A nail polish accident...

Turned into probably one of my favorite nail designs eva! I had spotted this nail design on the web and really wanted to recreate it....but a tad different than what is in this photo...

Link

I was searching through my nail drawer to find something fun to do. I wanted the glitter to be at the top of my nail instead of the bottom. I had found some black nail polish that I had never worn before, and my mom had the Silver one, so I was in business. I tried to put a little glitter on my nails, but failed horribly. What I decided to do was smush the silver all over the black, but not covering it completely. Then when my nails were tacky, I pressed my finger print into the entire nail to give it texture. After it dried, I sealed it with a top coat. Here's my rendition of the photo above...

What I used:

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Blackout

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in In The Spotlight

I just love the result! I think I'm going to try this with a different base coat! I love how an accident turns into something beautiful!

xo.

Bookworm Thursday

So last week I read "Diary" by Chuck Palahniuk. So here's my rating...

I give this book a C+

Yeup, I said it. Not the best rating. I actually had the hardest time holding any interest into this book. I'm a busy gal, so I need a good book to wisp me right off my feet into readers oblivion. And this book didn't do that. This probably wasn't the best book to start off with of his, so I wouldn't deem him as unreadable just yet...

I thought the plot was a wee bit...bland. The beginning seemed repetitive...we find psycho writings on the walls of houses written buy a guy who tried to kill himself and most of these writings involve his fat wife. It seemed to state that over and over again without getting into any great detail. I mean, I guess that's the point, you build up to a climax, but you have to keep the reader interested until the climax is reached. I personally love books with a great amount of detail. I love visualizing everything. His writing lacks that. But to each their own, right? I may have to reread this. I usually like books/movies/music the second time around. Now don't let my review sway you. I'm picky. Very picky. 

But anyways, I can't wait until next weeks post! I'm so excited about my next read :D I do suggest reading the Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. He is fabulous! The book is just...awesome. Better than the movie, much much better. Maybe I'll do a detailed review on that book soon! I had made a new button for my blog. I just love it! I will be sponsoring MaieDae in the month of October, and I am very very excited. I can't wait to meet new people (hopefully) and gain more readers. I've never been apart of a sponsorship before, so I'm so excited! :) And hello to my new readers. I'm so glad to have you <3

And before I say goodbye...

Isn't he precious?? 

xo.

My most treasured items...

So I found this website that asks you what you would bring if your house was on fire. It's really interesting to see what people all over the world would bring. I submitted my list to the site, and it's currently going through moderation. So I thought to post that (and a few other things I cherish) on here for you all to see! So here's my "incase my house (it's really a tin can) burns down:"

• My grandfather's bird book
• The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
• A photo album of my father & our family
• MacBook (and iMac - not pictured)
• iPod
• iPhone
• Nikon Coolpix L110
• Polaroid Automatic 240 Land Camera
• Nikon N70
• Film
• Titanic DVD - Special Edition
• A photograph of my parents on their honeymoon
• An old photo of my dad from the 70's
• Two vintage Pink Floyd albums
• My dad's old work sweatshirt 
• And the blanket underneath everything (was my dad's)

So there you have it! Here are some things I cherish...

This is the photo of my dad from the 70's. Ever since I've seen this photo of him, I've kept it in a special place. It's so magical to me. I loved how he looked here. I've never seen him this scruffy, but I still love it. I miss him so much.

This is the Polaroid picture of my parents on their honeymoon when they went to Eagle River, WI. I kept this by my side ever since I was realllly little. I was infatuated with it because of it being a Polaroid, plus, my parents weren't married very long...so I always liked looking at this to remind me that they did really love each other, no matter what.

The photo had peeled apart. I like that you can see them on all parts of this photo.

My mom's writing <3

My parents and my grandma in the background. I love love love this picture of them. I love our yard, it's so colorful. I love how happy they looked. I love my grandma's crazy hair. What I don't love is the fact that my dad is smoking a cigarette. Almost every photo I have of him, he has one in his hand. :( Perhaps if he never smoked, he still might be here. But we can't change the past. I'm so thankful to have such beautiful photos of him to look back on. 

Last but not least...another picture of my dad. This is during his fight with cancer. I love the look on his face. It reminds me of a curious child. He was in such good spirits during his fight with four different cancers. I'm so proud of him. 

So if my house burned down, these would be the things I would grab (also including my mom, two cats and a dog - can't forget those)!! What would you take if your house was on fire?

xoxo

Nails - Polka dots and slashes!

Say hello to another nail post :) This week I was trying out a few new things with my nails. I wanted to jazz them up and try out something fun! I just love the colors I have. I've never owned white nail polish before, but I really love it! I really want to try out this Nail Design.

