DIY: The Vanity is Officially Finished!!

I'm really happy with how this turned out.  Here are a couple of pics of the finished masterpiece!

What do you think???

Although this is not the first piece of furniture I have refinished, I learn something new with each project.  Lesons learned with this project:

   ~ I heart Benjamin Moore melamine paint.

   ~ A good electric sander saves time and sweat, and increases the quality of the finished product - worth it's weight in gold.

   ~ Ditch the brush (even the expensive ones leave streaks) and use a small foam roller whenever possible.

   ~ Take more/better 'before' pictures.

I can't wait for my next furniture refinishing project! 

For the full story, check out the rest of PROJECT VANITY.

At the Movies - Alice in Wonderland

I FINALLY saw Alice in Wonderland tonight.  I felt like the last person on the planet who did not see it, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.  I enjoyed myself - it was a fun movie.  However, I think I may have enjoyed it more if it wasn't so over-hyped.  Since I've been hearing about this movie for so long, my expectations were definitely not met.  The movie dragged at times, and Johnny Depp was much better in the Pirates of the Carribean movies, than he was in Alice.  Anne Hathaway was also not that great in this movie, though I suspect that her character died a boring death in writing, so Anne never had a chance. 

On the positive side, the set design made Wonderland come alive.  The makeup, costumes and special effects made for delicious eye candy.  Helena Bonham Carter made the role of the Red Queen her own, and did a fantastic job.  Mia Wasikowska did a great job as alice.

Go see this movie if:

 ~ You want to go to the movies with your kids.

 ~ You are looking for something 'light' and 'fun' and 'a bit quirky'.

 ~ You want to see what all the fuss was about.

 ~ You want to see the special effects on th big screen.

Cool Beans: I Have My Copy!!!!

I received my copy of Cool Beans this afternoon. I am so excited! I am currently reading A Passion Denied by Julie Lessman; so once I'm done that will be the next book on my reading list. I can't wait!

Favorite Fridays AND My Giveaway!

Today's Favorite Fridays topic IS ...

Favorite Television Show; Category; Comedy

Oh this one was easy schmeasy.  Hands down.  Friends.  We have every season on DVD.  I have the majority of them memorized.  I seriously feel like I know these characters we know as Joey, Chandler, Ross, Monica, Rachel & Phoebe.  In fact, I use quotes from the show in daily conversation.  Quite possibly too much.  The mister and I will frequently say "How YOU doin'?" to each other ... ya know ... when we're bein' flirty.  I frequently yell "Old or new, OLD OR NEW!" for no good reason ... my hair CONSTANTLY calls for use of "Monica's hair is TWICE the size it was when we got on the plane!"  (can we say HULLO Texas humidity?!!?) but my FAVORITE episode of ALL TIME is The One Where No One's Ready, where this happens ...

{"You hide my clothes, I'm wearing everything you own, "Look at me I'm Chandler, could I BE wearing any more clothes?"}

And this ...

{"Hummus, I got the hummus."}

Always has, always will be my all time favorite television comedy.  I could watch reruns any day, any time and never get sick of them.  Believe me.  I've tried.

And now, ON to my Giveaway!  Woot woot!  And I'm super excited about this one blog friends.  My Silly makes these INCREDIBLE name frames (over $100 value) that can be found at her site, http://www.pinkdoordesign.com/ (among other amazing things like invitations, birth announcements, moving cards, stationary, etc etc - check out the name frames here, that's where her fancy schmancy pictures of the name frames she's already done are) ... 

{example of the one she gave me for my 27th birfday}

... and she is GIVING ONE AWAY to one of my lucky readers! Isn't that SCHWEET of my SCHILLY!?!?  The winner will have their choice between the brown frame with sepia letters (like mine) or a black frame with black and white letters, whichever matches your home decor better.  SO here's the part you've all been waiting for.  HOW do you enter you ask?  Well, I will tell you.  There are several ways you can have extra entries.

#1 - Become a follower (if you're not already) and come and tell (i.e. comment) me so.

#2 - Blog about it on your blog, posting a link back here and a link to my Silly's website and tell me about it. 

AND

#3 - Tweet and/or facebook about it and come back and tell me 'bout it.

I will close the giveaway next Thursday at 10PM (Cause really, who wants to wait up until midnight for the last entry?  I sure as H don't!) and announce the winner on Friday, April 2nd!  Good luck to you all and HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

(Disclaimer: The most letters the name can have is 9 letters and if it's less than 9 letters it will be the size pictured, if it is 9 letters the frame is a little bit smaller as the letters are cut smaller. Also, anyone entering has to be in the United States as they are breakable and hard to ship)

Review: MAC Brush Cleanser

A fellow tomboy is going to a wedding this weekend, and called me for a makeup consult.  I brought over some brushes and makeup to pick out some colors and teach her how to apply a total 'look'.  She pulled out her pithy makeup assortment and her single face brush.  I was appalled!  No, not because she only had one face brush.  It was the sad state of the brush that made me cringe.  You see, for the last one and a half years that this tomboy owned that brush (and used it every day to apply her mineral makeup), she NEVER washed it!  It was tattered and gross looking.  The bristles were frayed and uneven.  I would have taken a picture for you, but I didn't want to offend and upset my tomboy friend.  So instead, I decided to review MAC Brush Cleanser.

