Monday, January 24, 2011

Golden Glow

Good Morning Ladies!

Today I have a lovely makeup tutorial for you all. I'm super excited about the way it came out.

Golden Glow is a beautiful glistening eye, with a touch of drama. The beautiful golden tones are sparkly, without being overwhelming. It's perfect for daytime, or evening. The best part of the whole look, is the affordability. These products are mostly under $5 each! I hope you enjoy! :)





Toodles!
Brittany Lou

Friday, January 14, 2011

Positively Crochet!

Alllllllrighy. So, today I have an exciting new post about crocheting!
Now, if you're my age and you're thinking that crocheting is some sort of "granny craft", fear not! I am here to change your mind.
I started crocheting when I was about 12, but I honestly didn't have enough patience to continue. Basically, I gave up and eventually picked it back up a few years later. Now, I love it so very much! It's awesome to be able to create something new and unique that nobody else has. If you think about it, a good number of scarves and hats that are in the stores are either crocheted or knitted-by a machine no less. Why spend $14 on something everyone else will probably have? For less than that (unless you buy some rare designer yarn) you can make something different and change it up a bit.

If you're thinking "Gee, you convinced me. Maybe I should try it!" let me give you some tips that I've concocted in my brain...don't look so surprised! I can come up with a good point if I want to! ;)

  1. don't attempt to follow a pattern until you've mastered the basic, most common stitches. (single crochet, double crochet, chain 1) To even start learning how to do the stitches, you need to learn how to start, and how to chain. (google it!)
  2. Start by just crocheting a square or some sort of scrap piece.
  3. Youtube is your friend! I can't tell you how much I've used it with crocheting. If you're in the stages of a pattern and come across a stitch you don't know, please, please, please, don't try to guess. Just put the name of the stitch in the little youtube search bar and watch 2-3 videos on it.
  4. Don't let the foreign language that is a crochet pattern, scare you. I wouldn't do a pattern for the longest time because of the crazy abbreviations. If you've ever looked at a crochet or knit pattern, you know what i'm talking about. If you have questions or any doubts about anything, don't guess. Instead, google it!
  5. Be patient. I'm telling you right now, if your starting a pattern you're probably going to have to rip it out and start over a few times before it looks like anything but a wadded up chunk of yarn. I hate pulling my stitches out and restarting more than anything else, but I would rather tear them out and fix them, then have a boo boo spot on the project I have worked so hard on.
  6. If you've been crocheting for a while and have made some things from patterns, you're probably getting sick of the same old, same old free patterns that are floating around out there. I was too. Here's the solution: Buy pattern books! Now, I'm not talking the pattern books in craft stores, not that those are bad, but if you're searching to make something that looks like it came straight from a boutique, then you'll want to browse the internet. My mom, aka my partner in crime, ordered us some books online. She got them from amazon in a bundle for about $30. I love amazon, because their fast and you get what you order sometimes in 2-3 days (depending on what it is and where it's being ordered from) I'll put an amazon link for those books down at the bottom of this post.
  7. Enjoy yourself! pick out your favorite colors of yarn, find patterns that make you excited, and be proud that you have the coordination to make your own stuff!

 Okay so now for some book, yarn, and free pattern sites that you might want to look into:


Books:





Free Online Patterns:

Online Yarn Companies:

If you have any questions just holler at me. I'm going to make some stitch tutorial videos here pretty soon, so check back frequently.

Toodles,
Brittany Lou :)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Introducing...

Greetings!
Okay, so here's the deal: I've tried making blogs before, but in all honesty, I'm horrible at updating them. In the past I would just forget about them and leave 'em hanging never to be touched again. I pinky promise that I will try my hardest not to let that happen again. Besides, I have more thoughts echoing through my brain now, than I ever have before. Writing them down would probably benefit me quite a bit!
I suppose I should start with an introduction, seeing as how I'm new and all...

So, my name is Brittany, but I like nicknames, so just call me by whatever is on the top of your head at the current moment. I'm 18, and just graduated in the spring. I was homeschooled all the way from K-12, which was probably the most amazing experience I'll ever have. It plays a big part in who I am and what I love. I'm quite sad that it's over.
I've been a dancer for 13 years, and dreaming of being a dance teacher since my first day. Not only do I want to teach, but I want to open my own dance studio as well. I know deep in my heart that God put me on this earth to influence the lives of His precious children. It's my passion-and besides, I can't think of a funner job than being with children all day! In the spring of last year, the dance studio i was attending, offered me a job as a teacher. Of course I was thrilled and totally in awe that the experience I need to open my own studio was basically being handed right to me. I taught some classes throughout the summer, then when September pulled around, I was given 8 hours worth of classes per week, which for being a new teacher, let alone one with only assistant experience, is quite amazing! I'm currently teaching classes for 3 year olds, 4 year olds, level 1 (5-10 year olds), as well as an adult tap class. I'm still learning the ropes, but I can feel my experience meter growing with every class I teach. It's such a rewarding job.

Photography is another one of my loves. I haven't decided if it's a hobby or something more, but either way, I love it. I take photographs for the dance studio I'm currently working for, as well as portraits of my friends. I love to capture time in a still photograph. To me, its magical to be able to have a visual memory of things.

I'm a very creative person. I always have to be creating things, or else I literally go insane. I love to use my hands to make something. I love the feeling of pride that I feel when someone compliments something I've made.

As of right now, this is all the information I can gather on myself. If you have a question, just ask:)

My newest hobby that I've just taken an interest in, is making hair/makeup tutorial videos. I have yet to make one, but I feel the need to try one and see how it turns out. Check back soon to see if I've posted one yet.

Until next time,
Brittany Lou :)