PinkQuartzMinerals

Anyone who has shopped for mineral makeup on ArtFire or Etsy will recognized the name PinkQuartzMinerals. The pretty pink handled brushes and superb customer service is really just the icing on the cake when it comes to this makeup magician!

As many already know, I am one of PQM's models. I've done every type of style for her. From sultry and sexy to 'oh my god--what is that?' Doree makes some magical color combinations and I love playing with them. I swear sometimes I think I'm like a kid in a candy store when I hear she's whipped up some new colors. I can't wait to get my hands on them.

So after around a year or so of only taking eye pictures for her makeup I decided I'd do a full face makeover. Yes, I cannot believe I am actually showing pictures of myself without makeup online for the world to see. But this is how much I love her makeup and stand behind her wizardry. She is a wildly imaginative artist and man is she dangerous with a supply of mineral micas and a little bit of spare time!!



In the After photos I am wearing:

Alabaster foundation
Marsh corrector
Firefly Glow lightly on cheeks
Summer Gold on lid and up to brow and Gold Ore in crease
Copper Peach lip gloss.

I started with a fresh clean face in the Before pictures. I have freckles, liver spots, and acne with oily skin. None of these pictures have been touched up in any way with editing programs. And as you can see my natural hair color isn’t auburn and I do have some gray. After applying Alabaster foundation and Veil my freckles and liver spots were minimized, my skin tone was evened out and my wrinkles are less noticeable. I’m 28 but hey, I’m starting to notice a few.

My complexion is pretty pale. I originally began with the Parchment foundation from PQM but when Doree made Alabaster I knew I had to try it. I have found that the lighter tone of Alabaster helps hide my freckles and liver spots even BETTER! I am thrilled. Lesson learned: don’t be afraid to try something a bit lighter or darker than your natural skin tone. You never know what the end result will be. Each shade seems to have it’s own unique personality when on skin.

My favorite PQM eye shadows are Piney, Copper Peach, Naked Frost, Ecstasy, Pandsymonium, Kjsagender, Cane, and Green Bean Casserole. And I can’t live without the dual ended brush! It is the biggest time saver I’ve ever found for applying mineral makeup; perfect control and it has the ability to hold a lot of product. This brush is the only thing I've found that will allow me to do all the crazy stuff I do in my modeling photos.

Dichroic Fused Glass Artisan Feature

While traipsing around ArtFire today I stumbled upon some wonderful glass artisans and wanted to share their beautiful pendants with you. I chose my favorites from their shops to feature. Consider this my... wish list? My birthday is coming up. (hint HINT!)

Pink and Green Dragonflies by Luv2Have.ArtFire.com

Eureka by CombustionGlassworks.ArtFire.com

Donut Pendant by LampworkByAmy.Artfire.com

Crimson Red by GloriaLynnGlass.ArtFire.com

Pink and Lavender by DianaVCreations.ArtFire.com

TerraScents Featured!

Whoo hoo!! One of my paintings was featured on ArtFire's front page today from 3-4pm. Darn it. I wish I'd been able to catch it and do a screenshot of it.

Classic Vs. Fetish
20" x 16" Acrylic Commentary Art
Completed in 2005

Etsy Features

Here are a few things I recently found in Etsy. Quirky and fun. Enjoy!!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade TerraScents.etsy.com

Ink Print

This feminine print was uploaded a few days ago to my ArtFire shop. It is based on the original painting which began my 'Woman' series. I am contemplating making a more prints within the theme. This print in particular is 1 of 1, meaning it is unique. I destroyed the carving as soon as the ink dried.

Snowflake

This lovely beauty is being listed in my ArtFire shop today! At 4" by 6" she is a compact piece of collectible art using watercolor and minerals for texture. I like her for the simplicity she represents.

Mr. Bok

Still in the realm of art but veering a bit more toward the landscape variety, I wanted to share something I'd found this weekend.

In my Sunday newspaper, Cinnamon Bair wrote a short article concerning a Floridian transplant by the name of Edward Bok. Now Mr. Bok is more widely known here in Lake Wales, Florida for the pretty white bell tower he built and the surrounding garden. The tower itself is built on the highest elevation in Florida. Yes, Florida is flat but it's not THAT flat! There are some hilly areas.

In his autobiography, "The Americanization of Edward Bok," he talks about his grandparents and particularly his grandmother. She told him, "Make you the world a bit more beautiful and better because you have been in it."

Edward Bok became the editor for Ladies' Home Journal and then once he found a place in Florida to settle, he decided the rather boring sandy ... hole... that is Lake Wales needed some greenery! So he unleashed his green thumb and the result is the locally famous Bok Tower Gardens. He built the Tower in memory of his wife, so I suppose this is the Floridian version of the 'Taj Mahal.'

