Warmth in Bloom | Crochet Fashion Scarf and Earwarmer Headband

In this cold winter months, keeping warm can also be fun and stylish.  When I saw this great pattern from a magazine, I immediately wanted to make it. {That involved of course, buying the magazine too, :p }  Before this, I have only crocheted headbands based out of a video tutorial on YouTube.  The tutorial was so informative and basic, it carried me through every little step that made it easy to follow.  Watching the tutor do the steps assured me that what I was doing was right.  This is my first time attempting a project out of a written pattern.  You might imagine how intimidated I was.  But this cute scarf is too pretty to pass on.  I had to try.

Every so often, I second guess myself: "Does this look okay to you?"  I asked my hubby.  Of course he would proudly say, "It looks beautiful!"  I'd take it, as if he knew exactly... er, anything at all about crochet... :-)  I would actually feel reassured and I'd move on pleased.

 

HELEN by Julep | Polish Swatch {My 100th post, wow!!!}

Helen - smoky pastel, lavender creme. 
I like how unassuming this color is, yet it is cheerful, not dark. Perfect for those days when you would like a well polished finger tips without the screaming "look at me! look at me" lol...

Aurora Point | Cosmic from Avon {Holographic Polish}

I really enjoyed swatching the Avon Holographic Polishes.  I did a galaxy nail earlier featuring 4 different holographic colors from Avon.  Now I want to show you some swatches of these beautiful polishes one by one... Oh yeah, I went camera happy... Please check out these photos and see if you could blame me or not... Let's start with the purple one: Aurora Point

COSMIC | The Holographic Polish from Avon

Who among us has not been bewildered by the beauty of the universe?

Artist have painted many perceptions of the world around us.  With the aide of technology, now we can have a glimpse of a whole new universe beyond.  It's such a wonder how we are able to notice and appreciate this kind of beauty.  Moreover, we are able to translate that kind of value into a our own expression of art.

First, Someone, with great wisdom and power, came up with the idea of a universe and made it happen.  Then, someone mimicked that beauty and created a very pretty polish-finish - Holos.  So that finally, we can have such beauty at our fingertips and use it to express our own creativity.  Forgive me, I am awestruck! (wink) I might try and do a Galaxy NailArt after this, but first let me show you Cosmic, Avon's version of the holographic polishes. I can't remember how many colors they released in total.  I have four to show you  ;)

Glitter Mix-Up {My DIY Glitter Polish Story}

"Fairy Dust" ~ Purple glitter combination

Indie polishes are proliferating in the market today.  There is a big parade of brands and quite a number of creative and sparkly designs to choose from.  One particular kind of indie polish that catches my attention is the bright, colorful and innovative glitter concoction.  Numerous glitter combinations are available today - all sorts of shapes, colors and designs... some heavy with glitter, some light and fine.  All of them really beautiful!  ~~~ And oh, quite pricey too :(

You've probably wished to make your own brand as well, at one time or another.  I sure do.  Polish-chemistry, not being at arms reach, doesn't have to hinder creativity.  I'm speaking about combining your favorite glitter mixes and then using an already available light glitter polish as base.  I know, it cheats the process a little, but it's a start, right?  At least to give a good kick-start until you are ready to experiment mixing your own chemicals from scratch. 

Using an ordinary topcoat is not recommended as the polish is not able to support the weight of the glitter, thus unable to suspend it.  In other words, the glitters will settle into the bottom of the bottle and in a few days time, might render your concoction useless.  Too bad... So starting with a bottle that already suspends glitter is a good idea. 

Here I mixed purple glitters and poured it into a half-way done glitter polish using a cone shaped paper.  Then, using a thin barbeque stick, stirred them all gently.

A big con I find with heavy glitter polish {I mean, not just indie or DIY polish, all heavy glitter polishes} is: the glitters doesn't quite cling to the brush.  Often, I had to use a stick to fish out the larger glitter pieces to place them properly on the nail.  I'm thinking, leaving the glitter mix dry, on it's own, is better than mixing it with the polish afterall.  Therefore, it can be spread to the nails as you wish and easily picked up with stick and placed on the nail.  This is of no concern, of course, if the glitter size is small and uniform.

I have to admit, I do not own any Indie Polish brand yet (except Julep :) So, I welcome your reaction and experience in using heavy glitter polishes :)  Please leave a comment below...

Thank you pretty ladies!  Enjoy and have a great day!
~*Maya*~

Attempting to be a Seamstress and NOTD :)

Today, I attempted to match my Outfit of the Day (OOTD) with my Nails of the Day (NOTD)...  It wasn't that long ago that I learned what these letters meant... Ha ha, bit behind huh?

Here is my simple yet lovely mani.  It's called "Orchid Splash" from Avon.  It's one of the cheaper polishes out there but I do like the quality of these very much.  It has good opacity.  I used two coats of Orchid Splash on this particular mani, although sometimes one coat is enough.  Depending on how rough I am with my fingers, this polish can be pretty durable too :) 

Isn't this pastel purple just lovely?  It can really brighten a gloomy, rainy day if you ask me.  I also got kind complements on my quartz floral ring that I also got from Avon. :)

I opted for a simple mani this time.  My floral dress is already a very busy floral, whew... so I thought a simple swatch of polish would be enough... would actually be pretty.  Agree? (or not? :-))  

This dress is one of my early sewing projects.  When I saw the fabric at the store, I instantly fell in love with it.  I used several dress patterns and kind-of mixed-and-matched them to achieve this dress.  I wanted to put a lining to it but the pink fabric was a lot cheaper than a good quality lining.  Just as well, it actually added some character to it. 

Maybe one day, I would be able to do a nail art design just like this one... I think it is just so pretty... Well, if you already designed one, please do share it with me on Instagram or Facebook (links on the blog heading :)

During the day, I accompanied a friend to visit a lady whom she thought came from the same country as me.  She was right... I was rewarded with a new friend and some yummy food...  This is a popular Filipino appetizer (or an afternoon snack).  The thin ones are made of meat ("lumpiang shanghai") and the thicker ones are made of vegetables (spring rolls - "lumpia").

I hope you enjoyed my blog of the day... I know it's not all polish related... How about you, what other things do you like to do {besides nail art}?  Please share below...  I surely want to know them.  I'll be looking forward to your comments :)

Have a great day!

Ciao Bellas!
~*Maya*~