This Girl Does It All

Baby Blanket Progress

2012-02-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a long road of ups and downs but I'm proud to report that I'm ... getting closer to the finished result. After much deliberation, and some serious looking at the size the blanket was going to be, I've decided to scale it down to a 6X10 blanket. This means I need, obviously, 60 squares to complete the blanket. I've decided to attach the squares by using a single crochet in the back loop of the stitch as opposed to anything else. I'm really excited about how's is coming. I can't wait to give this to my sister-in-law. Maybe, when this blanket is finished, I can move on to more scrapbooking/cricut related posts. So, here's what it looks like right now.

This is a close up of what the squares look like attached to each other. Like I said above, this is a single crochet in the back look of each stitch along the edge. I think it's a fantastic look. It's not flat, which I think is going to give it a little more depth.

This is a wider shot of the attached squares. I've gotten 2 rows of 10, for a total of 20, squares attached together. I'm currently working on the next row of 10. I am really loving the outcome. Now the only thing I have to figure out is how to finish off the edge.

(Disclaimer: All photos were taken by me. As such, please do not use them without my permission.)

The Secret Garden

2012-02-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

From Goodreads

Title: The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Genre: Childrens Lit., Fiction, Classic
Pages: 330 (Kindle Edition)
Average Rating: 4.19 out of 5 (Taken from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads)
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Mary Lennox is a sickly, disagreeable, child living in India with parents who very rarely pay attention to her. After the death of her parents and all the servants Mary is sent to live with her uncle, a man she knows nothing about, at Misselwaithe Manor in England. While there Mary hears about, and discovers, a Secret Garden that was left for dead when her aunt passed away 10 years ago. She also discovers another secret, this one in the form of her cousin, Colin. If Mary can convince Colin that he's not an invalid and not destine to die young maybe the "magic" of being outdoors can work on him as it worked on Mary.

I've actually never been one for "the classics" but I have to say that I LOVE The Secret Garden. My vision of this book is a little skewed as I did see the movie prior to reading this. Yes, I'm 30 years old and this is the first time that I've read this book. Why? I noticed that it's a free public domain book AND I remember loving the movie when I was a child. I downloaded it onto my Kindle about a month ago and, after reading Flowers for Algernon, this was the next in line.

As I sit here, I'm finding it quite hard to write a review for this book. The transformations that the characters undergo, the knowledge that you as a reader gain from their transformations, and learning of the love you can find simply by being yourself, make this one of the most amazing books I've ever read. I had so much fun reading this, especially when Martha and Dickon were talking. I continually tried to emulate their Yorkshire accent but it ended up as somewhat of an Irish accent in the end.

The only thing I can think to do, in regards to talking about this book, is to share some of my favorite quotes. I will be honest and say it was hard to find viable quotes. I don't mean that this book isn't full of great sayings but they're presented in a different manner than the books of this generation. Normally, when reading a book, you can pick out those amazing catch phrases without searching. However, with this classic book, it takes a little digging to find those one in a million words that mean more now than they did back then. For example, when Dickon and Martha's mother wants to explain that you can't have everything, she tells people "But don't you—none o' you—think as you own th' whole orange or you'll find out you're mistaken, an' you won't find it out without hard knocks." (Also, I find it odd that more people didn't highlight this passage while reading. It's an amazing quote, one that everything can learn from.)

I know, this is getting long already, but I can't stop sharing. Another of my favorite quotes has to do with Mary and Colin, talking about the garden. "And they both began to laugh over nothings as children will when they are happy together." If there was ever any proof that children need to be surrounded by other children, and not just video games, this is it.

This has to be my favorite use of imagery EVER. When Mary first enters the secret garden, and looks around, she lets the reader see what's happening too. When she describes how "climbing roses had run all over them and swung down long tendrils which made light swaying curtains, and here and there they had caught at each other or at a far-reaching branch and had crept from one tree to another and made lovely bridges of themselves," I get chills.

Lastly, a quote to live by. Toward the end of the book, when Colin wants his father to come home so that he can prove to him that he, Colin, is going to "live forever and ever and ever" the author goes on talking about life, in general. This one perfect quote sums up this whole book in a couple sentences. "..surprising things can happen to any one who, when a disagreeable or discouraged thought comes into his mind, just has the sense to remember in time and push it out by putting in an agreeable determinedly courageous one. Two things cannot be in one place. "Where, you tend a rose, my lad, A thistle cannot grow.""

I have pages of quotes that I highlighted out of this book but for the sake of your eyes I'll end it here.I adore this book and, looking back, I think I adore the movie even more now. If you haven't read this book I highly recommend it. It's a free public domain book. This means that if you have an e-reader you can download it for free. If you don't have an e-reader just Google free public domain books. There are a million resources out there.

(Discliamer: I am in no way affiliated with Google, this author, or any websites I've linked to in this post. This is strictly an opinion post. To read my full disclaimer click HERE)

Eye Primer: A Battle

2012-02-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had the problem of keeping your eye shadow where it's supposed to be all day? Did you get home after work/play/a long day just to find that most of it wasn't anywhere near your eyelid anymore? I know I have and until I discovered the beauty community on YouTube I didn't have a clue how to fix the problem. Then I learned about eyelid primers. There are so many to choose from but for this post I'm going to tell you about the 2 that I've tried. Bare Escentuals (Bare Minerals) Prime Time Eyelid Primer and L'Oreal De-Crease.

Photo Taken By Me

First we'll start with Prime Time.

After hearing about Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) and Two Faced Shadow Insurance, and realizing that I could only purchase them online because I'm no where near a Sephora, or an Ulta, I decided that the next time I visited a Bare Minerals store I would see if they had something similar. Thankfully they did. I, however, have mixed feelings about this product. First, I'll tell you the good. (There is now an Ulta near my house and I've since purchased UDPP)

- This stuff really works, and it works well. It keeps your color on your lid all day and it keeps the colors vibrant.
- Unlike UDPP, or Two Faced, it comes in, or used to come in, a twist up tube so that you were ensured to get more of the product out.
- It matches my skin tone quite well.

