Weekly Favorites - Round 1

Aloha bloggers! 

Camella here with my first ever weekly favorites! Let's roll!!

1. Plug in GED mini straightener (found at Sally's Beauty Supply) -$19.99

I love this thing, especially with my new do. Getting at the shorter pieces is mighty tricky and is makes it slightly easier. My glasses case is to show you a size reference.

2. Ion Texturizing Wax ~ $8-$9

I love this for piecing out my bangs. It also helps tame my unruly cowlick in the back. It smells really nice - clean and summery, and the finish isn't sticky or crispy. Very pliable.  

*Fun fact* Ion products are cruelty-free and vegan. Bless this stuff! 

3. E.L.F. Contouring Blush and Bronzer in St. Lucia - $3

Allegedly, this is a dupe for Nars' Orgasm and Laguna - I wouldn't know because I'm cheap... But this is such a pretty combo though. The blush is a shimmering coral color while the bronzer is a slightly shimmery brown (soooo descriptive). I've also used the bronzer as eye shadow when I'm feeling exceptionally lazy. The best part is that you can't go wrong for $3! (It's also cruelty-free -- sensing a theme?)

4. Almay One Coat Dial Up mascara ~ $7

I like this stuff because again it's supposed to be cruelty-free but I really enjoy the look on my lashes. I tend to "dial it up" to only one but I've used it at 2 and 3 in the past and its pretty. It separated my eyelashes really well and wasn't a pain to remove. Let me know if you want a more in-depth review on this baby.

Lastly, I have three TV shows I've been addicted to: 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is número uno. Laugh if you will, I'm famous for being late on the band wagons but this show is so fun... And it's nice to see a bad ass female lead.

Next is BBQ Pitmasters. Again, laugh at me if ya gotta, but I just find this show so amusing! The personalities crack me up. This show is sort of random considering my husband, Matt, and I are vegetarian.

Last up, Black Butler. This one is a Japanese anime with English subtitles. It's set in Victorian-era England. The main characters are Ceil Phantomhive, a young lord who makes a deal with a demon to avenge the deaths of his family, and Sebastian, the demon butler who protects and assists the young master in his crime-solving duties for Queen Victoria. 

*All of these shows are on Netflix instant streaming.

So, there you have it. Things I've been using excessively this week. Hopefully it was more interesting with the pics. Have a fabulous week, all!

- Camella 

Pixie cuts and grown up stuff

Good golly, it's been a while!
I want to get back into this blogging thing but I have been crazy busy the last year. In November, hubs and I moved across the state for my brand new, full time, big girl job. I'm loving it so far and have finally gotten the swing of this adult world. I will admit, it's not as fun as I thought it would be as a kid.
I've also just taken the plunge and chopped off my curly locks. Yep, I pulled a Emma Watson and got a pixie. It took a lot of encouragement (and Matt promising to still think I'm pretty) but I did it and I think I like it. Only time will tell ;)
Look for more posts from me in the future. My goal is to get more cruelty-free beauty and DIY posts up. You can now connect with me on Instagram as well @ camellabea. Thanks for reading and (hopefully) see you soon!

Here's a couple pictures of my *new* hair:

Before & after

With hubs:

Hubs has a new blog

Check out Matt's new blog:

http://beale49.wordpress.com/

If you're in need of a new, Christian perspective.

xo, Camella

Honestly...

I am seriously frustrated right now. I don't do controversial well and it doesn't sit well with my heart when I am. I've been feeling so much like God is challenging my preconceived notions of my faith and 1) it's scary and 2) it's uncomfortable.

Matt and I have been beyond frustrated with the state of the Church. I don't hate church, just think that we, as the bride of Christ, are not living up to the example that we are meant to. First of all, there are so many individuals who are so focused on their comfortable, middle-class lifestyle. They think that by passively giving money to this cause or bringing in food for that drive, they are showing charity to the poor and orphans. No. No. NO. Yes, those are all great things, but I'm feeling more like TIME is a greater investment that canned goods. Getting out there are realizing that there are things besides Ikea shopping and middle school youth group movie nights.

The other thing that drives me mad is the idea that in the United States, being a "successful church" means building on and expanding. In my town, I can't even tell you how many churches I drive past on a typical Sunday. Maybe if a church is failing it's because God wants the congregation to join up with another, thus uniting the bride. There are so many things out there that are causing divisions in the church that I feel like the enemy may be getting a hold of us and misdirecting us to focusing on the divisions rather than being united.