I freehanded everything. I never attempted dots or slashes before. So they aren't the best looking, let me tell you! Next time I think I may try to use something to make the dots with, and use tape for any slashes. But they are still fun! Here's what I used:

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Mint Sorbet

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - White On

Orly Top Coat - In a Snap

I've never tried out the Xtreme Wear before, but I <3 it! It stays on and I love that it's not too thick or too thin, it's juuust right :)

And for something fun...

\\ 10 Facts About Yours Truly //

I usually cut my hair off every summer. I usually let it grow realllly long (my hair grows fast), and then chop it off into a bob the following summer. This also requires me to not ever get haircuts. I've been trying to be good and keep up on haircuts. I also am going to be keeping my hair short for the time being. 

•

I really hate change. If I'm used to something and happy with it, I don't ever want it to change. If something does change, I take it really hard. This is one thing about myself that I wish it wouldn't be. 

•

The last four months of the year are my most favorite months. I love love love the holidays. I love buying gifts for other people, making tasty meals for my family, and cozying up to the one's I love. I love the festivities the end of the year brings as well. 

•

I love anything scary, morbid, haunted, dead, ghostly and so on. Which means basically I love scary movies and haunted houses. I'm that kid who goes through haunted houses like it's a piece of cake....and I tend to talk back to the actors because I'm never scared...unless there is a chainsaw involved, those creep the heck out of me!! 

•

I have zero tattoos. I always go back and forth with myself whether or not I want some. Everyone in my family has one except my father and I. I know exactly the tattoo I want (after years and years of thinking of an idea - a half sleeve of something I can't tell you cause it's too great to share) but I'm not sure whether or not to get it. 

•

I'm pretty tall for a girl. I'm 5'10. I've been taller than all my boyfriends, which is something I never liked. I like taller men, so it was odd dating guys who were shorter than I. I never got to wear cute shoes that weren't flats, for fear of being dramatically taller than them. But now that has changed cause I'm a single lady :)

•

I'm probably the girliest tomboy you'll ever meet. I love fashion, makeup, nail polish, etc...but I love anything nature-y and I'm not afraid to get dirty ;) I love fishing, going through the woods, being on the boat/water, real camping and much more! I grew up mainly around boys, so I am used to doing things for myself to make sure they get done.

•

I am an extremely honest person. I can't tell a lie to save my life, nor would I ever. If I feel something bothering me, I have to talk it out and resolve the situation. This usually never works out too well in my love life (or so it seems). Sometimes honesty can backfire. But I always believe in being true to yourself, and keeping in something is not the way to do that! 

•

I am the most imperfect perfectionist ever. Sometimes I don't keep things organized, but I have to have things in a certain way to move forward (or it will bother me until it's fixed). I have a mild case of OCD, so if something isn't straight, or properly put away, it bugs the crap out of me! 

•

When I get into a heated debate, a lot of people say that I contradict myself (even if it's just a normal conversation). I don't believe this to be true. I'm very optimistic, and I can almost always see two sides to the story, and I try to find the happy medium. People may confuse this as contradiction, I just see it as being open minded and agreeing to certain things that may or may not agree with each other. Nothing is black and white, there is always a shade of gray....

•

So there you have it. I felt like it was time to open up with you a wee bit more. I love reading things about people, so it's always fun to find certain things about yourself to share with others! I received my shipment of fall scents today. I can't wait to get them all made up and posted on Etsy. Expect to see those new items later on this week <3

xo, R.

52 Weeks - Week 2

I was looking all over the place what I wanted to take a picture of. Benny is so photogenic, I couldn't let this photo-op pass me by. I'm so excited how this one turned out. I think it's my favorite photo so far! He's beautiful.

He's so silly.

I love his eyes. 

UW Madison!

Yesh! Another weekend has passed! But it was a great one! Yesterday my best friend Ashlee and I drove to Madison, WI to go to a Badger game. Incase you have no clue what a Badger game is, it's college football. I grew up watching football every Sunday with my dad. He was a BIG fan. We even had him buried all in his Packer gear! I was so excited to go to a Badger game this weekend. The last time I went to one was in about 6 years....so it was long overdue! 

I can pretty much take or leave football. But for some reason, I've been watching it like crazy lately. I'm not sure if it's because we won the Superbowl, or if I'm trying to feel closer to my dad. But I seem to be super interested in it again. It was so exciting to go to the game yesterday. I loooove college games. I was in band all throughout middle and high school. In high school, we would go to a Badger game once a year for UW Band day. We would play with a bunch of other high school bands throughout Wisconsin. I had no idea that yesterday's game was UW Band day. I was sooooooooo excited!! I felt 16 again, haha :) UW - Madison's college band is ah-maz-ing. If you want to see why I say that, check out this video:

I highly respect this band. In general, it's not easy to march. Especially when you have a thick heavy uniform on, carrying a heavy instrument, trying to keep in step and in time...it's just not easy. And they have an even harder marching step (see how high they lift their legs), and most of their music is by memory. It's just insane to me! But I had a great time, and I was so glad to see this phenomenal band once again! It makes me miss band oh so much. It's sad that those years are forever gone :( But yesterday was a wonderful day! We won 59-3! It was great to be reminded of something I was once so passionate about. I hope to find such pure passion like that about something again! 

