Don't Lie to Me About Pretty Things

It's beautiful and luscious.

It's beautiful and bright.

... and apparently not all it's cracked up to be.

If you Google Lime Crime make-up (which I did today, on the way to buy something.)

Several sites about controversies come up.

Aw crap. 

I ended up clicking on Lipstick and Lightsabers' blog. After reading up I decide to NOT buy and continues to read all sorts of articles and Lipstick and Lightsabers.

I really never thought about my makeup, where it came from, and what the ingredients were. Suddenly I realize this is just one more way to invest in small businesses and find something unique. I never considered the quality. After reading a comparison that Lipstick and Lightsabers' did, I decided to take the money I was going to buy Lime Crime with (about $30) and spend it on better companies. 

I ended up buying:

Fyrinnae: Pixie Epoxy

(Lipstick and Lightsabers raved about how well it keeps eyeshadow on and gives the foiled look with out foiling. --and in case you didn't know foiling is adding water to your eyeshadow so when applied it's brighter and shinier)

Fyrinnae: STFU Loose Eye Shadow (now discontinued)

It's a beautiful shimmery copper. I love the way coppers, browns, and greens look on me! 

I got the sample size of STFU and with shipping it cost about $10

As I continued to read through some Lipstick and Lightsaber arctics. I found this one. It's all about a company called Geek Chic! (simple put well made make up with geek themes.)

OF COURSE I BOUGHT SOME! 

Geek Chick: Sweet Transvestite (now discontinued)

I was going to buy a similar color from Lime Crime, but it cost more than twice as much :o Also this one maybe flavored like buttercream frosting. FTW! 

Mana Screwed Eyeshadow? YES!

I bought: Forest  

and Swamp

Two of my favorite colors to play and I just built an EDH deck using them!

Then I moved on to the True Blood Set 

It's called Fang Banger's Quartet

I picked up Viking King

And

Eyes of the Werewolf

Lastly I hit up the Battlestar Galactica set 

Called So Say We All

I grabbed Love of the Uniform

I also picked up some foundation, just to try it. I decided I was:

Codex! I'm excited to try it. 

The lipstick was the only thing I bought full size for $6 and the rest I bought sample size for $1.25 a piece. I bought samples because I don't go through eye shadow very fast and I wanted to try lots of colors.  This whole order came in at just over $18. 

I was expecting to spend about $30-$45 on Lime Crime for about 3-4 items, but instead got 9 items for $28!   

Saved some money + trying new companies + feeling like a total hipster = A+

Baking: Homemade pizza rolls

I decided to make my own pizza rolls. I had bread mix (Feel Your Oats) from a mill in MO.

This was my work area during the process.

Some powdered garlic

Chopped mozzarella 

Pizza sauce

I had pre-browned some venison and that thing to the left of it that looks like a stick of butter is actually the rest of my block of mozzarella. 

Once I had let my bread dough rise I began to roll it out and cut it into small squares.

Then I would press two squares together. Later, I started cutting strips of dough. 

Then I add a very small dollop of sauce. If you add too much it will come out the sides. I would sprinkle the sauce with a little pinch of garlic.    Top with some squared mozzarella. 

I would try to get my meat at small as possible. 

When they bake they won't get much bigger which means load up your pans! 

Finished product = pretty delicious. My roommate and I decided that these are the most hipster pizza rolls ever. We also took some left over sauce and stirred in some garlic to use as a dipping sauce. 

Review: Movie: Tangled

What a fantastic movie. I watched it with my ex-roommate Mark. He's very into cinamatography and oohed and awed over this great movie.

It's not classic Repunzel. It's a bit more exciting and fulfilling than just a girl stuck in a tower waiting to be rescued.

I find I identify with Repunzel (surprise the main female character.) She's naive. Everything is new. She is kind to the most cold hearted men, because she simply doesn't know better. Everything is wonderful, because everything is new. Her naivety makes her a bit reckless, but fearless as well.

She trust people she shouldn't and in doing so helps brings brigands back to a place of joy and dream fulfillment. They are now her friends.

Then there is bad boy Flynn (which just makes me think of Tron). Since he is the lead male they fall for each other and you hope he isn't going to break her heart?

Does he?
Doesn't he?
Watch the movie. It's on instant view on netflix right now. 

And then there were SHORTS!

I've had the fabric and the book, but I was held back by intemidation.
What kicked me out it? A family heirloom sewing machine.

I was suppose to get it from my grandma's house months ago, maybe even over a year. It's the old kind lives beneath a table top and then can pop up. I've previously done VERY light sewing with my mother's machine. A few t-shirt alterations. and some hole mending. However there is an unidentified issue where the machine gets stressed out and all the thread birdsnest. Since I can't identify the cause I don't know how to fix it.