Photo Taken By Me

Onto what I think needs improvement.

- When I purchased this it was $16 ... for .05fl oz. That's expensive!!
- I am not a fan of doe foot applicators and that's what this has. When you start off with so little product to begin with, losing any of it on the applicator really sucks.
- You can't see how much product is coming out until you have too much. With the applicator in the way you just have to twist and hope that a bunch of it doesn't come up the tube at once.
- It tends to dry out, in the tube, rather quickly. When I say quickly I mean in a couple of days. I was trying to give my face a break from makeup and when I came back to this product, the first little bit that came up was hard. It really frustrated me.

Verdict: I love this product. Yes it's expensive. Most good products tend to be more expensive. Would I repurchase it again? I have, numerous times. I won't be purchasing it anymore seeing as how, and I didn't research this before I bought it the first time, (or the second and third time) you get 3 times the amount of UDPP for $1 more. What a fool I was.

Photo Taken By Me

Onto the L'Oreal De-Crease

After figuring out how much I was spending, or over spending, on the Prime Time I saw this on my the shelf of a drugstore and thought I would give it a shot. I really shouldn't have wasted my money. There are, however, some good to mention.

- The price. It was somewhere between $7 and $10 for .2 fl oz.
- It works. Not all day, but it works.
- It's readily available. You can purchase it from most drug stores and big box stores.

I have to move on to improvements that need to be made.

- It doesn't last all day. Yes, as I said, it works but only for a few hours.
- Again, a doe foot applicator. I'd much prefer a squeeze tube.
- You can't get everything out. With the shape of the tube, belling out at the bottom, and the shape of the applicator, long and skinny, you just can't get everything out.
- It seems quite cake-y for an eye primer. Not to the point that it's ashy on your lid but, and I can't really explain this, it's too thick and not creamy enough.
- Still, for such a small amount, it's a little pricey. I would have estimated this to be somewhere in the $4 - $6 range for the amount. Then again I did pay more for less with Bare Minerals.

Verdict: I wouldn't, for any reason, repurchase this product. I'd go without primer before I did so again. I've read reviews about it and either you love it or you don't. I just don't. It didn't work for me.

WINNER: Even though I've realized how horribly I'm being ripped off by purchasing the Bare Minerals Eyelid Primer, I'd have to give this battle to Prime Time.

Have you ever tried an eyelid primer? If so, which one, and how did you like it?

(I am not, in any way, affiliated with any company, product, or person mentioned in this post. All products were purchased by me and all opinions are my own. I do NOT get paid for you clicking on the links or purchasing anything. I only provide these links for ease of access to the reader.)

Learning To Crochet

2012-02-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

(Yep, another crochet post. This time, I'm going backwards. I've talked about making a baby blanket and I've talked about my progress on said blanket, but I've never talked about learning. If you're ready to learn, here are the resources that I've found helpful.)

Since entering into the world of crochet I've found the most amazing people online. OK, so I haven't really talked to anyone but I've noticed how willing everyone is to share their creations, their knowledge, and their general love for crochet. If you're interested in learning about crochet, or how to crochet, I'm going to direct you to some amazing sites, and at least one magazine.

First and foremost, how I learned to crochet. As most of you know, my husband bought me a book for Christmas. It came with everything I needed, minus the yarn, to get started on my journey.

(Source)

I think I mentioned this book in another post but I can't seem to find it. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn the basics of crochet. When I got this book I knew nothing about the craft. I didn't know how to make a chain stitch, I didn't know there were so many stitches, I didn't even know yarn had different weights. After going through this little magazine, for no more than a week, I could successfully crochet almost everything in it. The instructions are so amazing, the pictures are the perfect size, and even a beginner like myself could understand what the author was trying to teach. This book, which included 5 or 6 crochet hooks, chain markers, an instructional DVD, numerous crochet patterns, and a few other things that I can't recall right now, was only $10 at Wal-Mart. (I linked this photo through my Amazon Associate account but do NOT recommend you purchase this product on Amazon. It just happened to be one of the only places to get a semi-decent photo of the book.)

This, however, is not the only amazing resource in finding a teacher in the art of crochet. I swear, I'm not trying to sound like a sensei. I've found a lot of handy videos on YouTube.

This is the woman who taught me how to make a Granny Square. Her username, Bethintx1. She's a fantastic teacher and so patient. I've asked her a couple general questions through her YouTube account and was astonished that she got back to me within a couple hours. It's fantastic. She's got videos on learning to crochet, reading crochet patterns, and everything in between. I HIGHLY suggest you check her out.
Through this whole process I noticed that what people were making was far out of the realm of any of the patterns in my little magazine up there. Did you know, however, that when you search free crochet patterns on Google you get over 6 million results? (If you click the link in that last sentence you'll be taken straight to the search) I've found the holy grail of sites. It's a site that links you to other sites with free patterns. (More worry free searching. CLICK HERE!)
So, if you don't want to pay to learn to crochet, although you still have to buy the hooks and the yarn, I highly suggest YouTube and Google search become your best friends. If you do, however, have $10 and a Wal-Mart close by I absolutely recommend the magazine. As I said before, everything but the yarn is included. I'm so glad I started the learning process and there's no going back from here.
Have you ever had the desire to learn to crochet?Can you crochet? If so, how long have been crocheting?
(Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Boye (the company that produced the magazine) Bethintx1, YouTube, or any of the sites linked to in this post. As I stated in the first paragraph I am an Amazon Associate and will get a cut of the sale if you purchase that magazine on Amazon. However, don't do that, it's more expensive there. It just so happened that the picture was the best I could find.)

