fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

I rarely buy clothes online. I do a lot of wistful window shopping through fashion blogs, but don't trust anything but t-shirts to fit without trying them on first. Even while shopping in person, I have a tough time finding a dress to flatter my hourglass figure. Hence why I wear skirts almost weekly when the weather's nice, and dresses only at weddings and holiday parties. Dress shopping can be such an ordeal. You might have heard my shriek of excitement when, only a week after reading La Vie En May's Customization Made Easy blog post about eShakti.com , they contacted me to write a review! After browsing the available dresses for bloggers, I finally chose an Americana dress of navy blue fabric embellished with white polka dots, white stripes and a red belt because I thought it'd be cute to wear on patriotic holidays. Plus, I live near the ocean so the nautical trend is always in style. Then came the big decision of what size to order. Dresses are usually too long...

Since it's almost September, I'm excited to blog about Halloween costume possibilities and hope my readers won't hit me with a KAPOW! for starting too soon. Comic book characters are an increasingly popular costume choice, as more and more movies and television shows are available to fans that don't collect comics. If you can't sew but don't want to show up to a party in the same sexy superhero costume as someone else, piece together your own one-of-a-kind version by buying handmade costume creations. These unique Batgirl costume accessories bumped boring options out of way with a BAP! 1. Batwing Headpiece Leather Crown by Beadmask 2. Batgirl Costume Yellow Gloves by MJCREATION 3. Batman Superhero Running Tutu by Shelly Rio Boutique 4. Movie Madness Shoes - Batman 2 by Strolling Canvases Disclaimer: This post was inspired by Beadmask , a wonderful blog sponsor that pays for advertising space and featured listings like above. If you think your item...

Summer is ending and before you know it, the leaves will burst into fiery colors. Even after they fall and crinkle away, my new leaf necklace will remain gloriously green as a welcome reminder of warmer seasons. A balmy breeze carried the Evenstar pendant all the way from Shealynn's Faerie Shoppe . Shaylynn's design is her twist on Arwen's necklace in The Lord of the Rings movies . She uses wire to carefully form five Czech glass beads around a Swarovski pearl and finishes it with a leaf bead dangle. Custom jewelry is even available, where the customer can choose colors and extra Swarovski crystal dangles. Elo! (According to an Elvish dictionary, that means wow :) Disclaimer: I received this free necklace as a thank you gift for hosting a jewelry giveaway. If you think your creations would harmonize with my whimsical ramblings, learn how to sponsor a giveaway here .

"Summer has filled her veins with light and her heart is washed with noon." - C. Day Lewis I couldn't resist continuing the season's yellow flower trend and sharing one more before summer ends! This bright beauty was blooming across the deck from the pink hibiscus plant I posted last week.

Guest Post by Kimberly Carman of Kiss My Tips I had a dance photo shoot last Tuesday as Rio of Satori Dance. Not only did I receive my years-awaited, much-anticipated, new dance costume just in time, but I also realized that the August Hostess Exclusive style is a perfect match! I added Silver Floral as an accent nail for extra shine. The belly dance costume is made of holographic royal blue sequins stitched down with deep purple iridescent beads so it shimmers between the two colors. Twirling around and flourishing my hands with my fancy new skirt was fun! Kimberly Carman is an independent consultant with Jamberry Nails. Her company Kiss My Tips was started in September of 2013 and growing FAST! Jamberry has been a company for 3 years and has shown outstanding growth. If you'd like to know more about the company Jamberry Nails, purchasing the wraps, hosting a party or the ins and outs of the business opportunity, visit kissmytips.jamberrynails.net or contact kissmytipsnai...

