I Am DWJ | I Am DWJ

Are You Ready? New Colors of bareMinerals READY™ Eyeshadows

dwj@theartofaccessories.com (Dana Williams-Johnson) — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:04:30 +0000

I’ve talked about how AH-Mazing I think bareMinerals Ready shadows are before, so I thought today since I was sent the new colors that came out this month I should share some looks. It’s the right thing to do. There are seven new READY Eyeshadow 2.0 duos ($20) and two new 4.0 quads ($30) and these colors are just as great as the first batch. From left to right you see The 15 Minutes (pink and burgundy), The Soundtrack (camel, gold, bronze and olive green), The Last Call (bright shimmering blue with a sparkly navy), The Cliff Hanger (dove grey and shimmery charcoal).

From left to right above: The Hidden Agenda (camel and grey), The Phenomenon (lavender and copper) and The Alter Ego (shimmery light green and purple).

I thought I’d show you my four favorites in the bunch.

Top left is The 15 Minutes a very soft neutral shimmering pink and burgundy shades. I like this when I’m trying to do something soft and neutral for a subtle glow.
Top right is The Soundtrack Quad. This is a great set of metallic gold and olive green shades. Perfect for summer with a bronzed cheek and nude lip.
Bottom left is my favorite, The Last Call. I have a thing for vivid blue shadows and this duo is definitely a statement maker. LOVE IT.
The Alter Ego is a soft celery green with a gorgeous deep shimmering purple. You didn’t think those two colors could place so nicely together did you?

I really do love the texture and feel of these shadows and they give great pigment. They also blend wonderfully on the eye and last. I also use a primer with any eye shadow and these babies will be definitely be on from sun up to sun down. So have you tried any of the new Ready Shadows? Which ones are your favorite?

A Labor of Love

dwj@theartofaccessories.com (Dana Williams-Johnson) — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:17:15 +0000

Six weeks ago I started a ‘Knit Your Own Baby Blanket’ class at Fibre Space in Alexandria, VA. I’ve knit a blanket before but I wanted to learn how to construct them and create my own patterns to make unique gifts for my friends. Six weeks ago I started off making a white, pink and purple blanket for a baby girl (anyone want a half of a blanket, you could say it’s for naps…) and then found out that my new goddaughter-to-be was really going to be a godSON!

I ran back out to the store and picked a palette of apple green, orange, teal and navy blue for the border – something boy but still fun. Heck, I’d give this to a little girl perhaps without the navy border. I’d even knit one for my own house since it matches it so perfectly. I knit the body of the blanket in a staggering 10 days so that I could be where I was supposed to be in class when I learned how to add a border to a completed blanket.

I finished the border last night, wrapped it up along with some other goodies I picked up for baby boy and gave it to my girlfriend for Mother’s Day. She and her husband were very impressed and I’m eager to see baby boy wrapped up in a blanket knit with so much love for a little person I haven’t even met yet. Another girlfriend of mine asked me yesterday if it was hard to give up the blanket after so much work and the answer was no. When I knit a blanket for a baby I’m happy knowing it will keep someone warm and cuddly when it’s cold out, it can become their security blanket and that it will always cover them in love. I spend all that time knitting something for someone special, it’s hard not to infuse it with a bit of love and isn’t that the best part of giving a handmade gift?

Blanket details:

Yarn: Red Heart Soft Yarn in Guacamole, Tangerine, Teal and Navy
Stitches: Basket weave (green), Moss stitch (teal), Double lattice (orange)
Border: Completed using this technique from the Purl Bee blog

I’m Fascinating for We Heart This

dwj@theartofaccessories.com (Dana Williams-Johnson) — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:51:46 +0000

I’m pretty fascinating, no? Check out my post today on We Heart This about two very fabulous D&Y Fascinators and how I styled them up!

Drink More Water

dwj@theartofaccessories.com (Dana Williams-Johnson) — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:00:15 +0000

We used to have this huge water container taking up half of the main shelf in our refrigerator. Then the other week at brunch the waiter brought our water to the table in tall glass bottles and a light bulb went off for my husband me. So we popped over to the Marshalls down the street and found these glass bottles on clearance for $3. Water storage has been reduced in size and now brightens up my fridge. A perfectly colorful way to get more water!