Flowers For Algernon

2012-02-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Click Photo For Credit

Title: Flowers For Algernon
Author: Daniel Keyes
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 324 (Kindle Edition)
Average Rating: 4.29 out of 5 (Taken from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads)
My Rating: 4.8+ (The only reason I can't give this 5 stars is that it's difficult to read in some spots. I understand why it has to be written that way but still, it can be a little testing on your brain)

Charlie Gordon loves his friends at Mr. Donner's bakery, where's he's been working cleaning up and making deliveries since he was younger,but thinks that if he becomes smarter he'll have even more friends. On a recommendation from his teacher, Mrs. Kinnian, from the Beekman College Center for Retarded Adults he agrees to have an operation to improve his intelligence. In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie details his journey in his "progris riports". Prior to his operation, Charlie has an IQ of 68 and "...cant rite good..." but after the operation, and through the process of learning, Charlie's IQ skyrockets to a staggering 185. All the while Charlie makes friends with a mouse, Algernon, who's had the same operation performed on him. Algernon helps Charlie in many ways, including helping Charlie to understand that his genius status isn't permanent. Charlie finds that, not only is his intelligence not getting him more friends but, the friends he thought he had were only laughing AT him. "Before, they had laughed at me, despising me for my ignorance and dullness; now, they hated me for my knowledge and understanding." Flowers for Algernon is a lesson in, well, pretty much everything. Love, friendship, and the role intelligence plays in life. (Synopsis by me)

I absolutely love this book. Charlie, before and after the operation, is a role model that anyone should be proud to look up to. His willingness to accept the burden of this operation, even though he has little understanding of it, is a testament to his determination. His drive to learn propels him forward into a life he never expected to find.

When I first started reading the story I found it hard to identify with Charlie. I didn't know anything about his past, and even less about his present state. I knew he was mentally challenged and I knew he'd be having an operation to change that. Beyond that, I knew nothing. It was painful to get to know Charlie. All the struggles that he faced as a child, all the horrific punishments his mother would dole out just because she wanted him to be normal, and how trusting he was of others when his mother said they could cure him. Seeing such an amazing soul being taken advantage of is awful and I wish I could have stepped into the story and just kicked some a** at times.

The most painful part of the book for me, even more so than when Charlie realizes his intelligence is temporary and begins to deteriorate back to his mental capacity as it was before the operation, was the time Charlie went to visit his mother. It seems that she's lost most of the memories she had of protecting Charlie and only remembers what a bad child she thought he was after she had her second "normal" child, Norma. I cried right along with Charlie as he leaves the house, in tears, because his sister has asked him stay and help take care of their mother and he can't bring himself to tell her that his mind won't be the same for much longer. He knows he'd only be another burden on his sister and wants to leave their relationship in good standing.

How would it be to go from one end of the intelligence scale and, in 3 months, reach the other only to find out you have to travel back down and an even more alarming rate? I have so much to say about this book but won't say anymore then this is a book that I think everyone should read. You'll learn acceptance. You'll learn about true love. You'll learn that no matter how intelligent you are it takes much more than that to be, and have, a friend.

My Mini Ulta Haul

2012-02-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

No bragging intended but I was just so excited that I HAD to film this. Yes, I get THAT excited about makeup. See, I told you I was a junkie. Below the video are pictures of the products along with prices. Enjoy! (Showing you the prices is NOT a way for me to brag. I always find it helpful when people list the prices so that's what I've done.)

(Yesterday, Sunday, was my anniversary but I made this yesterday so ... sorry)

Urban Decay Primer Potion

.37 oz for $20

This, if you weren't sure, is a base for your eye shadow. It's purpose is to keep the shadow in place all day and to prevent it from creasing, fading, and smudging. It can, generally, be used with any brand of shadow.

Urban Decay Naked Palette W/Brush

$50

Simple enough. This is a palette containing 12 shadows, a brush (which you can't really see) and a sample size bottle of the Urban Decay Primer Potion. (The full size is pictured above)

Tree Hut Coconut Lime Shea Sugar Body Scrub

18 oz for $7.49

From what I can tell, this is an all over body scrub designed to exfoliate the skin. There are certified organic ingredients contained in the scrub but I wasn't able to tell if it was 100% organic. After I've used this product I'll tell you what my general impression is.

(Disclaimer: All products photographed were purchased, and photographed, by me. Please do not use these photos without my permission. All products mentioned in the video, aside from the Aviva Organics Conditioning Body Polish which I won in a giveaway, were purhcased by me. I am not affiliated with any company/product/name mentioned in this video or post. All opinions are my own)

Commenting & Following & Etiquette, Oh My

2012-02-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's been discussed a lot lately in social forums and, as such, I have a request for you. Yes you. Don't turn around, there isn't anyone behind you. I mean, unless there is, so maybe you should turn around and check before you proceed.

I absolutely LOVE getting comments. I do my darndest to reply to each and every one of them. When you comment on my blog I'll generally, probably 99% of the time, go and check out your blog simply because you took the time to check out mine. Here's my request. Please, please, please, please don't just leave a comment asking me to check out, and/or follow, your blog. I promise you I will check it out if you leave a comment letting me know that you're genuinely interested in the topic you commented on. I promise you that, if I'm interested in what you've been posting, I'll follow you. I, like most bloggers, find it a little irritating when someone just leaves a comment, with only a couple vague words related to the post, asking me to check out/follow their blog just because they came and read/followed mine.

Also, please, please, please, please don't take this the wrong way. I absolutely love readers but I'm not writing a blog just to get followers. Feel free, if you're not interested in my topics of discussion, to leave a comment of that nature. I am always open to criticism. Feel free, again if you're not interested, to NOT follow my blog.

If you do leave a comment, like I mentioned above, with one or two words related to the post and then a long ramble about how you want me to check out/read/follow your blog, I'll have no choice but to remove the comment. This is NOT meant to hurt your feelings. I just don't know how else to say it. So I'm pleading ...

(Source)

Frustrations & Solutions: Baby Blanket

2012-02-10T08:00:00.001-07:00

I got a little carried away with making the granny squares and neglected to look up the joining methods. I, however, am back on track thanks to Roxy Craft.

