Save the Dates: Opinions, Part II

I've taken some of the suggestions under advisement. Better? (for the record, my Mom still isn't wild about the picture of me - but I like the fiance pick - I'm so torn... I freakin' hate all pictures of me):

I agree with all the 'sepia' recommendations -- the image is sepia with light "hand coloring," but it doesn't read very well. The Husband-to-Be, however, expressly likes the coloring affects. Since it's the only thing he's volunteered liking without a prompt for feedback, I feel like it needs to keep it.

:) Something has to be his decision. I'm not doing this crap all by myself.

End of Spring

Spring has arrived and my sadly neglected
garden is blooming most recklessly. Before I
grab the clippers and a basket, I thought I'd
share a glimpse of my final Springtime piece
for the year.
Rascally Rabbit Hanging Ornament
now in ETSY.

For a hefty dose of fashion and all things
glamorous stop by Diamonds in Champagne.
A girl can dream...sigh
Thank you Christine for spotlight!

Save the Dates: Opinions, please?

I thought I had out Save the Dates all done, and then I decided I didn't like them.

Well, not that I didn't like them, but that they didn't fit the spirit of the wedding. So I'm trying something a little different... Husband-to-Be likes it (he says), but his excitement level is inscrutable -- his high pitch is flat as Florida.

I don't really have a lot of faith in my abilities, so I need to know -- are these awful for an outdoor Halloweeny wedding where the bride will be wearing a bustle gown and the ceremony music will be old-fashiony?

They'll be sent out as postcards, because I like the informality of it (and love getting postcards). The back will still look something like this, but with details about the wedding in the "for correspondence" section:

UPDATE: My Mom has already written to say she doesn't really like the pictures. :) Ugg. I hate my accursed need for doing something personal, and not just pre-fab.

Who Died?

I'm ripping off the awesome ShellHawk, because this is just such fun:

140,791 People

Unusual Deaths in 1982

* Vic morrow, actor, was decapitated by a helicopter blade during filming of twilight zone
* Vladimir smirnov, an olympic champion fencer, died of brain damage nine days after his opponent's foil snapped during a match, penetrated his mask, pierced his eyeball and entered his brain.

People who died on December 28 (various years)

* 2004 - Susan Sontag, American writer
* 2004 - Jerry Orbach, American actor
* 2003 - Benjamin Hacker, American admiral
* 2001 - William X. Kienzle, American novelist
* 2001 - Samuel A. Goldblith, American food scientist
* 1999 - Clayton Moore, American actor
* 1998 - Claudia Benton, Peruvian child psychologist
* 1994 - Jean-Louis Lévesque, French Canadian entrepreneur
* 1992 - Sal Maglie, American baseball player
* 1991 - Cassandra Harris, Australian actress
* 1989 - Hermann Oberth, German physicist
* 1986 - Andrei Tarkovsky, Russian film director
* 1984 - Sam Peckinpah, American film director
* 1983 - Dennis Wilson, American musician (The Beach Boys)
* 1983 - Jimmy Demaret, American golfer
* 1983 - William Demarest, American actor
* 1981 - Allan Dwan, Canadian-born film director
* 1976 - Freddie King, American musician
* 1976 - Katharine Byron, American politician
* 1971 - Max Steiner, Austrian-born American film music composer
* 1967 - Katharine McCormick, American women's rights activist
* 1963 - Paul Hindemith, German composer
* 1962 - Kathleen Clifford, American actress
* 1952 - Fletcher Henderson, American musician
* 1949 - Jack Lovelock, New Zealand athlete
* 1947 - King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy
* 1945 - Theodore Dreiser, American author
* 1943 - Steve Evans, American baseball player
* 1938 - Florence Lawrence, American actress
* 1937 - Maurice Ravel, French composer
* 1932 - Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer
* 1924 - Léon Bakst, Russian artist
* 1919 - Johannes Rydberg, Swedish physicist
* 1918 - Olavo Bilac, Brazilian poet
* 1917 - Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian World War One flying ace
* 1916 - Eduard Strauss, Austrian composer
* 1900 - Alexandre Alberto da Rocha de Serpa Pinto, Portuguese explorer
* 1877 - Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, Russian poet
* 1872 - James Van Ness, Mayor of San Francisco (1855-1856)
* 1859 - Thomas Macaulay, British poet
* 1829 - Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, French scientist
* 1795 - Eugenio Espejo, Ecuadorian scientist
* 1736 - Antonio Caldara, Italian composer
* 1734 - Robert Roy MacGregor, Scottish folk hero
* 1715 - William Carstares, Scottish minister
* 1708 - Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, French botanist
* 1706 - Pierre Bayle, French philosopher
* 1703 - Mustafa II, Ottoman Sultan
* 1694 - Queen Mary II of England (b. 1662), of the famed joint monarchy William and Mary.
* 1671 - Johann Friedrich Gronovius, German classical scholar
* 1663 - Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist
* 1622 - Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva and saint
* 1558 - Hermann Finck, German composer
* 1503 - Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence
* 1446 - Antipope Clement VIII
* 1367 - Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun
* 300 - Theonas, Patriarch of Alexandria

