Trend: Blue Nails

Sinful Colors in Savage (matte) + Gelous Nail Gel Topcoat

I'm not always the most stylish person. The other day a lady at DSW said "Can I ask you a fashion question?" and in my head I was like "I guess you can but it's your funeral." Still, despite my cluelessness, I think I might be participating in a spring trend. My boyfriend snapped this instagram Saturday at a coffee shop and a minute later our waitress came over with the exact same color on her fingers. Then a friend posted a picture of her blue nails on facebook. Then my cousin met me at the gym with fresh blue lacquer. Is this all just coincidence or are we experiencing some sort of mass subconscious post hypnotic suggestion? Either way, break out your turquoise if you'd like to help me keep this movement going!

You're a loner, Dot. A rebel.

My boyfriend's dog Dot isn't crazy about me. It isn't anything personal, she's just a slow warmer. I think if I were a dog I'd be the kind of dog that would gladly let you inside to rob the house as long as you scratched me behind the ears. I would be eager but completely untrustworthy. Dot is the opposite. She doesn't vie for your approval. If she were a human she be secure enough to not have a facebook page.

Dot is a mixture of a whippet and a mountain cur which means she looks like a little greyhound. Her small frame and large chest means she's in between sizes, and the sweater she wears to control her impressive amount of hair fits her in a way that makes her look like an elegant lady in a batwing sweater she bought from Ann Taylor. Oftentimes she seems wary or aloof. I can occasionally win her over with a treat (and I can always win her over with her leash), but even then she usually just sniffs me, more cautious than enthusiastic.

I don't think it is that she doesn't like me, I think it is just that she doesn't like anyone as much as she loves David. She's loyal and devoted. She's listens excitedly when he talks. She happily curls next to him on the couch. She misses him terribly when he leaves and I can definitely relate. Also, her adoption profile said she likes chickens and doesn't care for guns. The fact that we have all of that in common makes me optimistic about our relationship.

I'm not sure I'll ever totally win her over. Maybe after a few long summer walks she'll change her mind about me, but for now it is cool. She's a good dog, she's her own dog, and I can appreciate that. It makes me like her even more.

List of Links

1. There is a great discussion going on over at Fringe Association about yarn stashes. Love them or hate them? All I know is I can't stop staring at Karen Templer's cozy looking stash. That picture would look so great hanging over my couch. (Image via Fringe Association)

2. I can't wait to see the Christopher Wool exhibit at The Art Institute tomorrow. Typography is probably my favorite kind of art so I predict that I will unabashedly love this show. (Image via Art Institute of Chicago)

3. Speaking of art, if your walls need something new, I just read about Open Art Project on Curbly. The site has well designed posters you can download for free. Remember: switching up your art totally counts as spring cleaning. (Image via Open Art Project)

Swiss Cross Eggs and Egg Dying Tips

I'm not really very religious and I don't have any kids so the Easter bunny stopped visiting me long ago. But, when I was a child I also insisted on putting blue food coloring in my milk for an entire week, so you know I'm not missing a chance to dye an Easter egg.

There are lots of ways to decorate eggs. Entire pinterest boards of modern techniques. But really, I'm a purist. I want to actually eat the eggs so spraying them with chalkboard paint or boiling them in onion skins doesn't work for me. Anything that makes them toxic or skunky tasting is out. That leaves food coloring. Here are some tips for making great looking eggs from traditional dye. 

1. Forget the store bought dye.
The most important step. This is what separates the men from the boys. Remember those kits you got as a kid? Junk them. The range of colors were so limited and the results were wimpy. It is really easy to make your own egg dye with just food coloring. I got a Wilton gel multi-pack from a big box craft store and it has so many more colors, like teal, copper, and burgundy. Mix a few teaspoons of white vinegar with a cup or so of water then add the color. Seriously, add a lot of color. I like my eggs vibrant. Side note: this was my third year with these colors and they were sort of dried out. They still worked but they gave me a bit of a speckly result, which was still cool, but newer colors will turn out smoother.

2. Pick your vessels.
Obviously the easiest thing to dye eggs in is mason jars. First, because you know you have a million of them, you hipster. And secondly, because the clear glass lets you see your colors more easily. However, smaller things like prep bowls or yogurt cups can be a great way to dye only part of your egg. I laid the one above in a half filled 4oz jar and occasionally gave it a little turn to create a cool pattern.

Instagrams of Easter Eggs Past

3. Mix a lot of colors and prepare to be patient.
I usually mix about 10-15 cups of dyes. That might sound like overkill but it gives you the chance to be creative with colors and shades. I mean, you don't have to do that many, but just know you can if you want. To get a truly vibrant color you're going to need to let your eggs process for a long time. In fact, I always pick one egg at the beginning to soak the entire time in a separate cup. Seriously, I let it go for like an hour plus (jiggle it every so often to make sure it dyes evenly) and it turns out great. The super dark teal egg above went the distance last year and it was my favorite.

Left: With the sticker. Right: After dying.

4. Gather up your extras.
You can use extra things to make patterns on your eggs. Write on them with crayon before dipping for a relief dying effect. Wrap them with rubber bands for stripes. Or cut little vinyl shapes like we did, just make sure to keep your shapes small or they won't lay flat on your egg surface.Put them on before you dip your egg in the color, then peel the decal off and leave plain for a white shape, or dip again for a colored print.

 I really wanted a swiss cross Easter egg, so I cut a little plus sign decal. While I was trying to get the arms straight it hit me that a cricut cutter would be the best thing in the world for this, so if you own one, get to it.

5. Dry and store them.
This may seem trivial, but once you take your eggs out of the dye lay them on a paper towel to dry before putting them back in the carton. Otherwise dye from your wet egg will pool in the carton and totally ruin your beautiful work, which would be really annoying. And be sure to take eggs out of the dye with a spoon or dipper, unless you really like stained fingers.

6. Take lots of pictures. Devil and eat them.
These steps are probably the most important

And hey, my boyfriend made this color-themed playlist, so you don't have to dye your eggs in stoic silence anymore.

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Not Actually Dead

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My RSS reader said I am dead. Well, not me actually, but it said my blog was dead. "Dead feed" I believe was the phrase. What a gossip. 

I'm not dead, actually I've been taking milk baths, which are so freaking great I think they may be the literal opposite of death. This endless horror show of a winter left my skin feeling really gross, and then I read about milk baths. Basically milk contains lactic acid which is an alpha hydroxy that gently dissolves the protein glue that holds dead cells to your skin in a gross sounding but totally glamorous feeling process.

And the good news is they couldn't be easier, just pour some damn milk in your bath. I get whole milk and pour about half a gallon at a time into a bath of warm water. You don't want it to be hot because even though it feels great, hot water will dry your skin out. Some companies sell fancy milk bath soaks, but you don't need that. Just use the real stuff. I read somewhere that vegans can swap for coconut or almond milk but I am skeptical. Those won't have the lactic acid you want, so you'll basically just be soaking in coconut and or almonds (which may have its own benefits though, so make your own choices I guess).

So, to sum up:

• Things that are dead: the old blog
• Things that are alive: this new blog

Hopefully this one will stick.