After making 20 or so squares I looked up the one joining method, and the only one I thought would work for me, and I was a little discouraged. It didn't look pretty. Yes, it was visually a great thing but for a beginner, I wasn't making it look like it should. Then I came upon Crochet Patter Central, a list (or a mega-list) of free crochet patterns. I was searching for a specific one, one that I had looked up the other day and was planning to switch to, when I came upon Their 1st Blankie Baby Blanket. I am so glad I clicked through because I found an even simpler joining method that seems like it would work perfect for me. I'm testing it out on a couple squares right now and hoping to be back in full swing within a couple days. Cross your fingers for me.

I know this is a tiny update, with no pictures, but I've been frustrated with this for a few weeks now. I've also been researching what to do about it and finally came upon this method. YAY!!

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

(Source)

That's right, I'm going there. Every one has their take on the Hunger Games. I'm jumping on the band wagon and giving you mine. Ready?

The first thing, and the most important thing, I can really say about these books is that YOU MUST READ THEM!! No matter how upset I was with the ending this has to be my favorite dystopian series to date.

I will say, however, that if you haven't read these yet and there is another dystopian series you want to jump into, read them first. After reading these I've come to expect a lot from YA novels and I'm not getting what I want out of most others.

(The reason I'm not reviewing these books in the same manner that I do others is that I feel everyone has at least heard of them and I wanted to put my 2 cents into the pile. I have post going up on a friends blog this Friday (2/10/12) about The Hunger Games if you'd like to check that out. I'll Tweet about it on Friday!!)

Some of my favorite things about the trilogy.
- There isn't a huge love fest going on throughout the book. You don't have to "shield your eyes" every other page. There is kissing and an insinuation of sex (at the very end of the very last book) but that's about it.
- I fell in love with every single character, even those that seemed inconsequential. I absolutely adore a writer who can make me fall in love with a character that's only mentioned once or twice throughout an entire series.
- The action was fast paced when it needed to be, slow and languid when it needed to be, and right there in the middle when it needed to be.
- The main character, Katniss, is the perfect balance of everything a person should be. I can't find the words to express how much I absolutely love Katniss. Her personality. Her determination. She's a great character.
- The books are so easy to read. I read the first one in a day, the second one in 2 days, and the last one (because it was a little slower) in a 4 days.
- Collins makes it clear at the end of Mockingjay that there isn't going to be another book. Thank you for not leaving me wondering.

What I didn't like about the trilogy.
- I'm not sure if I'm not the only one but I thought Katniss should have died, for the sake of everyone else, at the end of the series.
- Mockingjay, being based in District 13, was a really slow read. I felt so dragged down in drama and tragedy by the end of the book that I wasn't sure I even really liked the first two.

I honestly think that's all I have to say, as far as my dislikes go, about the entire trilogy. I haven't been a young adult in quite a long time but this has to be my absolute favorite read, next to Harry Potter, since I was out of High School.

Favorite Eyeliner

2012-02-06T08:00:00.001-07:00

Found HERE

I absolutely LOVE the H.I.P liners.While I've heard so many horrible things about how they dry out quickly and aren't easy to work with, I've found the truth to be exactly the opposite. I've had the four liners that I own for over 2 years now. Yes, they're separating from the side of the jar but they're still as moist as the day I purchased them. I don't use the little liner brush that comes with them because my hand swallows it when I'm holding it.

I own the blue, black, brown and green liners and couldn't be happier with them. I can't say that I've used many other eyeliners because my eyes are quite small and liner tends to make the eye look smaller. However, just like the eyeshadows, the color payout is amazing. Unlike the shadow, as I stated in the this post, they're quite simple to work with, stay on for long periods of time, and come off easily enough (minimal "scrubbing" required) with makeup wipes.

L'Oreal H.I.P is a mixed basket for me. I'd never repurchase the eye shadow duos but I will, when they finally are unusable, repurchase their liners.

For more reviews on L'Oreal H.I.P Color Truth Cream Liner check out Makeup Alley.

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the L'Oreal brand name or the H.I.P line of products. I am also not associated with Makeup Alley. All opinions are my own.

My Cricut & Me

2012-02-03T08:00:00.001-07:00

Found HERE

I've always been a huge scrapbooker but, for the longest time, I only had the basics at my disposal. Scalloped scissors, basic stickers, and some tape. It wasn't until I found the online world of scrapbookers, through MySpace, that I realized what I was missing out on. In fact, that's where I first got my glimpse of the Cricut. Spelled differently but pronounced just like the bug.

The Cricut Personal Cutting Machine has been my best friend for quite a long time. I first got one back in ... oh I can't believe I've forgotten ... 2004 or 2005. I got, what is endearingly called, the Baby Bug. It's ideal for scrapbooking beginners. Each machine, at least when I bought it, came with your basic cartridge. George & Basic Shapes. This was enough to get anyone started on any page they could dream of. It's a cartridge loaded with exactly what it sounds like. Basic shapes most people use on every page. Squares, circles, octagons, and it also included a basic font.

I used my Baby Bug for years. When I finally was ready to make a step up, I bought the Expressions. What's the difference? Well the Baby could only cut shapes in 12 sizes ranging from 1" to 5 1/2". The Expressions can cut shapes in 94 sizes ranging from 1/4" to 23 1/2". Yea, huge difference.

Not a scrapbooker? That's OK. You can use the Cricut to create personal greeting cards, wedding invitations, mobiles for hanging over a crib. Cricut is coming into the 3D world of crafting. One of the most recent cartridges that I bought allows me to make paper 3D Christmas Village houses. How freakin' cool is that? Ever wanted to put one of those laminate sayings on your walls? You can cut it out with your Cricut. All you have to do is purchase the roll of laminate, pick your saying, and send it through your machine. Cutting out chipboard, which is sort of a mix between cardboard and paper, it can do that too. Cricut has a motto. "Your results with the Cricut are only limited by your imagination." I'm inclined to, partially, believe that but please, read on.