the third time's the charm

There are simply not enough days in the month of October. Typically, as September draws to a close, I'm feeling productive. Feeling organized. But inevitably, as October begins the dark frosty march toward its conclusion, I find myself facing reality. Some plans will not see the light of day. Or more appropriately, the dark of night. And in a Halloween-ish twist on Murphy's Law, some of the best ideas always seem to come along in the dying days of October. Neglected, they pass into the shadowy world of "next year".

Last October, a few short days before Halloween, one such prop idea appeared. Okay, it didn't just appear; my son suggested it. I liked the idea of a dry abandoned bird bath with a bird skeleton or two perched on the edge, and thought it would be a natural fit for the front yard. But I knew I wouldn't have time to create it. I then suggested the obvious: that he might like to make it a last-minute project. A reasonable suggestion. At this point, I was patiently informed that he had fulfilled his creative role in providing the idea. My role was to now take said idea and turn it into a tangible object. At least it was reassuring to have a clearly defined set of expectations.

Flash forward a few months and that prop idea resurfaced in my consciousness. And with time on my hands, I started exploring my creative options. I began by reflecting on exactly what I expected from this skeleton, apart from the implied boniness.

First and foremost, it must be recognizable as a bird. Surprisingly, not as easy as it sounds.

Next, it must be able to withstand the potentially raging wind and torrential rain of an Atlantic October. Nothing is more disheartening than having to dash outside before breakfast to hunt down and rescue props as they blow out of the yard. Unless it's having to keep props indoors until Halloween night.

Finally, it shouldn't look too polished or pretty. I didn't anticipate any problems there.

So with durability and mediocrity in mind, I set to work. I won't devote much space to my first two attempts. Let's just say they involved varying combinations of duct tape, pipe cleaners, papier mache and Popsicle sticks and leave it at that. They are best forgotten. I will not speak of them again.

Then I started playing with clay. I've been wanting to experiment with clay for a while now and, running out of options, this seemed the ideal opportunity. Along the way, I learned some harsh truths: this stuff is much more lightweight when dry than wet, and cats like the taste.

Overall, the experiment yielded acceptable results. Perhaps not in the harsh unforgiving light of day. But certainly through the filter of darkness, dim lighting and fog at Halloween, I think the little guy will be fine. And while two of my criteria have been met, it remains to be seen how he will survive outdoors. Maybe this October will be dry and calm. Maybe. But that's a problem for another day. Right now, he's just a bird skeleton waiting for a birdbath to call his own. But that's an outdoor project and it's raining today. So here he sits. Waiting for the rain to stop. And trying to stay out of the cat's way.

orange and black

Lucky (the orange and white guy on the left) took advantage of the beautiful weekend weather to re-connect with an old friend. Albeit briefly.

thermometer rising

Today marks a milestone.