An Ikea Upgrade

dwj@theartofaccessories.com (Dana Williams-Johnson) — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:00:25 +0000

Over the weekend my husband and I took a trip to good old Ikea and picked up the Liatorp Sideboard in white to house our wedding china. We had previously stored it in this Ikea piece that I bought in one of my first apartments. I’ve hated it but we hadn’t felt like buying something new but it was finally time. (Don’t you love the look of frustration on his face reading those directions?)

Our china is white with a platinum rim that has a very small heart pattern around the top. My husband actually picked it out because he was not happy with the butterfly settings I kept picking up. It was a compromise. Since the sideboard is white and my china is white, I decided that I needed a pop or color or a pattern for the back of the piece.

At first I was going to spray paint the pieces apple green to go with the rest of my house color scheme but I had a brilliant idea. Why not use gift wrapping paper instead?! I bought two roles of this orange, red, gold and green wrapping paper from Marshalls for $3 a roll and wrapped away.

I have a large orange wall in my kitchen (you’ve seen me take outfit photos in front of that wall before) and loved that this paper happened to incorporate a lot of the warm colors in my house.

The end result? Dishes that have a nice pop of pattern in the background! I couldn’t be more pleased. What did you do over the weekend? Any home projects?

Keith Haring & How I Became an Artist

dwj@theartofaccessories.com (Dana Williams-Johnson) — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:15:41 +0000

(image via Google)
I squealed with delight this morning when I saw the Google Doodle this morning honoring Artist Keith Haring’s birthday. I have always loved Haring’s artwork. Always. In high school I mimicked his shapes and characters a lot. I used to design t-shirts a lot in high school and I totally used his faceless figures style to create cheerleaders, wrestles and football players to illustrate high school athletics.

Did I also mention he did a small collection for Swatch? Yeah, I wish I had one or two of those watches. There’s also an exhibit of his work going on right now at the Brooklyn Museum. I plan on going back up to visit Jessica and check it out.

I never considered myself an artist until recently. I’ve always drawn and been artsy. I painted in high school (acrylic) and college (watercolor) and have always been surrounded by and loved art. But I never thought my art was good enough to consider myself an artist. A little sad but true. It wasn’t until a friend of mine from college told me that everyone’s art is unique and that I am an artist if I would just embrace it and I think he is a brilliant artist. So I’ve been embracing my talent lately. Whether it’s through my endless doodles of shoes and lipstick tubes, my knitting, or even how I apply my makeup, I’m an artist who doesn’t have to be perfect. And if you haven’t checked out Keith Haring’s work, you should, it will bring a big smile to your Friday. Have a great weekend!

I’ve Got a Brand New Bag!

dwj@theartofaccessories.com (Dana Williams-Johnson) — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:00:27 +0000

I am always looking for a new handbag. Always. I know it’s a horrible habit and that I already have several really great handbags but I change my bags constantly and am always looking for something fab and new. Last week I sent Jess an email about the Deux Lux Sample Sale I saw them tweet about. Despite the fact that I’m totally jealous that she gets to have sample sales galore at her fingertips I figured if I can’t get something good at least she should. You might also remember I bought a canvas Deux Lux bag earlier this year after featuring them in my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide.

Jess told me the sale was great and that there were bargains a plenty and she’d show me her bounty when I came to NYC on Saturday. Little did I know that she picked up a bag for me! YAY!

I came back from NYC carrying this gorgeous teal hobo bag (it most closely resembles the Bowery Hobo on their website). What’s even more insane – she said she paid $25 for it!! Um…why do we not get sample sales in DC?! Insane. Jess also picked up for herself the Biba Fold Messenger in grey with a fluorescent pink lining and an adorable Gigi Zip Wallet. I was laughing when she told me at one point she looked up and had 6 bags in her hands and had to calm down. What’s funny too is last week I was lusting after a gorgeous teal shoulder bag I saw a woman with on the street and I thought that should be my next handbag color. Clearly Jess knows me too well! And clearly this teal bag makes me love Deux Lux even more.

