Not related to crafts, but WHOA!!!

I read about this Garnier Nutritioniste Eye Roller on a make-up blog, and thought I'd look into it next time I was at Target or the drugstore; for $12 and change, if it sucks, I'm not out a wad of cash.

Bought it yesterday, and rolled some under my eyes. Put it on this morning before moisturizer/sunscreen.

Less than an hour later my puffy under-eye area was so de-puffed that I actually had to do a double take. Significant difference.

Girls, this stuff is the shiz. And for the sake of clarifcation, neither I nor any of my close associates are affiliated or receiving compensation from Garnier or its holdings blah blah blah. And YMMV, but this is the best problem-correcting cosmetic I've ever used. And this after less than 24 hours.

Finished Firescreen

OMG! I'm posting again!

What a few months it's been. I've been alternately without a computer or without Internet for a while, due to computer hardware warranty issues, culminating in having to send my laptop to Houston for repairs. Plus my car acting up, plus my daughter getting strep throat...

Add to that the fact that work has been extremely taxing and you have the result that I have done bupkes in terms of crafts. But no longer! I actually finished a project!

Et voila:

This little firescreen is 12 inches tall; the framed embroidery is 4 inches tall by 4.25 inches wide. And it doesn't stand all wonky and lean-y like this; that's just the wonky photographer, i.e. me.

I bought the empty firescreen on eBay, and after much procrastination designed and stitched the screen part. It's going to accompany my asian ball jointed doll in her 18th century finery. Said finery is forthcoming; she has undies, a wig, shoes and an appropriate chair. My next task is to photograph her next to the firescreen.

BTW, my apologies to anyone who has commented and hasn't heard back from me. I, um, naively assumed that I'd get email notification whenever someone commented, and when I didn't get the email... yeah. Is it possible to get email notification, and how do I turn this on? Oy. I'm used to another blogging platform, and this blogger stuff is new.

Thanks for looking, and I hope you enjoy!

My Work Wardrobe... suggestions?

My Work Wardrobe by snarkypants

My work is technical (read: messy), which means that my clothes have to be tough, easily laundered, with little ornamentation. Most of my (male) coworkers wear khakis/jeans and polo shirts. I'm also a plus-sized girl who wants to look feminine. I'm on my feet for 8+ hours a day, on concrete floors, hence the Dansko clogs (which are OMFG fabulous). If I'm in the lab (say 1/3 of my time) I have to wear steel-toes (Florsheim loafer-style) and remove all jewellery and/or scarves.

I never know from day to day whether I may be called in to the lab, regardless of the schedule, so skirts are kind of out of the picture; they look ridiculous with steel-toed loafers, if nothing else.

I've found that v-neck tops and 3/4 sleeves are most flattering to me; I've collected L.L. Bean v-neck 3/4 t-shirts (lovely heavy stuff) in a variety of neutral and pastel shades for work. I avoid front-pleat trousers like the plague. I don't wear black or navy trousers because of the practical issues with having a black & white dog and a black & white cat (there's no way to completely obliterate the hair; I've tried for years). Khaki and grey and tweeds work just fine.

In short, I think I'm making every choice I can think of to suit the exigencies of my lifestyle, my job, femininity and being plus-sized, but I'd welcome advice from others!

Firescreen, Day 4

I begin to deviate from my pattern today. The leaves at the top and sides will be covered by the frame, which wasn't the idea at all. So I'm going to rinse the soluble marker off and re-draw the leaves. Eh. Win some, lose some.

Firescreen, Day 3

It's coming together.

Mea culpa...

Mea culpa... I just realized that I got my "original" idea for this project from here, "Kitchen Calamities" by Kristin Mary. No disrespect intended; I loved the series when I first saw it, and even gushed over how cool it is. And then I woke up to a new world and thought my idea was mine alone.

Color me crushed. :'(

1:3 Scale 18th Century Firescreen

This is a step-by-step of an embroidered firescreen to be used as an accessory/photo prop for my Dollfies. The square in the picture is about 3" x 3". I based the design on some miniature crewel designs in this tragically out-of-print book, Miniature Embroidery for the Georgian Dolls' House by Pamela Warner. I bought an actual-Dollfie-scale (1:3 scale) 18th-century-style firescreen from eBay about a year ago, and it has no screen in it, so it is up to me to fix that. You know, eventually.

How much do I lurrve the water soluble pen? I need to make changes to the leaves, so I'll stitch to the need-to-be-changed part and then rinse and re-draw. Ba-da-bing!

The above 2 photos were Day 1.

After Day 2. I worked on it for about 30 minutes today, during breaks.

I'll post updates here, and when it's finished and assembled I'll be sure to share!

I've been trying to collect 1:3 scale 18th-century-looking pieces. I need to make a dress for my female doll, and an appropriate outfit for my male doll.