My Beauty Wishlist

There are so many products I want out there ladies….SO MANY PRODUCTS! It’s a never ending problem. This is my current list of products I can’t wait to try. Do you have anything you have your eye on lately???? I’m sure you do. Enlighten me please! I’d love to add even more things to this list!!!!

1.) Knockout Beauty Smokey Palette. Look at those colors!I need them in my life now.The instructions pictured here are just a bonus. The combinations are truly endless. You can find this at Target for $15.99 like now!

2. Micellar Cleansing Water by Garnier. Yes, ladies I am jumping on this bandwagon. I’m sure you’ve seen this all over the blogosphere. I WANT IT. It’s supposed to deep clean your face while easily removing all makeup. Rumor has it problem skin no longer exists after a couple uses. It is reviewed as light with no oil or residue. I’m ready to give it a go!

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3. Makeup Geek Eye Shadow Pans. Now this is a cool concept! Most of these pans are six dollars. The sparkly foiled ones are ten. The idea is to build your perfect palette over time. They have so many beautiful colors to choose from! Once you have several buy a “vault” and fill it up!! Here are a couple of my favorite shades.

 

Top is “Cherry Cola”. Top right is “In the Spotlight White”.

Bottom is “Sorbet”. Bottom right is “Cosmopolitan”

Visit makeupgeek.com and check out all the beautiful shades!!!

 

4. Better Than Sex mascara by Too Faced. Have you tried this mascara? Do yourself a favor and drive down to your nearest Ulta and give it a go. It is life changing!!!! I have thin blonde eye lashes and this mascara at least doubled those sad things in length. Only downside is, twenty-eight dollars for this bad boy. I know, I know, it seems high, but so worth it!!

5. Benefit Lip and Cheek Tint. I literally swear upon this tint. Once again drive your tush down to Ulta and try it on. It is the consistency of tinted water, which I like. It goes on very light and has a natural look and feel. It also has a great layering effect so if you like a more dramatic look just keep layering. Overall any of the colors look great on anyone because they appear to be your natural lip color. You need this! So do I and for thirty dollars it will be mine!

6. Anastasia Contour Kit. Heaven help me, why do I suck at contouring? Maybe that’s why I’ve been dragging my feet about this kit. I’m thinking I’m lacking the right products, and the buzz about this contour kit is undeniable. I can’t wait to try it. Available at Ulta or Sephora for forty bucks!

How to put together your own Shadow Box

 

I am so in love with the idea of shadow boxes. They are such a cool way to combine memories and implement mixed media. I especially love to make shadow boxes with travel souvenirs. It’s a great way to get all your souvenirs together in one place.

When I look at this shadow box it just makes me happy.

 

This shadow box is from my very first trip to Oceanside, California. I immediately fell in love with this little ocean town. Mika convinced me we were going for a vacation. Little did I know my husband-to-be was planning to propose, on the beach with an airplane flying a banner. It was the most perfect moment ever!! So you see, this shadow box is important to me. Every time I look at it a thousand memories cross my brain. I believe that’s the point of a shadow box, to capture an experience so well, that anyone looking at it can feel as if they were there with you.

So in this shadowbox I have:

1. A dried starfish
2. A white paper doily
3. My Jared ring box (with my first promise ring in it)
4. An Oceanside postcard
5.  A picture of “The Moment”
6.  A picture months later “67 Days ’till I’m Mrs. Abatti”
7. A picture the airplane company sent my husband of the area we were to be
8.  A shell souvenir

The key to creating the perfect shadow box is balance and a good mix of different textures and items.

 

Each shadow box comes with a box of pins. Now obviously you cannot “pin” a shell to the back of your shadowbox. I decided on hot glue. I don’t want all my items rolling around when I move. I still used the pins to pin the pictures. Make sure before you start gluing you place everything for a trial run. Take a couple steps back and check your proportions. If something is bothering you and you’re not sure what, play around and switch everything around until it looks right.

This next shadowbox is from our honeymoon to Saint Martin. This shadow box was sooo fun to create. This time being prepared, I bought my souvenirs with the thought of making a shadow box when I got back.

The items I used here were:

1. A real St. Martin license plate
2. Some fun quilting pins
3. 6 real pieces of sea-glass we collected
4. 3 old rusty bottle caps we found
5. My boarding pass
6. A postcard
7. The map we used to get us lost all over the island because we needed GPS (HA)

I literally am attached to each of these mementos from our trip. It was so fun finding particular items with the thought of making a display we could keep forever. I know with previous trips, I have my souvenirs in the most random places. What are we REALLY supposed to do with with all the crap we gather on our travels except hoard it???

