fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

Today's surprising snow turned the trees whiter than they've been all year! As beautiful as the winter wonderland looks outside my window, I am ready for sunshine to melt a passage to spring. Sure, my burning bush won't look as cool without its frozen leaves I shared yesterday. But I have a gorgeous set of white and silver leaf ornaments by Andrea of Beadmask that won't ever lose its luster of winter magic, even on the hottest summer day. Each hand-carved leather leaf was painted in white or silver, then sealed with a protective top coat and dusted with silver glitter. They hang from organdy ribbon ties, looped through a wire-wrapped swirl. Andrea even added vintage Swarovski crystals to the silver leaves for a super sparkly touch! Disclaimer: I received a free ornament set 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 .

Two years ago, I shared a cool photo of icicles that had mysteriously formed on the burning bush outside my front door. Last week, they returned with the blasted arctic air. As much as I yearn for the warmth of spring, I can't deny how breathtakingly beautiful winter can also be.

I couldn't let my birthday month end without wearing Jamberry's discontinued design, Amethyst Sparkle. For those that don't know, amethyst is February's birthstone. I've been given several pieces of amethyst jewelry as gifts over the years, but chose the wire-wrapped ring from Allu Ring as a picture prop. Its wild design pairs perfectly with my accent nail choice, Funky Cheetah . You shouldn't let February end without entering my new St. Patrick's Day Nail Art Giveaway ! Kiss My Tips is giving away a $25 Jamberry gift card to one lucky lady in the United States or Canada. 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 purple manicure in the past, comment with the link and I'll add it to my featured finds below. Amethyst Nail Art Finds:

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Stephanie La Plante for submitting the randomly-chosen 58th entry. Kimberly will be emailing you soon to claim your prize. I wouldn't recommend chasing real rainbows in this blasted arctic weather. But how about nail art designs that are available in a stunning spectrum of color? To celebrate St. Patrick's Day (and warmer temperatures returning), Jamberry consultant , Kimberly of Kiss My Tips, is giving one lucky lady a $25 Jamberry Nails gift card. That's enough greenbacks to pick at least one nail wraps sheet out of over 350 vibrant options. Like Kimberly, I used to be a girl who rarely did her nails because after all the mess and effort, polish would chip the same day it was applied! That changed after she introduced me to the durability of Jamberry nail shields, just like she's telling my readers now: "Jamberry wraps last up to two weeks on hands and they've held up to my crazy crafting and adventur...

Did you miss me last Wednesday? Ogre and I met his parents in Williamsburg, Virginia for a birthday celebration. My birthday and his dad's are only 4 days apart. When I opened the door to our room, I was surprised to see a beautiful birthday bouquet waiting for me! His parents picked out a pretty variety of flowers, including white dahlias, white lilies, pink daisies, red carnations and roses. Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun!

Guest Post by Katie Crafts Hi loves! I’m Katie from Katie Crafts and I’m super excited to be writing Aquariann's Manicure Monday guest post today! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. My outfit is already picked out (gray sweater dress with white hearts on it, red tights, red belt) but I still need a manicure. I tested out this design over the weekend and I think it may be the winner. It’s super cute and pretty easy! To complete the look, you’ll need the following things: ♥ Red nail polish ♥ Pink nail polish ♥ Pink glitter polish ♥ White nail polish ♥ Clear top coat ♥ Nail art pen in blue or black The design itself is mega simple! ♥ First, paint all your nails red, except your ring fingers which you’ll paint pink. ♥ Once they are 110% dry, use the white polish to make little hearts on the red nails and let dry. ♥ Use your nail art pen to draw X's and O's on your pointer and middle fingers. Draw "lo" and "ve" in cursive on yo...

My first attempt at using the Auntie Anne's At-Home Baking Kit I got as a fun Christmas gift wasn't perfect, but I think the handmade heart pretzels turned out adorable! The imperfections give them character, right? In any case, they were a tasty treat to bring to a girls' night party last weekend. I wouldn't recommend trying to roll the pretzels alone, though - especially if you've never worked with dough like I hadn't. I would have been brokenhearted without Ogre's help! He rolled the dough into folded strips, then handed them to me to dip in baking soda solution, drain and shape into hearts on a cookie tray.