fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

I spotted this wonderful waterfall on the drive back from the Cades Cove Loop at the Great Smoky Mountains State Park I shared last week. I'm glad the road planner provided a scenic overlook to stop and take nature photographs so we didn't have to keep circling the Smokies until I got my fill of watching water gleam over rock. Thanks to all for joining in my journeys! May your new year flow with love, laughter and opportunity.

New Year's Eve is a time to celebrate hope of a brighter life. I'm beginning the year by trying a shiny new brand of nail strips! My mom bought me a starry design by Kiss: Nail Dress, Ultimate Nail Fashion for Christmas. The package came with a nail file and 40 nail strips. Half are cut for French Tips, so you'll be seeing similar shooting star nail art from me in the future. The strips were super easy to apply - all I had to do was pick a sticker that fit the nail the best, smooth it away from center and trim the excess away. According to the box, they last up to a week. I've only had them on a few hours and wonder how wearing Kiss' nail strips will compare to the others I've tried, Jamberry Nails shields , L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Nail Lingerie stickers and Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail strips . 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 p...

Delaware's weather forecast is threatening rain and thunderstorms for Christmas Eve, but at least I got to see snow-covered mountains when visiting Tennessee in early December. We even raced a reindeer (which was probably a whitetail stag, but I'm going to pretend it was Dasher on vacation before Christmas) when driving around the Cades Cove Loop in Great Smoky Mountains State Park. Dasher won, as he was faster than the 20mph speed limit for cars. His antlers were magnificent - I'm sincerely sorry I couldn't catch a better shot than the second photo to share. Farther down the trail, we stopped to watch two female deer playing in a field. It was a magical ride through the Smokies. May the rest of your holiday season be filled with love, laughter and snow sparkles (even if it's white glitter instead of ice crystals), my dears!

I still have lots of Christmas gifts to wrap! Most of my wrapping paper has shiny gold patterns, so I chose a holiday manicure to match. I alternated Fresh Fern and Mint Green and Gold Horizontal Pinstripe nail wraps by Jamberry Nails. If you don't get all the Jamberry sheets you want in your stocking this year, it won't be too late to order from me! My Jamberry party is running through Christmas - pretty please select "Aquariann" in the list of names under party dropdown at checkout to help me earn hostess rewards. Their Buy 3, Get One 1 deal is still available, no matter if you were naughty or nice this year. 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 striped manicure in the past, comment with the link and I'll add it to my featured finds below. Gold Stripes Nail Art Find...

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Doreen Lamoureux for submitting the randomly-chosen 911th entry. Rica Jewels will be emailing you soon with information on how to claim your free prize. Reflecting back on my life, I am happier than I've ever been. I can't wait to see what 2015 will bring! For one lucky winner, the new year will usher in free jewelry. Daniela of Rica Jewels is giving away the pretty pair of Mother of Pearl earrings above. The iridescent pearl shells are accented with decorative sterling silver findings. The lightweight design dangles from ear hooks at a length of almost 1.75 inch. Mother of Pearl is said to dispel negative influences, which would be helpful when working toward those New Year's resolutions. Wearing it could also attract prosperity. Daniela offers plenty of Mother of Pearl jewelry in her Etsy shop. She shares her good fortune by donating a portion of her sales to support her ChildFund sponsored child LUZ. Customers ...

I must have been very good this year, because Christmas came early! A pair of dazzling druzy earrings arrived from the north - no, not Santa's workshop at the North Pole. They were created in the Alison Storry Jewelry studio in Massachusetts. Alison's design combines two of my favorite things - bling and blooms! Photos don't do justice to how sparkly her druzy jewelry is in person - it's difficult to disengage my gaze from the glittering titanium druzies. They're bezel set in gold vermeil and dangle from silver orchid flowers. As Sam the Snowman from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer sings, "Everyone wishes for silver and gold." My wish came true this holiday season. Disclaimer: I received these free earrings 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 .

You may have noticed I really was wordless last Wednesday. Ogre, Grandma and I vacationed to Pigeon Forge, TN. We went for my last birthday and liked it so much we decided to return to explore more. The first place on our trip list was Dolly Parton's amusement park, because it had been closed for the winter season in February. Dollywood decorated with 4 million lights for their 2014 Smoky Mountain Christmas celebration. Above are a few of my favorite photos I managed to take in the cold between warming up in the fun holiday shows.

Ever wonder how far a fallen leaf travels from its tree? A pretty pair of leaf earrings made a journey all the way from Georgia to land in my mailbox. Now they're hanging from my ears, thanks to Trinkets by Dana . They're the longest dangle earrings I've ever owned, measuring almost 5 inches. However, the boho design is so lightweight that I feel like I'm wearing real leaves instead of bronze charms attached to a matching antique brass tone chain. The clear faceted beads complete the elegant look with a subtle sparkle. My leaf jewelry collection is definitely piling up! If you also want a memento of autumn to gaze at during other seasons, don't forget to enter Dana's Jewelry Giveaway before December 15, 2014. The winner will receive an elk necklace and a fall leaves photo print. Disclaimer: I received these free earrings as a thank you gift for hosting a jewelry giveaway. If you think your creations would harmonize with my whimsical ramblings, learn how...

I can't keep quiet this Wordless Wednesday, because I have some exciting news to share! My friend and Jamberry consultant, Kimberly Carman, used my red gerbera daisy drawing and columbine flower drawing to design the two custom Jamberry Nails sheets above. She is now taking orders to print my first batch of nail art! Just buy a Jamberry gift card for the amount of sheets you want (don't forget to choose Art of Aquariann in the party dropdown during checkout to help me earn hostess rewards) and then enter the code into the Google Form before Christmas 2014. That way the flower sheets will bloom in mailboxes during January, just in time to combat the winter blues after the holidays. I look forward to seeing how everyone applies them, so pretty please with swirls send me photographs to share for Manicure Monday ! You can buy any of Jamberry Nails' 300+ designs at the same time as (or instead of) buying a gift card to pre-order my exclusive sheets and I'll still...

Get out the glitter! It's the most wonderful time of the year to surround yourself in sparkles. Kimberly from A Frog's Kiss struck gold during an SPS team game. Her holiday gift ideas include Golden Shadow Swarovski crystal necklace by Lovely Luxe Jewels, gold shimmer eyeshadow by Etherealle and my golden unicorn magnet .