All in all, I'd say that the article prompted me to think a bit more about my art and purpose behind it. What are my intentions? What does it say? What do I hope it accomplishes or makes people feel?

Past Works

Looking back over my portfolio this afternoon I decided to share a few sold works with you.


Meet "The Pier." This layered multimedia piece was done in ACEO format using watercolor, acrylic, oil, and even a few odd minerals here and there. Rough abstracts can sometimes be the most meaningful to me.

The next piece you are about to see was sold right before Christmas and is one of my absolute favorite abstracts on canvas. "Inevitable" is a triptych which hangs vertically. If you click on it you will be taken to the Sold listing in Etsy which also has some great close up views of each panel. Very touchable.

Natural Moisturizing Spray

FromNatureWithLove.com has got to be the coolest 'natural' ingredient shop around for whipping up awesome skincare goodies! This is where I started purchasing my own supplies, in fact. For a business, when it comes to their butters they're pretty pricey- but if you're looking to purchase in small personal sized quantity then they are superb. Great service and fabulous quality.

I mention this particular shop to give you an example of where to purchase an ingredient which is the Mother of all moisturizers. Vegetable glycerin.

Here is FNWL.com's listing for it. A thicker consistency clear liquid, vegetable glycerin is the byproduct of making natural soap. The most obvious question then becomes, "how/where do you get this glycerin?" The answer is probably going to make you develop an eye twitch in consternation but.... it's the truth.

Commercial soap makers chemically EXTRACT this natural glycerin and then sell it. The soap you buy in big stores does not contain vegetable glycerin. What you are purchasing then is essentially detergent. Because the glycerin is left out of the final product you bring home, you end up with skin that is more susceptible to drying and cracking. (Can you say Winter Skin ten times fast? )

I've discovered a natural way to replace this humectant (definition: substance which draws moisture into the skin from the outside air) in a very economical way. You can personalize it, too!!! This is the recipe I use every day to keep my skin in great condition.

You will need:
4oz spray bottle (pump works best)
Fill bottle nearly full with water.
1 full tablespoon of vegetable glycerin

Once the water and glycerin are in the bottle, put the lid on and shake. Spray lightly on skin and wipe over it with your hand. It will feel like water. Don't let that deceive you! It's technically 'glycerin water.' If, after ten minutes, it feels a bit tacky to the touch then only use a single teaspoon in the mixture instead of a full tablespoon. This means that your skin doesn't necessarily need that much glycerin. One tablespoon for every 4 oz is the MAX you should use. If you use any more than that you're going to have a sticky mess on your hands. Glycerin is very concentrated.

You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oils if you like. Your favorite perfume. You name it. Add whatever you like.

I do not recommend making more than a single 4oz bottle at a time. You'll need to add a preservative if you do.

At $12 for a hefty 16oz bottle of glycerin, you're looking at way over a year's worth of moisturizer. Not a bad deal when you think of how much moisture your skin is missing.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, everyone!

New Home at ArtFire!

Etsy, the place where I began listing my wares, is officially my ..... closet storefront now. My new main store is located at www.terrascents.artfire.com which is a sweet new art community built by people who've taken notice of Etsy's shortcomings and decided to capitalize on it. (Not that I can blame them.) I am slowly moving items over to ArtFire and am adding LOTS of new items during the coming weeks!

I finally had enough of Etsy tightening the noose around our necks making 'small' changes which absolutely have no relevance to what the community wants or needs.

I had opened an ArtFire store in October when I first heard about its grand opening but never did anything with it until last evening. This is what made me take the leap. Enough is enough. A renewal strike? HA! I think the cupcakes were piled a little too high with icing yesterday. I just about went into hypoglycemic shock reading those responses. How can this be such a 'non issue' when the things which need to be fixed are NOT fixed and still more changes keep being made which do not benefit the artist or the buyer? Of course the shop owners are rebelling and heading over to ArtFire in droves.

I responded with this post in the Etsy forums and was quite amused at the outcome. Typical Etsy. I was in kind of a bad mood when MaryMary closed that thread so... I started another, simply asking for clarification. Egads! One would think I had just threatened to confiscate all the cupcakes in the breakroom of Etsy Headquarters with the weird responses I was getting.

Regardless of the s#*%storm going on over in Etsy, my products will all be available on ArtFire by the first of the New Year. I'm keeping a few items on Etsy for customers who originally found me there can still know I'm alive.

Hey, maybe Etsy just needs a refill of Boo-Boo Cream. Everyone has their ouchy days. I even have small one oz jars for portability!