Proof is in the Bacon

So here's the bacon project I mentioned two posts ago. This was the original I made with paper (after doing so many versions) that I had to re-create with a different material. The project was supposed to be the study of individual cells and their connections to other cells. They were supposed to lose their individuality when grouped together and had to have a pattern that could be repeated indefinitely. I think I was successful.

20 individual cells together in little . . . bursts.

First I had to cut the raw bacon precisely in order to maintain the proportions of the original.

I sewed, cut, and stuffed the bacon pieces with wet paper towels before baking them.

I unstuffed and lined them up for more baking.

After they seemed firm enough, I hot-glued the cells together. I had to glue it several times because the grease kept the glue from sticking to the bacon.

What I presented to the class. I got some really mixed reactions in the class. Some were grossed out, some read wayyy too far into it ("sewn flesh!") and some thought it was awesome.

I never did find out what my grade was but I miraculously got an A in the class and I think this project made that possible. My teacher seemed shocked (in a good way) that I used bacon, and I'm so glad I did!

Tea & Puppy!

EEK! I have puppy on the brain. My brother and his girlfriend brought home a puppy today that needs a home. She's an adorable black lab mix who is 6-8 weeks old and too cute to ignore even for a second! I really thought she was ours but I guess we (parentals) are going to try and find a home for her. Today we FINALLY began a construction project on our house that has been years in planning so having to manage another dog with all the gates open and chaos around the house just wouldn't be good. Plus, as nice as labs are, when the time comes for a new puppy we definitely have our hearts set on a different breed. Anyway, I am loving up on her like mad until she finds a good home. She's sleeping at my feet right now as I type. :)

Today I went to a lovely white and linen attired (surely there is a better way to say that?) tea party hosted by one of my friends. She held one last year as well and it was such a success that she decided to make it an annual event! She went bought sofas and a table (which she painted blue and then painted on white lacy placemats) and set everything up on her patio under the dappled shade of a pretty tree. It was all fancified and cute. Delicious food was brought by all! Ugh. As usual, I overate. Tasty.

Oh yes. These are just TOO pretty not to share:

I want the pink ones!!! (The [slim and uninteresting] details about the shoes are here and here.)

Part of the construction project I mentioned earlier involves me moving to a bedroom on the other side of the house. We're doing this big switcheroo with my grandma. Anyway, I have been googling and googling and GOOGLING decoration ideas, specifically trying to find the perfect, and most inexpensive ever, duvet cover. I've also checked every Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and HomeGoods store near me. There are some decent options, but nothing perfect. I've decided that I'm just going to try and make my own with two flat sheets, because I LOVE these:

But, there's way too expensive. I've seen the three different price points (Anthropologie, West Elm, Target) but they just won't do. I am the bargainest shopper ever!

I have lots more to blog about (again, since my posts are a month a part!) but this is enough for now. I'll end with a nails pic from when I went to my friend's wedding in Phoenix a few weeks ago. They were simple but pretty.

One of the pale pink Essie ones :) with Cover Girl City Lights on top

My Hands Smell Like Bacon

Just sayin'. I've been doing an art project for school and was encouraged to use an uncoventional material, hence the bacon hands. :) Unfortunately, the idea is cooler than the actual project is turning out, but regardless of how it looks, I'll just be happy to have used an eatable material. haha. (I was also considering lasagna and nori, but bacon won in the end.)

My nails are naked right now! Wow. I didn't like it at first because there is so much untapped potential (what I'm saying is naked = boring) BUT I love not having to be afraid of chipping 'em. Anyway, the second my school projects are turned in I will be painting them. I do like thinking ahead to what they'll look like . . .

Here are the last ones I did. I got two polishes from Target and had to test the first one out!

Essie Vanity Fairest base with Zoya Ibiza and Sally Hansen X-treme Wear Rockstar Pink tips

Ooh. I made a fun purchase at T.J. Maxx last week. I finally found some aviators that I think look decent on my face. :) Maybe I have a weird head or something but finding flattering sunglasses seems to be such a rare occurance. Right, so, they're purple and by Cynthia Rowley which I got for $14.99 (pre-tax) with the original price tag of $75 still attached. Yesss.

haha

OH! I'm in major need of a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex camera) and I've been doing some research about them online. I found the CUTEST one (yeah yeah, it has really good features for a beginning DSLR, too). Butttt, it's only available in Japan. Hmm.

