Tail Wagging Tuesday: Giveaway!!!

You guys know I love my pets.  There's no question about it.  I love them so much that they inspired me to gather the courage to start my own Etsy shop where I could paint pet portraits and share my other artwork. 

Today I want to find out just how much everyone else loves their pets... soooo I'm having a pet portrait giveaway!!!!!  Yeah... you should get excited because you're going to have two different chances to enter.

If you are super crazy about your pet, and you would just loooove to have a one-of-a-kind soft pastel portrait like this...

Or this...

Or maybe this if you have a bird or another pet...

Then, pay attention now. :)

Here's how it works.  

Before you decide to enter, make sure you already have a good photo, or that you will be able to take one.  (Remember guys, I live in Hawaii right now... I can't always be there to take the photo or see the beautiful pet in person.  I need a good quality photo to work from. )  When I'm working on a portrait, I go by what I see in the photo, so if the photo has green eyes, I can't teleport myself to the pet to know that the eyes are, in fact, brown.  I can only go by what I see... You get the picture... The photo has to be what you want the portrait to look like.  

For example, when I did Nelly the beagle, I worked from this photo and got this portrait.

Head shots usually work best.  I find that the eyes are super duper important in making the portrait feel like a certain pet.  They are indeed the windows to the soul, so you want to be close enough that you capture the details of the eyes.

And one last tip for the photo... Turn your flash off unless you are an amazing photographer who knows all about lighting and using the correct flash.  For point and shoot cameras, the flash changes the true colors and gives the eyes a weird look, so try taking the photo in natural light, perhaps near a window as the natural light illuminates the room (not in direct sunlight... that can be worse than the flash).  Just play around with it, and you'll get a great, natural looking shot.  (If you win, I will correspond with you until we get the photo just the way you want.)

Now that we have that end of business taken care of, here's how you enter.  You have two chances, so you enter two times!

1. You must be an official follower of this blog (through Google Friend Connect to the right).  Leave a comment telling me why you love your pet so much, what makes him/her special, or why you want a portrait, and that's entry number one.

2.  If you have already done the first entry, you may enter a second time by becoming a fan of the Tails to Tell Facebook page.  Leave me a second comment saying that you already are a fan or that you just became one, and that's entry number two.

You have until Monday, April 25th to enter, so get on it!  (You could also use this as a gift for a pet lover in your life if you want to get a super early start on Christmas shopping... wink, wink)

 I'll use Random.org to choose the winner, and that winner will be announced on the next Tail Wagging Tuesday post.  Be sure to check in to see if your name is announced.  Then, I'll start work on the portrait as soon as the winner has an awesome photo for me.

Good luck!  :)

Just for today...

Just for today, I'm giving myself permission to be just a little bit sad.

My best friend is going on a trip for a couple of months, and just for today I'm going to be a little sad about it.  Don't get me wrong, I know that this short trip is no big deal at all.  A few months is nothing at all compared to longer times people are apart, but it still kind of stinks. 

Normally, this short time wouldn't bother me, but after enjoying two weeks of lots of time spent together, I feel like the rug is being pulled out from under me--  like I went from an overflowing well of joy from having had almost constant company to a suddenly dried up well in the desert from having to immediately adjust to isolation.  Don't get me wrong. I have a few friends here, but being here on this island when my hubby is gone is much different from being back home with my family.  Back home, there is always someone around to talk to or hang out with.  Here, it's just different.  Friends are wonderful, but they just aren't the same.  Plus, I'm having a very hard time finding just the right match here.  The people I'm closest to here have their own families with kids, so that somewhat limits the time you can spend together-- no spontaneous late weeknight movies or dinners and slightly more difficult schedules to work around.  Other people I've met just haven't "clicked" in the come-over-whenever-and-we'll-have-a-blast-no-matter-what kind of way.  The few that I have really "clicked" with have moved away, leaving me feeling like I'm starting over at square one.  I'm not really complaining, just explaining why I'm taking the day to let myself feel a little sad.

