Larken Shares With the World

I guess I'm the Queen now...

2012-02-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

...cause I just got 6 crowns.

On my teeth, that is.

You see, I'm a grinder. Not in the dirty dancing sense, but in the sense that when I sleep I do horrible things to my teeth that I would never be able to do if I was conscious. For the past couple years I have been wearing an occlusal (grinding) guard to bed (super duper sexy, p.s.) but that doesn't undo the years of damage I did to my teeth before I learned that I am a grinder. So my teeth were extremely thin and chippable. And I kept chipping them. Seeing as I am apparently very vain and spoiled, I decided to get new teeth.

It was a very painful process. They didn't really warn me about that. It was made more painful when I cracked my first set of temporaries the first night I had them on. My gums were too swollen to wear my occlusal guard and I thought I would be ok for one night. I underestimated my grinding skills. But now that I finally have my new, permanent much stronger teeth, I can look back on this experience with a little bit of humor.

Here are the new teeth I asked them to give me:

Here are the new teeth I didn't want:

Here is me in the process of getting my permanents on:

(sorry for the cell phone pic)

And what about the finished product? I will have to get a picture soon so I can show you all now that my gums have healed!

A Year Later...

2012-01-22T10:39:00.000-08:00

Oh gosh, I know, I've really let time slip away from me.

Last January I started cosmetology school at the Aveda Institute Provo. When I first started school, I didn't want to tell anybody that I was doing it, so I put off updating my blog. I don't know why I was so shy about telling people that I was doing cosmetology, but somehow not updating the blog became a habit and school took up most of my time. So here I am with 6 months of school left, just barely getting around to talking about it.

I've loved my schooling, but at this point I'm ready to be done! Can't wait to graduate and actually get PAID to be a stylist, rather than paying to be in school.

Some really great things happened to me last year as well. For one, last summer my sister introduced me to Pinterest, and I think we all love that like our first born child. And speaking of my sister and first born children....my sister is about to give birth to my first [blood related] neice!

I can't wait to say hello to this little nugget in person!!!

I've finished some of the other projects I previously posted about so I will have to do a follow-up post really soon. Really soon.

Two, To, Too

2011-02-06T21:32:00.000-08:00

Remember my goal to take pictures earlier in the day so that I could get better lighting?

Yeah, that didn't happen.

I wore this to church today. Then I came home, took off my heels and shoes and put on sweats. Then I had to put them back on to take these pictures. Now I'm back in my sweats.

Love me some sweats. What? Sunday is a day of rest, right?

Queen of the Procrastinators

2011-02-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

Finally, here is Outfit 1 of the 30 for 30 Challenge.

I picked this outfit cause I had to get dressed in a hurry and this combination seemed pretty obvious to me.
I got to play with my favorite little girl today, which was really fun, but not so great for my outfit. She goo'ed me pretty good a couple of times. Guess I'll have to wash this shirt before I wear it again.
One thing I thought was fun is that the cuffs on this sweater have little buttons and the shirt is one of those button-tab kinds so I buttoned my shirt to my sweater. Doesn't it just look like they were made for each other?

I thought about calling this post "Outfit 1 and Bad Lighting." Hopefully tomorrow I get around to taking pictures much earlier in the day when I don't look so tired and the lighting is much better.

The Favored Few

2011-02-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

Here are my picks for the 30 for 30 Challenge:

8 Tops

Across the top: Charlotte Russe, Ruche, F21, American Eagle, J. Crew
Row 2: F21, Calvin Klein, Ruche

5 Sweaters

All the sweaters are from Nordstrom except the tomato cardigan, which I got at Plato's Closet, 'bout a hundred years ago

3 Jackets

Left to right: Buckle, F21, Nordstrom

4 Pants

From Left to Right: Wide-legs by Roxy, Dark skinnies by F21, Jeggings by Roxy, Purple Skinnies by F21

3 Skirts

Left and Right are made by me. The middle was I think from Target? I really hate that grey skirt in the middle. I need a new grey skirt...

2 Dresses

Left is from Downeast Outfitters. Right is F21

5 Pairs of Shoes

Left to right: Sperry Topsiders, Converse, Steve Madden? (bought on Ebay), F21 and Roxy

30 for 30

2011-02-02T22:10:00.001-08:00

for those of you who don't know what that is, check it out here.

for those of you who do know what that is, and are wondering why I haven't posted my picks or my first 2 outfits yet..... it's coming. Promise.

