And The Winner Is............

Congratulations to vidia2be.etsy.com, who won my blog contest!!

At Heather's shop, Pixie Hollow is her own magical setting where the Enchanted reside. It is a vast rich world of Fantasy and enchantment hence Enchantasies!!! The mythology and secrets are hidden in the visual splendor that becomes each design from each and every one them in Pixie Hollow!

Pixie Hollow Enchantasies is the home of Vidia2be and her lovely little girls who are proud to present their wares for you. Painting, crafts and so much more but they are a secret they must share with their new friends, like you!

So for all your art needs and desires just look in the sky second star to the right, straight on till morning.There you'll find Pixie Hollow Enchantasies!!!

Win A Mineral Makeup Kit!

With the holidays approaching, why not try and win a free makeup kit? Here's what you have to do:



1) Go to MineralMagic.etsy.com.

2) Look around, and find what your favorite item is.

3) Come back here and post to this blog with your answer. If you don't, you are disqualified! NO exceptions.

Simple!

Winner will be chosen November 1, 2008.

You will have your choice of 4 jars of mineral pigments plus an 8 piece synthetic bristle (vegan-friendly) makeup brush set in a chic travel pouch. Perfect for gift-giving!

Mineral Makeup 101 eBook CD Is Here!

I will also be offering a Mineral Makeup Starter Kit. This seven-piece starter kit is a fabulous way to introduce yourself to mineral makeup. It's packed with everything you need to achieve a radiant, flawless-looking face, including an instructional CD that explains precisely how to apply each product!

We all want to look our best and cover our 'flaws', but we seem to always fall short of those goals on some level. In my new eBook, you will find detailed information and instruction on how to look and feel your best. The first thing you need to do is start liking yourself. Once that happens, everything else will fall into place.

As I walk you through each chapter, there are plenty of photos throughout for you to discover the different shades and color options used to conceal and combinations of colors that you would never have dared to try on your skin before. The Tips And Tricks chapter will soon be your best friend!

You will also receive much needed enlightenment on the many ingredients found in mineral makeup on the market today and, in a separate section, I also include the ingredients that I personally use. In no time at all, when you go to look at the ingredients on a mineral makeup label, you will know exactly what you are reading and if it is good or bad for your skin.

At the end of the book, you'll find a full page of resources that I encourage you to read through, investigate and follow through with each point of reference.

There are 6 chapters and 38 pages in total that I burned onto a CD for you, so printed papers, if misplaced, or 'saved links' won't get lost, should your hard drive die.

This makes a fabulous gift for someone who wants to start their own skincare company, not only because the ingredient chapter is so extensive, but rather my book is extremely detailed and leaves no stone unturned.

NOTE: Adobe reader is required. If necessary, this can be downloaded for free at http://www.adobe.com/.

Copyright © 2008 Mineral Magic Cosmetics – All Rights Reserved

The contents of this eBook are strictly for informational purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

This eBook and its contents are protected by U.S. and International copyright laws; any reproduction of this eBook or any portion thereof in any manner, including electronic transmission to third parties, is strictly prohibited.

Looking For Product Testers

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Are you willing to try three colors of mineral makeup?
In this exercise, I will be sending out three colors for you to try. Just look up. There they are. There are only 4 ingredients total, and are all-natural, pure minerals from the earth. Below are their names and a brief description of their use:

Iron Oxides are minerals that are used to create color.

Kaolin clay is great for dry sensitive skin because it is very soothing, offers great coverage, and is able to absorb oil from the skin. It absorbs 1 1/2 times its weight in oil!

Mica is transparent and allows for smooth makeup application.

Zinc Oxide is a skin healer, and water-resistant. It offers great SPF protection from the sun's harmful UVA/UVB rays. It is very soothing to the skin and helps heal acne.

NOTE: Not all of these ingredients are going to be used for all of the formulas. Some of the colors will have more or less of a certain ingredient, if any at all. Read your labels to determine which ingredients were used in each jar.

Each Jar will be labeled A, B or C.

This makeup is specifically formulated for ultra-sensitive skin. You will not have any burning, itching skin or runny, watering eyes.

Q. What Do I Have To Do To Participate?

A. Go to MineralMagicCosmetics.com. Once there, you will find a listing for Product Testing Participants. Simply add the listing to your cart which is free. The only thing you will have to pay is your shipping costs.

