Beauty secrets

Okay Lady Godiva I'm not and I'm not a fashion diva but I think I get out the door looking okay and I feel like if you find something awesome you should share, so this post is one big free advertisement :D

I've found this awesome face cleanser, toner, lotion set at L'Octaine. I first discovered this company in Paris (which sounds cool) and now they're in Edmonton at West Edmonton. They make awesome natural products and the new Red Rice Vinegar cleansing stuff is amazing, I've always struggled with acne but this really does clear it up and doesn't dry out my skin. So it looks good and clear. You do need to use all three products for the best results but it's easy to use and worth it.

I've also found this great body moisturizer. Its from the Rocky Mountain Soap Company, and it comes in different formulas and scents. I use the unscented for eczema which does smell of beeswax but that's all. It looks like a deodorant and that makes it easy to apply you put it on and let it melt into your skin, the wax kind of seals the cocoa butter in so it lasts a long long time. I have very sensitive skin and this is the first time something doesn't cause a rash and actually soothes my skin when it's reacting to something else.

Lastly I've found some great new makeup. I splurged and bought mineral makeup from a seller on Etsy. I've been using it for a few days now and I love it!! It's so subtle but really covers well. No one can hardly tell I'm wearing makeup I just look like me but better. It lasts all day without feeling heavy or greasy or gross. The seller I bought from on Etsy even included a little brush set with my stuff. I think I'll end up going back for more eye colours since I like playing with eye colours.

Chocolate while not technically a beauty product just seems to belong here and I've found that it's worth it to buy good chocolate and I eat less and it works better :D So I've started buying the Lindt bars, my favorite is the 70% dark chocolate with caramel. It's really as decadent as it sounds and yet a bar lasts me several days since I just eat a few squares at a time.

Well that's my free advertising but I like these products a lot!

Sold...Again!!

Well it's official this time!! The conditions came off and my house is sold. The new owner takes possession August 27th and I've set my moving date for the 14th of August. I spent this morning arranging utilities shut down the house ones and setting up the apartment. I've been shipping the excess stuff off to friends and family and I'll begin packing soon. After getting some quotes I decided to do this the harder way and solicit any friends and family help to move me and a Uhaul to Regina. Things are starting to come together but it seems like every time 3 things fall into place 6 more need to be done. Deep breaths soon I'll be moved and settling into a new place and hopefully things settle down with it.

To celebrate the sale, I spent the day cleaning :( I even cleaned out all the science projects from the fridge. I need to learn to cook smaller portions or start freezing half, after a while you just can't eat anymore of one thing. I did learn that sauerkraut doesn't mold it just dries out, however tabuleh salad goes really downhill in interesting ways.

Dad is doing much better and is busier now he's at the Glenrose, the staff there really does a great job. He still can't use his one arm for another couple weeks of healing, then the brace will come off and they'll begin getting him strong enough to go home. They got him set up with a one hand driven wheelchair so he's got some mobility and they have lots of recreation activities including a wood class he attends. He still appreciates visitors but at least if someone isn't there he can head down to the tv room and find someone to play crib with.

I've been a little down lately not horrible just lacking motivation, probably some of it's due to the weather which has been rainy and some of it emotional with all the changes but I'm trying to keep busy and find chances to get together with friends before I leave.

Introducing...

HERBERT the hippo! My awesome friends Terry and Kathryn got me a hippo friend and he's a telus hippo :D which makes him even cooler. So I have a new monthly goal to craft Herbert a monthly wardrobe.

I needed something positive today since my sale pretty much fell apart here, they didn't get their financing, they didn't do their inspection and so I'm back to house showing. The hardest part of this was that I could do nothing about this so I just had to sit back and let it happen but it was on and off for the last few days which was even harder than just them saying no.

On the positive side I got the apartment I wanted in Regina so next week I'll be talking to movers and setting up/closing down utilities. I did the google street-view of my new neighborhood, I live on top of a used bookstore, an ethiopian restaurant and the schizophrenia center. I will be a block from a 7 eleven and a 24 hour shoppers drug mart. The bus stop is just outside my door for the bus to the university. So I'm pretty psyched there are also lots of hotels in the downtown core just blocks away so you have a place to stay if you come visit.

I also got my invite to the mature student orientation event which is an evening of dessert and cocktails with a campus tour. I'm excited to go and meet some people and no frisbees or beer in sight. After they tried to put me in dorms i was a little worried that they didn't consider me a mature student but thankfully I am so I can hopefully find a niche and a few new people to meet.

Sold!

Well it's official, the house sold in less than 24 hours. We still have to have the conditions removed which are the buyers financing falling into place and a home inspection. Very normal and it sounds like it should go smoothly. I can't believe what a state I worked myself into over this selling business and then to have it go so easy. Once again I underestimated God, I didn't even think to pray about it and yet he still provided. I don't know why I always forget to give my worries over to him. I really prefer to keep them to myself but he still finds away to work around me and despite me give me what I need.

I'm happy the process went well, I'm happy that I can move on but I'm sad to leave. Now it's time to pack, hire movers, do the paperwork and start a new life in Regina.

Crafty Goodness

Well as promised here's some of the crafty goodness I've been whipping up in the last little while. Sorry this will be picture heavy :D

This little house I made a while ago and it's been hanging out in my living room so some of you lucky folks may have seen it already. It just makes me happy to look at and there's no theme or anything just things I like all hanging out to make a house.

This little girl is my needle felted fairy :) I have some explanations of needle felting coming up with some pics and I'd like you all to note that no fairies were harmed during this photo shoot, the cat was just used for size reference.

This little house was a chance for me to experiment with a colour I don't usually use, which was the point of it, to stretch myself. I'm not completely satisfied with it yet and it really didn't want to photograph well sorry but it'll give you an idea of the piece.

This is a just for fun thing, a shrine to love. It's tin I've painted and glued a bunch of stuff on. I think it's really pretty but I may be biased.

I've been working on Artist Trading Cards and while I haven't quite gotten to actually trading them I've been building up quite a collection of my own and I needed something to keep them in so I took this old coffee tin and I painted and collaged onto it, added a label tag and voila a fancy dancy place for my ATCs to live. The picture on the top is a rubber stamp I bought in Stratford on Avon actually I bought several they are all female shakespeare characters and they are amazing!

Now needle felting, this is my new latest obsession. It's really easy you take raw dyed wool, it's very soft and fluffy, add a sharp barbed needle (very sharp my fingers can prove it). You poke the wool with the needle and it felts, if you poke too far you scream aaahhh dammit as you remove the needle from your finger. In the end you get a fluffy little chicken. I've been learning courtesy of joggles.com which has online classes in all sorts of crafts and has a great selection of craft stuff I love it.

Voila here's the chicky I made. He's perched on the awesome plate Monica gave me for my birthday and he looks pretty cute, although sometimes a little angry I got the eyes shaped funny. Next week's lesson is making a bunny rabbit. The fairy I made I totally made up myself.