From Within...

"Always remember that true

beauty comes from within —

from within bottles, jars,

compacts, and tubes."

(she quotes, with a wink and a smile)

Gaudy

I love big, gaudy rings. Above is my collection. I bought all but one--which was a gift--and paid no more than $8 for any of them. I think they are fun, feminine and create interest. Plus, I personally think any hand can pull them off. Target has a huge collection of them, but I also see them just about everywhere. My favorites have the stretchy one-size-fits-all kind of band.

Full Blown

Have you chewed old-school, legit, full-sugar bubble gum lately? And blown giant bubbles without giving a thought to it?

Want The Shiny Hair?

My hair has a bent toward haystack dryness and brittleness. I have to be progressive about it, or the locks look dull...like they might snap right off. My hairdresser (and friend), Debbie pointed me toward this:

Real Control

Intense Renewal

I would have never bought this on my own, because the name "Real Control" doesn't make me think of moisture. However, I bought it under her recommendation, and wow, does it work. You can use it once a week and leave it on for up to 15 minutes, before rinsing out. After I use it, it's like someone else's hair is on my head. Smooth, soft and silky. I would call myself Rapunzel, if it weren't for the fact that I sport a short pixie cut. Anywhoo...

I will say that this stuff is a little pricey for a bargain shopper such as myself ($20ish), but used once a week, it lasts forever, so it's totally worth it.

No Ordinary Doorway

I wish I had Wisteria vine growing over my doorway

Preservation

I have photographs ALL OVER my house. They are my decor of choice. One problem I have is the obsessive need to keep my pictures updated. This isn't a bad thing, except for the fact that I end up displaying very few baby/toddler pics of my boys (who are 9 and 7). I made this display for the purpose of preserving that precious phase of their lives...

The bulletin board was given to me by my precious Anna. (Hobby Lobby sells them and they often go on sell for 50% off.) I printed off beloved black and white pics of the boys, and wrote the word "love" in my best handwriting on the back of an index card. It was a simple project. A cheap project. But I absolutely love it!

meet in the middle

I wish I lived on a street where the trees meet in the middle...

I heart clothes

I believe a woman can have a

rich inner life and

still love clothes.

--Katie Hatch

Worn Any Skirt Lately?

I lived with a girl in college, Jill, who was frilly and girly and uber-talented at just about everything. She was an interior design major and it seemed like everything she touched became...special. She now owns an amazing store in Fredericksburg called Haberdashery Boutique.

Jill and I worked together at a coffee shop and our uniform was a black polo shirt with the store logo on it. This was before women's cut, tapered polos were "in," thus we could look a bit boxy and androgynous, quite frankly. Not Jill, though. She would pair her polo shirt with a full skirt and belt it and wear boots. She made the uniform cute, and fun and feminine in a way only Jill could. It was amazing how many customers would comment on how she looked like a lady, and what a sight for sore eyes she was. And she was.

So, have YOU worn any skirt lately?

I don't wear near enough, but when I do, my husband acts like I have on couture. (And it's funny, when I do wear skirt, I always think of Jill.)

I've learned that even though I don't love my lilly white legs and I don't exactly like to showcase them, it's okay. There IS such a thing as self-tanner. And skirts come in all lengths, right?

It's amazing what a bit of skirt can do...

It's All About dafont

I love downloading fonts to my computer. A font can make all the difference really. But I will admit, I am one of those that will look at a handout or flier and be able to name which font was used. Little weird and obsessive, but anywhoo...

I use dafont.com to find FREE fonts. I have a Mac (her name is Cali) and downloading fonts to my computer is seriously easy. I haven't tried it using a PC but I would imagine it's equally simple. (someone let me know if that's not the case.)

Here is a screen cap of dafont.com. You scroll through the fonts and press the download button on the right side of the screen when you find one you want. It should then magically appear in your list of fonts!

Here are some examples of fonts I have downloaded.

It's fun, it's free. Need I say more?

meaningful, whimsical

Kelly Rae Roberts calls herself: artist. author. possiblitarian.

Her art dazzles me and stirs me. I can't get enough of it's whimsey, girlie-ness, and playfulness that mingles perfectly with meaning and truth. See for yourself...

She sells these canvas prints, among other things, such as stationary and laptop skins.

I have a magnetic bookmark that I absolutely cherish, that says "She was on a journey back to her wings."

And I own a print my BF gave me that hangs in my office.

Check out this amazing artist. I dare you not to fall in love.

Red Lips?

Have you worn red lips lately? For no good reason, beside the fact that its fun and classic and utterly feminine.

I have, twice. Once as a flapper for Halloween, and once becasue I had on a red cardigan that screamed to be matched. Twice isn't enough.

connection and journey, blah, blah, blah

"I am Mindy and I watch the Bachelor."

Admitting the problem is the first step, right?

