DIY Mixed Media Bottle

Ever seen something on Pinterest and said to yourself “that looks easy, I could totally do that!” I do that a lot actually but I seldom actually do it. Seriously, you should see my craft board or my two sewing boards, crochet board, knitting board, tatting board, mixed media board…. you get the idea. Anyway, I really should do more with all this inspiration so I chose a simple project that would allow me to try two of my pins out. It’s a paper covered bottle that uses, simply, scrapbook paper and mod podge. There wasn’t actually directions (the link took me to a defunct blog, sadly) but it wasn’t hard to figure out and I love the results! The other pin I used for this one was a homemade mod podge recipe which I’m not 100% sure about, the recipe is 1 part white glue (I used Elmer’s school glue) and 1 part water, it works great as an adhesive and I think it will help protect the bottle as long as I’m not too rough with it but it doesn’t really look like something that’s been mod podged. Maybe if I’d tried the glossy version which adds 1 Tbs. clear varnish, but I didn’t have any varnish on hand. Still, I love my bottle and will probably make several more. I might as well, I have tons of scrap paper and the bottle is just an empty and cleaned sparkling water bottle so this is a really cheap project with lots of potential for different looking bottles.

I chose these colors because they’ll work great for an “eclectic” birthday party I’m throwing for a dear family member in December, I think this will be part of the centerpiece, it’ll look great with the mini Bundt cakes and the African baskets.

New Feature: Fashion

Blogging 101 Task: Creating a Feature

I was shopping the other day and looking through a rack of dresses, and gracious they were so plain and boring! I was seriously wishing I could just make all my own clothes because that’s the only way I’m going to be able to dress the way I truly want to. Sadly it’s just as, if not more, expensive to sew your own clothes as it is to buy them ready-made (unless you get a good deal on fabric, which is totally possible) but the idea of having a wardrobe of clothes I really love is tempting enough to make me consider that it might be worth the price.

Anyway, the blogging 101 task today is to create a feature, in other words to choose something to blog about once a week, once a month, however often you want. I’ve been thinking about this for a bit and I’d really love to share some of my favorite fashions from the past and present as well as costumes and accessories. I have tons of material already so I’m thinking once a week.

Although I guess this week is mostly an introduction, I’m going to share a picture of one of the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen. It’s from Chotronette which is a design duo based in Romania, you can order off their website but they only deliver to countries of the European Union (so I’m out of luck, not that I can afford them anyway. But seriously, check out their website! These are some talented designers).

 Gorgeous isn’t it?

I’m really looking forward to this feature! My fingers are already itching to type up my next post. Speaking of next posts, next up is fashion from the 1400s and 1500s.

Musical Memories and Bucket Lists

Today’s blogging 101 task was to take a look at The Daily Post’s writing prompts and pick one to use in a post, and I was originally going to go with the prompt; “The Transporter.” Why this one? Because I clicked through a few others that didn’t catch my fancy then I hit on this one and started laughing like crazy. The prompt is “Tell us about a sensation — a taste, a smell, a piece of music — that transports you back to childhood”. Why is this funny? Because I’m listening to an old N Sync song. Remember N Sync? I grew up in the 90s and early 00s and it was hard to not be aware of boy bands, I didn’t listen to any of them for a bit there because I was really a country music type of girl at that age but N Sync was the first band I listened to and liked outside of country music. And talk about a blast from the past when I discovered some of their songs on YouTube.

However, the next prompt I got was Dust in the Wind and I thought making a bucket list sounded interesting so, I guess, really, I’m doing both :).

Bucket List

1. Graduate college.
2. Visit the U.K.
3. Visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
4. Eka Pada Galavasana (Flying Pigeon Pose).
5. Become a street and/or installation artist, even if it’s just for a day.
6. Choreograph and dance a ballet performance en pointe.
7. Visit Mesa Verde and actually go into the ruins.
8. Take up tap dancing.
9. Fall madly in love (even if it’s just for a short time).
10. Road trip all over the U.S.
11. Watch every single episode of Doctor Who. (It is totally and completely a coincidence that this is number 11, really! 😉 )
12. Go to a renaissance faire in a completely homemade costume.
13. Learn archery.
14. Go to a Steampunk convention (preferably in a completely homemade costume).
15. Go to a OneRepublic concert.

