Indie Friday: Etsy Thanksgiving Wishlist

Hopefully most of you are out partying or trick-or-treating right, now I'm guessing a lot of you won't see this until tomorrow ... in which case, happy November! :P For my fellow Americans, now's the time to start thinking about your plans for Thanksgiving. This year I think Stan and I will just stay home and cook a massive feast for ourselves, but I still find myself looking at and bookmarking party decorations. I just can't help it. In that spirit, I'd like to show you a few things I found on Etsy that might pumpkin spice up your Thanksgiving celebration! (I should go to comedy jail.)

All images above were sourced from and are the property of their respective sellers.

1. Vintage 50s Cornucopia Print Full Circle Cotton Skirt by SavvySpinsterVintage ($105):
Want to be the Thanksgiving hostess with the mostess? Nothing says "I am committed to the fall holidays" than a wearing a massive skirt printed with cornucopias. I think this skirt is both adorable and ridiculous—too bad it's way too small for me!

2. Pumpkin Macaron Mason Jar Soy Candle by brooklyncandlestudio ($19):
I know everybody is obsessed with pumpkin spice-scented things come fall. This candle has notes of natural cinnamon, clove, ginger, and a "light almond top note", which makes it sound like a classier version of your average pumpkin spice fare. In any case it sounds delicious, and would make a decent olfactory substitute if you can't actually bake a pumpkin pie!

3. Whole Pumpkin Pie Polymer Clay Magnet by GuiltfreeDecadence ($10):
When I'm baking something, I usually write the recipe down on a piece of paper and stick it to my fridge with a magnet so I can refer to it as needed while I'm working. Wouldn't it be perfect to hold up your favorite pumpkin pie recipe with a pumpkin pie magnet on the fridge this year? Just saying.

4. Pumpkin Soap by crimsonhill ($5):
This soap is not only shaped like a pumpkin, but it's made with pumpkin flakes too! I feel like these would be perfect (and adorable) to put in your guest bathroom if you have people coming over for Thanksgiving dinner. Assuming you have a guest bathroom. Which I don't. But I bet some of you do! Hooray for extra toilets!

5. Funny Turkey Earrings by Buttonwilloe ($12):
Going back to that hostess with the mostess thing, novelty Thanksgiving earrings are a must, and what better a subject than turkeys? If these cartoonish turkey earrings aren't your thing, a quick Etsy search for "turkey earrings" with reveal a wide variety of styles, including some rather macabre roast-type turkeys.


And there you have it, Thanksgiving sorted! Well, except for the food. And guests. Shit.



What do you think of my Thanksgiving wishlist? Would you buy any of this stuff?
 

Review: OST/C20 Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

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Today I'd like to introduce you to a wonderful skincare product that gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling: C20 Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum. (Literally. It tingles for a few minutes after I apply it.) In all seriousness though this is a good Vitamin C serum available at a very reasonable price (in my opinion), so read on if you're in the market for such an item!

Quick note about the name: Some of you may have seen a similar-looking product branded as OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum—it's the same thing as this. They rebranded it as "C20 Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum" earlier this year. Not sure why as the new name is a bit redundant, but in any case it's the same thing inside the bottle.

Weekly Poll: It's All About The Money

Happy Wednesday, everybody! I was having a good one until I realized that I might have a hole in one of my teeth. I sure know how to have fun?

In a bizarre twist, the possibility of unexpected dental bills made me think of this week's question ....

What's the very last thing that you bought? I don't care if it's mundane or embarrassing, spill it!

The last thing I paid money for was the postage for my NoNoBox 2 giveaway winner's prize, which ended yesterday. But if we're talking tangible objects, I guess it would be a bunch of food items on my maiden voyage to Costco this past weekend. We just joined up, so went a little nuts and bought as much as we could carry. (Literally, because we don't have a car or granny cart to lug stuff in.) We got too many foods to list, but I did post pics of a couple of my favorite things here and here. I'm so freaking interesting, aren't I?

Your turn! Tell me about your latest haul, whether it was clothing or tissues or a salad for lunch. Mmm, tissues and salad.

Cooking Up Kawaii Treats with Jillicious Charms and Accessories on Shoplately (Giveaway!)

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Lovers of quirky jewelry and all things adorable, this post is for you! I recently had a chance to try out Jillicious Charms and Accessories (one of the merchants featured on shopping mega-site ShopLately), and I'm beyond pleased with what I got. If you're a fan of food-themed accessories or stuff that's just fun or Kawaii in general, you NEED to check out this shop. Today I'll be sharing a few of my favorite picks from Jillicious, plus a special sale AND giveaway! Are you excited yet?! Not sure if it's the adorableness or an excess of caffeine, but I'm going nuts over here.

Review: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

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Are you the sort of person who loves a good facial scrub? If so you may want to check out the product du jour, Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. Speaking as someone who is generally more of a chemical exfoliation enthusiast I was a bit skeptical of this product, but I ended up liking it a lot! Read on for more info.

Falling For Autumn | Halloween Inspiration

Who out there plans on celebrating Halloween? If so, do you have your costume and/or party preparations in order? I won't be hosting a party myself, but I do enjoy perusing the internet for novel Holiday-related entertaining ideas, so today I thought I'd share a few of my favorite spooky finds to whet your creepy whistle.

