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10.31.2012

Happy Halloween!


Ha ha! Happy Halloween! 

Here is my scariest face in a picture I took for my kids who want to make one of those videos where a scary face pops up at the end. Should I be offended that my kids think I'm scary enough looking for something like this? 

I made the changes to the make up I talked about for our party on Saturday night and it really made all the difference!

You can see the deep blue mixed with the black above the eye and the plum below.  I love the effect.

I also used white eyeshadow as a setting powder to give everything a  little shimmer.

Finally, I cut out a little rose shaped stencil and filled it in with the plum eye shadow for my chin, it's a little neater than the free handed rose I tried before.


How did you all fare in the storm? Pittsburgh is still getting rain that turned to snow this morning, but no damages and little flooding.


10.30.2012

Tutorial Tuesday!

Stenciled Top:



Chalkboard Coasters:


Pumpkin Pancakes:



CLICK PICKS (last week's most clicked links):

#1   Tummy Shake

#2   Clever Painting Tricks

#3   DIY Flower Scarf

Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)

* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog 

address) using the subject of your tutorial to generate  interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!




Hope Studios




10.29.2012

Quick Game Day Dinner


One of the concession stand favorites in our family is "Walking Tacos".  We have gone for years only eating these during youth football season and it never occurred to me to make them at home!

Haven't heard of a "Walking Taco"?  It's a taco you can walk around with since it's served in a bag!

Here's how you make one...

Walking Tacos

Cooked taco meat
Snack sized bag of Fritos or Doritos chips
Shredded cheese
Additional toppings of your choice: sour cream, salsa, chopped onions, shredded lettuce, etc.

Open the bag of chips and crunch them up slightly by squeezing the bag.

Add a scoop of taco meat (about 1/2 cup)

Layer remaining toppings to your taste.

Insert fork.

Walk around and eat.  :)


What is your favorite sports concession food?

10.26.2012

Book Club Discussion: Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides



Welcome to our first Hope Studios' Book Club Discussion!

Our book for this month was Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides.  I followed this book club outline  to help guide this discussion.

I will go ahead and post the discussion questions and then answer them in the comments just like you to get the discussion rolling.  I have a "reply" button at the end of each comment, so you can feel free to respond to any comment you wish.

Middlesex Discussion Questions:

1.     Cal wasn't even born until Book III, more than half way into the book, why do you think he felt compelled to tell so much of his parents' and grandparents' stories before telling about his own?

2.     Were you surprised by Lefty and Desdemona's courtship and marriage? Could you understand why they fell in love? Do you think their marriage was morally wrong? 

3.      Why do you think Tessie was drawn to Milton? 

4.     When Tessie and Milton decide to try to influence the sex of their baby, Desdemona disapproves. "God decides what baby is," she says. "Not you" (p. 13). What happens when characters in the novel challenge fate?

Do you believe this decision to influence the sex of the baby resulted in Cal's being of the "middlesex" or was it influenced by decisions of his parents and grandparents generations before he was ever conceived?

6.     How was it possible that Callie lived 14 years without someone catching on to the physical differences of her genitalia?  Could you imagine missing the physical clues as a parent to a baby born like Callie?

 5.     Why did Callie feel the need to run away after reading Dr. Luce's report? Do you think her parents could have accepted her decision not to have the surgery? Could Callie have changed her identity if she did not go out on her own?

6.      What is your opinion of Dr. Luce? 

7.     Was there any value to Cal working in the peep show?

8.      What is next for Cal?  Do you predict his relationship with Julie to last?

 ***Announcement for next book up for discussion at the end of November:  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn***








10.25.2012

Day of the Dead Makeup Tutorial






Is it strange that I did a dry run of my Halloween Costume this week to prepare for a party this weekend?  Yes?  Alrighty, then...


Well, I decided to go as a Day of the Dead sugar skull this year and wasn't sure about the makeup so I did it all ahead of time. I figured maybe some of you were looking for costume ideas and so I decided to video it to share how quick and easy it is to apply.

