• Life

    Get To Know Me Better Reader Questionnaire

    Emma over at BluChickenNinja posted this reader questionnaire last week, and tagged everyone who felt like doing it. I think it’s a neat little survey that got me thinking about my reading habits and preferences, and it’s been a while since we had a “Get to know me” kind of post, so here goes nothing! In turn, I also tag anyone who feels like completing this survey – I’d love to read your answers! 1. What is your favourite book? Oh god, starting with a difficult one here. I’m not sure I could actually narrow it down to one single favorite book. If we’re judging by number of re-reads, it…

  • Nail Polish Love

    Mani Monday: Funky Fingers Elsa

    This Mani Monday we have Funky Fingers Elsa. I picked this up in 5 Below on a whim, mainly because (as Jim and the apartmentmate will tell you) I have a little bit of a Frozen obsession, and any age appropriate way to display that, I’m all over it. Elsa is a white and powder blue muti-size glitter that includes both little circles, hexagons, and snowflake shapes. Here, I used it over Sinful Colors Cinderella*, and I ended up LOVING the effect. The powder blue glitter matched my base color almost perfectly, giving it a cool dimensional effect. My only complaints are that the snowflake glitter had to be fished…

  • Knitting and Crochet,  Other Crafty Stuff

    WIP Wednesday

    I’ve been really really lax when it comes to knitting lately. I think I ended up with a grand total of 4 FOs (Finished Objects) last year? Maybe? But I got my mojo back last week and I’m finally making some progress on some of the stuff I’ve been working on. First, my Undertow Shawlette (Ravelry Link), which has been in progress since this was a KAL pattern by my LYS (which has sadly now closed) in May of 2013. I’ve been super slow with progress on this, not because I don’t like the pattern (it’s pretty easy actually), but because the yarn is not really my favorite – I’m…

  • Nail Polish Love

    Mani Monday: Butter London Bluecoat and Leccy

    Today we have two polishes that I got for Christmas, which I abolutely fell in love with, but which were downright IMPOSSIBLE to photograph: Butter London Bluecoat and Leccy. Bluecoat is a deep, rich blue with a great sheen to it, while Leccy is an opalescent shard topcoat. The combination of the two polishes is just gorgeous (even if my photos don’t show it). As with all Butter London polishes (at least in my experience anyway), the dry time on both these is rather quick, and the formulas are good. The formula on Bluecoat is just beautiful – opaque in two coats without being thick. The finish has almost a…

  • Knitting and Crochet,  Tutorials and Tips

    How To: Dealing with Stiff Circs

    Every knitter who uses circs knows the struggle of wrestling with the cords of cheap circs. You take them out of the package, expecting the cord to unwind only to end up with this: Ugh. Seriously the worst. And it’s not like they’ll gradually soften and straighten as you knit – no matter how much you pull, that spiral stays. Except, I figured out how to make it go away. (Or rather, my father suggested it to my mom who then tried it, found out it works, and then told me… but anyway…) All it takes is a little bit of hot water and about 5 minutes total. All you…

  • Book Love,  Holidays,  Lists

    12 Books for 2015

    As I said in my New Year’s Goals post, I read a ton throughout the year – but rarely get the opportunity to read a whole book solely for myself. I’ve just slipped out of the habit of using my free time for pleasure reading. And I miss it. So this year I made it a goal to read at least 12 books that I don’t NEED to read. Specifically: The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers by Thomas Fleming I picked this book up several years ago when Borders went out of business, and like most of the stuff I picked up during that sale, it’s just kind of…

  • Holidays,  Nail Polish Love

    New Year’s Mani Monday

    Just a quickie for our first Mani Monday of 2015. Apologies for the slightly blurry photo – I had to use my phone for this one since I forgot my big camera over the holidays (although it shows off the sparkle quite nicely!). My manicure for the Christmas holidays was a simple one, with polishes that have been on my favorites list for years, so no untried review today. The main manicure is two coats of China Glaze Ruby Slippers (one of my absolutely favorite sparkly reds) and the accent nails are Funky Fingers Star Studded, which is a great gold glitter because it’s really dense and builds to opacity…

  • Life,  Other Crafty Stuff

    So I Guess I Scrapbook?

    So a few weeks ago after I saw this post on A Beautiful Mess, I re-caught the photo album bug. I’ve never liked calling what I do “scrapbooking.” When I hear the word “scrapbooking” I think of those aisles upon aisles full of (often super cheesy) stickers at Michael’s. I think of hundreds of dollars worth of supplies and countless hours going into a single page that highlights a single picture. I think of albums that quite honestly are more embellishment than photo, stuffy, formal, and TOO perfect. And I’m just not down with that. I don’t have the time, I don’t have the money, I don’t have the patience,…

  • Holidays,  Life,  Lists,  Pet Related Posts

    I’m Thankful For…

    So… uhhh… I guess it’s a week and a half into December? What? When did that happen? But… uhhh… I haven’t even made my Thanksgiving thankful for post yet. Whoops. I SWEAR Thanksgiving was just yesterday. SWEAR. But anyway, this year I’m thankful for the little things. My schedule has made for a very overwhelming semester, and as we wind down I’ve had to try REALLY hard to remind myself to take joy in the small things. Because when I remember, oh boy does it help take some of the weight off. So this year I’m thankful for… … pink “kitten” noses.* …a good cup of coffee and a dash…