Today, for the first time in 2009, I took my coffee out onto the back deck . . . and I drank it there.

This is an important distinction.

Because it isn't the first time this year that I've attempted to drink my coffee on the deck. No, that day occurred two weeks ago. And how well I remember it. Lured by the brilliant sunshine pouring through the windows and encouraged by the softly chirping birds, I eagerly stepped outside, mug in hand. Two minutes later, I stepped back inside, mug still full of coffee, likely mere seconds before a layer of ice had begun to form on its sweet, creamy surface.

The deceptive cruelty of March left me feeling understandably cautious. But today, all is forgiven. Today, that unfortunate memory is disappearing faster than the ice and snow in my backyard. Warm sunshine . . . gentle breezes . . . the promise of double-digit temperatures. Reclining in a deck chair, feet up, face turned toward the sun, I sip my coffee, contemplate dusting off the grill, and anticipate the return of the spiders to my garden. They should be back any day now.

And much like the spiders, I too can now return to my backyard and deck, which double as my workshop (at least during the months that they're not buried under snow drifts). And the first outdoor project? The removal of last fall's accidentally splattered spray paint from the side of my house before any family members notice it. Luckily for me, they're not an exceptionally observant group.

Clowning Around

Ready or not it's time to start, I mean
seriously start fleshing out the multitude of
drawings from my sketch book. Only 8
weeks until the kids are home for summer
vacation and ... poof... no more uninterrupted
studio time. So no more clowning around for me,
unless of course it involves glitter and a
crepe paper collar.

Blood Bath Mat

I saw it here first, but looky! A bloodied bath mat.

Doesn't it just get your DIY mind reeling? I'm just trying to figure our what the best color/consistency would be, and how long it would take to get the paint off my feet...

Or, you know, you could just buy it.

JEFF FROM THE GALLOWS
His blog is filled with Halloween inspiration
365 days a year. A visual treat for Halloween fanatics.

Thank you all for participating in my month long
March Madness Celebration. You are an eclectic bunch of
FANTASTICAL FOLLOWERS !
I've enjoyed peeking around your blogs and gaining a
little more insight into your creative worlds.
The cauldron is already bubbling with the makings
of the next blog event, so stay tuned...

gardening season

That reminds me, I've been thinking about growing my own pumpkins this year.

Memorial

"Prevent suicide. Treat depression."

I don't know what else to say to you: take it seriously, no matter how silly you feel. Know the signs. Sure, they sound like most of us from time to time, but when you see one, then another... don't wait for a third. Hell, don't wait for a second.

The kid in the picture: I haven't seen him for 5 years and I will never see him again.


I have never had another friend like him, and I don't expect to. "Awesome friend whose soul somehow overlaps mine... I swear we have a cosmic connection of some sort. We always know what the other is thinking and feeling. I don't know why we even talk... we communicate mostly through telepathy."

God but I miss the hours spent talking all night, walking around aimlessly, yelling, laughing, agonizing over the future... the brutal, unnatural honesty. How comfortable it was to know that I could trust someone and be myself with him, that all he wanted in return was the same open acceptance.



Daniel, I miss you.

A well made-up Halloween...

DSC_9009,
- Rich Johnson -.

I love the day-of-the-dead make-up pictured; simple but wonderful details, pretty but spooky. Gorgeous. The entire photo set is wonderful - you should take a look.

Somebody did a great job (here) of looking through Flickr and finding some truly excellent face-paint examples. It really makes me rethink my next Halloween costume.

For the true best is artistic, creepy-sexy gore, though -- I have to recommend two galleries I found myself browsing the other day over at HauntSpace: Jess and Ramie. Their work is delightful.

The Party's Over

Here's a sneak peek of the final FRIDAY FREEBIE for one
FANTASTICAL FOLLOWER.