In other news, Ashlee had bought me an iTunes card for my Birthday, which is way over a month ago. I've been thinking what on earth I could use with that card. I wanted to use it wisely, so I had been procrastinating on getting something neat with it. I had found a few neat photo apps that are similar to Instagram. What I really love is all the neat features you can find for the iPhone's camera. I have a 3gs, so I'm not lucky to have a flash or a better megapixel or resolution, but these apps were too great to pass up. There is one called Hipstamatic. I think that one was my favorite. You can choose the film you want to use, and then how you want your photo to develop. You even get to choose the lense you want to use! How neat is that?? I also purchased Tilt Shift Generator and Lo-Mob. I recommend checking them out if you own an iPhone! You can also see A Beautiful Mess' blog and her reviews on her iPhone apps (of which include the one's I named here). 

Isn't he beautiful? I'm so excited to list some new balms this week. I will have Pumpkin Cheesecake, Caramel Apple, Vanilla Lavender, Chai tea and Vanilla Bean...just to name a few! Well I suppose it's getting to be that time for me to head to bed seeing I have to get up in 6 very short hours for work! 

xo <3

ps. Did anyone catch Pan Am tonight?? Wasn't it great? I'm totally obsessed with that show and Playboy Club...as well as Big Bang Theory! I am so glad fall shows are back! 

Bookworm Thursday!

Welcome to Bookworm Thursday!!! Now, this idea sparked into my mind while I was at work this morning. I am a huge book fan. I own 100+ books and seem to never have much time to read them. I want to change that. I usually read a lot more during the colder months. So to make sure I keep up with this goal, I have decided to read a new book every other week. This may change (I hope not, but it depends on the size of the book).

I will post the book that I'm reading with a description, and once I'm done, I will rate that book! Every first and third Thursday of the month, I will post the book I will be reading. The other two Thursdays will be my review of that book! So yay for finding a set schedule for my posts! Mondays = 52 Weeks of Polaroid and Thursdays = Bookworm Thursday. This makes me happy!! I also would love any suggestions on some good books to read. I'm usually up for anything, but I'm trying to get into darker books at the moment. I <3 <3 <3 Jeffrey Eugenides. :)

So do you want to know what I'm currently reading?

From Wikipedia:

Diary takes the form of a "coma diary" telling the story of Misty Marie Wilmot as her husband lies senseless in a hospital after a suicide attempt. The story is not exactly told by Misty but through a third-person perspective instead. Once she was an art student dreaming of creativity and freedom, but now, after marrying her husband Peter while they were both still at school and then giving birth to their daughter shortly after, she is eventually brought back to Waytansea Island, a place that was once-quaint but is now tourist-overrun. Misty has been reduced to the lowly condition of a mere waitress within a common resort hotel. Peter, before falling into his coma, was building hidden rooms within the houses he was remodeled and scrawling vile messages all over the walls; this is an old habit of builders but it's been dramatically overdone in Peter's case. Angry homeowners are suing Misty left and right and her dreams of artistic greatness have been ruined. But then, as if she was possessed by the spirit of the fabled Waytansea artist Maura Kincaid, Misty begins painting again, excessively and compulsively.

Misty discovers that the islanders, including her father-in-law (previously thought to be dead) are involved in a conspiracy which repeats every four generations. A young artist (in this case Misty) is lured to the island by an old piece of jewelry, she becomes pregnant and has her children within the community. It is implied that this old jewelry works to lure and entrap Misty because it was hers in a past life, during which these same events played out before. During middle age, her husband dies, followed by all her children, resulting in a wave of great artistic creativity, the product of which is mesmerizing to the observing audience. The islanders create an exhibition of Misty's art work at the local hotel where a fire is started by Misty's daughter, who is revealed to be alive after a previous point in the book when she was thought to have drowned, and all the hotel's occupants are burned to death due to their being mesmerized by her painting. The result is a huge insurance claim which leaves the remaining island citizens wealthy enough to support their luxuriant lifestyles for the next four generations, at which point a new young artist will be found to repeat the cycle. Peter, Misty's husband, attempted to warn her of this plot using his hidden writing and it is revealed that his suicide attempt was in fact a murder attempt. It is never revealed in the end whether Peter recovered from his coma, but from Misty's descriptions of his state of health, he more than likely died.