 

If you are looking for a great shadow box I would start at T.J. Maxx or Marshalls. The big ones range from twenty five to thirty dollars. The smaller ones are fifteen to twenty dollars. SO super cheap and doable and a lot of different color and style choices.

This shadow box was made for my brother Dustin, who just bought his first home. My mom and I created it with his manly decorating ascetic in mind.

We used:

1. Hand cutout “HOME: letters
2. Thin gold nails we had on hand
3. White burlap fabric
4. A picture of his house
5. Tied twine and a decorative tag with his address written on it
6. A google maps printout
7. A small brown box from Michaels
8. A key to his house

This box turned out so great! What a fun idea for celebrating and documenting a first house.

All over Pinterest we are seeing great ideas for shadow boxes. The baby ones are sooo adorable! Foot prints, hospital bracelets, little outfits, pregnancy tests, pictures from right after delivery, so many opportunities to make it your own!!

 

My next shadow box project will be from my wedding. A great way to save announcements, save the dates, bouquets, ring boxes, written lyrics, garter, wedding programs and wedding jewelry.

As you can see there are a million different directions you can go using shadow boxes! My dream project would be to create a shadow box for everywhere I travel to. But let’s get real, I travel too much and don’t have enough wall space. Anyways thanks for listening and happy shadow box making. I would love to see the beauties you come up with!!!

Soulful Indulgence #1

I wanted to start this series, Soulful Indulgence, to show my readers the daily inspirations in my life. Whether it be beauty, nature or a thought. There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for or be inspired by!  Today’s Indulgences are nature inspired!

Roads. Trees. Mountains.

Snow. Fire. Hot Tea.

Ocean. Waves. Stairs.

 

The world we live in is incredible! There is so much beauty. Now if I could teleport to the ocean or the mountains I would. Not this kind of beauty in Phoenix, Arizona folks!

 

Why you need to sign up for an IPSY bag NOW!!

My favorite time of the month? When my shiny, pink Ipsy package arrives in the mail. Let me start with this: I don’t work for Ipsy. I’m just obsessed. Do you even know what Ipsy is? Let me enlighten you. Once a month I receive five personalized makeup samples from Ipsy. This service is only ten dollars a month, two dollars per sample. Most of the time my “samples” don’t feel very sample size. This is an example of what my monthly Ipsy looks like. You always get a cute little makeup bag. In this bag you’ll see a lotion, eyeliner, shadow brush, lipstick and eye shadow primer! My favorite part about my bags is getting to try new products like eye shadow primer and a bold lipstick (Things I normally am too chicken to buy). Since I’ve started getting my Ipsys I’ve added primer, highlighter, and brow pencils to my everyday makeup routine!

Are these bags killing you or what? I have like fifteen by now and yes I know, no person in their right mind NEEDS fifteen makeup bags but do I care? The answer is no. They are so fun….and yes I want more!

When you sign up with Ipsy and make your profile, they ask you a ton of personal questions. They ask what your skin tone is like, hair and eye color, what your preference is on colors, and preference on what products you would like to see more of in your bag. Many times I have gotten a lipstick in my bag that is PERFECT for my skin. I’m like, dang Ipsy you are good!

Lots of eye stuff!! These pictures are literally ALL products I got from Ipsy. I love getting a new eyeliner or eye shadow. Who doesn’t need a little variety in their lives!

I wasn’t kidding when I said bold lip colors. Gloss, matte lipstick, and stain . . . you name it I’ve gotten it from Ipsy! You’ll see a lot of NYX in these pictures. I receive a lot of products not only from them but from Tarte,Smashbox, and a bunch of other great brands!

Usually I’m a pretty cheap chick. I was raised that way, ok. But when I find something I LOVE, I stay loyal to it. Through Ipsy I’ve found so many great products that I have started to buy. My favorite Tarte mascara I first tried in one of my bags and I’ve never looked back! Below you will see a couple of other different kinds of things that will show up in your Ipsy bags!

If you love makeup and love to experiment, give Ipsy a try. You can cancel at any time! It is such a fun and cheap way to treat yourself. I really do look forward to it every month. If you do try it, let me know what you think!

