3.07.2017

Neverland Map Downloadable Print



Back by popular demand, the infamous Neverland Map has had a facelift and I added some size options. It's available on my Etsy site HERE. (Because of all the issues I had with my previous map being taken and sold without permission, this is no longer a free download, and I have changed the original design even further.)



12.09.2016

2017 Printable Calendars


They're here! 2017 Calendars are up in my Etsy Shop! And today only, 100% of the sales will go to help refugee children around the world. :) Download, print at a local print shop (I love UPS because they are less than $1 to print), and hang or gift! (feel free to share) https://www.etsy.com/shop/LyndsayJohnson

7.08.2016

Perfect Products for Oily Skin

I have sensitive, oily, blemish prone skin. And I can't use anything that has gluten, wheat, or yeast in the ingredients. After searching HIGH AND LOW, I have my perfect products. These items prep my canvas for an oil-free day, and give me truly lasting coverage when it comes to makeup. To stay in the loop with more tips like this, join my beauty group on Facebook HERE.




Let's start with SKINCARE. I want skin care that will support my oily skin, blast blemishes naturally, and help with shine control throughout my day. Here's the lineup!
1. Younique Clear Cleanser. Won't strip skin's natural oils. Clears and prevents blemishes, and gentle enough to take off eye makeup in one fell swoop!
2. Kiehls Rare Earth Pore Refining Tonic. This toner has silica to absorb oil all day! It's gentle, refreshing, and I can use it year-round. I don't have success with the other Rare Earth products (the cleanser is really harsh). But I truly love the toner.
3. Divine Daily Moisturizer. Use a tiny amount to balance skin if you live in a dry climate. Gentle and fragrance-free. Not too moisturizing for oily skin!
4. Naobay Mattifying Cream. If you live in a humid environment, this blasts shine and keeps oil at bay. Not hydrating enough for me in the desert or mountains, though.
5. Perfectly Posh "I'm Shrinking" Pore Refining Mask. I LOVE to treat my face with a mask twice a month to purify and shrink pores.
6. Evologie Intensive Blemish Serum. This naturally-based serum uses essential oils and other healthy ingredients to zap zits. Forget the harsh chemicals, and give this tingly powerhouse a try!
7. Glorious Face and Eye Primer. This face primer preps your canvas for flawless makeup application! And it will keep your foundation on ALL DAY. Pair with Younique's Touch Pressed Powder Foundation, and your look will LAST, even in the heat. A little dab will you, though! use less than a pea sized amount on your whole face to create a barrier between the oils in your skin and your foundation.

Next up is MAKEUP. As you can see, I have hit a home run with Younique products! Not only are they up to European standards and free of harmful chemicals, paraben-free, and most products are gluten-free. PLUS they have mega staying power! Add in some Neutrogena Shine Control finishing powder, and I am a mattified maven! (**MAKE SURE you have prepped your canvas with primer to keep your look fresh and in-place all day.)
1. Younique Touch Mineral Skin Perfecting Concealer. While this is a cream concealer, it's not oily, and doesn't look creasy or cake-y on my skin!
2. Younique Pressed Powder Foundation. A STAPLE for any girl that glows. Fantastic coverage, zero oil. My very favorite foundation I have ever used.
3. Younique Beachfront Bronzer. Two-toned marbled finish gives the PERFECT shade of bronze that's never too orange or brown. Comes in three gorgeous shades. Long lasting on your face AND in the compact. It will last you for years.
3. Younique Pressed Blusher. This highly-pigmented powerhouse packs a punch of color! Not chalky matte, not shimmery, either. The perfect sheen. It will last you for years.
4. Neutrogena Shine Control Powder. This super lightweight translucent finishing powder (more like fairy dust, to be honest) goes with my everywhere. It blasts the oil without making my makeup look too layered. It won't cake your face, but adds the perfect powdery touch over your already flawless look.
Find at any Walmart, Walgreens, Target, or drugstore.
5. Let's talk eyes! Prime your lids with the super-staying power of Younique's Eye Primer. Zero creasing. True color. Will make ANY eye look last in heat, humidity, through workouts and tears (even swimming). It's magic in a tube.
6. Younique Splurge Cream Shadow. This light-weight mousse to powder formula give gorgeous color you won't even feel on your lids. It goes on in a snap (just use your fingertip), and delivers creaseless, shimmery, lasting color! Buy three at a discount.
7. Younique Mineral Pigments. These little shadow pots come in matte and shimmer, and pair perfectly for lasting looks. My favorites are Sexy, Confident, Heartbroken, and Corrupted. Buy 4 at a discount!
8. Younique Precision Pencil Liners. For lips and lash line, these beauties are more waterproof and lasting than ANY of the professional big guns. Goodbye raccoon eyes. Hello gorgeous, rich, smooth liner color. And talk about color! They come in so many amazing, lasting shades. Last through sweat, swim, and tears, but washes off easily with soap and water. Group them for a discount!

Hope this helps you glowing goddesses stay a little more matte this summer! :)


x

6.24.2016

Something had to give



Summer is HERE. And so are the tantrums, fighting, and proclamations of boredom. I was ready to throw in the beach towel, and we were only one week in!! Something had to be done. After a little creative brainstorming, I decided we needed a rewards system. We've done marbles in a jar, monetary rewards for chores, and other promises of greatness. But this summer I need something motivating and simple. I had been thinking about the fair coming up in August, and it dawned on me: RED TICKETS. I ran to Walmart and came home with a gigantic roll of red tickets. The kids were speechless for the first time in a week. "How do we earn them?" they implored. "I will share with you all of my secrets," I promised, and set about making this system work for us.

