My Work Costume

Since it's the day before Halloween, my work allowed everyone to wear tasteful, positive Halloween costumes. I go into operating rooms for my job and have to wear scrubs so I couldn't go all out but I did wear a little something to celebrate.

Anyone else dress up for work today?

My Bedroom DIY Project

I had an empty wall in our bedroom, which is an open canvas.


Due to our budget, I decided to try my hand at making fabric art, which I've been wanting to do since I read about it months ago. I went over to Joann's today to browse the fabric and came across this gorgeous print:


It is actually a fabric that women make Indian saris out of, which explains it's shiny appearance. It was 50% off so I got 7/8 for $4.50! Next, I bought two 12 x 24 canvases to wrap the fabric around.

I made sure to do it on my hardwood floor so I could tighten the fabric as much as possible. I started by stapling one end.


Then, I stapled each end drawing the fabric as taut as possible until I was done. I made sure to cut the extra fabric off so it would hang easier.


Here is one of the finished canvases:

And here is the after in our bedroom:




I love the colors against the taupe on our wall. I feel extremely creative and accomplished right now and will probably do this again for the guest bedroom but with green instead. Happy Wednesday everyone!

"Around The World In 2 Days" PR Ep 10

***Spoiler Alert***



I'm not going to lie, I really don't feel like writing a whole review on the last PR episode. I'm sorry to all the readers that keep up with them, I will make it up to you! What I do want to do is vent about this particular episode because after it was done, boy was I disappointed!

First of all, when Heidi says that the designers are going to Rodeo Drive to meet with a world famous designer, my thoughts went to some of the best; Christian Dior, Dolce and Gabbana, Prada, Roberto Cavalli. So, when the designers walked into Michael Kors store, I was stunned. THIS is the world famous designer they are meeting with?? The same guy that's judged the last 5 seasons and who's stuff is found in department stores around the country? I was mad. What a crock and easy way out.

Then, Michael says their challenge is to create a look inspired by places he's been to around the world and takes inspiration from himself. Yay, another challenge where they have infinite access at Mood to whatever fabrics they want and then create an outfit based on a picture. Another huge disappointment.

Finally, once the looks had been seen, Irina, who I am really starting to dislike even though she does make good clothes, won again when Carol Hannah really should have won. And to top that off, instead of Christopher getting voted off when he completely deserves it, they send Nicolas home. This whole episode just completely rubbed me the wrong way and I have to give it an F all around.

Rant over :)

What Are You Listening To Now?

I'm always curious to see what my followers and readers are listening to. Here are the cds that I've been giving heavy rotation to this past month:

Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson: "Break Up"

Lenka: "Lenka"

Owl City: "Ocean Eyes"

Ra Ra Riot: "The Rhumb Line"

So what bands are you listening to now?

Oh Cary Grant, You Mesmerize Me!

If you have read some of my older posts, you would know that I am completely in love with Cary Grant. He was named the second Greatest Male Star of All Time by AFI and I can totally see why. I've seen 6 of his movies so far and can't wait to see more. Last night, I watched "Holiday" and "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House". Both were outstanding and funny movies in which he plays two completely different characters.




















Here is some eye candy courtesy of Cary Grant to jump start this Monday morning. Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Carving and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

One of my favorite things about Halloween, besides decorating, is carving a pumpkin. I haven't done it in years but this year my husband and I carved one for the first time together. I bought a pumpkin carving kit at a garage sale and an inexpensive pumpkin at Aldi. My husband informed me that he loved toasted pumpkin seeds and wondered if I could make them for him. I've never eaten or toasted pumpkin seeds before but I said I would give it a try.

We cleaned out the pumpkin and set out the seeds to dry overnight on a baking sheet.

We chose the "spooky house" for our pumpkin design and since I have the creative hand, I traced the image and carved it out. Here is the finished product:

The next day, I decided to make two different batches of toasted pumpkin seeds. The first batch I mixed spray cooking oil and salt together and set them on one side of the baking sheet. The second batch I mixed melted butter and cinnamon sugar and set them on the other side. I baked the seeds for 15 minutes at 375. Here is how they turned out:

Toasted pumpkin seeds with salt


Toasted pumpkin seeds with cinnamon sugar

I had to taste my finished products and was surprised at how good they were! They taste just like popcorn or sunflower seeds to me. My husband loved them and so did my coworkers so now I know how to toast pumpkin seeds :).