Over the past two weeks, Kent and I have been on bike rides, some successful (and unsuccessful) sailing trips, days at the beach, snorkeling, dinner dates, movies, trips to the bookstore, and just enjoyed some nice time at home with "the boys." 

We took these photos on a drive around the island the other day.

Pretty beautiful, huh?

 After enjoying these beautiful sights with one of my favorite people, it's a little hard to think about being alone for the next few months... but I've done it before, and I'll do it again.  :)

I know some sweet people here on the island who make things better, and when I go home to what can sometimes feel like an empty, I'm never really alone.

I've got these guys...

And they are always there for a little hug or a snuggle on the couch.  Plus, they listen when I talk to them sometimes, and I just know that if they could, they would talk back.  Their eyes say it all, and I know a lot of times they understand what I tell them.  

I'm so thankful for them and that I live in a time when all I have to do is pick up a cell phone or log on to Skype to hear another voice and have conversation to not feel so alone.  It really is amazing.  That being said, I'm going to finish taking just today to feel a little sad... get the moping out of the way.  Then, I can start keeping myself busy since I have a lot to do.  Tomorrow I'm going to do a major cleaning in my house (since it's been a little neglected after all of our fun the past couple weeks).  Then I'll be starting on a project for the giveaway that you'll read about tomorrow, I have several other projects that I'm working on, as well, and in the past couple weeks I stocked up on books to read.  Hopefully, I'll be busy enough that time will fly by and I won't notice being alone so much. 

Two Tone Hibiscus Nails

I've got a new nail design for you!  :)  (Just in case you are stopping by for the first time, I always do nail art on my toes... For one, I live in Hawaii and wear flip flops constantly, and two, I'm always doing projects or creating artwork , so nothing EVER sticks on my fingernails.)

In my last nail art post with blue nails and a simple white flower, I promised to show you how to create a two-toned hibiscus. 

This is what I came up with...

I started by choosing my colors.

1.  Dark "pink" color for the center of my flower.

2.  Pale pink for the all over background color.

3. Bright pink for the blending color in the flower.

4.  Yellow for the main part of the flower petals.

5.  Green for leaves and embellishments.

**Not pictured is my clear Base/Top Coat 

I painted my base coat and all over color.

Then I gathered my nail art tools and petal colors.

You can use nail art tools like these to make dots, or you can do what my friend Cat from No Wooden Spoons suggested and use the ball on the end of a sewing pin and keep it nice and safe by sticking the sharp point into a pencil eraser. 

It also helps to put a drop of polish on a scrap of paper and dip into the dot.  It's way less messy.

I created five fairly large yellow dots as petals.

This was followed by five small bright pink dots just inside each yellow one.

 

While all the dots were still wet, I used a toothpick to drag the colors to the middle.

At this point, I didn't think there was enough contrast in my flower, so I sort of turned it into a three toned flower by adding one darker dot in the center and using the toothpick to sort of blend the color outward just a wee little bit...

Don't worry if it looks a little lumpy in some places at this point... The top coat will help everything look much nicer and more smooth.

I wanted to add a few teeny tiny yellow dots in the center to represent the hibiscus center.  (You don't have to if you don't want to... It's whatever you think looks best.)  You could use the tip of a toothpick or a small tipped nail art tool like I have.

Finally, I used my small tipped nail art tool to create "leaves" on each side of the flower, and a series of tiny green dots as embellishments.

I let my design DRY, and then I added the top coat to smooth everything out and protect my work.

Then I had island hibiscus toes!

Don't worry if they aren't absolutely perfect!  No one needs to be that close to your toes anyway... if they are, you can just kick them!  ;)

Hope you like them and give them a try sometime!

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again...

If you guys remember, a while back I started making plans for some projects I needed to work on around my house.  One of those projects was the mirror above the dresser in my bedroom.

This guy right here...

 

For some reason it really bugged me that the mirror had a gold/bronze look to it (even though it doesn't show up so much in the photo), when the lamps and hardware looked like brushed nickel.

For some reason I thought it would look better if the mirror looked like the brushed nickel of the hardware.  