St. Martin, Caribbean Paradise

St. Martin/ St. Marteen . . . This beautiful island is where my husband and i spent our honeymoon. First of all, can you believe this water? Yes, it all looks like this. Clear and green, literally the most beautiful beaches in the world. St. Martin is a Virgin Island located near St. Barts. This island is unique because it belongs to two different countries. One half is French, the other is Dutch. That is part of what makes this island so culturally different. We found the locals to mostly keep to themselves, most of them were very unapproachable. The American dollar is accepted island wide, but make sure to have lots of cash with you. Cabs, hotel transportation and staff, boat workers, food service and activity directors all work off tips.  Also in most of the grocery stores they require you to spend at least twenty dollars to use a credit card. I would suggest having a rental car. There are “Taxis” on the island but they are more like unregistered vans that drive people around. We rented through Dollar Thrifty and had no problems. The roads are very narrow and the locals do as they please. We were almost ran off the road a couple times and had a couple close calls with the scooters that don’t use any specific side of the road. Ha ha, talk about an adventure!

This picture was taken at our hotel, Little Divi Bay. This was our private hotel beach. It was so nice to have a hotel with a beach within walking distance. After being at the beach all day, we’d spend time in our room and relax. Within an hour I would start missing the water and walk the fifty feet to the beach. It. Was. Amazing!!!

Let’s start with the local rum everyone is obsessed with from there. The obsession is only validated after you try it. They sell it all over the island in all kinds of different flavors, but the classic is Guava-berry. You can find Guava-berry Pina Coladas at almost any restaurant, but if you’re into making your own there is a recipe on the bottle. The rum is also available to order online. The cheapest we found it on the island was nineteen dollars. Nothing makes you feel like you’re in paradise like having one of these on the beach!

The most famous beach on the island is called Maho Beach. This beach is famous for being right in front of the landing strip for the airport. Yes, these planes literally fly right over your head. It is exhilarating! The beach is a must see but tends to be very crowded. Don’t try and park right next to the beach, all the cars pile up and it’s hard to get out. We parked a block away and just walked. The Beach gets especially crowded right before the airplanes take off. There is a little beach bar at Maho Beach that makes an amazing five dollar Guava-berry Colada during happy hour!

There are a couple key things to remember while visiting this island. The people here are mostly very poor. They all work at the hotels you’re staying at, the activities you are paying for, and the restaurants you eat at. One thing we found on our visit is to stay away from the popular Americanized “touristy” restaurants. We tried quite a few and were disappointed. If you want good local food try out a little shack, or even the nice family you pass on the street selling food out of their yard. It sounds sketchy, but you want the full island experience, right?

Little Jerusalem (pictured above) is located by Simpson Bay, and was our favorite place by far. We ended up eating here three nights straight. The owner was so incredibly kind! He started our first visit out with this, “Do you want something good, or REALLY good?”. Of course I said really good and good thing I did because whatever he made us tasted incredible! The next night we came back and got the same meat but did a sampling of a ton of other things. The plate had curry rice, pita, hummus, yogurt sauce, lemon and parsley potatoes, and the BBQ meat he made us. I’ve been craving this food ever since I left. Thank you Little Jerusalem for being a special part of our honeymoon.

The second picture is one of the little huts we visited trying to be adventurous. A little local lady makes a variety of different foods and puts them in hot pans. You tell her what you want and she cooks it, throws it all in a box and gives you a price. The food was excellent and very cheap. We always tried a little bit of everything. We tried salt-fish, fresh fish, friend chicken, island teriyaki chicken, rice, a pasta dish and lots and lots of bread. The bread resembled a denser Navajo fry bread. This bread is all over the island; it’s a must try!

Zipling in Loterie Farms

Zip-lining at Loterie Farms was by far the best part of our honeymoon! Worth every penny! We paid about one hundred and twenty dollars for both of us. Make sure and specify you want to do the extreme course. The tour is completely guided and both guides were very helpful in answering questions. The guides explained in detail how to work the the harnesses and clips safely. At first I was worried about being in charge of my life in something I was so unfamiliar with, but we got the hang of it pretty quickly. One tour guide took the lead and the other follows at the tail end of the group. Now let me tell you, this course is NOT for the faint of heart. If you don’t like heights you won’t be comfortable or have fun. Some of the lines were over three hundred feet off the ground. It was a true adventure and the guides made it really enjoyable. With no GPS and just a map (like we had) it was extremely hard to find. A lot of people get lost trying to find it.

