#AtoZChallenge – I is for Ideas, Instinct and Ink Blots

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Have you ever wondered what goes through a dog’s mind when they get an idea?

Big Puppy (5 mo.)

I have. And I honestly have not come up with any answers.

Sometimes, their actions are as little as sitting in a comfortable bed they’re too big for.

Sometimes, it’s a little bigger like when Saachi  got hold of a wet ink pen and chewed it up. She didn’t swallow it….she just chewed it up, permanently stained the carpet and her tongue.

Full Body

Now probably the most mind-boggling to me is when Saachi dug her face into the snow. She was not particularly fond of winter so she did not stay out long and helped me warm her paws when she came inside. But, without fail, she always dug her face (and basket muzzle) into the snow. And, probably, unbeknownst to her, the muzzle kept the snow on her face.

She would then rush inside looking for help in removing her it looking sad and scared all at the same time!

 

DSCF7159 What if dogs relied less on instinct and just spent a few seconds more thinking ideas through?? I guess life with them would not be as entertaining.

 

Aww

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Born Pretty Store – Clear Jelly Stamper | Review

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Product provided for honest review.

Clear jelly stampers (CJS) are serious game changers for nail artists. Long gone are the days of hopefully applying stamps straight or in the right place only to find out I missed the entire nail. Now that the popular squishy stampers are clear I can see exactly what I’m doing.

Ever since CJS’ hit the market I wanted to purchase one. However, just as quickly, reviews, both good and bad also saturated the Internet. I could not justify that amount of money on something I basically already owned if it was just going to fall apart within a few uses. So, when I saw that Born Pretty Store had their own version I jumped at the chance to try it.

 

This stamper retails for $2.99 at the Born Pretty Store website and comes with a hard pink scraper which I personally never use since I prefer my more flexible card ones.

 

clearstamperI think my favorite part about this stamper is I can transfer the stamp straight onto the nail. The stamper head is squishy I do not have to roll it from side to side or up and down. This eliminates any stretching of the image.

 

stampingI did notice that this stamper is more temperamental than most. All squishy stampers are sensitive but this CJS is definitely more so. I have to make sure I use it on a completely flat surface or the image does not transfer from the stamping plate.

 

holi2I tried several polishes (metallics, cremes, and stamping polishes) and noticed some key differences. This stamper works well with thin, smooth colors but has trouble with glitter and shimmers.

When I used Mundo de Unas stamping polishes they left a melted, indented pattern on the stamper head. They didn’t destroy the integrity of the stamper and the stamper returned to its normal shape but I should probably keep an eye on it.

 

greenstampingAs of now, I have not experienced any deterioration (I use medical tape to clean and prime the stamper) but am very careful to keep acetone away from it.

I reach for this more than any other stamper and it has quickly become my favorite!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

10% off code

#AtoZChallenge – Concerning Hobbits, Hobbiton and Holidays

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http://www.hobbitontours.com/Portals/0/Templates/hobbiton/General/tumblr_myw11l3wcU1tootr2o4_1280.jpg

I was introduced to Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth and the tender age of eleven. Unlike most schools, mine did not require us to read the Hobbit during the year or over the course of the summer.

So, the story only reached my radar when the first movie came out. I was transported into another world and even more so, I was enthralled by the scenery. I could not get over the beauty of New Zealand.

I was mostly taken with Hobbiton (which thankfully still exists) because I loved hobbits the most. I was especially taken with their love of food and nature. They respected the earth and lived a carefree existence, ferreted away from the horrors of the outside world.

I vowed I’d visit each and every landscape, even the ones only accessible by helicopter. I’d travel the same path as the Fellowship. Even now, more than a decade later, it is still my number one travel destination.

 

Sometimes I wish I could just scurry into a hole under the hill and live life by tending a garden, enjoying a pint at the Green Dragon and smoking a pipe full of pipe weed. Maybe one day, on holiday, I will.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

#AtoZChallenge – F is for Firefly and Freedom

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Meet Harry.

IMG_0898I noticed him hanging around the window for about a month before I named and penned him my pet. He was old so he no longer glowed but he was smart. He hung out on my plants to get water then he’d wander around the room.

When he gets cabin fever, he flies and lands on Marmalade’s back when she goes to the litter box and hangs out in the bathroom for a bit. When he gets bored, he hitches a ride back.

 

IMG_0897During the day he hangs out on the drawers next to where I sit. He feeds on crumbs that I leave him. He especially likes chocolate. When I try to take it away from him but he aggressively waves his antennae at me!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

#AtoZChallenge – G is for Growing Up, Green Thumb, and Gardening

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I messed up my alphabet! Tomorrow I will post my “F is for…”

 

I always loved nature. I grew up in the suburbs of Washington DC but in a very secluded wooded area. The neighborhood, which also housed a Frank Lloyd Wright creation, was protected so no one could cut down trees or expand “sideways” on their properties. To this day it remains quiet and natural.

allplantsI was an only child and there were few other children my age in the vicinity so my parents let me play outside most of the time, running around, playing in the trees, chasing bugs, birds and other wild life. I thoroughly enjoyed my time outside.

Even though I am a nature lover I’ve never had green thumbs. Those belonged to my mother. She loved gardening. I helped her a little then eventually got side-tracked by the butterflies and worms! I loved watching the worms make their way through the soil, chomping away at anything in their way. I explored the back yard and found the moth cocoons and butterfly chrysalis and watched them transform.

 

succulent1But nature was not just abundant outside the home. We kept plants in almost every room of the house. My favorite was an aloe vera plant that probably got a little too much use. I was a curious and clumsy kid. Whenever I fell down and scraped my knees, or cut myself on a tree branch my mother cut a portion of the leaf and rubbed the gel over the wound. That was probably one of my favorite things ever! It was just so neat how a little leaf could produce that cool, soothing gel.

 

succulent2_edited-1Now, so many years later, I still keep an aloe vera plant in my room. It does not get as much use because I am too terrified of my autoimmunity (I run the risk of infection every time I cut myself) but it’s a  nice reminder of my childhood and my love of the outdoors.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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#AtoZChallenge – E is for Easter Eggs | Nails

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I meant to post these at Easter but then I just forgot and didn’t. I got a second chance with the A to Z challenge!

I was hit with a bad sinus infection and slight fever two weekends ago so I was barely functional over the Easter weekend. I still wanted to do festive nail art so I decided on the quick, easy and (you guessed it) RA-friendly splatter paint technique. I love how these actually look like painted Easter eggs. The acrylic paint cracked just the way I wanted to!

I didn’t initially set out to use all Pahlish colors but when I realized they worked well with the base I just couldn’t help myself. How cool is it when this sort of thing happens!

I hope you like the look I came up with!

 

speckledeggsBase: assorted acrylic paints sponged over Formula X Nails White Matter

Splatter (from pinky to index finger): Pahlish Fevers and Mirrors, Le Bijou de Roi, La Royale, Reinette

Essie Polish Matt-e About You

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

#AtoZChallenge – D is for Dogs

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I am a dog person.

I am a dog person.

I am a dog person.

 

Maybe if I say it enough it will become true!

Meet the two brats who actual made me second guess if I was a dog person!

Affie and Saachi

 

Is daddy coming home now

The bobsy twinsDSCF8277Photo on 2-25-15 at 11.23 AM

 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! See you tomorrow!

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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