Happy Halloween!

I've always received presents from clients for Christmas and my birthday. I would get the occasional valentine and I have one client that bakes me the most awesome cookies or cupcakes for every holiday. This is the first year I got not only one but TWO presents for Halloween! I got a really cool candle holder and then the most awesome basket of treats for both Riley and myself!

I haven't been this excited about Halloween in a long time! Now, for your viewing pleasure, photos of my "kids" in past Halloween costumes!

Falling Water

Nick and I headed to the mountains this weekend to stay at Seven Springs for their Octoberfest. We go every year. This year, on Monday morning, we really didn't have anywhere to be and it was such a beautiful day, I suggested that we go to tour Falling Water.

I remember passing the signs for it Memorial Day weekend when I went camping with the derby and refs at Scarlet Knob. I really didn't realize it was so close to us. Nick's mother had always talked about it and whenever anyone from out of state came to visit, it was always on her list of places to go. She always wanted to take me there.

When we arrived, we found out that you couldn't take a tour of the house on Mondays. You could only purchase a grounds pass. That was totally cool

with us.

Once we parked the car, we headed on one of the paths that took us past Bear Run, which is the stream that runs under the house.

Before we knew it, we were at the house. The water level is low, usually there is a full pool of water under the house. They had a really neat are where it looked like they could walk down steps from the house and into the water. To the side was a space that looked like it collected water and became a small wading pool.

There was a lot of really cool art around the property. I thought this statue was beautiful, how it was placed so that the sun would usually hit just the face.

After we walked all around the outside of the house, we headed up the road to an area above the house. They called this the garage. I can see where it would house three cars, but this was the best garage I'd ever seen. The top of the garage seemed to be a pool house. Here is the pool. Even green, it's beautiful. There was a wonderful walkway from the garage down to the house. Everywhere you looked was a little deck or a cozy nook.

After viewing the garage, we headed down to the creek. It is at this point that you get the "money shot" of Falling Water. This is the vantage point where almost every photograph has ever been taken. Nick said it best, if you lived here, you would never leave.

I really enjoyed this tour, I just wish that I could have taken it with Nancy. Also, the whole time I was there I kept thinking about how Skankalina Jolie brought Brad Pitt there for a private tour for his birthday. EWWW!

Cat from Ohio visited The Purple Pinkie!

I "met" Cat from Ohio, awhile ago online at The Beauty Tech board. We've exchanged a number of emails and we decided that after her wedding and honeymoon, that she would come and spend the day with me at The Purple Pinkie for a little one-on-one mentoring.

Cat arrived, bright and early on Saturday morning, with one of the biggest smiles on her face. She sure is a cutie, with the drive and determination that you need to make it in this business. If she moved here, I would hire her on the spot.

We spent the rest of the morning with me demoing five designs on her one hand. I used all Young Nails glitter and colored acrylics, doing all of the nails with the Reverse technique, where you apply the pinks first, then the tip colors.

We then had lunch, next door, at Nite Courts. I introduced Cat to steak salads. She had never had a salad with steak, french fries and melted cheese on top. It's a 'Burgh thing!

After lunch, I went to work on her other hand. It's bad enough she will be walking around with a different nail design on each finger, she couldn't have one hand done and not the other!

All in all, it was an awesome day! It was so much fun. Thank you to Cat for letting me be creative!! I can't wait until you come again!

Scarehouse 2007

Well, tonight is the last night I will be working at The Scarehouse in Etna. It sure has been fun. I've met a lot of new friends and I think I "may" have conquered my fear of haunted places.

It all started with roller derby. The Steel City Derby Demons and The Scarehouse made a deal to cross promote. In August, Maida Steel and I went to The Scarehouse to film a commercial.

The house was under construction then, but I could tell that it was going to be awesome. In early October, Scott, one of the owners was looking for someone to sell the R.I.P passes that would get you to the front of the line with no waiting. Of course, you are going to pay more for this and many, many people chose to do so with lines ranging some nights three to three and a half hours long.

The first night that I worked, Davey, one of the Scarehouse gouls, named me Drewcilla or Drew for short. Davey was alwasy walking around, talking about having "the corruption" and not being very willing to share his "spirits".

I loved working with Dave and Jim, our security dudes.

Maida and I spend a little time with "The Wayne-iac"

I met lots of interesting people, like this dude, that was in a leather jacket that looked likea skeleton. The hood actually zipped up to make a full mask that he could both see and breathe out of.

I ran into a gal who I have been reading her journal online for about two years now. I about peed myself when I saw her standing in line. Of course, I couldn't contain myself and had to accost her with the fact that I've been reading all about her for years. Later, I hoped that she wouldn't think that I am a total psycho stalker and quietly block me from her site.

