Dog-sitting

I watched my parents' dog and cats this weekend while they were in Nebraska for my cousin's wedding.  Yesterday was beautiful outside (oddly, sunshine hasn't been seen much here this year), so the dog and I got to warm up on the deck:)

(from my phone)

My parents got home today, and my mom decided she needed to get me a couple of souvenirs from the trip...I'd like to start by saying I am appreciative of my mom and her thoughtfulness, even after saying I didnt want or need anything from Nebraska...

I still can't tell if my mom is messing with me, or if the airport really was as small and deprived of souvenirs as she said...but I guess it's pretty funny.  Gawd these are awful.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Maru.

You've entertained me silently in class for the past few months.  I appreciate you!

Week 9...almost Memorial Day Weekend

Just for fun...

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And finally, last but not least, me with a Bieber wig on yesterday.
I have an excuse--we're making a JB music video:)

See the resemblance? (source)

Love making this...

Such an easy way to make tasty asparagus and eggplant.  Love that I can prep this and walk away (to study), and come back to a super easy veggie side to go with rice, pasta, etc.

Got some fresh asparagus from the farmer's market:)

eggplant...I usually cut them kind of big
so that I can use the big slices on sandwiches after they're roasted.

Olive oil, salt, and pepper (cajun seasoning is good on this too)

~20 minutes (?) at 350 degrees...I usually just eyeball it,
and turn the veggies once when they're about half way finished.

Yum!

Ohhhh boy.

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School is taking over my life.  Only 3 more weeks of class...only 3 more weeks of class...only 3 more weeks of class.  Then a year of rotations!  Gah. I need a break.

I did, however, work on a prototype for our invitations...So excited!  Will post more details soon!

Gamsol!

I found this technique while browsing a few paper crafting websites...and I love it! I had to try it, and I've been playing around with it for the last few days (when I can spare a moment). Here's the process:

First, pick a stamp, and stamp it.  I recommend using a good ink that won't smear.  P.S.--I found this stamp at a thrift store for $0.50.  So cool!:

Second: Color it! I chose to color this fancy lady's undergarments red with some orange--and I use Prismacolor pencils:)

No need to get all fancy with the coloring...just add colors where you think you'll want them according to shadows or whatever.  You can really play with this as you learn.

Here are a couple of close-ups so you can see what's going on with the pigment...

Next:  Get your gamsol out!  Gamsol is an odorless mineral spirit...I hear you can substitute this with mineral oil(?) although I can't personally say if that is true or not.  This bottle cost me about $3 at an art store in town, and you won't use very much at a time, so I'd say just get this if you can find it.  

You'll also need a blending stick (these are made out of rolled paper), and nail files (to clean off the stub of the blending stick when it gets all colored)

Dip the tip of the blending stick into the gamsol--you dont need very much!

Now this is the fun part--blend the colors however you want!  You'll get the hang of this as you practice.

Here's my lady.  I only colored part of her here--sorry!

Close ups of the blended pigment:

I love the way this stuff looks!

Super easy!  Let me know what projects you're doing or plan on doing using gamsol!

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

I should've posted this a long time ago, but I just thought about it.  If you've got about an hour and a half to do something useful, then watch this video



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It's on the truth behind high fructose corn syrup.  Pretty good stuff. If you dont have the time to watch it, at least download it (from YouTube, click on "show more" underneath the video where the description of the video is, and it'll have a button to download it).

I got my dress!

I've been putting off posting this because...well...I cant really post much else, except that I received my dress!  I ordered it through Wendy, at Ieie, and it's perfect!  I love it!  I will post pictures after the wedding, but until then, all I can say is that I'm happy with it, and cant wait to wear it!

No...it wont look like this;)

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If you HAVE to see it (you know, curiosity, research, etc), let me know.  I can make a few exceptions;)