Okay... Maybe a little part of me also just wanted to try out this spray paint that is supposed to look like hammered metal, too.

I took my mirror outside, taped on some newspaper to protect the mirror part, and sprayed the frame.

I liked how it looked outside.  I just had so see if I still liked it when I hung it up.

So I took it upstairs and hung it up as soon as it dried...

Uhhh.... No.  I didn't like it.  Too bright and too shiny....  Maybe if I lived with it for a day or so I would change my mind...

Yeah, that didn't happen.  Two days later I still didn't like it.  

Time to try something else... Maybe if I attempt an antique type finish to tone it down.

I decided to try an experiment on the off chance it might turn into a "happy accident."  I got the antiquing glaze that I used when I refinished my night stands, and attempted antiquing the mirror frame.   I painted some on and used a dry cloth to wipe it off in hopes that it would stick in the "hammered metal" spots on the paint to tone the shine down.

Yep... That was a failure too.  The paint was still too slick for the antiquing glaze to stick.  It was worth a shot though.

Finally, I knew what I had to do.  I had to go back to brown.  Not the dark gold/bronze that it had been... just brown.  I went and bought some glossy brown spray paint to match my dresser, sprayed the mirror frame, crossed my fingers, and let it dry.

It came out like this...

Ahhhh.... Finally, I think I got it right.

 

Moral of this story:  You're not going to get it right the first time, every time.  Take a chance and try a new solution (even if you're not sure if it will work), and keep trying until you find something you like.  :)

Psssst.... There's a giveaway coming soon!  Make sure you're an "official" follower so you can enter to win.  You don't want to miss it!

Fun Finds Friday: Pretty as a Peacock

I've been seeing peacock stuff everywhere, and I love it!  It almost makes me want to redo at least one room in my house so I can see all those beautiful colors everyday.  Instead, I searched through Etsy to get my peacock fix, and I thought I would share some of my beautiful and fabulous finds with you.

Is this a beautiful color palette or what?

1.  Peacock Silk Feather Clutch by mermaidsdream -- I would love to have this to carry for a night out!

2.  Peacock Crochet Earrings by ZZAG -- These would be so cool to add interest to a casual outfit like jeans and a cardigan!

3.  Peacock Wine Glass Set by marywibis -- I love wine glasses, and I would love to add these to my collection.

4.  Lime and Aqua Tropical Splash Button Bracelet by MrsGibson  --  This bracelet would be awesome for an elementary teacher... I know kids love to look at bracelets like this. 

5.  Lime and Aqua Green Ring Bowl by BlowingSandsGlass -- This beautiful piece would be stunning on a shelf as decoration, or it would be awesome for holding paper clips on your desk.

6.  Peacock Teal Shoes by Parisxox -- These shoes are so beautiful!  I would wear them every chance I got!

7.  Green Rose and Aqua Blue Handmade Necklace by TheSilverDog --  I just love the unique look of this necklace.  Dress it up or down and it would be perfect!

8.  Triple Blue Hydrangea Flower Headband by BellaFleur1 --  I want someone with a beautiful baby girl to get one of these and take it to a photo shoot!  Sooo adorable!

9.  Peacock Scrabble Tile Pendant by PendantLicious --  This little pendant is so cute!  I love scrabble, and I love peacock, so this is perfect.

10.  Textile Embroidered Cushion with Three Daisies by AeFondKis --  The color of this pillow is gorgeous.  I wish I had it sitting on my couch!

11.  Long Drop Earrings in Peacock Blue and Green Swirl by amazingbeads --  These cute little earrings would add a nice pop of collar to any outfit.

12.  Summer Breeze Lime and Peacock Bridal Bouquet by TianaCHE --  I've already had my wedding, so someone I know should use a bouquet like this!  It's gorgeous!

13.  Infinity Scarf in Peacock by DianasTreasures --  This is such a beautiful color for a scarf.  Don't you want to add it to your wardrobe?