A Letter to Me….. From Me.

Dear Dig,

You may have noticed that the letter writing prompt from Writing 101 has me in a bit of tizzy; there are just so many ways I could go and how do I decide which one? I’m an avid letter writer who seldom has the chance to write to anyone. Even for this prompt I had to stop and think more about who I could write to instead of what to write about. But who better to write to then one’s self?

It’s always good to check in. And I suppose I’m not too bad, my hands are hurting me and I’m lacking the energy required to have motivation, but those are both normal things for me now and I’m learning to deal with them.

I know you’re struggling with your future plans and are worried and stressed about a lot of things but, as the above letter that I whipped up on Pixl says; live life out loud. Keep fighting and stay sparkly.

XOXO

DIY Health & Beauty Musings – Plus a Toothpaste Recipe

The Groundwork Of All

Happiness Is Good Health

– Leigh Hunt

I’m ridiculously into DIYing everything; stuff for the home, clothing, and especially health and beauty stuff. I got into it in January of 2012 because of some research I was doing, my grandmother had been diagnosed with breast cancer and I was mostly just looking for a reason why? I didn’t find that answer, sadly, but I did find a lot about preventative options. Since my grandmother had it (BTW, she’s doing fine now) that means I’m at a higher risk for it as well, and during my research I noticed I have a couple of other risk factors too. One of the odder things I read was something rather luridly entitled “Is YOUR Deodorant Slowly KILLING You?”, or something like that anyway. Now I wouldn’t go so far as to say that my deodorant at the time was contemplating murder, and I won’t say that it can cause cancer either, but after reading about some of the ingredients in most store bought deodorants, I decided I’d rather try something else.

Originally I tried a homemade deodorant recipe that had baking soda, cornstarch, and coconut oil in it, it worked for scent but underarm wetness? Out of luck on that one, and anyway after a couple of months it started making my skin peel horribly, it got pretty bad and I’m just now getting my skin back to normal. Yeah… don’t recommend going that route.

There are other homemade deodorant recipes out there but I haven’t found one that works so I buy a rather expensive deodorant at my local health food store. I still feel better for that choice but I probably wouldn’t have dug into the whole chemical thing any farther except that, a couple of weeks after I started using the homemade deodorant, my mother showed me a recipe for homemade toothpaste. This one? I LOVE it, my teeth are so much whiter and cleaner feeling, my gums don’t bleed anymore, and it also doesn’t have much taste to it which means I don’t gag anymore when I’m brushing my teeth. Huge win! And that success has started me on a journey to find healthier options for most of my personal care items, and even gave me the courage to stop taking medicines that I’d been on nearly all my life (but more on that in another post).

I’ve spent a lot of time learning about what works and what doesn’t, something to remember though is that what works for one person doesn’t always work for others. That’s why I spend a lot of time doing research, my friends and family often ask for me to make them things and I want to make sure what I make them is the best for what they need. They love it when I make them personalized lip balms or lotions. I actually really enjoy making my own stuff, I turn up some music and dance around my kitchen while I experiment and enjoy the sights, textures and smells of the ingredients.

I’ve been thinking about sharing some of my favorite recipes and sharing some of my experiments (successes and failures) so I’m going to start out with my first success and share with you all my recipe for toothpaste, it’s ridiculously simple (as you’ll see in a second) 🙂

DIY Toothpaste

3 Tbs. liquid coconut oil *

3 Tbs. baking soda

peppermint oil (optional)

Mix all ingredients until smooth, you want a semi-thick paste so more baking soda may be needed. The peppermint oil is for added flavor but also as a breath freshener, but it’s totally optional.