When I received the very old sewing machine (it was my great grandmothers) it had the some problem. Wonderful, I thought, now I have 2 meh sewing machines. On the very old one the bobbin thread didn't even catch. What a mess. Finally I broke down and bought an online manual. Only to find the way you thread this thing is totally bizare!

Suddenly my sewing life was invigorated. I tried more complex things with T-shirts, mended things I never could before. Then I decided to really make something. Summer shorts. Cutting out all the pieces was simple. then the sewing began.

Pants aren't easy, but I've always learned new crafts by doing the more intricate projects. 

The back side is a little baggy, but otherwise they are a perfect fit. :D I wonder what I'll make next? I definately want to make more of these in different colors

Porco Rosso

I have been on such a Hayao Miyazaki kick lately. I think I will watch all of his films that I can get my hands on before I quit. He always has some whimsical young girl which I can’t help but connect with those character. In this one its Fio. In others it’s Mae (My Neighbor Totoro), and my very favorite Ponyo (Ponyo). 

OMG COMIC - Haters Gonna Hate

OMG COMIC: Heights

Oh shoot I figured out how to do this from my iPhone.

OMG (Oh My Ghost!) first comic EVER

I drank too much chai too close to bed time. Soooooo FIRST COMIC EVAR!!! DAG YO! I made it for you :)   If it's a big small you can click to enlarge. WEEEEE

And now back to our regularly scheduled programing...

Oh my, that was a huge accidental hiatus. Between 2 break-ups and quite a few holidays I suppose this blog was shoved to the side.

My life has been good. I got an iPhone and couldn't be happier.

Thanks for reading. I'm sure I'll post something interesting soon. 

What a weekend can bring

I didn't know what to expect of this weekend. Mixing friend groups is always tricky, but this weekend it was like these guys had always known my pal Mark. This is Mark sporting a fake leg we found in a thrift shop with the help of some tricky photography

These are my two favorite people (Rachel & Ben) they have added hats to their original outfits and a classy umbrella. Thrift Stores are ALWAYS fun. I am always amazed by things I find. I got a 2 drawer filing cabinet for $2! 

There were lots of other good purchase too. I didn't have as much money as I would have because I bought bakerella's CAKE POPS book!!!

Mark and I got to do some St. Louis shopping before we hit my old stopping grounds. Played LOTS of Magic and watched some good movies Easy A and FanBoys. Thats all for now. Keep it real!

Review: Movie: Repo Men

Repo Men = A+ 

I was skeptical about this movie. I've already seen Repo: The Genetic Opera and it seemed (from the synopsis) to be a non-operatic version of that. I don't know if the two movies are related, but (whether intentional or not) there are some throw backs to Repo. Mainly a singer with artificial eyes. 

The movie it's self doesn't feel much like Repo. It's darker and a bit more on the gory side. Then again they are repossessing peoples organs. As with most fantastic films, there is plenty of ironic humor. For example, the main character doesn't feel for his "patients" (the ones that he is repossessing organs from) until after his heart is replaced with an artificial one. It is with is artificial heart that he begins to feel for other people. 

As for the visual quality of this movie, it is out standing. Several scenes pull you in with the way they look and several more are just intriguing to say the least. One of my favorites is when we find our main character running through a building. He comes into a room that is nearly white and looks endless.This room is filled with people making artificial organs and all wearing white. A shot is fired and they all scatter. As I watched it, my jaw dropped. Visually Stunning!!! 

The end is fantastic, but that's all I'm saying. No spoilers here. 

If you find yourself wanting to watch a good action flick with actual plot, give Repo men a try and let me know what you think in the comments below! 

Why math is bad for your health

Proof and A Beautiful Mind

I am currently watching A beautiful mind when I thought of an interesting hypothesis. In the Movie / play "Proof" we see a young girl tortured by her recently deceased father and his work. Math is at the center of all of this madness. (pun?) It then occurred to me what if the father in proof was the main character of A Beautiful Mind? It would nearly make sense.

Another astonishing and disturbing fact is that in both of these movies Math literally drives people mad. How often do we see english, history, or another subject driving a soul mad.

With every add for Eat Pray Love I feel the hammering of the nail that is the common idea that we have but one life and it is ever fleeting.

I am often and restlessly saying/feeling that none of my everyday life has pull or weight on the world as a whole. I do believe one person can change the world and I believe for every action there is a reaction.

Who are we to diminish the life of another for gain? Who is anyone to experiment on another human? Why do we create movie stars and child stars if only to ruin their lives with our grotesque need to find some group of people to dwell on? It's a never ending parade of awful.

HAHAHAHAHA this sounds like I am on a tirade against the world, but I'm really not. I just find a disturbing elegance in the way our society functions on a most any scale. While some parts are extremely enjoyable others are disgusting.

