Happy Halloween

Nothing is ever as simple as a trick or a treat... it's a tricky treat or a luscious trick. Enjoy Halloween, embrace your inner child.

Friday Favorites

I was given this candle by my sister a few years ago for my birthday. You burn it and find yourself noticing a great smell but you can't put your finger on what it is. It's natural and wonderful and complex and solid. It also last FOREVER! My sister loves them so much that it is my go to present for her. It goes back to a rule my mother taught me... 

"Always give a gift that you would love to receive yourself!"

Cire Trudon
Balmoral Candle

$80.00

After the rain, mist rises from the plains in an earthy haze. Wet ferns, young plants and meadows... under the green sun, already draining the storm, they surrender their herbaceous vapors to the passing wind. This vegetable-based wax candle with pure cotton wick is biodegradable, allergen free and contains no pesticides. Housed within a beautiful glass vessel.

Martha Stewart Pumpkin carving kit

I bought this kit YEARS ago. WAY before I thought of having children so more than ten years ago, I just pulled it out to carve our pumpkins with both of my daughters. In fact I love this so much I may get a second one so we can carve pumpkins twice as fast! It's that perfect. No plastic bending here! Exacto knife blades, linoleum carvers and metal and wood tools. Well worth the money!

Tarte Vitamin Core Lipstick

I am always looking for the perfect lipstick. One that looks good on me, not too much, doesn't look like I'm trying too hard, doesn't smell weird, feels good on my lips and doesn't cost $50 per tube. I don't feel that is an unreasonable list of requirements! Well, here are two that fit that bill, both from Tarte so all natural, feels like a moisturizer and the color is chameleon like. Sheerer than it looks but not TOO sheer.Now only $8 at Sephora

I have Zen and Revive and I love them both!

The Lyre of Nature

Thank you to Nora's Necessity for introducing me to the Lyre Bird. It's incredible!

This gorgeous bird can mimic ANY sound it hears and loves to show off with it as well.

"A lyrebird's call is a rich mixture of its own song and any number of other sounds it has heard. The lyrebird's syrinx is the most complexly-muscled of the songbirds, giving the lyrebird extraordinary ability, unmatched in vocal repertoire and mimicry. Lyrebirds render with great fidelity the individual songs of other birds and the chatter of flocks of birds, and also mimic other animals, human noises, machinery of all kinds, explosions, and musical instruments. The lyrebird is capable of imitating almost any sound — from a mill whistle to a cross-cut saw, and, not uncommonly, sounds as diverse as chainsaws, car engines and car alarms, fire alarms, rifle-shots, camera shutters, dogs barking, crying babies, and even the human voice. Lyrebirds are shy birds and a constant stream of bird calls coming from one place is often the only way of identifying them and their presence."

(www.wikipedia.com) 

90 minutes... that's all

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought you might like reminder of how easily you can make a huge difference. My fourth grader's class volunteers 4 students a week to help with lunch at a neighborhood soup kitchen. Her first day was Tuesday this week. Volunteers cook a meal of soup, salad, main course (meat loaf, green beans and mashed potatoes in this case) and dessert for the guest, some of Charlotte's homeless population . The also get coffee and milks and juices and sit at a table and be served, like in a restaurant. The volunteers are the "servers" they take orders and get the food for the diners. This week it was four girls, a chaperone and myself from our class with other volunteers. They did such an amazing job. They were so short staffed that the girls all had to fly solo. They were nervous and a little scared. They had never "met" a homeless person before. The director shared that if they had not been there we probably couldn't have served restaurant style. They would have had to wait in line and many would not get to eat because of the time allotment. 
The girls met some really wonderful people that day, as did I. There was one table that really took all of us by surprise. A family walked in with three children under the age of 5 and it broke our hearts. The girls lost a little bit of innocence that day, but they gained a perspective of people and an appreciation of the world that they live in. Everyone can't wait to help again. My daughter even wants to get up at 7 to help cook before school starts next week. 
I am so proud of all of the girls, they made a difference this week in a large group of people's lives.

We are helping this soup kitchen for Thanksgiving this year as a family. I'm not saying everyone should do that but at least bake them a pie to serve or a couple of dollars to help out. It makes a difference and sets an amazing example for the next generation.

A COOL GIVEAWAY FROM BUBBLY and BEAN

Bubbly and Bean is a really fabulous blog that I follow. They are having a fun giveaway that I thought I'd pass along. I actually won something from a blog giveaway one time so check it out, you might win!

October GIVEAWAY >> Win $120 Worth of Goodness!

I'm so excited to announce October's group giveaway!  You can win a prize package of goodness from several of Bubby and Bean's amazing October sponsors - worth $120! 

Going Green

I love green, especially chartreuse-y green. Here's a treasury I made this morning.

clementseye.etsy.com for more

Favorite Things #2

This is a really amazing car by PLAYSAM. It's a "kids" toy, BUT it's sleek and cool and feels so great in  your hands.

This PLAYSAM Streamliner Formula 1 car in black designed by PLAYSAM Sweden and crafted in wood is a great gift for anyone aged 3 - 93. Comes beautifully packaged in an elegant gift box.  

I'm in the process of buying my dream camera and after seeing the amazing "camera wall" in my blog posted yesterday (Surround Yourself with Things You Love) I've gotten all nostalgic. I still have my first camera, Canon AE-1 Program, that was given to me for my 10th birthday to take my first trip to England and Scotland with my grandparents. I love it. The feel of it. The look of it. Even just the thought of it. So, yes I'm SO EXCITED about my new camera, but I have a love and passion for my good old friend, the film camera. If you are just learning to create images I would highly recommend an old school film camera to really understand how it all works together and appreciate the beauty of it.







As fall is all around us I pulled out my fall favorite nail polish. It's a chameleon. It doesn't look like anything special, sort of brown a little grey, BUT put it on with purple and it is transformed to an amazing silver grey. Or a lush brown with a chocolate brown sweater. Or khaki-ish with a great beige or white. I've even gotten my Florida Mother who has had coral colored nails as long as I can remember to take the leap. She LOVES it!!!

My last favorite is more of a DREAM list item. I am IN LOVE with these boots. They are so hip and cool and completely impractical that you MUST love them. By Hasbeen.