Here is a link to their website:  http://loteriefarm.com/activities/fly-zone-extreme/

Parasailing was our next big adventure, both of us have always wanted to go! Through No. 1 SXM, it was ninety dollars a person. Once again, totally worth it! We paid for the deluxe which was eight-hundred feet, water touch, and free fall. This was their largest package. The less you go up the less you pay. The owner, driver of the boat, and instructor were very friendly and funny. They both seemed to have a blast taking us out and made the experience really enjoyable. They told us to relax and have fun up there. The instructor even told us we could go upside down if we wanted. At the end, they show you all the pictures they take of you and give you the option to buy them. It was thirty dollars for a jump drive with over forty pictures of us. They captured a ton of us upside down, holding hands, laughing, and kissing. Such a cool memory, we had to buy them! It was an overall cool experience and a must try!

Here is NO 1. SXM website: http://loteriefarm.com/activities/fly-zone-extreme/

I’m going to be honest with you when I tell you we spent most of our week there lost. Those were some fun memories and usually we ended up discovering some secret place we wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. This was our secret unnamed beach where I found handfuls of untouched sea glass!

St. Martin was literally a beautiful island to explore. If you decide to visit do your research. We found all kinds of suggestions online for activities and sites to see. Explore and have fun! Happy traveling!

 

Tips for surviving NY Chinatown

Chinatown was really my favorite part of visiting New York City. It can definitely be very overwhelming for someone like myself. Let me explain.  When me and my best friend visited NYC in 2013, we were about a year out of high school with almost no traveling experience. Being the innocent and sweet children we were, we learned quite a few things about Chinatown that are key for getting what you want and enjoying the experience.

1. Don’t be polite. These people will take advantage of your politeness and see it for weakness. Sounds harsh but it’s true. Chinatown is honestly these vendors’ store. They view you as a business deal and will take every drop of what you give them. Trust me. they know how to play the game.

2.  You will do a lot of walking away. Don’t feel like you need to argue over an item with a vendor. This is how a conversation goes in Chinatown.

 You: “How much is this shirt?” Vendor: “What size?” You: “I asked how much.”     Vendor: “Ten dolla.” You: “Ok, Thank you.” (Walking away) Vendor: “Ok! Ok! Eight dolla.” (Keep walking) Vendor: “Ok, five dolla.” (Keep walking) “You no want?”

This will go on and on if you let it. By the third stand you will be over that. Keep conversations short and sweet. When they try to badger you ignore them.

3.  An important thing to remember in Chinatown is bargaining. You can almost always talk a vendor down. A good way to get the price you want is to offer two-three dollars lower than what you want to pay. So say asking price is twenty and your want to pay thirteen; offer ten. The vendor will either say no, or go up a dollar or two above your price. If he straight up declines go straight to your offer. If still declined walk away. There is a good chance you can find someone else who will accept.

 4.  Is that real Tiffany? Of course, it is 100% white gold. Look you can even see the little Tiffany’s logo on it. For only fifteen dollars it can be all yours. Let me just tell you this, it’s not real Tiffany nor is it real Marc Jacobs or Prada.

 5. Make sure before you leave for your trip you have adequate luggage space for your Chinatown souvenirs. If you find yourself over shopping and don’t have enough space, consider mailing the bigger things home.

6. All thirty NYC shirts, hoodies, pants, and  tank tops you think you must buy you will never wear. Like ever. Go with one I swear.

7. Plan to go with cash, but not too much. There are always ATMS on every corner. Go with no more than one hundred dollars. If you need more withdraw it.

8. Make sure to eat a meal in either Chinatown or Little Italy. In Chinatown there are tons of Chinese carts that serve Dim Sum for awesome prices. Dim Sum is like a meal of Chinese appetizers, mostly fried and delicious. If you have a wider budget check out Little Italy for some authentic pasta. YUM!

9. Have fun and pay attention! It’s a lot of people and easy to get distracted. Watch your bags and stay close to the people you’re with.

 

 

 

 

 

My Heart Belongs in Encinitas CALIFORNIA

This is me at my happy place. If I could I would blog about beaches only all day everyday. But I live in the desert! NO beaches here. As often as I can I make it to the beach, and my new favorite little California coastal town is Encinitas, CA! Encinitas is about forty minutes outside of San Diego. If you think you love San Diego you don’t know what you’re missing! We stayed at The Portofino Beach Inn which was really nothing special, but they offer fresh espresso in the morning. The Portofino is extremely close to the beach. In September we only paid fifty dollars a night.