For your chance to win this little Halloween Shaker
click on the FOLLOW link just to the left
of this post before Friday the 28th. If you already
FOLLOW THIS BLOG then you are already entered in the
drawing. I will post the name of the winner tomorrow.

How Strange

Those of you who utilize your webmaster tools from Google probably find strange references to your site that exist out there, somewhere, in the aether of the internet...


for stellah dita dujour™ - by rosie the pirate on Polyvore.com

I found a polyvore with one of my pictures inserted.

Isn't that cute? And kind of - I don't know - unexpected?

Skull Bath Bomb diy

I wonder what would happen if DIY Bath Bombs met a skull-shaped icecube tray...



Some other bath bomb recipes can be found over at Craftbits. Do you think my bridesmaids would be offended enough if I made them the 'antifungal' version?

woe, woe, WHOA!

This week is proving to be as non-helpful to my blogging habit as any week has ever been.

Let's hope I don't seem to neglectful, but methinks you won't be hearing much from me until the present crushing workload decides to let me up for a little air. Seriously, I'm behind on everything -- even though I've been working my butt off all day, every day, since week before last.

All those posts you saw last week? Scheduled the week before. It's an unacceptable tragedy! All I've had time for is "approving" comments. It just makes me sad, not even to have the capacity to read your blogs.



I didn't even have the time to tell you that my fiance called this weekend to report a Rob Zombie sighting. That's right. Rob Zombie and his wife were at my soon-to-be-Husband's movie theater on Saturday. Which is where I usually am on the weekends. When I'm not working from home. Like I was this past weekend.

This is not just celebrity gawking (which I've never actually done -- but movie directors are kind of cool and exciting, and it would have been neat to glimpse that one), this is blog-topical. They got married on Halloween; I just read it on her wiki entry. Bam. Topicality.

DAMMIT.

fresh tomatoes = fresh ketchup

It's good to know that Burger King uses only ketchup made from fresh tomatoes. I feel healthier already.

Source

Mischief Maker Monday

Silly Rabbit...don't you know it's time again for
MISCHIEF MAKER MONDAY!
Looking at the calendar this morning I realized
that there is just one more week of my MARCH MADNESS
festivities. Before I began this month long celebration
I wasn't sure how I'd keep up with the weekly events,
but your continued encouragement and comments
have fueled my fire making this month just fly by.

My latest offering for MISCHIEF MAKER MONDAY
is now available in my ETSY shop, or drop me an
email at valeriotedesign@comcast.net to purchase.
Click HERE for ETSY link.

Thicker Eyelashes Makeup Tip as Seen on Rachael Ray

Makeup tip as seen on Rachael Ray

Here is a makeup tip to help out with applying makeup quicker and how to get the most out of your makeup look.

Everyone always wants thicker, longer eyelashes, well I heard a trick from the makeup artist and celebrity stylist Mally Roncal on Rachael Ray the other day: apply black eye liner to the inside, upper lid of your eyes, this is an easy way to make your lashes look darker, longer and fatter and make your eyes pop!



Click here for the video and more tips on how to stream line your makeup routine!

Since watching this episode a couple weeks ago, I tried this trick out and was really happy with the results! I use Mehron's Pro Pencil in absolutely black.

under the weather

I always seem to get sick at the end of cold and flu season. Just when I'm feeling smug about having come through the winter unscathed. Perhaps this advertised cold remedy will help. I'm sure what I'm feeling falls somewhere between a cold and malaria. If that doesn't work, at least I've got the frakking end of Battlestar Galactica to comfort me tonight.

Source

Primitive Chick Ornament

Now on eBay!

Tonya of BACK PORCH PICKINS! Besides being a devoted
FANTASTICAL FOLLOWERS, Tonya is a very talented artist.
Stop by her sweet blog to see her wonderful dolls and critters.
Congratulations Tonya! Your Glitter Skull Toothpicks
will ship today.

Be sure to stop back next week for another
FANTASTICAL FOLLOWERS FREEBIE FRIDAY
There is one more chance to win. Simply click on the
FOLLOW button in the column to the left of this post.

