Fragrance Of The Day - Jovan Island Gardenia For Women

Jovan Island Gardenia For Women is probably my favorite fragrance I have ever owned. It is a delicate soft scent that I wear in both the cold and warm months. It is very easy to wear everyday. Never overpowering.

It actually does smell like the gardenia flower. Very few scents smell exactly like the flower notes in the ingredients. Although it is inexpensive it don't smell loud and strange like a cheap perfume. The bottle lasts for a very long time because a little goes a long way.

I also love the simple sleek packaging. This is the only Jovan perfume that I really like. My mother enjoys the very popular Jovan Musk perfume.

Maybe I love this scent so much because gardenias are one of my favorite flowers. I will definitely be repurchasing this classic fragrance for years to come.

Thanks for reading!

Celebrating My First 100 Blog Posts

 

When I started my blog on March 10, 2014, I could have never imagined I would have over one hundred posts published by now. Wow. Time has gone by so fast.

I absolutely love blogging. In the past two months, I have pushed all the computer skills and time management skills I know to a new level. 

There is so much more I need to learn to make my blog reach the goals I have set for it. When I started my blog, I just jumped in and started writing.

My first contact with blogs has been through the beauty and fashion communities. One thing definitely realized quickly, I am not a beauty guru or fashionista. 

While I am interested in beauty and fashion, I have so many other interests I want to tell the world about. Music, art, crafting, travel, writing my mermaid novel to name a few.

If I had to label myself, lifestyle blogger would be the best fit. I am also a person who loves to encourage people to pursue their dreams and goals.

Having a blog has given me an outlet to share my love of my many hobbies and interests. 

I don't know where having a blog will take me in life but I am very happy with the positive changes that have happened so far.

As my blog grows, I am growing. I can't wait to write what I have learned when I reach my two hundredth blog post.

It is very humbling when people take the time to read my blog. I am always surprised that I am really reaching people. 

A huge thank you to everyone for stopping by my tiny little blog. Lots of changes are coming as I learn how to make my blog the best it can be.

Thank you so much for reading!

Necklace of the day - Purple Glass Pendant With Silver Chain

As I was downloading these pictures of this necklace, I had a thought, this looks similar to the necklace Anya the vengeance demon on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Loved that show! Anya was one of my favorite characters with her no filter no tact hilarious way of speaking the obvious.

I have no idea where I got this piece. Glass is one of my favorite materials for jewelry. I love the way it catches the light. It is also very versatile - color, texture and it is very inexpensive.

Best thing about this necklace is that it is easily in the category of "just throw it on and go". Not every necklace is like this. Some require a little or a lot of thought. How heavy is this necklace? Will it start to bug me and get in the way during a very busy day? Is this necklace to big or too dressy to go with this or that outfit.

This simple pale purple glass pendant necklace is one of my favorite costume jewelry pieces when I want to add a little bit of color and shine to almost any outfit.

Thanks for reading!

Josh Thompson Pictures - Dogwood Festival Concert

 

This was the stage setup before the concert. I love looking at all the equipment and instruments on stage before the bands come out to play. 

 The crowd before the concert began. It was not a lot of people in the beginning but the number of people increased later that night.

 It was a gorgeous beautiful warm blue sky day. Perfect weather for an outdoor concert.

The opening band was Erin Nenni Band. Erin was a very good vocalist and had lots of great stage presence. The guitarist Scott was amazing! I will post more pics of this band in another post.

    This guys helping set up the equipment are the actual members of the Josh Thompson Band. I did  not     know this. LOL! I thought they were apart of the stage crew. Behold my surprise when they walked out on the stage with Josh.

This is the bassist of the band tuning Josh's guitar. This instrument was so beautiful to see in person. 

 

The awesome lead guitarist. I was very impressed with how he played. The entire band were very good musicians. They had a good time on stage and really had fun playing to the crowd. 

 I lucked up and happened to get a front row (or piece of pavement) right directly in front of Josh Thompson. Not even being a huge fan of country music, I really liked this band and their performance. 

 The bassist had a very unique style of strutting around the stage but really held down the bass line. Fun to watch him play. Lots of personality.

Another guitarist in the band. It was awesome to watch him play both of his instruments.

