My passions lie in the beauty industry (since 1998) & the Craft industry (since childhood, but truly re-ignited in 2010).
Beauty & Craft inspiration, product reviews, and how-to's, as well as general life stuff..
* I'm reading these on Google, but the links are Amazon, not affiliate.
Books 1-3.
The Happy Endings Book Club Boxed Set includes three full-length novels: Hidden Hollywood, Inviting Trouble, and So Revealing.
Hidden Hollywood She’s on top… When superstar actress Claire Jordan researched her role for the Fierce Trilogy movies, she never expected the bond she feels with the author and her romance book club aka The Happy Endings Book Club. Soon Claire finds herself confessing her secret longing for a regular guy—no more egocentric wealthy players—and the book club is all too ready to help. In disguise as a regular girl, she’s all set for a date with book-club-approved Josh Campbell.
He’s on top… Billionaire tech CEO Jake Campbell is weary of gold-digging women, especially the glamorous superficial types. So when his identical twin, Josh, calls in a favor, asking Jake to step in as him on a date, Jake figures one of Josh’s cute girl-next-door types might be just what he needs. One night of passion with the sweet girl next door leaves Jake wanting more, except she seems to have vanished.
Sometimes a Happy Ending is just the beginning.
Inviting Trouble Madison Campbell has worshipped her older brother’s best friend, Parker Shaw, for as long as she can remember. So the night before he leaves for the Air Force, she decides he’s leaving town with her virginity. All she has to do is transform her tomboy self into a sexy woman with a bit of borrowed makeup and some creative fashion choices. The results? One drunken kiss that Park doesn’t even remember.
Ten years later, no man has ever gotten close to her heart the way Park did. And now that he’s back, the very unfeminine Madison refuses to blow her second chance. But when her bold attempts to snag his attention (“Oops! Dropped my towel.”) fail miserably, she does something completely insane—she caves to a makeover from the meddling matchmaker in charge of The Happy Endings Book Club. Hey, Park, you want some of this? Madison is about to find out.
So Revealing The last thing Charlotte Vega needs is a cocky HOT stuntman like Ty Campbell in her life. But when he pulls the ultimate stunt—a sexy romantic gesture that ends with a charming invitation to a sunset dinner cruise—she finds him impossible to resist. Cue disaster.
Their rocky first date goes from bad to worse when his yacht (okay, it’s actually borrowed) gets stranded in deep mud. Turns out there’s nothing Ty can do but wait hours and hours for high tide with no power, no way to cook dinner, and a hangry sexy-as-hell woman.
But Ty is determined to salvage the date so he starts a game to pass the time. Only what Ty learns makes him realize he may have just botched a date with the perfect woman. How will he ever win her now?
This reviewer sums it up pretty good, they're a bit more harsh than I'd be... I did enjoy all three of the books. They're a quick read, and the stories are fun and well written. Hailey is a bit annoying, and it's so obvious she and Jake will get together eventually that that whole storyline gets repetitive. I don't know if they get their own book, but it's not of great interest to me. But I'd read the others...
Self-taught in the arcane arts, hedgewitch Selena Marx is comfortable doing divination for West Los Angeles’ anxiety-ridden housewives, lawyers, and aspiring actresses. Her biggest challenge? Avoiding Lucien Dumond, leader of the Greater Los Angeles Necromancers’ Guild, who views her as fresh meat to add to his harem of slavishly devoted groupies.
Selena’s not interested in the slimy, celebrity-schmoozing sorcerer, but nobody turns Lucien down without consequences. When he threatens to fit her with magical cement shoes and drop her off the Santa Monica Pier, Selena’s Tarot cards point her to Globe, Arizona, for a new home, a new shop, and a cursed pet cat.
Just as she’s settling in and meeting the locals — including Calvin Standingbear, hunky chief of the San Ramon Apache tribal police — Lucien tracks her down…and promptly disappears. When his body turns up on tribal lands, it’s up to Calvin to investigate. Starting with Selena.
And when one of Lucien’s acolytes is killed, traces of dark magic and cryptic warnings from the spirits send Selena and Calvin in a race against time — before a too-close-for-comfort evil cuts her own life short.
I really enjoyed this one, and will seek out the others. It's well written, the story is well paced, and it's a good read. I enjoyed the book and the characters are well fleshed out. I'm not a fan of how the book just ends. But at the same time it makes me want to read book 2.
4 per month is my goal, but after last month it feels like a small number. Still sticking with that goal though.
What have you read lately? Any suggestions? Let me know in the comments below!
This past week I made a post on social media asking for your questions, I got a couple so I'll answer them here.
1)
Small town America, we've really enjoyed traveling, and find there's so much to see and do in all the little towns across each state. Some of our favorites have been Athens, AL, and Orangeburg, SC.
2)
Pretty much any vinyl craft, I really like all the different types of vinyl (especially glow in the dark, or color changing) and all the projects you can do with them. Decals for cars, walls, notebooks, cups, computers, etc. HTV? Canvas, shirts, shoes, jackets, bags, etc. The possibilities are endless!