What a fantastic piece of machinery the Expressions is. Provo Craft has taken a scrapbookers dream and put it all in one machine. It's very user friendly, not overly heavy (weighing in at 12lbs) so that it's easy to take to any scrapbooking get together you want, and it's just plain fun to use. Of course, as everything does have, there are some drawbacks to using this machine.

Found HERE

The first one is that fact that you have to buy cartridges for it. You can't pull up the internet, find an image you'd like to use, and cut it out. You MUST have the cartridges. This can get very expensive. Regular price on cartridges can range anywhere from $39.99 to $89.99. This is the reason that I only purchase my carts (short for cartridges, obviously) on big sale days. On black Friday I purchased 10 cartridges for $100. Ten dollars a cart. YAY FOR ME!!

Found HERE

Second, the cutting mats. At a regular craft store you can buy a pack of 3 for somewhere around $15. Again, I only purchase these when they're on sale. I can normally find a pack of 3 for closer to $7 or $8. The price isn't the only drawback to the cutting mats. Each cutting mat, as you can imagine, has to have "devices" to keep the paper in place while the machine cuts it. For this they designed the mat to be sticky. Well, the sticky wears off after no specific amount of time. There are remedies to re-sticky-ing them, washing them frequently with plain soap and water or buying a glue type substance that would replicate the existing adhesive properties on the mat, but none is permanent. It, however, can't be permanently sticky, I understand that.

All in all I don't regret, not for a second, spending the money I have on this machine and the cartridges. Over the years it had lead to some awesome pages (some of which I might share in the future) and even more awesome swap items.

To purchase the Cricut you can click HERE. To buy the original Cricut, or the Baby Bug, click HERE.

(Disclaimer: I am in NO WAY associated with Provo Crafts, Criuct.com, or any other products mentioned in this review. Nor am I getting paid for this review or any sales associated with this review. If you click on the links and decide to purchase a machine I DO NOT receive any compensation)

(Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate. If you click through and purchase the product I DO receive a referral fee. This, however, does not mean I just want you to click through. Please DO NOT click through unless you are serious about wanting to purchase this product)

GTKYGB Vlog Swap

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm never one to pass up a good vlog opportunity. OK, so maybe I am, but I didn't this time and I'm glad I didn't.

Jas, over at 20 Something Bloggers, had a brilliant idea. Does anyone remember LiveJournal? I do. That was where I hosted my first blog in 2004. I couldn't even tell you what the blog was called nor could I tell you what email I had it under. I digress. Do you remember all the surveys that used to get passed around on LiveJournal? Again, I do. In true LJ fashion, Jas sent out a survey for those of us who wanted to participate in the getting to know your fellow bloggers (hence the GTKYFB) vlog swap. It was a blast to answer these questions and think about, not talk about, what I would have said years ago.

Moving onto the more exciting stuff.

I have the distinct pleasure of hosting Gina from This Is Not Your Blog. I actually didn't know Gina had this blog. I've been a follower of her other blog, Fantasy Casting, for quite some time now. However, after reading through a couple posts, especially Door to Door Judgment, I'm quite sure I'm going to like this blog just as much. Gina is full of awesomeness and this vlog just drives that point home. So, I'll stop yammering on and on about home cool she is and I'll let you see for yourself.

If you want to check out my vlog, it will be up on Gina's blog.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

2012-02-01T08:00:00.001-07:00

Click The Image For Credit

Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Genre: Dystopian, Post Apocalyptic
Pages: 425
Average Rating: 4.26 out of 5 (Taken from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads)
My Rating: 4 out of 5

"Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever." (Goodreads)

From the moment I started reading this book I was a fan of Tally Youngblood. She isn't afraid to get into a little trouble for the sake of friendship and her naivety is something that endeared her to me. She was raised to believe, through school, friends, and even her parents, that being "pretty" meant everything. Sound familiar? Being "pretty" meant you could do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, without a care in the world. Huh, are we sure this isn't a novel set in the present?

When it finally comes time for her to have her operation, nothing goes as planned. When Tally finds herself stuck between two promises she made she may face being ugly, for life.

I had the best time reading this novel. I don't know why I loved Tally so much. At first she seemed to be a dim wit who only cared about being pretty, although pretty to her meant more than vanity, but as I got to know her I found that she was so much more than that. There wasn't a time when I wasn't on her side, even when she betrayed someone she truly cared about. In her defense, she didn't realize her actions would lead to betrayal. Of course, every time we heard something from a pretty, or a special for that matter, I wanted to slap them. I think if I ever hear the word bubbly again I'm going to scream. ;-)

Reading this book was like reading a kids book in that the chapters were really short and were nearly always packed full of useful information. One piece of information that, I think, would have been worth throwing in somewhere in the front of the book would be the post-apocalyptic date. It isn't until somewhere near the 200th page that we, or at least that I, realized this book was set 300 yrs after the apocalypse. Not that it's a huge deal but it's always nice to know.

While this book was high on my "I'd read it again" list, I did find that it read a little slow toward the middle. Tally travels to, what I'm going to call (for the sake of not ruining the book) a permanently ugly town in the middle of nowhere. This trip takes quite a while and, after Westerfeld skipping some unimportant parts prior to this, I figured he would do the same and truncate the trip. Alas, no. It's a little too much detail to go into when it's just Tally alone, travelling. I was also thrown off by the excessive use of italicized words. It's not that I don't get why they're used but Westerfeld chose some strange words to emphasize with italics.

For a book based on outward appearance, I really enjoyed Uglies. I'm excited to read Pretties, Specials, and Extras.

Least Favorite Eyeshadow

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've had experience with a lot of eye shadows. From Covergirl to MAC to Bare Minerals but one didn't last a week in my makeup drawers. L'Oreal H.I.P (High Intensity Pigment) eye shadows.