I am going through some transitions right now that have thrown off how I was hoping to start this challenge. But I'm playing by my own rules, so I don't care too much. And here are my rules:

1. I'm only planning on posting outfits 4 days a week. Why? Because the other 3 days of the week I can only wear black. Why? I'll let you know in an upcoming post.

2. Anything that I wear solely to preserve modesty (underwear and stuff I use to cover my underwear) is not part of this challenge.

3. Jackets are part of the challenge. Coats are not. It's freezing here in Utah.

4. Shopping for my everyday wardrobe= not allowed. Shopping for black clothes= allowed. Why? Again, I'll explain soon.

Things I'm excited about in this challenge:

My sister has agreed to be my photographer!
Finding new ways to wear things
Stalking other re-mixers blogs
Less laundry
Blogging more consistently

Things I'm not excited about in this challenge:

Sundays. I'm worried I will run out of things to wear to church.
Getting bored halfway through
The weather changing and finding that the pieces I picked don't work
Taking so many pictures of myself makes me feel like a creep

Just waiting on the washer and dryer...

New Year

2011-01-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

So I have plenty of resolutions for the new year, but what I am really excited about is my theme.

Yes, 2011 has a theme. And that theme is

IT'S NOT TOO LATE

See, I've been feeling like it IS too late. And it's not. I'm only 23 for heaven's sake.

And it's not too late for so many of the things I want

It is NOT too late for me to get a college degree

It is NOT too late for me to fall in love and have the best possible marriage I could ever have

It is NOT too late for me to learn how to weld

It is NOT too late for me to change my major

It is NOT too late for me to become a better person

It is NOT too late for me to make new friends (still keeping the old ones, p.s.)

It is NOT too late for me to figure out how to profit from my skills

It is NOT too late for me to learn new things

It is NOT too late for me to figure things out.

This was a big [inspired] realization for me. And I have to say, that it has made my outlook a whole lot brighter!

Bangs as promised

2010-11-20T23:05:00.001-08:00

Nothing really

2010-11-17T21:50:00.000-08:00

I don't have any really important news but I felt like writing a blog post, so here I am! Updates:

Still waiting for my second skin of the plaid leather. Thinking I should probably muslin the pattern...

Working on another skirt-- my first burdaystyle patttern! I think its going to be completely the wrong size...pictures of finished product to come (someday).

Got my bangs cut. I would show you but my face is a hot mess...maybe tomorrow? Also, still trying to convince myself that it wouldn't make me a complete narcissist to post pictures of myself.

I am thinking about doing a 30for30 remix challenge a la Kendi Everyday (the new girl crush I mentioned). It does seem like a good way to get more use out of your clothes and it would coincide with the following 2 emotions I have experienced since being home from my mission:

1. An increased passion for fashion

2. A hatred of all my current clothes

I am having a blast looking through the blogs of all the her listed remixers.

And just because this post has no pictures:

Someone actually made glass slippers! I wish I could remember where this photo is from.

Bad News

2010-11-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

I don't have enough leather.

I have bid on more on Ebay but I am still disapointed. I liked this skirt a lot better when it was a $30 leather skirt rather than a $60 leather skirt. But I have plans on how I can make up some of the cost, so maybe it will turn out ok in the long run.

In other news:

As soon as I find someone I trust with my hair I am getting bangs like these

Also, I have developed a big fat girl crush on this girl. Don't worry TSwift, you are still my number 1.

On Monday I started my new plan to be really careful about what I eat because I still don't come anywhere close to fitting in my pre-mission jeans. That was until I saw the leftovers from [one of my] birthday cake[s] in the fridge. And I got to thinking. That's MY birthday cake. It was made just for ME. That means I'M supposed to eat it, right? In my haste to get that goodness into me, I may or may not have eaten a leftover candle (hint: I did). Guess I'll start again tomorrow.

Wish me luck.

Oh please oh please

2010-11-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

So...I bought this piece of leather off Ebay:

(after the obligatory "am I crazy??!" email to my sister) With dreams of it becoming a sweet pencil skirt with a wide, contrast color waistband. But here's the thing. I am not at all sure there is enough of it! And I can't tell currently because all the patterns we have are in a million (ok, like 6) pieces and none of them are quite right.

So.

