New Stuff

Something about having birthdays is making me less and less inclined to try new things, meaning cleaning supplies, make-up, shampoo, etc. When I was a teenager I would try out every new gimmick that came out in Seventeen magazine. As a result my bathroom drawers and cabinet at my parents house were absolutely packed with deodorants of every scent and even some that sparkled (seriously why would anyone care if their arm pits sparkled!), every flavor of chap stick, every face cleanser, several types of toothpaste, every color of eye shadow, every scent of Bath & Body Works, and at least 5 brands of shampoo. Looking back, I realize I was every advertising executive's dream come true, and somehow I've become their worst nightmare.

I've become one of those people that just likes Colgate original toothpaste. I don't need it to tingle, whiten, brighten, or last for 4 days. I don't want it to taste like Mentholatum, citrus, vanilla, berries, an icy mountain rush, or cinnamon. I just want plain Jane good old fashion toothpaste.

With that said, you will be proud that I decided to go out on an limb, and be a little "adventurous" lately. Here is what I can report.....

I went to the store to get laundry detergent, and they were out of All free and clear which is what I normally use. I looked around, and noticed this stuff, it's good for the environment, so I reasoned it can't hurt to give it a try. I guess you could say we've "gone green," we haven't turned into crazy hyper milers, or joined the green party, but we recycle. If we had a Whole Foods in Texarkana, I might be a bit more extreme. In a perfect world we'd all be eating wholesome organic diets, and all of our cleaning supplies would be non-harmful. Anyways... Arm & Hammer Essential Power Gel detergent works great, and smells even better! We're hooked, so if you've thought about giving it a try, get after it. You'll love it too, and if you don't then you can give it to me.

These Scrubbing Bubbles Gels may not be "Green" but they are awesome. Just put these in, and your bathroom stays cleaner between scrubbing! I give it my stamp of approval!

Not everything I tried was good... This body wax kit by Sally Hansen is the devil! After watching Bettheny Getting Married I had the "brilliant" idea to throw aside all reason, and give this a try. Tears, Cuss words, and an Afternoon of misery are all this little kit can guarantee. Yes I used baby powder, yes the wax still stuck to me, and NO I won't ever try it again!
So, since waxing is not my cup of tea I decided to listen to my Mom who'd been telling me about these razors with the soap already on them by Venus. Deep sigh of relief! No yanking, pulling, hurting, crying, or need for Advil. Just nice clean smelling soap stuck to a razor. I like it, and I think you will too.

Fabric Rosettes

I've been seeing these things all over the internet, and I love how they looks, so today Mom and I tried our hand at making them. I'm going to put these on necklaces, pins, and I might stick a couple on one of my headbands... The possibilities are endless! I managed to make 18 today, not bad for a beginner!

Sylvia Strikes Again

Those of you who have been following should remember the brooch bouquets I did, and the fabulous picture of me in my finest Sylvia Weinstock glasses, but in case you don't or you're just joining, then click on the my June posts and read the entry titled Mom's Brooch Bouquet. Well the inner "Sylvia" has struck again. Check out what I made tonight! While cleaning I discovered this bag of silk butterflies. Most of them had messed up broken wings, but with a little hot glue and TLC I think I've been able to revive most of them.
I hope you like them :) They're so bright and colorful that it makes me happy just looking at them. Oh speaking of Happy this is a new art book that I got yesterday by Romero Britto. I also got another Art book about New Mexico Artists I love this piece called The Daydreamer by Miguel Martinez

Here is a painting I did a couple days ago. It is acrylic, and the picture is simply something I came up with when I started painting. The most enjoyable part was doing the sunset. It was more for fun than anything else. As you can tell it is not a very technical piece.