I don't think they realize how creepy these paper toys could be...

Canon (the printer company) has a great selection of paper printables. What a great way to drum up my interest in their product! They even have some Halloween items, both decor and masks.

I've selected a few that, once put together, could be antiqued with a little bit of ink or paint to become very, very creepy. Enjoy!

Dharma Dolls

Snowy Owl (Female)

Chinese Phoenix

Carousel

Sail Ship

Dancing Circus Clowns

note: If you really like paper toys and also really like Halloween, you have to check out Ravensblight.

Glitter Skull Toothpicks

Wow! Where did the week go? I can't believe
it's already time to posts this weeks
FRIDAY FREEBIE for one FANTASTICAL FOLLOWER.

For your chance to win this bag of Glitter Skull
Toothpicks, click on the FOLLOW link just to the left
of this post before Friday the 20th. If you already
FOLLOW THIS BLOG then you are already entered in the
drawing. I will post the name of the winner tomorrow.

Decor Medley

To say Giorgina from Decor Medley has a passion for
Home Decor is an understatement. Her site is a
decorator's delight. Of course my personal favorite section
is the Holiday Decor page... go figure.
From time to time Giorgina will feature a home decor
artists on her INTERVIEW page. This month she has
graciously chosen to interview ME. Stop on by to see the
artists who have been sharing their expertise, tips and
tricks of the trade with Giorgina.

Skulls and Cemeteries: Places to Eat in Atlanta

Not only is the decor cool, the food is good. Here are five of the best places to eat in Atlanta to satisfy your spooky side (more suggestions always welcome!), in my humble opinion and in no particular order:


Six Feet Under (Grant Park Location) - you want the Grant Park location, because it's right across from Oakland Cemetery. It's a fish place, and almost all the food is fried, so you'll want to take enough time to walk slowly through Oakland afterward to work off some of those tasty calories.

The restaurant itself is more fisherman-chic than spooky, but sitting on the upstairs patio gives you a splendid view of the cemetery and the food is better than it has any right to be this far inland.

the Vortex (Little 5 Location, mentioned on Skull-A-Day) - another spot with multiple locations, you want to visit the one in Little 5 Points. Why? The entrance is a huge skull with spiral eyes. It's adorable. And when you are done you can browse the shops in Little 5, which is always a fun way to spend an afternoon.

It's definitely a bar, but as far as food goes, everyone raves about the burgers. I'd consider it a burger joint with booze, personally, but it has a range of bar-fare (i.e. something for everyone).

The Highlander - Okay, no skulls in the decor, and nothing about this one screams "spooky." Except some of the very Halloweeny artwork occasionally featured inside, maybe, but that'll probably be down before you make it there. -- fine. whatever. I'll admit it. I just love this bar's attitude; it fits so nicely with the other bars-with-good-food on this list.

The Graveyard Tavern - it's so easy to like a place who's advertising claims that it's a "sunny place for shady people." Plus, the food is good enough that you forget it it's a bar until the crowd shoves in at dusk.

Seriously, I took my parents and grandparents here for lunch when we bought our house. Everybody loved the food. -- I like it because a) the name, b) the gray-black-purple decor and super-tall booths, and c) the food. Mmmm. Graveyard.

The Bone Garden Cantina - Owned by the same folks who brought us the Vortex (see above), Bone Garden is an out of the way Mexican cantina with seriously neat day-of-the-dead style decor. Check out the 'photos' section of the website.

I'm not sure how long the Bone Garden can last in its super-weird, 'hey, who knew this was here?' location, but while it's there it a nicely decorated, flavorful spot to visit.

.....

So, like the Highlander, I have one additional place for the list that doesn't necessary fit with the skulls-and-cemetery tone. Maybe I just hope that it will even things out: Dante's Down the Hatch. Like the Highlander, this place doesn't really have a pin-pointable 'spook' factor, but it's just got such a great freaking atmosphere!