EDIT: Givewaway is officially over. Congratulations to Clenna Lyons Emery for submitting the randomly-chosen 1076th entry. September is usually the peak hurricane season for the Atlantic Ocean, whose waters whirl about 15 miles from my house. If you're lucky, your fall wardrobe will get hit with a different type of spiral from India. Vishruti from The Indian Bazaar is giving away a wrap bracelet in winner's choice of pink (as shown above), red or blue beads. The stretchable bracelet of silver metal coils around to fit the wearer's wrist. Twirl around Vishruti's Etsy shop to see more chunky bangle bracelets and vintage jewelry. She also offers traditional bindi's, organic Ayurveda incenses, Sanskrit word tattoo art and more Indian treasures than a tropical storm could shake a stick at. Being born and raised in India, she's proud to share the country's rich cultural heritage with the world. <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/2014/08/jewelry-g...

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world." - Ada Louise Huxtable I usually remember August as being sweltering, but this year the weather has been wonderful! Ogre and I wanted to enjoy lunch by the water last weekend, so we visited Serendipity for the first time together. The waterfront restaurant overlooks the Indian River Bay in Oak Orchard, Delaware. I was delighted to join several pink hibiscus plants in soaking up the beautiful view from the back deck.

Even if your August birthday has already passed, it's not too late to add birthstone gifts to your holiday wishlist. Shazzabeth helped several peridot jewels shine even brighter. Her birthday gift ideas include peridot gemstone necklace by Ozmay Designs, August birthstone ring by SilverSmack and my peridot green dragon magnet .

After realizing August is already half over, I decided I better wear my adorable Watermelon Tip nail wraps before summer sneaks into slumber. The season isn't the only thing that's ending - Jamberry Nails is retiring several nail designs at the end of the month to make way for their new fall catalog. Several of my favorite designs, including the fruity french tips above, are ripe for the picking! Thus I'm hosting a going going GONE party . Jamberry Nails is still offering a Buy 3, Get One 1 deal if you can't decide on just one sheet to harvest. When buying, please find and select "Aquariann" in the list of names under party dropdown at checkout to help me earn hostess rewards. Want to be a guest blogger for my Manicure Monday when I don't have new nails of my own to show off? Please contact me using the form on my contact page if you're interested in a free feature. Or if you've done a watermelon manicure in the past, comment with the link an...

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Lisa Haley for submitting the randomly-chosen 16th entry. While kids are grumbling about going back to school so soon, I'm mumbling that it's already been ten years since I graduated! Although I don't miss carrying the heavy books around, I do miss covering them with fun paper. It never occurred to me to try fabric as a better protector, but then, Pinterest didn't exist as a source to easily discover DIY tutorials back then. The collection of cute decorations anyone can now make with a little time and supplies is massive! And here's the excuse to finally make that pretty project you pinned to your board - Vishruti is giving away one yard of fabric from Eco Fabric Store . The winner may choose any pattern from her Etsy shop. All of her earth-friendly fabrics, like the Indigo Grey Mughal print above, are made from quality materials such as organic cotton, bamboo yarns, soya bean protein and banana yarn. The be...

The waters around me rarely ripple when celebrities die, but Robin Williams' death was a tidal wave. Although I don't know much about him behind the actor that made me laugh a lot as a child, I was sad to hear his brilliant light was extinguished so suddenly. If you ever contemplate committing suicide, I hope you'll remember his character's parting quote from one of my favorite childhood movies, Hook , "To live... to live would be an awfully big adventure." Earth has boundless treasures to explore for souls searching for an escape. When reality disappoints, we even have other worlds to visit in our imagination! And you don't have to find the second star to the right and fly all night to reach Neverland - simply pick up a J.M. Barrie book . His Peter Pan tales have caused many happy thoughts, several of which have been dreamt real on Etsy. Something as small as wearing Neverland jewelry could give someone a lift on down days. 1. Wire Wrapped NEVERLAND ...

"While the river of life glides along smoothly, it remains the same river; only the landscape on either bank seems to change." - Max Müller My dad's boss rented the River Queen for a dinner cruise down the Choptank River in appreciation of his employees and I got to devour the experience with them! Another boat left the Suicide Bridge Restaurant marina just before ours did, as shown in the first picture. Both boats are reproductions of authentic 80-foot turn-of-the-century paddle wheelers. Aren't the wheels amazing? I took a quick wheel video if you'd like to see them in action. We were worried that a storm might cut the trip short, but the sun broke through the clouds just in time to give us a stunning sunset. Its bold light reflected through my dad's sunglasses in his silhouette shot. But he doesn't need real rose-colored glasses to make the memory more beautiful - the cruise couldn't have been better!

