Dog Days of Summer

Teachers. We've had them in grade school. But it doesn't stop there. As adults, we continue to meet and connect with others who teach us about ourselves. Growing and learning are mutual. Without teachers, we would be stuck in a non-beneficial pattern. Perhaps you might have several teachers in your life right now, without realizing it.

Hubby is my teacher. My family members are my teachers. Our friends are my teachers. Even random strangers I have interacted with fleetingly have taught me something. Working from home has been challenging since my human interaction has waned significantly. Computers don't teach. They cause aggravation if anything. At the end of day, sometimes I need to scream.

However, I have discovered that there is one little living being that I spend the most time with, who is also my teacher...my dog. Each day, she provides to me an intrinsic connection to mother nature during these hot days holed up inside the house. She is my little reminder to live each day to its fullest. She reflects love and devotion. She enforces the sensory aspect of life. She is balanced.

What my dog has taught me:

1) Follow your nose and your eyes. Breathe in and truly look at your surroundings each day. 

2) Sunbathe no matter how hot it is! A dose of sun does wonders for the body. 

3) Explore...Always be curious. 

4) Continuously love, no matter how imperfect the object of your affection may be.

5) Exercise each day. It makes you calmer. 

6) Make time to goof around and play no matter what your age.

7) Equally make time for naps. 

8) If you find yourself near negative or unstable people/environments, just leave.
9) Remain devoted to your pack, but seek some time alone when needed.
10) Enjoy food as if it were your last meal. Do this every day.
11) Make new friends, always.

12) Cuddle with your favorite person.
13) Be you, and only you. 

14) Enjoy where you are and who you are with at this very moment. It could all change someday. 

The Summertime Pedi 'Cure'

It's summertime which means that it's that time to shake things up a bit! Break out the shorts. Throw on the tank tops. Paint those toenails some crazy color!

Over the years, I've collected some offbeat nail colors that were marked on clearance in the beauty store. Yet, I've always resorted to the classic red or intense mauve during the bare-all season. Not any more. This summer I will try something different. The (pedi) cure for summertime blues.

I thought back to my family descent when I saw the yellow and blue polish bottles in my drawer. That's when the idea was born. I cut small strips of Scotch tape to create the flag design and the rest is history.

The tools are readily available in your home...tape, toothpicks, paintbrushes, glue...play to your heart's content! 

I became inspired to see what others are doing in the broader world with their toes. (Hubby caught me searching for pedicures and was convinced I have a foot fetish!) I assure you that this post is merely an homage to bringing out the inner artist in you. Starting with 10 tiny blank canvases is the first step. No pun intended! 

Design style by way of mod stripes and floral via glambistro.com

Textile simulation with embroidery and Burberry plaid via nailedtothepost.blogspot.com

Celestial and aurora borealis bling via devashions.com

Critter loving - cheetahs and ladybugs via glambistro.com

Stepping Out of Our Shells

Warmer weather has indeed moved into the area. There's no stopping summer temperatures now. We had an early start to summer and just returned from our vacation from the beaches of the western Caribbean. My, oh my...how we needed that R and R.

Don't be a hater ;0)

Perhaps it's in part to taking the time to sit on the sand and look closely at it's genetic makeup of fine seashells. Perhaps it's the warmer weather getting us outside more often. Seashells have become front in center in my world as of late.

Here are some small, very simple rituals I performed with seashells this spring season. Take something that is connecting with you this season and do the same. It's nice to slow down when we can.

Guest bathroom beach dreams in vintage jars

Tillandsia creature nest

Micro-pendant made by nature

All That Glitters...

I was mail stalked by a J. Crew catalog the other day and these killer shoes whispered soft nothings into my ears.

Yowsa! $228 for these? I don't think so. 

Then, about a day later, I was electronically stalked by Anthropologie with these dangling in front of my face. Seriously, I need some sort of retail restraining order!

Pretty darned slick little kickers! The asking price? Going for $40, marked at 50% off from $80. Meh.

I have a ton of shoes sitting in my closet. No need to buy more. The more that I justified NOT buying new shoes, I began to realize that I have retained shoes for years that I no longer wear. Why? Well, they were damaged in some form or fashion. I suppose the thrifty side of myself thought that I could repair the shoes somehow.

The moral of the story? This retail stalking had evolved into another Cheapskate Tip!

I had an old pair of oxford shoes that I probably paid less than $20 for at Payless many moons ago. The material was composed of the worst synthetic elements because the top layer peeled off in small bits each time they were worn. Frustrating, huh? Glitter is course enough to cover up that business!!!

I taped off the edges with painter's tape so that the Mod Podge wouldn't dribble into the areas I did not want the glitter. Simply brush on glue with a paint brush, dust with glitter, allow to dry. Repeat these steps multiple times until even throughout and heavily glittered. Finish with 1-2 coats of Mod Podge to lock in the glitter and create a final seal.

Cheap shoes glammed up within a couple of days and $2 of supplies I already had on hand! I'm officially addicted.

I had another pair of shoes that could use a glitter treatment. I wore this pair of heels years ago when I was MoH at my bro and sis-n-laws' wedding. By the end of the night, the heels were ruined due to my heels sinking into the ground while we were taking photos outside. The light-colored silk heels had mud stains that I could not remove. I was so excited to get my glitter on that I forgot to take a photo of these heels to demonstrate what they looked like before. 

Here they are after the glitter treatment! I was happy with the results! The glittered heels match the glittered front strap. Looked like I bought them that way for $200, but I spent nothing!