They do have other ones here in less exciting colors, and one of those might just have to do. Any way you slice it, the colored ones are awesome.

Hey, question for any of you nail art entusaists out there: Can I just buy a really small detail brush to do nail art with my existing polishes or are the individual little bottles (L.A. Colors, etc.) with the small brushes better?

OK, well I was fixing up this blog post instead of MUCH needed homework cramming so now I need to get off my beautiful computer!

Have a good one!

Bad habit!

I don't know why I only seem to only post once a month now! Every time I get around to blogging I have way too much to talk about. I need to work on that. :)

I had been wanting to get these headphones since they came out last summer because I love that they're by Roxy, and the colors are cute! I wasn't about to pay $70 for them though. Well look what I found at Marshalls last week!

It's good that I saw them in person because, though I originally thought I wanted the pink and orange version, it's actually purple and orange in person. Ew. Not for me. I like the blue and green with my pink iPod. :)

It came with a cute carrying case, too.

Quick and to the point: this watch is SO CUTE and came (guess they were released last year) in different colors. Shaped as a bangle with a bow and has a mirror on it, too!

Sharing with you yet another rainbow baked good, check out this pretty, pretty cake.

Source, with recipe

In some cool news, I got to meet some of the cast of Community at an industry event my dad was invited to.

Allison Brie ("Annie")

Joel McHale ("Jeff")

I was also lucky enough to get pictures with Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, and Yvette Nicole Brown ("Britta", "Abed", and "Shirley"). The actors are all great in person!

Unexciting nail pics:

Essie Rock Candy with Sephora French Tip pen and Revlon LilyChrome, Konad m56

Wet 'n' Wild Precious Metals 14K, Konad m57

(Yes, I was going for SUPER subtle/naked!)

That's enough useless info for this post (of course do I ever share anything else? haha). I'll save the rest for next time! Hope to blog again soon. Homework awaits!

Happy Spring!

Yesterday was the first day of spring which brings us one step closer to summer. Summer is my favorite season, but I have so much planning to do before then. Summer camp or not to summer camp, look for work or not to look for work, look for an internship or not look for an internship . . . Meh. I need to get on that!

So in honor of spring, I went a little crazy with the Konading. It was a nice opportunity to experiment with stamping non Konad polishes. The nails are nuts (a little too chaotic for my liking) so I'll probably remove it tomorrow.

Zoya Creamy as a base with Konad m3 and m60

Some of the colors I stamped with

In other news I went to a hoedown at my church last month and was able to borrow an authentic square-dancing dress for the occasion. The square-dancing was honestly sooo fun. I was pleasantly surprised!

Photo courtesy of Lis and her awesome iPhone

The first couple of songs involved the kids. It's hard to do-si-do with someone three feet tall! Here you can see the crinoline which continued to fall down on my every step, but my mom was nice enough to let me borrow her shorts so I could ditch the crinoline and get in on the real dancing.

Of courseee, I did themed nails to match.

Maybe Essie Really Red or CND Fireberry, I can't remember! Konad Special Polish White, m60

My newest Konad plates arrived but I've only used one of the designs so far. I'm trying to pace myself because I probably won't get more plates for awhile. I do have 11 now, which is actually quite enough for me.

Wet N' Wild Precious Metals 14K over Milani Ms Milani with Konad Special Polish Black, m71

Here's m77, my favorite of the new plates. The necklaces, bow, and feather designs are so girly and cute!

Oh, so last night some friends and I piled into a truck and headed out to find Pink's (of hotdog fame). I entered "Pinks" into my Google Maps app on my phone and ended up somewhere in Koreatown. I guess "Pinks" is different from "Pink's Hot Dog Stand". haaaa. Thankfully the real Pink's was only about three miles from us so eventually got there. The line was long and the wait was about . . . an hour? Hour and a half? It was worth it though. There was lots of people (and hooker and car crash) watching to keep us entertained. I got the veggie dog because I just can't bring myself to do the ground-organs-stuffed-into-an-intestine thing. Their guacamole is pretty odd -- can't say I like it. Their fries, however, are heavenly!!! Oh mannn.

OK, I'm off to finish weird paper-folding homework for my 3d art class. I'll leave you with another nail pic that I did a couple of weeks ago. (If you read this blog, I do hope for your sake you're at least somewhat interested in nail art. haha) The colors in the picture are sooo off. :( It's way more magenta-y red with really subtle shimmery flowers.