Also, there's a huge pirate ship. And live jazz. It's like going to a restaurant amusement park (look at their site's photo gallery).

Double 'also,' this is the pricey place on the list. Not outlandish, but thought I should warn you.

J - e - l - l - o

There is something inherent in the arrival of spring that inspires me to rejuvenate my surroundings. To organize. Simplify. Prioritize. Purge. A major component of this yearly cathartic process involves throwing open cupboards, drawers and closets and exposing their contents to the cold light of a March day. And making some harsh pronouncements upon their fate.

And so it was that the emptying of a rarely-used kitchen cupboard revealed this:

A pumpkin-orange plastic Halloween Jello mold. Unused for a few years now, but once an integral part of the Halloween festivities at my house. Originally acquired "free", with the purchase of several packages of Jello, this humble piece of plastic provided faithful service throughout many Octobers, producing countless Jello jack-o-lanterns and ghosts. But anyone who has shared a home with two small children will immediately recognize the problem here. Only one ghost among all those jack-o-lanterns. One ghost. The trigger for all-out war. A powder keg waiting for a match. So what to do?

Sure, there are reasonable solutions. The ghost mold could simply remain empty. But that creates the additional problem of leftover Jello.

Or one ghost could be cut in half. But accurately cutting Jello is no easy task and two uneven pieces would just result in a renewed battle.

Perhaps each person could take a turn claiming the ghost, alternating with each successive package of Jello. Sadly, this is a solution that works so much better in theory than in practice.

Ultimately, the easiest solution to the problem of the lone Jello ghost presented itself. I would eat the ghost myself. Jello is a long way from being my favourite dessert, but it's a sacrifice I've been willing to make in the pursuit of peace and harmony. Especially when accompanied by ice cream.

But that was then.

Still, as I stood with the plastic mold in my hand, poised over the garbage bag, I was overcome with second thoughts, fond memories, and an inexplicable desire for orange-pineapple Jello and French Vanilla ice cream. And despite my devotion to my spring cleansing ritual, I relented. The Jello mold will live to see another Halloween.

Yarr! Make me a Treasure Chest

Yarrr(g)! What a great, straightforward tutorial on making a treasure chest!

Sure, you need to be comfortable with saws... but that's what the Husband to Be is for.

Seriously: I constantly worry about cutting vital bits of myself off when I use them. I am a wuss about these things.

You can draft a cutting pattern from this tutorial, and embellishments are really as fancy as you make them. Scouring antique shops for old drawer pulls (handles) or locking mechanisms would be nifty.

Witches on Switches

"Tonight is the night when dead leaves fly,
like witches on switches across the sky." Harry Behn

One of the perks of being a Mom to small people is
spending countless hours reading, rereading and
rereading again books to our children. Some of my
fondest memories from my daughter's childhood are of
visions of my giddy girls exiting the library with over their
head stacks of teetering books precariously balanced in
their arms. On many occasion we would discover a book
that we would check out again and again until we could
recite all the lines, recall every bit of detail in the illustrations
and knew that it simply must be added to our home collection.
Halloween by Harry Behn was one of those books.
Couch's delicate balance of slightly ethereal illustrations
enhances Behn's scene setter poem making this book
a holiday classic in our house.

Witch on Switch Party Stick now available in my ETSY shop.

Blessed Bat Capes, Batman!

Nahnah-nah-nah-nuh-nah-nuh-nah, nahnah-nah-nah-nuh-nah-nuh-nah, BAT CAPE!



I wish my Mommy had made this for me when I was little. I so loved bats, and Batman, and vampires. *happy sigh*

Check out RootsAndWingsCo for the tutorial!

Mischief Maker Monday

MARCH MADNESS is in full swing and I'm having a blast
meeting you crazy bunch of FANTASTICAL FOLLOWERS!
Your emails, kooky comments and creative links are
truly inspiring. Please keep them coming. Thank you
for your patience as I work my way down the list,
visiting each and every one of your sites.

