to try for myself, one in Light and the other in Medium. The medium shade will never get touched by me as I am very fair skinned. I was excited to try the light shade because I have been trying to find the perfect BB cream that works for not only my skin type, but also my coloring. So I eagerly tried the light shade BB+ on a day that I was spending outside in a park. I figured what better place to try a new foundation that has SPF 15 in it!?

Sadly to say that's where my excitement tapered off. I wasn't a fan of the coverage it gave and it left my face feeling tacky/sticky to the touch. I ended up putting a loose powder over top to help take away the stickiness. Once in natural daylight it was easy to see that it was not a match for my skin tone. The color had quickly oxidized on me and was leaning orange.

By mid day the foundation had already started melting off of my chin and cheeks. It was also feeling tacky again and looked to have oxidized even more. This is a common issue with my combination skin that starts dry and ends oily.

I so hoped that this would be a product that worked for me, but it didn't. This is an all to common issue for BB creams that I have come across. They tend to have a limited color range and companies don't seem to understand that one or two colors does not fit all. Perhaps if Ponds comes out with a lighter shade I will try it, but even then I would be hesitant.

Here's what Ponds says about their product:

Flawless in Seconds, + More Even Tone in 2 Weeks!

POND'S^® Luminous Finish BB+ was created with Tone Perfecting Complex. It works by targeting the source of dark spots on skin’s surface – visibly fading them for a difference you can see. It also delivers a special pigment system designed to blend flawlessly into a variety of skin tones and immediately conceal imperfections with natural-looking coverage.
Available in Light and Medium.

At night, remove all traces of makeup with Luminous Clean™ Wet Cleansing Towelettes.

Essential Features

Superior* Coverage of Imperfections
Superior* Visible Dark Spot Reduction
Superior* Non-Greasy Feel, with a Matte Finish
Broad spectrum SPF 15 sun protection
Non-comedogenic – won’t clog pores
Dermatologist tested
Hypoallergenic

Be sure to check out the giveaway that Pond's is hosting on their Facebook page!

This product was sent to me by Influenster to review for Ponds. All thoughts are my own.

Closing out 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 18:53:00 -0700

As I watch 2012 come to a close, I can't say that I am all that sad. It's been a year of adjustments and a lot more self doubt than I care for. But it hasn't been all bad. I have taken some major steps in a direction that I have been tiptoeing towards for months, years even.

So while 2012 might be quietly making its exit in my life, 2013 is waiting to start with a bang. Why is that you might ask? Well that's because I have taken a huge leap and am excited with where it's going.

I have started another blog, one that revolves around my love of all things nail polish. It's about time, seeing as I have a very large love of all things nail lacquer. But that alone is not the big jump. The big jump is that after 6 months of making nail polish of my own, I am going to launch a shop. I am going to sell my nail polish!

If you would like to join me on this journey, please join me over at Emerald & Ash. I will not only share my polish collection, but also the polishes I have made and that I plan to sell.

Running my own shop and making something I truly love has been something I have dreamed about for years. So I am beyond excited. I hope to be able to still blog over here, but it will probably be slow while I work on my shop and getting everything up and running.

2013 is already looking to be full of excitement and new things and I hope that you will join me in this new endeavor.

I also hope that you have a wonderful new year and that it brings you all of the things you have been hoping for.

Review: SquareHue

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 6 Dec 2012 14:14:00 -0700

Hello! Today I am very excited to share with you a new monthly subscription box called SquareHue. Why am I so excited? Because SquareHue is a nail polish box! Yep...it's like my dream box.

When I first heard about the box it sparked my interest. After looking through their website I knew that I had to try it. You get 3 polishes each month that have been specifically made for that month. The company looks at what is trending in colors for at the time and they create beautiful colors from there. Even better is this:

We are sure you’ll love SquareHue quality. Our colors are developed by the same lab as some of the largest international brands. No cheapy stuff here.

“3-Free” Clean formula – Does not contain (1)DBP, (2)Formaldehyde, (3)Toluene.
We like our formula extra clean… so no Camphor either.
Not tested on animals.
Proudly Made in the USA.

Here's what really hooked me. Their bottles are the "normal" .50 oz bottles. None of this tiny bottle for a high price crap (I'm looking at you Julep). That and it's their own brand. So if you're like me and have a huge collection you don't have to worry that they might send you an OPI you already have.

I was actually lucky enough to get their very first box, which was December's, sent to me for review and I have to say that not only am I honored, it was an absolute pleasure talking with Laura at SquareHue. She was nothing but helpful and answered all of my questions.

So after a little wait (wrong zipcode issue) I finally got my box yesterday. I have to say, it's an adorable little box. It's so small, but perfect for the polishes. Once opened I was greeted with a welcome card that was signed by everyone from SquareHue. It was a simple, but sweet extra.

