And These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things....

I don't know if any of you caught the "Oprah Favotite Things" show that aired recently.  If you did then you're probably still in traction from laughing so hard.  It was absolute madness!!!  People were screaming hysterically, jumping up and down, gasping for air, clutching their chest, I am pretty sure a few of them even passed out.  Oprah is hard core folks!

Well, after watching this I was inspired to share some of my favorite things as well.  I cannot give you cars like Oprah yet but what I can give you is really nice gift ideas that will save you time and money.  So, lets do this!

First up these gorgeous emerald green earrings inspired by one of Angelina Jolie's red carpet looks.  These earrings are incredible looking and they are under $80.00.  Not bad at all for something that you can wear for years to come.

Next is one of my absolute favorite gifs to give, holiday gift baskets. You can personalize these to meet every personality under the sun.  Just fill the basket with your friend or family member's favorite things and you have a gift that will not only be appreciated but remembered! (Tip: some the filler items can be very inexpensive, like a particular chocolate bar or a favorite book but together all of these things make a wonderful gift for the recipient) Also it does not have to be a basket, it could be any good looking container, be creative!

And what would Christmas be without some sparkle?  This bib necklace is perfect for the woman who is not afraid to shine......yes, the pun was intended.

If you have girl friends who likes fashion like I do, makeup is a great gift to buy.  Trust me she will love it!  There are so many trends in makeup right now and you certainly can be as tame or daring as you want to be.  The best discovery for me however is the fact that I can now buy organic makeup that was made with my health in mind. How fabulous is that. Here is a great brand called Afterglow whose pieces range between $16.00 and $18.00 per piece.

Tip: Nail polish, eye shadows, neutral lipsticks, eye pencils and bronzers are a good choice since they work with lots of skin tones and are not as specific as face powders. If you are not too confident stick with neutral palettes.

This list would not be complete or realistic without something technological, after all technology is now a vital part of our daily lives. So here is a little beauty that stole my heart.  The Canon IXUS 105 digital camera, as advanced in function as it is stylish. The question is, who wouldn't love this digital camera?  (Retails for around $165.00) 

These dinner plates from Delfina Dinnerware really caught my eyes in more ways than one.  I just love the pop of color!  Imagine how marvelous this would look on a table. Of course you can mix and match  with other pieces or buy the whole set, whatever you do, its bound to look spectacular!  A great gift for mom. (Retails for $51.80 for 4 dinner plates) 

Now this is not something you should do on a whim, however if you have a child or special love one who adores animals, wants one and could take proper care of it, you cannot go wrong with a pet.  Its common knowledge thats a pet loves its owner unconditionally and thats something we could never have too much of.

Tip: visit your local animal shelter first before buying a pet.  There are many animals waiting to be loved and given a good home.  Also, in most cases it will cost a fraction of the cost to adopt than it would to purchase a pet.

Picture This!

Some times its the simple things that makes us appreciate life most. Today I got out of bed after battling a cold for the last few days and I realized that I felt much better. No sneezing, coughing, aches or pains to speak of, its amazing how I appreciate feeling well again. Just yesterday I was lying down thinking of all the things I wanted to do once I felt a little better so here is one of them. Photography and digital collage! Yes, I said it, maybe not deserving the exclamation mark for some but for me its very exciting stuff. It sends shivers up my spine when I think of the fun I could have with a digital camera and my faithful Mac computer.

Last year I had challenged myself to create digital collages that expressed my faith in God and inspired people. As a result of this, I created what you see here and many other prints that you can find at: wandadmcphee.etsy.com

All of these prints started with a piece of photography that I shot while I was up and about or I set up the shoot based on a specific idea I had. Once I had the photo I took it into Photoshop and then added textures and filters. I also imposed and blending other images and colors into the original photo. Although some of these pieces I did are a bit advanced to someone who is new to this, you can get great results too by just taking a great photo and converting it to duotone. (two colors only in image) A lot of my prints are done this way and I just love the way this adds an element of mystery and interest to photographs. At the moment am working on a few ideas for new prints, I will post these as soon as I finish them. In the main time, get your feet wet, dust of your camera and take some photos. Not only do they make great Art framed on your wall but you can sell them as well to wholesale photography sites on the web.

Well, what else can I say but, lets do this!