It's 4:30 am my boyfriend got back into town today. I hadn't seen him for over a month. There is too much caffeine in my system and a beautiful mind is playing

"You are exceptionally odd."

A bit of something new

You may notice something new on the blog. A fancy new WIDGET!! Check out the site. You earn points by using their search bar and then you can redeem that for stuff! SWEET RIGHT????

Shortest post ever!

Finished my first sock and Digital Scrapbooking

I finished my first sock ever!!! I am so proud of my self. I will post a picture soon. I have attempted making a sock twice, but the first time I was just making a plain sock and it wasn't very challenging and I had trouble keeping track of things. Clandestine makes you constantly count stiches and you NEED to know where you are at (hence me having to restart it once).

While I was knitting I watched the first 2 seasons of LOST and then took a break from that to watch the HBO series Carnivale. More on that later, but so far it's GREAT!!

OK second point of buisness. DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING!!

My parents recestly traveled the Wild West (Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, ... that kind of area). Usually when we get back from a trip mom drags out boxes and bins of scrapbooking supplies and then goes to a speciality scrapbooking store and buys EXPENSIVE special cut letters, images, stickers, and an array of paper. She figured it up once and one scrapbook can cost up to $400-$550 easily. Her scrapbooks aren't super elaborate, but very eye pleasing!

So this trip return I was expecting the same, but I was completely surprized when she said "Hey let me show you my scrapbook" and grabed her laptop. She has been dedicated to creative memories but the results have worth it. Now they have a Digital Scrapbook Creator. WHAT?! I've used iPhoto and Shutterfly and the results were nice, but compared to what my mom's looked like when it was printed, they don't look anywhere near as nice and they aren't near as customizable. You can also upload your pages right to facebook. HOW COOL!! The only downside is that softwear is pc only, but you can get around that easily with a program like visual box. I can't wait to try this! You can get the program for free, but that one is pretty basic. I think I will try they one you buy (it's on sale).

It has many more features. So much stuff for your photos and your pages. It's almost like a little bit of photoshop plugged into the scrapbook maker. You can also get a free downloads daily or weekly (not sure yet) for pages and such. I will let you know more once I try it out. :) I am also thinking of being a consultant so if you want to try it too let me know :)


So do you think traditional scrapbooking or digital? Give me your opinion.

I can't believe I'm a winner!!!

I won $25 store credit (and free shipping) to Timely Vintage via Blooming Leopold's (one the 'ol college buddies) blog!!! I am hardly a fashionista but this bow tie and this vest caught my eye (never mind the fact they are in the same picture :P ) I would love advice on this purchase!!

However, I definitely feel the need to get the bang for my buck since I have started my very own COUPON FOLDER!!! I am currently saving about 1/3-ish of what I spend. Like today I spent $21 after I saved $14. Not too bad!

I would love to sew a top to go with the bow tie, BUT I am going to finish sewing my current project (a dress) before I move on. I also thought the bow tie would be an adorable hair accessory. Like ponytail with the bow tie on top and tails on the side....hmmmm we will see.

Also! Due to my stupidity & lack of attention, I some how managed to start knitting backwards on my sock! :( ...then due to my ambition and seemingly random need for perfection, I started over...I was a good three inches in (maybe 5) now I have this.

BUT I know I was doing some of the stitches wrong and I know that this sock will look awesome because now I have practiced it and know some of the odd bits.


Any way thats really all I have for now. So have a good weekend readers and let me know your thoughts in a comment below.

The Big Move

Wow. Yesterday I began moving into my apartment for the summer. It's terrifying and wonderful. I've gained a little weight (heh) like most people who go to college. The final push this semester was especially stressful. (WHEW!) ....and I'm a sugar fiend. So this move into my apartment is also a move towards healthy. My 12 mbps internet gets turned on Monday morning and hopefully my job will start Tuesday.

I'll be minutes away from walmart, grocery stores, and organic food markets.

In the mode of If a Tree Were To Fall, I am also going to begin COUPON-ING!!!!

Also a big thing with this semester is a CRAFT opportunity. I am now minutes away from a Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's Fabrics and these are next door to a Barnes and Noble. Now I am definately a Borders kinda girl (the books are CHEEPER there), but perhaps I will go to B&N and read a book there and then buy it online.

OK so, Goals for the summer:
Finish current projects and get started on new ones
Coupon
Lose weight (I haven't weighed my self so I will set a goal for this once I do)
cook my own food
and thus eat better

Lets just see how I do

Startitis (start-eye-tiss)

I have a pretty decent blog list I read. I discovered the wonders of RSS last year and since I use a mac and use the Mail app I started collecting blogs. I have cupcake blogs, book review blogs, fashion blogs, knitting blogs, design blogs, and my newest to my collection is Twist Collective (also about 20 webcomics). I'm not really sure what all twist collective entails. I found their site through This BLOG and browesed for about 5 minutes before tapping my lovely RSS button (if you use safari it resides in your url space. It only appears when you can RSS something - kinda like magic) ... (I smirked as I said that... thought you'd wanna know).