Wasn't August's full moon magnificent? If you missed the biggest supermoon of 2014, Laura from Chicken Jungle captured its beauty during last weekend's SPS team game. Her moon gift ideas include blue moon locket necklace by Fire Monogram, starry night photo print by S.S.C. Photography and my winged wolf art magnet . What new Etsy treasuries or Artfire collections have you curated or been featured in this week? Enter them into the Magical Linky below by typing the title of the treasury into the "Your Name" box , then pasting the treasury link into the "Your URL" box. NOTE: If you miss these instructions the first time and type in your real name instead of the treasury's name, don't fear! I'll fix it as soon as possible. The only rule to participate is to click and comment on at least as many treasuries as you list, starting with the one immediately in front of your additions and moving on to the other themes that intrigue you. Adding ...

"Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination." - Voltaire My web silence last Wednesday stemmed from being in a summer wedding for a friend I have known for many, many seasons! As mentioned in my bridal flower nail art post on Manicure Monday, the beautiful bride gave me the prettiest bridesmaid bouquet ever. The colorful flower bouquet consists of blue hydrangeas, yellow roses and white roses. Even after an entire week, the flowers are still smiling brightly at me.

A few weeks after one of my dearest friends announced she was getting married in late July, I won a Jamberry sheet of choice from Ema of Geek Girl Bytes Back . The summer wedding colors were yellow and turquoise, so I chose Morning Dew nail wraps from Jamberry Nails' Garden Party collection. The sky blue and white floral nail art looked lovely while holding my beautiful bridesmaid bouquet last week, which I will be sharing a photograph of next Wordless Wednesday . The fake flower I'm holding above is the pretty pin the bride used as a bow on the gift bag for our bridesmaid jewelry. Want to be a guest blogger for my Manicure Monday when I don't have new nails of my own to show off? Please contact me using the form on my contact page if you're interested in a free feature. Or if you've done a floral manicure in the past, comment with the link and I'll add it to my featured finds below. Blue Bridal Flower Nail Art Finds:

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Stephanie La Plante for submitting the randomly-chosen 892nd entry. Although computers are handy, there's still certain tasks when a pen and paper beats technology's fancy features. For example, when taking notes, I'm more likely to remember the information later if I hand write instead of type the words. Here's a fact you're not likely to forget either way: Vishruti of Indian Journals is giving away a medium-sized journal from her handmade Etsy shop. The winner may choose one 6x4" art journal or Sari fabric journal . Vishruti offers the journals in four different sizes, but medium is the most popular. Not only is the everyday journal easy to carry in a backpack or purse, but its pages allow plenty of space to use as a food tracker, travel log or personal diary. I might have enjoyed grade school more if I could have written in the paisley art notebook above instead of a boring black and white composit...

Ogre saw a dragonfly hanging out in our rock garden yesterday, but the flighty insect had flown away by the time I rushed outside with my camera. I've yet to capture a single dragonfly photograph, but handmade dragonflies are easy to catch on Etsy. Just don't let them go - delightful dragonfly hair accessories like these won't sit atop shop shelves forever. 1. Purple Beaded Dragonfly Hair Slide With Beetle Wing And Indigo Quartz by Beadmask 2. Amethyst Purple Dragonfly Hair Stick by Hair Jems 3. Beaded Dragonfly Fairy Wing Hairstick by The Beaded Bohemian 4. Large Dragonfly Crystal Barrette by Jane's Gem Creations Disclaimer: This post was inspired by Beadmask , a wonderful blog sponsor that pays for advertising space and featured listings like above. If you think your items would fit in with my whimsical ramblings, please consider supporting my blog and becoming an advertiser .