Friday Fancy!

GlamourDamaged

I've been obsessed with this shop for, oh gee, quite awhile. I've been wanting one of her hats for-ev-er. She has the best color combinations around, and I can only imagine how amazing they'd feel on my skull! This one would be perfect for me! Eep!

peacefrogdesigns

I love the look of feather earrings. They would look pretty snazzy in my ears because my hair is so short. If only I weren't stretching my lobes right now...sigh. 

debrobinson

I really love the look of hand-dyed yarn. There is something so special and unique about it. This rainbow lot is no exception. It's noting but pure beauty and I could think of some great things to make with this!! One thing I have to do before I die is dye my own yarn. How awesome would that be??

MindOvrMatter

I'm lovin' this beautiful vintage fabric high wasted skirt. It's simply beautiful. Best part is that they even make it to your size!! Pretty cool!

fing

This little felted kitty is sooooo adorable. Look at those eyes! It's only 11cm tall! Aweee. 

I'm so excited that it's Friday. My brother and I spent the morning at the junk yard. I have a flat tire & my car didn't come with a spare so we were on a search to find me a spare or a new tire for the time being. I really wish I brought my camera because there were some neat pics that would have been taken! **Note to self: Start bringing my camera EVERYWHERE. I got a couple Instagram shots that I will share in a little while.

In other news...

• I'm really lovin this post by Elycia. I am fully inspired by her and will be getting myself a journal specifically for blog ideas. I should have done this a loooong time ago, but I promised myself this year to do great things with this blog, so thinking things out in better detail will do a world of wonders! 
• This post from Mandy/Miss Indie is pretty great. In the recent times (circa 2009 until now), I kind of fell off the "What's Popular in America" bandwagon. Normally, I would have known about the Hunger Games well before it got popular. But did I? Nope. Just heard about it like...now? So yeah, I need to get on this. 
• I just stumbled across this blog last night, and I'm already in love. It's called Mini Penny incase you were curious. I have MAJOR hair envy of this girl. Lovin' the blog! I recommend checking it out! 

So that's all for me today, I hope your Friday is peachy keen and fun. 

xo.

The Wonders of Herbal Healing.

One thing I love so much about Etsy is the wide range of shops on there. You never know what you may find! When I started my shop, I wanted to mainly focus on the all natural aspect, as well as utilizing the resources from the earth. I spent countless hours reading as many herbal books as I could find. You'd be surprised at what we have at our fingertips! 

I used to be the type of girl who would buy whatever at the drugstore. I would read the label and instantly go, huh??!? Honestly, what is all that crap? Chemicals (in my opinion, anyway. Sadly, some beg to differ) do nothing for you. They are bad, they strip out your natural oils and dry out your skin (can we say, early aging)! So when I was thinking about starting my shop, I knew then and there any form of chemical, paraben or harsh anything would NOT make it into my products.

There are many shops out there very similar to mine that utilize the earth's resources. I downright LOVE these shops. I checked my Etsy account today and seen this shop add me to their circle. I love everything they have listed. It's like a massive healing garden of salves and teas. The shop is KsNatureProducts. Here are some of my favorite things in her shop (that I will have to get!!!):

Comfrey Salve

This stuff is healing in a jar! How fantastic! Comfrey is certainly one of the best herbs out there for rapid healing. If you see Comfrey as an ingredient in something you're interested in, it's certainly something you need to have on hand. You never know when it will come in handy!

Calendula Herbal Liquid

I seriously could go on and on about Calendula. Out of any herb, Calendula has to be at my top favorite. This is the ULTIMATE healing source around. It is an antiseptic, it's antibacterial as well as antiviral. It's basically a wonder flower. It is in the Marigold family (you have to be very careful if you have these in your garden, because you have to make sure it's the right genus and species (if you plan on using them), because some Marigolds are actually poisonous, ie, the French Marigold).

Natural Tick & Mosquito Repellent for Dogs

Ahhh!!! Lady seriously needs this! I find this to be quite fantastic actually! Essential oils are brilliant. You can find an essential oil for just about any, and I mean ANY, plant/herb around. An essential oil is a concentrated liquid extracted from a plant. You need very little of this in a diluted compound (olive oil is a big one) to be able to be used. You can read more about them here. You cannot use it directly on the skin, it can be quite dangerous. Mixing the right essential oils together can yield a special product, like this bug repellent for dogs! I have my own homemade bug spray in the summer that utilizes many different essential oils to rid away skeeters! 

She also has so many other great products ranging to helping your insomnia to taking good care of your cuticles! I know once I start getting a paycheck in again, I will certainly have to get some goodies from her! 

xo.

Things I Fancy

The Black Swan...I seen this movie in the theaters over a year ago, without having any knowledge about the movie, and needless to say, I'm still so in love with it. It's dark, and it goes to a place I wish more movies would go to. I was in such a dark spot this time last year, so I related to this movie so much. I still have a soft spot for it...

Puscifer...Conditions of my Parole. I just got my hands on this cd (Thank you, K) and I can't stop listening to it. And the thing is, it's the first time in about a year that I've had any passion to listen to something. I haven't had that drive to listen to anything anymore. I miss those days when you listened to a song and you instantly felt alive. Finally this cd has done that. And not to mention, I love this band. The lead is the frontman to Tool and A Perfect Circle (both my favorite bands). I recommend you check it out, if you're into that genre. 

I can honestly say, I can't believe I'm about to blog about chips...but I have to say, these babies are GOOD. I was first drawn by the design of the bag to try them. I love the vintage look of them. I actually like them a lot better than original Doritos.