Are any of you carving pumpkins this year?

Where Art Thou Lipstick?

I have a difficult complexion when it comes to makeup. I have dark brown hair and fair skin, which makes it hard to find makeup that goes with my skin tone. The hardest thing to find? Lipstick.

I have had a love-hate relationship with lipstick as long as I can remember. I used to own only one tube of lipstick; Lancome Sugared Maple, which came in a free gift with purchase and which I was told was a beautiful dark red lipstick for me. I wore it very rarely (parties, going out, night events) so it's still got a lot of tube left.

Lancome "Sugared Maple"

On a normal day, I would either wear chapstick or lip gloss because I simply couldn't find a lipstick that was neutral enough to wear at work (remember, I wear scrubs). That is, until I found a beautiful light pink shade from Revlon called "Mauvellous". It was just enough color to show I was wearing lipstick but didn't stand out.

Revlon "Mauvellous"

Now, I truly believe that life is too short not to wear lipstick every single day. You have so many possibilities (well you maybe more so than I) and lipstick goes with everything! So now I am faced with the task of expanding my lipstick collection from 4 tubes to more so I can have color variety. That is when I came across what many beauty sites called the "Color Match". Most cosmetics companies have a great application on their website that ask you questions about your looks and skin tone and match you with colors that would look good on you. It is with these applications that I hope to find my future lipsticks.

I know that nothing beats the expertise and service of a beauty counter saleslady, who puts lipstick on you until you find the right one, but my budget for lipstick is more drugstore than department store. So here are the sites that will help me, and you too if you need to update your lipstick collection:

Maybelline: My Color Advisor Tells you what shades of lipstick look best on you from all their lipstick and lip gloss collections.

Cover Girl: ColorMatch Asks you thorough questions about your looks and what you wear to match the right shade for you. Requires registration but who doesn't love Cover Girl coupons??

Neutrogena: Cosmetics Evaluation An in-depth questionnaire that pairs you with one shade of each cosmetic that would be best for you.

Revlon and Almay didn't have color advisors on their site but they might have consultants that can recommend colors for certain skin tones.

Also, although MAC is technically considered department store, their lipsticks are reasonably priced ($14) and they offer a live consultant chat on their website. One of their consultants told me my perfect red shade would be "Russian Red", of which I have yet to purchase. You can see what works for you at www.maccosmetics.com .

Vintage Giveaway Winner!

A big thank you too all the ladies that entered the giveaway and all my new followers! The winner of my vintage earring giveaway is...

The Glamorous Housewife!

Congratulations! Please email your address to butterflychk500@yahoo.com so I can send you your beautiful new earrings! Thanks everyone!

Vintage Giveaway Ends Soon!

My Vintage giveaway ends tomorrow at noon! So hurry up and enter or you'll let these beautiful earrings get away! http://scientifichousewife.blogspot.com/2009/10/vintage-giveaway.html

Shoe Porn

Bruno Frisoni

Prada

Louis Vuitton

Jimmy Choo

Gianfranco Ferre

Christian Louboutin

Stella McCartney

Courtesy of Elle Magazine

"Sequins and Sparkle" PR EP 9

*** Spoiler Alert*** I'm sorry I'm so extremely late with this review, I've been busy!





Heidi tells the designers that Tim is waiting for them with a mystery guest who will tell them their next challenge. The designers head to the FIDM museum where they find Tim with the one and only Bob Mackie surrounded by all his great dresses from the past. Tim tells them their challenge is to create an extravagant stage look in the style of Bob's designs. Also, the look will be created with a Grammy award winner in mind: Christina Aguilera. Everyone is extremely excited and they are given $300 and two days to complete the challenge. Tim gives the designers time to browse Mackie's exquisite dresses to get ideas for their sketches.