I've been bookmarking some of the more fun and creative Halloween ideas I've come across lately on a special Pinterest board, so if you're still struggling for party/decor/costume ideas, check it out:


Follow Hello Pretty Bird!'s board CELEBRATE - Halloween on Pinterest.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few of my favorite posts from the board:


DIY Pizza Slice + Delivery Boy Couples Costume via Studio DIY
Exactly what it sounds like—a really fun and unexpected couple costume. Though if I were doing it, I'd probably go as the delivery person and have Stan be the pizza because he's so darn cheesy. Har har har!

Mashed Potato Ghosts of Halloweegans Present and Past via Wing It Vegan
A rather macabre vegetarian meatloaf/burger with adorable mashed potato ghosts. Cute AND creepy! Perfect for your Halloween party or gaining energy before a long and hard trick-or-treating session.

10 DIY Halloween Costumes for Dogs via Premeditated Leftovers
A round-up of funny costume ideas for your furry friend. I don't have a dog, but if I did I'd probably go for the "Poop Factory" costume by Turtles and Tails. I'm so classy like that.

Candy Corn Coolers via Gourmet Mom on Tablespoon.com
The perfect beverage to put you in the Halloween mood and rot your teeth. Throw in a little vodka and you've got something amusing and sweet for the adults out there who are too old to go out and beg for candy!

Bagels of Doom via Milk and Cuddles
True story: I eat a bagel for breakfast at least once a week. How fun would it be to dress up your boring old everyday breakfast for Halloween and surprise your family/roommates/imaginary friends with it? Maybe not practical, but fun.


If you're an avid Pinterest user, be sure to follow me and/or follow my Halloween board because I'll be pinning more in the days to come. As for me, I have a couple of silly costume ideas rattling around my head, but still haven't decided on anything for sure yet, so stay tuned! At the very least you can be sure that I'll be dressing up my bagels.


Do you have any special Halloween plans or costume ideas? If Halloween isn't a big thing where you live, what would you do if you could celebrate?
 

Indie Friday: My Storage System for Indie Eyeshadow Jars & Samples

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Who out there has a growing indie makeup collection but isn't really sure how to store it? This post is for you! Today I thought I'd share my methods for storing indie eyeshadow jars and samples in a non-confusing way. Is my way the best way? Not sure about that, but it's worked for me so far. Hopefully this will give you some ideas for your own collection!

Review: Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel

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Got oily or combination skin? Have trouble with creamy moisturizers? Enjoy reading blog posts? Then I highly recommend you read this review of Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel, (phew, what a mouthful) because (a) I think it's a product worthy of a look and (b) this is definitely a blog post. Yup.

Weekly Poll: Sick Day

Happy Wednesday, everybody! Hope you're feeling grand.

Unfortunately I'm not feeling so grand this week ... I've come down with a bit of a cold. Nothing life-threatening (insert ominous soap opera cough) but bad enough that I had to postpone the trip I was supposed to take this week. What's more fun than going on a trip? Sitting on your couch and coughing for hours, of course!

I haven't had a bad cold for a while, so this latest bout of illness got me thinking ....

Do you have any tried-and-true feel-better rituals for when you're sick? A favorite soothing drink, stupid movie or TV show you like to watch, lazy activity, etc.

I'm realizing that my main ritual as an adult is something along the lines of "Take medicine, pass out, drink hot tea when conscious." Could use some improvement. When I was a kid, I had my sick day ritual down pat: My parents would let me lie in their bed during the day (which was normally not allowed) because they had a TV in their room. I would spend the day watching cartoons, reading, or playing with our Atari game console (which was ONLY brought out for sick day occasions—low-fi video bowling anyone?) And I would always drink Sprite or 7-Up mixed with cranberry juice out of a bendy straw. Being sick as a kid was never fun, but these memories do sound a lot more appealing than the Mucinex + drowsiness routine I currently have going on.

How about you? Any classic sick day creature comforts or must-haves?


PS Today is the last day to participate in my reader survey! Please fill it out by 11:59PM ET tonight for a chance to win $10 and my undying love.

Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer - Review & Comparison Test

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As a fan of brightly-colored and shiny eyeshadows, I'm always on the lookout for a good, long-lasting eye primer that isn't too expensive. For super-sparkly eyeshadows I usually bust out Glitter Glue or something like that as well, but I guess there are times when I just don't want to be bothered with that extra step?

I recently picked up a tube of Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer to test in just that capacity. Etude House is an inexpensive Korean brand for those of you who don't know, and while they don't have any physical shops in the U.S. (yet), their products are quite easy to find online.

What I got in my ModCloth Stylish Surprise - Fall 2014

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When I saw that ModCloth was having another Stylish Surprise sale I knew that I had to partake—the stuff I got in the last one was pretty cute, and definitely a good value for the money. Little did I know what terrors awaited me this time around ....

Not familiar with the ModCloth Stylish Surprise? ModCloth (online retailer of cute dresses and other awesome things) will clear out their stock a couple times per year (usually around the end of a season) and sell mystery garments for $10 apiece. A great deal (assuming you like what you get), as their clothing tends to be quite a bit more expensive than that. Last time dresses were mixed in with other apparel, but this time there was a separate dress category, so I snapped up five of them. I was super-excited about getting only dresses this time, until I saw what actually showed up in my mailbox. Yeah, it was pretty bad. Is curiosity killing you yet?! Fine, I'll show you what I got.