I thought it sounded rather interesting. I've heard great things about this author, and decided to try out a few of his books. I have another one that I want to read after this one as well :) So next week I'll review this book for any of you that may be interested in checking it out!!

So in other news...I went to Goodwill this evening and bought a printer for fifteen bucks! I am sooooo happy. Mine just took a poo and I was really not into buying a new one (they are so expensive). So I found the same exact one I had for so cheap! I am through the moon happy right now! And it works perfectly! How awesome is that?!?! I also got a swimsuit for three bucks (it was a buck and a half for the top and the same for the bottoms). It was brand new from Target! I loooove that! It was certainly a successful thrifting experience!

Have any of you found anything recently at a thrift store that got you super excited??

<3

ps.

Isn't he handsome?? Yeup, this is the love of my life!! Now off to watch some Big Bang Theory (thee best show EVER)!

Nails!

I may not keep up with hair cuts, or going to the gym, or getting to work on time...but the one thing I try to keep up on is doing my nails. I've gotten so much inspiration from other blogs on how to add some sizzle to nail polish designs. 

Now, I'm pretty conservative when it comes to my nails. Why, I don't know. But I'm a nut for fun colors (which I usually put on my toes). And now I've made a pact with myself to break out of my natural nail color shell, and go bold and fun! 

I'm totally digging the one glitter nail that a lot of gals are doing now. I think I should have painted all my nails the same color and applied the glitter over the solid color, but I still love how they turned out! 

I love how bright and fun the Sally Hanson pink is! This is usually the type of color I paint on my toes, and the pale glitter pink is usually the type of color I paint on my finger nails!

Aren't these great?? I am IN LOVE with the top coat! I usually am too lazy to deal with a top coat...until I found this baby. It dries quickly, as well as the nail polish you apply the top coat over. How awesome is that?!?! I seen this and had to have it. I am so impatient when it comes to doing my nails, and I end up smudging them before they dry. But with this top coat, I don't even have to worry about smudging my nails! Here are the brands and colors I used:

Sally Hanson Insta-Dri in Presto Pink

O.P.I. Nail Lacquer in Princesses Rule!

Orly In a Snap Quick Dry Top Coat

What's your favorite nail polish brands? I'm a sucker for O.P.I. and now I've found a new love in Orly. 

Tonight I plan on finding a good scary movie to watch. It's a toss up between Halloween (the original), Psycho (also the original) or the Strangers. I keep telling myself that I'm going to have time to watch a scary movie, but I always get sidetracked. But not tonight!! 

xoxo

ps. Do you like my layout change? I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet, but I think I can get used to it :p

52 Weeks of Polaroid

Well, it's here! This will be our annual fun Monday post! I'm hoping to incorporate more of an organized posting schedule, and this is a great way to start! Every Monday I will be posting an instant photo that I've taken with my Polaroid Automatic 240. Even if they are bad, good or amazing, they'll be up every Monday for the next year. I hope you're just as excited as I am!! So here we are:

This photo I took of the beautiful apple trees at the apple farm the other day. I love how mysterious this photo is. I still need to practice how to perfect my camera, but I'm really happy how this photo turned out! <3 Do you have an instant camera? Isn't it hard to take a picture of something really special?

♥

The Elegant Farmer : Apple Picking

So far this fall, I have three things crossed of my Fun Fall List. 

1. Apple Picking  2. Hay Ride  3. Eating Caramel Apples

Yesterday, my best friend Ashlee and I went to Mukwonago, Wi to go apple picking. This was my first time ever doing such a thing, so I was beyond excited. 

They were sooo nice at this farm. They had a wonderful store with all their homemade goodies and an apple and pumpkin farm. I know I'll be going back soon to pick some pumpkins to carve when it's closer to Halloween!! 

Ashlee and I waiting for the hay ride to start!

A huge bin full of Grannysmith apples! Mmmm!

Look at how tiny this one is!

Gorgeous <3

These were the first apples we picked. We were allowed to pick off any apples we wanted, and we could eat them right on the spot! This one was so beautiful and was my favorite. I loved the flavor. Now I only wish I knew the name of this one :(

I was so excited to see all the cute tiny apples. Those were my favorite to eat.

Omnomnomnom.

How cute!

I love the coloring of these apples!

A few pics I took of my bestie with my Polaroid.

Self portrait! 

Beautiful!

Ashlee and I!

Silly.

This was my favorite picture I took of Ash.

Pumpkins!!!!

I wanted to pick a pumpkin out sooo bad!!

Hay ride!

This weekend was so much fun! I can't wait to visit The Elegant Farmer again! If you are in the Southeastern Wisconsin area, I recommend you check them out. You won't be disappointed! Have any of you gone apple picking before? Isn't it fun??

Tomorrow I will start my 52 weeks of Polaroid! I can't wait! Have a great rest of the weekend guys!! 

xoxo