Zoya Vanessa with Zoya Salma flowers with Konad m3

Thanks for reading. :)

Oh, and shout out to my new followers! There aren't many of you, but the number has significantly jumped since my last post. Thanks for the follow!

So Little Time

Ugh. Life flies by. It drives me crazy. I promise I'm still 16, and yet my driver's license says otherwise. I wish I could go back in time and redo my last few years with purpose and drive aiming for something specific. Problem is, I STILL don't have a target in mind. AGH. I'm getting way too old to have nothing to show for my years of existence. This is beyond lame.

ANYWAY. On a lighter note, I stopped by a garage sale last Sunday and got a few cute items. Of course, there have been numerous thrift scores over the past months, but this is the only time I've actually gone to the trouble of photographing my loot. :)

Halter vest from Hot Topic, according to the original owner

Betsey Johnson blazer in amazing condition (has velvet accents and sleeves long enough for me!!!)

Super soft sweater brought over from Argentina (though this has an elastic neck of death. SO tight)

Amazing zebra/shell looking ring (so happy it fits)

Total for all four items: $9. :) :) The dangerous thing is the lady said she'd be having a yard sale every weekend for the next month or so with new stuff every time (used to own a store). Dangerousss.

Last month a couple of friends hosted a moustache and ugly sweater party which was pretty fun. Some of them went ALL out. I opted for a not so ugly Betsey Johnson sweater that I don't quite have the courage to wear in "real life" but also brought a backup genuine ugly sweater. Check it out, I did my nails to match my first sweater.

The sweater was another thrift find

Not so well executed but you get the idea! (various sweater colors & Konad m60)

My friend Alysia came up with the awesome idea for our moustaches : {) (<- a moustache!)

What else can I fill random internet surfers in on? Ooh, I went to Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising last week to see their annual Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition. They showcase different pieces of the actual wardrobe worn in movies of the past year. I love seeing the detail of the costumes up close, but my favorite part is seeing the actual sizes of the actors and actresses. Most of them are so teeny. Like ridiculously so. It's free to get in (though parking prices are varied around FIDM) and I definitely recommend going if you get the chance!

My favorite pieces were from An Education - so 60s and adorable!!

I just learned OCNailArt.com and all other US Konad retailers have to stop accepting coupons as of tomorrow, so no more 30% off purchases. NOO. I made a quick last minute purchase of four more plates which I hope will tie me over indefinitely. haha. EEK for more design options!

OK, well I could probably find something else to go on about, but I think I've done enough for the day. If you've gotten this far, how kind! :) Have a wonderful weekend.

New Year, New Post

It's been one month to the day from my last entry! I guess that means now's a good time for a new one. Some highlights since I last blogged; I:

- went on a mini-"stay-cation" with Kate to Buena Park for thrift shopping & Knott's Berry Farm

- spent New Year's Eve/a.m. bowling & then at a 24 hr diner

- worked at the Rose Parade at a private stand

- had my first "breakfast for dinner" experience (and it was with the good stuff!)

- crammed in 3 units into a two week winter intersession class (marriage & family relationships)

- helped out with Kate's birthday party

- learned that my best friend got engaged!

- started my regular spring semester (oh-so artsy!)

- received many of my nail polish Twitter prizes in the mail :)

- started watching Lost (yes, from season one. I have a little more than 2 more seasons left)

While walking to the parade stands, we saw Jack Hanna doing a live TV interview, complete with animal friends!

We got to walk inches from the floats. The textures were SO gorgeous and the air was fragrant!

Kate & I dancing around at Knott's Resort wearing our thrifted sweaters bought that day.

Us riding the rocking pirate ship at Knotts; poor Kate was miserable!

I finally got to wear my spark!leigh (sorry, I couldn't help it) tights at Kate's b-day party!

Delicious cupcakes at the party made by Soraya

Me & Tara with the birthday girl

And of course, I've been doing my nails throughout. :) Here are a few interesting ones:

China Glaze Let's Groove with Revlon LilyChrome, Konad m59

Ice Pure Ice with Konad Special Polish White, Konad m73

Zoya Creamy with China Glaze Awaken, Konad m57 & m19

It's nothing too interesting, but that's a taste of what I've been up to! :) Hope you're having a good one.

P.S. I really do have friends other than K & T, I just don't seem to take many pictures with them! haha. I should change that.