Skywatch Friday: A storm is a brewin'!

Have a cool photo of your sky you want to share? Click here to participate in Skywatch Friday.

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Aromaleigh Mythos/Spells! look

Hi Nesters!

Here's my most recent look using two of Aromaleigh's final limited edition collections Mythos and Spells! (check out the collections here). Click here to see my looks using Wonderstruck. I'm doing lots of experimenting with the shadows in each of the collections. Truly the only way for me to decide whether or not I like a particular eyeshadow is to actually try it on my eyelids. I can't make a determination based on what a color looks like in the sample baggie, on a photo swatch, or even tested on the back of my hand. I've been surprised too many times by colors that just looked so-so tested on my hand that ended up looking fabulous on my eyes.

The color descriptions posted here (including the comment following the tarantellegra description) are those of my friend and fellow blogger Tanya of Easily Distracted. She has such a flair for writing, I didn't even bother trying to come up with descriptions of my own. It's like she took the words right out of my brain. Thanks, T!

• lumos - pale lemony yellow satin lit up w/subtle pink interference and shocks of borealis sparkle

• tethys - medium golden olive satin punctuated by vibrant purple sparks *primer recommended

• fidelius - semi-metallic wheat shimmering w/a charming combination of red and iridescent sparks *primer recommended

• tarantellegra - enchanting bisque frost w/a fantastical russet lowlight, silvery highlight, and rainbow shimmer (I thought I couldn't possibly need another light-to-medium neutral. I was wrong. VERY wrong. so are you. I don’t care how many other mid-light neutrals you already have — and trust me, I have plenty — YOU NEED THIS.)

• chronos - rich chestnut brown pearl tweaked w/purple sparks *primer recommended

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Janette's vintage inspired floral decoupaged pumpkin

Good morning, Nesters!

Martha Stewart Living Radio is hosting a pumpkin decorating contest for Sirius XM radio show hosts. I first heard about the contest on the Rosie Radio show while driving my kids to school.

There has been a lot of negativity surrounding Janette's (of Rosie Radio) pumpkin. The on-air staff of Rosie Radio have been talking about people posting mean-spirited comments on the contest site stating that Janette's pumpkin was unattractive, sloppy, etc. After hearing about it for a few days, I thought, "Okay, I've got to go see this ugly pumpkin for myself." So I went to the contest site today. Imagine my surprise when I came across this lovely vintage inspired floral decoupage pumpkin. I think it's sweet, quaint and a beautiful representation of a vintage Halloween decoration. I believe Janette said she used wallpaper from the 1950's (an extra roll saved from the house she grew up in) as the main decorating medium. What a creative way to recycle/repurpose old materials.

Who says Halloween has to be all witches, ghouls and ghosts? I would be proud to have Janette's pumpkin sitting on my front doorstep. If you are a lover of things that are sweetly handmade and vintage inspired, please go to the contest site and vote for "Janette's decoupaged pumpkin."

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My purple "spirit day" look in support of LGBT Teens!

Good evening, Nesters!

Today I wore purple on my eyes and on my body in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. I'm not going to make this blog post a political or social commentary but it is an issue I feel very strongly about.

From pressdemocrat.com...

Wednesday, October 20, people everywhere will be wearing purple to raise awareness about bullying while honoring the lives of several gay teens who recently committed suicide after reportedly being bullied for being gay.

Capturing the nation’s attention, the recent surge of gay teen suicides has brought anti-gay bullying into focus. Locally, Facebook is bringing residents together to discuss this issue with messages of support, but also, unfortunately, intolerance.

In addition to honoring the teens who took their own lives in recent weeks, according to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Facebook page, tomorrow’s awareness day “Is also a way to show the hundreds of thousands of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) teens who face the same pressures and who are victims of the same types of bullying and harassment that there is a vast community of people out here who love them and care about them.”

My look uses colors from the Aromaleigh Spells! collection:

• Orchideous - inner lid

• Obliviate - lid/crease

• Nox - outer "v"

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Birthday FOTD using Meow's Tarnished

Hi Nesters!

Monday was my 44th birthday and Jason (who just turned 39 this year) took me out for dinner to one of my favorite restaurants, Campagnia. Although she begged us repeatedly (kids are relentless) to take them with us, Sierra stayed home and watched her little brother Cameron so Jason and I could have a much needed date night. The night couldn't have gone better.

In a previous post in which I used Meow's Tarnished as an accent, I mentioned that it would probably be a great stand-alone smokey eye color. Well, it is! It's the perfect marriage of brown and charcoal with just the right amount of shimmer. I'm definitely getting a full size of this. I also used a little bit pale yellow matte eyeshadow to soften and brighten the edges. By the looks of these photos, I was a little heavy-handed with the yellow matte eyeshadow. But in the dimly lit restaurant, I don't think it looked quite as stark as it does here indoors at night with flash.

In this look I also used Meow's Delicious Despair (from the Shattered Equinox collection) blush on my cheeks. I was surprised at how much I like this color. I've worn it every day for the past three days. All of the blushes in this collection are far more shimmery than I usually like; however, the color is so pretty and it has such depth that I can't resist it. I apply it over my mineral foundation with a duo fiber brush and then buff down the shimmer a bit with a little more foundation. To complete the look, I used black gel liner, mascara, and a nude pink gloss.

