SDCC 2011

SDCC 2011

Sorry for the lack of posting! I guess I just haven't had much to write about!

So Nathan and I are getting ready to head off to San Diego for Comic-Con next week! A little background on this...

Nathan is a HUGE Marvel fanatic. He's always collected comic books and loved everything about the comic industry. He started working for Marvel's wikia database part-time and he also does comic book reviews online every week. (Aside from working full time as a nuclear physicist. The guy is BUSY.)

When I lived in San Diego, I always thought going to CC would be fun, but I was never able to get tickets. Granted, I didn't try very hard. There's 100,000 people that go every year, so it's insane.

So, this year Nathan is working with his Marvel database people at CC and I decided I'd go as well. We're going to leave the twins here with my parents for a few days, and then my sister-in-law is going to take them during the weekend, and them my mother-in-law will have them until we get back. We'll be gone for a week!

I'm sooooo excited! I've always been a HUGE fan of dressing up in costume, whether in vintage clothes, or costumes for Halloween. If there's somewhere to be that requires a costume, I'm SO there. I've always loved it ever since I was little.



So when I realized the sheer amount of costuming (or cosplay as the CC goers call it) I was all up on it! LOL... All I cared about was who is a sexy comic book girl that I can dress as. So... Emma Frost it is! There are going to be 1.5 million Emma Frost's there, but that's OK. I'd rather do someone I like than be stuck with something I'm not a fan of. The nice thing about cosplay at CC is you can basically dress as whatever you want. Characters from TV, movies, comic books, whatever you can think of. I also have a cute Star Trek dress with go-go boots that I plan on wearing.



Nathan is going as Mimic and he's been working like crazy on his costume. It's going to be awesome when it's done. Luckily for me I was able to buy my costume online (which apparently some cosplayers say is a big no-no because you're "supposed" to make it from scratch. But whatever I don't care.)




Aside from costuming I get to see some of my favorite TV and movie characters!! The panels I'm going to attend are; The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn panel, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, and The Big Bang Theory. Just to name a few!! I'm going to be so star struck! Ian Somerhalder, I'm coming for you! LOL
The Twilight panel is going to be total insanity. It's Thursday morning, but people will be camping out all night Wednesday! Not sure if I'm that hardcore about it. I guess we'll see!

I'm really excited to go, but soooo nervous about leaving my babies behind. I will miss them SO much! I've only spent one night away from them and that was hard enough! I have no doubt that they'll be in good hands, but it'll still be hard!

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Bunny Cupcakes

Bunny Cupcakes

Just a quick post to show my bunny cupcakes that I made for Easter.

I love the way they turned out!!

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Butterfly Hair Clips

Butterfly Hair Clips

I love the Dollar Tree! I always find the cutest stuff there.

Most of you know that I make little girls hair bows and flowers as a hobby. Well, when I saw these packets of sheer butterflies at the Dollar Tree, the first thing I thought was what a cute hair clip that would make! Especially for Easter!




This project is super easy. All you need is: Hot glue gun, wire cutters, hair clips or bobby pin, ruler, hair ribbon (if you want the clip lined), and a lighter.

The first thing I did was use my wire cutters (purchased from Hobby Lobby) to cut off the wire on the back of the butterfly. I started with one of the big butterflies.



For the bigger butterflies, I used a larger alligator clip. Since the butterfly is accented with silver, I don't think you necessarily have to line the silver hair clip, but if you want a more finished look, then go ahead and line it.

So after I cut off the wire on the back of the butterfly, I set it to the side and get an alligator clip. To line the clip, I cut 4.25" ribbon (3/8"). Once your ribbon is cut, heat seal both ends, put hot glue on the tip, slide the clip on, put glue the rest of the ribbon, and wrap the ribbon around the clip. I like to partially line my clips because it stays on better in my opinion.






After I have the clip ready, I hold it to the back of the butterfly to decide how exactly I want it placed. For the lined clip, I slanted it slightly to the way I usually put clips in my daughter's hair. Once I found the placement I liked, I put hot glue in the center of the back of the butterfly and held to clip to it for about 5-10 seconds. Make sure the flat part of the clip is facing out so that it's the part that lays against the head.



Voila!! An adorable butterfly hair clip! This is the bigger one. The smaller one also looks super cute.


I also made one using just a craft bobby pin:

Add glue, apply pressure and hold for about 5-10 seconds.




Lastly, I put a smaller one on a french barrette:

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Modcloth

Modcloth

Darn you, Modcloth! If I had the money I would buy 90% of the clothes they sell!

A few dresses caught my eye today that I am dying over! Thankfully most of them are out of stock. ;)

Coffee Gelato dress:

Sweet little pink Betsy Johnson dress... this would be so cute for Easter!


Polka dot dress:


Red sailor dress:


I just bought these shoes!

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My 10 Favorite Websites

My 10 Favorite Websites

I came across a website today that I totally fell in love with...