Mackie's famous Barbie creations

The designers head to Mood where everyone instantly jumps on any fabric that is sparkly, sequined, and flashy, as well as feathers and metallic ribbon. Back at the workroom, some designers are instantly working on their designs while others are a little lost. Carol Hannah explains how she never does anything this showy and is having trouble coming up with something. Nicolas is extremely confident in his abilities and starts whipping up his creation. Shirin is also lost and is trying something different than everyone else.

Gordana has immunity this week, which she is thankful for because she is having trouble coming up with ideas and ends up starting over from scratch to make something to take down the runway. Tim comes to inspect the looks. Christopher tells him that he is going from a big reveal, which is a corset and metallic hot shorts. Tim says if he is going to have a reveal, it should be "sexy slut" underneath, which is hilarious coming from Tim. Tim has a bit of deja vu when he sees Nicolas' dress, saying it looks just like his ice queen dress from earlier. He thinks Shirin's dress looks like a bad prom dress but marvels at Carol Hannah's design, saying it could have a wow factor.

It's runway day and everyone is rushing to complete. Heidi introduces the judges; Bob Mackie, Nina Garcia (she's only there because of Bob Mackie and Christina) and surprise; Christina Aguilera (not really a surprise but they made it look that way). On with the show!

After the show, Irina is sent to safety and Gordana is told that it's a good thing she has immunity, so she is safe. The top three designers are Nicolas, Carol Hannah, and Althea. The bottom three are Shirin, Christopher, and Logan. Christina loves Nicolas' dress because she can shake her hips in it and Bob loves the look. All the judges love the different black textures in Carol Hannah's classy gown. Althea's gown gets praise for being glamorous, but the train is a little troublesome for the stage.

For the bottom three, the judges think that Logan's look resembles a cavewoman with the animal print and fur. Nina comments that Christopher's outfit looks like he stole it straight from Lady Marmalade and it doesn't look good. The judges aren't impressed with Shirin's design, saying it doesn't look well made or stage appropriate. The judges have a little chat and invite them back onto the runway.

Althea is told she is in. Christina announces that the winner is... Carol Hannah, who's dress may end up on Christina in the future (it sounded a little open-ended to me). Nicolas is in, as is Logan, which leaves Shirin and Christopher. The next person to be auf'd is... Shirin.

Carol Hannah's winning dress

Shirin's losing dress

I liked this challenge a lot. You bring in an eccentric and iconic designer, make the challenge all about resembling his creations, and do it for a big time diva and you have a show! This challenge wasn't easy for anyone (except maybe Nicolas) and it's nice to see the designers work so far out of their comfort zones. I loved Carol Hannah's dress but I thought Nicolas' dress was more appropriate for the challenge, which was dressing Christina in crazy stage clothing. I actually thought that Christopher deserved to go home and not Shirin but she was going home soon anyway. I give this episode an A.

Nicolas' look

Reasonably Swanky Giveaway!

All the wonderful blogs I follow are giveaway happy right now! I just started following Blair's awesome blog called Reasonably Swanky and the first thing I see is her giveaway! She is giving away an Estee Lauder Lip Set that benefits Breast Cancer Awareness. To enter, go to the giveaway here and follow her instructions!

Also, don't forget about my Vintage Giveaway! It ends Wednesday at noon :)

It's Always Time for Scarves!

For most of you, the fall and winter are here and you are breaking out the sweaters and coats. One great fashion accessory that is always in is the scarf. They come in so many different colors and fabrics and look great with anything! A celebrity that loves her scarves is Jennifer Aniston.


I feel like every movie I see her in, she is wearing a scarf! She definitely keeps the trend alive!

If you're in need, here are some great scarves in a variety of styles:

Mossimo Boa Scarf - $16.99 at Target


Pashmina/Silk Scarf - $29.99 The Pashmina Store

Tolani Honeycomb Scarf - $85.00 Singer 22

Burberry Cashmere Check Scarf - $295.00 Saks Fifth Avenue

Alfani Scarf - $29.99 Macy's