Store in a small glass jar (honestly, I use a baby food jar).

* You can use solid coconut oil, just melt it before mixing with other ingredients, but please note that it will set up and be completely solid once it cools. Liquid oil is just so much easier!

This may taste salty the first few times you use it if you don’t use the peppermint oil, but eventually you probably won’t notice the taste anymore.

Far From You – Book Review

Potential minor spoilers for Far From You by Tess Sharpe, I do promise to not to give away “whodunit” 😉

First off; isn’t this a gorgeous cover? Although it’s also a bit sad when you realize what part of the book this was taken from.

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Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.

The first time, she’s fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bad leg, and an addiction to Oxy that’ll take years to kick.

The second time, she’s seventeen, and it’s no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina’s murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.

After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina’s brother won’t speak to her, her parents fear she’ll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places, and Sophie must search for Mina’s murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, Mina, and the secret they shared.

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I love finding mysteries in the teen or young adult sections, there are not nearly enough of them and I practically bounced around in glee when I found this one.

This story may be told from Sophie’s point of view, but it is Mina’s presence that haunts this story and makes it so gripping. The story alternates between present day and flashbacks so we really get to know these characters and their shared history in a way that is intimate and also sad. Because the really big question throughout? It isn’t who killed Mina, it’s will Sophie really be able to cope without the girl who made her life scary, beautiful, sad, and wonderful all at the same time.

The conclusion was satisfying, if somewhat predictable. There were only three characters in this story who didn’t earn some empathy from me and I think that what really made this story, besides Mina’s presence even when she wasn’t really there, was how realistically these characters were portrayed, their faults and insecurities were really brought to the forefront which helped to make this into a dark and gritty story. I was seriously crying by the end, I felt so sad for practically everybody, especially Sophie.

I have a lot of feels about this book, I do think the main reason I connected to the story so well is because I connected to the three main female characters in completely different ways, Rachel’s love of being odd, Sophie’s determination, and Mina’s… uh, well everything. I swear I could be Mina, there was one point where I was thinking ‘hmm, if it were me I’d  do “this” because I bet you it’d make Sophie smile’ guess what Mina did on the next page, exactly what I was thinking of, I was grinning so hard at it, and at Sophie’s reaction, that my cheeks started hurting.

I highly recommend Far From You to anyone who likes mysteries or just a good story.

Coming (slightly) Out of the Broom Closet

Whoops! Someone else found out about the witchcraft, lets just say he didn’t have the worst reaction (and by that I mean we’re still friends) but I’m pretty sure he’d have been happier not knowing. And he did say some things that I laughed off when he said them, but it’s harder to laugh when I really think about them. I wasn’t really expecting a bad reaction from him, he knows I’m a Pagan and that didn’t seem to bother him. I know they’re not necessarily the same thing, but for me they kind of are, as both are more about the spiritual side of things than anything else for me, even yoga and meditation tend to get lumped into my category of “It’s a Spiritual Thing”.

I was actually working up the courage to tell my father about the Pagan thing (though not the witchcraft, one thing at a time here) but now I’m not so sure. I’d be heartbroken if he had a bad reaction to it, and he’s not nearly as open minded as this friend normally is. :sigh: Maybe I should hold off for a while. My father is actually the last person I really intend to tell (I don’t feel it’s anyone else’s business) and I’d kind of like to get it over with so I don’t have to stress over it anymore but my courage seems to have gone out the window after today 😦

Lists

And now for the writing post 🙂

Ahh, lists! I love lists; I make lists of my lists, not even kidding. But making a list for my blog? I realize these assignments are supposed to be very open so practically anyone can do them but, for me anyway, this one is lacking a little something in the inspiration department. I’ve been following the tag “writing101” and I’ve seen some pretty cool blog posts inspired by this but I’m coming up completely empty :shrugs: I guess I’ll list my top five favorite TV shows of all time (for no good reason whatsoever, it’s just the only thing I can think of).