The best quote from this experience comes from some dude purchasing a ticket. When asked if he would like to donate a dollar to St. Jude's Childrens Hospital, he replied "No thanks, I'm not religious" I had to turn around so that he wouldn't see me laughing and trying so hard not to pee myself. Double Destroyer, a fellow rollergal that was working the front desk decided that this should be our "catch all" response for anything, like "Would you like fries with that?" "No thanks, I'm not religious". It sounds pretty good to me.

Acrylic Branding Tutorial

Here is a short tutorial on how to do Acrylic Impressions/Branding. You can brand with lots of things: Paperclips, C-Curve sticks, rubber stamps, the list is endless!
You can sculpt or use tips. Since I was doing this on myself, I used tips. Prep the nails, apply tips, cut and shape them. Prime for product application. Overlay the nails with product of choice. For this demonstration, I used clear acrylic.

When the product is just about set, it will start to go from wet looking to frosted, this is when you want to brand. Take your branding tool of choice and dip it in powder so that it will not stick. Press the brander into the acrylic, making sure to get a good, deep image on the entire surface. For this demo, I used a scrapbooking paperclip.

This is what it will look like when finished. It's not a pretty sight, but will be in the end!

Fill the branded area with colored acrylic or glitter acrylic of choice. Don't be afraid to get it all over, you will file the excess off. You client will look scare, but be amazed at the finished product.

File and shape the nails like you normally would. You will then dust off the nails and apply YN Finish Gel Topcoat and cure in a 9 watt lamp for 90 seconds.

This is your end product!

Here is an example of using the C-Curve sticks to brand. Nail bed was clear, tip was black. Branding was completed with the C-Curve sticks. Black and white acrylic were applied to the branded area.

Here is an example using mesh. Black acrylic was applied to the entire nail, then mesh was used for branding. Lime green glitter acrylic was applied to the branded area. This method is great for reptile skin looks!

WTF is up with Ford City Borough??!?

I went to the credit union today. I nearly wrecked my car when I turned down Ford Street. It is October 22. Most businesses and homes are decorated for Halloween. The leaves are just starting to turn. Well, Ford City has decided to decorate for CHRISTMAS. Now I fully understand taking advantage of the wonderful weather we've been having and putting them up early, but do you have to have THE LIGHTS ON..................................and at 3:30 on a Monday afternoon? Seriously, that is messed up!

Update on Mom

August 7, 2006, my 60 year old mother had to be life flighted because of a brain bleed. She is a dialysis patient and she was on Cumadin at the time to help regulate her blood so that she wouldn't clog up the machine. Before leaving on the flight, I was told that they ordered a drug to be administered on the flight to counter act the Cumadin, so that the bleeding would stop. Sometime, during the flight, the IV infiltrated in her arm. No one at the hospital for a week would tell me what was wrong with my mother's arm. 10 days after the flight, I was at her apartment and there was a letter addressed to me, sent to her address from Life Flight. The letter stated that PA law requires them to inform in writing when something adverse happens. They were writing to inform me of the infiltration that occurred during the flight.

My mother recovered from the brain bleed and this horrible injury to her arm. From August until February, she endured three times weekly debrising the wound, they basically, cut and removed all the skin from her arm. Despite the use of splints, the tendons in her fingers shortened. Her hand curves out like if you were using the heel of your hand to push something on the table. She can't straighten her hand or her fingers. So, she pretty much has no use of this arm, which is her right arm, which is her dominant arm. Her other arm, has her port in it for dialysis.

She received a skin graft in February, where they removed skin from her upper thigh and put it on her arm. This was quite painful for her and her arm still looks horrible.

After her skin graft, she left the hospital finally to reside in a nursing home. She had to go there because with this injury, she can't take care of herself. I am an only child and I can't take care of her either.

I contacted a lawyer and met with him in November. During all this time he's been getting the records and such. I have been told that he had an "expert" nurse examine all the records has determined that we will have a tough case. She noted that the drug that was ordered, Dilantin has specific administration instructions, which WERE followed. Ah, I don't think so, if that was the case, every person, who received this drug would have an arm that looks like my mothers.

If you are squeamish, please don't scroll any further, these photos are pretty bad. Keep in mind, the infiltration happened August 7, 2006, the photos were taken November 28, 2006, which is nearly four months (16 weeks later)

I ask you, does this look like the drug was administered as instructed???? Do you think I am crazy to think that someone should be held responsible for her injury? I am having a hard time with this. First, the drug infiltrated. Second, why was she given Dilantin, it's an anti seizure drug. A counteract to Cumadin would be either Potassium, which couldn't be used because she is a renal patient or Vitamin K. So, not only did they not give a drug properly, they MAY have given her the wrong drug.