That was all the questions I got this time, be sure to leave your questions for next time in the comments below.
In our spare time, when weather makes it hard to go "out", or we just need to chill, hubby and I like to play video games. For him this started in early childhood, and while we (my sister & I) had a used NES one of my Dad's friends gave us I didn't really play video games much before hubby and I got together.
Here's a list of our favorites by console brand. So our favorite out of all the Nintendo Systems, Xbox Consoles, etc.
Neither of us had this system, but cousins or friends did. Hubby picked up a Sega Genesis w/ The Lion King at a Yard Sale, but it's in storage.
We don't own these (yet) but they are our favorites from Sega~
Hubbys favorite.
My favorite!
Nintendo:
This is where it all started for both of us. As I mentioned above sis & I got a used NES as kids, it came with Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt, Jaws, Disney Adventures in the Magic Kingdom, & Super Spike V'Ball. We didn't ever get any more games than that, and didn't have a gun for Duck Hunt. I remember laying in the living room floor with my sis and Dad, and playing Jaws for hours on the freezing cold Ohio winter days. Sis & I played the others as well, but Jaws we always played with Dad. This was the only game system I had, and as teens I don't remember ever playing much.
Hubby had all the Nintendo Systems, but not a ton of games. His favorite was always Mario Kart.
When we met he was up to the N64 and we'd play Wave Race. His brother had a PlayStation, and occasionally we'd all play together. (I don't remember which games, but this was 2001-2002.)
Since then we've had every Nintendo (we wore that Game Cube out doing game nights with our friends in our first apartment, especially NFS Underground 2), though we didn't do much with the WiiU. Favorite Switch game for me is probably Mario Kart, hubby really likes Zelda.
I don't remember when he/we got the Game Cube, we both worked allll the time then. The Wii we got on release at WalMart an hour from home, because they were the only store that still had it in stock. We bought the WiiU on a whim because we had all the Nintendo consoles and we wanted to play ZombieU, we really only ever got a handful of games for it. Hubby got a Switch on ebay pretty soon after release, then won mine through Lunchables the last time they did the instant win game. They (Lunchables) were on sale, so we bought 5/$5, and that's what he took for lunch that week. He won on day 3, and I figured he was joking. He wasn't.
*I could go on with awesome Nintendo games we both loved, but this is supposed to be just our absolute favorites.
PlayStation:
Hubby's Brother owned one, and eventually we got a PS2 used through one of Hubby's friends at work. We then got the PS3 on a Black Friday Sale, the 4 I won in an arcade claw game. I liked the PS2, but haven't really played the PS3 or 4 much. (I prefer XBOX, hubby likes them all pretty equally.)
Fav Games~
Hubby likes all the Twisted Metal games, I like this one and Black the best.
I probably have all the Soul Calibur games, just on different consoles. 2 & 3 are my favorite.
We have a ton of PS 2 games, and so some honorable mentions here are the GTA, and Resident Evil series.
XBOX:
We never got the original XBOX, but got a refurbished 360 at GameStop in 2007 (?) and it's still running strong. We "bought" hubby's XBOX One Day 1 Edition with Mt Dew/Doritos points. (Remember when that was a thing?) We got points from friends, family, his work buddies, just about everywhere, to make it happen. Mine we bought years later when hubby decided he'd rather play on separate screens.
Favorites~
For me it's both Left 4 Dead games, by far my absolute favorite.
I was a bit disappointed in Back 4 Blood. What'd you think?
Hubs favorite is Dead Rising 3.
My favorite version of Diablo 3 is also XBOX One, which is where we play together. Another honorable mention here is the Burnout series.
PC Games:
My sister and I got an older computer off that same friend of my Dad's, he was very into technology/gaming and didn't have kids of his own. We'd play (floppy floppy disk, what's now referred to as floppy was called hard disk then) Flight Simulation games, Wheel of Fortune, and use Quicken to run pretend businesses.
Hubby had a few computers before we got together, but we are old. We (together) got our first "good" computer, an emachines, (lol) in 2001. I make fun, but we had that computer for several years. I didn't do much with it (we didn't have internet) until we moved (back for me) to Ohio (from VA) and hubby introduced sis and I to The Sims!
PC Favorites~
Sims 2 is the best version by far. Love it! Still play it.
We both play all 3 Diablo games on PC.
This was a runner up for both of us.
This was another favorite!
Board Games:
We hardly ever play board games unless it's a whole family game night. Playing most games with just two people is kinda boring, but our favorites for game night are Monopoly, Clue, all the different versions of Uno, any trivia type games, and Apples to Apples.
What are your favorite games? What new games are you excited to play? Let me know in the comments below!
2) Choose your images. (I've left the DS image number to the two I used here above, in the Supplies section.)
3) Un-Group the image, and edit the text to your needs.
4) Switch the operation type on the lettering to DRAW.
5) Attach the drawn text to the cut egg.
6) Here's where I color sync the eggs, but in the end it didn't matter. I went back to edit the text on "emerald" and it changed the operation type back to cut. You'll see my mess up soon.
7) Size the egg to fit on the Joy mat.