I’ll do it countdown style (again, for no good reason whatsoever):

5. Agent Carter. YES! A show all about a strong female character that I actually like! Kudos to Hayley Atwell for her portrayal of Peggy Carter, actress and character are both awesome. Plus, a show that takes place in the 40s? Double YES! Because that’s one of my favorite eras fashion-wise. Also, love Jarvis, he is just so cute!

4. Psych. I love it because it’s hilarious. The actors are incredibly funny but they’re great at the drama too. And it’s totally the reason I say the pineapple is my favorite fruit.

3. The Flash. Speaking of drama… the twists and turns in the first season were fantastic and really kept me guessing, I’m looking forward to season two (though not as much as I’m looking forward to Legends of Tomorrow. (But that has an awful lot to do with Arthur Darvill being in it).

And we have a tie for the number one spot! I refuse to choose between these two shows so they’re both number one.

1. Merlin. I was heartbroken when I learned season five would be the last of this awesome series. The characters, the plots, the treachery and heartbreak, the gorgeous costumes and sets. This show had some of the best actors! Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Arthur, Angel Coulby as Guinevere, Anthony Head as Uther. All were beyond fantastic as these characters. My favorite was Eoin Macken as Gwaine though, he was hilarious (and handsome). This show is one of only two that have ever made me cry, I love it but it hurts. Actually that’s one of the things I love about it though, it sort of “grew up” throughout it’s five seasons so that the first season is rather light and airy and it just keeps getting darker and darker, though never going too dark, it’s not Game of Thrones (thank goodness!).

1. Doctor Who. I LOVE this series, both the classic episodes and “New Who” are fun and exciting and interesting. Eleven is my favorite Doctor (and I’m going to kill a popular theory here, because no, he wasn’t my first Doctor. That was Ten). Blink is my favorite episode (so creepy!), the Daleks are my favorite villains, and Martha, Sarah Jane, and Rory are my favorite companions. I can’t wait for the new season, Capaldi is killing it as Twelve!!!

Blog Title

Today’s Blogging 101  and Writing 101 assignments are really fun and I wrote way too much to make them one post. So here’s the blogging post first. For this assignment we’re supposed to work on our blog titles and/or taglines or write a post about what inspired our blog title. I’m going with the latter here since I don’t desire a tagline and am very happy with my title.

 

So then, how did I come up with Dancing in Glitter? You may have noticed that this blog isn’t about dancing and I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned the word “glitter” before this post. Well I actually wasn’t trying to come up with a name for my blog because my blog didn’t exist and I hadn’t even thought of starting one.  I was writing up a submission for a crochet/knit challenge group on Ravelry, the basic idea was to make a project and tie it into something you regretted not getting to do, I ended up going in an entirely different direction with my write-up but one line that I’d wrote stuck with me. The write-up was about dancing as a snowflake in a production of The Nutcracker, unfortunately I didn’t get to do it and I was especially disappointed because I’d been looking forward to getting to dance as glittery “snow” drifted down from on high and swirled gently around me and all the other dancers. The image of “dancing in glitter” stuck with me and, I have no idea why, but I suddenly decided it would be the perfect name for a blog and I should really start one, so I did 🙂

To me, dancing in glitter is about being free and feeling beautiful. Because that’s how I always felt on stage, there was power and longing behind my movements and I never wanted those moments to end, I felt like I’d found the place I belonged and that I could do anything that I wanted, as long as I was willing to work for it.

Sadly my dance ambitions died a horrible lingering death…. but my art has done a pretty good job of helping me to realize I could still do something I love, I’ve just got to work even harder because, unlike with dancing, I don’t have much natural talent and I’ve never had formal lessons.

It’s rainbow-colored now, instead of just white, but I’m still dancing in that glitter. It’s a bit different but just as exciting and empowering and I want to share a little bit of that journey.

Hence the blog, and the title 🙂