It's off to the fabric store for me to find a pencil skirt pattern with the skirt part in 3 pieces, so I can lay it out and find out once and for all if I have enough fabric. It's like when you force a boy to say he just really doesn't like you anymore when he is breaking up with you instead of letting him get away with the whole "it's not you it's me" thing. Right? Wait, nobody else emotionally self-mutilates like that? How strange.

Anyway. I really hope I have enough of this amazingly soft, quirky leather. Oh please, oh please.

P.S. Even if I do have enough, we may have a problem because I CAN NOT seem to sew a straight line since I got home from my mission. What's with that?

Making a Ball Gown: Part II

2010-01-31T19:15:00.000-08:00

Ok first thing, you have to understand that the viewer window on my camera is broken so when I take pictures, I'm shooting blind. Apologies. Here is a picture of the dress all cut out, mostly sewn and ready for the bodice to be attached to the skirt:

And here is a picture of the petticoat that needed a lot of help before I could consider wearing it.
One last picture. Here's Mom helping me with a tricky bit when I got too nervous that I was going to mess up all my hard work:

The next time you see this dress it will be in pictures of me from the Ball!

Making a Ball Gown: Part I

2010-01-08T16:54:00.001-08:00

I know you will all be SHOCKED to see a new post on here from me but part of my New Year's Resolutions is that I will be better about documenting my creations. So as I begin this huge daunting task of making my own ball gown, I am trying to enjoy the journey.

At the end of the month I am attending a Masquerade Ball and of course, I need a dress for such an event. I don't want to spend a lot of money, but I do want it to be FABULOUS so I went digging in Mom's fabric stash. I found this fabric
I think it is some sort of cotton/poly blend. It doesn't scream special occasion fabric, but I really like the subtle shimmer to it. The problem was, I already have one big beautiful gold dress, and in my head I had a vision of a pink dress. I blame my recent viewing of Grey's Anatomy and Izzie Stevens. So it became dyeing time. I tested it out last night and was happy with the new color so I went home and picked a pattern. Thank goodness I always stock up on crazy poofy dresses during $1 pattern sales!
And, wouldn't you know, the dress on the pattern is even pink!

Because this pattern requires 8 yards of fabric, and that is A LOT of fabric to dye, I had to get a little creative....here's some pictures of the process I went through:
Three big pots of dye all added to this huge tub! I felt like a witch with a big tub of blood because it looked red.
Here is the finished product! I am so pleased! I think it is really pretty and I can't wait to get started. One last picture comparing the undyed and dyed fabrics

More to come!

GenCon

2009-04-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

I like to call General Conference (the semi-annual LDS general meeting) GenCon. I don't know why, maybe because it reminds me of ComicCon?

Anyway, General Conference Saturday is craft time around these parts. I thought I'd share what was made so you can need just how creatively talented my family is!

Grandma made a bunch of these:

LS1 (little Sister #1) made these cute birdhouses: LS2 (little Sister 2) tied this quilt she made:

BB2 (Big Brother 2) made this puppet that will be a ventriloquist's dummy when it is finished. I made this cute skirt that I can't finish until I remember to bring home the zipper.

Mom is the general helper-outer, being that she is the source of all craft knowledge and wisdom. Daddy was out fixing snowmobiles. BB1 (Big Brother #1) is in California...so I don't know what he was doing. And LS1's FEC (Future Eternal Companion, Soon to be Brother in Law #1) was helping out, although he's more comfortable with March Madness than Craft Madness.

Oh, and Conference was awesome. I'm excited for more tomorrow, only with less crafts, cause its the Sabbath.

Ladies, Lets Talk about MAKEUP

2009-02-11T19:32:00.000-08:00

I've had several girls tell me recently "Larken, I want to wear makeup but I don't really know how to do it." This is for you. This is also for Nate, who will probably want it to be required reading for every girl, ever.

GENERAL MATERIALS:

The Eyelash Curler- If you are not blessed with naturally curly eyelashes, you want one of these. It the BEST way I have found to open up the eye, brighten the face, make you look more awake, etc. It is NOT hard to use, it just takes a little practice, as all makeup does, and if you are doing it right, it DOES NOT hurt. And NO, it will not pull out your eyelashes or break them, especially if you use it BEFORE you put on mascara.

