Birthday excitement

Smart is Sexy Sunday's : Interview with Gemma Correll

Gemma Correll, Illustrator

Guest Post: Little Things {creating positive energy in your life}

 This months 2nd guest post comes to us from Autumn, the blogger behind the cheerful and uplifting blog Good Morning, I Love You. When Autumn came to me with her idea of creating a post that would bring joy and a positive outlook, I simply couldn't resist. Her kindness radiates through her blog posts, and communicating with her - even if it's just a simple tweet - lifts my spirits.
Aside from being a little ray of sunshine, she is also a creative force in her own right, who is also fluent in Chinese, and teaches little children how to read and write in Hebrew!

Little Things {creating positive energy in your life}

Whenever the sun is shining it seems as though there is not a care in the world. But what are we to do a few months from now, when the skies are gray and some days staying in bed seems better than throwing on a thick wool coat? Although life is a cycle, it is not always consistent. Of course there will always be sunshine, but there will always be rain—so it is important to pocket as many little things as we can to make the harder times in our life a little brighter. Even if only for a moment.

Wonder Wednesday: Jerome, AZ

The once ghost, but still sleepy historic mining town of Jerome, AZ is quite the paradox. Part wine country with a dash of Provincial France, mixed with a spicy flare of Mexican superstition, and old western charm, the town also boasts of a haunted hotel. The pathways in the town are steep - so feel free to treat yourself to the many high-quality restaurants. Be sure to pass by the rather infamous Husbands Alley (quite ironically named, I assure you. You wouldn't want your husband there!). After spending about 30 minutes in the little town, you'll begin to think you've got it all figured out. That's about the time you'll find an olive oil boutique. It's there that the kind gentleman tells you that James Keenan - the lead singer and musician of the Tool / Perfect Circle band also owns a local winery.

Still with me? 

Welcome to Jerome. 

Vulnerability and Tulle

Prescott, Arizona is an area made up of wide open fields, purple mountains, and skies with ever rolling storms. Absolutely sweltering in the summer and feet of snow in the winter, it's a town that has captured my nostalgia. 

French Lessons: Fromage

In 2009 I made a trip to France to the southern city of Toulon, along the Côte d'Azur. I was to stay with a French host family. During my first few weeks with them, I learned several French dishes: I would stand in the kitchen and watch the father cook, and would literally take notes. This amused him terribly. What amused him even more was when I traded my chocolate desert for a cheese platter instead.

H&M at the Beach

Poofy Clouds and Other Poofi-ness

Thunder and lightening are perhaps one of my favorite things about a hot and dry summer in Prescott, AZ. Large, thick and gray storm clouds pile up high, causing an otherwise lazy afternoon to look like 7pm. As a result, the desire to get out and play before the storm hits, becomes overwhelming.

Prescott, AZ / Summer

Last month I traveled down to Prescott, AZ to visit my grandfather and the rest of my family for two weeks. Desert plains, thunderstorms, stunning views, camping, scorching triple digits, and a unique music underground....

Candy Inspired Nails

Well lovelies, this has been a really fun week for me, and I hope you have enjoyed it as well! As my first ever Creative Nail Week here on the blog, I posted tutorials on water marbling, I showed you how to transfer news print to your nails, and I even snuck in a secret video tutorial! Today, we conclude our Creative Nail Week with a focus on color. 

L to R: Zoya Midori, OPI Flit a Bit OPI The It Color, Essie Geranium, and OPI Plum Full of Cheer

Wonder Wednesdays: Newspaper Nail Tutorial

Oh I am so excited to share this nail technique with you. It's super easy, dries almost instantly and you probably have a few newspapers laying around the house, no? I've added a fun unique twist by topping my manicure with a matte top coat. Here in my tutorial I used vodka to transfer the ink to my nails, but you can also use rubbing alcohol (for those of who don't have hard liquor lying around. I had to buy mine, completely forgetting that I had an alternative in the emergency aid kit).

Nail Polish Water Marbling, Summer Edition

Welcome to my first post of Creative Nail Week! This week, all posts will be nail polish related: you can expect fun tutorials, polish swatches and tips and tricks. My nail polish tutorials that I do here on the blog tend to be pretty popular (along with a guest post that I did), so I thought a whole week of these posts would be fun!

French Lessons: Kings of Pastry

Welcome to Amber's Mouthwash bi-monthly French lesson! We are now on la troisième post. The last post was on all things mini in Elancourt, France and now we are moving on to the Kings.
No, this post won't be on Louis XIV, or even the XVI (Although knowing me, one or both of  these will present themselves here on the blog). No, today we talk of the Kings of Pastry.

Amber in Wonderland

Amber was beginning to get very tired of sitting next to her grandfather (who was asleep and had the music television station on mute), and having nothing to do...And while she did have a magazine with pictures, Martha Stewart and her watermelon cakes were starting to put her to sleep.

So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy- chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit thought came to her head..."Why not go outside and play?"
So she did.

Guest Post: Best Friends Forever, right?

This month I have a special treat for you: two guest posts! Jennifer, one of my favorite bloggers and friend, had come to me asking to write this post and there is absolutely no way I could say no. While I am excited to have her on the blog again (she is a welcome regular), I am sad that it is under this circumstance. Her situation is something that I am sure we have all been through in one way or another. It's heartbreaking, but here's to coming out stronger than we realized. 

Hello friends. This is Jennifer.

Here I am hiding out on Amber's blog because I can't even use my own to discuss something that has been eating me alive for the past five months.

On one hand, I'm happy that almost everyone in my life knows about my blog. On the other hand, it sucks that I can't even talk about the deepest darkest realms of my personal life with my close blogging friends anymore because of it.

So, here I am. Thanks, Amber, for allowing me to use your Mouthwash.

If you have been familiar with my blog for a long time, you know that I had a certain best friend in my life. A girl who was more than a best friend, really. A sister. Someone I became best friends with five years ago and thought I would have in my life forever.



I'm sorry to say that five months ago, she stopped being anything to me. It is the most severe friendship break-up I have ever had in my life.