Products I used:

Ordinary white face paint from Target Halloween aisle
Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliner in Onyx
Rimmel London Special Eyes eyeliner in Azure Shimmer
Boots (from Target) lip pencil in Fire
Bonnie Bell eyeshadow in Night

I sped the video up, but it took me 12 minutes total to apply:



I like to apply the base with a brush to get a thin, even coat.  I don't like the chunky, really white face.

Using a large, clear hair comb (about 4 inches long) from Micheal's bridal section, I hot glued just the heads of several silk flowers across the top to make a head piece, then slid it into place.

My hair is pulled up into a messy bun and just below that I clipped a length of black silk to form a veil. I just used an ordinary barrette.



I borrowed a black and red costume dress from a friend, but anything that looks Mexican in style can work.  An off the shoulder blouse, a full peasant skirt, anything!

What I will do differently on Saturday...

1.  I will apply the black around my eyes with a brush to get a smoother, more even layer.  I might even use black grease paint.

2.  I will put more thought into the decorations on the forehead and cheeks by researching online

3.  I saw a video by the amazing Michelle Phan since I did this, with a Day of the Dead Makeup Tutorial and she suggested some other colors on top of the black around the eyes - some deep blue near the corners and center of the lid and some plum colors under the eye to give dimension.  I want to try that.

4.  I might define my lips a bit more

5.  I will apply the white further down onto my neck

What are YOU going to be for Halloween?

10.23.2012

Tutorial Tuesday!

I loved all the great ideas in How I Pay For Christmas!  Worth a read.

Pickled Bits:



Buffalo Chicken Soup:


Easier Cake Pops (Elmo):



CLICK PICKS (last week's most clicked links):

#1   How I Pay For Christmas

#2   Best Caramel Corn Ever

#3   Organizing Thread

Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)


* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog 
address) using the subject of your tutorial to generate  interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!

Hope Studios


10.22.2012

Shrinky Dink Love


Several years ago I was in a nostalgic kind of mood and wanted to save everything childlike from my boys when I saw them growing up too fast.

I was also in a shrinky dink kick at the time.  I came across the little charms the other day and thought I would share.

I used the kids drawings and signatures to make a necklace, charms, a cuff bracelet, and some little embellishments for scrapbook pages.

Shrinky dink plastic shrinks to about 1/3 of the original size, so you can size the photos at your local copy shop accordingly.  I found that an ordinary paper hole punch works out to be the perfect size for fastening charms.

So, this is how I did it.

Find a cute drawing...


Place Shrinky Dink paper (rough side up) over drawing and trace...


Punch hole if needed...


Bake 325 degrees, rough side up,  2-4 minutes...


Sometimes, the picture comes out better if you draw on the shiny side.  In this case, just lay a piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet before baking.

You could do all sorts of things with these little charms!  What would you do?

Have you seen my other Shrinky Dink projects?  How about the personalized Wine Charms I made for Thanksgiving?  Or the fun Cupcake Charms I made for my friend's birthday?  And finally, cute Coffee Cup Charms for a fun coffee break with friends?  Have fun!

10.19.2012

Flu Season

 

I just read this story on MSN about a healthy 17 year old boy who died from the flu in under a week last year.   Sometimes I wonder if I take the flu seriously enough.

It's Feedback Friday...

Do you vaccinate your kids against the flu?

Do you vaccinate yourself?


10.16.2012

Tutorial Tuesday!

Grocery Slider:


Fixing Drywall:


Peacock Costume:


CLICK PICKS (last week's most clicked links):

#1   (by a landslide) No More Saggy Jeans

#2   Peacock Costume

#3   Veggie Quiches

Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)


* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog 
address) using the subject of your tutorial to generate  interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!

Hope Studios


10.15.2012

Dollar Store Halloween Mantle

10 bucks and a quick trip to the dollar store was all it took to get spooky around here this year...
 Plastic skulls, faux barbed wire, scary black birds, and a rubber spider...
 I splurged on the creepy vulture at Joann's...
Happy Halloween!

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