The new Titanic poster AND trailer. Oh lordy-bee. I am SO SO SO SO SO SO SO excited. I mean, I want to cry because I can't wait until April 6th, cry! I CAN'T WAIT! The trailer even almost made me tear up. And I tell you, I've watched this movie 100's of times. I know every flippin' line, and that trailer pretty much got me as if I never seen the movie once. I will be counting down the days until I get to see my beloved Jack & Rose on the big screen again...IN 3D!!!! Only 13 years later...ah!

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!

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

A weekend full of great finds!

I can't believe another weekend has passed so quickly. I had found some great treasures this weekend that I can't wait to share with all of you <3 I had seen a similar camera to this on The Dainty Squid's blog. It was an old vintage instant Polaroid camera (that you could actually get film for at a cheap price, GASP)! So I went on a manhunt to find that camera, or a similar model. (You can see her post here about her camera).

The model I found was a Polaroid Automatic 240. There is a funny story behind this actually. I had told me mum about this camera that I wanted. I told her that if she had seen it anywhere, to pick it up for me. I was going to a giant festival that happens one weekend a month during the summer. I was hoping I'd be able to get my hands on this camera there, I hadn't. So when I got home, I checked eBay. I'm pretty new to eBay (when it comes to bidding anyhow) so I was trying to understand the ropes when I was bidding for this camera. I had placed my bid and was hoping to win. I showed my mom and she goes, "Oh, I seen that camera today at the thrift store for $1.91, plus it's half off today." Um, whaaaaaaat?  I went into panic mode because I probably would have cried if I went there and it was gone. 

So I drove myself to the thrift store and couldn't find it anywhere. I found some other camera's before I found this one hiding. I again, hugged it until I left. I was soooo happy.

It's a larger model, which I love. I've been debating on getting an Instax mini or an Instax 210. But I'd rather have this. Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to take old pictures with the white border (not the 600 type film, older than that). I loved looking at my parent's childhood photos, and I always wanted to recreate my own. I never thought I was able to, until now!

I lucked out at the wonderful condition this baby is in. Barely any dust or dirt. Everything functions properly, and there was even an empty film cartridge in there, too! 

This baby came with everything, but the case. Which is fine by me because it's really unneeded, especially because it breaks down into it's own case anyways. 

I was very fortunate that it came with the manual as well. I loooove the old photographs on the inside showing you step by step  how to operate this beauty. 

This page is my favorite. Isn't she gorgeous?

This is the back of the manual.

It even came with the cold clip, too!

I thought this camera would be so complicated to open and operate, but it is soooo easy! I love how everything is numbered for you. My favorite feature is the focus. You have your normal view finder, and then there is a spot for you to check the focus. The image will appear in multiples if it's out of focus. Once you manually change that, it should appear as one image, and you're ready to shoot your subject! :)

I also got ahold of some other instant camera's by Polaroid. Do you remember these???

I totally forgot these existed, until I was looking on eBay. I still have mine somewhere. I was IN LOVE with this camera as a kid. I'll have to find some shots I took of my cats with this baby and put them on here for you guys to see :) Did any of you have one of these??

I also got another one of these. I have a few already, but this one is a macro camera, I couldn't pass that up (Macro has to be my favorite photography that I take). 

Not camera related, but I did get it on the same thrift sale. This neat little tin platter. I love the vintage feel of this and had to take it home with me.

I also got this cute little guy. I'm unsure what I'm going to put in there as of yet, though. (You can see this in some of the camera photos, too). 

Then I got this cute glass duck. I looove these! Did I mention I got all these goodies for around 7 dollars??? What a steal!!

My mom and I had gone to a little craft fair today that was held on a very old farm. These are the goodies I found...

Aren't these adorable?

Love love love!

Ahh I love fall!

I've been looking for a ring like this for the longest time. I've been hesitant to buy online because of the size issue. Sometimes they fit, sometimes they don't. I didn't want to take a chance.

And this guy. I love birds, and this was the perfect necklace for me! 

Now, I didn't get this copper bracelet this weekend. I actually got it while I was thrifting in Minnesota. I completely forgot to post about this, so I am now. I just love this, and am a big fan of unique copper bracelets. So there you have it! All my great finds from the weekend!! 

The Dainty Squid

I have to say, one of the first blogs I found here on Blogger was The Dainty Squid. The very first post I read I was instantly obsessed. She is so interesting and holds a lot of the same interests as me, which is awesome. I had found out through her blog that she has a shop on Etsy. So I hightailed my way on over there and, once again, fell in love.

I adore all her products and the great quality, so I just had to get a pouch of my own! Today they finally arrived in the mail (after much impatience on my part - the shipping was SPEEDY fast though!) and I was beyond words excited!

I love all her personal touches...the cute packaging, her business card and the sweet note! It is so fun and special - I just LOVE that! (I apologize for the fuzzy-ish photo, it's from Instagram...but I still like it, hehe). 

I had the hardest time picking out a cute pattern for myself. And I knew I couldn't pick just one. I love that she has vintage fabrics included in her products. When I spotted these particular pouches, I gasped and I knew I had to take them home!

So beautiful.

I just adore this fabric beyond words! It's so me! 

These photos were taken on my iPhone via Instagram. I know some people dislike the whole 'cellphone pic' deal, but I am just in love with Instagram lately (if you have an iPhone, I recommend you check out this app...and it's FREE) and I had to share via that. Plus it's a lot quicker than using my camera and hooking it up to my computer...etc etc. But anyways, I just love her items, so if you haven't checked out her blog or shop yet, I recommend you do so!!! You will be HOOKED. She seems like such a neat girl and I know if I ever seen her house, I'd probably drool the entire time I was there. Hehe. 

And my beautiful Ben, laying by me as I took my pics. 

xoxo - R.