8) We're cutting on mat.
9) I selected 80lb cardstock for mine, but if you're using something else you may need a different setting.
10) Ready to go!
11) Load order, and mat prep.
Prep mat 2!
Thought it was odd it didn't ask for the pen first, but paid no attention to the fact that it had changed to cut.
Fixing my mistake for attempt #2.
12) Follow on screen prompts. Cricut will guide you through the pen to blade switch and unloading your finished product!
Yay, you're done!
The finish screen.
Finished Product!
See the "cut" mess/mistake/fail? Happens to all of us.
For fun, A few in progress pics:
Mini Video:
What are you creating for Easter? Let me know in the comments below!
This was rather short, so here's a fun questionnaire:
1. What is your number one craft tip or the best craft tip you have been given?
Use the good stuff, and there is not "right" way to craft.
2. If your craft room could get a makeover (price is not an option), what would you have done?
Matching furniture in the future, for now a very portable (slim) craft table/desk.
3. Have you ever made a pet DIY?
Yeah. Bandana for my sisters dog for Easter one year. For our pup before she passed I made her a sweater.
4. What holiday do you like to craft the most for?
Halloween.
5. What is one crafting trend that you have not liked?
I've never been into shabby chic as a whole. The style is just not me.
6. What is one crafting trend that you wish would make a comeback?
Have you been in a craft store? Nothing truly ever disappears completely.
7. What is your favorite crafting tool?
So many great ones, how could I pick just one?
8. Do you snack while you are crafting? If so, what do you snack on?
Not typically, I'm too busy doing something- preparing mats, weeding vinyl, painting, cleaning up for the next step, etc. I eat after.
9. What is the best craft project you have ever made?
I don't know. I was really proud of my first layered HTV project, and the shirt still looks great!
10. What is the best handmade gift you have ever received?
Paintings and drawings from my nieces and nephews. 3 of my nieces are especially gifted artistically, I may be biased, but those ladies have real talent.
11. Do you listen to music while you are crafting? If so, what do you listen to?
Yes. My Spotify playlist. It's just all my liked songs, and I'm constantly adding to it. I put it on shuffle and go!
12. What is one crafting tool or supply that you wish you would have invented?
Any of the die cutting machines, or the latest crafting tech- I'd be a multi millionaire.
13. Who do you think offers the best deals, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann’s or Michaels?
Depends on what you're looking for, and when.
Super bummed about the JoAnn closing.
14. What type of crafter are you? Are you a scrapbooker, card maker, do you love sewing?
I like a little bit of everything! I've done cards, scrapbooks, vinyl crafts, other paper crafts, soap, bows, crochet, jewelry...
15. What craft project are you currently working on?
Truthfully nothing.. Should be working on our van decals.
16. What craft supply or craft tool is currently on your wish list?
Nothing big. Maybe a longer Joy mat.
17. What craft items do you love to splurge on?
I'm not a splurger, I'm a clearance shopper, and can't pass up discounted vinyl.
18. What was your last big purchase for your craft room?
My heat press a few years ago.
19. What craft supply or craft tool do you not like but everyone else loves?
Mod Podge, I don't get it.... it's watery glue.
20. What is the hardest DIY you have ever tried?
Paper boxes, I got it in the end, but your paper has to be just the right thickness.
21. Have you ever had a craft fail? If so, what was it?
At least once a month, lol. I share most of them on social media so check me out on the platform of your choice: https://linktr.ee/CraftinWife
22. What is your favorite craft magazine?
Meh. I used to really like the stamping/card making ones, but they've gotten ridiculously expensive and hard to find.
23. What is your favorite craft book?
I don't have one.
24. What is your number one tip for organizing craft supplies?
The organization of items only need to make sense to you, if you separate things by size , type, color, etc it is all up to you.
25. What is your favorite YouTube channel for watching craft videos?
I watch a few, but none are a stand out favorite. Any suggestions? Let me know in the comments below!
26. Have you ever sold your crafts at a craft fair or craft show? If so, what did you sell?
Yes, several. Mainly shirts, but all kids of vinyl crafts.
27. Share a photo of the latest craft project you are working on?
I don't have one here, but again check my social medias for all the latest.
28. What are 5 craft tools or craft supplies you can’t live without?
Cricut, mat, weeding tool, vinyl, blank!
29. When was the last time you cleaned your craft room or purged your craft supplies?
You saw the video of me going through all my supplies in the van, it was January.
30. What are 5 craft tools or craft supplies that you could live without?
Sizzix and all the dies, I haven't used it in quite a while. I think stickles (glitter glue) had it's moment. I'm not a huge fan of sublimation prints for crafters- where is the creativity in that? I think that's it...
31. If you could choose your own 70% off sale at your favorite craft store, what category would you want to see 70% off?
The entire vinyl crafting section.
32. What is the best item you have ever found on clearance at your favorite craft store?
Probably the Sizzix I don't use much anymore, but it was like $30...
33. Do you work on craft projects when you travel?
Yep.
34. If you could win a lifetime supply of products from your favorite craft brand, who would you choose?