Found HERE

While on a spur of the moment, more than likely a midnight-and-i'm-bored, trip to Walgreens, I noticed that the L'Oreal H.I.P duos were buy one get one free. Who doesn't love a BOGO? After looking through all the amazing color options they had (to the side are just a few) I decided on 4. I could not wait to try these out so the following morning I set out to figure the best color combination for my eyes.

After applying them once, I never used the shadows again. In fact, as I stated in the first few lines, they didn't last a week in my drawers.

These have to the hardest shadows to blend, apply, etc, in the entire universe. The color payout is amazing, absolutely amazing, but even with a eyelid primer already applied to my eyes, the shadow just didn't want to stick. Blending these babies out? Forget about it. Once you finally got get a color to remain on your lid, plan on it remaining there until you wipe it off. I read so many great things about these shadows and watched so many makeup gurus on YouTube work wonders with these but I've had better luck with loose shadows.

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with L'Oreal or the H.I.P line of products. All opinions are my own.

The Making Of A Baby Blanket

2012-01-27T08:00:00.003-07:00

After following a series of tutorials (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) on YouTube, of how to make a Granny Square, I've set out to make my first baby blanket. It's quite an ambitious task and I'm so ready to take it on.

If you're not sure what a granny square is, check this blanket out. Mind you, this is WAAAYYYY more detail than I'm going into for my first blanket. I am, however, hoping that I can become this good with some practice.

(Source)

Each one of those squares, in all the sizes you see, were individually made then crocheted together. How amazing is that? It takes about 5 minutes, for even a semi-experienced crochet-er like me, to make a granny square. So, I've only got (according to this size of blanket) 298 more squares to crochet before I can start putting them together. I really don't know if I'm going to make a blanket this big, seeing as how it's for a newborn, but I might just so the baby can grow with the blanket. We shall see. Anywho, yes anywho, here are the squares that I've finished so far.

Photo Taken By Me

I have this multi-colored yarn, pale yellow, baby blue, baby pink, and I'm still searching for a pale/baby green. I'm going to alternate squares, a little less intricately than this person has done, to break up the monotony. I might need to pull out the icy hot for this one. My hands still aren't used to holding such small instruments.

Any crafts going on in your world? I'd love to see what you're working on.

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

2012-01-25T08:00:00.001-07:00

Found HERE

Title: Sapphique

Author: Catherine Fisher

Genre: Dystopian

Pages: 480

Average Rating: 3.8 out of 5 (Taken from Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble)
My Rating: 2.5

Finn has escaped from the terrible living Prison of Incarceron, but its memory torments him, because his brother Keiro is still inside. Outside, Claudia insists he must be king, but Finn doubts even his own identity. Is he the lost prince Giles? Or are his memories no more than another construct of his imprisonment? And can you be free if your friends are still captive? Can you be free if your world is frozen in time? Can you be free if you don't even know who you are? Inside Incarceron, has the crazy sorcerer Rix really found the Glove of Sapphique, the only man the Prison ever loved. Sapphique, whose image fires Incarceron with the desire to escape its own nature. If Keiro steals the glove, will he bring destruction to the world? Inside. Outside. All seeking freedom. Like Sapphique.

What do you say about a book that has amazing writing, interesting characters, and a twisting plot that made me turn the pages faster than Incarceron? I say, I didn't like it very much.

Just like Incarceron, Sapphique was interesting, page turning, and not what I wanted out of a book, at all.

I find the characters to be too self involved, minus Jared of course, and lacking the depth that I feel every character needs. I still didn't feel the need to pull for any character. I, still, never got attached emotionally to any of the characters. I just don't understand where Catherine Fisher went wrong for me. Her writing is fantastic, she paints a beautiful picture of a Realm in which time has stopped and nothing is what it seems, and yet, I just do feel connected to it in any way. Is there something wrong with me?

While I do understand why this story can't just be told from on perspective, since there are people living in "two worlds" throughout the entire book, I just don't understand why either book changes so frequently. During the first few chapters of Sapphique I thought Fisher had solved that problem. When I finally got into the mass action portion of the book, however, I read numerous chapters that started out in the Realm with Claudia and Finn, then into the Prison with Keiro and Attia, then to Jared, back to Claudia, back to the Prison ... at least 5 times in the same chapter. I just don't know why there is such a need for this. It bothered me.

Despite all of this, I can't say that I hated the book. I read it in hopes that it would make sense of everything, and it didn't. So many questions left unanswered. Is Finn really Giles? If so, who put him in Incarceron? Is Sapphique real? Is Jared, was he always, Sapphique? I'm not asking for a Little Mermaid style "This is this and that is that" but a little more in terms of explanation would have been nice. I'm lost for words when it comes to Incarceron and Sapphique.

Random Tuesday Post: Advertising

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Currently I don't think my readership is high enough to charge for advertising, I also don't pay to host my blog so I don't think it's fair that I would charge anyway. This, however, is not going to stop me from putting up ads in my sidebar. If you'd like to advertise your blog here I'd be more than happy to put up an ad for free. No, seriously, why should I charge you when I don't have to pay to maintain this blog. All I ask is that you put my button (can be found in the sidebar) up on your blog. So basically, an ad swap.

In the spirit of advertising, I'll take any button from any blog featuring any array of topics. My blog is a book/beauty/craft blog but that won't stop me from putting up a button from a life blog. So please, send away.

If you'd like to advertise on my blog your banner cannot be more than 300px wide. Height, please try to keep it under 200px. I'll put as many banners as I can fit on my sidebar and, if things pan out to where the ad swap works in both our favors, I'll feature you in an "introduce yourself" post on any Saturday of the month. (Details for that will be added here if it works out that we do this)

I'm hoping this gets someone recognition for their blog and, I won't lie, gets me some too. Happy Blogging.

(Keep track of Advertising information by visiting THIS PAGE on my blog)

A Little About My Skin

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Before I tell you all about the products that I love to use, and the products that work for me, I'm going to tell you a little bit about my skin/face/body. Why? Everyone's body is different. What works for me might not work for you and I want you to know up front what I'm working with. This way you can base any decision you come to because of my reviews/recommendations/rants with all the facts in place.