 

Let’s start with Moonlight beach. This beach has got these beautiful stretches of cliffs on both sides that run for miles. The water is on the clearer side. While I was out boogie boarding I looked down and could clearly see my feet (love it). I rode in wave after wave at Moonlight Beach. It was the perfect flat beach for boogie boarding. Moonlight Beach is fairly deserted early in the morning. This is my favorite time to go and watch the waves.

This picture gives you an idea of the cliffs. Note that beautiful old staircase. We walked in both directions for miles and saw two more. Makes for some beautiful pictures!

While you are visiting Moonlight Beach don’t forget to stop at Moonlight Yogurt & Ice. They have frozen yogurt (who cares??) and amazing coffee and Boba tea. Boba drinks are really big in California. All those beautiful tan people people love their Boba. Boba are like chewy baked tapioca balls. When made correctly it should be of gummy-bear substance and a little sweet. I have to admit at first I was skeptical, but with all the cool flavors (passionfruit, fresh watermelon, honeydew, green tea-coconut) I couldn’t help myself. I’ve tired Boba tea a couple of places since, but this place has it nailed. Get the milk+fruit flavored Boba (Snow Tea). Now for their coffee. I started every morning on Moonlight Beach with a Thai Latte (sweetened condensed milk and espresso). I swear best coffee ever. They have a lot of creative things on their menu so don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions. Staff is very helpful.

Here is their yelp link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/moonlight-yogurt-and-ice-encinitas-2?osq=moonlight+boba

Swami’s Beach is pictured in the slideshow below. For the love of all beaches this place is BEAUTIFUL. You take about four sets of stairs to get down to the beach area. The cliffs just tower above you. I was surprised at how many people were up top looking down. Don’t get me wrong, the view is amazing, but hardly anyone was on the beach! Up on the top area there are a ton of tables and benches, perfect for a book, lunch and also makes for some beautiful pictures. The water here is a bright green and you can see clear down to the bottom even from up high. Am I obsessed with clear water or what? From up top we watched a sea lion swim and a group of surfing students.

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After a long hard morning of beaching you MUST stop by 101 Diner. Don’t let the line fool you. They are a fast paced diner and they’ll set you down fast. The key here for me are the Hawaiian pancakes. Coconut, banana, and pineapple pancakes topped with a fresh homemade coconut syrup. TO DIE FOR. We also had the chorizo scramble. It too was amazing, but I am a pancake girl all the way. They have great specials all week long and the omelets passing by me looked great! Service was fast and friendly

 

So you can find your way here is the yelp link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/101-diner-encinitas?osq=pancakes

The last beach I’m going to touch on is Windandsea. This beach is perfect for you adventure goers. I love to climb up all the cliffs and look in the tide pools. It’s not a hard hike up and down the beach rocks, but I do recommend wearing shoes you want wet. Some parts you have to run when the waves go back down.

 

LOTS of tide pools which I LOVE. I saw all kinds of fish, snails, crabs, and weird plants. It was fascinating! You’ll see all the cliffs pictured above. There is also a lot of black moss so BE CAREFUL (I may have slipped a couple of times). Another good tip is to google the tide times in this area as they change. If you come too late or too early you won’t see much. Also summertime is the best time to see critters 🙂

My all time favorite beach activity is searching for pieces of sea glass. I found my first pieces at Lake Michigan and was hooked!!!After I came back I did some research about the best places in California to find these treasures. I found a lot of blogs saying it was really tough to find. Umm . . . .  BULL.  It’s all over, you just have to look. This was literally one day at the beach. I have one basic sea glass searcher rule; don’t take the pieces that aren’t ready. You want smooth edges and it should be very foggy to look through. If you pick up a piece that isn’t developed enough, chuck it as far as you can so someone else can discover it later.

 

6 Books everyone should read right now

I’m an avid reader and I’m about to let you in on a secret that will literally change your life as a reader. Are you ready? Goodwill has 1-3 dollar books. All kinds of books, even newer books! When I found this out obviously it became a problem. I can be poor as dirt and still afford new books. This is my list of MUST READS. When I say must reads I know what I’m talking about. I literally bought all of these books at Goodwill so you’re welcome and happy shopping! After each book description I’ve put the amazon link where you can buy directly brand new.

P.S. As you read through my list you’ll find I’m attracted to more emotional books which is a good thing to know if your a happy happy reader. I like my books to make me feel something.