14.  Lime Green Feather and Rhinestone Hair Comb by foryoubymenet --  I'm loving hair clips now, and this little comb would be such an interesting addition in a messy side swept bun.

15.  Perfectly Peacock Bridal Clutch by bellefiore2009 --  Okay, so this is the second bridal bouquet I picked... but it's soooo pretty!  I would love seeing it in a beautiful wedding with rich colored bridesmaid's dresses.

16.  Two Sachets by VaVaRa --  Wouldn't it be nice to find these inside your drawer making all your things smell so lovely?

What do you think?  Anything you love or could see yourself with?  

Happy Friday and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Cool Coasters and a Budget Friendly Holder

I told you guys last week about my end table makeover, and then I showed you some photos of them back in action in my living room.  In that post I shared a cool Etsy shop called MonikaDesign, where I ordered some coasters to protect my awesome newly made over tables. 

Well, they're here!

They came packaged in the most adorable way.

They actually came in a few days ago, but I'm just now getting this post together.  :)  I'm very pleased with them, and I think they will look super cute on my end tables.

What do you think?

 

Since I had these adorable little coasters now, I needed a "holder" for them.  I thought about several options for making one, but I wanted it super simple and low-key.  With a couple of vague ideas in mind, I went down the street to the craft store nearby.  

I just happened to find the perfect thing!  They had these little round, clear, plastic containers that happened to be the perfect size.  (Plus they were only $1... It doesn't get much better than that.)    I bought one of the containers and a piece of brown felt.

I cut the felt to be the perfect size for the bottom of the container, and then again for the bottom of the inside.

Then I glued the felt to the container with Tacky Glue and let it dry.

Voila!  My perfect little coaster holder! (Not too shabby for about $1.50)

Hope everyone is having a great week!  I know I've been trying to soak up every minute before Kent leaves for a while.  : (  We've been having a blast the past couple of weeks though-- working on different projects, riding our cruisers in the evenings, working out, dinner dates, movies, days at the beach, and lots of other little adventures.   I just try to appreciate it all!  

P.S.  Don't forget about the giveaway coming next week!  Check back in the next few days for instructions on how to enter! :)

What's Cooking Wednesday: Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

I don't know about you guys, but I'm always trying to find new tasty recipes to try.  Occasionally I find myself in a recipe rut and know it's time to search for something new.  To give myself an incentive to do this more often, I'm going to try something new and share it with you on my "What's Cooking Wednesday" post, so here we go with the first one.  :)

I'd been seeing commercials for Philadelphia Cooking Cream on television, and it looked so good to me (because I LOVE cream cheese) that I decided to buy some the next time I ventured to the grocery store.

I bought the two flavors they had, but when I got home I didn't really know what to do with them.  I looked on their website and checked out the recipes.  I finally found one that looked super simple, and I actually had all the ingredients on hand.  It looked pretty yummy, so I decided to give it a go.


I tried the Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, and this is how it went down.

The finished product looks pretty yummy, right?

I pulled out all the ingredients I was going to need, which included 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces, 1 package of frozen broccoli thawed and drained, 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1 tub of Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cooking Creme, 1/2 cup milk, about a cup of Ritz crackers, and one tablespoon of butter.

After I cut the chicken into small pieces, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and mixed the chicken, broccoli, sharp cheddar cheese, milk, and cooking creme in a 9x13 baking dish. 

The recipe says to let it bake for 25 minutes, but since I'm a freak when it comes to cooking chicken until it is reeeeeaaaaallllly well done, I let it cook a little longer.  (I checked it at 25 minutes, and it wasn't done, so I let it cook about 10 or so more.)

While that cooks, crush the Ritz crackers and mix with the melted butter.

When the chicken is done, top with the Ritz mixture and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Mmmmm....

When the topping is nice and golden brown, take it out, let it cool, and enjoy!

I thought it was a pretty good dish all in all.  I'll definitely be making it again.   I don't know if I really liked it as a main dish, but I can certainly see bringing it to holiday gatherings or potlucks as a little something different and extra. 

Let me know if you give it a try!  :)