I’m a fan of art – it’s amazing how the same piece can be interpreted in so many different ways.

You’re used to seeing my painted nails in swatches and nail-art tutorials, but there are some other things that I like to paint. (You could insert a joke here about me wearing war paint on my face if it makes you happy.)

Many years ago, I got an easel, oil-paint set, and brushes as a gift from my boyfriend. I’ve used it only a few times – yeah, I need to bust it out more often. And I have 2 blank canvases that I still haven’t used yet. Hmm…I’m sensing an upcoming project!

I don’t have any formal training, so my techniques are very simple, but I liked the end results enough to display them in my home.

In this Smorgasbord Sundays post, I’ll show you 2 of the paintings I did and also a few random other things I have hanging on my walls.

P.S. No, the owl picture isn’t one of the paintings I did. I wish!

Continue reading →

We have all had a crush. You see the person. You feel giddy. You smile a lot. You write simple staccato sentences.

While I’ve never been obsessed with any celebrity, there are a few who I had crushes on.

For this Smorgasbord Sundays post, I thought it would be fun to show you my crush progression from when I was a kid up to today.

Are you curious to see how I went from admiring Kermit the Frog to Jamie Oliver? There are a lot of people and even a cartoon fox in between!

Hehe, I had some ridiculous early crushes, so hopefully it’ll make you feel comfortable enough to tell me who you had a crush on or still do today. I’d like to know! Don’t be shy! 😀

Continue reading →

When I was a kid, I really loved the Where’s Waldo? books because not only did they keep me busy for a long time, but it was fun to make up stories for the craziness that went on inside.

To this day, I still enjoy looking at them. I marvel at Martin Handford’s talent to create a world full of characters.

All these characters are busy in the pictures. They’re working, goofing around, getting into mischief, trying to save themselves from calamity, schmoozing, etc.

Despite all the busy shenanigans going on, the reader is asked to seek out Waldo and his travelling companions and not to get distracted in this quest.

I think this is a good message in life. Every single day, we meet tons of people – on the bus, in the store, in a line-up, at the bank, and other places.

Many remain strangers, but we choose with who to build long-lasting relationships.

Even when life feels like an ant farm filled with people who can sometimes appear cold and heartless, it’s important to find and surround yourself with the right company. This is our fantastic journey. Continue reading →

Penguins are funny animals – the way they waddle when they walk and look like they’re wearing a tuxedo is enough to make me like them. Plus I think it’s very bizarre (and intriguing!) how they’re flightless birds that prefer the water.

So when I did some grocery shopping the other day and spotted these cute President’s Choice Banana Bread Little Penguins Soft Cookies, you know I had to get them.

My inner child was tugging at my shirt saying, “Can we get ’em? Can we get ’em? Can we get ’em?”

“We” got ’em. 😛

Look how fun the packaging is – 2 too-cool-for-school penguins being total badasses and riding a makeshift skateboard with bananas as the wheels. Continue reading →