My latest offering for MISCHIEF MAKER MONDAY
is now available in my ETSY shop, or drop me an
email at valeriotedesign@comcast.net to purchase.
Click HERE for ETSY link.
I also have bunny and chick ornaments on eBay.
Click HERE for link.

Skeleton Krew™

Go check out the Skeleton Krew™ portrait designs.

They are nifty; old portraits made skeletal by ink. I think you'll dig them.

There are many, many more to be found here for the browsing, and some are even for sale: redheart13. The one pictured can be found here.

Spider-Man 4 Premier Date Set!

'Spider-Man 4' Sets Release Date

From MovieFone

If your Spidey senses are tingling, there's a good reason. Variety confirms that Sony has set 'Spider-Man 4' for a May 6, 2011, release. Two other Marvel heroes will also hit the screen that summer -- 'Thor' on June 17 and 'The First Avenger: Captain America' on July 22 -- while the multi-hero tentpole 'The Avengers' has been pushed from summer 2011 to May 4, 2012.

Stay tuned to the Extreme Halloween blog for all your super hero movie updates as well as all the costumes to go with those movies!

Makeup Tip: Blotting Paper

Spring and summer are coming, so is the hot weather that has a tendency to mess up your makeup. Well I have a great makeup tip for you. This makeup tip also is great for controlling oily skin. Instead of reapplying powder if you perspire or if your skin gets oily, use blotting paper.

Blotting paper has been used by makeup professionals, makeup artists, and in stage and theater for years. Blotting paper removes excess oil and perspiration without messing up your makeup. Just use blotting paper, then reapply powder to set your makeup and you will definitely be happy with the results!



Nurturing Force Blotting Paper is an inexpensive solution to summer time makeup problems.



The blotting paper is Powder-Free, Talc-Free, and Paraben-Free. Just Blot and Your Face will feel change and you will notice the difference. Comes in a convenient dispenser that protects one continuous roll of paper (29ft) allowing you to customize your sheet size. Easily fits almost anywhere: bag, pocket, backpack, tote, briefcase, desk, locker, gym bag. Sells for just $14.95

Usually women use "powdering their nose" as a solution for oily skin, or reapplying makeup after perpiring, however that really just cakes on more powder and clogs pores, so lets change your frame of mind to "blotting your nose"!

A little bit of paint

It's amazing what a little metallic silver spray paint will do for broken or cheesy decor:


The teeth are in progress items (see last Wednesday's post). The 'Boo' was broken past the point of me caring to repair it, and the little spider - he's one of those plastic rings that has undergone glittering before. He looks nice in silver. Don't know how I want to use him yet.

Pictures from Carnival, Rio deJaneiro

Pictures from Carnival in Rio

Photos credit: http://news.bbc.co.uk

Dancing beauties wearing little more than sequins and smiles wrapped up two nights of Carnival parades by Brazil's top samba schools in Rio de Janeiro.

The spectacular floats and costumes take months to make and the competition between samba schools is fierce.

More than 70,000 people packed Rio's purpose-built Sambadrome for the traditional pre-Lent celebrations. Festivities continued throughout the streets of the city.

Elements being judged include choreography, timing and harmony. Each school has 82 minutes to herd its dancing, singing troupe through the 700m-long stadium.

Themes this year included environmental protection and the technology of the future.

The winning school will be named on Wednesday. No major prizes are given but the winners are celebrated across the country.

Security has been tight for the Rio carnival - although police say nearly 100 foreigners fell victim to robbers in the lead up to the event.

Luxuriant costumes have to be painstakingly created and worn with care. A misplaced wing or feather can cost a school the title.

In addition to strategically placed glitter, many performers wore enormous headdresses and dangerously tall high heels.

The global economic crisis has led to fewer corporate sponsors for this year’s event, but observers say the spectacle was unaffected.

The government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva donated $3m (£2m) to help the samba schools pull through.