Skin Type: I have normal to combination skin. I very rarely get oily, even in my T-Zone, by the end of the day. I can handle face wash that's smooth (without exfoliating beads) or gritty (with a high concentration of large exfoliating beads). I've never had a problem with makeup causing breakouts or redness on my skin. I rarely get breakouts and when I do I know what time it is *wink*. I have very small pores on my nose but very large pores on my cheeks. Everywhere else, my pores are quite normal and generally not visible. From everything I've been told I have normal to combination, since my skin doesn't seem to fit into any of the "standard" molds of oily or dry.

Skin Tone: Not many people have commented on my skin tone but after researching it a little my skin tone seems to be neutral. When looking at my veins they're more green than blue, indicating my skin tone is warm. I look better in silver than I do in gold, indicating my skin tone is cool. When I place my face up against a white sheet my face appears yellowish which indicates a warm skin tone. According to my hair color, brown, and my eye color, green, I'm a cool tone. Pink makes my skin glow whereas orange doesn't, indicating I'm a cool tone. What looks better on me, and on my face, indicates that I'm a warm tone. I just fall right there in the middle where no one knows which one I am. I have to be honest and say I tend to lean toward the warm side of things when it comes to makeup. I'm more into the golds and bronzes as opposed to the jewel colors. On the other hand I prefer to wear silver over gold. So really, who knows.

Body: I get mild acne breakouts on my back, chest, and upper arms. When I say mild I mean 3 to 5 pimples, max in each area, at any one time. I have freckles all over my body but I'm Irish and my whole family has freckles. My legs get very dry and, in the summer, my knees are near ashy. I'm always using lotion on my hands but that's only because I can't stand to touch anything with even semi dry hands. It's not to the point that I HAVE to use lotion it's just a little weird quirk of mine.

As far as I can tell, that's all there is to say about my skin type/tone/and body. If I think of anything else I'll be sure to make an update post.

What's your skin type? Tone? How did you determine this?

Cricut Creations

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

When I discovered scrapbook groups on Myspace I also discovered swaps. A swap is exactly as it sounds. You make something, as do the rest of the participants, and you swap what you've made with others. Sometimes, like in an Alphabet swap, you make 26 of a single (or numerous) letter(s) and you receive the letters you didn't make. Of course, you might be saying, you don't have to make letters for yourself. Eh, it's more fun that way. So, I've created numerous items for swaps and I'd like to share some of those with you.

(If you'd like to learn more about swaps, the best place I can send you is Google. Search for a specific swap, like a scrapbook or embellishment swap, or just search for craft swaps.)

So Much To Read

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I know this is short but I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions.

I'm having a really difficult time right now. Call this a 1st World problem but I cannot decide what books to purchase next. I have a wishlist, or three, on Amazon.com that collectively holds 71 books. My Goodreads "to-read" list, for some odd reason, is shorter but full of most of the same books. Each one intrigues me. Each one calling my name in one form or another. Yet I can't seem to click on a book, push the purchase button, and be on with it.

Currently, I'm reading Flower for Algernon but I've read it before and purchased it because it was on sale for $1. Maybe that's my problem, I'm waiting for the books to go on sale because I'm ~~cheap~~ frugal. It's either that or I'm so concerned with what others are saying about the book that I'm afraid I'll hate it and will have wasted my money. Oh what's a girl to do?

How do you decide on which book to read next? Do you just purchase a book and hope it's good or do you base your decision on what others are saying about the book?

My (Mini) Beauty Collection

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

I thought, before I got into full on Makeup Monday, I would show you what I've collected over the years, in terms of beauty products.

(All products, minus the few that I stated were sent to me for winning a contest, in the video were purchased by me. I am not affiliated with any brand, company, or product name mentioned. I am NOT getting paid for this video.)

My Office/Craft Room

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

The title says it all. Here's a little tour of my office/craft room. Enjoy!

(I am not associated with any product or company mentioned in this video. All of these items were purchased by me and I am NOT getting paid to mention any of these products.)

Icarceron by Catherine Fisher

2012-01-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

Click Image For Credit

Title: Incarceron
Author: Catherine Fisher
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 458
Average Rating: 3.88 out of 5 (Taken from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads)
My Rating: 3 maybe 3.2

"Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells and corridors, but metal forests, dilapidated cities, and wilderness. It has been sealed for centuries, and only one man has ever escaped. Finn has always been a prisoner here. Although he has no memory of his childhood, he is sure he came from Outside. His link to the Outside, his chance to break free, is Claudia, the warden's daughter, herself determined to escape an arranged marriage. They are up against impossible odds, but one thing looms above all: Incarceron itself is alive . . ." (Amazon)

I'm not even quite sure where to start with this review. Did you read that description? Enticing, right? That's my thought too. My Goodreads recommendations list has had this book on it for months now. When I finally got a chance to go into my local library it was sitting on a stand right inside the door. It was calling me, drawing me in, and I took the bait. I checked it out with high hopes. Here I am, trying to write a review, with low praise.

Was this book horrible? No. Was the writing too hard to follow? Absolutely not. It flowed quite well and was easy to understand. Although I am still wondering who the Sapienti are. I just didn't feel as connected with the characters as I wanted to. I never felt like pulling for anyone and I don't think I would have been upset had anything happened to any one of them.

One of my major problems with this book, and I know I just said it flowed quite well and was easy to understand, was the constant perspective changes. I understand why this story had to be told by more than one person but I just don't quite understand why there had to be so many changes. In one chapter, if I'm remembering correctly, there were over 5 character perspective changes. My head was almost spinning.

"Well Alicia, why did you buy the book?" Because I enjoyed the book. I purchase books that I enjoy. I also bought the follow up book, Sapphique, in hopes that it might clarify some of "the missing pieces" of Incarceron.