Getting past the welcome note, the polishes were packed with crinkle cut paper. Both pretty and great padding for the polish.

Each polish was held in it's own space with a divider. Also super smart for shipping the polishes safely.

The bottles are a great square shape with a good weight behind them. They don't feel like they are going to fall over at all. One side has a large white square printed on it with hue written inside of the square. The opposite side has their website, size of the bottle and Made in USA printed on it. All of the printing is nicely done and allows you to see the polish through all sides.

On the bottom of the bottle are stickers with the company name, name of the polish and the date of when the polish was sent out. I actually love that they put the date on the bottles. So I always know which collection they were a part of. Seriously...it's brilliant. This month was all about the holidays and the names reflected that as well.

Now for the swatches! I started with Champagne Toast, which is a great light gold foil. There are some flashes of silver in it as well. It really does have a Champagne feel to it. This went on to be opaque with two coats. The first coat started out a little streaky, but I find that to be true with a lot of foils that I have used. After the second coat everything evened out and looked great. It didn't show much in the way of brush strokes either. It dried fairly quickly to the touch and is shown here without a top coat.

Next is Sugar Plum. It's a great deep purple metallic with a little shimmer in it. I honestly don't own enough purples, so I was haver happy to add this to my collection. The first coat started out very streaky, but was easily fixed with a second coat. I did do a thin third coat for peace of mind, but probably would have been fine with only two coats. The formula was really nice, not too thin that it flooded my cuticles and not to thick that it was hard to work with.

Last, but not least is Holly Berry. It's a great red metallic with gold shimmer. Maybe not the most original red, but lets face it there is no such thing as an original red at this point. I do really like that it's a metallic with the shimmer, because it makes it look lit from within. I will apologize now, because the sun went off and hit by the time I was ready for pictures, so you can't see the gold as much, but it's there. After applying the purple I decided to try 3 thin coats with this color, which worked perfectly. Again, streaky at first, but smooth and wonderful after the second coat.

So overall what do I think?

Well I'm impressed. The colors are perfect for the holidays. And while I would have loved a green (I adore green and have a huge desire for a green polish with silver shimmer), it's just a personal wish and nothing to do with SquareHue. Really the purple was perfect in this set. It took it away from the basic green and red of the holidays.

Now for the details. Right now they have a deal where you can get the subscription for $14.99 per month with free shipping, but that does end on the 8th of this month. Then the price jumps to $21.

I personally feel like it's a great deal and will be jumping on it, because getting polish each month that has been picked out based on trends is right up my alley. I really look forward to seeing what their next colors will look like and I hope that their formula is just as wonderful down the line.

Disclaimer: This was sent to me to review, but all thoughts and views on the products are my own.

Decor: The rainbow tree returns!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Tue, 4 Dec 2012 12:51:00 -0700

It's back! After a year of our rainbow tree being gone, I couldn't wait to get it back up. My only wish it is that it would put its self up. But I love it...and am so happy that its back again!

Life: Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Thu, 1 Nov 2012 13:21:00 -0600

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween! We stayed home and handed out candy and Play-Doh. Yep we were that house. Luckily 90% of the kids were really excited.

Nails: Pegasus Poop

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:58:00 -0600

I received this beauty as a gift. It's called Pegasus Poop from Heart Lacquer. It is a stunning polish that I can't seem to capture in a photograph. I think it might be time for me to get a light box.

Life: Hi!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Tue, 9 Oct 2012 08:00:00 -0600

Some new crafty things and a hello from me.

Life: To Don't

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 13:39:00 -0600

There is always something that need to be done. Sometimes lists are made to remember what to do. And sometimes those to do lists seem never ending. Luckily when I need a smile I just pull out my "To Don't" list.

Nosh: Ginger peach jam

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 08:00:00 -0600

We may not have the pick your own farms like we did in Ohio, but we make do. Especially when we find an awesome deal on peaches and ginger. I love it when Nate makes jams and jellies, because the house always smells amazing and the payoff is tasty!

Life: The colors are just as vivid 5 years later

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 08:00:00 -0600

While Cassie was here visiting, we took them to the Air force Academy. Sometimes it's hard to believe that it was only 5 years ago that Nate had graduated from there. But then again, so much has happened in the 5 years since we've been gone. Nevertheless, while coming back is both odd and exciting, some things never change.

Being that close to the mountains makes for a beautiful back drop and the Cadet Chapel is still just as beautiful as always.

It's hard not to see beauty in this building, no matter what you do or don't believe. The glass shards cast beautiful dancing colors across the chapel. The metal creaks and pops as it warms in the morning sun. As you turn to leave to are greeted by the stunning organ. Downstairs there is the Catholic Chapel which is filled with more glowing light from the glass. But probably one of my favorite rooms is the Jewish Chapel. There the circular room is flooded with brilliant purple color from the stained glass. It is absolutely stunning.