Cheers to getting more wear out of our shoes! 

Captivity, Entertainment and Connectivity

Maybe it's because the weather has been crummy these days, but movie-watching has been our favorite pastime as of late. There are some movies and documentaries that are powerful and cause some type of effect on your life. Then there are other movies and documentaries that are just filler material.

We watched a documentary that had me in tears toward the end. It was definitely the former of the two categories of documentaries. It was so profound, I want to profess how everyone must see it.

If you have ever questioned the integrity and ethical business dealings of Sea World and most zoos, this documentary will affect you. If you love going to Sea World for some good old fashioned barbaric entertainment, this documentary will turn your world around.

Animals on this earth do not have a voice. If one wants to learn about and see the wild up close and personal, take a trip to see them in person! No money or time? You can read about them or watch nature shows that document them in their natural habitat. Do not support these greedy corporate entities that exploit the voiceless animals of our world.

http://blackfishmovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BlackfishFilm

Of course, Sea World has plenty of articles and interviews that combat the material presented in Blackfish, stating that they interviewees were "mislead" and that the documentary was one-sided.

http://seaworldparks.com/corporatesites/truth/home/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=PaidSearch&utm_term=text&utm_campaign=SW14Blackfish

If you were separated from your family and held in captivity your whole life, wouldn't you be pretty enraged? We have to realize that many animals have feelings and connections similar to ours. How disconnected from the world have we become where we need to throw wild animals in captivity and pay a fee to see them dance before us?

Watch the documentary and make your own deductions. I'd like to hear what you think.

Wear Your Heart on Your Door

Are you and your sweetie a couple that is a little bit country, and a little bit rock-n-roll? Display your love to the world by making this St. Valentine heart a"door"nment! (Sorry, couldn't help myself.)

This colorblocked heart was created with materials that I had sitting at home. As you may conclude, this is another Cheapskate Tip, guys and gals!

Materials:

- Cardboard box (the one I used had a cool polka dot print)

- Permanent marker

- Ruler

- Hole punch

- Acrylic paint

- Drafting tape

- Hot glue

- Washi tape

- Raffia or ribbon

- Silk flower

Find the flattest and most solid side of your cardboard box as your base. 

Begin to draft up the heart shape on the backside of the box. Use a bowl to outline the rounded upper portion of the heart.

Use a ruler to line up the point of the heart with the middle. 

Continue using ruler to meet up with rounded portion of the heart. Then, freehand the sides of the heart so that it is rounded and full. 

Cut along the lines and flip over. 

Punch holes on left and right top sides of the heart. These holes will be where the ribbon or material of choice will be strung through for hanging. 

Grab your drafting tape and firmly press on the dividing line with how you'd prefer to colorblock your heart. I went diagonal. 

Paint one side with color of choice acrylic paint and allow enough time to dry before pulling off the drafting tape. 

If you goofed such as I did--by watering down the paint too much--fear not. Bleed-thru is fixable. Enter Washi tape. I also used Washi tape to finish out the rough edges. 

Punch another hole and hot glue your flower and partial stem to the heart in the location of your choice. 

Dig around in your craft supply bucket to find the perfect material to hang your heart with. I had natural raffia collecting dust so I cut the desired length and began to untwist. 

Slide the ribbon, string, or raffia through the holes on each site. Glue or tie a knot to the backside of the heart to secure in place. Your course of action will depend on the material you use. The raffia was so dense that I had to glue it. 

Finito! Wear your heart proudly on your door. Proud...because you made it and you didn't spend a dime on it!

Happy Valentine's Day to all~

The Future Tellings of Life and Clothing

We made it out to the movies this weekend and saw "Her." I will spare you from leaving a full cinematic review, however, what mainly caught my attention during the slow-moving plot was the manner in which the characters dressed in this near-future storyline. The characters--both men and women--seemed to have adopted a somewhat blurred line of feminine and masculine. Androgenic, almost. Everyone sported high-waisted bottoms. Most of the women didn't wear any makeup. And no matter what...everyone wore button-down tops that were buttoned all the way up.

It was a very conservative fashion trend for a story set in the future. The contrast had me intrigued. Personally, I've noticed that each year that passes, less and less is left to the imagination with fashion. Was Spike Jonze simply appealing to the younger audience by incorporating the hot fashion trends of recycled 1980s fashion? Or, was he trying to seep in a little irony with the overall tone of the futuristic movie? Perhaps, was he trying to convey that in the age of technology, we have become so closed off to others, and a way of symbolizing this was by closing off the shirt collar, a physical pathway to the heart?

Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but I very much appreciate the cinematic symbolism that our writers and producers convey in each movie. I began reminiscing about past movies that had futuristic plots. What were they conveying with fashion in tandem with the message of the story?

Clockwork Orange, 1971

Does the full-on white assembly and black bowler hat symbolize and/or accentuate the overall plotline of good and evil, and the ability to make the moral choice between the two?

Blade Runner, 1982

The cinematography is very neo-noir and the fashion is a blend of steampunk and cyberpunk--combining past, present and future styles. Would you say that each character is dressed in a manner that visually communicates the effect that technology plays on the environment and society as a whole? Does it elude to who is human and who is an artificially engineered replicant?

Matrix, 1999

Fighters in a war between humans and machines, do the characters dressed in black blur the lines between the humans the the all-powerful machine they created?

What have you watched lately where fashion seemed to have a profound influence on the plot?