My Makeup Story

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Found HERE

I'm a girl. As such, and guessing from the title of this post, I wear makeup. Am I saying every girl wears makeup? Absolutely not. Is that a bad/good thing? To each their own is all I have to say. Ever since I can remember being able to apply makeup, I've worn it. I started out, as most girls who wear makeup do, with liquid foundation by Covergirl, or Maybelline, or one of those drugstore brands.

Every morning before school I would whip out my trusty makeup sponges, apply my foundation, pull out that beautiful, versatile, Covergirl eye shadow pallette, slather a single color on my eye, brush some blush on my cheeks and mascara on my lashes, and be on my way. Was I doing anything wrong? Of course not. I'm sure most girls who wore makeup did it exactly, or close to, the same way.

I would always go to school and marvel at the girls who could do fancy things with their eye shadow. I would also cringe at the many women who didn't know how to, or forgot to, blend their foundation into their neck. Up until 5 years ago I didn't change a single thing about my routine. I was in the dark about the world of makeup out there. What happened five years ago changed the way I look at makeup forever.

It was Christmas, 2006, and with my husband, then fiance, in tow, we spent Christmas at his parents house. One of my husband's sisters got a gift from his mother. It was a Bare Minerals (Bare Escentuals) Cosmetics starter kit. I'm sure most of you reading this know what Bare Minerals is. I had to know more.

My husband took me to the local mall the next day so that I could find out more about this stuff. When you first go into a B.E. (Bare Escentuals) boutique it's quite overwhelming. So much makeup, so little money. OK, that's a little over dramatic, but I was in shock. I got color tested, which involves one of the sales people putting different shades on your skin, blending them out, and figuring out which one best suites your skin tone. As the sales woman was applying my makeup she was telling me about the product. We did a few tests, I put my head on my husbands shoulder seeing if the foundation would transfer to his shirt and we did a spritz test to see what, if any, affect water had on the makeup, and I was sold. I've used Bare Minerals as my foundation ever since.

Three years ago I became a big YouTube watcher. That's when I found the "beauty community". I was looking for a tutorial on how people apply their Bare Minerals because the "swirl, tap, brush" just didn't seem to be doing the trick. That's when I found Fafinettex3. She didn't have any videos on the applying the foundation but she, in one of her videos a long long time ago, was using a Bare Minerals eye shadow. Where had this beauty community been all my life? Why did I not know about all these amazing brands of makeup that I couldn't afford? I made it my goal to seek out every "beauty Guru" on YouTube and find out how to "properly" do my makeup. Well, come to find out, not a single one of them looked like me. They're all skinny, the perfect eye shape, high cheek bones, blah-de-blah-de-freakin'-blah. At least, at the time, that's what it seemed like to me.

See I have a different eye shape. Well, maybe not a shape but my eyes are hooded. They have been since I was very young. Even when I was skinnier, I've always had a hooded eye. How is someone who has the perfect eye shape supposed to teach someone like me about applying shadow to a hooded eye? It's not possible. They can speculate but they will never get it perfect. So, I set on a journey (sounds really enlightening doesn't it) to find out what worked for me. In the process, I became a beauty product junkie.

My view for this aspect of my blog is to help everyone, honestly, figure out what the good products are and the products you should stay away from. If you hadn't noticed these beauty gurus on YouTube get paid to do what they're doing. I don't. I don't get any products sent to me for review so I'm going to be honest. I'm going to tell you how horrible something is and it's actually going to mean something. I'm going to tell you I love a product and my integrity won't be questioned. Well, that's what I'm hoping for.

So if you're into beauty products (makeup, hair care, skin care, etc) stick around and check out more of my Makeup Monday posts. If not, skip Monday.

(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Bare Minerals/Escentuals or any other product company, or person, mentioned in this post. I do NOT receive compensation for any product purchase you make by clicking one of my links. I only provide these links so anyone who wants to know more can easily click through to find out. All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me, or my mommy when I was younger.)

What/When/Where/Huh?

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Image Credits

I'm horrible with keeping to a schedule unless I take time before I plan to start something and make one up. So, here's my tentative schedule for this blog. This will let you know on what days I'm posting, and what those posts will be about. I could absolutely change this when I get into the flow of things but for now, this is it.

MAKEUP MONDAY - Whether it's a review, a story about something beauty related, a rant, or a rave, every Monday there will be a beauty related post.

WHAT I'M READING/WHAT I'VE READ/WEDNESDAY - If you've read the post
about my book review style then you'll know it might take me up to a month to post about a book that I've read. I won't say it will always take that long but I also won't say that it couldn't take longer. So every Wednesday I'll post something book related. If it's something I'm in the middle of reading I might talk about why I'm loving/hating the book. What I think needs to be addressed with a character. You can also find updates on my Goodreads page.

CRAFT FAIR FRIDAY - As you may have guessed by now, Friday will be my designated crafty post day. I'm hoping to start getting into more crafts that I can share with people (learning how to crochet, bead work, knitting, etc) and maybe I can get someone to learn with me. I'm also heavy into scrapbook type crafting so I'll be posting something related to any one of those, or I'm sure a whole slue of other topics, on Friday.

My schedule might seem a little childish, and the names I've come up with might not catch your attention, but this is almost more for me then it is for anyone else. Also, this will you give you a chance to know what days you do, and don't, want to read my blog. If you're not into beauty related posts (but I can promise you they're not going to be the "I'm-a-beautiful-girl-and-I'm-getting-paid-to-tell-you-this-so-listen-to-me" type of post) or tips about makeup, etc, then you might want to skip my blog on Monday. I won't be offended and it won't hurt my feelings. I promise. Same goes for the other days.

As this blog goes on, and if I feel like it could use more substance, (which it probably will) I'll add more cheesy days into my calender. How about a Random Thoughts Thursday where I post about anything, and everything, unrelated to the Monday, Wednesday, Friday posts. See, I can come up with some cheesy stuff. This is my start. I hope you stick around.