Why are we as believers wanting to drive a wedge between us and the world? Are we not meant to go into the world to make disciples of all the nations? How can we be exemplifying Jesus Christ by condemning sinners when we ourselves were once lost but now have been found? How is that ok? How am I alone in seeing the gravity of this?

I'm angry, frustrated, and broken. God is literally breaking my heart with this right now. So, what do we do? I want to challenge you to pray on this. To really think about this and to examine your heart and see what God is saying about all of this. I know that because I feel so alone that I've been distancing myself from the Bible and prayer but that isn't the answer, either. I want to encourage you that if you feel like I do, you aren't alone.

I sense change coming to the church. Let's get out of ourselves for a second and fix it. Let's be the bride that we were always meant to be. In Jesus' name, amen.

-camella

Photo contest entry

Now, I don't pride myself on my photography skills BUT I thought this was too cute not to share!

Just look at those vicious vampire fangs! 

This is Mogi and he's a stinker.

Julie's Delicious Mac and Cheese

Hello all!

It has been a sinfully long while since I posted last but I wanted to share this delightful recipe with you! During our study sesh for the NCTRC exam, my friend Julie made this tasty dinner. Here is how you make it:

Ingredients:

1 box of noodles 

(I like whole wheat rotnini but you can use whatever you prefer)

1 can cream of potato soup

Grated cheese 

(I loooove Pepper Jack for this recipe but you can mix and match to suit your tastes)

A smidge of milk to moisten everything up

What you do:

1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain. Preheat your oven to 350*

2. Transfer noodles back into pot and add the can of cream of potato and milk. You don't want to add a lot of milk, just enough to make sure the noodles are all covered. 

3. Spray your pan with non-stick spray and transfer half of the noodles into a baking pan. 

4. Cover the noodles with the grated cheese. You can use as much as you like, depending upon how cheese-y you want it to be. Transfer the remaining half of the noodles to the baking dish and cover that with cheese. 

5. Bake mac and cheese for about 20 - 25 minutes until the cheese is melty and wonderful. You can also add french fried onions before baking if you like. I spritz them with the baking spray to make sure they're crispy after they come out of the oven.

Viola! Mac n Cheese ala Julie. Enjoy!

DIY Decorative Photo Board

I know, I know. It's been too long since my last post! I do apologize but I have an excuse (the same excuse every college student uses this time of year)... I was busy with school. 

I've un-officially graduated now AND passed my certification exam. All that stands between me and my diploma is my 15 week internship. Bring it. 

I wanted to share a really fun project that Matt and I just finished this week. I call it a photo board.

Behold!

This is a really simple, yet really pretty project to tackle... if you plan it out first!

Supplies

• Molding - you can use as fancy or as plain as you please
• Decorative corner pieces
• Paint in your choice of color 
• We used the no-drip kind of paint and got the teeniest can ever
• Cork board 
• For the cork board, we used a roll of it from Lowes' made our measurements according to that pre-measured size (I think ours was like 2ft by 1 ft - not sure though)
• Large sheets of scrap-booking paper
• Glue/nails/caulk/adhesive of some kind
• Double stick tape (probably two rolls)
• Photo!
• Tacks

What you do

1. Measure and cut your wood pieces, sand, then paint them. We made the mistake of not painting them until they were on the wall. It worked BUT you'll need to use painter's tape to tape it off much better than we did! Our finished product looks fine but is not quite perfect enough for my OCD sensibilities.

2. Attach the cork to the wall using nails, glue, or any other kind of adhesive. Make sure it's level... if your particular like me, it will bother you if it's not.

3. Attach your wood pieces to the wall, framing the cork in the center. 

4. Get your decorative paper and cover the cork. I used double stick tape to secure it but you could glue it if you want it really stuck. I like the option of the double stick tape because you could change it out when you get sick of it and it will provide a whole new look.

5. Now tack up your pictures. Most of the pictures you see on our board were taken by my beautiful friend, Kim. She's selling some gorgeous prints from her trip to Africa. To buy your own, click here! They arrive in perfect condition and the selection is just... breathtaking!

I hope you enjoy this little DIY post! If you have any questions on construction, comment and I'll have my contractor (err... husband, Matt) get back to you!

Have a blessed weekend!

xoxo Camella