Brushes- You CAN get by without them, using Q-tips, your fingers, sponges, etc. However, they are the best investment and make makeup much easier. You don't have to get the most expensive kind, just something soft that will be nice to your face. Most of the time, the brushes that come with a package are NOT soft and nice to use. That is why I never use them. Same with the little sponge applicators- those are good for one time use and that is about all. You SHOULD periodically wash out your brushes. Trying using Shampoo or dish soap. I won't scare you by telling you about all the strange things that can grow in brushes that aren't clean, but just think about it for a quick second and decide not to share and clean your brushes, m'kay? As for types, I recommend a big poofy one for powder/bronzer (get 2 if you are picky about cross-contamination), a slanted one for blush, something small enough for the eyelid, especially for getting in the crease, either a flat square brush or a flat angle brush and a lip brush is always nice. If this is sounding like a lot, try www.eyeslipsface.com. Everything there is $1. No joke. And they have brushes. If you want to put on foundation with a brush, get a foundation brush too. I have done it that way but mostly I use a sponge.

BASE/FOUNDATION/SKIN:

First thing I always start with is moisturizer. If you don't moisturizer, you must not live in Utah and/ or have supernatural skin. Will moisturizer make you break out? NO NO NO. It will probably improve your skin, even if you have an oily type face. If you wear moisturizer, you might as well get some with sunscreen in it.

Base should always, always match your skin. It is acceptable to go 1 to 2 shades darker if you are going to be on stage. Going a shade lighter will probably make you look sick. If you are very pale (like me) please don't think darker makeup is the answer to looking tanner. That is what tactful bronzer is for. And self tanning face creams. And the sun. And accepting your skin the way it is. So MAKE SURE YOUR BASE/FOUNDATION MATCHES YOUR SKIN. Try to get as much light on your skin as possible when checking this. Look to see if you have that nasty line between your face and your neck. If you do, your foundation is the WRONG color.

Cream or liquid foundations are designed to be set with a powder after application. Otherwise, they will stay liquid/ creamy and rub off your face. Nobody likes this. So use a loose or pressed powder. It ALWAYS makes the foundation look better anyway. Do it. For me. And for the boy you are hugging. He doesn't want makeup on his shoulder.

Orange skin DOES NOT look good on anybody but Oopa Loompas. Avoid orange by avoiding bad self tanners and bad foundation.

Again when applying blush and bronzer, try to see what you are doing in good light. Experiment until you find colors that work for you. Apply blush on the apples of your cheeks and go diagonally up into your hairline. Blush makes you look awake, alive, happy, all kinds of good things.

Finally, let's try to look like we have skin, not some other material on our faces. Looking naturally pretty is a wonderful thing. Remember you probably see problems with your skin that no one else does. So go for less. Cause we can tell when you pile it on and IT DOES NOT LOOK GOOD. Right Nate?

EYES:

Eyeliner, my friends is supposed to be mysterious. By that I mean it should be nice and cosy with your eyelashes. "Floating" eyeline does not look good. If you have a hard time with this, try gently pulling your bottom lid down and approaching from above with the liner. Or on the upper lid, gently pulling up and applying liner below the lashes. It takes practice to do it this way and not get it IN your eye, but IT CAN be done. Feel free to line the whole lid, or just a part of the lid. Try both and see which looks better on YOUR eyes. You can use eyeshadow for eyeliner. That is what your flat square or flat angled brush is for, among other things. Get the brush a little wet and you will have an easier time of this.

Eyeshadow- Is fun! Trust me! This is the area where you can play most with color. As a general guideline though, use the darkest color in the crease of your eye and the lightest color as a highlight near your tear duct (not in, please) and right under your eyebrow at the outer part of your eye. This creates an optical illusion that your eye is both bigger and more lifted. Good things, I promise. I don't care how many different shades you wear on your eyes, just try to not to look like you are in a runway show, cause that stuff is scary.

Cat eye/smoky or smudy eye/ Jack Sparrow eye makeup/ rockstar eyes- This is generally a look for evening. If you wear it all the time, during the day, I hope you 1. have a record deal or 2. are seeking therapy. Rock it at night, especially in the low lighting.

Mascara- There are so many different products out there I think the best thing to do is keep trying different kinds until you find one you love. The only real advice I have is to wear WATERPROOF is you might, for any reason, cry. Church, funerals, weddings, Hallmark commercials....

Eyelashes should not be solid or chunky. You should see individual hairs. False eyelashes are in a different category and if you have questions, talk to me after class.