After you've tried everything, find the poll on this page, and click on the letter of the jar you liked the best. It's that simple.

Mineral Makeup is for external use only.

Lover Of Artisan Lampwork

I found an awesome jewelry designer who has a real eye for lampwork beads. Her name is Susan, and she is the creative genius at Cserpent.etsy.com.

Susan is a software engineer which allows her to be creative in a different way - writing code and fixing coding problems. Jewelry design is totally different, and gives her an additional creative outlet.

Custom jewelry design is very satisfying for Susan as she loves being able to create something that is just what the customer wanted, even though they didn't exactly know what they were truly looking for to begin with. She is also constantly amazed at how some designs create themselves and other designs are a struggle to get just right.

Jewelry Group memberships:

Jewelry on Etsy (JET), etsyBEAD, California Crafters Club on Etsy (CCCOE), Tranquil Beading Oasis (TBO) and Bead Hive (BHV).

William Dohman - World-Class Architect And Photographer

William Dohman, architect and worldwide traveler, makes his creations from photos taken from India, Japan, Holland, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Greece and Spain. He fell in love with photography while traveling around the world, studying architecture.

India, Japan, and the Netherlands were so unlike his West St. Paul roots which compelled him to document everything he saw, from kite strings to street life, broken playgrounds to the Taj Mahal. India was the first time he used a manual camera, and he was hooked—through trips to the Netherlands (where he studied at TU Delft) and surrounding countries, as well as a post-grad study of Japanese architecture.

His obsessive snapping prompted his fellow travelers to remark that they didn't really know what he looked like, given his face was constantly behind the camera. William finds his most striking images are ones of everyday life, objects, and hidden details—not the classically beautiful ones perpetuated by the media, but rather the ones most people tend to overlook. He frames them with his lens for examination, most often finding that the everyday people, places, and remnants are what truly express the life within a culture.

Always the architect, William could not sketch quickly enough to capture it all, so he was lured to photography. He shares, "Too many Americans are quick to assume that the United States is the best county, many of whom have not even left their respective state borders. I show these photos to encourage others to travel the world and become aware of dissimilar cultures."

When he is not traveling, he finds new things to create. " If I am not doing photography or architecture, I am either painting or drawing. I have also taken up road bicycling. I find it a great way to sort my ideas and thoughts while getting a great workout and exploring the city I live in."
The impact he wants his creations to have on others is the desire for everyone to list the ten places they want to visit before they die and actually try and plan them. It is a lot easier and cheaper than a lot of people think!

Origami Strands Retail $25
In Japan, tradition states that if you fold 1000 origami cranes, it will bring you good health and good luck. When someone is suffering from a severe sickness or injury, spouses, parents, children and other family members and friends would fold 1000 cranes to wish for the person's recovery. The paper crane has become an international symbol of piece through the work of a young girl named Sadako Sasaki and her battle with leukemia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadako_Sasaki

Retail value: $25


Website: http://www.williamdohman.etsy.com/

Making Lipstick 101

For those of you just beginning to make lipstick, buy the melt and pour lipstick base to start. You can add your minerals or use liquid lip pigment. Buy a lipstick mold and tubes.

1) Take 3 ounces of lipstick base and melt it for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes in a pyrex measuring cup. Check on it after one minute, because you do not want it boiling.

2) Remove from the microwave and add 2 - 3 tablespoons of mineral makeup or 1 drop of liquid lip colorant for every 7 grams of lipstick base (see below).

1 ounce = 28.25 grams, so you will add 4 drops per ounce = total of 12 drops.

3) Stir the mixture with a disposable plastic spoon. You will want to stir longer if you use minerals instead of the lip liquid because the minerals take time to be evenly dispersed throughout the mixture.

4) Pour the mixture into your lipstick molds and place it on a level surface-preferably in the refrigerator. Let it sit for at least one hour. The colder it is, the easier it will be to release the lipstick bullet from the mold. 5) Slowly remove the top of the mold exposing your lipstick bullets.

6) Take an empty lipstick tube (NOT a chapstick tube), make sure you have the barrel twisted all the way UP, and press it completely down until the lipstick barrel is flush with the mold. Lift and remove your new lipstick. Cover with cap.

Makes 12 lipsticks.

NOTE: You can use 1/2 the ingredients and make six of one color, then repeat the above steps and fill the remaining barrels with a new color.
Good luck!