 More pictures to come very soon!

I had a wonderful time and they are an amazing band.

A Study in White - I Love Photography

I love this picture. The fluid form and the light all come together for an interesting composition. It is a study in textures in white. The true about this photo is that it is one of those lucky shots where I was holding the camera a certain way, I took a picture and this happened.

Completely unplanned. I think I may have been doing a test shot or even just moving the blinds and curtain to bring more light into the room.

When I take a picture like this, it amazes me but it also frustrates me. I would love to duplicate this shot but I don't think at this point, I have the technical skills at this point to know exactly how this shot happened.

I am enjoying learning how to use my camera (review about my camera is upcoming) and how to take better pictures. Having a blog, has made it necessary for me to learn everything about photography.

Yes, I really love my lucky shot. I hope I will learn quickly how to make this shots happen on purpose in the near future.

Thanks for reading! 

How I Stay Fit & Healthy

Best straight forward common sense weight loss advice and it's funny too! Loved this video!

Fragrance Of The Day - Paris Dreams Pour Femme

This fragrance was a Christmas gift. It is an imitation scent of the Can Can from Paris Hilton fragrance from one of those discount trendy strip mall stores. But wait don't judge! It actually smells amazing. I was pleasantly surprised when I first trying it on. Usually imitation perfume are horrible. I got really lucky.

It is a light slightly sweet floral fragrance. It is a warm weather scent that could be worn for daytime or evening. As for lasting power, not too short but not very long. Love that it came with a little tiny travel bottle.

The lotion is a lightly scented lightweight moisturizer. It's OK . I love that it isn't that typical cheap watery useless lotion I've used in the past.

The fragrance came in a very nicely packaged white box covered in clear plastic. Nice presentation. This is the first imitation perfume that I've been gifted that smelled really good. In fact, I plan to try to track it down and repurchase it myself.

Btw I have absolutely no idea what Paris Hilton's Can Can fragrance smells like.

I just did a quick internet search to see where this product would be available for purchase. I saw this on some random site for $49.00! No way. This product must have been discontinued.

The Paris Hilton Can Can is listed for just $12.99. Wow. The cheap imitation is now sold for more than the original? The internet is a very strange place.

Have you had any luck in finding an imitation perfume that smells amazing?

My Many Thoughts After Reading The Dirt By Motley Crue

I have never been so glad to finish a book in my life and I do NOT mean this in a good way. After wading through the many tasteless road and life stories of the band Motley Crue, I was left with the feelings of disgust for the endless bad behavior and thankful for the boring but mostly happy life I've had.

My overwhelming question about this book was: What is the point of doing this in the first place? Was it a way to bring bad boy attention to the band (marketing ploy?) or was it a set the record straight to tell their side of the sad childhood and party boy exploits themselves?

If you have read the book then you would know that this is about the sad and successful history of Motley Crue. Lots and lots of stories about the cliche rock star bad boy making the bad decision of indulging in bad decisions of spending too much money, sex with too many women and addiction to a lot of drugs.

I'm not really a Motley Crue fan and this book did not inspire me to listen to more of their music. This is how much I realized I didn't like this book. Usually after I read something, I get inspired in some way. But I was thankful for the reality check.

As I read the book, I was struck by two things: how disrespectful the band members were to women and in general how selfish they were. They did not care about any of the consequences of their actions. After years of working hard  for their success, it was very sad to see them destroy their lives and the lives of other people.

After going to see Alice in Chains in Raleigh recently, I was still walking on the air with thoughts  of the rock and roll fantasy life of music and travel. Reading the The Dirt book brought those thoughts crashing to reality. Living life on the road is hard. Making a living as a musician is very hard.

Keeping a healthy committed relationship alive and well while on tour is extremely hard. You will have to be a very strong woman to be in a relationship with a man in a band. The music and the band will usually come first in the life of a musician.

I have never been a groupie and I could not for the life of me understand why so many girls would consent to the terrible things these guys did to them . Were the lurid backstage/hotel sex stories all true? How could people who did that many drugs remember everything in such detail?

Lessons learned while reading this book:

Get out of your own way.

Being persistent will help you reach your goals.