EYEBROWS:

My pet subject. They are too often overlooked. Here we go.

Please pluck, wax or do whatever you need to do. Please. This one applies to guys too. If your shape is fine otherwise but you need to trim your eyebrows, do that. You will probably need help doing this.

Boys! Don't overshape your eyebrows unless you want to look gay, European or like an escort. Get your girlfriend, your sister or someone you trust to help you out.

If you are a natural blonde and you would like to have eyebrows ( I highly recommend you do), please use a LIGHT colored eyebrow pencil or powder. Unless your life's ambition is to look like Groucho Marx.

If you are an "enhanced" blonde and it is appropriate to do so, PLEASE lighten your eyebrows.

before they lightened my eyebrows. Ew ew ew.

After the lightening. Ta-da! I'm a blonde

DON'T do this yourself, or you could go blind.

On the same note, it is always nice when your eyebrows match your hair. For example, right now I have red hair and people don't believe me when I tell them its not natural because my eyebrows are red too. This is because I put a nice coppery eyeshadow in there with my slat square brush. And then comb through it with an eyebrow brush. Not hard. Makes a huge difference. This same technique can be used to fill in empty spots or just strengthen your eyebrows all together, which is nice because they are the frame for your eyes and eyes are the windows to the soul. Or so I've heard.

BLONDES:

I know this goes against every natural instinct, but you look good in neutral eyeshadows and brown mascara. Black can be too harsh, especially during the daytime. So just think about it sometimes, k?
Look at this photo where I did my makeup as if I was still a brunette and ended up looking a little cracked out.

not such the best picture of me

12 TO 15 YEAR OLDS, OR THOSE WHO ARE MAKEUP BEGINNERS:

You probably don't need foundation. Exceptions are those of you who have pigmentation-altering conditions. Concealer for blemishes? Sure. Just remember, if its a cream or liquid, it needs to be set with a powder and it NEEDS TO MATCH

Stick with neutral colors. I promise if you start experimenting with really dark or bright colors you will attract the wrong kind of attention. Wait till your face starts to thin out. Or maybe wait for a big event like Prom to go buck wild.

Lip gloss is good.

Remember what I said to blondes about brown mascara? It applies to you too. I would say optimally, you would wear moisturizer with sunscreen, curl your eyelashes, a quick coat of mascara and a little blush and some lip gloss. Maybe a little eyeshadow for Sundays.

Remember makeup takes practice. Ask your mom for help. If your mom doesn't wear makeup, ask a friend or a friend's mom.

DISCLAIMERS:

I am not a licensed cosmetologist, aesthetician, or dermatologist. However, I have had lots lots of practice and lots of classes. And I'm pretty dang good. So yes, I know what I am talking about.

I talk a lot in absolutes, but of course there are exceptions to every rule

If you don't wear makeup and don't want to, that's fine. I don't wear makeup every day. But consider it for special occaisions. Like your wedding.

Feel free to reproduce this at any time, for anything. Give me credit if you feel like it.

If you cannot get your eyelashes to curl, talk to me. I have lots of experience with stubborn eyelashes

If you have makeup questions or would like me to show you anything I have talked about here, feel free to ask me. I love doing people's makeup.

The Next Big Project

2008-12-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

I tend to go from one big crafty project to another. Currently the project is a Christmas present for my sister Brynne. I am making her a set of journals (yes, making- I took a bookbinding class). This is my sketch of what they will look like when they are finished:

Four journals and one box case that they all fit in. I know it might not sound like such a big project, but to put it in perspective, ONE of these journals takes about 8 hours. And since I will have to make up how to make the case as I go along...well, just trust me.

So far I have done a rough cut of all four textblocks. I will post photos of the whole process when 1. I am closer to being finished and 2. I feel like moving the pictures on my camera onto the computer.

The cover papers are actually lovely colorful things, I just like to sketch in ballpoint pen for some reason.

After I finish this, I can start thinking about everybody else's Christmas presents!

My First Post

2008-12-12T13:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't really know how to use this site yet, but I'm a believer in the browse 'til you figure it out school of computers. Its always worked for me so far. Why am I entering the world of blogging? Good question. I already keep a journal, have a Facebook account.... But I guess there is still a void. Plus, my good friend Aly (see my bloglist) asked me to get one and I just can't say no to a pregnant woman. Also, I want a place to showcase all of my craftiest endeavors. So here it goes!