I do watch it. I get sucked in almost every season, and I hear the words connection and journey so much it makes me twitch. Yet I watch it and endure the train wreck that it is, and then gab about it with work friends the next day...which is actually the best part.

Check out this funny Bachelor Dictionary.

Ville de Lumières

I wish I had this in my home

(Embellished Eiffel Tower Giclee Print from Ballard Design)

...and I wish I could go back to the City of Lights

The Best Mascara.

I adore makeup and my close friends know that I call Sephora the "Mother Ship." I love to experiment with new products, but as many as I have tried, including several expensive brands, I always go back to one mascara:

Loreal Voluminous.

I get the original formula in blackest black (about $7). I find that it thickens and lengthens my lashes, stays put all day, and comes off easily--when I want it too--with soap and water.

I have a couple of mascara tricks too.

--First off, I put the brush at the base of my upper lash and then spin the brush in place several times. This creates a dramatic lash line.

--Then as I am coating the rest of the lash to the ends, I go slow, and do just the slightest side to side motion with the brush.

--Then, I coat the top of the lash.

--Last step...I use Sonia Kashuk's Lash Comb (available at Target for $5):

This comb is the best one ever, because the comb side is made of metal and not plastic. It truly separates and de-clumps the lash.

(side note: Proudest moment ever...I was at Sephora in Frisco and I actually taught my technique to the sales person who was a male, who was wearing mascara, which was kind of weird.)

Making the Ordinary Special

I picked up these little gems at Michael's on Saturday. They were only $1 a pack (over in the bargain section). This is why these are wonderful:

1. Anyone can make cupcakes (you know, from a box, with icing from a container). Even me. Whip up a batch and bake them in these cute muffin liners, and voila, they look special. Wrap a few in cellophane and you've got a sweet little gift.

2. You could use these to hold cake balls. Place 2 or 3 in a liner, wrap with some cellophane, and again, instant gift.

3. One more fun use... My work friend filled her liners with candy corn at Halloween and placed them on a table during our staff meeting. We could easily grab a liner and munch on sweets during the meeting.

No More Losing Your Place

Even though these have probably existed for eleventy billion years, I only recently discovered the awesomeness that is magnetic bookmarks. I often have my nose buried in a book. Equally true is the fact that I often drop the book that I am reading in the bathtub. I'm not sure why I am so careless, but because of said carelessness, my (traditional) bookmarks fall out and I lose my place.

Magnetic bookmarks have saved the day. If you've never seen one, basically two magnets sandwich the page you are one (see below).

I have a super-precious one I got at KK's Craft Mall, made by Kelly Rae Roberts:

I also bought some butterfly bookmarks at Barnes and Noble:

Though I haven't gone there yet, I am thinking this type of bookmark would be easy to make using this:

and some cute cardstock paper cut into long rectangles folded in half.

meaningful, unique, handmade

Lisa Leonard Designs owns me. Her tag line is: "Meaningful, Unique, Hand made Jewelry." And that it is. Every piece feels special. Many pieces can be customized, like the one I have with my sons' names on it. It is mommy jewelry without the cheesiness. And it's not priced for only those with a money tree in the back yard. Check out her website here.

"airy, spun-sugar softness"

I wish I had this dress and that I had somewhere to wear this dress.

from J. Crew: A stunning, vintage-inspired confection that's makes a lovely short dress or cocktail gown. Based on a 1950s cocktail gown, it has a chic, strapless silhouette in exquisite French eyelash lace and is draped in swaths of floaty French tulle, lending an airy, spun-sugar softness that feels utterly feminine and freshly modern.

Total Class

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others. For beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness. And for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."

--Audrey Hepburn

Awesome Nail Polish

I am a big fan of short squared off nails, painted fun colors. In the fall and winter, I go black or charcoal, even though my friend Jackie calls me goth-Mindy. As a nurse, I am super hard on my hands and nail color rarely lasts one day. UNTIL I found this:

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure is in it for the long haul. For me, it lasts way longer than the more expensive brands (i.e. the one with a 3 letter name), and all for around $8.

Fun Spring Tip: I just bought Angel Wings, which a light pink/pearl color that is nice and subtle alone OR could be used in top of another color to give it a shimmer.

Welcome to my new blog

My name is Mindy and I am a blogger, a mom of 2 boys, a wife of my own personal Edward Cullen, one who has been saved by Grace, a friend, a nurse, a church staffer, an explorer of my own creativity, a lover of music (and the genius that is iTunes), and lastly, I am a work in progress. I have another blog that has been in existence since 2008, and while it is still going strong, I felt a desire to start a 2nd blog. This one will be dedicated to all things girly. I LOVE make-up, femininity, clothes and everything that is pretty. Some may see these things as shallow...unimportant. And certainly, they might not take precedence at times. But I am learning to embrace who I am and exactly how the good Lord made me. Being a girly-girl is part of that, and so...is the genesis of "i believe in pink."

By the way, what's the deal with the name of my blog?

from the late Audrey Hepburn:

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."