I resisted buying this brush cleanser for a long time.  But as time went on, and my MAC brush collection grew, I broke down and got it.  And now I can't live without it.

I have heard people complain about this brush cleanser, because it is too expensive and it is drying on the brushes.  My last bottle of brush cleanser cost me about $15, and lasted me several months of DAILY use.  I consider that a pretty good deal for ensuring that my brushes are well maintained.

I have also not experienced problems with the cleanser being drying.  I do condition my brushes (with hair conditioner) when I deep clean them. All of my brushes are as good as the day I bought them, despite the fact that some of them are over 5 years old.

I spot clean my brushes everytime I use them - and a brush cleanser is the way to do it.  I will post a tutorial on cleaning your brushes in the next couple of days, so keep an eye out for it.

Nothing Less Than Butterflies*

"Some people are settling down, some people are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies.*"
-Carrie Bradshaw





*This of course is after I find out he's a God-fearing, respectable, decent Man of God who loved live, his family and friends. I will stop there and save that for another posting.











image source: dominoeve.wordpress

Thoughtless Thursday ANNNND A Giveaway!!!

Yep.  It's THAT time again.  Time to play Thoughtless Thursday.  If you don't know the rules, go here.  It will 'splain things.  And today's Thoughtless Thursday won't be quite "thoughtless".  In fact it's actually quite thought FULL.  Last night my mom hosted a little (and by little I mean 20 + people, we're from Texas kids, we do everything bigger down heyah, especially families) going away party for my cousins (and yes, one of them is a cousin by marriage, I said we're from TEXAS, not Arkansas ...) because they're moving to stinky ol' Arizona.  I mean, who would want to live in Arizona anyway?  Pshhhhhhhhhh.  Dumb Arizona, Texas could KICK Arizona's BOOTIE all the way to border patrol and BACK, BOO DIGGITY BOO YAH!

(PS - y'all know I'm just kiddin' I'm just sad they're movin' that's all)

So this post will be of pictures of my nomadic cousins (I say this because I secretly hope they'll come back, shhhhh don't tell) Mikey and his wife Joanna and their two BEAUTIFUL, PRECIOUS girls, Maddyn and Paralee.  I mean seriously these baby girls have big baby blues and (well one of them, I'm pretty sure the other will follow suit but she's 2 months so it's hard to tell) white blonde hair.  Literally little cherubs.  And I'm now thinking most of these will be of me and Jo.  Not that I don't love my (actual blood) cousin Mikey, but Jo's more fun to do girly schtuff with.  Sorry Mikey.

{Erica, Jo, me, my Silly.  MMMMMM Dilemas at Mi Cocina.  Yummy.}

{Kenny Chesney.  Well hello tan and long hair, have you not gotten my letters BEGGING you to return?  Why have you not responded?  COME BACK TAN AND LONG HAIR!}

{Kenny.  Again.}

{Me n' Jo at The White Elephant Party}

{Me with their first baby girl, Maddyn}

{Jo (yep, she went brunette, she is SUPER brave with her hair and it always looks A-DORABLE) preggers with Maddyn and Mikey showing HIS baby bump!}

{Me (looking AWESOME bythaway, that's what happens when you give a party, you sweat and "shine") and Jo at her shower at my house}

And lastly, tonight at their party ...

FINE.  Go to Arizona.  See if I care (sniff, sniff, tear) ...

But sewiously.  I love you both.  And your precious baby girls.  Come back and visit often (and I mean like every weekend, let's make that happen), mmmmk?

And speaking of tonight, I got to see this favorite at the party too ...

{My SILLY!}

And why am I so excited about my Silly (other than the fact that she's awesome?) well it MAY just be because she's agreed to do a giveaway.  And it MAY just be from her incredible website, Pink Door Design.  And it MAY just be for one of her last name frames.  So you MAY just want to get a WITTLE bit excited.  I'm just sayin'.  You may.  If you want to see some MORE of my Silly's amazing work, hop on over here to see the Christmas cards she designed for me, FROM SCRATCH.  I just gave her the picture, told her my idea and WHAM, she came up with this greatness!  I will explain the giveaway in full detail on Friday after my Favorite Friday post (there's just all kinds of link clickin' happiness in this paragraph idn't there?)  Oh and did I MENTION this giveaway is over a $100 value?  Cause it is.  Be excited, be vewwwwyyyy excited!!!