 

1.)  The Hour I First Believed (by Wally Lamb)

This book literally stopped my life in it’s tracks. It is one of the longest books I’ve ever read, but I truly could do nothing else until I finished it. This book is set in Littleton, Colorado where a husband and wife are employed at Columbine High School during the mass shooting that took place there in 1999. This book goes through a lot of their struggles at finding security and coming to peace with being a part of what happened to the people who lost their lives. Such a beautiful (but note disturbed) novel as it states a lot of facts that actually happened that day. Really though, read it now!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+hour+i+first+believed+by+wally+lamb&sprefix=The+hour+I+first%2Caps%2C256&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Athe+hour+i+first+believed+by+wally+lamb

2.) House Rules (By Jodi Picoult)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will find Jodi Picoult on this list twice because obviously I’m obsessed with her . This book gives you  true insight on what it would be like to raise or be a child with Asperger Syndrome, which is mild usually social form of autism. In this book an autistic teen’s tutor is murdered and he is blamed for it. It goes through his mother’s, his and his lawyers point of view. The book makes you think about the injustice of an autistic teen being in prison and also functioning in court. Such an interesting read!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=house+rules+jodi+picoult&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ahouse+rules+jodi+picoult

3.) The Pact (By Jodi Picoult again)

I love this one. Read it like ten times. It’s about two teens, Chistopher and Emily, who have grown up together being best friends as have their families. Once adolescence finds them they start having a more romantic relationship. So picture this: both teens are found at a carousal with a gun and Emily is dead. Chris said it was a suicide pact, but why is he still alive? Chris ends up going on trial for the murder of his lover/best friend Emily. This books keeps you wondering until the very end!

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the+pact+-+jodi+picoult&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=83544661949&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11694526895105424358&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3472gc2kdd_b

4.) The Gift (By Richard Paul Evans)

This book is my Christmas time tradition. Its not a really Christmasy book; you could read it any time of the year, but it has a great underlying message of love and service. It’s about a single man with Tourettes Syndrome who meets a woman and her two children. Her youngest child Colin has cancer. As the book goes on we discover Colin has the ability to heal people with his touch, but every time he uses this ability he gets sicker. His mom tells him not to heal so she doesn’t lose him but Colin can’t help himself; he always chooses good people who deserve it. I know healing powers sounds cheesy but I’m telling you it’s really a beautiful book.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+gift+richard+paul+evans&sprefix=The+gift+rich%2Caps%2C771-+

5.) The Glass Castle (by Jeannette Walls)

The Glass Castle is such a strangely beautiful book. Jeannette and her three siblings spend their childhood skipping from desert town to desert town. Their father calls them “adventures” and often they are packing up in the middle of the night. The children quickly accustom to the instability of their lives, making new friends in new places (or not) and living out of their car. As their father’s alcoholism gets worse, Jeannette starts to realize this isn’t how normal people function. She plans to escape the toxicity she was raised in and make it on her own and eventually moves to NYC with her older sister. Eventually all her siblings come to live with them. This book is a coming of age story but super eccentric.

6.) Crank (By Ellen Hopkins)

I could literally talk about Ellen Hopkins all day. I see a new Hopkins book in Barnes and Noble and I’m tripping! Crank is a story about a good girl who tries Meth for the first time and decides she likes herself better when she’s dancing with “The Monster”. Upon arriving to stay with her Dad (who she is just meeting for the first time at 16) she realizes he is pretty disinterested. That’s when she meets Adam, who becomes her lover throughout the story. This is also when she creates “Bree”, her alter ego she becomes  when she’s cracked up on meth. Bree is opposite the girl she is. Bree is daring, slutty, beautiful and everything she wishes she had the confidence to be.  The story is written in a poem form which makes for a really quick read. Ellen has a way of writing that makes it feel like it’s you on drugs. Guarantee you’ll go through this whole series in no time!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=crank+by+ellen+hopkins&sprefix=crank+by+elle%2Caps%2C248&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acrank+by+ellen+hopkins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My First Post

Welcome to my  free spirited blog. I’m Kaylee and I’ll be entertaining you today (maybe). I’m a 23 year old semi-wild child and new wife with a mouth that can get me in trouble. Mostly I just love to talk. I’ll yak at anyone who will listen. I’m hoping you will enjoy my creative outlet and maybe learn a bit in the meantime. If you decide to hang around I can tell about a couple of things that I’m super passionate about. We’ve got travel, beauty, DIY and crafting, and health and food in no particular order. I’m pretty much going to write about whatever I’m feeling like. I also did a complete DIY wedding recently and went out of country on my honeymoon so those are some things I’ll be touching on later. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!