This gave me the idea to write my current top 10 favorite websites that I frequent/love. :) In no particular order...

1) www.shopplasticland.com/blog

2) www.etsy.com

3) www.facebook.com

4) www.ancestry.com I'm very into genealogy lately.

5) www.twitter.com

6) www.nomorerack.com

7) www.preschoolexpress.com/toddler_station.shtml This is a great website that really helps me come up with creative activities to do with my toddlers.

8) www.google.com I'm always googling things!

9) www.trulia.com Lately I've been into looking at houses. Just for fun.

10) www.amazon.com Shopaholic! :)

What are some of your favorite websites??

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The Biology of Fragrance

The Biology of Fragrance

I bought a new perfume today (Eau de Parfum) that I love and it got me thinking about fragrance. I find the whole process very interesting, so I thought I'd post a little information on the subject.

There are many different fragrance types:

Soie de Parfum/Perfume extract: The most concentrated, perfume contains the highest level of aromatic compounds which is around 15-40% concentrate. Because of its strong concentration, perfume should be used in moderation.

One of my favorite perfumes:


Eau de Parfum: Contains about 10-20% perfume concentrate. This is the most popular and common form of perfume. It provides a long-lasting fragrance and generally doesn’t cost as much as perfume.

This is what I bought today. It's called Flirtatious! (figures, lol) and I got it at Kohls. Kohls has a whole line of Flirt! cosmetics, they all seemed so enticing, so I also bought thickening mascara and blush.


Eau de Toilette: Has around 5-15% perfume concentrate. This makes for a light scent that doesn’t linger as long as the more intense extracts. It's usually intended as a refreshing body spray which can be re-applied throughout the day, without the smell being too strong.



Eau de Cologne: Usually 3% or less perfume concentrate. Sometimes used interchangeably with the term eau de toilette. However, this concoction began as the name of a light, fresh fragrance mixed with citrus oils and was made popular by Napoleon. Some perfumers today have a version of this called Eau Fraiche.



You may also see the term Parfum de Toilette. Most companies use this term to describe a concentration that is either the same as Eau De Parfum, or between Eau De Parfum and Parfum. Other companies use the term to describe an Eau De Toilette concentration.

To further confuse matters, some companies use different notes, or different proportions of notes, in the different forms of fragrance they offer. In addition, some companies reserve costly fragrance oils for their parfum, and use synthetic substitutes in lighter concentrations.

There are also top, middle, and base notes to a perfume. Top notes provide the first scent impression of a fragrance once it has been applied to the skin. They are usually lighter, more volatile aromas that evaporate readily. Their scent usually lingers for between 5 and 30 minutes. Middle notes, sometimes referred to as “heart notes”, make up the body of the blend. They may be evident from the start, but will usually take 10-30 minutes to fully develop on the skin. They are the notes that classify the fragrance family (floral, oriental, chypre, etc, see below). Base Notes are those with the greatest molecular weight. They last the longest, and are also important as fixatives, that is, they help slow down the evaporation rates of the lighter notes, giving the fragrance holding power. Common base notes include oakmoss, patchouli, woods, musk and vanilla.

A fragrance which does not have traditional top, middle and base notes is usually described as "linear".

This is why it's always a good idea to apply the perfume that you like to your skin, wait 30 minutes, and then smell it to see how your body chemistry has changed the smell of the perfume. You may still like it, or it may have changed so much that you hate it! Your own body chemistry affects how different notes react on your skin. Anything that affects the "natural" smell of your skin, such as stress, hormonal changes, your current diet or medications, might change how a perfume smells on you. You'll be amazed at the difference in smell 30 minutes makes on your body.

Finally, there are fragrance families. These are "aroma groupings" of related scents. There is more than one classification system in use, but many list 7 major families: For women the classifications are; Greens, Florals, Aldehydics, Chypre, Oriental, Fougère & Tobacco/Leather. There are traditional (floral, woodsy, leather) and modern (floral, green, oceanic, citrus) fragrance families.





The way I usually find my fragrance is that I spray on the one that I like the smell of first. Then I wait, and see if I still like it on my skin. I also ask the hubby if he likes it before I buy it, because he can be pretty sensitive to smell and I hate to wear something he doesn't like. I generally stick with sweet, fruity smells because that's what I usually get the best feedback from and what I think smells best on me.

On a side note, I really wish more fragrances came with an atomizer. I just love atomizers! Something about using the spray pump, it just makes me happy. Every now and then, I'll put perfume in one of my favorite bottles that has an atomizer.
This fragrance called Tease at VS smells really good:



So, what's your favorite perfume/fragrance? Do you change it often? How did you come upon it?

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Perfect Red Lips

Perfect Red Lips

I love Michelle Phan and I'm a big fan of her makeup tutorials on Youtube. I thought this was a great one about finding the perfect red lip color. She works for Lancome Paris now, so this video is for Lancome specific lipstick, but I still think it has some good info.

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