1. Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey
   This is the most amazing lip color.  It seems to morph and look utterly perfect on anyone.  And it makes my lips feel moist without the gloppy, overly shiny look of most glosses.  I usually have 2 or 3 of these in my possession at any one time – one in my purse, one in my camera bag, and one at the office.  They’re only $14 – worth every penny.
2. Neutrogena Body Oil, Light Sesame Formula
   I use this every single day right out of the shower. (Hopefully that’s not TMI!) It works best when your skin is still damp to help hold all that moisture in.
3. Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil
   I really like the whole Bare Escentuals line and when I must wear makeup base, BE is what I use.  But for everyday, I just buff on the BE version of face powder – their Mineral Veil.  It removes shine and helps me look finished w/out looking “made up”.  Rockin’ stuff this BE.
4. Kiehl’s Leave In Hair Conditioner
   I never thought I’d ever use a leave-in hair conditioner.  I”m one of those people who has to wash her hair every day or I feel icky.  So the idea of putting conditioner in my hair and leaving it, made me visualize oily, stringy hair.  But this stuff is amazing.  I don’t use it every day and not as often during the summer when it’s more humid in the South – but in the winter it’s a staple.
5. Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment
   As long as I”m raving about Kiehl’s, let me add the creamy eye treatment to the list.

I just had to share images of my latest batch that came in today!

By the same token, our album designs are clean and classic.  We don’t tend to have a lot of overlapping images, fades, colors, lines, and so forth.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t like to play around now and then.  Every once in a while I find an effect or an action that I think might be kind of fun in an album design or for a special offering.  This is one of them.  The action itself is from PanosFX and is one of the 30 or so free actions that they offer.

It’s fun, huh?  I don’t know that I’d use it all the time, but I can see it as an opening page in one of our couple’s albums.  Just to play!

The winner of this fabulous book is #27  Kim F. Kim – I’ve sent you an email. You just need to let me know your shipping address and I’ll get the book out to you today!

I’m going to give away a copy of Colin Cowie’s book Colin Cowie Wedding Chic: 1,001 Ideas for Every Moment of Your Celebration

I’ll ship the book directly to you from amazon.com via standard shipping – anywhere in the US or Canada.

As with the other two giveaways, just comment on this post. Tell me why you want the book, or a little bit about your wedding, or just say “hi”. Be sure to leave your email address so I can notify you if you win. I’ll pick the winner by a random number drawing.  And we’ll let this one go until Thursday, February 5th.

1. Western Digital My Passport Essential 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive WDMER2500TN (Real Red)
   I got one of these in red and one of these in black this month. The red one has become my official music drive; the central location and archive for all my music. The black one is now my working drive for all “in process” images.
2. Thymes Filigree Eau de Parfum
   I’m pretty picky about perfumes. While there are a lot of them that I like in general, there aren’t many that I like on me. This one isn’t too sweet, isn’t too spicy, isn’t too alcohol smelling. It’s just a nice light fragrance that works.
3. The Time Traveler’s Wife
   I reread this book just last week and had forgotten how much I love it. It’s a romance. It’s science-fiction. It’s just a really enjoyable book. Great for a cold winter day, curled up in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate or tea.
4. Silver and Garnet Earrings
   I’m not much of a jewelry girl, but I do like pretty earrings. And the garnet is January’s birthstone, so very appropriate. I don’t have these yet. I want them. Perhaps I can drop a few hints to someone.
5. Lodge Enameled Cast-Iron 3-Quart Dutch Oven, Island Spice
   Technically this is a December item, since I got it for Christmas. Since then, however, it’s practically the only thing I’ve used in the kitchen (along with my cast iron skillet). I’ve made soup, stew, ragout, donuts, rice pudding, oats, quinoa salad, spaghetti sauce, and any number of other things in this pot. And it cleans up like a dream. Now I want the 6 qt one.

There you go.  January’s favorite things.  Maybe you’ll enjoy a few of them too!

An 8×10 Fine Art Print on Velvet Paper

I’ll ship your choice of image from my Art Gallery (click to see the selection of images) as a bordered 8×10 print fine art velvet paper. I’ll ship to anywhere in the US or Canada. (The print is a $250 value!)

To enter this giveaway, just comment on this post and let me know which image you want if you’re the winner.  Be sure to leave your email address so I can notify you if you win.  I’ll pick the winner by a random number drawing on Monday, February 2nd.