NYC Bound

dwj@theartofaccessories.com (Dana Williams-Johnson) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:00:33 +0000

This weekend I’m headed to NYC for a very short trip – family function with my husband’s side of the family. Fortunately, whenever I’m in NYC I get to stay with Jess a.k.a. my Sisterwife. I’ve missed her since she left good old Maryland last year but we email almost every day and I pop up to NY several times a year and we have long weekend chats so it’s almost like she’s still here…almost. I’m also going to be going through a knitting marathon over the next two weeks. My girlfriend is having a baby that we thought for the last 3 months was a girl and found out yesterday it’s a boy! Of course when I was halfway through my pink and purple baby girl blanket perfection I have to start all over again. I’m rushing because I’m also taking a baby blanket making class in Old Towne and I want to make sure I’m where I need to be by the next class. I’m sure my hands will have permanently shaped themselves into a claw by the time I go back to class – pray for me. Hopefully I can pop into my favorite yarn store in NY while I’m there, I hope the husband doesn’t rush me out of the city too quickly! That’s my weekend and I hope you have a fantastic weekend too!

My Go To Beauty Look Featuring Buxom Pen & Ink Liner

dwj@theartofaccessories.com (Dana Williams-Johnson) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:31 +0000

I know, I know I haven’t done an outfit post in ages. Setting up a tripod, finding the right lighting and trying to get out the door in the morning just aren’t working out for me. Instead I decided to snap a few pics this morning because I liked my beauty look. I don’t mind pushing the beauty boundaries at work (I just don’t wear glitter) but when allergy season is in high gear and the weather starts getting warmer this is the look that I gravitate towards.

Black or a chocolate brown liner on the top and a pop of color on the bottom lash line, a flushed pink cheek and pink lips. I have to say hands down pink is my favorite lip color. I’m pretty sure I own about 75 pink glosses and lipsticks.

For today’s eye I’m using the new Buxom Pen & Ink Long Last Eyeliner (that was sent to me for review). This pen liner is a bit different than others because of the shape of the tip, and that makes it easy to do a thin or a thick line – especially if you’re a newbie with liquid liner. I looove liquid liner, that was actually the first kind of liner that I ever tried as a teenager, so I always feel like I’m a pro. I’ve used the liner to do a very thin line to a bold winged out cat eye and the formula is waterproof and lasts all day along without any smudging or flaking. I’m definitely adding this to my black liner keeper pile. So what’s your go to beauty look? Do tell!

White House Garden Tour

dwj@theartofaccessories.com (Dana Williams-Johnson) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:00:10 +0000

Here’s the reason why I love social media and working in Washington, DC – for the second time in five months (here is the first trip to the White House) I’ve been given access to take pictures at the White House. How awesome and cool is that? My only other wish would be to have the opportunity to decorate for the holidays but that would make my head explode.

Last week I saw a tweet about the White House’s Google+ page and the opportunity to get up close and personal in the White House garden and to walk the grounds before the garden tour was open to the public on Saturday morning. I was picked for a group of about 25 amateur and some professional photographers to come to the White House on Saturday at 7:45am to snap pictures. We started the first half of the morning taking pictures around the south lawn of the White House and going into Michelle Obama’s garden. Because I love to cook so much I would love to start a garden but I can’t get over dirt or bugs. Oh well. The second half of the day we went to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and met the president’s photographer, Pete Souza! We also met Mrs. Obama’s photographer, Sonya Hebert earlier in the day. Pete Souza showed us some of his favorite images and talked about his job and how he captures these amazing historical moments. I didn’t get to meet the President or the First Lady but I did meet Bo, the first dog. Hey, I’ll take whatever I can get. Everyone who participated tagged their photos on Google+, Twitter and Instagram as #WHPhotoWalk (I may have written #WHPhotoTour on Instagram…oops!) so you should definitely check out everyone else’s images but I’ll give you mine below, enjoy!

If you’d like to see more of my photos, check out the rest on my Flickr feed.