Wow
Anyway

So whilst rendering (UGH!) I was reading some blogs. This is the one I read. I couldn't help but giggle several times at this blog. It talks about about startitis = the tendancy for knitters to starts several new projects before being able to finish the original....You have no idea, i thought to my self. Right now I have a dead fish hat - 50% done, a sock 15% done, a scarf 5-15% done, a sweater (that i plan on restarting), one of two mittens (who knows if I will ever even do the other one..) This is not counting the crochet, quilting, video, sewing, and paper crafts that I haven't had time to finish. Hopefully this summer of living independently will give me lots of free time to finish these WIP (works in progress).  Hey if I do I will put up pictures.

The problem is that when I learn a new technique i wanna try it. The sock is the first real attempt at a sock with my first set of DPNS (double pointed needles). Any way I am gonna go watch Avatar (the cartoon). More on that later.

So MANY cute cupcakes

Baking cupcakes and what-not for 13 hours sounds ridiculous....but I did it.

I am a graduating senior and that means I have to present my portfolio. I am a digital media major so my portfolio has photography, flash, video, and graphic design in it. The whole thing is online but I am working out some kinks before I want to tell you where online.

Anyway, if you want to keep people interested you have good food!! So I made TONS of cupcakes with the help of: cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski, cupcakes by Pamela Clark (same name different book), Hello Cupcake, and Whats New Cupcake.

Doesn't this look yummy? Ok not yet. This is a delicious concoction that contains brown sugar, honey, milk, butter, white chocolate, and more. This melted together is the base for the delicious Georgia Mud Cupcakes.  

Here it is, post melting mixed with egg I think. I am about to add the flour! 

Yum! These will be stir fry cupcakes later! 

After several hour of baking here are some of the cupcakes ready to be decorated. All the white ones are Georgia Mud and the dark are chocolate mocha. 

Something was horribly wrong with this mix. All my cupcakes are from scratch. These were suppose to be yellow cupcakes, but something went awry and they tasted like vanilla biscuits. So they were tossed. Not a huge set back since it was a single batch and only made 6, barely. 

These crushed oreos are NOT FOR CUPCAKES, but something just as splendid. Mint Oreo Truffles. 

1 pkg of Oreos (pick your flavor, I like mint, but you can do whatever) 

1 pkg of cream cheese

1 pkg of almond bark (i like chocolate, but you could use white chocolate for a richer taste)

1) Crush oreos till no big pieces are left 

2) mix in cream cheese

3) roll out small balls

4) dip in chocolate! 

5) Let chocolate cool/dry and enjoy

To keep the ball intact, i scoop up some chocolate in a 1 Tablespoon measuring spoon and then using a regular spoon I cover the rest with chocolate and then place on wax paper. 

I have also added smashed coffee beans to the chocolate for those all nighters with chocolate cravings.

I started by decorating the Koi fish since those were a small batch of salted carmel cupcakes. (I also was limited by the number of brown mini m&ms)

Here are some of the goodies used to make this tasty creation. 

Here are some more. The odd metal thing is what I use for icing. It came with a cookie press set from a thrift store that I received for my birthday from my AMAZING boyfriend.

These are the stir fry cupcakes. They were VERY fun to make. 

I think I made around 75 mini cupcakes that looked like popcorn. 

Here they are on display (the creations on the left: white chocolate = cake pops..er...balls, because i was too tired to worry about sticks and the chocolate ones are oreo truffles.)

Here are the stir fry cupcakes and some popcorn cupcakes. 

I found these HUGE pans at walmart. $3 each and they have a great lid. I think I will reuse them                 The night went great and the food went fast. Hope you found something inspirational or at least edible looking. 

Julia and Julia feed the food lovers soul

I finally saw Julia and Julia. (I just needed a good movie) and thank you netflix it was on instant view. XD So click and it was on. I laughed, I cried, I sympathized (I know the feeling of getting the recipe just right only to forget to set the timer and burn the whole dang thing!!!) I watched it while eating some ramen, but it felt ...unethical? I wish I had some amazing take-out, but not much of that to be had in this big city (aka population 7,000). It made me want to bake my heart out...and be better at blogging (doing it more often at least). The whole movie was excellent and if you like a good laugh or a good cry, it's the perfect movie for you. You can relate to the characters whether you cook or not. And how can you not love Amy Adams? So adorable! I usually end up relating to her character. So give it a watch and tell me what you think :)