First, I gave them each an envelope for ticket storage, and found a big jar for "payments." Then we came up with a mutually agreed-upon system. You want to watch TV? Pay the jar 1 ticket per show. You want to go to a friend's house? 5 tickets. Family movie night or snow cones on mom? 10 tickets. Go to a movie? 50 tickets. Trip to the museum? 100 tickets...and so on. And they have to work for these rewards! 1 ticket for every 10 minutes of reading. Picking up toys, 5 tickets, etc. Some rewards and payments are set in stone (they HAVE to read at least 20 minutes a day, but my 9 year old is now averaging about 70 minutes in order to earn an many tickets as are humanly possible). But I also can use these tickets to keep them in line while, oh, say, having to shop for summer clothes with all three kids in tow. "You keep playing hide and seek in the racks, and that's going to cost you 10 tickets!" Boom. Angels. And if they are extra helpful and go above and beyond, they earn bonus tickets! Helping with little Lena (2) has earned Finn (9) and Maya (7) quite a few tickets to pad their envelopes. We even have a Friday Toy Chest where they can choose a 5 Ticket Toy from a treasure bin (thank you Dollar Store). It's the perfect motivation to keep everyone on track this summer! What's working for YOU? :)

I've whipped up some ticket charts for you to use! You can download them for free HERE.




4.20.2016

Book Club Guide for Fire of the Sea

Planning a Book Club for Fire of the Sea? Well you should be, because it's the PERFECT book club read. ;) Here are some tips to make your next gathering a success.

THE BOOK
To purchase the print or ebook, find them HERE.
For signed copies ($15 plus shipping), EMAIL ME!

MENU
Head on over to your local Ikea and pick up some Scandinavian treats! Ginger cookies, tea, some sandwiches with Havarti cheese, or even some Siggi Icelandic yogurt with fruit!

To drink, serve Ocean Water by combining lemonade, ginger ale & blue Hawaiian Punch!



MUSIC
I was inspired by Sigur Ros and Imogen Heap, primarily. But there are some really great songs that graced my playlist. Here are a few to consider:

Sigur Ros – Glosoli
Imogen Heap – Canvas
Susie Suh – Here With Me
Florence and the Machine – What the Water Gave Me

DECOR
Think beach, sea, sand, and ice! Iceland isn't a warm and balmy place, but great texture in fabrics, rope, shells, woods, and stones can help warm of the feel. A rustic nautical theme can work, with a hint of raw mystery!



PRINTABLES
You can add touch of Old Norse flair with this map, genealogy chart, and woodcut design. I have included the book cover, as well, at full resolution. All files are available as a free download HERE.





BOOK TRAILER
Share the gorgeous book trailer for Fire of the Sea. (It was filmed IN Iceland!)


GAMES
If you want to keep it light, you can always play the Mermaid Name Game!



QUOTES
Quotes from the book (printed or shared) are another way to add interest.









BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Fire of the Sea combines elements of Old Norse tales and Scandinavian (like the Icelandic Sagas, and H.C. Andersen's The Little Mermaid.) How does Fire of the Sea add to the modern day landscape of fantasy and mythology?
(Discussion might include the marriage of Norse and Greek mythology, for example.) 

2. Fate and choice is a central theme of Fire of the Sea. How did Aeva's choices influence the shifting of fate? How are fate and choice intertwined?

3. SPOILER ALERT!! Did you suspect Petra to be Delphine? If so, when did you start to suspect this, and how did this impact you as you read further? Did you feel the tension building as Aeva was taken in by Petra? Were any of you surprised that Petra was really Delphine in human form?

4. Discuss the nature of shape shifters. How are other characters besides Delphine shape shifters in their own way (Aeva, Gunnar, or even Sissel)? 

5. Stories with both romantic and fantasy elements often depict romantic relationships happening quickly--even suddenly--on a deep emotional level. Does this work with this genre? If so, what makes it believable? (Is it the added magic and mystery? Is it the fact that we as readers just love a love story?)

6. Aeva sacrificed a lot for Gunnar. Do you feel he matched her love, and was worthy of her sacrifice? If so, how? If not, what would make it so impossible for Aeva and Gunnar to be separated if they seemed unequally matched? 

7. Aeva has to make a pretty serious choice between honoring family and choosing love. Did she make the right decision? How would her world have been different if she had chosen to stay with her family, rather than take the more difficult path to land? Could she have achieved her destiny any other way? (Discussion could include the prophecy about the Fire of the Sea and the Fate of Man, and how balance is restored.)

8. Fire of the Sea seems to wrap up in a fairly neat package. Do you think Delphine is truly gone? Or are there any loose ends that could leave the ending open to more danger? (Spoiler alert, share if you would like: one of Delphine’s Selur “friends” made it away alive from the orca attack. This was a way to leave a small loose end in the event of a sequel. Can you figure out which character made it out alive?)

9. The ocean plays a large role in Fire of the Sea. How do you view this “character?" (Could be a mother figure, Creator, teacher, raw force, etc.) 

10. To follow up with the previous question: In the end, Aeva must give herself back to the sea as a form of repentance, in a way. Was the sea truly angry, or just responding based on the laws of this created world? Was the ocean’s forgiveness immediate or conditional? Were these conditions a result of Aeva’s mistakes, and were these conditions only met after personal growth, or is it an unconditional forgiveness? Maybe a bit of both? (This exists in other mythologies and in scriptural texts, for example…)


11. Gunnar has his own personal growth in Fire of the Sea. He changes from a bit of a quiet loner, into someone with personal conviction and a sense of honor. How does imparting duty and purpose on someone compel them to rise to the challenge? How was this mirrored in Aeva’s character arc? 


Have fun!!

Thank you to Shannon Wilson of Family Brings Joy for sharing these photos with me!