I'm totally not drunk in this photo (just excited to be going out sans children).

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Wordless Wednesday

You can join in with Wordless Wednesday, here!

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Meow Shattered Equinox: Look I

Hi Nesters!

Here's my first look (I did this on Friday) using Meow's Shattered Equinox collection. The two colors I chose for my look (Perverse and Tarnished) are rich, smooth and highly pigmented. I love them!

• Perverse (lid/crease): Muted golden berry plum

• Tarnished (outer v and slightly into crease): Bronzed umber with silver sparkle and gold iridescence

• Aromaleigh's Pink Negligee (inner corner): Silky pink with delicate taupe and violet undertones

In this look, Tarnished was used as an accent just to provide a little depth in the outer corner. However, I think it would do very well as the featured color in a smokey eye look. Maybe I'll try it tonight when Jason takes me out to dinner for my birthday.

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Yesterday in the garden. . .

...I planted 65 plants! And am I ever sore today. But it's a good sore because now my garden is all planted and I love it. I can't wait till spring when everything is in full bloom.

Click here to see posts of what the garden looked like before, including the "ripping out" process and my garden plans.

Close-up of my "Pink Lace" azalea

Close-up of my "Alaska" azalea

This miniature rose is the perfect addition to the garden bed located to the left of our walkway. It's a shame that the 3 other rose bushes behind it aren't in bloom.

Thank you for visiting!

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Meow fall collections haul

"Just before the death of flowers,
And before they are buried in snow,
There comes a festival season
When nature is all aglow."
~ Author Unknown

Yesterday, I received my sample order of Meow's recently released fall 2010 collections (Sunless Sea, Alien Abduction, and Shattered Equinox). I purchased over 25 colors and can't wait to try them all out and post some looks and swatches of my favorites.

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Aromaleigh Wonderstruck - Look IV

"Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose
From out night's gray and cloudy sheath;
Softly and still it grows and grows,
Petal by petal, leaf by leaf.”

~ Susan Coolidge

For today's look, I went a little bolder than I usually do. If you like pinks, Wonderstruck has some pretty ones.

Here's what I used to create this look:

• Hearts a' Plenty (lid) - midtone sweet cotton candy pink with golden iridescence

• Pass the Tarts (crease and outer v) - dark warm cranberry with slight shimmer, pink highlight, and multi-colored sparkles

• Midtone matte brown (disc'd TSS) eyeshadow in crease

• Black cake eyeliner on upper lash line, smudged

* Color descriptions are based on my own personal observations and are not provided by Aromaleigh.

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Garden updates!

Hi Nesters!
Yesterday, I checked out a couple of nurseries and garden centers and found a few things to put in our front garden. I got two roses (thank you, Mom for the birthday present!), one hydrangea, a pink bower vine and a lovely iron trellis. In my original garden plan, I was going to put a tree rose on the blank wall underneath the address light but I think the trellis adds nice architectural interest to the garden. I think I'll put a tree rose in the planting bed to the left of the garage (yes, I still have one more empty bed to fill with plants). I also need to get a box to hide our turquoise hose in. That thing is ug-ly. Surprisingly, I'm not sore today. Last night after all that digging, my muscles were so stiff I could hardly move. My body must be getting used to it. Thank goodness because there's lots more to come.

Before

After - hedge and shrub removed

After - four new plants and a trellis are in!

Plant names (click on the photo to enlarge)

Planting bed under the big window

I bought this fountain last weekend. It's about 40" high. Perfect for this space. I'm going to put it in the center of the planting bed pictured above. Camellias will go in front of the brick wall under the window. Then the fountain will go in front of the camellias. I'll plant a fern on each side of the fountain and one in front. Azaleas will go in front of the ferns closer to the concrete border. At least that's the plan for now.
Thank you for checking out my garden updates!

Here's what I planted:

• "Our Lady of Guadalupe" rose (silvery-pink)


• Pink Bower Vine (pale pink with darker pink centers)


• David Austin "Cottage Rose" rose (warm-pink)


• Endless Summer "Twist-n-Shout" hydrangea (blue, pink or lavender depending on soil acidity)

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Aromaleigh Wonderstruck - Look III

Hi Nesters!

Today's look features Fiddlesticks with an accent of Melancholy Maiden from one of Aromaleigh's final collections, Wonderstruck (based on Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland). These ended up being two of my favorite colors from this collection and I will be purchasing full sizes of them in the near future. If you're a fan of light shimmery highlight eyeshadows, Melancholy Maiden is a must-have for your collection. The color, texture and sparkles are a-ma-zing!

Click here to see Kristen's (owner/artisan of Aromaleigh) hand swatches of these colors.

• Fiddlesticks (outer 3/4 lid/crease) - Midtone warm shimmery copper (but not orangey) with blue and pink sparkles.

• Melancholy Maiden (inner 1/4 lid) - Nude/fawn/buff shimmer with multi-colored (aurora borealis?) sparkles.

• Black cake eyeliner (upper lash line)

*Color descriptions are based on my own personal observations and are not provided by Aromaleigh.

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