The rock and roll lifestyle is not glamorous.

Money can buy things but it cannot make you happy.

No matter how far you run/travel, there you are. You can't run from your problems.

Your health is the most precious thing you have. Don't waste it.

Taking drugs impacts everyone and everything around you. You will have to deal with addiction for the rest of your life.

Show business is a business. Know where your money comes from and where it goes.

I would never want to be that girl that a guy in a band would write a demeaning story about in a tell all book.

Respect your gifts and your talents.

Learn from your mistakes. Change. Don't make the same bad decisions over and over. 

   

If you are in a band, want to be in a band or you want to date someone who is a musician, read this book. The Dirt is an extreme example of the dark side of becoming successful musician. Success is hard work and staying successful is even more hard work. There are a lot of sacrifices that will have to be made.

At the end of the book, the guys seemed to be coming to terms with their mistakes and trying to live better lives. I hope the best for them and their families. Motley Crue is so lucky to be alive and have a second chance at life.

Here is an earlier post about Alice in Chains and Motley Crue.

Have you read The Dirt or a book like this about a band?

Thanks for reading?

Marilyn Monroe - Life Inspiration

Huge Marilyn poster I got on a beach trip a couple of years ago.

Marilyn is a huge inspiration and influence on my life because she worked so hard for most of her life to make her dreams come true.

 She was determined against all odds to be a successful actress in Hollywood.  To do this she would have to spend countless hours networking with the right people (sadly the wrong ones too).

Makeovers, dieting, exercise routines, plastic surgery, auditions, voice lessons, public appearances and endless photoshoots.  Does anyone even know the exact number of photo sessions Marilyn completed? Hundreds? Marilyn has a huge legacy of thousand of photos that remind us how beautiful, sexy, smart, fun, talented, and vulnerable she could be. I love finding new photos of her.

It is sad that the media has always focused on the sex symbol image of Marilyn or the mystery of her death. Why not write about how much hard work she actually did to become an actress that stood out in Hollywood. The studio system in those days was a factory that constantly churned out starlet after starlet. Marilyn was able to distinguish her enough to capture the attention of the world with her talent not just her beauty.

Do you really want your dreams? Do the work it takes to get there. Marilyn did. She is my cautionary tale of working hard as I can never giving up on my artistic dreams but also to be very careful to maintain my mental and physical health.

I have my precious dreams for a reason. All things are possible if you work hard enough. With all the emotional and health challenges Marilyn faced she was always stayed true to her artistic goals. I am inspired to do the same.

Marilyn jigsaw puzzles I've blogged about here and here.

Thanks for reading!

Living The Life Of An Artist and A Writer Is Not Easy

My writing desk and artist tools

 

 

 

 

It is only recently that I made my decision to acknowledge to the world that I am an artist and a writer. This was a huge moment for my life and the way I present myself to people I meet and my family.

I decided not to wait until I finished my mermaid novel I've been working before I would tell the world who I really am. Being an artist is not easy. Most of the time people will look down on you and tell you are wasting your time. "How will you make money?" is a very common question. I will work very hard and constantly market my art and my skills this is how I will make money is my reply.

The artist David Mack is a huge inspiration for me. He is a very talented artist and writer who has worked on graphic novels for DareDevil and his own creation Kabuki. Following his career over time, I realized very quickly, you have to be a hustler to be a successful artist.

On Mack's twitter page and his tumblr, he is constantly interacting with his fans and promoting his art. This is essential in this fast paced internet world. You have to constantly remind people, who you are and what you do as an artist.

One of my favorite youtube channels is Shameless Maya. She made a very good point of noting that some artists have great art that they create and just sit on not going out into the world promoting their work. Clients are not going to come to you. You have to go to them. A lot of artists have you tube channels to demonstrate their art and techniques. This is a way to market your artistic brand to the world.

Blogging has made me learn to overcome my natural shyness and interact with more people than I ever have in my life. Writing is taking a chance. Not everyone will agree with what you write or the way you write it. But it is definitely worth the risk.

The life of an artist is not easy. The life of a writer is not easy. But the interesting people I have met online and in real life, have made my life a lot more exciting and happy.

Thanks for reading!